黑洞社区

We are tucked around a table in a tiny corner of London鈥檚 oldest wine bar. Established in 1890 in the cellar of Samuel Pepys old house, the bar is simply sopping with history.

Faded newspaper cuttings adorn brick walls, and the arched ceilings hang low, forcing customers to stoop as they sidle along the corridor and into cobbled rooms. It鈥檚 not an ideal boozing spot for someone with a fear of confined spaces.

Anna rolls her eyes: 鈥淗e鈥檚 joking,鈥� she laughs. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just using it as an excuse to explain why we got a taxi here instead of the tube.鈥�

鈥淲ell yes, I鈥檓 not technically claustrophobic,鈥� Lee admits, 鈥渂ut I do need to swap seats with one of you. Look, my hair is stuck like Velcro to the ceiling here.鈥�

As it turns out, the decision to travel by cab, although spuriously justified, made for an interesting journey. 鈥淵ou know Ian from Eastenders?鈥� Lee turns to me. 鈥淲ell, we didn鈥檛 see him.鈥� Good story so far 鈥� 鈥淏ut the girl who plays his daughter interviewed us.鈥�

Apparently, said actress (or at least a very good lookalike), and a cameraman approached the four while they were stuck in traffic, and quizzed them on their views on the MPs鈥� expenses scandal. So, how did they respond?

I do need to swap seats with one of you. Look, my hair is stuck like velcro to the ceiling

鈥淚 told her I thought they were a bunch of losers,鈥� grins Lee. 鈥淎nd that the truth is finally out about their lies.鈥�

Not wishing to crush the atmosphere with talk of politics, conversation swiftly switches to the disposable camera I鈥檝e brought with me. 鈥淭hat is so old school,鈥� giggles Anna.

Well, credit crunch and all that 鈥� and the fact that 黑洞社区 seems to have misplaced the office digital. Lee鈥檚 not the only one who can make up feeble excuses, it seems.

The gang are now busy taking comedy photos of one another. Anna suggests Lucy cosies up to the stranger sitting beside her. 鈥淕o on,鈥� she eggs her, 鈥渄o your usual.鈥�

The others all groan. 鈥淥h God, don鈥檛 start her off again,鈥� Rob chuckles. I am intrigued. Lucy, it seems, has a penchant for men, or more precisely, for dates. 鈥淭here was the pilot,鈥� lists Lee, counting them off on his fingers, 鈥渢hen there was the guy called Frankfurt 鈥� that was his actual name.鈥�

Lucy, meanwhile, is defiant: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e only 24 once,鈥� she laughs. Quite.

Anna suggests lucy cosies up to the stranger sitting beside her. 鈥楪o on,鈥� she eggs her, 鈥榙o your usual鈥�

Lee is now reminiscing about the sailor Lucy met at Little Britain. 鈥淵ou should come on our boat in August and watch her at work. We might actually win this year.鈥�

Rob is laughing as he remembers. 鈥淗ey, we would have won, we just maybe did it slightly wrong.鈥�

Lee agrees. 鈥淲e possibly got a little sidetracked by the alcohol.鈥�

鈥淭hat 鈥� and Lucy was too busy looking at the men,鈥� sniggers Anna.