ENSCONCED in a darkened room, surrounded by film reels and watching movies back-to-back all day long - it sounds like a pretty cushy number.

But that's not quite the whole picture, according to Stan Glendenning, who yesterday celebrated a quarter of a century as projectionist at Darlington's Odeon Cinema.

The 43-year-old reckons he has shown more than 5,000 films since he started work at the North Road cinema in 1977 - but these days he simply doesn't have time to put his feet up and watch.

"When I tell people what I do, they always ask if I get to sit and watch films all day," he said. "It used to be like that, but we show so many films now, we just don't get the chance."

An average 12-hour shift sees him in charge of three screens, sometimes with just minutes between showings.

"Being a projectionist is a very physical job. I barely get a chance to sit down. The romanticised view of a projectionist peeking through the porthole just isn't the case now."

Like many of cinema's greats, Mr Glendenning fell into the entertainment industry by accident - and certainly did not intend to stick around for 25 years.

After a brief, "unenjoyable" stint in the Army, he took the job at the Thorn EMI cinema (as it was then) as a stop-gap.

"I saw the job in the JobCentre and said to myself that if it was still there a week later, I'd go for an interview," he said. "It was, and I did. Originally, I was only going to stay for two years. I had always planned to move around, but I never did."

Surprisingly, while the name above the cinema doors has changed many times, Mr Glendenning's job has hardly changed at all.

"This room is exactly the same as it was 25 years ago. We still use the same equipment, still have 35mm film and it's basically the same process it always was. The only difference now is the sound, which is much more advanced, and the fact that the film is made from polyester rather than cellulose."

The longest-serving member of staff at the cinema, he admits he's no film buff and prefers fiddling around with computers in his spare time.

"I have always enjoyed it, it's always been an excellent job, but to me it's just a job," said Mr Glendenning, who has two children and four step-children. "I'm not passionate about cinema. I probably couldn't remember what I showed last week."

Still, the movie bug must have bitten him a bit. He'll get a £500 present from Odeon for his long-service and is planning on buying a TV and DVD system.

And he is all too aware that the projectionist's job is the final piece in the multi-million pound, movie-making jigsaw.

"We often find letters from distributors inside the film cans asking us to take care when we show the films," he said.

"But we always make sure we do. The thing is, if we don't do our job properly, no one gets to see the film. That's what it's all about."

Stan's top five favourite films

1. Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

"The funniest film ever"

2. Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975)

"At the end of this film, the reel appears to burn out. It's a deliberate effect, but when I first showed it, I really thought something had gone wrong"

3. The Matrix (1999)

"I'm a big fan of sci-fi and this is really well done"

4. The Fifth Element (1997)

"A really good sci-fi film I could watch again and again"

5. Unbreakable (2000)

"Stands out as a really good, recent film"

And his least favourite

The Devil's Advocate (1997)

"It was a good film, but it was terrifying and horrible, and I won't watch it again"