'Crying in cupboards' The reality of life as a runner in TV or film

As a runner on a film or TV production, "you are, and there is no point kidding yourself, the lowest of the low," says Tom.

- Esther Addley

As a runner on a film or TV production, "you are, and there is no point kidding yourself, the lowest of the low," says Tom. "Nobody knows your name, nor do they care to ask. You will be asked to get coffees, lug around kit, even clean toilets - and if anyone higher up senses a whiff of disdain, you're on your bike."

Tom is 25 and has been working as a runner - the term given to entry-level positions in TV and film - for the past six months. It can be a creative and fun job: "One moment, you're scrambling to fix a broken JCB that's in the middle of shot; the next, you're racing to track down someone cutting a tree in their garden, desperately pleading with them to stop so you can continue shooting the intimate scene."

On the other hand, he says, you might spend all day standing in one spot telling members of the public they can't walk into shot, and being abused for it: "It is important not to think about how you wasted 90 grand on an education to do a job a signpost could do."