Ready When You Are, Mr. McGill (1976)

"I've never seen that young lady in my life before and I've lived here 50 years" - it's hard to believe that one sentence, just 16 words, in a play called The Schoolteacher could cause so much trouble. Joe McGill is a TV extra who thinks his big moment has arrived. He's been reciting his line in his sleep and insisting his wife tests him on it.

Dawn breaks and the action starts, but sadly all does not go to plan. It is a cold, wet day and director Phil Shaw is over-tired and in a filthy mood. The rest of the crew are not in the best spirits either. Director of photography Don Harris has just had his prized fishing rod stolen and wardrobe mistress Jean is in floods of tears at every turn.

Mr. McGill is on his mettle, however, and is word perfect through a series of technical glitches that ruin every take. Then tragedy strikes. On the one occasion when everything mechanical goes to plan, amnesia afflicts our hero and he fails to cut the mustard.