Wednesday, 30 July 2008

TGO Challenge on TV



This year’s TGO Challenge will feature in The Adventure Show on BBC 2 Scotland and Sky Channel 990 next Sunday (August 3) at 6 pm. There will be interviews with Challengers during and after the crossing. I managed to miss all the filming during the walk (just as I managed to miss most of the other Challengers) but a month later I did do a piece on gear for the Challenge and similar long walks that will be in this programme. The idea had been to do the filming up in the hills but the day of the shoot saw clouds brushing the tree tops so we had to stay down in the glens, eventually settling on the shores of Loch Morlich. The weather was calm and humid and warm. Which meant midges, vast hordes of midges. Now normally the first hint of the wee beasties and I’d be on the move again. Filming takes time however and most of the shoot involved me taking gear out of packs and talking about it, something that can’t be done whilst walking. Trying to sound rational and calm while ignoring the clouds of midges trying to find a way through the copious repellent I’d plastered on was extremely difficult. Whenever filming stopped whilst the producer and cameraman planned the next bit the presenter and I strode up and down waving our hand about to shake off the midges at least for a while. Occasionally breezes drifted down the loch and at one point I stood on a tiny rock out in the water to avoid the midges on land. Overall this was the hardest bit of TV work I’ve ever done.

Also in this edition of the Adventure Show will be a Wild Walk up Ben MacDui with Cameron McNeish and the Cape Wrath Challenge.

The picture shows a camp in the Gaick Pass on this years TGO Challenge. Photo info: Canon EOS 350D, Canon EF-S 18-55 mm IS@23 mm, f8@1/40, ISO 100, tripod, raw file converted to JPEG in DxO Optics Pro

4 comments:

  1. Should also be available on iplayer at www.bbc.co.uk for the following 7 days for those without sky or the benefit of a scottish address.

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  2. Oh noes! It's not available here (England), and I can't find that satellite channel either on my Telewest thing.

    *weeps*

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  3. It should be on the BBCi Player - but as yet - can't find it - B4 I do have another look, someone is sure to put a link up here - that was my intention if I found it!! is the Player like a few hours or a day behind?? Can't be, as the Dad's Army tribute was listed. weeps... How time flies...

    Tony

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  4. Thank you for your e-mail.

    I understand you'd like to know how you'd go about watching BBC Scotland programming from England.

    At present viewers with analogue or Freeview are only able to watch programming from their own BBC region. This may change after the digital switchover is completed, however we've no information at this time to suggest this option will be made available.

    If you have digital satellite you should be able to access all of our regional channel variations and some cable/broadband service providers may also make the national variations available, however it's best to consult with them for full details of their services.

    I hope this helps to clarify the situation and thanks for taking the trouble to contact us with your concerns.


    That from the BBC - so we in the south will miss this, shame!

    Tony

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