Peter James: Novelist and Film Producer: I Met Jeremy Clarkson In The Back Of A Police Car

Peter's blog

Tuesday, May 05, 2009
I Met Jeremy Clarkson In The Back Of A Police Car

Woody Allen famously said, "Sex is the most fun you can have without laughing."

Well, clearly he's never been in a police car during a serious pursuit. And I have to disagree about the laughing bit. Great sex does not have to be exclusive of humour. But pursuit driving certainly does. One of the most exhilarating moments of my life was a 45 minute long car chase in and around Brighton a year ago, in pursuit of a stolen vehicle. With a total of 7 cars, including dog-handlers, involved the suspect was safely stopped and arrested, but I was on an adrenaline high for days after and I suspect the police officers involved were, too.

I spent last Thursday in a series of marked and unmarked police cars, watching officers going through various stages of response and pursuit driving training, in the company of the senior Sussex Police Driver Training Officer. The highlight was traveling from Lewes to Dunsfold and back in an unmarked high-powered Volvo, with a police Armed Response Unit officer going through his final stages of high speed driving assessment. We drove on the blues and twos all the way there and back, and the experience of being with a safe, competent driver, who really knew what he was doing, driving at well above the national limit for the best part of an hour and a half, was a rare treat, and reminded me of the glorious days of driving, when I was a child, before we had the 70 limit (and the fun still to be had on German Autobahns - where I got my Aston Vanquish up to 185mph a few years back!)

Then I was in for another, unexpected treat. Dunsfold, a disused aerodrome in Surrey, is where the Police do their skidpan training. But... it is also where Top Gear is filmed. As we arrived, we saw a blue Jaguar doing a series of high-speed power slides past a camera crew. We stopped to watch for some minutes, then the Jaguar came over to us and Jeremy Clarkson climbed out! He walked over to the car, curious to know who we were, suspicious that we might be journalists sneaking pictures. When he saw the police uniforms he relaxed and was very pleasant and chatty. So now I am one step nearer to one of my dreams - to do that Top Gear circuit sprint in a reasonably priced car.....

Jeremy Clarkson at the helm filming Top Gear

Jeremy PJ at the helm on the skid pan, under the eagle eye of Roger Pitts, Senior Driving Instructor and Tony Case HQ CID Senior Support Officer

Jeremy Clarkson

posted by Peter James at 9:41 AM 6 comments

Comments:

Peter,
Cant see you in a reasonbly priced car! Bentley GT maybe.

Robert P Splaine

By Anonymous, at 2:50 PM

Well I all that reasonably priced... Compared to my Vanquish anyway, because for a change, this car actually works!!!!

By Peter James, at 5:17 PM

Nice story and I have to say that TopGear is my favorite show. Those 3 guys together on their special journeys is a hoot. (LMAO!) The episode where they drove through HillBilly USA with "I hate NASCAR" painted on the car was brilliant and my all time favorite. Speaking about TV shows. When can we expect the first Roy Grace on the tube?

All the best, Marcel

By Marcel, at 11:58 AM

Not my favorite programme but love the idea of stabilisers on a power car. WHAT you driving a FORD???????/ not good. hahah

jm

By Anonymous, at 10:46 AM

Hi Marcel, I will be posting developments on TV series as they happen but at the moment all slow because of ITV's financial problems.

Hi JM - yep those stabilizer are cool!!!! Guess I was just driving a more basic Ford than my Aston Vanquish....!!!!

By Peter James, at 10:53 AM

You might like to know that Jeremy Clarkson was seen last Friday 29/05/09, visiting wounded soldiers at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham. Some of the men there are so badly injured, and it was good that Jeremy had gone to give them a boost to their morale. Why don't you turn up with a few of your books for them to read?

Shirley Hamilton.

By Grandpa and Shirley, at 1:32 PM