0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains very strong language.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Brian Pern was a one-off.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09He was a gifted musician, a great songwriter,
0:00:09 > 0:00:13and, possibly, the best frontman ever in Thotch.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I can think of three Brians in rock music,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18and he was certainly one of them.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23In the early days, of course, we were rivals.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26His band famously ripped off ours,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and I gazumped him to the part of Buster.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I'm Buster Edwards. Which one of youse is a grass?
0:00:33 > 0:00:39But, as time went on, we grew closer and closer.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43And we became great, great friends, although I never actually met him.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Whether you liked Brian Pern's music or not,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48his heart was always in the right place.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Even if sometimes the notes weren't.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54He will be sorely, sorely missed
0:00:54 > 0:00:55by some people.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Available now, £14.99.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Was that sad enough?
0:01:02 > 0:01:04# Civic centre... #
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Brian Pern's death shocked the world.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08In this special documentary,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10I'll be talking to those who knew Brian best.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14- His lovers...- He was such a magical part of my childhood.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And, sadly, a not-so-magical part of my adulthood.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Brian is the only husband I truly loved.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24No!
0:01:24 > 0:01:25His band...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29His fans...
0:01:29 > 0:01:33He wasn't afraid, Brian, to push the boundaries from pop to rock,
0:01:33 > 0:01:39from rock to pop, from pop to pop, and rock to rock.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42And the man himself in his final-ever interview.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Believe it or not, I was the first choice to play Lofty in EastEnders.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51# My love is the window And yours is the pane... #
0:01:51 > 0:01:54I think of him as one of the giants of the music business.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57He is an absolute stone-cold genius.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59What a record maker this guy is.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02He was somebody, you know, you wanted to please.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05With him, you were like a lapdog, you just, you know,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07"What can I do to make it better?"
0:02:07 > 0:02:10If there is such a thing as spirit or soul,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13I think he was one of the ones who had a great soul, a great spirit.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Brian was a songwriter, singer, drummer, guitarist, you know,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21he can do it all.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23He's not bad.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25# The triffids descend from the skies... #
0:02:25 > 0:02:28If everyone looked after their teeth as well as Brian did,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I'd be out of a job.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Every song had its hook that we could all sing collectively,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38no matter where you were.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43You could be in Japan, you could be in Botswana, it didn't matter.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I know that Brian was very precise.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I will be coming across here as if I were a giant bird, swooping.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50That is one of the things I love about him.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Brian was funny, shy, ever so clever, great musician,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and a total twat.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59# Why are there no black folk in Jersey?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01# Why are there no black folk in Sark...? #
0:03:01 > 0:03:04What a tremendous honour to be in a position like that,
0:03:04 > 0:03:05where you can affect people's lives.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07How many people in their lives get
0:03:07 > 0:03:10the chance to do something like that?
0:03:13 > 0:03:15'Hello and welcome to BBC News.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:19The rock star and campaigner Brian Pern has died at the age of 66,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21his spokesman has confirmed.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23The news comes just two days after the classic line-up of Thotch
0:03:23 > 0:03:28released their first new single in 40 years.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43As far back as I can remember, music has always been a part of my life.
0:03:43 > 0:03:50I was born making music. And I guess I'll die making it, too.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52He lived at number 37.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Now, fuck off! Jesus!
0:04:02 > 0:04:06'In January this year, Brian Pern and Thotch secretly reunited to
0:04:06 > 0:04:09'record a brand-new album, and I was asked to film an exclusive
0:04:09 > 0:04:13'interview with Brian that would turn out to be his last.'
0:04:13 > 0:04:19If you were to die tomorrow, what would be your biggest regret?
0:04:21 > 0:04:22That's a hard question.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27I guess...
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I'd liked to have seen the film La La Land.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32See what all the fuss was about.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I was thinking more, you know, in terms of not seeing your
0:04:35 > 0:04:38son grow up or spending more time with your family.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Not seeing my son grow up, and seeing more of my family.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45It's very... It's hard to think
0:04:45 > 0:04:49about Brian in the past tense, you know?
0:04:49 > 0:04:55I think we're still, um, well, we are in shock, aren't we, really?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I'm actually over it now.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Yeah.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04What was it that brought you all back together again after,
0:05:04 > 0:05:05you know, 35 years?
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Well, it was a sad occasion, it was the death of Bennet St John,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11who was a founder member of Thotch, a great friend of mine who I
0:05:11 > 0:05:14hadn't seen for 40 years, but just because you don't see someone
0:05:14 > 0:05:17doesn't mean that you don't still think of them a lot.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- Did you think of him a lot?- No.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Brian called me, out of the blue, and said,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25"I've written a song for Bennet, called A Song For Bennet.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29"But it's not just for Bennet, it's a song for everyone we've
0:05:29 > 0:05:34"lost in 2016, apart from Prince," - he made that very clear.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- What was it with you and Prince? Why not him?- I never got on with Prince.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41We never saw eye to eye, because he was only that big.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44For their first album in 38 years,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Brian wanted to share creative control with the rest of
0:05:47 > 0:05:50the band, apart from writing all the music, lyrics,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53designing the sleeve, the barcode and bringing in his own producer...
0:05:53 > 0:05:55- Are you ready?- ..Luke Dunmore.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57What was it like working with the whole band,
0:05:57 > 0:05:58as opposed to just Brian?
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Him on his own was bad enough,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02but it was like having five fucking Brians in the room.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Can you imagine that? What's his name, Tony, he was all right.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06He was the most rock and roll,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and by that I mean he ate meat, now and again,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11but the rest of them, mate, they were a bunch of fucking flannels.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14The bass player, we might as well have been a fucking bollard.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16But he's the richest one, you know?
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Wrote all of Thotch's biggest hits in the '80s.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- Tight as fuck, wouldn't give a door a bang, the cunt.- It was marvellous.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- Just six men making music with no distractions.- Come on!
0:06:26 > 0:06:29It was without doubt the most wonderful time of my life.
0:06:29 > 0:06:35And I've been present at several of my children's births and at
0:06:35 > 0:06:37least three of my own weddings.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41I don't think we ever got on so well. Bar one argument about Brexit.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45# A psycho just killed the USA
0:06:46 > 0:06:50# Building walls with racist tools
0:06:50 > 0:06:56# The land of the free don't come so cheap no more... #
0:06:56 > 0:06:58At the start, he was phoning it in a bit.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01You know, relying on the old tricks from the Spirit Level days.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05I said, "Brian, you've written all these angry songs about Brexit,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09"about social injustice, climate change, stranded donkeys,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12"and you're singing them like a fucking pop star."
0:07:12 > 0:07:16I said, "Sing them like it's the last thing you'll ever sing in your life."
0:07:16 > 0:07:20# Whoa.... #
0:07:23 > 0:07:26The story of Brian's fame began here, at Stowe,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30where he met Tony Pebble, Pat Quid and Bennet St John.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33They formed a band who would become known as Thotch,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36and would change the face of music forever.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38When the band left Stowe,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40they signed up with their first manager, "Big" Basil Steel.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I will never forget hearing them playing live.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Proper hair standing up on the back of your neck.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49In fact, the hair at the back of my neck wouldn't go down for
0:07:49 > 0:07:51a fucking week. It was like a fucking porcupine.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Back in 1971, I managed to get them on Top Of The Pops.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Cos I was having it off with Pan from Pan's People at the time.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03They refused to go on. "We don't do Top Of The Pops, it's not cool."
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Well, I hit the fucking roof.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09- I've still got a bump to prove it, here. Here, see.- Right.- Here.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Come and get... See. Feel that.- No, it's all right.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18Feel the fucking head, feel it! What's the matter with you?
0:08:18 > 0:08:19- Yeah.- Yeah.- It's bad.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Despite losing their drummer to drugs, bass player to board games,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and part-time rhythm guitarist to politics and eventually
0:08:26 > 0:08:29alleged war crimes, Thotch went on to become one of
0:08:29 > 0:08:31the biggest-selling artists of the 1970s.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33# Christmas comes but once a year
0:08:33 > 0:08:36# All the people raise good cheer
0:08:36 > 0:08:38# Eat your turkey, scratch a leg
0:08:38 > 0:08:40# Pray to Santa But don't you beg... #
0:08:40 > 0:08:45But Brian left the band at the peak of their success to pursue a solo career.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47That's when I invented the first rock video,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51which led to MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Punk, the ITV Chart Show,
0:08:51 > 0:08:57The Box, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1 Alternative, and VH1 Classic 2.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03While Brian was alive, he refused to talk about the true struggles
0:09:03 > 0:09:08behind his early solo career and how close he came to bankruptcy.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10But now he is dead, we can reveal all.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Which is what he would have wanted.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19After Brian left the band, there was his commercially fallow period.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23He'd never accept this, but his career was virtually finished.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26But a lifeline came Brian's way in 1982, when Hallmark invented
0:09:26 > 0:09:29cards that played music when you opened them,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and Brian was asked to write the songs.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I was contacted by Hallmark, and they said,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36"Can you do a whole string of these songs which will echo
0:09:36 > 0:09:39"the various sentiments of Hallmark cards?"
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I said, "If I'm helping people, I'll do it."
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Several of the songs Brian recorded under the Hallmark contract
0:09:44 > 0:09:47were released and made a decent impact on the Top 40.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I did a...Get Well Soon.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Get Well Soon entered the chart at number 13,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55where it stayed for three consecutive weeks.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Congratulations, You've Passed Your Driving Test.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Well Done, You've Passed Your Exams. There were a lot of different songs.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04I'm Sorry To Hear Of Your Loss sold over a million cards and
0:10:04 > 0:10:08spent nine consecutive weeks at number one on
0:10:08 > 0:10:13the Clinton Card chart, thanks to this ground-breaking video.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17# I'm so sorry to hear of your uncle's passing
0:10:17 > 0:10:22# Only last week he was upstairs dancing
0:10:22 > 0:10:26# Life and soul as he always was
0:10:26 > 0:10:30# Life can't get any cheaper... #
0:10:30 > 0:10:32There were a lot of different songs.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I mean, it got to the point where I had to say, "No, no more."
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Because it was diluting the message.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Around '83, '84, Brian was dropped by his record label,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44so he started his own, called Poggle.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46It was named after our cat.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Poggle had climbed into the new Zanussi and was accidentally
0:10:51 > 0:10:53put onto a 60-minute tumble.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56And when it came out, it looked pretty whacky.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Brian funded his own records, tours, publicity, everything,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05which meant we had no money.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08# Equinox! Worm Power...! #
0:11:08 > 0:11:12My album, Worm Equinox, had failed to chart, mainly because I
0:11:12 > 0:11:15released it solely on a CD-ROM, which hadn't been invented yet.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19So Brian, like many other pop stars before him,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22turned his hands to acting, to make ends meet.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Brian Pern had to be the worst actor we ever had on Doctor Who.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Takes some beating, believe me.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29I'm the Doctor, are you in charge here?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31You will remain silent.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Sorry, it's just I'm quite concerned about a couple of friends
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- I left here. - Who is this primitive?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40When I was working with Brian, it was pre-Plasticine,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43so his career was really in the sink.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46He was trying to forge a career as an actor.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- You must think me a fool. - Not at all.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52The trouble was he was shit. Utter shit.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Talk about watch from behind the sofa.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Fuck me, I didn't want to come out for a week.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I could destroy you now.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I could destroy you now. I could destroy you now.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- I COULD destroy you now. - Let me see you try.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09I, I, ah...
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Just kept uttering the same line over and over again.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Drop the sonic device.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- Drop it. - It isn't my day, is it?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Drop the sonic device.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24I feel as though you've just killed an old friend.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Drop the sonic device.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Luckily, his next album was a success so he never acted again.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Thank Christ.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36In 1987, Brian had the honour of singing the latest James Bond
0:12:36 > 0:12:41song, as he teamed up with Britain's other biggest recording artists.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Hey, you, don't watch that,
0:12:44 > 0:12:45watch this!
0:12:45 > 0:12:48This is the James Bond sound -
0:12:48 > 0:12:51the most Secret Service sound around.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56# Hey, driver, where we goin'?
0:12:56 > 0:12:57# The Living Daylights
0:12:57 > 0:12:59# I swear my nerves are showin'
0:12:59 > 0:13:01# The Living Daylights
0:13:01 > 0:13:03# Set my hopes up way too high
0:13:04 > 0:13:08# Living's in the way we die
0:13:08 > 0:13:13# Ah, ah, ah, ah The Living Daylights
0:13:14 > 0:13:17# The Living Daylights. #
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Hey, you, don't watch that,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23watch Octopussy!
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Um...
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Yeah.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30A load of crap.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31LAUGHTER
0:13:31 > 0:13:35The single flopped horribly, so they asked some Dutch blokes
0:13:35 > 0:13:38called A-hum to do it, and that's the version that's in the film.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41# The Living Daylights... #
0:13:41 > 0:13:45I mean, I preferred the original.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Surprisingly, one of the biggest hits of Brian's career
0:13:48 > 0:13:53involved an unexpected collaboration with some stars of Eurovision.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57So I called Brian, and I say, "Brian, are you sitting down?"
0:13:57 > 0:14:04He says, "No." So I said, "I just had a phone call from Bobby G.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07"The Fizz wants to work with Thotch."
0:14:08 > 0:14:12And Brian says, "Eh."
0:14:12 > 0:14:17I said, "Dude, are you crazy?! This is the fucking Fizz!"
0:14:17 > 0:14:20# Love in the shadows
0:14:20 > 0:14:22# Like a smoking gun... #
0:14:22 > 0:14:27Went down to Pebble Mill and we did this tune.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31# Is it really what you want One more broken heart?
0:14:31 > 0:14:34# One more lost and lonely... #
0:14:34 > 0:14:36We're making magic, OK?
0:14:36 > 0:14:40It's one of those Pet Sounds moments.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46And the tune got to number 87 in the UK charts.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50I don't have any memory of that collaboration.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53But the fame and the fortune came at a price.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56# In the cool light of the dawn... #
0:14:56 > 0:15:01I was on my own a lot, and Mike Batt lived up the road in Laurel Canyon.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04The kids loved him, because he was the Womble guy.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06# Remember you're a Womble... #
0:15:06 > 0:15:08He would come over and chat, play me songs.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10One thing led to another.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12How did Brian find out?
0:15:13 > 0:15:18Brian was away as usual, some crap with Desmond Tutu.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Mike came over and, for a joke, he put on his Orinoco costume.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26He said, "Have you ever been... F-worded by a Womble?"
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Well, it was great for me, because it wasn't Mike doing it,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33it was Orinoco, and I didn't feel so guilty.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Then...the door goes.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41It's Brian. He caught Orinoco mid-flow and...
0:15:42 > 0:15:44..that was it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45# I don't blame you... #
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Later that week, Brian performed his latest song on Top Of The Pops,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and did this.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02We had absolutely no idea whatsoever that was going to happen.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08I don't think we should talk about Mike Batt.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11One of Britain's most successful pop singers is today asking
0:16:11 > 0:16:15a High Court judge to declare his recording contract null and void.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18The record company wanted me to produce three albums in
0:16:18 > 0:16:20two years, and I just didn't want to do it.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I felt like a slave to the label.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26What's more, they owned the music, I didn't.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30So I had to sue my record company to get my life and my music back.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- But you own your own record company. - That's right.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37- So you ended up, you sued yourself?- Yes.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43- So, how much did you pay yourself to get out of your own contract?- Oh...
0:16:43 > 0:16:46£6 million. Give or take.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48# The Earth is dying
0:16:50 > 0:16:53# You're a bee who has died for me... #
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Brian Pern was more than just a rock star,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58he was a tireless campaigner and used his music as
0:16:58 > 0:17:02a platform to raise awareness of issues that no other rock star would
0:17:02 > 0:17:06sing about, long before the likes of Bono, Bob Geldof or Black Lace.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Of all the charities, what is the one that is closest to your heart?
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It has to be my work with molluscs.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17This week is Mollusc Awareness Week.
0:17:17 > 0:17:23I have with me here the rock star and eco-campaigner Brian Pern.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- Brian, very nice to see you here. - Hello, Monty.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Tell me about Mollusc Awareness Week.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Well, I have a recording studio in the heart of the countryside,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and many people come and lay down tracks there,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and during the evening they may step out for a cigarette or just
0:17:36 > 0:17:39a breath of fresh air - crunch, they tread on a snail.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Some of the more heavier artists, like Elton John or Adele,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46can kill up to ten snails in one fag break.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And this is happening right around the globe,
0:17:48 > 0:17:49and it's snail genocide.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52So what can you do to help snails?
0:17:52 > 0:17:55I have been developing a new shoe,
0:17:55 > 0:17:59and the soul is made from a new polyfoam called Fedge.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01It's very light and very strong.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04And when someone steps on a snail, the weight is evenly
0:18:04 > 0:18:09distributed and the snail is free to slide away quite happy.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14- How much would that cost?- Well, this would retail for around £1,500.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16That's a huge amount of money.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It is a lot of money, Monty, but we are saving lives,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21the lives of snails.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- Is it so much?- Well, yes.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27I'd love to see them work, if you can.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Well, I am wearing a pair right now. Here we go.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32CRUNCH
0:18:35 > 0:18:36Oh.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Despite two failed marriages, Brian finally found happiness at the end
0:18:40 > 0:18:44of his life when he started a family with world musician Pepita Sanchez.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47# Santa Claus won't make me happy
0:18:47 > 0:18:50# Santa Claus won't make me happy
0:18:51 > 0:19:03# With a toy on Christmas Day... #
0:19:03 > 0:19:07- Longer?- And what's life like as a married man and being a father?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Well, you know what?
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It kind of grew organically, she was always around,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13I produced her albums.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15She recorded at Poggle Sound,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17and all of a sudden she became part of my life.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22- Can we bonk?- No bonk. - No wine, no bonk.- No wine, no bonk.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- What is the point of life? - I've got a very busy schedule...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- Jeez, I don't... - Paolo Nutini coming in...
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Oh, Paolo!
0:19:29 > 0:19:31I need to sort out my bisa.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I don't know, think I have the clearance for the bisa to stay here.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- Ah, your visa. Well, we can do that later.- That's what I said.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39At the moment, we must do this song and we must do it right.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41OK. And then I get my bisa?
0:20:34 > 0:20:36What's it like being a father at your age?
0:20:36 > 0:20:41It's great, you know, I have so much more time to be with my little boy.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46He comes out with me when we go down to the shop to buy croissants
0:20:46 > 0:20:47and so forth.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48What's his name?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19When was the last time you saw Brian alive?
0:21:22 > 0:21:23Um...
0:21:23 > 0:21:24Yeah.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I actually had dinner with Brian two nights before he died,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30with the wives, yeah.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Well, you know, I had lunch with him the day before he died.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Just the two of us.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Um...
0:21:39 > 0:21:43I saw him, actually, the night before he died as well.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Just bumped into him.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52Well, actually, I saw him the morning he died.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58I spoke to him,
0:21:58 > 0:22:05I was actually on the phone to Brian as he died,
0:22:05 > 0:22:06I heard him go, "Aaaargh!"
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- Splat! As he hit the rocks. - No, you didn't.- I did.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15You didn't, we were having...a ploughman's lunch in the pub.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19- I wasn't.- Yes, you were!
0:22:23 > 0:22:27What did you think when you heard he'd died?
0:22:27 > 0:22:28What, he's dead?
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Can you tell us about the last time you saw Brian.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Christmas Eve, 2016.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37He, uh...
0:22:37 > 0:22:40He came round to my apartment to drop off a present for Maddox,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43my son, who idolised him.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Which was kind.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48What did he buy him?
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Some special shoes that didn't kill snails if you trod on them.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57The main headlines again.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Tributes have been flooding in following the sudden death of
0:23:01 > 0:23:05musician Brian Pern, who was killed in a Segway mistake this morning.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06Tom Hiddleston wrote...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17"..especially the one I did about Hank Williams,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19"which was one of my greatest performances."
0:23:19 > 0:23:21At first I thought it was fake news.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26Then...
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Then we realised that... that it was...true news.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32PHONE RINGS
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Although Brian's friends and family are devastated, there is one
0:25:20 > 0:25:24person who has a very different theory regarding Brian's death.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25No, I'm not glum today,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29because Brian is very much alive and they've got it wrong.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- There are hidden symbols within the albums.- What exactly do you mean?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- What are you talking about? - Look at this.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39- Can you see, just there, in there? - I can't, I just see black.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41That's what you see, just black,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43but a real Thotch fan can see what's really there.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Can you see it?- Um, no, I... - Look closely.- I can't see anything.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51- The Eye of Horus. The Eye of Horus. - I can't see that.- Can you...? There.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53It's there, clearly.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57The Egyptian symbol of good, protection, of health, of power.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58It's there!
0:25:58 > 0:26:01So, what, he's giving his fans a clue almost as to where he is?
0:26:01 > 0:26:02He's set a trail.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05It's like Hansel and Gretel with the breadcrumbs,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09the hidden symbols will lead the fans to his true relocation.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- So why is he...? So you think he has faked his own death?- He's faked it.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18- 100%.- What proof have you got?- I'll show you. OK. You see this?- Yeah.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22This is the numeric placing of the alphabet. This is A-1, B-2, C-3, you see.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27- B, 2...Brian.- I see, right. - And then Pern.- Yes.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- The relative numbers to the letters in the alphabet.- I see.- Right.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36- So, multiply two.- Yeah.- By 18.- Yeah. - By nine. By one.- Yeah.- Times 14.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41Now you divide that by the number of Thotch albums and solo albums.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47- This is mad. Yeah. 3.4653? - That's it.- Right.- Yeah.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48So what does that mean?
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Well, I didn't know either, I was baffled.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55But I googled it, I came up with 3.4653 degrees, 62.2159 degrees.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- Yep.- The Amazonian rainforest.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01- So you think Brian is living in the Amazonian rainforest?- Absolutely.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04100 %. Do you know why Brian left us? Because he was sick of the fame.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07He was sick of the stardom, he was sick of the public harassment,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09he was sick of the paparazzi.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10He wanted freedom.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13That's what Brian wants, is freedom, and I am going to go there,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15to the South American rainforest, with the fan club, we're going
0:27:15 > 0:27:18to hold a little convention, and I'm going to bring him back home.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Right. But if Brian has faked his own death
0:27:20 > 0:27:22in order to escape the fans,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24why would he leave clues for you to find him?
0:27:30 > 0:27:31I'm going home.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36You're wasting your time, you've got the wrong house.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39One person I found hard to pin down was Brian's manager of 40 years,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41John Farrow.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45However, he finally agreed to give me three of his precious minutes.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48- Is this going to take long? - No.- Good.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Cos I've got a game of rounders in ten minutes with
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Roger Waters and Joan Armatrading.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56So, what does Brian's death mean to you?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- Mean to me?- Yeah.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Well, I don't know.
0:28:05 > 0:28:0620 million?
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Because there's the new album, TV sales,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15the tribute concert film, rights to the Brian Pern biopic,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18which now has a very sad ending, of course.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20And once the documentary goes out,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22there'll be a huge spike in back catalogue sales,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and I'm not talking about this drippy BBC Four thing, I mean the
0:28:25 > 0:28:29proper one that Martin Scorsese is doing for HBO and Netflix.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Where were you when you heard that Brian had died?
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Done that already with Scorsese, next question.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41When did you see Brian last, and can you remember what he said to you?
0:28:41 > 0:28:45I can. But I just told Scorsese.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47Right.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49So, the record company want to put out
0:28:49 > 0:28:51a greatest hits album to coincide with the show.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54- Happy with that?- What about the one that went out last year?
0:28:54 > 0:28:57That was the Best Of, not a greatest hits.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59What about the one before that?
0:28:59 > 0:29:02That was the Essential Collection, not a greatest hits.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04And the one before that?
0:29:04 > 0:29:07It was the Absolute Greatest,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10which only contained the best of the best of the essential best.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15- But aren't we just ripping off the fans?- Yep. Fuck 'em.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18People are saying that you are cashing in on Brian's death,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21what with the rumours of the band reforming without him and then
0:29:21 > 0:29:24all these remixes you've released very quickly after his death.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Hey, hey, stop! "They"? Who are "they"?
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Well, you know, the die-hard fans.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33The die-hard fans, I don't give a rat's biscuit what they think.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37Brian used to read what these so-called die-hard fans said
0:29:37 > 0:29:40about him and his work on forums and Twitter,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42and it would tear the poor guy apart.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44They think they own Brian. They don't. I do.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Did Brian make them the executors of his estate?
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Did he leave it to one of his wives or his mentally challenged
0:29:50 > 0:29:53offspring? No, he didn't. He left it to me, so fuck everybody, frankly.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Listen, I have to put any personal feelings about Brian's death
0:29:57 > 0:29:58aside, and think purely on a business level,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01because that is what I am getting paid 20% to do.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Brian's royalties do not pay me to grieve, they pay me to work.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08To keep him in the public eye, to keep his music fresh and alive,
0:30:08 > 0:30:11to attract a new audience, no matter what it takes.
0:30:11 > 0:30:12Not for me...
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Well, a bit for me, but for him, for his wishes. So, yes,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20I happily admit I have to cash in now to make the most for Brian,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22not in a couple of years when everybody has forgotten him.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Fuck, he's all right. He's got the easy bit.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28He's poodled off the edge of the cliff and said goodbye to all his troubles.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Mine have only just begun,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32so even in the afterlife the guy's a fucking pest.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Who had to tell his various families that he'd left them fuck all?
0:30:36 > 0:30:39And who had to dodge the pots and the pans that were chucked at
0:30:39 > 0:30:41him when he informed them that he'd donated his 50 million
0:30:41 > 0:30:44fortune to a trust that pays for homeless snails to be
0:30:44 > 0:30:47rehoused in synthetic shells?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50And to rehabilitate bats that can't hang upside down for
0:30:50 > 0:30:52psychological reasons?
0:30:52 > 0:30:53Me.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56So don't give me all this cashing-in,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59heartless manager bollocks, because you don't know the half of it.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01- Sorry.- I should think so.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Um, you said just now how you had to put any personal feelings aside.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08Can I ask what those personal feelings are?
0:31:08 > 0:31:11You can ask, but you won't get a fucking answer.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Why, because it's too emotional for you?
0:31:13 > 0:31:15No, because I just told Scor-fucking-sese.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Anyway, you should watch that one instead, it'll be better than this.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- It's in surround sound. - I've got one more question.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23What does the future hold for you?
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Game of rounders in three minutes with Roger Waters and Joan Armatrading.
0:31:26 > 0:31:32- Anyway, that's it. Ta-ra.- Thanks for your time.- It's a pleasure.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Three weeks after Brian's untimely death,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38the remaining members of Thotch have begun preparations for a tribute
0:31:38 > 0:31:41concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of Segway awareness.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45And I was given exclusive access to the rehearsals.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Well, we thought this would be a good testing ground for a singer,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52you know, who could take Brian's place, and, you know,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55it would make him feel more comfortable, so that we can keep
0:31:55 > 0:31:58the band alive, and I'm sure this is what Brian would have wanted.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01So the Brian Pern tribute concert is basically a chance for you to
0:32:01 > 0:32:04audition a new lead singer of Thotch to take on the road?
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Exactly. That's what Brian would have wanted.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09And now we can reveal the new lead singer of Thotch for
0:32:09 > 0:32:11the first time.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Thotch, meet Mike Batt.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Sorry I'm late. Anyway, let's get started. Have you got a chair?
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Everyone is going to be interested in what songs are going to be
0:32:27 > 0:32:28on the set list.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Well, I will be singing The Honeycomb Is Over,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32but in the middle, of course, I'm doing all my own stuff.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35My new solo album, I'm doing all the way through.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38And some old ones like maybe Remember You're A Womble,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Wombling Merry Christmas, Bright Eyes, A Winter's Tale, that sort of thing.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43So you're going to sing one of his songs,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46and basically everything else is going to be your material?
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Yeah, because I think that's what he would've wanted.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Can I ask you another thing?
0:32:50 > 0:32:53I mean, it is very well documented that you had an affair with
0:32:53 > 0:32:54his wife.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55- And...- Well...
0:32:55 > 0:32:58Well, it's just, I know some people will be asking, you know,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01what is your motive behind doing this?
0:33:01 > 0:33:03You did say we wouldn't be talking about that.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Would you mind, like, cutting so we can just talk about what
0:33:06 > 0:33:08we're going to talk about before we actually talk about it?
0:33:08 > 0:33:11- I mean, you said we were going to talk about Bright Eyes and...- Yeah.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14..all the work I've done with Steeleye Span and people like that,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16so I don't think people are interested in, like,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18whose porridge I stirred, like, 36 years ago.
0:33:21 > 0:33:22Forget it.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29I have to say that I did make my peace with him, you know,
0:33:29 > 0:33:30before he went.
0:33:30 > 0:33:36- OK.- Yeah, yeah...- You really made peace with him?- Well, no.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41- Do you need us to be interviewed? - No, it's OK.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48- Who would you say was closest to Brian?- Well, probably...- Me.
0:33:51 > 0:33:56Actually, come on, it was probably me. Really, to be honest with you.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00I don't think so, Tony. I mean... Brian and I, we...
0:34:00 > 0:34:04We had a kind of sixth sense about each other.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Sometimes I could start a sentence and Brian could finish it,
0:34:08 > 0:34:09and vice versa.
0:34:09 > 0:34:15- Really?- Yes, I'm pretty sure that...- I just...- ..I was...
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- closer to Brian than anyone else. - I think you'll find...
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Sorry, in his book, he does actually say he was closest to Pat,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22you were like brothers.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24He called you a bimbo.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49Brian was my friend. When we were young, we...
0:34:49 > 0:34:53- we messed it up.- He wasn't interested in getting his nuts wet.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58He... He wanted to work. And I will really miss him.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06You know, I have been married many times, but I really think I
0:35:06 > 0:35:11can say that Brian is the only husband I truly loved.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Apart from Shakin' Stevens.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17And Fish from Marillion.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22If you are listening up there, Brian, you...
0:35:22 > 0:35:24You look after yourself, OK?
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Can I read something? It's easier.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40"Stop all the clocks. Turn off the telephone. Stop the dog barking.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43"It's annoying. Collect the dry cleaning.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47"Cancel the subscription to the TV listings magazine.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52"Brackets - there's nothing good on the telly anyway, just buy the big bumper Christmas one from now on.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54"End brackets.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58"Clean up the bathroom. Clean the bird poop off the car."
0:35:58 > 0:36:01That's the last thing Brian ever wrote to me.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05It's a list of chores he wanted me to do. I think that...
0:36:05 > 0:36:08says it all, really.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10I was going through me mobile phone the other day,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and I found a message from Brian.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18He had arse-dialled me. He was... He was trying to buy some tiles.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22He was in Topps...Topps Tiles. He was doing his new toilet.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27And it was just Brian, you know, being Brian.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35And I stayed up all night listening to it.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39The day after he died.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43What did he go for? What tiles did he choose?
0:36:43 > 0:36:48He plastered it in the end. And I... I can't...
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Can't get myself to delete the message. And...
0:36:53 > 0:36:56When I think of Brian, that's what I listen to, cos,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59let's be honest, I'm not going to listen to any of his albums, am I?
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Here's your tombstone. What's written on it?
0:37:12 > 0:37:13Brian Pern.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38'An hour ago, I got a phone call from a friend of mine working for
0:37:38 > 0:37:40'the Discovery Channel.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44'He is editing a ground-breaking documentary about life in the
0:37:44 > 0:37:46'Amazon rainforest, using over 100 unmanned, hidden cameras
0:37:46 > 0:37:49'to capture animals as they have never been seen before.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53'Whilst spooling through thousands of hours of footage, he found
0:37:53 > 0:37:57'something that would change the face of documentaries like this forever.'
0:37:57 > 0:38:03- John, over here.- Shh, shh, shh! No, no, no. No names. Fuck's sake!
0:38:03 > 0:38:06Here you are. I think I've got all the stuff.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10There's World At War on Blu-ray, photos of your son, and the sweets.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Oh, no, John, I distinctly told you.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Vegan Percy Pigs from Marks & Spencer's, or their fruit jellies.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21- These are Haribo. - Jesus Christ, get a grip, Brian!
0:38:21 > 0:38:24It's taken me four days and a fuck-load of effort to get here.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28- I made a mistake. I want to come home.- You can't go home, Brian.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33You can't! If anybody finds out about this, we are totally fucked.
0:38:33 > 0:38:34You've got to stay here!
0:38:34 > 0:38:37The canoe guy, he got six years and lost everything.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41Pull yourself together. The point is, it's worked.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44The album's gone straight to number one in the UK,
0:38:44 > 0:38:46the States, Italy, Holland and Australia.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48- Zimbabwe?- Yeah, number two.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50- How did the band take it?- Terrible.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Everyone was devastated, you were loved, Brian, you really were.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55The tribute show is on at the Albert Hall.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56And who have they got as a singer?
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Someone young and cool, or old and legendary?
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Sort of in the middle.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03Well, who?
0:39:05 > 0:39:06Um...
0:39:08 > 0:39:09(Mike Batt.)
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Mike Batt?!
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Isn't he one of your acts?
0:39:13 > 0:39:16Shit, look at the time. I've got an elephant to catch.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21- Take care of yourself. I'll see you in six months, eh?- (John.)- Ta-ra.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Mike Batt!
0:39:27 > 0:39:28RUSTLING
0:39:28 > 0:39:33Hello? Is there someone there? Oh, Jesus Christ!
0:39:33 > 0:39:34No-o-o-o-o-o!
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Drop the sonic device.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Drop the sonic device.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Um...
0:40:05 > 0:40:08- You know, you could be a little bit sadder.- Hmm.- And, do you know what?
0:40:08 > 0:40:10Can you do me a favour? Could you do it maybe without the book?
0:40:10 > 0:40:15- Because it's product placement, and it's the BBC.- No, no, no, no, no.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18It's the only reason I'm doing this. Couldn't stand the little prick.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22- All right, I'll try and split the difference.- OK.- OK.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Do you have a tear stick?
0:40:25 > 0:40:30Um... No. It's your house.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32Could you think of something sad?