Motor Muppet....also seen on

Is it wise to want to be on tv?

For me it was an easy decision, who wouldn't?! It was more a question of whether someone would actually let me. Unfortunately I am one of those people who are a little, well clumsy. Case in point, just recently I found myself wandering across the street between my office buildings when I was stopped by two young ladies. They'd helpfully come over to inform me that I had my ever so stylish gypsy skirt tucked into my knickers. If I can hardly dress myself how could I compose a coherent sentence with a camera lens stuck in my mush?

Cast your mind back to December last year, when the snow was so bad that a 20 minute car journey took 3 hours and because as we're British, we were completely unprepared for such prevailing weather systems. Because of this I was spending more time than usual with my nose in the automotive presses and my eyes fell upon an article about an independent production company looking for people who liked cars to film. I responded and was told more about the project.

Car Nation, a series of three, one hour long documentaries about car culture in Britain. Each episode was to be themed and compiled by a different Director. An application form and screen test later and I was somewhat surprisingly in the filming schedule.

I'm fairly familiar with what goes on in programme making, so knew a little of what to expect. I didn't however expect a camera with a lens the size of my head, which is what I got.

Filming took place sporadically over a period of four months. In that time I sold a car, for the knock down price of £75 which was so rusty, as the purchaser came to take it away, the towing hook broke away. Made for excellent filming material, as did the evening I spent searching for a replacement on eBay. Several spelling mistakes and completely inappropriate vehicles later and I bought my fairly tidy, dependable Saab 900 for the princely sum of £750.

Sure enough the subsequent Saab collection was also 'good tv' as I discovered that the car was actually pretty good and not a complete basket case. The highlight for me however, was two in-car sessions as I drove my daily commute into London, my little Spider rigged up with more cameras than the M4 elevated section, I was interviewed along the route and discussed a variety of motoring issues. It'll probably be the closest I get to fulfilling my career ambitions and it gave me the bug even more.

As with most television much of what was filmed ended up on the cutting room floor. On reflection I'm pretty glad it did, my multi coloured winter jumpers remain a embarrassment only to those unfortunate enough to catch me out walking the Buckinghamshire countryside on a chilly Sunday morning

The first episode of Car Nation was shown on BBC 2 two weeks ago. I looked at my watch and found only twenty minutes had passed. The programme was dragging, it was not what I had been expecting. The resultant reviews from friends were somewhat disheartening and I found myself dreading Sunday 10th July as this would be when the second episode aired and my contributions would be viewed.

I settled to watch on Sunday, ten minutes passed and I was laughing, time was moving on, the people were engaging, oddball and amusing with some interesting points to make. I was also surprised at my own contributions. Pleasantly surprised.

I am very pleased with the way in which I was portrayed, Kevin and Steve who I worked with were fantastic, and I would almost certainly do it again given the opportunity, what a great way to make a living, Jeremy Clarkson et al have the right idea.

The final episode of Car Nation airs this Sunday and I for one will be watching. It was never meant to be a series about cars, but more an insight into the people behind the wheel, people we can nod knowingly at and say 'my mate Phil is just like that'. Everyday people.

And yes, my muppet clumsiness reared it's head once again. Mid way through my monologue about the benefits of commuting by car in preference to public transport, I made a statement that 'my car only smells of me' and I can listen to what I like on my stereo rather than 'a tinny rendition of Morning has broken on someone's iPod'. Morning has broken? Who on earth listens to that on their iPod?

Some things will never change.