Behind the scenes of Latest TV with Jay Legate: Cool running
As usual at Latest TV we’ve been here, there and everywhere. This month we’ve covered the Brighton Marathon, walked with dinosaurs and witnessed over a hundred human sized chickens take over Hove Park. Frankly, I don’t know how we manage it…
The organisers of Brighton’s Marathon 2014 will have been constantly looking to the skies last weekend with their fingers crossed, hoping that the rain held off to allow the 26.2 mile run to transpire without it becoming a soggy affair.
As one would expect, there were many people dressed in outfits that can only be described as obstrusive, but one of the most eye catching participants was carrying a tiger on his back (not a real animal). Paul Goldstone is raising money for Worth More Alive across a series of marathons to raise awareness for the plight of Bengal tigers, he told Latest Sport: “We’re going to lose them, just as we’re going to lose rhinos, that’s the simple fact.
Luckily, the heavens remained closed (more or less) during the race and 8,670 people taking part and the thousands of spectators were able to ‘enjoy’ the day without being drenched in rain.
“We needed more chicken outfits!”
Not something one often hears when evaluation their fun run event. Well, that is exactly what happened for James MacDonald, organiser of the first ever Brighton Chicken Run. Benefiting from the early Easter frivolity are a number of charities including the Martlets Hospice, Pass it on Africa and The Honeypot Children’s Charity.
Hove Park is used to early morning joggers, but on Sunday morning, the path was swarmed by over 160 chickens taking part in the 5km race. To be more specific – 140 people in chicken suits, over twenty without outfits (maybe they were too far down the pecking order?) and one gentleman dressed as an egg. Just in case you were wondering, he wasn’t sure whether he came first or second.
Claims that Mr MacDonald once owned a farm also proved unsubstantiated, but let’s not tread on eggshells – where does someone get that many chicken outfits? As we traversed the park we found another rooster in the hen house, Latest TV presenter and Juice FM DJ Guy Lloyd. Sportingly, Guy decided to run at the back of the pack and for good measure pretended to struggle the whole way round the course. Well done that man.
Before we move on I feel I should apologise for potentially unnecessary chicken related humour, but in my defence, it’s eggstremely difficult to stop once you’ve started.
Elsewhere, here at Latest TV we never rest in bringing you footage from around the city. Take a Saturday evening for instance. Most of you would have been heading out to meet friends or curling up on the sofa with a takeaway to watch Simon Cowell destroy another person’s life.
But not for the Latest TV crew.
When our tech chief Andy heard a car had plunged over cliffs at Roedean, near Brighton Marina, shortly after midnight, he headed down there with a camera.
It turned out that after his vehicle dropped more than 80 foot onto the rocks below, the driver just walked away from the scene. When asked by emergency crews if he had been drinking, he replied “only Red Bull” – adding what he had drank must have given him wings. If it wasn’t so scary it would be funny.
Speaking of which, dinosaurs of all shape and sizes came to Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Gardens last week. But never fear, this was not like a scene out of Jurassic Park – Australian theatre company Erth were behind the move as they looked to promote a show at the nearby Brighton Dome complex.
Latest TV’s Jessica Kellgren-Hayes and Richard Shayler were amongst the crowds.
Despite a series of near misses, the pair escaped with only a few bruises and a fantastic bit of footage.
Next week, lion taming…
For more details, check out www.thelatest.tv
Follow me: LatestTVBtn
