The 88th Academy Awards has just ended and the stars are out in force at the many Oscar after parties kicking off around the city of Los Angeles. Watford-born John Hiscock tells us what it was like to be Beverly Hills, in prime position on the red carpet at one of the most exclusive and most glamorous of them all – Vanity Fair.

On a night like tonight, all the press are looking for a scoop and little did I realise our LA presenter Ross King was about to get his as Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher bound over on a post Oscar high, fresh off the success of Sacha presenting at the awards in character as Ali G. But they had a secret to share….

I’m the LA based Senior Producer for ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’ and ‘Lorraine’, and am reflecting on the excitement from our live Oscar special. Live TV is very unpredictable but the rush when you’re a part of the team producing on the ground at an event like the Oscars, is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced – it’s an addictive buzz.

So what was Ross’ scoop of the night? Well it turned out that the mischievous couple had disobeyed strict Academy orders for Sacha NOT to appear as Ali G when presenting. The comedian had other ideas though and had his wife Isla smuggle a beard into the ceremony and even cover for him while he hid backstage in a disabled toilet to transform into character.

As it turned out the revelation they shared with Ross was a Good Morning Britain exclusive that has since been picked up and reported by news outlets around the world. It certainly gives a bit of context as to why the media go so crazy for an opportunity to speak to the stars on a red carpet. You just never know what little nugget of information you might come away with, and where it will go.

As well as a star scoop, our focus every Oscars is to interview any British winners. And this year Sam Smith was top of the wish list.

When he arrived at the party, just hours after picking up the award for ‘Best Original Song’, you could feel the competition rise up a notch amongst all of the media outlets - we all had Oscar winning glory in our sights!

In the midst of the chaos, I thought we were going to miss our opportunity to interview Sam. But just as he was about to make his way into the party he locked eyes on Ross, and with a knowing look walked over with his Oscar to chat. The sigh of relief at this moment from the team in LA, and the cheers of delight from the gallery producers back in London, is a moment I’ll never forget.

The only way to describe the atmosphere at the Vanity Fair Party is electric. It’s completely surreal knowing you’re watching one of the world’s biggest entertainment news stories unravel in front of your very eyes.

And the story didn’t get much bigger than the surprise win for British actor Mark Rylance, he won best supporting actor for his role in ‘Bridge of Spies’.

He was so generous with his time when we caught up with him, and it was impossible not to feel Great British pride for someone that came to the Oscars as the complete underdog and walked away triumphant.

Watford Observer:

After the Academy Awards ceremony the night really turns into a celebration for the Hollywood entertainment industry, so it’s not only the winners that are in good spirits and talking to the press. The stars come out in force and you never know who will be walking up the red carpet next. We saw everybody from Taylor Swift to Sir Elton John and Lady Gaga, and that’s just scratching the very tip of the star filled iceberg.

The Oscar show is always one of the most fun-filled to be a part of for ‘Good Morning Britain’ and ‘Lorraine’. And one thing we always hope for is the grace of the showbiz Gods to make sure they’re shining down on us throughout our broadcast, they didn’t disappoint - this year was pretty special.