Red Hot, Powell, Orford and Soul
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Piccies coming soon!
A call from Roger "The Hat" Wall asking if your car wants to be famous is not the normal thing you would expect to happen on a wednesday afternoon at work, but that's what did happen to me. TV production company Action Time were chasing around London for a red Mini that still had a red roof, to appear on a Sky One programme titled "The Live Six Show", a TFI Friday style show broadcast every Tuesday and Thursday from a pub in Shepards Bush.
After scrounging the Thursday afternoon off work (Thanks!), I re-discovered the back seat from under all of my usual junk, polished Roger Red Hot and set off for Shepards Bush with Roger Wall navigating. We arrived on time (thanks to Rogers map skills, not to Londons many roadworks) to a pub with a couple of large lorries parked outside, and cables running absolutely everywhere. We had obviously arrived at the right place!
Our contact, Mark, quickly introduced us to the relevant people and explained what was going to happen. The show hosted by Richard Orford and Jenny Powell, was guesting David Soul ("Hutch" of "Starsky and Hutch"). He had to rush off after his interview to the theatre where he was starring with his fiance in "The Dead Monkey". As a tribute, my Mini was going to be decked out as the famous red Ford Torino, white stripe and all! There was also the plan to pre-record Richard Orford and Jenny Powell for programme trailers. Mark left us applying large white stickers to Roger (err Red Hot, not Wall!). Whilst doing this a passer by (a Ronnie Corbett look-a-like) started chatting, explaining that he was an old mate of David and he kept his old parrot. Hmm... After we had finished stickering, we went back inside the pub to watch rehearsals (or should that be run around the pub trying not to get in the way!).
It was not long before the action went outside with Richard, Jenny, a camera crew that consisted of ex-Big Breakfast staff, a pile of cardboard boxes, and Roger Red Hot sporting a couple of white stripes with a blue flashing light. Three things were being filmed, two trailers and the program intro. With Richard and Jenny decked out in 70's gear, lines such as "We've got the car, I've got the flares, and I've got the Chunky Jumper!" were heard in surprisingly few takes. The intro of the program had Richard driving Roger into a pile of cardboard boxes, then both Richard and Jenny jumping out of the Mini, rolling across the bonnet and waving guns around much to the bemusement of passers by and local police.
After a practice of the getaway using crew members, we all moved back into the pub. Once the audience had been arranged and armed with plastic beakers (glasses and bottles of beer on British TV? Never! Whatever next?), the TV show started. After a while we were told to get ready. Now I have driven over 80,000 miles in Roger Red Hot, lots around Europe and various race circuits. However, the idea of wheelspinning off with a very famous actor/singer, his fiance and their dog whilst being televised live across Europe, seemed to conjure up ideas of stalling and embarrassment. I wonder why? Anyway, the matter was about to get worse.
After a couple of minutes sitting with the engine running, in first gear with no handbrake, holding the passenger seat up I began gesticulating to the camera man trying to find out how much longer I had to stay like this. At this point, our Mr Corbett arrived complete with parrot which he promptly shoved through my open window onto my shoulder. Just what I wanted! I managed to pass the parrot back, and sat there in amazement as I watched him wander around along my intended runway trying to set the parrot on a security guard. Of course Richard Orford was now leaving the pub followed by David Soul, his fiance and their dog, oh and goodness knows how many TV viewers. Luckily by the time they had piled in, security had Mr Corbett under control and off we shot, blue flashing light in position, and David Soul hanging out of the window shouting "Slow Down!". Before they left, he signed one of the stripes along the side - proof!
On the way home, Roger Red Hot threw another stage tantrum spouting steam but he seems ok again now. Thanks to MiniWorld and Roger "The Hat", Roger Red Hot had another moment of his 15 minutes of fame, although he'll have a fight on his hands with Purdey Cooper, the Mini Shops latest Injection Challenge car!