David Jason: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Episode #1.5 - full transcript

DAVID: 'I'm David Jason and I'm on
a journey to discover the machines

'that made America
and changed the world.'

- You know you're mad?
- All the best people are!

'I'm travelling by plane, train,
and automobile in the footsteps

'of pioneers and inventors down
the West Coast of America.'

And you... yes!

Yes!

Oh, I really, really enjoyed that.

'I will take in some of the best
all-American scenery.'

Good Lord, look at that,
that is just wonderful!

'And reveal how this part
of the world has led the way



'in adventure and enterprise.'

Look where she's going!

'I will discover the stories behind
some of the world's

'most legendary machines.'

You're responsible
for the nation's treasure.

Exactly.

Come along, James. Off we go.

'At last,
Del Boy makes it to Hollywood.'

You can't get much closer to that.

'Join me on my big American
adventure.

'I'm on a 1,200-mile journey
from Seattle to Los Angeles.

'This is the final stretch

'of my five-week trip
and I'm travelling

'from the Mojave Desert to the great
metropolis of Los Angeles.'



Oh, here's my team waiting for me.

'For the final part of my journey,
I glimpse the glamour

'of Hollywood's high life.

'Cruise down the beach
in a vintage hotrod...'

- It goes.
- Yeah, go on, my son...

'..and chase breaking news
with an eye-in-the-sky TV legend.'

DAVID: What's happening now
on your screen?

STU: Well this is a perimeter
for a robbery suspect.

'I'm travelling south through
the Mojave in Southern California.

'But just before I leave this
magnificent desert and head back

'to civilisation, I've come
to a race track 70 miles north

'of Los Angeles.

'Once a Wild West stagecoach stop,

'Willow Springs is now
a world-famous racing track

'with 600 acres
of tarmac to tear up.

'This place is home to a stunt car
school where the tough guys and gals

'of Tinseltown have been learning
their trade.

'And the head honcho here is a man
behind some of the silver screen's

'maddest
and baddest action scenes ever.

'Veteran stuntman Rick Seaman.'

Ah!

Hi, David.

Rick, main man.

- How are you, sir?
- All right.

- Good, welcome.
- Thank you, thank you.

Welcome to the Stunt Driving School.

'Rick's place has the distinct air
of an old scrapyard,

'and he's beaten-up bangers
look like

'they've seen a bit of movie mayhem.

'But don't be fooled, this is where
Hollywood glamour gets in gear

'and where the very best
stunt people and movie stars come

'to hone their driving skills.'

We've had some pretty big-name
actors out here

that we trained, Vin Diesel,

we had The Rock out here,

we've had Tom Cruise out here...

85% of our students
are working stunt people.

Sometimes you have
to have the stunt driver.

How important are they, do you
think, in the scheme of a big movie?

Well, very important
because for one,

you don't want
to put your actor in jeopardy.

'Cause he's already been cast,
he's already...

He's already acted in half the movie
if he gets hurt,

and has to leave the show,
we're dead.

- Yeah, yeah...
- Stunt people are expendable.

You said it!

If I'm doubling you,
and I break a rib...

- Ppfft, next. You know?
- Yeah. Yeah...

'It's time for me
to learn some stunt-y stuff.'

We have a red stunt car
for you here.

I'll get you warmed up in it.

You're going to keep it on four
wheels, though, aren't you?

- Yes.
- We're not doing...

We're not rolling over?

- No, we won't do that.
- OK.

- Unless you really want to...
- No thank you!

BOTH LAUGH

- Yeah, we're going to change that.
- Won't be easy to drive the car.

The tyre's gone.

That's how we do it in the class.
We go to blow!

We go to blow.

Don't worry, you're good.

DAVID LAUGHS

'"Don't worry," he says.

'I've already got a blown tyre
before I start!

'Normally, Rick allows three days
to train an actor.

'But given
I'm a former car mechanic,

'he reckons we can crack the basics

'in just a morning.'

The people that become
the best stunt drivers

are the people who understand
how an automobile works.

- Yeah. Yeah.
- Mechanically.

Because you're connecting with it

and you're dancing with that car,
you know?

It's a lovely way of putting it,
dancing with the car.

- Dancing with the car.
- That it is great.

It's time to strap in.

OK, sir, let's strap in.

Harry will give you
a hand over here.

OK.

Right. OK, Harry, here we go.

'Joking aside,
this is a serious business

'and if you get things wrong,
people can get hurt.'

Why did I let myself in for this,
eh?

- OK. Here we go.
- Here we go.

Little is big.

You don't need a whole lot
of steering action

with the steering wheel
to make the car turn.

You don't have to go nuts with it,
all right?

- OK.
- 'Now, that I've calmed down a bit,

'time for the stunt driver's first
base, the sliding stop.'

Oh...
RICK CHUCKLES

You OK?

I can smell you burning rubber.

And it smells so good!

- Yeah, well, you're... Yeah.
- Every time.

'Stunt driving is as much about
preparation and practice

'as driving skills.

'They still must be able to execute
the stunt cleanly and perfectly,

'even under pressure,
time after time.'

Dear, oh, dear.

'Time to up the game.

'Rick's going to show me a perfect
180-degree sliding turn.'

- Whoops-a-daisy.
- How about that,

I hit the barrel, too.

BOTH LAUGH

DAVID: He's hit the barrel.

OK.

Let's get you behind the wheel.

My last message was...

"Sue the company".

How many movies have you made?

Last time I counted,

it was probably about 200 features.

I mean, I go back
to James Bond Live and Let Die,

I go Smokey And The Bandit...

Oh, yeah.

..and Lethal Weapon 4...

'Rick has got 40 years' experience
as a movie stunt driver.

'No pressure on me, then.'

- Straight the way down?
- All the way down.

Pull it towards you... There
you are, you're in stunt gear.

- I'm in stunt now? Yeah...
- Yeah!

Try to be as smooth
as you can on the gas.

That's it, nice and smooth,
small moves...

That's it, let the car do the work.

Yeah, that was good, all right...

'That's me warmed up.

'Time for lesson number one,
the sliding stop.'

Go, shoes, E...

TIRES SCREECHING

You hear that sound back there?

That's a beautiful sound!

HE LAUGHS

'Yes, it certainly was.

'Rick's letting me into a trade
secret only known to the few.'

Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!

I see... I see what the method,
the secret...

'Cause that brings
the front brakes back.

And the front brakes
do all the stopping.

- Yes.
- Yes.

TYRES SCREECHING

- I like that. That had energy.
- Yeah.

I'm beginning to understand.

I had no idea how they do that.

No idea.

But the little secret...

Well, you saw,
I mean, I didn't have to...

We don't have to say any more,
do we?

- No.
- No!

'OK, I'm ready for lesson two,
the 180-degree spin.

'Should be a piece of cake now.'

Left!

OK.

You got it around.

But it was a little drifty,
a little lazy.

That's because
you only had one wheel locked up.

You got to get them both locked up.

'It's a lot harder than it looks.'

I'm not getting it
round hard enough.

I stepped on it, but I'm not getting
this wheel, am I?

Turn that left leg
into a robotic monster.

OK?

DAVID: Go on, my son!

CAR DRIFTING

Look at you... yes!

Yes!

Whoo! Hollywood...

- Here we come! Yes!
- ..stunt man! Yeah!

'Now I've mastered
the 180-degree spin,

'I need to add
a screeching getaway.'

CAR DRIFTING

Yeah!

Very good, very good!

- It's quite intoxicating.
- It is!

I can see why you...

..have been doing it for so long,
and what the attraction is.

'By Jove, I think I've cracked it.

'Let's make a movie.'

RADIO CHATTER

IN AMERICAN ACCENT:
'Just as I thought I got away

'with a million-dollar jewel heist,

'that sharp-eyed sheriff is right
on my tail, darn it!'

SIREN BLARES

We're about to hit the 180.

All right, go, go, go!

Here he comes, he's chasing us!

Hey, stunt guy!

BOTH LAUGH

Now I know why they do it.

Bless you, sir.

Well, thank you, David.

You did great.
I mean, you were a great student.

It was absolutely brilliant.

No!

Yeah.

- Oh, that is great.
- You're a stunt commando.

I'm a stunt commando!

From the master himself.

- Thank you, my friend.
- OK.

I'm off to the UK
to start my own business.

- Safe travels.
- Bless you, thank you.

'I have left the Mojave Desert
behind me,

'and I'm heading south
to my next pit stop.

'Tinseltown.

'Los Angeles, city of angels,
and a million hopes and dreams.

'Now I've cracked stunt driving,

'it's clear the word's out
that Britain's answer

'to Tom Cruise is in town.

'That's me, that is.

'Mission Improbable.

'A limo's arrived and yours truly
has been promised

'the full red carpet treatment.'

- Good morning, Sir David.
- Good morning.

- How are you doing? Of course!
- Very well, thank you.

Onward, James,
and don't spare the horses.

'I'm headed for Van Nuys Airport.

'Located 11 miles north of Hollywood
in the San Fernando Valley,

'it ranks as one of the world's
busiest general aviation airports.

'There are no scheduled flights
from here, it's all strictly private

'But if you're an A-lister, like me,

'this is where you jet in
and out of Tinseltown.

'Oh, yes, this is more like it.

'Lovely Jubbly!

'I've come for a sneaky peek
at perhaps the pinnacle

'of the American dream, the secret
world of the executive jet.'

Ah, there's my team waiting for me.

Ehab.

- Ehab?
- Yes.

How do you do? David Jason.

- Pleasure.
- Hello, Julie Necessary.

- Julie.
- Pleasure...

'Yes, yes, you heard it right,
"Julie Necessary".

'Ha! Straight out of a Bond movie!'

Thank you. Now, Julie, please.

- After you.
- Thank you!

This is the way to travel,
isn't it, eh?

Good Lord, look at this!

Is this all set up for me?

Yes, it is,
we did this just for you.

'This little baby is a Falcon 900EX.

'Price tag upwards of 35 million,

'and it's run by one of the world's
most experienced operator

'of private jets,
Clay Lacy Aviation.

'Julie here's the boss
of client relations.'

At last,
someone is getting it right!

Julie, well done.

- Right, so would these be beds?
- Yes.

We have ice drawers
and we put our beverages in here.

This is a little washing up
department?

- Is that a mircrowave?
- This is a microwave convection...

This is the throne room.

JULIE LAUGHS

'This beauty can take 14 people
in long haul luxury

'from New York to London,
all in the capable hands

'of my pilot, Ehab Hanna.'

They don't make it
for senior people, do they?

It's too complicated
for a mere mortal like me,

but what is she like to fly?

This particular aircraft is a very,
very stable jet.

And, also,
you have the safety features

and the automation helping
the pilots.

It really comes into play
on long transcontinental,

transoceanic flights.

So, what we're saying is,

we don't need you at all, do we?

We've got all the stuff here,
I can just punch it in.

And go sit down and she could go
and do all the work herself.

Well, someone has
to put the landing gear down.

Otherwise you've become a...

- ..a sled.
- Yes!

BOTH LAUGHS

But other than that, yeah,
modern aviation, there are aircraft

that actually land by themselves
and exit the runway

on their own, if they're programmed.

'Now, I'm programmed for tea.

'I wonder if they can rustle
me up a nice cuppa char.'

Well, that was very interesting.

So, don't worry anything goes wrong,
I can take over.

Wonderful, does he know
what he's doing up there?

- Not really.
- OK.

BOTH LAUGH
Ooh.

Oh, yes.

You know, I'm getting used to this,
oh, look at this.

Fresh scones.

Listen to this,
"Served with Devonshire cream..."

Eh? "..and strawberry preserves".

And as if...

..on cue...

- ..in she comes.
- Here I am.

Is this normally what you would
do would be doing?

Creating menus?

Yeah.

I mean, yes, I always create a menu.

And I always print it out
for my passengers.

We don't often do,
like, a high tea like this.

But we wanted to bring a little bit
of your home here to LA for you.

You have, that is brilliant!
SHE LAUGHS

'Tell you what, this service for
the super rich isn't super cheap.

'By my calculations
for a flight to New York,

'you wouldn't get much change
out of 50,000.'

Do you see very many personalities?

I am not allowed
to mention anyone's names.

We do see quite a few celebrities.

We see a lot of
very well-to-do families.

We also do a lot of business travel.

So, big corporations...
It's a very useful business tool.

As opposed to travelling on the
airlines, they have a private plane

that can just take them
from A to B to C...

I wish you'd tell us
who you've met famous.

SHE LAUGHS

We'd all like to know, wouldn't we?

She won't tell us.

We use a lot of discretion,

and confidentiality
is very important

to us and to our clients, as well.

That's why they travel this way.

I'm now used to this luxury.

So, this will be part
of my everyday needs and contracts.

And, just waiting for the call
from Hollywood.

So if you're out there, Hollywood,
I'm here and I'm ready.

So...
HE SIGHS

..I'll sit back and just relax.

'Clay Lacy Aviation has just
celebrated its 50th anniversary.

'And I want to meet
the living legend

'who first brought executive jet
travel to the West Coast.

'Growing up in Kansas
during the Great Depression,

'Clay Lacy developed
an early fascination with flight.

'During his long
and illustrious career,

'Clay became United Airlines' number
one pilot.

'He flew more than 300 different
types of aircraft,

'and logged up well in excess
of 55,000 hours flight time.

'If you do the sums,
that's over six years in the air.

'He also pioneered the executive jet
business on America's West Coast

'with this legendary Learjet.'

Look at that, what a beauty. Ah!

'A friend of Hollywood stars,
86-year-old Clay Lacy.'

Nice meeting you, yes.

- David Jason.
- Yeah.

- How lovely to meet you.
- Thank you.

When do you first fly...

Well, I started flying seriously
at 12.

What, you mean you actually flew
an aircraft all alone

at the age of 12?
- Yes, and then I...

Solo, 14, and my instructors and...

..commercial licence when I was 16.

And I started with United Airlines
when I was 19.

'In 1964, Clay brought
the first luxury Learjet to LA...'

VOICEOVER: Lear looks
for his biggest success

with this little jet.

Maybe because it gets Mr Executive
to work and back to the golf course

faster than anything
that has yet come along.

'The Hollywood Rat Pack were quick
to buy into the glamour of it all.

VOICEOVER: Frank Sinatra bought one
and recently flew it to Europe

and back.

CLAY: I sold Frank Sinatra
that Learjet.

But he couldn't fly them.

No, he did learn
to fly a helicopter, though.

- Did he?
- Yeah, he was...

He's a better man
than I thought he was!

Oh, yeah, he was a great guy.

Dean Martin, of course,
was his closest friend.

Danny Kaye the comedian, you know,
I got to know him real well.

Could he fly, was he a pilot?

Yeah,
I had him change around the Learjet,

and he had an airplane.

'Clay's also the proud holder
of no less than 33 world records,

'including one made
in this very Learjet.

'A US coast-to-coast and back-again
flight in ten hours, 22 minutes

'Average speed,
a staggering 556 mph.'

CLAY: That was a fun trip.

LA to New York,
four hours, 51 minutes.

That included landing.

- Yeah, a stop to fuel?
- Yeah, Wichita.

So, Wichita going over,
and Tulsa coming back.

'This 50-year-old Learjet
is compact and bijou

'but it's clear Clay
has a deep affection

'for this trailblazing plane

'and his extraordinary life
in aviation.'

If I said to you,
"Right, OK, get in there,

"and, er, and everything was
fuelled up and everything,

"turn her on." Could you,
would you, still want to fly her?

- Oh, yeah.
- And you could?

Oh, yeah, sure. Yeah, I love flying.

I... I've never gotten tired of it.

I like the feel of freedom.

Always enjoy to have some fun.

- Sir, thank you.
- Thank you.

- Thank you very much indeed.
- Thank you. My pleasure.

'With its high-end luxury
and Hollywood glitz,

'Van Nuys Airport might be classed
as general aviation,

'but for me,
it's in a class of its own.

'Now, when one is in Los Angeles,
it would be most remiss

'not to visit the seaside.

'With miles of golden beaches,

'it's the perfect stage
to strut your stuff.

'And for passionate petrolheads
like me,

'the LA beachfront is also
the spiritual home of the hotrods.

'This crazy,
crowded city boasts thousands

'of vintage vehicle enthusiasts.

'And I wanted to meet up with one
of its longest-running car clubs,

'the LA Roadsters.'

Good morning, Bob.

- Good morning, David.
- Hi.

'Bob and Sally Barnes

'count themselves amongst the club's
oldest and proudest members.'

She likes cars as much as I do.

I came from a car family, too, so...

Yeah.

But was it the car
or him that you were attracted?

- Him. Yeah.
- Him?

Oh, I'm glad.
You have to say that because

he's within striking distance,
isn't he?

Right, come on,
should we go and have a look at...

Sure, come
and look at some of the toys.

'Bob reckons he's built or restored
in the region of 600 motors.

'But the jewel
in Bob's car-encrusted crown

'is the vintage 1930s Roadster

'he courted his wife
in 50 years ago.'

It is a '34 Ford,
which I acquired in 1965.

How much did it cost you back then?

About a thousand bucks,
I traded a car for it.

- That's a lot of money.
- That was a lot of money.

A roadster has no windows.

They actually snap on the side,
when the top comes on,

you snap all that on.

How many cylinders have you got
in there?

- It's an eight. Yeah. All eight.
- Eight?

What's the top speed
you've had out of this?

Probably about 122, 123.

- And it was still on the ground?
- Yeah.

That is fast.

But back then, you would
have been hard-up for money,

and you and your mates would
have done all of this yourselves,

wouldn't you?

We'd find the poorest guy and work
on his to make sure it worked.

HE LAUGHS

'Formed in 1957,

'LA Roadsters grew out of
a West Coast hotrod craze.

'The rules were simple.

'You pick up
a cheap old 1930s banger,

'squeeze in a bigger, faster engine

'and then head down to the beach
for some cruising and racing.'

Going to the movies,

these cars, these hotrods,
we would see them as teenagers.

And my goodness,
did we lust after you guys.

A - because of the car vehicle.
But then...

There was always
pretty girls with the cars.

- Yes.
- Yes.

It's not the same colour scheme,
is it?

No, no, I painted it seven times.

I got almost 300,000 miles
on the car.

What was the expression back then?

- Babe magnet.
- Babe magnet.

That's why I was trying to think of.

- But...
- It works.

BOB CHUCKLES

And still does,
I can see, you lucky man.

'Over the past six decades,

'Bob's garage has become
a treasure trove

'of bikes, surfboards
and '60s memorabilia.

Why have you got
so many surfboards?

I've been surfing since 1954.

Back in the '50s,
you... you were in the best time.

You had the surf for the beach,

you had cruising
on Hawthorne Boulevard,

where the Beach Boys would be
a lot of times in the '60s,

plus you had Lions Drag Strip
down here,

14 miles for drag racing.

It didn't get any better
than that in California.

So, you were driving around looking
like that, then, were you?

I never wore a shirt.

- Did you not?
- Never.

Now, this is more like a hotrod,
you see, here.

Well, that's what my roadster
looked like the day I bought it.

That's my wife.

But I ran it without a hood.

Yeah, well, that was
my image of a hotrod.

You're a cool dude.

- And there she is.
- Mmm-hmm.

- You were a lucky fella. Yes!
- Yes, I was.

'With Bob sporting
his trademark top hat,

'we're ready to roll.'

Riding in the hotrod!

'His beloved roadster once
featured in one of the biggest

'hits in television history.

'No, it wasn't
Only Fools And Horses.'

Listen to that. This car was
in Happy Days, wasn't it?

Yes, it was. The first 13 weeks.

I'm actually driving with the Fonz!

ENGINE ROARS

- It goes.
- Yeah.

Go on, my son!

SIREN SOUNDS
Lifeguards.

Have you ever been pulled up,
by the police?

Oh, I've been stopped
a tonne of times.

- Have you?
- Oh, yeah.

Oh, back in the old days,
it was just a thing.

If you were a hotrodder,
you were going to get stopped.

Yes.

Now they look, and they just see
a little old man and they go,

"Oh, he's reliving,
reliving his youth."

So they don't give me any trouble,

but in turn I don't
do anything stupid.

- Like you used to.
- Like I used to.

Yes.

'We've come
to the weekly classic car rally

'down on Redondo Beach.

'And it's showtime folks.

'This is where Bob meets up
with his fellow LA roadsters.'

Blimey, what about this place,
then, eh?

It's where we come on Friday nights.

and hang out.
- Every Friday?

How are you doing?

IN AMERICAN ACCENT:
Good. How are you doing?

- I'm just fine.
- Good.

- Hey, Bob, how's everything?
- Pretty good.

Good.

- Is this yours?
- This is my jalopy.

Yeah, it's beautifully restored.
Have you done that over the years?

I did all the work on this car
myself except the upholstery work.

How long did it take you
to get to this?

About three years,
two and a half to three years.

Was it money or was it just love?

Both. Both.

All of the above.

- You can't take it with you, right.
- Yeah, right.

Though I'm working on a plan.

THEY LAUGH

This is very much
like the hot roadster I remember

in my young days.

Meaning the shape of it
and everything.

It's not much...

It's very...
It's very tinny, isn't it?

Well, that's because
they were built cheap.

Because this was, this was
for a guy as a work truck.

It wasn't for him.
It wasn't go to church on Sunday.

'What strikes me about the people
showing off their beloved cars,

'is that it goes way beyond passion.

'These vehicles are like members
of the family,

'and it seems to take them back
to their golden years.'

DAVID LAUGHS

This vehicle was used during
the Cold War and Vietnam War.

This is like for a recon squad,
going to battle,

just like it is. It has the original
radio, M60 machinegun.

All that gear you see in there
was my gear.

I was in the Army
for about 36 years.

All the equipment you see
is a typical soldier would wear.

- This is what he would wear
- Sir, thank you very much.

That's great.

Good old car.

Oh, now, this is... this is the cool
dude of the bunch, isn't it?

- Yep.
- Look at it.

BOB: From Kauai.

I mean, this turns a few heads,
doesn't it?

Oh, yes. It's a... it's a little
fun car to drive around

and you always get the thumbs up.

- Look at the radiator cap he made.
- Look at my pineapple.

What a machine, though,
it's beautiful.

You've done a great job for that.

Would you sell this
or would you keep it?

- I would sell it. Yeah.
- You'd sell it.

I've got about 200 in cash, money.

Well, you might be able
to buy the front tyre.

THEY LAUGH
All right, I'll take it!

Take it off. I'll take it with me.

Oh, it's lovely to meet you, sir.
Oh, bless you, it's a lovely car.

Oh, have you had a good time?

Are you ready to have a better time?

Well, I don't know.
What do you mean by better time.

Let you drive it a little bit.
Jump right in.

- All right.
- We'll go from there.

'Now, for much of my life
I fancied getting behind the wheel

'of an American hot road.

'And now I've got my chance.

'You know what,
cruising down Redondo Beach

'in this American beauty,

'it feels like all my Christmases
have come at once.'

Hello.

See, see what I mean? It works.

- The magic, it's still there.
- That's it, it still is.

'I've spent five weeks travelling
down the west coast of the USA,

'finding stories behind the machines
that made America.

'I've almost finished
my epic journey.

'But there's one last story to tell.

'The helicopter has changed TV news
gathering like no other machine

'and I've come to meet
Eye in the Sky legend, Stu Mundel.'

- Main man.
- Sir David Jason.

Good to meet you, sir.

- You are the voice of Danger Mouse.
- That's me.

- Yes, Danger Mouse.
- Good grief, Penfold.

There you go!

'It seems my reputation precedes me.

'Stu is a bit of a gung ho hero
in the world of news gathering,

'and this chopper
is his mobile office.'

This is a bigger machine than I fly.

What?

This is a butch machine, this is,
yeah.

That obviously looks like a camera.

- You control that?
- Yeah, I control that.

This is the spot where I usually sit
and this is the controller

right there.

This controls that part of it.

So that's your zoom,
that's your focus.

- It's all about breaking news.
- Breaking news.

Well, that's my,
that's my little niche.

Yeah.

COMMENTARY: He is just running.
He has foot bailed.

To take this guy into custody

without the injuries
to any civilians.

So we do everything.
If it's a fire, we're there.

If it's a bad crash, we're there,

there's a police pursuit,
we're there.

COMMENTARY: Now, boom,
right there, probably hit him

with a less than lethal.

STU: One of the reasons why I love
my job so much is because, you know,

seeing something happen
that other people don't see

and then be able to share it.

That's where,
that's where the joy comes in.

'Stu never takes passengers,

'but for Danger Mouse,
he's making an exception.'

You're going to play
with the camera...

- Yeah. Yeah.
- ..do some pretend news.

'Stu flies the camera,
not the helicopter,

'so here's the second half
of the double act.'

- Marcos, what's happening, brother?
- How's it going, Stu? How are you?

- I'm well.
- Marcos.

Marcos. Nice to meet you.

Number one pilot.
I've been told you're the main man.

- Come on, Marcos.
- Let's make this happen.

Yeah, let's go, you boys.

'When a news story breaks,
Stu and Marcos have minutes

'to race to the location
and get a scoop.'

All right, I'll hand you
your headset there.

Thank you.

OK, I think we are ready
for the off, if you are, sir.

All right.

- Wait, wait, this thing flies?
- Good grief.

DAVID: That wasn't too bad a lift.

I had a friend of mine
that always used to say,

we're going for a magic carpet ride.

Yeah.

'Los Angeles is so massive that even
if you had 20 news trucks

'you wouldn't be able
to cover it all.

'The helicopter is the only way
to get to a crime scene first.'

You said something on the ground,
and here it is,

- you said, LA is huge.
- Yes.

- And if we can just see...
- I'll pan up there.

..look at that.

STU: This is all you can see.

I'm telling you, it just goes,
and goes, and goes

in all directions,
unless you get to the water.

Oddly enough, it stops there.

'Seems like a good opportunity
to have a look at the beaches

'and the Pacific Ocean.'

The infamous Venice Beach
area here, and Muscle Beach

where all the guys work out,
body build.

And show off to the girls,
is that what they do?

Yeah, I suppose.

- STU: The Santa Monica Pier.
- DAVID: Santa Monica.

That's quite a famous name
back in the UK.

'Let's see what Stu's Eye in the Sky
camera can really do

'from 1,500 feet.'

STU: Let's see
if we can tell what time it is.

I can't see that guy's watch.

DAVID: But that is an amazing piece
of kit.

'Stu's helicam is just the job
for cheeky shufti

'into the back yards
of the rich and famous.'

The plots of land here next
to Pacific Coast Highway,

back in the day, if you bought
a piece of land inland

they would give you, give you,
a lot on the beach.

DAVID: Oh.

Because nobody wanted to live there.

- God, dear. Really.
- Yeah.

'Today, a California dream beach hut

'would set you back
millions of dollars.'

We're off Sunset Strip right now,
Mann's Chinese Theatre.

That's the Chinese theatre?

Yeah, right there, where they've got

all the footprints
and all that stuff out in the front.

Very, very famous.

'This is the star studded
Hollywood Walk of Fame.

'Possibly, the world's
most famous sidewalk.

'It's missing one star of course.
But I'll say no more.'

- And that stadium is...
- Where we play cricket.

Yeah, well, it's about time
you learned to play cricket.

You're hitting a ball
with a bit of stick.

It's not really cricket.

No, it's not. Oh, that's right.

This is the famous Dodger Stadium.

Oh, the Dodgers, that's it.

Cor, blimey, what's this?
Right in front of us.

Downtown Los Angeles.

'There's so much dosh
in Tinsel Town,

'that the banks
are the tallest skyscrapers.'

Blimey, look at that.

'And what do they stick on the side
of the highest building

'west of the Mississippi?

'A glass slide a thousand feet up.'

STU: There's a glass slide.

So you're about 70 storeys
in the air.

Yeah, that is great.
That is really great.

'Stu is a great tour guide,

'but his day job
is filming crime stories

'as they happen.'

David, here you go, brother.

'In LA County, almost 50,000 cars
are stolen each year.

'Police pursuits are
Stu's bread and butter.'

So this right here is your zoom.

- In.
- Yeah. Got it.

'Now, I've got a chance
to hone my skills.

'Surely, it can't be that hard
following a speeding car?'

Keep going, keep going.
Oh, there's the freeway, keep going.

Oh, there you are.

- There you are.
- Yes.

Look at that, you can do a pursuit.

Yes. Let's pretend
we're doing a pursuit, there we go.

STU: I can't even keep up with him.

Sorry, there he is.

STU: Wonder if that guy knows
how famous he is right now.

It's not as easy as you think.

It's that him?

HE LAUGHS

Definitely much easier to fly.

Oh, he keeps running away.

Oh, this is requiring
too much concentration.

Give it back to the master.

'Stu began his crime chasing career
25 years ago

'as a freelance news stringer,

'finding stories by eavesdropping
on police scanners.'

There's a story in mid-city.

You guys want to get some shots
of the helicopter hovering?

Yeah, let's go do that.

Where are they Marcos?
Point them out.

Two o'clock.

- Two o'clock, coming up.
- 'This is a bit of luck.

'Eagle-eyed Marcos
has spotted something occurring.'

STU: It's way up there.

Is that the police?

No, that's a news helicopter,
gosh, darn.

Not another one.

- Yeah. They're all over the place.
- Yeah. He's up high.

You've got to pull your ship
down low, about 500.

Well, maybe he's doing something
that we ought to go and follow

and get the news.
- Darn right.

'Stu's day job depends on finding
a news story first.'

Up here, we'll listen
to the police scanners,

the fire department or whatever.

And then also, Marcos will talk
to the police helicopter.

We'll get information if they are
willing to pass it along.

You'll see there at the
intersection, a bunch of cop cars.

- Let me see. Oh, yeah.
- Nine o'clock.

What's happening now
on your own street?

Well, this is a perimeter
for a robbery suspect.

- And the police helicopter above...
- Yeah.

..officers got here quick enough
so they know that the bad guys ran.

So they are searching.

Many times they'll find these people
hiding somewhere in the bushes...

- Yeah.
- ..if they haven't gotten away.

'There's no second chance
with breaking news.

'Stu has to shoot the story
as it unfolds.'

As far as news goes,

the big secret is you get pictures
of what's going to be gone first.

So if you get there
and there's a fire,

you know they're going to put the
fire out, get pictures of the fire.

You get there, there's a victim,
you're going to get a picture

of the victim because they're going
to take the victim away.

We want to see the action
and that's it.

- That's the big secret.
- 'Maestro Mundel is clearly unique.

'But I couldn't resist offering him
some professional advice.'

AMERICAN ACCENT: I think you ought
to get a bit closer in there, Stu.

You got to see
what's happening there.

Look, I'm getting as close as I can.

You can't get any closer than that?
What's the matter with you?

I mean, I can't see
the whites of their eyes.

What's the matter with you here?
Can't you see the dead body?

Oh, that would be a big no-no...
We never, we never show that stuff.

But what happens
if there was a shoot-out?

Definitely. Your bad guy,
you can get as many pictures

of the bad guy as you want.
That's open game.

'Well, that was exciting.

'What's next on my LA tour, Stu?'

- The Hollywood Bowl.
- Oh, yeah, there it is.

That's going to be Warner Brothers.

They desperately want me to help
them out with their viewing figures.

- Help them out?
- Yeah, but I'm playing hardball.

'Well, I can't fly over Los Angeles
and not go to see the most important

'view in the City of Angels.'

Do you know why they put
that sign up?

Originally,
it was a real estate thing,

and it said Hollywood Land,

and it fell into disrepair
and the city took it over,

and they got rid of the "land" part
and they just kept the Hollywood.

So Hollywood Land
was directed by an estate agent.

Yes, exactly.

Well, you don't get much closer
to Hollywood than that.

'Del Boy finally makes it
to Tinsel Town.'

I think you've done
an excellent job...

Thank you.

- ..Marcos, and you, Stu.
- Oh, thank you.

Been brilliant. Absolutely.

I'm just going to be telling
all my friends

that I was hanging out
with Danger Mouse!

Well, obviously,
I'm responsible for your brilliance.

Yes, it was, it was the upbringing.

Yes!

'So despite my great
and august body of acting work,

'I'm remembered in America for being
the voice of a cartoon mouse.

'Hollywood ain't calling just yet.

'But you know what,
I don't mind one little bit.'

Well, I've done it.

I've travelled from Seattle
to here in Los Angeles,

1,200 miles.

And what a journey it's been.

Go on, my son.

Got kangaroo juice in that one,
didn't he.

I've been everywhere,
but that beats the lot of them.

Look at that for a view, eh.

You don't see that every day
of the week.

It's been a wonderful journey.

And if you asked me,
would I do it again,

I'd say yes without question.

'And thank you for coming
on this journey with me.'