Our car crash hell
Shirlie and Martin Kemp on their road trip through Southeast asia...
Eight Go Rallying sunday / BBC2 / 9PM
Driving in a foreign country can be stressful at the best of times, so spare a thought for Martin Kemp and his wife, Shirlie, who’ll be travelling 3,000 kilometres across Southeast Asia in a Mini Cooper for new BBC2 series Eight Go Rallying: The Road to Saigon.
The couple are one of four celebrity duos who’ve signed up to take part in the Endurance Rally Association’s Road to Saigon, a prestigious event where classic-car enthusiasts race through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The other pairs are Great British Menu judge Andi Oliver and her daughter, presenter Miquita Oliver; Noel Edmonds and his wife, Liz Davies; plus rapper Tinchy Stryder and his friend Jordan Stephens, from hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks.
The four-part series follows the celebrities as they head off the beaten track without a satnav!
TV Times caught up with Martin and Shirlie, both 56, to hear about their 12-day adventure...
This journey must have been an amazing experience? Martin: It was fantastic. Neither of us had been to Southeast Asia before, and Shirlie and I had never worked together on TV before, so it was a new challenge for us, especially as the only time we argue is in the car over directions! Shirlie: Not having satnav took a bit of getting used to! On the first day we had a bit of a row about directions when I took a wrong turn, but after that we were fine…
What was your car like?
Martin: We had the smallest car in the competition and space was a real issue. We had roll bars and a lot of filming equipment in the back, so I couldn’t adjust the seat. Shirlie: I thought we’d get a vintage Jaguar or something, but they gave us a bright yellow Mini Cooper.
Did you have any close calls? Martin: We crashed on the second day and rolled the car, which was scary. I really hurt my hand and couldn’t drive after that, so Shirlie took the wheel and I directed.
Oh, no! What happened? Shirlie: I was going a bit too fast into a bend and, trying to avoid a tree, we ended up on the roof. I thought we were okay, but then I heard Martin screaming and saw his hand was trapped. I was screaming for help; seeing him trapped like that was horrendous. Then, before we knew it, there were doctors everywhere.
Did you ever consider coming home?
Martin: There was a moment, but my son, Roman, called and said, ‘Dad, you’ve got to get back in the car and carry on.’ It was that phone call that kept us going. It’s not always the good times that bring you closer and when we were back on the road we felt like we could face anything.
What places stand out?
Shirlie: I was emotionally crushed when we reached the Killing Fields in Cambodia. We saw a pile of skulls and bones that were a memorial to all the people wiped out by [Cambodian dictator]
Pol Pot, and we ended up in floods of tears. The temples of Angkor Wat, however, were a highlight, because they were so beautiful and peaceful.
How did you get on with the other celebrity duos taking part? Shirlie: We’d see them every evening at the hotel and we had some fun. I’m a bit of a worrier, though, so I was just glad to see everyone arrive safely. I wasn’t very competitive – I was in survival mode!