21 replies to this topic

[Gary C]

I've been asked if I can find any info on this programme, I'm afraid I'm too young to remember it.

 We think it transmitted on ITV in 1971 and that a segement of it every week featured a racing drivers' wife. The one we are interested in featured Gerry Birrell's wife. Would anyone have a title for it at all?

[Bloggsworth]

Was it about a transport company? Seems to ring a bell.

[Eric Dunsdon]

I think the transport company might have been 'The Brothers' one of who did some Formula Ford races. I do remember a series about a woman driver who did Mini races. The name of a rival called Ken Lark rings a bell.

[Geoff E]

 I do remember a series about a woman driver who did Mini races. The name of a rival called Ken Lark rings a bell.

 

That was Driving Ambition https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0287210/

[GazChed]

I think the series you're thinking of Eric was called 'Driving Ambition' and featured Peter Baldwin's Mini supposedly being driven by a young lady by the name of Donna Hewitt . Isn't the series Gary C is asking about a documentary ?

[Pullman99]

There was a documentary - produced by either BBC Scotland or STV - that was shown fairly early during 1971 that featured three Scottish drivers making the transition to Formula Two.   Gerry Birrell with the Lotus 69, Tom Walkinshaw with his March 712, and Richard Scott (??).    The Brothers (Hammond Transport) I think used the real Hilton Transport Services for general shots and they, of course, were a motorsport sponsor.

 

Not sure if this helps.

[Henri Greuter]

There was a documentary - produced by either BBC Scotland or STV - that was shown fairly early during 1971 that featured three Scottish drivers making the transition to Formula Two.   Gerry Birrell with the Lotus 69, Tom Walkinshaw with his March 712, and Richard Scott (??).    The Brothers (Hammond Transport) I think used the real Hilton Transport Services for general shots and they, of course, were a motorsport sponsor.

 

Not sure if this helps.

 

 

I can't remember that in "The Brothers" youngest brother David was on a circuit to try racing in more than a single episode.....

[Mallory Dan]

Wasn't Roger Orgee's Dulon the "Brothers" FF car? I don't recall anything about a series on 'Driver's Wives' though. 

[Gary C]

Yes I'm only interested in a documentary. Someone has suggested a series called 'Drive-In'? Does that ring any bells? I'm not suggesting that the entire series was about drivers wives, I said it may have contained a segment each week on them.

[Vitesse2]

Drive-In was a bit later. A Top Gear/Wheelbase lookalike. (When Top Gear was actually about cars rather than egos.) Made by Thames and fronted by Shaw 'Keep 'em Peeled' Taylor.

 

I think Pullman99 may be on the right track. It sounds the sort of thing which the regional ITV companies used to produce. If it was STV, then it might only have aired in their area - plus maybe Border and perhaps Tyne-Tees and/or Granada.

[GazChed]

Sent you a PM Gary .

[Pullman99]

Drive-In was a bit later. A Top Gear/Wheelbase lookalike. (When Top Gear was actually about cars rather than egos.) Made by Thames and fronted by Shaw 'Keep 'em Peeled' Taylor.

 

I think Pullman99 may be on the right track. It sounds the sort of thing which the regional ITV companies used to produce. If it was STV, then it might only have aired in their area - plus maybe Border and perhaps Tyne-Tees and/or Granada.

I do remember watching the programme and I don't think it was a series as such  but may have been a separate segment on each of the three drivers within a more general (sports??) programme over, possibly three weeks.    Definitely aired fairly early in 1971 as it featured the Mallory Park F2 race.     The best route would probably be to contact the British Film Institute and consult their copies of the Radio Times and TV Times to identify the programme title.  As far as I know, these are indexed but not sure if this can be done online or not.  Some of the Scottish TV archive is contained within the Scottish Film Archive in Glasgow if that's a help.

 

Just a thought that Graham Gauld might know of this one...

[AAGR]

For what it is worth, a little bird tells me that a TV production company is currently trying to dig up some dirt round Gerry Birrell's fatal crash at Rouen in 1973. There may be absolutely no connection but ....

[Vitesse2]

I do remember watching the programme and I don't think it was a series as such  but may have been a separate segment on each of the three drivers within a more general (sports??) programme over, possibly three weeks.    Definitely aired fairly early in 1971 as it featured the Mallory Park F2 race.     The best route would probably be to contact the British Film Institute and consult their copies of the Radio Times and TV Times to identify the programme title.  As far as I know, these are indexed but not sure if this can be done online or not.  Some of the Scottish TV archive is contained within the Scottish Film Archive in Glasgow if that's a help.

 

Just a thought that Graham Gauld might know of this one...

I did have a look at BBC Genome but found nothing obvious in a 1970-72 search. Which tends to point to it being ITV.

[f1steveuk]

I bet it isn't this one!

 

[john aston]

Cripes - some nice cars but it isn't exactly Macbeth is it ?  Some of the cast deploying their full range of acting skills from A to ...err... B .  

[GazChed]

I wonder what became of Peter Baldwin's Mini ? Apparently Ginger Marshall's Reliant Kitten is being rebuilt hopefully with a view to being raced in the CSCC's Special Saloon series .

[moffspeed]

Somewhere in the depths of my mind there was another ITV/BBC mini-series at that time which was based on F3 racing rather than Minis.  I'm sure it featured Ronald Leigh-Hunt with a team running a Lotus 59 (R.L-H was also "David Townsend" the team manager in the film Le Mans).

 

I half-remember various other details but Google doesn't reinforce my theories - so before I make a fool of myself does anyone else have a memory of this ??

[moffspeed]

Somewhere in the depths of my mind there was another ITV/BBC mini-series at that time which was based on F3 racing rather than Minis.  I'm sure it featured Ronald Leigh-Hunt with a team running a Lotus 59 (R.L-H was also "David Townsend" the team manager in the film Le Mans).

 

I half-remember various other details but Google doesn't reinforce my theories - so before I make a fool of myself does anyone else have a memory of this ??

 

OK - boring Sunday afternoon so dug a bit deeper on Google.

 

The TV series was "Freewheelers" and ran from 1968 - 1973 - the first episode being screened on the Thursday before the Hockenheim F2 race weekend.....

 

Courtesy of Southern TV there were over 100 episodes in 5 years. R.L-H played the spy boss overseeing 3 youthful spooks (2 lads and also the rather delectable Wendy Padbury )  who got involved in a great deal of peril - mainly water-borne with much of the filming being on the Solent.

 

What is not recorded is whether Lotus were involved in any product placement but over the series run Colonel Buchan (R.L-H's character) was seen driving assorted baby Elans from S2 to Sprint before graduating to a +2. Maybe it was just a fact that the producer was a petrolhead - other cars with cameo appearances in the programme included a Porsche 914, Alfa Spiders 1300/1750, Innocenti 950S, Jago Model T , Stimson Mini Bug & Citroen DS21 Decapotable.  No Jag Mk2s and Ford Zodiacs here....

 

The motor sport connection ?  Not as much as I had thought but a couple of episodes were filmed at Thruxton and involved an F3 race featuring Lotus 59s (Chapman's influence again ?). Bonus point to anyone who knows the chassis numbers.

 

Anorak fact 1 - production was delayed at one stage as Leigh-Hunt was busy on the set of Le Mans and filming over-ran.

 

Anorak fact 2 - "David Townsend" in the Le Mans film was, of course, a portrayal of J.W.A.'s manager David Yorke. In the pursuit of authenticity the producers tracked down Yorke's actual Laurel Valley Golf Club hat after R.L-H initially wore a less convincing substitute.

 

Anorak fact 3 - Tom Owen played one of the two young male spooks - then in his early 20's he went on to play Tom Simmonite (son of Compo) in the evergreen "Last Of The Summer Wine".

 

Anorak fact 4 - Wendy Padbury went on to play one of Dr Who's assistants.

Edited by moffspeed, 03 February 2019 - 20:06.

[RS250]

I remember Freewheelers with the Lotus 59 at Thruxton - pretty sure it was a Jim Russell car with a Brazilian driver whose name escapes me.....

[Peter Morley]

Cripes - some nice cars but it isn't exactly Macbeth is it ?  Some of the cast deploying their full range of acting skills from A to ...err... B .

 

That's being generous, I think A to A is more like it!

But I've got a feeling it might be better than the Winning Streak series that featured a Metro 6R4?

[Michael Ferner]

I remember Freewheelers with the Lotus 59 at Thruxton - pretty sure it was a Jim Russell car with a Brazilian driver whose name escapes me.....

Tip-of-my-tongue stuff, was it... Everso Shitty Paul D.?