"I feel that Don't Forget The Driver is a love-song to Bognor" '” BBC2 Show writer

The writer of a BBC2 show set in Bognor Regis has told of his time spent filming in the town.
Filming at the top of London Road. Picture by Neil CooperFilming at the top of London Road. Picture by Neil Cooper
Filming at the top of London Road. Picture by Neil Cooper

Don't Forget The Driver writer, Tim Crouch grew up in Bognor and said: "I started making coach trips out of Bognor in 2014. The local firm, Woods Travel, were very generous and let me chat with the drivers and let me chat with drivers and take notes and photographs. One of their employees was taught by my dad at the old Bognor Grammar School. They’ve become consultants to the show we’re making.

"It’s been a joy to weave a story into the fabric of a town I know so well. I brought Toby to Bognor earlier this year and showed him around. Our visit had a definite effect on our writing. I had a clear idea of where characters lived, the journeys they make, the sights they see. Toby and I spent a day walking around and developing our story. We ate fish and chips by the pier. We sat in the West Meads shopping precinct. We talked to people in Butlin's. We stood on the pebbles and looked out to sea.

Filming at the top of London Road. Picture by Neil CooperFilming at the top of London Road. Picture by Neil Cooper
Filming at the top of London Road. Picture by Neil Cooper
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"Now we’re filming, I feel that Don’t Forget The Driver is a love-song to Bognor. It’s where I come from and it’s a lot of who I am. I’m proud of the place, and equally proud of how we show it to the world. It’s filmed with care, attention and a warm, gentle wit. We’ve been very lucky with the weather as well - Bognor has been putting on a show for us.

"The series is about a moment when a seemingly small life interacts with the wider world. Bognor sits on the edge of England - facing out towards Europe. I’ve known it since the sixties and it's changed with the times. A migrant population has enriched its culture. My dad lives in west Bognor and is obsessed with bigos and pierogi. The modern world has arrived and yet Bognor still has the unmistakeable air of a seaside town holding onto its traditional values. It’s like two rivers joining - a sometimes mis-remembered past and an unknown future. Bognor has become a good place to explore many of the themes of national identity that are gripping our count."

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