Last Saturday April 20 saw the first programme of the latest Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) series open with the usual razzamatazz. Much to many local viewers’ surprise, who should appear in its opening sequence, standing outside the Mermaid in all his glory, but our very own wonderful town crier, Paul Goring.
Paul writes:
Back in July last year I received an email which had been sent to several local groups, from a film company who were filming snippets in Rye to submit to the Britain’s Got Talent team for the opening credits of the new series.
I offered my services (with the permission of the Town Council) and was asked to be in Mermaid Street between certain times on July 19. Sure enough the film crew turned up, stood me outside The Mermaid, and I filmed a couple of minutes worth of cries for them: various things such as a selection of “Oyez” and “Britain’s Got Talent auditions start today” etc. They had to ask me to be a bit quieter as their equipment couldn’t cope with my full volume!
That was it – they said they had no idea if the footage would be used or not, and then left. I had forgotten all about it until my mother turned her telly over to BGT on Saturday while I was in the room, and suddenly there I was! Immediately my phone started pinging with messages from friends saying: “Just seen you on TV!”.
I think BGT were looking for something quintessentially British for the opening sequence – and decided that a town crier in Rye’s historic streets was that something.
I don’t know whether they will use it every week, or if it was just for the start of the new series – I’ll see if it’s on there again this Saturday!
This was not my first TV appearance – since being appointed Rye’s town crier, I’ve been on “Celebs on the Farm” (a sequence filmed on Strand Quay), “Britain’s Scariest Hauntings” (about The Mermaid Inn), the news (promoting the Jazz Festival) and on “Politics South East”.
Hopefully I have, in some small way, helped to put Rye in the public eye!
…PS: autographs £5, selfies £10 !
Image Credits: Paul Goring .