For about 20 years I used to attend the Royal Film Performance as it was a nice way to donate money to a worthy cause. I was never that keen on the red carpet rubbish but it is showbiz. They were always at the cinemas in Leicester Square except on one occasion when it was at the Albert Hall I think - my memory is fading. That was the last occasion I went and it was for a James Bond film which must have been an anniversary as several old Bonds were in attendance. The Queen was present and so was the singer of that particular Bond theme. It was nice to bump into Roger Moore on the way out but that is about it.

I remember attending Chaplin at the Odeon. I enjoyed the film but I remember the exit better. In those days the car picking you up was allowed into Leicester Square but in no particular order. They had an announcer outside relaying to the crowd who the car was picking up. I was standing in the lobby next to David Attenborough who said to me "I think I prefer being in the jungle". The announcer said "car for Joan Collins," then "car for Rod Stewart" - both greeted by flashbulbs and cheers. Then he said "car for Paul Welsh". Cameras lowered and silence descended.

I recall on another occasion attending the Royal Film Performance of one of those Star Wars sequels, which I think was called The Phantom Menace. Again I was up in the circle at the Odeon with the great and the good and those of us who could afford the price of the seats. The film bored me and I felt the applause was not overwhelming. Cars for people like me were no longer allowed into the square to deliver or pick up. Hence I had to walk into the square with thousands of fans kept at bay by crowd control barriers. Can you imagine how stupid you feel? Luckily Robbie Williams was ahead of me and everyone focused on him. When it was time to leave I had a car waiting in a side street. Great, I thought as I started down the stairs. Alas, ahead of me was Mark Hamill, who made the fatal mistake of stopping to sign autographs. That blockage just added to my taxi bill, but Mark is a lovely chap so no regrets.

I sat through some rubbish films but one stands out for me. It was Titanic, which was the late 1990s. It had cost a fortune to make and seemed an odd choice, keeping in mind the average age of cinemagoers. It was a long film but what I noticed was how engaged the audience were. I shed a tear at the end and it was the only time I recall a standing ovation. The special effects were outstanding and it went on to become one of the top grossing movies ever. However, my personal favourite of the Titanic films is A Night To Remember, starring Kenneth More. It was made in the 1950s at a fraction of the budget. I was lucky to know Eva Hart, who at the age of seven survived the Titanic with her mother in a lifeboat denied to her father, who drowned. She felt that film was great. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be on board a liner that is sinking slowly in the cold Atlantic with no hope of rescue. To stay below decks to keep the generators going or play in a band on deck to try to keep calm. What has happened to us when a veteran newscaster is required to go for one single tweet. It is time with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz to get a grip on what actually matters.

Paul Welsh MBE is a Borehamwood writer and historian of Elstree Studios