Having filmed all day at the allotments I started to get calls
and emails from fellow plot holders, friends and Lottie’s fellow whippets. ‘When
is it on TV? What show is it on? What time will it be on? Does Lottie get full
credits?’
You feel it only proper to warn folk you are going to be on
TV. Well you wouldn’t want them to miss such an informative piece, would you?
After informing everyone I ever knew, exhausting the
Christmas list, befriended all those I had previously unfriended and made sure all
Lottie’s friends and those she occasionally sniffed knew, we sat down to watch
the show. It was billed as featuring an allotment ‘hero’ and Lottie was rather
taken by the title and had found a new air of confidence.
‘Did you tell Elm Tree?’ Lottie asks. ‘You know that was the
last time is was on TV. Prime time you know on ‘The Apprentice’. I lied and said,
‘of course,’ and she had already demanded we watch it again last night to
witness her 5 seconds of fame. But she did look good!
The show started.
It was one of these fast-moving magazine live shows which
frankly was all over the place and featured Angela Rippon as a talking head
stuck in isolation and Mr Motivator resurrected and looking like you would
expect after all those years off screen. There was no mention of allotments, Lottie
or anything about, ‘on the show tomorrow...’
We were deflated, Lottie’s agent rang and wasn’t happy, the
extras from the allotments rang asking what had happened, and we received a
stream of emails asking if we had dreamt the whole thing up. I started to wonder
myself.
Next the BBC said they had a drop out at the last minute and
things were being rescheduled for tomorrow.
This time the list of those told was somewhat smaller. After
all they can watch it on catch up.
The next day came. Lottie and I went for our walk and rushed
back to watch our new favourite TV show.
Just as we raced in to take our place on the sofa in front of
the TV, Annie greeted us, ‘BBC rang the
piece has been shifted again, probably Thursday or Friday. Do you want to ring
them?’
Lottie looked at me and sulked off to her bed. I picked up
my book and the TV was switched off.
Thursday came, nothing. Friday again nothing. I emailed the
BBC contact to be told it was being rescheduled for Tuesday next week. I didn’t
bother to tell anyone, and Lottie hung her head the whole weekend.
There comes a point when you don’t believe it will happen so
get on with everything else. So on the Monday I went off to the bank.
My phone rang whilst I was travelling, ‘You’re on the telly,
right now.’ an excited Annie exclaimed.
‘Are you watching it?’ I asked
‘Yes, mum rang to say Martyn is on the TV. So I switched it
on and there you were.’
‘Is Lottie watching?’
‘Yes but she hasn’t seen herself yet and is going on about
Monty Don’s dogs not being cut out of shot. I’ve told her that they probably
get paid and are on contract. She wasn’t impressed with your negotiating skills.’
Annie went on, ‘I’ve got most of it on camera so you can see
it when you get home. It come across really well.’
The phone started to ring, and SMS messages started to
arrive. It appears others had more faith than I did that it would be screened,
or they had just switched on to watch Mr Motivator.
Anyway, Lottie was happy in the end as they did get her
backside as she trotted in the allotments behind me. ‘Nice shots of the allotments,’
she remarked and then went off for her afternoon siesta.
At the end of the week they BBC canned the show. Lottie says
she thought My Motivator was a bad idea.
A special thanks to all who were involved in the filming
at the allotments and the hard work undertaken as all we continue to buddy up
and support others.
