It looks as if this video clip is not available online yet.
Use the enquiry button on the right and we’ll get back to you to discuss the quickest way for you to view it.
Tony Francis introduces each item with a location piece to camera. The first report is about Richard Booth who is the self-appointed King of Hay on Wye. He lives in a ruined castle, rides around on horseback and has declared the town independent back in 1977. Booth is in the second hand book business and runs several shops and has put the market town in Powys on the map by making it a tourist destination for book lovers. Interview with Richard Booth about his business and his disputes with the Welsh tourist board over his independence for Hay campaign. Vox pops with foreign visitors to the town. Views of Hay on Wye and its book shops, a shot of the Whitney toll bridge over the border in Herefordshire and views of Booth's derelict castle that burnt down in the same year as his independence campaign.
The next report looks at the decline in traditional scarecrows. Tony fires a gas gun which makes a noise to scare birds and has become a popular alternative. We meet Elizabeth Thompson and Cheryl Lyon from Meer End near Solihull who make scarecrows. They demonstrate their techniques and show off one of their creations in Solihull town centre. Vox pops with people about the scarecrow and interview with a farmer about their decline.
Next Alan Jones reports on Alan Davies who used to be a chef at the St John hotel in Solihull but has now moved to Fishguard in Wales with his family where he prepares take away meals. Shots of Davies preparing the meals in his Pembrokeshire kitchen and selling them. Interview with Alan and his wife Olwen about their change in lifestyle.
The final report is about fisherman Len Merrington from Telford who first tried to catch a salmon in 1908 and has yet to have any success with the fish. We see Len visiting Ringstead Grange in Northamptonshire where he receives expert coaching but still only manages to land a trout. We also see Len showing off another talent of playing the violin in a nearby pub.
Production Team: Johannah Dyer; Jill Fraser; Peter Mason; Barry Nicol; Jayne Stubbs
Editor: Tony Francis
Producer: Alan Jones
Production number 2421/88.