Dying to be reality TV star
Gold Coast ‘coffin confessor’ set to bring to life his world in new television drama series
THE tales of how a paid Coffin Confessor gate crashes funerals to reveal truths about the dead is inspiring a television drama series.
Gold Coast private detective Bill Edgar has signed up to cowrite episodes about the affairs of the departed, after the urgings of friend Greg Page from the Wiggles.
The Bulletin last year revealed how Mr Edgar would deliver a client’s dying wish by interrupting eulogies to talk about various sins and tell people who were not real friends to “f... off”.
At one funeral, Mr Edgar was paid to target a dead man’s best mate who was about to deliver the eulogy. “I know you were trying to screw my wife,” he read from a letter.
Mr Edgar is working with producer John McAvoy from Eyeworks Australia, who created reality series like Gold Coast Cops.
After reading a synopsis, Mr Page told Mr Edgar: “This is unbelievable, I wouldn’t write a book, I’d send something to producers.”
After sending a short synopsis to Mr McAvoy, the producer said “you’ve got my attention” and later signed up Mr Edgar. Award-winning script writer Greg Haddrick has also been hired.
Mr Edgar is a guest writer for the drama series, which would be “confronting and emotional”.
The series is likely to be filmed in Australia with Mr McAvoy telling Mr Edgar that several offers had been made and “we are just waiting to see who takes the bite”.
He is also launching a website called Coffin Confessions, in which clients can video themselves with a final statement that is released to agreed friends and family using a password.
“When the story broke I’d only done six funerals,” Mr Edgar said. “I’ve done a dozen more since. I’m mainly doing house cleaning which is really bizarre.
“You know, if an elderly person has a fall in their home they are taken to hospital straight away. Some of them never come home again. They get in touch with me and say can you go and clean it.”
Mr Edgar removes sex items, lingerie, photos, pornographic material and wills.
“It's a real tragedy. You know the biggest problem with death is people don’t respect you after you’re gone and while you are going. They are like vultures. It’s really hard because those people knocking on death’s door, they’re basically seeing how their family and loved ones react.
“They say ‘f*** the will, destroy it. I want them to fight for everything.’ You know I agree with them,” he said.
After the Bulletin report, British TV interviewed Mr Edgar and within 24 hours he received 17,000 emails. Among the strangest is a bikie in New Zealand, suffering a terminal illness, who has asked him to ride his motorcycle into his grave.
“He wants me to announce that he is gay. Obviously he said it will be quite confronting,” Mr Edgar said.