My TV debut.....

My TV debut... being filmed for House Hunters International...

USA's second most watched TV programme and watched by 10 million viewers!

The story.. I am selling my property in the UK (St. Albans) and moving to tropical Port Douglas, in Queensland Australia where I have a job working as a diver.

The story does reflect my life.. just a little 'jiggled' I sold my property last year in central London so was unable to film there, so filmed at a friend's house in St. Albans, where I grew up.  Also, I haven't lived in the UK now for 12 years, so it looks like I am moving directly from UK to Australia , but I suppose to have a film crew to film me in all the places I lived in the last 12 years before arriving in Australia might be far fetched (could be a series all on its own!).

It was on an Autumnal day in St. Albans that the film crew turned up and we spent the day filming in the environs of the town. 

Reality TV is so funny as it is anything but 'reality' when your spontaneous response is then recorded for the 3rd time.  As the filming gets interrupted by passing cars.. can you believe that it was in the middle of Autumn and we had to down filming when the leaf blower man turned up.   The leaf blower with the never ending job, trying to get rid of leaves in Autumn.  He must have been 400m away, but the noise of the leaf blower.. certainly blew the sound man away and they had to despatch someone to beg for 5 mins. silence so we could finish our section. There has got to be some money out there (Hello Mr Dyson!!) for the quiet leaf blower.
 

 And then I flew to Australia...


And then had three days of filming.

Here is me showing a section about my 'explorer' roots.  Having two famous explorers in my family (Aime Tschiffely - who rode on horseback from Argentina to New York and Alfred De Quervain, meteorologist and polar explorer) so they were keen to show me 'exploring'.

Not wanting to let my 'roots' down they had me hiking in the Daintree rainforest.  Seemed so easy when they directed me 'ok just step along the stones and cross the river'.   So I try this as gainly as possible without slipping and trying to have the grace of a gazelle... though judging by the shots.. I think I probably resemble more the stance of Bigfoot...

Big Foot is alive and well and walking in the Daintree Rainforest!

 I had to have a friend who was going around the properties with me.  I was lucky at such short notice to be able to call on a good friend Melissa.  There was actually a story here as we were at school in St. Albans together and we last met when we were 16.  Through friends I found out the Melissa lives in Australia and only an hour way.  So we have met up on several occasions and get on very well. Her husband and family came to my 50th celebration. 

 Since they had to film me house hunting they had to show me looking at my house for the 'before' which meant me moving out all my belongings which had to go back for the 'after' shoot.  Strangely we did the 'after' shot before the 'before'.

This is the filming of me being the diving instructor.  Due to problems with insurance, filming approval from landowners and all that type of bureaucracy the dive company we wanted to drop off some tanks to film with at the last minute were unable to.  So some clever filming angles with me and Maya without tanks or weight belts ensued.. be interesting the final edited version on that!


So hope to go to Melissa's house when the series is launched with our champagne and a box of tissues.. drying the tears from our howls of laughter!