Micheal Portilo Rides a Pacer!

[HowardGWR]

Is 'Micheal Portilo' different from Michael Portillo?

I suspect that Portilo is this bloke who is waiting for the OP to choose the 'advanced edit option' and change the title of the thread. I do remember Neil Kinnock, while canvassing in South Wales, met this lady on the doorstep who thought he was 'Mr Portaloo'.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The Merseyrail 507s and 508s aren't state of the art but apart from the difference between the properly refurbished Merseyrail trains and refreshed Northern 142s, they are quieter, quicker to accelerate, warm in winter (no draughty bus doors) and provide a much better ride quality. The only downside is the lack of a toilet.

The last dozen or so Pacers I've had (144012 excepted) have also effectively had no toilet, as the cubicle had shifted wedging the door open!

 

[6Gman]

Not necessarily. I was saying that I (and I suspect lots of others) would see anything as better than a 142, for example any EMU, even if of similar or even much greater age! Hence the memory of a pre-war LMS unit on the Wirral. I commuted on the 304s for a while without thinking I was being short-changed. Does anyone remember whether the Bury electric EMUs were still OK towards the end - It was after all just Mk I class 507 stock so maybe just neglected in the run-down to closure?

304s used to bounce quite enthusiastically - but they were quicker and quieter than a Pacer!

 

[stuart100100]

The last dozen or so Pacers I've had (144012 excepted) have also effectively had no toilet, as the cubicle had shifted wedging the door open!

Last time I used a toilet on a pacer the door jammed after I closed it and I couldn't open it again. After a lot of banging on the door another passenger managed to shoulder barge it and release me!

 

[AM9]

That's something I'd wondered about as well. He's no doubt been doing the programmes long enough now that he knows how to do it as least as well as a professional director would. He's also much more relaxed, both talking to camera and to the people he interacts with, than in the early series.

I enjoy each series, despite the much discussed continuity glitches in the editing.

I know somebody who met him on Eurostar once. He has virtually no creative input in the programmes. The crew turn up ahead of him, they do cutaways, establishing shots, brief those who will be interviewed etc.. He then turns up, does the walk bys, the 'looking out of the window' shots and the pieces to camera. The rest of his involvement is in the narrative voice-overs. The programme is rarely shot in sequence and he just reads/voices script.
He clearly has developed a style with which he is comfortable in his new career, but I doubt that his skills would go very far in the direction of a professional director.
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304s used to bounce quite enthusiastically - but they were quicker and quieter than a Pacer!

304s, - just like 305s, 307s & 308s. They were OK in their heydays ('60s & early '70s) but their comfort/reliability declined rapidly after that. They were after all just BR remakes of '30s LH non-corridor compartment stock with nose-hung DC motors.

 

[yorksrob]

304s, - just like 305s, 307s & 308s. They were OK in their heydays ('60s & early '70s) but their comfort/reliability declined rapidly after that. They were after all just BR remakes of '30s LH non-corridor compartment stock with nose-hung DC motors.

I commuted on the 308's in their last years and they were perfectly comfortable.

 

[lejog]

Thanks, just watched a bit of it. I was behind the camera in most shots.
It was interesting to see how it was done, there are only 2 people with him (sound and cameraman) and he seems to direct the shots himself.
Going to download the series to my sky box when I'm home.

According to the closing credits the cameraman is also the director.
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I know somebody who met him on Eurostar once. He has virtually no creative input in the programmes. The crew turn up ahead of him, they do cutaways, establishing shots, brief those who will be interviewed etc.. He then turns up, does the walk bys, the 'looking out of the window' shots and the pieces to camera. The rest of his involvement is in the narrative voice-overs. The programme is rarely shot in sequence and he just reads/voices script.
He clearly has developed a style with which he is comfortable in his new career, but I doubt that his skills would go very far in the direction of a professional director.

Indeed the credits show a small army of production staff and researchers, in contrast to the two film staff. I suspect there are some of these around during filming if only to co-ordinate things (and drive Portillo and the filmcrew to all the locations away from the station).

 

[anti-pacer]

Atrocious fares - In a recent thread someone complained about New Southgate to Moorgate (15 miles) going up to £8.70 for an Anytime Return with no off-peak return option (even though there's the option of cheap contact-less off-peak single fares with it being in a TfL area).

New Southgate to Moorgate isn't anywhere near 15 miles.

 

[northwichcat]

Indeed the credits show a small army of production staff and researchers, in contrast to the two film staff. I suspect there are some of these around during filming if only to co-ordinate things (and drive Portillo and the filmcrew to all the locations away from the station).

There is a road vehicle driving between filming points, which is why Portillo is able to board the train with just a Bradshaws and a smallish bag (which an assistant carries for him.) His overnight luggage is on the road vehicle.
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New Southgate to Moorgate isn't anywhere near 15 miles.

I was going off what someone else posted.

 

[Bantamzen]

I liked how they showed an exterior shot showing the train destination as Leeds yet Michael alighting on Platform 1! (Sheffield bound I believe)

I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice, although to be fair even my wife who doesn't know the line said "Isn't he travelling towards Sheffield?".

We did once briefly see him filming at Huddersfield for a previous season, filming a shot of him boarding a 185 heading for Scarborough. We watched from the 1st class section only then to see him promptly get off again and head towards platform 4. However the shot obviously wasn't used as when the sequence was shown, he did indeed appear to board an east-bound 185, but the first class section was at the rear, whereas our unit had it at the front where he was filmed boarding.

 

[northwichcat]

I liked how they showed an exterior shot showing the train destination as Leeds yet Michael alighting on Platform 1! (Sheffield bound I believe)

Not as bad as Portillo supposedly being shown leaving Knutsford at the end of an episode but actually being shown on a pltaform at Preston with overhead electrics and a Northern 158 turning up. Then at the start of the next episode he was shown travelling on the 156 he actually caught between Knutsford and Ashley.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not as bad as Portillo supposedly being shown leaving Knutsford at the end of an episode but actually being shown on a pltaform at Preston with overhead electrics and a Northern 158 turning up. Then at the start of the next episode he was shown travelling on the 156 he actually caught between Knutsford and Ashley.

It's interesting that the continuity on the recent one featuring the North Berwick branch was pretty good. I wonder are some TOCs fussier than others?

 

[Kite159]

Nobody noticed that yesterday he boarded a XC service at 'lincoln'

 

[Darandio]

New Southgate to Moorgate isn't anywhere near 15 miles.

It's pretty much bang on if you count both ways, which given the discussion was about a return fare is probably what they meant.

 

[anti-pacer]

It's pretty much bang on if you count both ways, which given the discussion was about a return fare is probably what they meant.

Fair enough. I believe it's about 8 miles each way so yes, this makes sense.
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Nobody noticed that yesterday he boarded a XC service at 'lincoln'

I did. He was at Peterborough, and another thing was the overhead wires. We all know Lincoln isn't wired.

 

[Trackman]

According to the closing credits the cameraman is also the director.
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Indeed the credits show a small army of production staff and researchers, in contrast to the two film staff. I suspect there are some of these around during filming if only to co-ordinate things (and drive Portillo and the filmcrew to all the locations away from the station).

that makes sense, it's just that he was talking to the cameraman a few times and pointing.
I imagine they have crew at interview and destination locations along the way.