The Rally That Never
Happened – Or how not to appear on TVS
“What else”, asked the man from TVS, “happens at a car rally, apart from rows of cars?”
“Well”, said I, “there are stalls selling auto jumble, and usually Club stalls with Club goods for sale, and maybe bric-a-brac.”
“Do you know anyone who could set that up for us – we’ve already got the cars?”
Shame about the
cars, but at least the Club could get some free publicity, I thought. Two weeks later, on a dark dismal November
morning, I was at
We were to help
with the filming of an episode of Perfect Scoundrels, starring Peter
Bowles.
There was suddenly an air of tension on the set. Someone whispered reverently, “The Director’s arrived”. All eyes turned towards a corner of the field where a small group of people had just appeared, trailing in the wake of a stereotype poser in leather jacket and dark glasses. Trying not to laugh, we all turned around and got on with arranging the auto jumble.
The director did not stay very long, he had things to do elsewhere. After he had left we were told we could go and get something to eat. The catering van was set up in a car park a little way back up the road. Up till then it had seemed there were very few people involved in this filming, but the car park was swarming with all sorts. Goodness only knows what all their jobs were. Anyway, we had a good old “heart attack” breakfast with all the trimmings, and then went back to the set to wait for filming to start.
By the end of
the day we knew that set pretty well.
About
Having stood in
the freezing field for nine hours with the damp rising up through the soles of
our shoes, waiting for our moment of glory, we got to
That’s gratitude for you. Someone hurriedly, and rather sheepishly, thanked us for our trouble and left us to pack up. First there, last to leave, and not a second of celluloid exposure to show for it. Oh well, that’s Show Business. But don’t forget to watch out for that Club umbrella when Perfect Scoundrels returns to the box. As then say in the entertainment world, “Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it!”
Toni Simpkins 1991