Those free newspapers in rush hour drive us mad right? Metro in the morning, Evening Standard in the evening with a bit of City AM, NME and ES Magazine thrown in during the week for good measure.
We pick them up, skim through and read what interests us. On the tube last week it dawned on me, that the Evening Standard gets read from start to finish, just not by the same person. In that moment the fictional WoMo evening standard journey was born:
2pm WoMo Sarah picks up a copy travelling from Russell Square to Green Park. She is on her way from one meeting to another and reads about Brad and Angelina splitting. A bit of celeb goss is a welcome break from her serious world of work. After reading the Secrets of Success of Melanie Leech she leaves the train depositing her ES on the seat.
2.40pm WoMo Claire gets on at Knightsbridge returning to her office at Hammersmith after a client lunch. She picks up the paper and reads about Prince William’s passion to end the illegal wildlife trade in ivory from elephants.
3.15pm WoMo Kritika picks up the paper at Hammersmith. She has left work early today as needs to be at her daughter's school play at 4 in South Ealing. She's running late and the paper is a good distraction particularly when she reads about Mary Berry quitting Bake Off. She runs off the train at South Ealing leaving the paper at the bottom of the escalator.
4pm coming down the escalator WoMo Jai picks it up heading to town to prep for a big event she has on this evening. She reads a bit about a woman and her trapped foot whilst riding the tube, and then decides her reading is done and puts the paper on the seat next to her.
4.25pm WoMo Carolina, sat next to WoMo Jai asks if she has finished with it and begins reading about a crane fire on the M40. She is on her way to the airport as she is flying to Madrid for a meeting in the morning. She gets off at Heathrow.
5.15pm WoMo Lisa gets on the train heading to Oxford Circus. She has flown in from New York and is in London for three days to meet the UK arm of her business. Reading about a West End stage show and Phil Howard and his new venture is a good welcome back in to London life. She's here about once a month and despite missing her kids she loves the London time where she gets to see her UK friends. Work for her starts tomorrow so she's off to check into a hotel then meet her girlfriends for dinner.
6pm WoMo Sheryl jumps on the tube and jams herself into the carriage get home. She wants to be back for bedtime after a gruelling day in the office. Three stops under someone's armpit the train slightly empties till Victoria giving her a seat. She picks up the paper and with just one stop to go reads about Sadiq and Sainsburys, the project with the Evening Standard to tackle food waste. WoMo Sheryl then leaves the train to get her overland train home.
6.45pm WoMo Laurie gets on having been stuck in a 5pm meeting that went on and on. She is heading home to Clapham and changes at changes at Stockwell. She reads about Teresa May and her crunch talks on Brexit and then sees there is a new drama starting on ITV called Paranoid. If she gets the kids in bed for 9pm she might be able to watch it! She leaves the train at Clapham South.
7.10pm WoMo Jenna gets on the tube at Clapham South and picks up the paper at the bottom of the escalator. She is heading to dinner with three girlfriends on the Southbank. She had popped home to do bath time and the babysitter had now arrived. She sits down and relaxes into what she knows will be a fun Thursday night. Reading about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West with his ‘hands on’ fatherly behaviour makes her smile. Then she is onto the business section to read about the warnings from the Bank of England over Brexit threats.
7.45pm WoMo Cecile gets on at Waterloo heading home to Belsize Park after a long day. She was stuck in a meeting and knows the has missed bedtime for her kids. She skips over reading the detail of the Corbyn Creche and reads about the superstars of London 2017 Paralympics.
8.25pm WoMo Gerry I heading from Belsize Park into Liverpool Street. She has a work event to attend but had to pop home as her partner is travelling and she didn’t have a babysitter till 7.45pm, and then the babysitter got stuck in traffic! She knows the canapes have started but the awards presentation is at 9pm. She will sneak in the back. WoMo Gerry has a quick flick through the paper and reads about the mugging victim, aged 101, who has thanked Londoners for their support.
8.50pm WoMo Dee gets on at Liverpool Street heading to Holborn. She is meeting her husband for date night at 9 and will just about make it if she’s lucky! Time for a quick read about the West Ham Boss. WoMo Dee works in Sport and always reads the paper from back to front.
9.30pm WoMo Coco gets onto the train at Holborn heading home to Acton after dinner with some friends. She is exhausted and ready for bed but knows she’ll come home to two teenagers who will have more energy than she has had all day! She reads about Arsenal knowing her teenage boys will be impressed when she gets back.
10.20pm WoMo Jo gets on at White City and picks up the paper after WoMo Coco. She is heading to Ealing after a long day at work. She entertained clients at her office next to The Westway and hopes she has sealed the deal. She reads up on Land Rover giving young drivers a go behind the wheel.
11.35pm WoMo Anna jumps on at Ealing heading to her night shift in Thomas’ Hospital. She reads about M16 seeking tech experts and thinks what a different life that might be from the one she has. WoMo Anna feels grateful she has tucked her kids into bed and will pick them up tomorrow after she sleeps in the afternoon.
12.05am WoMo Scarlett gets on the tube at Waterloo heading home. She has had a phenomenal day. She has presented to 200 people, had a Facetime call with her daughter, and then celebrated the engagement of two great friends. Quite frankly she rules the world right now. Ok maybe she has had a few drinks and the words are moving on the page, but it's been a very good night. She drops the paper in the bin as she exits Kilburn tube and that's the end of the life for that Evening Standard.