When the BBC turned up in Moseley to film episodes of Eastenders it caused the usual levels of angst and confusion. Turning our picturesque village into a suburb of East London seemed an unusual move but it thrilled the crowds of TV sycophants like ourselves who thronged to catch a glimpse of our heroes in the flesh.
The party atmosphere soon turned to gloom when we realised the premise of the program was flawed. TV bad boy John Altman was seen selling copies of the Big Issue outside Kwik Save much to the irritation of the local homeless population. A local Big Issue seller told us “It’s disgusting, how much do you reckon he’s on a year? Now he’s stealing the food from my plate. I always said he was a wrong ‘un. It’s times like this you think of Eddy Royal’s family and what they must be going through seeing him flaunting himself.”
The ever increasing problem of celebrity begging has been vexing the police and councilors alike. A local councilor shouted at us “Where does it end? Is David Niven going to be selling cushions in the street? Well is he?Is he? Oh he’s dead isn’t he. You know what I mean though.”