Chauffeur lands TV role on BBC documentary

A retired policeman turned chauffeur has landed a TV role alongside Griff Rhys-Jones on a BBC documentary which will be hitting our screens next year. The former sergeant only left the police force in May of this year and had been chauffeuring a handful of clients when he heard about the opportunity to appear on the new television documentary.

Mr Taylor-Bard decided to take on some part time chauffeur work after retiring from his role with the police after 30 years service earlier this year. After signing up with The British Chauffeurs Guild and getting a number of jobs driving private clients, the Mr Taylor-Bard decided to put himself forward for the role of chauffeuring Griff Rhys-Jones for the new TV programme.

The BBC were looking for a chauffeur to drive the comedian in a classic Rolls Royce to re-trace the journey undertaken by Queen Elizabeth l in 1574. The role called for someone with chauffeur experience, who wouldn’t feel uncomfortable speaking on camera and bantering with Rhys-Jones.

After a meeting and an audition, the ex copper won the role, and filming began for the one-off documentary in July. The former sergeant described the whole process of making the programme as an eye opener as filming for the 59 minute show took a total of 10 days.

Luckily the chauffeur from Epsom got on well with his co-star, the Welsh presenter Griff Rhys-Jones, and so spending long hours together in the vintage Rolls Royce wasn’t too much of a chore.  

The finished documentary will be screened in 2012 on the BBC.