Video Reps

Every nick has some haunted soul in charge of the communal video machine or DVD player. Although, these days, it is likely to be more technical. For example, here we have 9 fixed TV channels and an extra one which the 'video rep' uses to play us all the other channels. Quest, Dave and Virgin 1 seem to be firm favourites, all being quite blokey in nature.

Of course, this means that the video rep has to try to please 186 people, of mixed ages, interests, ethnicity and volatility. It is the most thankless job ever invented and I heard that ours was jacking it in after Christmas. Much as I'd love the job - just to fill the evenings with BBC4 - I'm not that daft.

Whilst our video rep is the target of disgruntled moaning (a fair bit of it mine), he has survived. I recall one nick where the selection process was more severe. Anyone could volunteer for the job, but if he ever disappointed people with his viewing selection for more than a couple of sequential days, his fate would be to have his cell set on fire.