When I came up for a planning meeting with Croydon Amnesty and CYTO members, we divi’d up a list of 'to do-s’. One of my tasks was to contact some local celebrities. 

The only contact I could find for Kate Moss was her agent, and I had a very polite reply back: 

Dear Swithin,

Thank you for your email but unfortunately Kate is not available to attend the performance. Best of luck for the event.

Yours, Lucy

And so, of course, I replied suggesting that Lucy herself comes along.

Jonathon Porritt, the environmentalist, was also on my list. I contacted him through his website www.jonathonporritt.com. I was expecting a standardised reply, but…:

Dear Swithin,

Thank you for your email on Monday. Absolutely understand the passion that you bring to bear on this story, and sympathise personally with everything you're doing. But I'm just really sorry about this - I honestly just don't have a single moment to try and take on anything other than the multiple campaigns and causes that I'm involved with in the world of sustainability. Really sorry about that.

Best wishes, Jonathon

I was really pleased to have such a thoughtful reply.

Assuming that no news is good news, look out on Saturday for these celebrities who haven’t replied yet, therefore hopefully they’re coming…Sue Perkins, Mark Steale, Ronnie Corbett – and, wait for it – David Bowie. I'm looking forward to meeting them all during refreshments after 'Dear Tim'!

'Dear Tim: Echoes of Death Row' is on Saturday, October 17th at 7pm. It's at the CYTO’s Shoestring Theatre in Oakley Road.

Tickets are only £6 (concession £4) and you can get them from:

Sarah Beer - sarahvbeer@gmail.com or 020 8656 1000