Who Remembers The Late Late Breakfast Show

On September 10, 1983, a series of amateur stunt drivers attempted to break the record for jumping a row of cars live on Noel Edmond's short-lived Saturday evening 'Late Late Breakfast Show'. All crashed short of the target, and - after seeing the first live attempt in this clip - you may wonder why on earth the producers didn't put a stop to it. Guy Skippon's car veered into the trackside on landing, destroying a camera cable but miraculously failing to inflict death or injury on spectators and staff. A little later we saw footage of Skippon being helped to a stretcher having 'hurt his knees'.

For most people a situation that leads to near-tragedy is not to be repeated, but this is showbiz. Rich Smith knew his run was the last chance for the record to be broken, which probably explains the terrifying speed he hit the ramp. Carnage followed as the car flipped on landing, debris hurled in every direction. Briefly, the camera switched to a shot of what remained of the car, Smith clearly visible and obviously injured. He sustained a fractured pelvis and multiple injuries to his head, neck and back, all requiring a long stay in hospital.

Later in the evening, during his radio show, John Peel said that it was the closest he'd ever come to being killed. He allegedly had a frank exchange with Noel Edmonds afterwards, and the two never worked together again. When you look at the amount of debris flying and listen to Peelie's muffled panicked swearing, it's not hard to sympathise.

The 'Whirly Wheel' became a regular feature of the show until the death of Michael Lush, a member of the public killed while rehearsing the bunjee-jump stunt he would have performed on that weeks show. The official inquest reached a verdict of misadventure, but found the BBC to be failing in many aspects of safety.

Found on UKNova.

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