Ten years ago, I went to a meeting at 10 Downing Street. At the time I was running an independent TV production company and was always on the hunt for new programme ideas. At a social event a few weeks earlier I had met a spad (special adviser) to David Cameron who thought that there might be a show in the work of the trade department in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises trying to export to the world (this was pre-Brexit, obvs). The meeting was to try to figure out how this might be an unmissable piece of television.
I turned up punctually and after surrendering my mobile phone was shown to a bench that was situated opposite the gents. The spad kept me waiting
