A discerning producer must have thought I looked like I was capable of digging up the M1, so he cast me as a navvy.
The TV commercial was for Timex and their waterproof watch. I had to stand in the middle of a road in Ealing, London and start to drill. It was hard work and noisy but I managed a few minutes which was enough to make them smile.
All this time I was wearing the waterproof and shock proof watch. When we finished the shoot, I washed my hands which was also filmed, to show how waterproof it was.
On the second day of filming we shot a few different angles and closeups and finished just after lunch. The production company had a trailer which was used for makeup and changing into dirty clothes. They had fixed up a tap outside the trailer so that they had enough light to shoot when I washed my hands.
Each day they show the rushes (in America called dailies). Everything seemed OK until the close up of my hands under the tap.
The waterproof watch was …..well…..not quite.… There was condensation inside the glass! Oh dear.
Back to the drawing board for Timex!