The fifth of seven fascinating and thought-provoking films produced by viewers of the Tyne Tees Television news programme North East Tonight which present a range of thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears about moving into a new millennium. This film written by Brenda Whitelock from Newcastle who wants to be accepted as a mature single woman who has come of age in the 21st Century. To Nat King Cole singing ‘Smile’ a montage of the Angel of the North at Gateshead. An older woman runs up to the...

The fifth of seven fascinating and thought-provoking films produced by viewers of the Tyne Tees Television news programme North East Tonight which present a range of thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears about moving into a new millennium. This film written by Brenda Whitelock from Newcastle who wants to be accepted as a mature single woman who has come of age in the 21st Century. To Nat King Cole singing ‘Smile’ a montage of the Angel of the North at Gateshead. An older woman runs up to the sculpture and puts her arms out straight the same as the statue. As she turns and blows it a kiss, she says voiceover that being single doesn’t mean being alone. At home she sits comfortably on her sofa reading a book, on a stool beside her a glass of wine. She arrives by herself at a hotel pulling a suitcase, and as the doorman opens the door for her states that you don’t have to be a couple to enjoy a candle lit dinner. In a restaurant she takes a seat at a table by herself and accepts a menu from the waiter. In the window of a local travel agency a poster for a discounted winter holiday changes to two advertising chalkboards outside a local butchers with the woman explaining she doesn’t want to buy one to get one free. As she stands looking at the display inside the butchers a poster is placed in the window reading ‘Small in Beautiful: Special offer for Single Portions’. Another similar advertising board goes into a nearby pizzeria and back at the travel agency she smiles as the winter discount poster is replaced with one stating there aren’t any single person supplements. At the booking office inside the Whitley Bay Playhouse the woman attempts to buy a single ticket but won’t accept an end of the row seat rather wanting one in the middle with a better view. Back at home she opens a letter containing an invitation to a party. As she sits at a bar chatting with a friend over drinks, she explains that she is ‘whole, just me.’ Her friend attempts to set her up with a man sitting behind them, she says no. A mirror ball changes to the woman dancing happily by herself on an empty dancefloor, try to stop her she says. As the woman coming out onto the stage at the Whitley Bay Playhouse, she comments that if the world is a stage don’t expect her to wait in the wings. To the sound of an audience applauding, she comes to stand in a spotlight of this empty auditorium to take a bow and concludes by saying ‘accept me I’m single, it is the 21st century and I’ve come of age.’