Drifting out to sea

Paul finds out filming in the sea can be a precarious occupation!

It was a series I had never in a million years intended to make. Every few years each ITV station was required to bid for a new franchise to keep operating in its area. This was a very serious enterprise as the very future of the station was at stake. As a deputy, it didn’t affect me too much. My job was to keep the day-to-day programmes running and lead teams to make more.

When my boss, the programme controller asked me to be his deputy I asked if I had to wear a suit. “No, he said you keep the programmes running day to day I will do the meetings, you are, let’s say not great in meetings” Fair point however today was different.

Called on the day to his office the controller was tense, to say the least. “The MD is short of creative input and needs some last-minute series for the bid.” “Fine when do you want them?” “Tomorrow.” “WHAT,” I said but of course, I did it, by staying up all night and to be honest, I just made things up.

I was assured that these ideas would never see the light of day. Never did I expect to have to make six programmes. Unfortunately, the body that awarded the franchise loved the idea and I had to turn the series out double quick.

All was not lost. Fiona, my good friend was a brilliant presenter and a real fisher so together we worked out a plan, briefed the crew and set off for the wilds of the borders in” short order.”

The problem was after six weeks of filming; we hadn’t caught any fish. You can fiddle most things but you do need to see a fish in a fishing series.

Our last chance however looked a certainty. On the Solway coast, between the borders of England and Scotland, there were the centuries-old Haaff netters. This was a form of fishing brought to Britain by the Vikings more than a thousand years ago which involves fishermen standing chest-deep in an ebb or flood tide.

It’s important to note that risk assessments didn’t exist and common sense (or lack of it) ruled. So, on a cold winter’s morning, Fiona, myself, Jim our expert haff netter, camera, sound, and electrician donned chest waders and carrying 20 kilos of equipment waded out into the Solway.

Now the Solway has a really strong tide and the cameraman and I thought, as I had to steady him, (and he was attached to the sound recordist by a cord) if we tied ourselves to each other, we would have an extra measure of safety.

Fiona was in her element. She and Jim were enjoying themselves and all was going well. The cameraman then said, “Let’s go a bit further away and we can track around them, it will be a lovely shot.” Excellent, even better they had just caught our first fish. Things were looking up.

We started filming and moved gently around Fiona until I realised my feet were not touching the ground. ” Scottie” (cameraman) are your feet on the ground?” No answer, when Scottie found a good shot, nothing could interrupt, however, the sound recordist (Alan) chipped in “Mine aren’t touching” Scottie said “This is an amazing shot” “Yes but are your feet on the ground? “ “Not exactly” “Not exactly they are or not exactly there not” “Not”

So, there we were, three men not in a boat, drifting out to sea! It’s amazing how quickly the Solway tide can send you out to sea. We were gathering speed at an alarming rate and things were starting to look a bit serious.

It was Jim who saved us, grabbing the rope and pulling hard! It was a bit close though, the Solway is a dangerous place and perhaps it wasn’t my best idea. Still, the shots were fantastic and the series won an award (I think). I swore that was the first and last time I did a fishing series