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For ten months now, I’ve been mostly locked down at home. It’s a drag, but it’s the smart thing to do if you’re high risk like me. When I can, I walk in local fields. My excursions are rare, and usually involve clinics and hospitals.
The one glorious exception is my trip last August to a TV studio. I went there to film an interview for an American Experience documentary about Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the amazing real-life female code breaker who is the subject of my next book, The Woman All Spies Fear.
Covid had wrecked our original plans to film in NYC in March, so I figured the documentary would go on without me. But I hadn’t reckoned on the determination of the producer and director, who found a way forward. At a time when local Covid levels were very low, they found an Oxfordshire studio that does work for the BBC and that was taking good precautions. They told me I’d be the only guest in the studio that day, with only a small camera crew at a distance, so I decided to take the risk.
It was a bizarre and wonderful experience. The film crew was terrific, and they’d rigged up a zoom link with the US-based team. That way, the director could interview me as if she were in the studio herself. It worked like a dream…
…except for the wasps.
While the camera was rolling, I was stung not once, but TWICE, by wasps that had found their way into the studio. I got out my Epipen but luckily didn’t need it — though I did need the two packs of frozen mixed veggies the film crew offered me from the freezer. After the second sting, the crew decided to wrap the lower half of me in a black velvet theater curtain, then stand guard over me (at 6 feet, with masks) to swat away anything that buzzed. And that’s how I did the interview, which went on for over six hours. It was quite a day.
If you’re in the US, you can see the film on PBS on Monday night — the first American Experience episode of 2021! It’s called The Codebreaker. I’m just a small part of it, but I think it will be GREAT! Catch it if you can.
Alchemy Pie 
Way to go, you TV star!!! 🌷🌷🌷
Oh, this made me laugh, Barb. Far from it — but thank you.
Oh, my! What an absolutely amazing experience, Amy. Wow, just wow. That’s a story for the ages. Congratulations on the group effort to include you in the doc, despite those wasps and their bad intentions!
I was amazed (and grateful) that they were so determined to make it work. Thankfully we were able to seize the one moment when Covid levels were bottoming out. I could never do it now. Though at least in January there wouldn’t be any wasps!
I kept thinking about you and that whole story after reading it. Truly momentous, Amy!
Wow! You were great! Totally professional and you looked as if you were having fun.
Thanks, Barb. I really did have fun, but I felt pretty wobbly last night, wondering exactly what the film would be like. Since I’m in the UK, I still haven’t seen it! So thanks so much for your sweet words.
Just finished watching PBS American Experience The Codebreaker. Fascinating woman. Like many other brilliant women of her generation and the generations that would follow they were never able to be seen as who they really were. I hope this episode and your book bring Elizabeth Friedman to millions. We all need to know about the women that history left behind. I am recommending the PBS episode to my three daughters to share with their daughters. I will be ordering your book and letting my daughters know about it as well.
Thank you so much for your post! I agree — it’s wonderful to see Elizebeth Friedman finally getting recognition for her vital contributions. She was an amazing woman with many secrets, and it’s been a joy for me as a historian to uncover more about her hidden life. I’m glad that you enjoyed The Codebreaker and that you’re looking forward to The Woman All Spies Fear. It’s great to hear that you’re recommending them to your daughters, too.