Anyone from the Preston area watching last night’s (Sunday 1st August 2010) hit TV show, Top Gear, would’ve been surprised to see their local garden centre, Dobbies, pop up for its motoring debut.
The Top Gear team joins the staff at Dobbies Preston
Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond and the Top Gear entourage rolled into Preston on a rainy Wednesday morning back in March to the delight of Dobbies customers.
The crew stayed for a few hours and filmed a scene to prove cabriolet models can carry large shopping items families might need. Jeremy Clarkson drove away with a few trees trailing in his wake, James May drove off with a garden shed on his roof, and Richard Hammond squeezed a scantily clad lady statue and plant pot into his ride. The three celebs chose all their own products and they also partook in some entertaining hat shopping in the menswear department.
General manager of Dobbies Garden Centre Preston, John Butcher, said: “The Top Gear producers rang us to ask if they could do the filming and also if we wouldn’t mind them carting off with a few garden sheds strapped to the back of their cars! It probably errs on one of the more unusual requests we’ve had to our garden centre – and the Top Gear team created a brilliant atmosphere!
“And yes, they’re all exactly like you’d imagine on the TV show – very funny and definitely destructive! It was a very entertaining day for our staff and customers…you certainly don’t expect to meet Jeremy Clarkson when you pop to your local garden centre for some plant pots!”
Anyone who missed the show can catch it on BBC i-player at the following link (roughly 50 minutes into the programme):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tbs3z/Top_Gear_Series_15_Episode_6/
Top Gear visited Dobbies Garden World on Blackpool Road, Clifton (near Preston) on Wednesday 24th March 2010.
