Morris Minor needed for a Television Show

[Matt Attaboy TV]

I work for a television production company Attaboy TV where I am part of the production team for Wheeler Dealers. Wheeler Dealers is a program where we buy iconic cars, fix their faults and then sell them on.

As part of the new season, which is our 10th, we have purchased a Morris Minor Traveller (1966).

At the beginning of each episode we always film a 'pristine version' of the featured vehicle. This is to show the viewer how good the vehicle can look and what we're trying to achieve by the end of the show.

As such we're looking for an original, good condition Traveller to film with. We are most probably going to be filming in the Surrey area at a car testing facility on Wednesday 07th November and Thursday 22nd / Friday 23rd November.

Essentially we’re looking for an owner who is proud of their vehicle and would like it featured looking great on TV. If you are interested and you would like more details please email: matt@attaboytv.com or Ollie@attabotv.com with what date you can do and if possible attach some images of your car.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and we look forward to hearing from you.

[bmcecosse]

Bit too far for me Matt - and my Trav is hardly 'pristine' anyway - but a great chance to feature on TV for someone. Looking forward to the programme - just hope China doesn't bodge up the Traveller the same way he has done other cars in the past........

[tysonn]

Can you tell us which in particular you think hes "bodged up"?

[bmcecosse]

Well the Mini for one - and the Porsche for another.... pretty much gave up watching a while back!

[drivewasher]

When he was doing the Porsche spark plugs with a feeler gauge he tol us all he was useing a verneer gauge, never mind Ed you where Verneer right!

My son (who's my boss) always shouts over to me when I'm swearing and usually bleeding all over the floor whilst removing a spring or suchlike, "Ed China does't have so much agro, he just sprays it with penetrating fluid first" That when I tell him to "Penetrate off" lol....

[theminorsite]

Just a quick 'heads up' for anyone else contacted by attaboy.tv for this (or any other, really) project.
I emailed them on the address they gave in this thread saying I had a car available. Didn't get any reply at all, and just assumed they'd found a vehicle elsewhere (but would have been nice to have the courtesy to respond to someone who'd gone to the effort of trying to help them).
A week ago, they contacted Traveller TImbers apparently now a bit desperate for a car, with filming only a few days away. Traveller Timbers gave them my number, but also passed their mobile number to me, so I sent them a text with details of my car etc. They called back straight after my text and said they were tied up right now, but that they'd call me first thing the following morning (Saturday). When I hadn't heard back by Sunday night, I sent another text saying that I assumed they'd found another car and didn't need me. Again, it would have been nice to have had the courtesy of letting me know, but hey ho.
Apparently not though, because they phoned back and said Ooops they'd forgotten to call Saturday, but would call first thing Monday morning to arrange times etc as they needed the car this Thursday. No call arrived Monday, so this morning I called the number and was told they were busy again but would call later. I told them not to bother as I wasn't interested in helping any more.

You know, anyone can forget to reply. It's easily done. Once is entirely understandable. But twice is, well, a bit sloppy really, for a 'professional' outfit. And three times, well call my a miserable old git (some do ) but I think to not get back to someone offering to help you three separate times is either massively incompetent or downright ignorant. I'm of a mind to lump attaboy.tv in with the companies who feel that classic owners should jump through hoops for the opportunity to get their car on screen, and all the company has to do is drop crumbs and let the owner do all the running. If anyone else is contacted by this mob, good luck!

[drivewasher]

That just reflects the quality of the show. Just posers not really engineers at all, rubish!

[smithskids]

They will never be engineers as long as i have a hole in my and

[bmcecosse]

The show is absolute rubbish - as are their organisational skills obviously!! Imagine the messing about you would get if you actually turned up with a car........

[leafie]

Just a quick 'heads up' for anyone else contacted by attaboy.tv for this (or any other, really) project.
I emailed them on the address they gave in this thread saying I had a car available. Didn't get any reply at all, and just assumed they'd found a vehicle elsewhere (but would have been nice to have the courtesy to respond to someone who'd gone to the effort of trying to help them).
A week ago, they contacted Traveller TImbers apparently now a bit desperate for a car, with filming only a few days away. Traveller Timbers gave them my number, but also passed their mobile number to me, so I sent them a text with details of my car etc. They called back straight after my text and said they were tied up right now, but that they'd call me first thing the following morning (Saturday). When I hadn't heard back by Sunday night, I sent another text saying that I assumed they'd found another car and didn't need me. Again, it would have been nice to have had the courtesy of letting me know, but hey ho.
Apparently not though, because they phoned back and said Ooops they'd forgotten to call Saturday, but would call first thing Monday morning to arrange times etc as they needed the car this Thursday. No call arrived Monday, so this morning I called the number and was told they were busy again but would call later. I told them not to bother as I wasn't interested in helping any more.

You know, anyone can forget to reply. It's easily done. Once is entirely understandable. But twice is, well, a bit sloppy really, for a 'professional' outfit. And three times, well call my a miserable old git (some do ) but I think to not get back to someone offering to help you three separate times is either massively incompetent or downright ignorant. I'm of a mind to lump attaboy.tv in with the companies who feel that classic owners should jump through hoops for the opportunity to get their car on screen, and all the company has to do is drop crumbs and let the owner do all the running. If anyone else is contacted by this mob, good luck!

All very odd and annoying for you, I spoke to Mike Brewer on the Sunday at the NEC and asked him if they had found a car. He told me they had and filmed the previous week.

[PhilR]

I can shed some light on this too. I replied to the original posting offering my car for filming. Although Surrey is a two hour drive from me I thought it would be a good experience and as my sons and I do enjoy watching the programmes I was happy to help.
I was pleasantly surprised to get an email back some days later saying they would like to use my car and asking if I was available on 8th November. I booked a days leave from work and advised that I would be available and looked forward to receiving further details.
Having not heard anything further, I called them on 5th November and was advised they would be in touch. A day or so later I received an email saying they would have to change the date due to unforseen circumstances and would I be available on Thursday 22nd November. So I changed my days leave and advised them that I was available and asked them to contact me with details.
On 19th November I received another email saying they would have to change the date yet again and could I make 29th November. To be honest I was a little pi**ed off to have the date changed for a second time. I did try and change my leave but due work comittments I was unable to do so. I went back and told them I could not make it and was very disappointed given that they had changed the date twice before. Again I was told that it was due to unforeseen circumstances. I havent heard anything further to date.
So no wonder they were in a panic to source another car!! Although I accept that they are probably filming several programmes in a short space of time and that other scheduling issues may cause dates to change, these companies need to realise they cannot mess people about and we are not at their beck and call. Its not as if I am in the business supplying cars to film companies! I am just Joe Soap who thought it might be a good experience and nice for my sons to see our car on TV!
I spoke to Mike Brewer and Ed China on the Sunday at the NEC and told them I was filming for them on the forthcoming Thursday. Little did I know that it wouldn't be happening!
I feel let down especially as I messed my employer around twice with the changing dates and with an old car I like to plan ahead for a four hour round trip. In the light of the bad weather, perhaps it has saved me a lot of needless hassle!!

[MarkyB]

I have some experience of this, from a location rather than a car but the principle is exactly the same.
They rely on the public to be so starstruck/awestruck at the thought of being on TV/film that they will put up with having their car/location trashed by idiots and not kick up much fuss.
I'd be very surprised to find anyone who would do it again but there are plenty more fish in the sea.

[theminorsite]

From the replies here it looks like they're .... ummmm..... disingenuous in playing owners off against each other too. I'm glad I didn't drive down to them and I'll make damn sure nobody I know offers them a car in future. The only pity is I didn't know before the NEC, as I'd have loved to give Brewer a piece of my mind there.

[leafie]

I spoke to Mike Brewer and Ed China on the Sunday at the NEC and told them I was filming for them on the forthcoming Thursday. Little did I know that it wouldn't be happening!

Mike Brewer told the audience on Sunday that he was going to Mexico the next day for filming.

As in life good and bad experiences, a friend of mine was asked to provide his Renault 12 for the second series of Life On Mars. both he and his car were treated with respect by the programme makers. Another person I spoke to provided his concours Cortina 1600E for Andrew Marr‘s History Of Modern Britain programme and they promptly drove it through a quarry.

[theminorsite]

I have just had a call from attaboy. We only spoke for a few minutes, but in the interests of fairness I wanted to post here that they have been man enough to call me and apologise. Personally, I still have a couple of concerns that they appear to have had several leads running simultaneously when they were only ever going to use one, but credit needs to be given for calling me and saying 'ooops, cocked up, sorry'.

[lambrettalad]

very very small credit due ,given the posts on here

[PhilR]

Yep, Matt phoned me too and apologised. Credit to him for doing this and in fairness I told him I would post an update saying he had called me to explain the difficulties they had with filming schedules.
I understand that they have found an alternative car to film with so will look forward to seeing the programme when its aired.

[drivewasher]

For goodness sake!
Has anyone thought they rang because they have seen the slating they are getting in this post, obviously trying to regain some credability.
Too late I fear

[MarkyB]

My thinking too drivewasher.
Some, if not most, are urine extractors.

[theminorsite]

Well, obviously its an exercise in damage limitation, yes. I did rather take that as a given that didn't need stating! But I still thought it was good of them to ring and personally apologise rather than just make a post here with something they dreamed up to cover what we all now know. As I said, I still have misgivings about them (not aided by further info in the twin of this thread on the dark side!)