Treading on crisps & fleeting moments..............

By Jane Brewer 

 Here is Jane's account of the greater part of the day that we went to Top Gear Filming. 

An adjunct to http://vintagebarbara.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/stepping-over-crisps.html
  'Stepping over the crisps'

We set off at 6am to drive to London & pick up Barbara & her friend Cherry.  We were so excited it seemed unreal. After a long drive we arrived at Barbara's house and soon four adults were chatting away excitedly like teenagers on a day out.  On this particular day out ... to see Top Gear being filmed.

We were so lucky, tickets like gold dust & the need to get there early in case, horror of all horrors, it was already full. We knew of people turned away because they arrived later, due to an over allocation policy with the tickets, but phew we arrived after a five hour journey and were given the coveted wristbands which means Yes! You're in!

So then, you hang about. If you're lucky glimpses of the SIARPC guest doing their laps can be seen & certain people sneaking out the back for a ciggie. Then an unheard signal seems to call people to one end of the site, people throng together, about 800 that day, all excited, all wanting to be first & get a good 'spot'.  A man gives us a pep talk, don't trip over the cameras he says, but enjoy yourselves!

Then, we're in the studio, there's the set for the 'News', there's the Cool Wall & some of the cars for today's show (sshhh). Everybody scrambles for a good position, it's about 8 deep all round. A tall man stands in front of us, we're about 6 people back. As the crowd moves around a little we are able to move forward a bit then suddenly we're right at the front. Mr Clarkson comes out first & gives us another pep talk, then filming starts. Hammond and May appear, they all do the 'News'. We're right in front of James, he looks through his papers, messes his hair up again after the make up lady has straightened it and smiles broadly at us all, he has no idea who we are!

After about two hours, the break comes. We go out into the bright light of day, to find refreshments. When tea is sighted, it is being dispensed by a smiling James May, surrounded by eager tea drinkers. Two ladies are in front of us, then.....it's us!

To quote Barbara, as she said this bit so well:-

'There were three flavours, Plain, Salt & Vinegar and Cheese & Onion, in three separate boxes on the floor between us and James. They were plain crisps, not the ridged kind. I think it is important to go into that sort of detail at this particular moment in order to set the scene. There was a trestle table to the right set up with a large tea urn. James was filling polystyrene cups and handing them out. He stopped to have pictures taken with various people, then continued pouring tea and offering to those who wanted it.

Then it was my turn.

“Do you want a cup of tea?” he asked, looking straight at me.

No nerves now just “Yes please. Hello, I am Barbara and this is Jane”

“Ah, Barbara and Jane.”

“I think you owe me a cup of tea by now” Jane piped up.

“Oh you’re Jane, of course I don’t know what you look liked because you are a cartoon.”

“Can I step over these boxes please, and have a picture?” I asked.

“Yes of course, step over”

So there I was on the other side of the crisps, having a picture taken of me with James.'

 James said ' Did you know each other before?', 'No' we chorused 'it's all your fault' he smiles, he seems to think it's nice that friendships have been made over him and Top Gear.

'Your hands are cold', he said to Barbara, ' Sorry about that' she says.

So, now it's my turn. I attempt to step over the crisps. In my hand is the tea that James has given me, I dally with the danger of throwing it over him as my legs are too short to cover the gap, I end up with one foot in the crisp box.

'Don't have the cheese & Onion' I say to the lady behind me, Ha!

'Don't step in the crisps!' says James May, but he smiles and I find myself with my arm round him and his round me, having our picture taken.

'Who's that?' he says nodding to my husband taking photos, I explain. Husband makes James laugh by declining to have his picture taken with him, probably the only person there who doesn't want one. 

I ask James to sign a picture of himself and a Fiat 124 he posted on Twitter recently. He says 'it's a good photo isn't it?' I agree that it is, we laugh about someone asking him for a version showing just the car James says 'I had to do that one too'. So he signed it 'To Jane, love etc, James May x' . Barbara has a Head Squeeze card for him to sign, I pass it over for her. He looks up at me 'how do you spell Barbara?' he says...we say B-A-R...then we both stop, he stays quiet, I say 'eerrr...B-A-R-A' one of those moments when your mind goes blank! He writes the same on Barbara's card, he asks me how many kisses he put on mine as it must be the same on Barbara's, just one. I should have asked for more, but I was too nervous.

So then it's other's turn, a fleeting conversation is over. We move off slightly. After a few minutes we push Barbara's friend Cherry forward to have her turn, she's shy she says, but puts her arm straight round him. She tells him she needs advice for the soon to be 50 year old. He looks at her 'you're not are you?' he says incredulously. She comes away very happy. 

A man comes out & calls us all back in. We watch the SIARPC interview, done in one take. Well done the very professional Mr Clarkson. Jeremy jokes with the crowd, James and Richard lurk in the back with their own tea, in and out of the 'green room' to see what's happening. We clap for studio links back from films, we watch James film a piece. All fascinating and the only retakes for audience noise, all very professional, no auto cues. The it's 6pm, it's over.

We come away impressed at the professionalism of the TG Crew & TG3, happy to have had tea & a chat with James, who was a gentleman, smiling through 25 minutes of non stop photos & chatting. Sorry about that bag of cheese & onion James, I owe you one.

It takes us till midnight to get home, we don't care, it was worth it.