Always save your correspondence. I learnt that when Ricky Gervais became a global superstar. Back in 1998 I was working for Time Out and received a neat typewritten letter from Gervais asking politely if I would review his first-ever TV pilot. It was a one-off for C4's Comedy Lab strand called Golden Years. In it Gervais played a Bowie-obsessed office worker who dreams of rock stardom. I think I gave the programme a reasonable review but in one of my annual purges I threw the letter away. A couple of years later The Office – which clearly has its roots in Golden Years – took off and a couple of years after that David Bowie appeared in Extras, squaring the circle. This morning Ricky Gervais tweeted: "I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie."

You can watch Golden Years below.