Page 19 - PBCOctober2022

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine olume 19 No.2 October 2022
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Mr Pickwick in the Movies?……well TV maybe!
Your President recently sent me the following item about his escapade with Mr Watty.

Firecracker - A Channel 5 Pilot

“On the 11th of July your President and Mr Watty were invited along with any other
Pickwick members who owned Penny Farthings, to attend a pilot screening for Channel 5. Your
Honorary Secretary rang round the members he knew might be available to attend at short
notice, but with very little luck, so only ended up with yours truly!
The location was Crossness pumping station on the banks of the Thames in Essex, one of
the most beautiful surviving examples of Victorian civil architecture in London. After an
early start, with Stuart kindly offering to collect me on route, we arrived on set around
11am, on one of the hottest days of the year. The Victorians
certainly knew how to build things to last, and we were
treated to a tour of the museum along with the still working
pump engines. Now if you like all things Victorian, don’t mind
the smell of the largest sewage works in London and have
an interest in the invention of the
toilet system, I can highly
recommend a visit, but word of
advice, go on a cooler weather
day!
As with many days on a film set, there’s a lot of hanging around
and after 6 hours we hadn’t put on our Pickwick outfits or our
1900s clothes. The show is a cross between “scrap heap challenge“
and the “Great British Bake off”. Two teams in a Victorian
workshop are set a challenge and that was to make a Victorian
item in 48 hours. And yes, you’ve guessed it - a Penny Farthing
bicycle. With 2 experts on hand and the presenter Griff Rhys Our Duo with Griff Rhys-Jones
-Jones holding it all together, and your President and Secretary
appearing in some of the background shots, the next 2 hours was all go, with Stuart trying
his best to teach Mr. Jones how to ride the Penny without much success. It was left to
Stuart and the 2 expert riders to show how it was done, as at this point I found that after
not riding a Penny for about 20 years, my knees are not as flexible as they once were! So it
was left to the 3 of them to show off their skills . Alas the jackets and boater did not get to
see the light of day, but Griff Rhys-Jones was very knowledgeable about our connections
with the past and with our Club, and kept us both entertained all day, a true
professional. Sorry I can’t tell you who won, you will just have to look out for the show!”

Your President…… Mr Pickwick.