Returning to work is a minefield – but at least we have it better than TV actors

New regulations around soap opera kisses and onscreen intimacy make my return to a socially distanced office look easy, writes Charlotte Cripps

EastEnders characters share a kiss. Soap actors now use body doubles for intimate scenes due to coronavirus (BBC)

I’ve just been into The Independent‘s offices and sat alone at a large desk that I used to share with nine colleagues before the coronavirus crisis.

It feels odd sitting miles away from anybody else, but that’s social distancing for you.

There is tonnes of room, because most of us are working from home. Will it ever be the same again?

Doing ideas meetings and all interviews via Zoom is the new normal for us, but whatever methods we use to navigate the pandemic are not half as odd as those for people working in TV.

Next week, the long-running BBC soap EastEnders is returning (7 September) with new episodes after filming stopped due to Covid-19.

Intimate scenes are conducted with Perspex screens placed between actors to “cheat” social distancing rules. Real-life partners of actors have been dragged on set and enlisted as body doubles when characters kiss. Members of the same household have been used as extras to “add to the sense of life”.

A new set of guidelines for filming scenes of intimacy during the pandemic includes reviewing scripts to see if physical interaction can be replaced with emotional intimacy.

But as Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby proved earlier this week when they moved This Morning viewers to tears with a coronavirus-proof hug on the ITV chat show, nothing beats the real thing.

The pair used a large plastic sheet to prevent the transference of germs while they embraced.

It makes my trips into work seem like a walk in the park. I might have to wear a mask in communal areas, but at least I don’t have to worry about kissing anyone.

Yours,

Charlotte Cripps

Culture writer