CHAPTER
TEN
S
T
IN
G
Continuing, James stepped forward.
"Now, in the second part of this special cycling feature we sent Jerome (cough) off on a bicycle to ride around the streets of London to get the cyclist's view of things, see whether that might alter his report's original findings. So we took cameras out to one or two strategic locations and followed him around a little, and this was how it went .."
The Control Room flipped all the right switches and dropped-in the video segment they had shot on that day. Around the studio and above the audience large monitors showed what was being broadcast, and everyone watched as the video played.
Hampton and Gray were out on the street ready to see Larksong off down the road on his ride looking very silly in bicycle clips, high-viz waistcoat over his jacket, padded high-viz gloves, knee and elbow pads, safety helmet with go-pro perched on top, and more.
Hampton was saying in to the camera, "So as you can see, we've made sure he is all set with the proper safety gear like these flashing lights front and rear" he switched them on, ".. an audible alert unit" he rang its bell, ".. and a safety helmet with a camera to record any incidents that might be encountered."
".. oh, and looking a complete loon!"
"And easily able to send short TV presenters flying!" said Larksongs mounting the bicycle. "Okay, so where's the clutch?"
"Right here!" replied Hampton and Gray togerther, and they lined him up, wobbling, and shoved him off down the road shouting after him ".. and dont forget to record the commentary!" as he scared a cat, burst a runaway balloon, and gave a baby a headache when his mother had to stop suddenly just after stepping on to the zebra crossing, causing the unrestrained occupant of the pram she was pushing to rocket to the top and thump its head. Third time's a charm.
As Larksong slowly - very slowly - disappeard in to the distance, the sounds of car horns hooting and tyres screeching carried on drifting back as the video faded out on the launchpad.
It faded up again on a different location some way further along, looking up the road in to the oncoming traffic.
Hampton explained, " At this point we had planned to pick Jezza up again about half way through his ride and see how he was finding it, what he was thinking so far, that kind of thing. But this is what actually happened ..."
"FUNKY DEATH"
The video picked up Larksong approaching from some way off still, and followed him as he came closer and then past calling out "I can't stop! .." and made a wobbly turn in to a side street a little further along.
Because of the additional distance, the corner and parked cars and trees and stuff, the camera couldn't keep him in sight past a certain point though the microphone picked up the sound of a mad bicycle bell, the screech of a few different car tyres, then collision noises followed in moments by running feet and concerned voices.
The camera became very jerky and then appeared to have fallen somewhere, lying on the ground at a crazy angle looking up at the adjoining buildings and the sky. Its microphone was still connected however even though it too was just abandoned on the pavement in it's shaggy wind-break shroud, and was picking up the sound of a number of pairs of feet running, trying to get acrosss the busy road, coming and going, scrambling to get along to the corner and perhaps at least see from there what had happened.
And it also just about caught ...
Bystander #1: "I've called the ambulance, did anyone see what happened?"
Hammond: "Not after he went round the corner ... we were filming from back there, round the corner and a little way further up ..."
Gray: ".. just heard the sounds ..."
Bystander #2: "I was just there, right there! .. he went straight past me in some sort of trouble and much too ... headed straight for ... didn't stand a chance ... no time to do anything ..."
Then the sound of an ambulance siren approaching, its arrival, doors opening.
"Doctor here! Let me through ... yes carry on CPR just now ...
And after.
"No pulse, not beating ... defibrilator please ... charge to 200 ... charging 200 ... 200, clear!"
Shock sound, flatline sound, pause.
"Charge 360 ... charging 360 ... 360, clear!"
Shock sound, flatline sound, pause.
Pause longer.
"It's no good. I'm sorry. I'm afraid he's gone .. we'll take him now .. on to the trolley and cover him please .."
Then different kinds of rustles mixed with footsteps and scuffling and the rattle of the trolley being loaded in to the ambulance, and the various clacks and clicks as the doors closed, and finally, too finally, the departing, fading sounds as the ambulance moved off heading down the road.
And the awkward dropped-camera shot faded along with it.