"And that's the early evening national news on Friday the seventh of June. Now on UKTR, it's time for the news where you are. Have a good evening, and I'll hand you over to your regional station."
Blonde, beautiful Phillipa Phillips continued to smile at the camera until the little red light faded and she heard her producer's voice in her earpiece.
"And we're out. Thanks everyone. Studio re-set please ready for the half past eight bulletin."
Phillipa stood up and a studio technician approached her and slid her hand down the back of her skirt to remove the microphone power pack. The woman smiled in embarrassment, but Phillipa wasn't offended. She thanked the woman and removed her earpiece, handing it to her with a nod of gratitude. The door to the studio opened and Timothy Thomas, the studio manager stalked in.
"The weekend begins here," he said flirtatiously to Phillipa. "Will you be joining us for a drink or two in the staff bar?"
"I'd love to, Tim," smiled Phillipa sincerely, "but I have a long-standing engagement. Friends of a girlfriend of mine are celebrating their wedding anniversary. I've got a taxi waiting for me outside. I'm flying up to Scotland this evening for the weekend."
"Huh! How the other half live!" Timothy pouted, a smile showing that he meant no offence. "Well, enjoy yourself with the dour Scots, sugar lump. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Hardly," grinned Phillipa, making a limp wrist gesture to her flamboyantly gay friend and colleague. No-one took offence at the almost constant gay and lesbian teasing that went on in the studios. She blew him a kiss and hurried off to her dressing room to pick up the weekend case she'd brought to the studios with her that morning. Five minutes later, she left Broadcast HQ, ignoring the complaint from the security guard on the door that taxis weren't supposed to wait in front of the building, and got into the back of the cab.
"Hiya," she said to the woman uber driver. "Thanks for being so prompt. I'm going to The Meadows Airfield, please."
"Going somewhere nice, dearie?" asked the driver, pulling away smoothly and giving the finger to the watching security guard.
Phillipa repeated her story about a wedding anniversary party, and then settled back for the short journey to the private airfield.
The gates to the airfield were shut when the taxi pulled up at them fifteen minutes later.
"What do you want me to do, dearie?" asked the driver. "I can't hang about here all night. I've got fares booked after this trip."
"Hang on," said Phillipa, getting out of the cab. "I'll see if I can open them."
She walked up to the gates and tried them, but it was no good. They were securely locked. Then she noticed an intercom. She pressed the call button, and a voice answered immediately.
"Control tower. Can I help you?"
"I'm supposed to be catching a private plane from here tonight," replied Phillipa. "I'm Phillipa Phillips from you-kay-tee-are. United Kingdom Television and Radio."
"The broadcasters?" replied the disembodied voice. "Yes I've got you on my list. The Laird's Lear jet is about ten minutes out from here. Come up to the tower if you like. No point in you waiting out there in the cold. Hang on."
Phillipa heard an electronic buzz, and the gates started to open automatically. By the time she was back in the taxi, they were fully open.
"I'm to go to the control tower to wait," she told the driver, who seemed to know where to go, and set off slowly across a very bumpy grass field.In the distance Phillipa could see a tall tower, and when, a few minutes later, they arrived at the base of the tower, she could also see that someone was waiting to greet her.
She thanked the taxi driver, got out and smiled at the middle aged man who was holding the door of the tower open for her.
"Welcome to The Meadows " he said smiling widely. "We are used to handling the Laird's guests here, but I must say this is the first time we've had a television personality here. I'm Ted, by the way. Head honcho and general dogsbody all rolled into one."
He led Phillipa into the control room, where a young man wearing headphones was sat hunched over an illuminated screen. As they approached , he turned round and smiled.
"They're on approach, dad," he said. "E T A two minutes."
Phillipa was very impressed with the efficiency of the whole set-up. As she watched, the jet came into sight and made a very smooth landing. The young man got up from his seat and went out of the room.
"Andy will see to the re-fuelling whilst I sort the paperwork out," Ted said with a smile. "It's an internal flight, so you don't need a passport, but I will need you to fill in your destination and the purpose of your flight. Now, let's start with an easy question. Full name?"
In keeping with the smooth, efficient operation she'd already witnessed, Phillipa found herself being escorted to the newly re-fuelled jet by Ted barely twenty minutes later. A beautiful air stewardess in a gorgeously flattering uniform stood at the foot of the steps of the plane. She smiled, showing a mouthful of pearly white teeth. Her copper red hair, tied in a neat pony tail, shone with health
"Welcome aboard, Ms Phillips," she smiled. "I'm Jenny, your stewardess for this evening's flight. Now I just have to sign Ted's forms and then we can be on our way. Please be careful going up the steps." Phillipa was enchanted by her wonderfully soft Scots accent.
She had only just sat down and was about to fasten her seat belt when Jenny came up the steps into the aircraft.
"I'll just secure the door and let the pilot know that we're good to go, and then I'll come and attend to you, she smiled.
"You can attend to me any time you like, sweetie," thought Phillipa, eyeing Jenny's impressive chest and equally attractive arse. She kept her thoughts to herself, however.
While Jenny was closing and locking the door in the fuselage, the cockpit door opened and Phillipa saw who she assumed must be the pilot approach her, smiling broadly.
"Hi, Ms Phillips. I'm Fiona, your pilot," she said, in the same soft lilt as Jenny. She held out an envelope. "I was asked by one of the Laird's guests to give you this."