0:00:02 > 0:00:05You know the old saying, "many hands make light work"?
0:00:05 > 0:00:07- Left hand a touch. Bit more.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13In Leyland, in the heart of Lancashire,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16there's a remarkable legacy of Britain's great industrial past.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19The British Commercial Vehicle Museum
0:00:19 > 0:00:21houses a priceless collection.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26Lorries, buses, fire engines, a beautifully restored steam tractor.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Right, turn now.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30And a Leyland Tiger Cub,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- the Rolls-Royce of coaches. - I think you could join us.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37- I thoroughly enjoyed it. - Brings memories back.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41These old vehicles and a vast archive of photographs are being
0:00:41 > 0:00:46lovingly maintained for future generations by unpaid enthusiasts.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50We've got to do it now, as our legacy to the museum.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54But the future is not clear for these men and their machines.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Visitor numbers at the museum are at an all-time low.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01- It's lost touch with the public. - I've had more fun in other places.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05If it closes, these priceless old vehicles will be sold off,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10and a unique social hub of a community will be lost for ever.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13We get complimented. "That's a nice cup of tea".
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I say, "Well, it's a fresh cup, fresh teabag".
0:01:16 > 0:01:18And we let them take the teabags out themselves.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23In my six months' filming here, the museum's dire predicament
0:01:23 > 0:01:25brings out the best and worst in those involved.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28(Arsehole).
0:01:28 > 0:01:29The answer is no.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32- We're here to film what goes on, aren't we?- The answer is no.
0:01:32 > 0:01:38Those that seek a mutiny should be thrown overboard, in deep water.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The British Commercial Vehicle Museum is one of many
0:01:41 > 0:01:45in the country that is struggling to reconnect with the British public.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51In this series, I set out to examine how these custodians of our nation's
0:01:51 > 0:01:54history are being preserved for future generations.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Come on.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06That's it. Oh!
0:02:15 > 0:02:20When I first walk into the Leyland Museum, I'm charmed, but concerned.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21The roof is leaking
0:02:21 > 0:02:25and the lighting dim to keep the electricity bill down.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28And yet shimmering through the gloom,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31I see these wonderful old vehicles and the army of elderly men
0:02:31 > 0:02:33who are working on them, polishing, restoring.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36- Give us a cutter drill.- What size?
0:02:36 > 0:02:38About a five sixteenth.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Don't ask me what millimetres it is, I've not got into that yet.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44To me, the museum is a hidden gem,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47but to these men, it's a daily labour of love.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Right, the other one was to earth. Contact!
0:02:51 > 0:02:53BELL RINGS Hooray!
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Nearly all of them are retired,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and many worked at the Leyland factory just down the road.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Their engineering expertise is being kept alive here.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05We've got a bell.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08The museum is housed in an old factory building
0:03:08 > 0:03:10once owned by Leyland Motors.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13During its heyday, the company was the largest
0:03:13 > 0:03:18motor manufacturer in the world - famous, from Australia to Timbuktu.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Half of the museum's 60 or so vehicles were made by Leyland.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25If you want, you can be given a guided tour
0:03:25 > 0:03:26by the oldest volunteer, Bob,
0:03:26 > 0:03:31who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of gear ratios and turning circles.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34As you move from the low ratio up to the high ratio,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36you've got a variable ratio.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37Like all the volunteers,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Bob thinks Leyland's vehicles are in a league of their own.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47When you look at this vehicle, it is a thing of beauty.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50I say this is from the age of elegance.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Listen to the door.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56That's a typical quality clonk,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58befitting of a Rolls-Royce.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00And this is a service coach.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I did some group technical tours last year.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07They were very successful.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09They really enjoyed them. And we'd lost two.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12We searched for them - "Where are they?"
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And they were having a sleep in the Popemobile.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17That was how interesting it was to them, you see.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19So you must be very careful.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The volunteers are proud of all the vehicles,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26but the museum's most prized exhibit is the Popemobile.
0:04:26 > 0:04:32It was purpose-built for the visit of John Paul II to the UK in 1982.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35REPORTER: 'This was the blessing they'd come to receive.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37'For 40 minutes, the Popemobile
0:04:37 > 0:04:40'slowly made its way along scores of avenues'.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42But the museum does not own all the vehicles.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45In fact, one of the volunteers
0:04:45 > 0:04:48has put his own double-decker bus on display.
0:04:48 > 0:04:498.4 litre.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52112 brake horse power.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57- How fast could it go?- 36.4 miles an hour, according to the manual.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00'Alan Pritchard is one of the few people at this museum
0:05:00 > 0:05:05'who never worked in transport. Instead, he was a tax inspector.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- 'But he loves buses.' Spacious, isn't it?- It is spacious, yes.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11But it is only seven foot six wide, whereas modern vehicles
0:05:11 > 0:05:13are eight feet two and a half.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Really?- Oh, yes.- Do you think you might have ever travelled
0:05:16 > 0:05:18on this bus as a passenger?
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- Oh, many times. Yes. - You know that you did?
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Oh, definitely.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Do you feel that you love the bus?
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I think love's probably the wrong word.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It's certainly an asset. It's worth more than my car.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36It's independently valued at £15,000.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41That's an independent valuation by somebody who I didn't engage.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45The museum also acts as a social club for these retired men.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48When taking breaks from polishing and fixing vehicles,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49they meet for tea in the cafe.
0:05:49 > 0:05:56Yeah, the panelwork on the 1950s couches was screwed on.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Errol has been at the museum for 20 years, and runs the kitchen.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01He has a natural charm
0:06:01 > 0:06:04which strikes a chord with visitors and volunteers.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07You might be lucky. You might get a chocolate one.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- Ooh.- Go on, then.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Oh! Hey!
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Errol provides the volunteers with cups of tea,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22and microwaves their food.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25I want my sausage rolls warming, please.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Even the occasional vol-au-vent.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Do you want that microwaving?
0:06:31 > 0:06:33He loves nothing more than talking about the old days
0:06:33 > 0:06:35at the Leyland factory.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40In those days, we had a very big major export market,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44you know, to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Holland...
0:06:44 > 0:06:45MICROWAVE BANGS
0:06:48 > 0:06:50That's a sound effect for you.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I think it was the vol-au-vent.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- The vol-au-vent. - Exploding vol-au-vent.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00It's going to stop. MICROWAVE PINGS
0:07:00 > 0:07:02That's it. End of.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- Whoa! Oh, dear me! - What have you done?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Explosion. It's the vol-au-vent.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- It's the vol-au-vent.- You'll enjoy that, won't you, Graham?
0:07:14 > 0:07:17You only need to put it on for 30 seconds. How long did you put it on?
0:07:17 > 0:07:20- About three minutes.- You're joking!
0:07:20 > 0:07:22You've lost your vol-au-vent!
0:07:22 > 0:07:25I'm not washing up for you any more.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Oh, leave it. I'll eat them.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30That's all right.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Don't film this.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Here, you can have all these 5ps. I hate 'em.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43Out of the Club, the Wagon Wheels, the Penguin
0:07:43 > 0:07:47and the Blue Riband, which is the bestseller?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Er, I would say Kit-Kats.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Kit-Kats do well.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54It says it over here. When in doubt, brew up.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57That's it. When in doubt, brew up.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Out of all the volunteers at the museum,
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Errol has the strongest connection with Leyland Motors.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05He worked there all his life.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07At the end of this season,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Errol is going to hang up his pinny for the last time.
0:08:10 > 0:08:1450 years of association with a vehicle manufacturer
0:08:14 > 0:08:15will be coming to an end.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26When Errol first started at the company,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30it was a world-beater that employed over 20,000 people.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33But today, just 900 work there.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37# I still get the same old feeling
0:08:37 > 0:08:40# Tearing at this heart of mine... #
0:08:40 > 0:08:45Its main sites closed down in the early '90s, due to falling orders.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49This is the quality of British people and British workers,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51faced with nothing other than the door.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53But the real decline began in the '60s and '70s.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58At this time, the company became a byword for industrial unrest.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03There is a danger that at the Leyland Museum,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06history might be about to repeat itself.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Oh, that lovely oil. You can smell it.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The museum is now struggling to keep going.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28In recent years, it has been selling off exhibits just to stay afloat.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32So a new leader has been appointed from within the ranks of volunteers.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34The funding bids that we made,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39or the fund that we bid into for the heating, has been withdrawn.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44That was a funding bid for half the cost, so that was nearly 50 grand.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Stephen Bullock has been a volunteer here for four years,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and will still be giving his time freely as the new boss.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55During the day, he works as a manager for the NHS,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and the museum's board of trustees feel his business experience
0:09:59 > 0:10:03might be useful in helping to save the museum.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05At the start of the season,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09he tells the trustees just how bad the situation is.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11The concern at the moment is lack of visitors
0:10:11 > 0:10:16means lack of gate receipts, means lack of shop sales,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19which is having the serious detrimental effect upon us.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23The costs have gone up five or six times what they were before.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's a long, slow, drawn-out process.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28We need to find that money from somewhere,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31because if we're going to be £15-16,000 down,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and we projected originally a £9,000 surplus, that
0:10:34 > 0:10:38will more than wipe the surplus out and you're back into deficit again.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41We should really look at funding, I think, funding bids.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50If we finish the season next year with just a repeat of the last
0:10:50 > 0:10:53three or four years, we won't have a museum.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57The trustees will be facing the serious decision
0:10:57 > 0:10:59about the future of this place.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02You've been brought in to save it, I suppose.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05I didn't come originally to save it, I came to help.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09But yes, I do have that feeling at the moment.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Whoa! Whoa!
0:11:19 > 0:11:23The trustees are giving Stephen power over his fellow volunteers,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26and this is starting to ruffle a few feathers.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30There is one person in particular who Stephen has fallen out with.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33He works upstairs in the museum's vast archive of over
0:11:33 > 0:11:35half a million photographs.
0:11:35 > 0:11:41It's Alan Pritchard, the former taxman with the double-decker bus.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42You know the story, don't you?
0:11:44 > 0:11:46- Sorry? - You know the story, don't you?
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- What story?- About how he upset me.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52'Apparently, before I started filming,
0:11:52 > 0:11:58'the two men had a big bust-up over the way the archive was being run.'
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- I was archive manager.- That's right.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And he made major decisions without having the courtesy to tell me.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06I found out through the back door.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10So, not surprisingly, I said enough's enough.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14'The rumour I'd heard involved Stephen Bullock escorting
0:12:14 > 0:12:17'Alan Pritchard off the premises'.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22That was it. From then on, we haven't really hit it off.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I've probably said more than I should already.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Even though Stephen is in charge of the museum,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Alan is also very powerful.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36He runs an organisation called
0:12:36 > 0:12:39the Friends Of The Commercial Vehicle Museum.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43The Friends is a group which gives a voice to all the volunteers, and
0:12:43 > 0:12:45nearly everyone is a member of it.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Does anybody want to film my cheese on toast?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Beautifully cooked.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Do the Friends all see eye-to-eye with the management?
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Er...
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Well, there's always differences.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02There's always a bit of a difference on that.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Sometimes we do, and sometimes we don't.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It's like at home, if you have an argument with your wife.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12We all have our ups and downs in a marriage, don't we?
0:13:12 > 0:13:16First of all, there's the engagement ring. Then there's the wedding ring.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And then comes the suffering.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20That's another little joke.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I want to ask Stephen Bullock about the delicate situation
0:13:24 > 0:13:27with Alan Pritchard, and he agrees to speak
0:13:27 > 0:13:30to me only in the Popemobile, which is away from prying eyes.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36If you're the chair of a friends' organisation of anything,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40then you should be very supportive of the management,
0:13:40 > 0:13:45and he should be very supportive of the trustees of whatever it is.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48And you don't think Alan is supportive enough?
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I do not, no.
0:13:51 > 0:13:57There is a serious, serious review by the trustees at the moment
0:13:57 > 0:14:02of the Friends' organisation,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06because the trustees are concerned that the Friends' organisation
0:14:06 > 0:14:11is not operating in the way that a friends' organisation should operate.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Right.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20'Stephen wouldn't say any more than that, but it seems he might
0:14:20 > 0:14:21'be trying to get rid of Alan.'
0:14:26 > 0:14:27What is it, actually?
0:14:27 > 0:14:29What make?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- Make, you mean?- I haven't a clue.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Does it not tell you on the front?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Is that a sticker?
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Ah.- 1922.
0:14:44 > 0:14:4712 HP Star, is it?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50That's fantastic. 1922.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52You two wouldn't have been born then, would you?
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Don't ask us!
0:14:57 > 0:15:01# Remember back when love first found us... #
0:15:01 > 0:15:04The few times the museum does get busy
0:15:04 > 0:15:06is when it holds special events.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09But these visitors are still mainly enthusiasts.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10Hello, Dottie.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Dottie's all dressed up, got her uniform on.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18In late spring, there is the American Roadshow.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22Later in the summer, there is the Bikers' Roadshow.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29What have I come to see? Whatever's in there.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33I haven't been before, and it's time I came.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38Sometimes a visitor doesn't need an excuse of a special event, because
0:15:38 > 0:15:41they have a personal connection with a vehicle on display.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45This lady owns this 1951 Morris Truck.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50I feel that it looks classical, lines like that. There's no bulging bits.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57This retired lorry driver spent many hours in the cab of this
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Atkinson truck. Why do you hug it?
0:15:59 > 0:16:01I have great affection for this vehicle.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I've driven it many miles.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07These visitors just want to hang out with other like-minded folk,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10people who really know their stuff.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13British Leyland what they call badge engineered
0:16:13 > 0:16:15the Morris Minor into an Austin.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19What they did was, they put heavier leaf springs on,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22beefed up the front suspension, put a crinkle grille on
0:16:22 > 0:16:25the front, put an Austin motif on the bonnet
0:16:25 > 0:16:29and one on the horn button, and they called it an Austin van.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32To improve the museum's chances of survival,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Stephen Bulluck needs more ordinary people to visit -
0:16:35 > 0:16:40people who aren't vehicle enthusiasts - and he has an idea.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43For many years, the town of Leyland
0:16:43 > 0:16:46celebrated its industrial might with a summer carnival.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50But it stopped after the company got into difficulties in the '90s.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Now, Stephen wants to bring it back.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Over two days, the town will be taken over by a
0:16:55 > 0:16:57procession of Leyland vehicles.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01It's a chance for the museum to make money and raise its profile.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03The stakes are high.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Stephen hopes the people of Leyland
0:17:06 > 0:17:09will come out onto the streets and then back into the museum.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. - But Stephen can only pull it off
0:17:12 > 0:17:15if he has the goodwill of the volunteers.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18To make this a financial success, we need 1,500 people
0:17:18 > 0:17:21to come through this place over the two days.
0:17:21 > 0:17:27They are expecting about 10,000 people to come, and we are therefore
0:17:27 > 0:17:31expecting - we need - 15% of those people to come into the museum.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33If we get that sort of number through,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36this has been a financial success for us.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39It is our opportunity to convince these people that
0:17:39 > 0:17:42they should come back again. OK?
0:17:44 > 0:17:46You've missed the best bit, Graham, we've finished.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Most of the volunteers seem behind Stephen's big event.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Some of the museum's most prized exhibits are brought out
0:18:00 > 0:18:05of retirement to drum up publicity for the two-day extravaganza.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09Two of the longest-standing volunteers, Norman and Graham,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13are stopping off halfway through a fundraising drive
0:18:13 > 0:18:17from John O'Groats to Land's End in the museum's Morris Minor van.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18Bugger off, we haven't got time!
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Grabbed myself a wig while I were up there. Look!
0:18:27 > 0:18:32Don't watch an old man scramble out of a car.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33Oh!
0:18:34 > 0:18:37I were coming down this road last night.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42And Norman said, "It's 100 yards past the John O'Groats sign".
0:18:42 > 0:18:44I couldn't see the John O'Groats sign.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Norman says, "It's here." I said, "This building?"
0:18:47 > 0:18:49And a guy jumps out, and he's waving.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52So, at 60 miles an hour, I went for the brakes,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54and I was 100 yards past before it stopped.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57We nearly finished up off the cliff at John O'Groats!
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Are we ready?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Right, see you when I see you. Bye!
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The Leyland festival will be happening in four weeks' time.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22While Stephen is trying to connect with the broadest possible audience
0:19:22 > 0:19:25by bringing back the Leyland Festival,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29at the museum, a tiny new exhibit is slowly taking shape, which can
0:19:29 > 0:19:31only appeal to a niche audience.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36A volunteer called Colin Balls is creating an audiovisual display.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Here's a question. How do you like me to look?
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- Do you want me to look in there or at you?- At me.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43'Colin ran a business which built projectors,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47'and this display seems like a shrine to his company,
0:19:47 > 0:19:52'Colin Balls Audiovisual, which he'd abbreviated to CBAV.'
0:19:52 > 0:19:53It has a simple device for...
0:19:53 > 0:19:58'He told me about every model he'd ever built,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01'right up to the point he was killed off by the digital age.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07'I couldn't really see a connection between Colin's display
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'and the rest of the museum.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'After a while, we are joined by Alan,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'the chairman of the Friends Association, who has fallen out
0:20:16 > 0:20:18'with Stephen Bullock. He's been helping Colin
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'with building the centrepiece of the exhibition -
0:20:21 > 0:20:25'a replica Victorian magic lantern, the very first type of projector.'
0:20:25 > 0:20:28..And it's going to project on the board.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The system will come in and people will sit down and see the show.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33MUSIC PLAYS
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Excuse me. Excuse me a minute, I know what it is...
0:20:37 > 0:20:42'Next door is the cinema room. This is very much Colin's domain.'
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- That's a bit loud.- I think you're fiddling with my unit there.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Colin uses this interruption to show me an example of one
0:20:50 > 0:20:52of his AV presentations.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53All right, Alan.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- Do you want to put all the lights off?- Sit down.- Thank you.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05MUSIC PLAYS
0:21:26 > 0:21:29'Colin's display was a sequence of images.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31'Cars mixing through to lorries.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33'Lorries mixing through to buses.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36'All accompanied by a music soundtrack.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38'It was put together with care and precision.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'This is Colin's life's work.
0:21:43 > 0:21:44'Alan loves it too.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56'I get the feeling that Colin and Alan's passions are running
0:21:56 > 0:21:57'free with this project.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01'It's as if they could do anything they wanted in the museum.'
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Very nice, that.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Very good. In a museum like this, who do you think holds the power?
0:22:15 > 0:22:19Is it the volunteers or the management?
0:22:19 > 0:22:20THEY LAUGH
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Well, you've got to work together. The key is to work together.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27It's no good not working together.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30- Is the balance here good?- Mmm?
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Is the balance here good?
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Average, I would say.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'I think Alan is choosing his words carefully.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41'But he knows that in this organisation, the volunteers have
0:22:41 > 0:22:46'a tremendous amount of power and without them it could not function.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51'Most of the time Alan Pritchard and Colin Balls hang out in the museum's
0:22:51 > 0:22:55'archive, which overlooks the main exhibition hall.'
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Here old photos of buses and lorries are lovingly checked and catalogued
0:23:02 > 0:23:06by Alan, Colin and some other volunteers.
0:23:06 > 0:23:0730-10.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Three of...
0:23:10 > 0:23:14The glass plates were the earliest form of photo
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and many are damaged by moisture.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19They have all got to be looked after individually so...
0:23:19 > 0:23:22I think if I lift it, it would be about 120.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24I'll get through the job.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26But I don't intend living that long.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31No way. No way. It's one heck of an exercise.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35It is a quiet department, rather like a library.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38But there is tension in the air too.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41An old member of the unit has just returned.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Cliff, a retired bus driver from Burnley.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47No, it's not there.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51He left the archive a few months ago after a bust-up with someone
0:23:51 > 0:23:54but has been persuaded back by the new leader, Stephen Bullock.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Stephen's asked me to come back, you know.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01I always come on the display days, on the Sundays, always.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06To give help and whatever they need, you know.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10But I, I stopped doing the work.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13It's a bit involved with that man...
0:24:17 > 0:24:19(Arsehole).
0:24:22 > 0:24:24The world's full of them.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27You've got a new recruit, haven't you, Cliff?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Yes.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- (Unfortunately).- Hey?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37- (Unfortunately).- Oh, right.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42You know... You worked with him in the past.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43- Ah, right.- Yes.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51'Both Cliff and Allen are whispering
0:24:51 > 0:24:56'because in the Archive Department it feels like the walls have ears.'
0:24:56 > 0:25:00- Everyone, it's called the Popemobile.- It's not the Batmobile,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04- it's the Popemobile.- And that's where the Pope used to sit,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07so he could wave to all the people in the crowd.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14The train arriving on platform four is the 4:14 for London,
0:25:14 > 0:25:19calling at Wigan, Warrington, Crewe, Rugby and London Euston.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Passengers for Blackpool,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24please go over the foot bridge onto platform two.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Thank you. # Bing-bong. #
0:25:31 > 0:25:33It is the morning of the Leyland Festival.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38The volunteers are in early at the museum. There is a sense of chaos.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Will everything go to plan?
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- They haven't turned up?- I was told they're going to be here for 10am.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- No, they start the service at 10. - Oh, right....
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Over 200 vehicles gather on the outskirts of the town.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57There is a sense of anticipation.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04At midday, the procession gets underway,
0:26:04 > 0:26:07led by the Popemobile carrying Leyland's Mayor.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13It seems a very understated start. Only a few people stopping to watch.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15# Well, hello there
0:26:17 > 0:26:20# Gee, it's been a long, long time
0:26:25 > 0:26:26# It's been so long now... #
0:26:28 > 0:26:33But then we turn the corner into the main high street. It's swamped.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37The people of Leyland have turned out in their thousands.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42# When the saints go marching in. #
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Do you think it's a bit overdue, this festival?
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Yes. We want Leyland Festival back, don't we, Leyland?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- CROWD: Yes!- There you are. You've got the response.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Very good. Very good.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58..And it's only got 1,000 kilometres on it.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11We did meet in the Leyland Motors Club every Saturday.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15We went dancing as teenagers, and that's where we met.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And we've had quite a good life.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Thanks to Leyland.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24The procession ends just near to the museum.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27And those people who'd been lining the streets begin
0:27:27 > 0:27:29to pour through the doors.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33For the first time in many years, it's busy.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39It's really, really busy. Really, really busy.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43The cafe is so hectic it spills out on to the exhibition floor.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Errol and Bruno are run off their feet.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49We're that busy, that's what I say, we haven't got time to spit.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Is it still the rush on, Errol?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54- It is.- I won't need rocking in my bed tonight.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57I'll just collapse in it and die.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I tell you how I want to go.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05I want to be shot in the back at the age of 90 by a jealous husband.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Have you still got an eye for the ladies then?
0:28:08 > 0:28:12No. Well, I have an eye, that's about all I've got!
0:28:12 > 0:28:14- Nothing else.- Nothing else.
0:28:14 > 0:28:15The rest is all worn out.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18It's all gone.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20- You don't stop looking, do you? - Never.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23- The golden rule is look but never touch.- Never touch?
0:28:23 > 0:28:27- That's it. That's the golden rule. - Once you've passed a certain age?
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- Yes. Well, usually, yes. - Or when you're married, you mean?
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Well, married as well.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36- But unmarried as well.- Surely if you're unmarried, you can touch?
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Well, it depends who you touch.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Three cups of your excellent coffee, please.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Oh!
0:28:48 > 0:28:52The climax to the festival is a competition to pull the Popemobile.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00At the end of the weekend,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02over 1,400 people have been into the museum
0:29:02 > 0:29:04and over £6,000 have been taken.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07It's been a complete success.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14The next morning Stephen holds a meeting with the volunteers.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Thank you all. I think you're all absolutely incredible.
0:29:17 > 0:29:23You did a fantastic job and I think you also did a very professional job
0:29:23 > 0:29:25which I think is a credit to not only the the museum,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28but I think it's a credit to transport generally.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32We should all put our hands together and say thanks for what you've done
0:29:32 > 0:29:34to get this museum going.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37There's still a long way to go yet.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Thanks for that. Thank you for that.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46This has been a personal triumph for Stephen
0:29:46 > 0:29:47in his new role as leader.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49It gives him the confidence to tackle
0:29:49 > 0:29:52some of the museum's long-standing thorny issues.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56He's got doubts about Colin Balls' Audio Visual Display,
0:29:56 > 0:30:00which is taking shape next to Alan Pritchard's double-decker bus.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Stephen never gave Colin permission to install it.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05A previous director did that.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09Stephen is concerned it's not relevant to a transport museum.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12And it's still awaiting the centrepiece of the display.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14The Victorian magic lantern.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17We're halfway through the season.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20This isn't, because we're monitoring what people are looking at,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22this isn't capturing people's attention
0:30:22 > 0:30:23in the way that we would have hoped.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Let's come back to why they're coming in - they are not coming
0:30:26 > 0:30:29in to see this, because this isn't advertised
0:30:29 > 0:30:33and the people coming in here do not expect to see this.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36This is why we clearly need to link this with the audience
0:30:36 > 0:30:38that is coming through the door.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40No, I don't agree.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42That wasn't what we planned.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45I don't agree with you, because on that wall it says
0:30:45 > 0:30:46"Display and preparation"
0:30:46 > 0:30:48and that's exactly what it is.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51But, Colin, this was never going to be a black hole in 2009.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54I share Stephen's concerns.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58Colin's display has become a sprawling history of photography.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00It has got out of hand.
0:31:00 > 0:31:01...and at the end product,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04well it excites people.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Maybe it didn't excite you,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10but it certainly excites plenty of other people.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Stephen doesn't look excited.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Stephen looks worried.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20How much more work is there to do on here time-wise?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22I'm aiming for the end of the year.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Stephen may be a volunteer just like all the others,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28but he has the power to decide the fate of Colin's
0:31:28 > 0:31:32display and will do so at the end of the summer.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Are you a bit disappointed by his reaction?
0:31:34 > 0:31:35No.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38HE MOUTHS
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- You must be a bit disappointed by that?- No.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- No?- It's what I expected.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Stephen also has the power to summon the Chairman
0:31:51 > 0:31:55of the Friends' Association to his office for a meeting.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Alan Pritchard and Stephen Bullock do not get on.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01In fact in all the time I've been filming, they've avoided each other.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11The Chairman of Trustees has waited from 15th May 2009
0:32:11 > 0:32:14to have a reply to his letter.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17And here we are on 14th July.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Colin and I were down there on...
0:32:23 > 0:32:27Stephen told me the trustees have written to Alan Pritchard
0:32:27 > 0:32:31asking certain questions about the way the Friends' Association is run.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35But he has not replied. Now Stephen wants answers
0:32:35 > 0:32:38from the Friends' Association's senior members.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Peter has gone.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46So until I've spoken to him I'm not having a meeting with you.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50I don't not know what's prompted him to go, but he's gone.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55Alan? When is the chairman going to get a response to his letter?
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Mmm?
0:32:57 > 0:32:58When is the chairman
0:32:58 > 0:33:01going to get a full response to his letter?
0:33:01 > 0:33:03When the committee deems it reasonable.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07So you've had this letter for eight weeks..?
0:33:18 > 0:33:22I've not fallen out with you, so that's it. I'll say nothing else.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I won't fall out with you.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30But he wants to have a meeting with you?
0:33:30 > 0:33:33I'm saying nothing else.
0:33:35 > 0:33:36That's it.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Is it because there's something in the letter
0:33:46 > 0:33:48that the Friends disagree with?
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Is that the issue - why they haven't responded?
0:34:02 > 0:34:07If I was being extremely...sweeping
0:34:09 > 0:34:13..I would say that we have some committee members
0:34:13 > 0:34:18who are embedded in 1970s trade unionism,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23who are trying to preserve what is a long gone world,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26when the rest of us have moved on.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29And I just find it extremely sad.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Extremely sad.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50- Has Alan gone?- He's gone home, yes.
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Has he?
0:34:54 > 0:34:55In high dudgeon.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57High-tension?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00- Similar.- Is he OK?
0:35:00 > 0:35:02Oh, yes. He's not different than normal.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07- He thrives on it.- Does he?
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Within a few minutes the news of Alan's departure
0:35:10 > 0:35:12has spread like wildfire around the museum.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Stephen hurriedly gets the volunteers together
0:35:15 > 0:35:17for an impromptu meeting.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Private meeting. Private meeting.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22- Come on, lads.- No, switch off, now.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26Off. No. The answer is no.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- We're here to film what goes on, aren't we?- The answer is no.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Please don't let me have to tell you again. No.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38It transpires that Stephen is calling for
0:35:38 > 0:35:41an extraordinary general meeting of the Friends' Association.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Afterwards in the Popemobile Stephen reveals he is hoping the
0:35:46 > 0:35:50association will oust Alan and elect a new chairman.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56It feels like the confessional, doesn't it?
0:35:57 > 0:36:01Do you think or do you hope that the Friends' Association
0:36:01 > 0:36:02appoint a new chairman?
0:36:02 > 0:36:06Alan has major, major strengths.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10He has excellent knowledge.
0:36:10 > 0:36:16But all I can say is that the working relationship between the Committee
0:36:16 > 0:36:18and the Museum has not been good.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22I don't think it's been particularly strong for a few years now.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24I think the opportunity is ripe
0:36:24 > 0:36:26probably for there to be a new set of people.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29And they elect the chairman, whoever they want to elect.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33The next day, Alan is not back in the museum.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Nobody has heard from him.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Up in the archive, the atmosphere is awkward.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43The future seems uncertain now their leader has gone.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45The whole rack there, all the plates,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48he indexed from his knowledge.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51And that knowledge is going to be impossible to replace.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56So what happens is anybody's guess.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59You think if he was to go and not come back
0:36:59 > 0:37:01it would be a loss to the museum?
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- Of course it would, yeah. - A great loss.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05That's without question.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07It's not the sort of knowledge that's passed on.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11- Once he's gone, it's not replaceable.- No.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15This archive ran just like clockwork when Alan was running it.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19So, at the moment, there is no direction.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22- No direction?- No real direction. - So, you're in here...
0:37:22 > 0:37:25We're doing our own thing, actually. We have plenty to do.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29We've enough work here to keep us going for the next 20 years.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32- Without direction.- Oh, right.
0:37:32 > 0:37:3491 is nine.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39The bill sheets with Scammell trucks.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41That'll be the one that's missing when we get to the end.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47I sense the whole museum is now being dragged into an argument that
0:37:47 > 0:37:49originally was just between two men.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53All the volunteers seem to be taking sides.
0:37:53 > 0:37:54Either you are for Stephen or Alan.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Change or the status quo.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02In the kitchen, I find Ron and Norman.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05They are hoping Alan will not come back.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09Those that seek a mutiny should be thrown overboard.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11In deep water.
0:38:13 > 0:38:14Exactly.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Is that how you feel?
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Yeah. I'm the same.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21I mean, we don't need them.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25It's a fight for survival as it is these days.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29# Thinking of the past
0:38:29 > 0:38:32# I feel my love is slipping by
0:38:32 > 0:38:35# At such a speed... #
0:38:35 > 0:38:38In the early 90s, Leyland Motors was
0:38:38 > 0:38:39reeling from a lack of orders
0:38:39 > 0:38:43and the legacy of industrial strife in the 70s and 80s.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Disagreements between the unions and the management
0:38:46 > 0:38:48had undermined the company.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Similarly, it seems the fight between the newly-appointed leader
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Stephen Bullock and Alan Pritchard of the Friends' Association
0:38:55 > 0:38:58might ultimately undermine the museum.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02I come here to do a day's work
0:39:02 > 0:39:05and I make it so that other people can enjoy it.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07All they want to do here is stir it.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10- Backbiting.- Backbiting, yeah.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Who, when you say "they"..?
0:39:12 > 0:39:14I'm not telling you any names.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17The Friends and the Management.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- Oh, right.- It's between Friends and Management.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24I have nothing against the manager of this place, but a lot of people have.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32If the volunteers at the museum need any incentive to make sure
0:39:32 > 0:39:36history doesn't repeat itself, it's available to them right next door.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39This wasteland over half a mile in diameter
0:39:39 > 0:39:42was once home to one of the biggest factories in the country.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45The Farington site of Leyland Motors
0:39:45 > 0:39:47was one of several in the town.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50At its peak, it produced 6,000 lorries a year.
0:39:53 > 0:40:00We've got permission to do this, so it's all above board. Open the gate.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Errol wants to take me back to the site
0:40:02 > 0:40:05before it's completely demolished.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Errol started at the factory in the mid-50s.
0:40:12 > 0:40:18The very last days I worked here in July 1990, I would have walked down
0:40:18 > 0:40:22these corridors, carrying drawings and everything I was asked to do,
0:40:22 > 0:40:24within reason, of course.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26It's all gone.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38I've moved round the side of the building now
0:40:38 > 0:40:41and as you can see it's in a bad way.
0:40:46 > 0:40:47It was like one big happy family,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50even though there were thousands of people worked here.
0:40:50 > 0:40:56It's so sad. So sad. 60 years...
0:40:56 > 0:40:57almost gone.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06This site was at its peak in the 60s and 70s
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and eventually closed in the 90s.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16We're all replaceable. And that is so sad.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23Being with Errol amongst the rubble of this once vast manufacturing
0:41:23 > 0:41:28empire confirms to me how important it is that the museum survives.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33It's the last link to a golden era in our industrial past.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36- Oh, my goodness me!- What is it?
0:41:36 > 0:41:41Look at this. "Leyland Motors Ltd.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44"Reconditioned by machine tool repair department."
0:41:44 > 0:41:50Date and then it would be stamped on the date.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52But reconditioned. Not thrown away and scrapped.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Would that be of value in the museum?
0:41:54 > 0:41:58I'm sure it would be. I think there seems to be a block of these.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Yeah, there is. So that's just not the one.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03How about that?
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Made of brass. And that won't rust, will it? Fancy that, lying there.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09I can't believe it.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11God, it's an omen.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16Oops! I'm dropping it. "Leyland Motors Ltd."
0:42:20 > 0:42:24When Errol retires from the museum's kitchen, it will bring to an end
0:42:24 > 0:42:2850 years of association with Leyland Motors.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37At the Museum, two days have passed since Alan Pritchard stormed out.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Colin Balls is showing a friend of his who didn't want to be filmed
0:42:41 > 0:42:42around his AV exhibition
0:42:42 > 0:42:45when Alan suddenly turns up.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48He's brought some parts for Colin's Victorian magic lantern.
0:42:48 > 0:42:53But Stephen Bullock had told me he's banned Alan from the museum.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57- That's nice.- I made one that's slightly smaller
0:42:57 > 0:43:01that you can use as a drift to drive these in.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Yes. You know the tubes for going in the top?
0:43:05 > 0:43:09While we are filming, Stephen's second in command, Bishop Michael,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11arrives on the scene.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15He doesn't want us to film, but Alan tells us to keep the camera rolling.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17If you want to film it, you can do. I don't mind.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23I've been asked to ask you to leave the building
0:43:23 > 0:43:27and I've been asked that they don't film it.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32As I say, I have a legal right to be on the premises to inspect my vehicle
0:43:32 > 0:43:34whenever the museum's open.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37What's the reason for all this? I don't understand.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40- I don't know.- When I left on Tuesday...
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Don't question the messenger, Colin.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45- Somebody must have rung him to tell him I'm here.- Yeah.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47I did because I was asked to do so.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51OK.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55- Why?- What on earth?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Alan hangs about for a few minutes and makes the point that as the
0:44:00 > 0:44:05owner of an exhibit, he has a legal right to inspect his vehicle.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07And I have inspected the vehicle while I've been here.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09And I shall inspect it again.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14But then leaves...
0:44:14 > 0:44:15in a mood.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21I watch Alan drive off in the rain.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23By banning Alan, Stephen hopes the museum
0:44:23 > 0:44:26will be able to embrace change and move forward.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35- Your wish is my command. - I'll have a baked potato.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38A baked potato. That's just one? A plain one?
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Can I have it with cheese?
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Or beans?
0:44:43 > 0:44:46- Cheese and beans?- Cheese and beans!
0:44:46 > 0:44:48How does that look? Wonderful?
0:44:48 > 0:44:50Very nice.
0:44:50 > 0:44:54There. You could almost eat that. There you go.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56As they say in America - enjoy!
0:44:59 > 0:45:01I'll have gin and tonic!
0:45:03 > 0:45:09- # If you're going to San Francisco... #
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Over the next few days, the volunteers at the museum
0:45:11 > 0:45:12try to get back to normal.
0:45:12 > 0:45:17Right. Well, that's looking good. If that's on Granada tonight,
0:45:17 > 0:45:18I'll be all right!
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Stephen Bullock has arranged a special barbecue in the car park
0:45:21 > 0:45:25to thank them all for their hard work over the summer.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Are you going to enjoy that roast hog?
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Have they cooked pig yet? No?
0:45:31 > 0:45:33Well, we can't eat, then, can we?
0:45:33 > 0:45:36What do you have in there, Bob?
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Just hot dogs. It's all they're making, hot dogs.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42That's all. I was waiting for the veggie burgers,
0:45:42 > 0:45:44but they're not quite ready yet.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48- Is that a pasta tuna salad? - Yes, I think it is.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50If I can get it off the fork.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53Sticks like glue to a blanket!
0:45:53 > 0:45:55That'll do. Thank you.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Stephen has got something new to celebrate.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Just want to see a few words...
0:46:00 > 0:46:03The museum has got accreditation for the first time.
0:46:03 > 0:46:08So this accreditation demonstrates this museum is in business.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12It gives us an opportunity to apply for funding.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15There are hundreds of museums that don't have this.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17It put us up there with the big guys.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21Getting accreditation will really help the museum
0:46:21 > 0:46:23in its fight for survival.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26I knew Alan Pritchard would not be at the barbecue,
0:46:26 > 0:46:30but his close friend Colin Balls has not turned up for it either.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33For Alan, there is more gloom in store.
0:46:33 > 0:46:38We've taken the view that it's best if Alan doesn't come back.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40So it just makes logic for Alan
0:46:40 > 0:46:43to take his vehicle to another museum, which he's done in the past.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46He's had it elsewhere.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48And therefore it makes a nice clean break.
0:46:48 > 0:46:53And Alan can go and pursue his interests with another museum.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58When I call Alan to find out more about this,
0:46:58 > 0:47:01he asked me to come round and see him.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Since retiring as a tax man, he's lived alone.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07His home is like a small reference library.
0:47:07 > 0:47:09Books about buses and lorries are everywhere.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12On the walls and shelves, photographs of his red bus
0:47:12 > 0:47:15sit side by side with those of his mother.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16For some reason,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19he only wants to show me half his collection of books.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Not because it's been nicked. I don't want all of it on film.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24I don't want people to see the extent of it.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28How many books do you think you've got?
0:47:28 > 0:47:30- About 2,500.- Really?- Yeah.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Each one has been painstakingly indexed.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37These are listed by publisher
0:47:37 > 0:47:40and then author's name alphabetically.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43So, title, author's name, ISBN.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46- Have you been back to see it recently?- No.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54- Who's looking after it now? - Nobody at the moment.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56Nobody?
0:47:58 > 0:47:59But presumably the whole episode
0:47:59 > 0:48:02must have made you feel a bit unhappy?
0:48:02 > 0:48:03Decidedly so.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09I mean, it can't be nice what's happened to you?
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Well, I don't know what you know.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14What I know is that you've been asked not to come back to the museum
0:48:14 > 0:48:18and that you've been written to and told to take your bus out.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20- Who told you that?- Stephen Bullock.
0:48:22 > 0:48:23That's interesting.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25I don't know why he needed to tell you.
0:48:28 > 0:48:34- Is that the case?- It is the case, but no valid grounds have been given.
0:48:34 > 0:48:39- Right. - Beyond that, I'm not saying anything.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41No valid grounds have been given.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45- So, you're contesting it? - Oh, definitely. Definitely.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53Alan wants to contest his ban from the museum,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56but it seems to me as if his fate has been sealed.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02# All my sorrow
0:49:02 > 0:49:07# Sad tomorrow
0:49:07 > 0:49:11# Take me back
0:49:11 > 0:49:15# To my old home
0:49:16 > 0:49:23# All my crying... #
0:49:23 > 0:49:27At long last, Colin Ball's replica Victorian magic lantern is finished
0:49:27 > 0:49:30and ready for installation.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32I'm very impressed with it.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35But it's strange to have him unveiling it without Alan there.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39And Colin is being very protective of Alan.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Presumably he would want to be able to continue
0:49:41 > 0:49:43his relationship with the museum here?
0:49:44 > 0:49:48He's otherwise engaged today, but it would have been nice to have done it.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51But I'm on holiday, as you know.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54You say he's otherwise engaged, but surely the fact of the matter is
0:49:54 > 0:49:56he's not allowed back at this moment in time?
0:49:56 > 0:49:59I've not heard that. Who said that?
0:49:59 > 0:50:01I thought that's what he was told?
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Well, if he's been told, we've not been told.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I thought you were with him when he was told?
0:50:07 > 0:50:13He came in here and he was asked to leave,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15pending talking to Stephen Bullock.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18So, he was only asked to leave on that occasion?
0:50:18 > 0:50:19As far as I'm aware.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24In September, six months after Stephen Bullock
0:50:24 > 0:50:28first outlined his vision to them, the Board of Trustees reassembles.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32High on the agenda is their troubled relationship
0:50:32 > 0:50:34with the Friends' Association.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36There has been so much success this last 12 months,
0:50:36 > 0:50:41but success of course is brought about by change.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43And of course not everybody can accept change.
0:50:43 > 0:50:48And I think this is possibly the problem -
0:50:48 > 0:50:51that the current Chairman of the Friends
0:50:51 > 0:50:53has not been prepared to move forward.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54I don't think the committee
0:50:54 > 0:50:58have done a great deal for the Friends these last 12 months.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Now, this is something that has to be rectified
0:51:01 > 0:51:04because it is a very bad omission, I think quite honestly,
0:51:04 > 0:51:07on their managing committee.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09We'll get it back under control.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Bit of a storm in a teacup, I think.
0:51:15 > 0:51:19The Trustees have decided to get rid of Alan Pritchard
0:51:19 > 0:51:20once and for all.
0:51:20 > 0:51:25But then out of the blue I get a call from Alan.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30Welcome everybody to yet another Committee meeting.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34He is holding a meeting of the Friends' Committee at his house
0:51:34 > 0:51:36and he's asked me to film it.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Colin is there and so are Alan's faithful archive team.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42But Graham is there and so is Errol,
0:51:42 > 0:51:46who it turned out is the Secretary of the Friends' Association.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49You've got in front of you a suggested agenda
0:51:49 > 0:51:51for the annual meeting.
0:51:51 > 0:51:55This is based strictly in accordance with the Constitution.
0:51:55 > 0:51:56Check it when you get home.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58It dawns on the halfway through the meeting,
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Alan's Committee is plotting to fight back
0:52:00 > 0:52:02against Stephen and the Trustees.
0:52:02 > 0:52:07I'm suggesting that we have the meeting on Sunday 1st November.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11Now, somebody will have to approach Stephen Bullock
0:52:11 > 0:52:14to arrange for the use of the cinema
0:52:14 > 0:52:16and that I can be present as Chairman.
0:52:18 > 0:52:19And if I can't be present as Chairman,
0:52:19 > 0:52:22the meeting will be held somewhere else. It's as simple as that.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25And I'm not going to be escorted in and out by him.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27It's as simple as that.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29I shall just go in as an ordinary member.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33It's only right and proper that Alan says that we try and have it
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- where we've always had it. - Precisely.- Yeah.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Now, if we're barred from that...
0:52:38 > 0:52:42Well, he'll be showing himself up in his true colours if he does that.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Yeah, that's it.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46There's going to be an emergency general meeting, isn't there?
0:52:46 > 0:52:50- Is there? You tell me. - What's the meeting..?- You tell me.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54No. You say there is going to be an extraordinary general meeting.
0:52:54 > 0:52:55What do you know about it?
0:52:55 > 0:52:58No meeting has been called as at this time.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00As a Committee, we have not been told officially
0:53:00 > 0:53:03that anybody is going to call an extraordinary general meeting
0:53:03 > 0:53:06and nobody can call an extraordinary general meeting.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10The only people who can call such a meeting is this Committee.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12If we decide around this table now
0:53:12 > 0:53:15that we want an extraordinary general meeting, we can call one.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19So, if Mr Bullock had this meeting and ousts you, he couldn't do that?
0:53:19 > 0:53:21Turn the camera off.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24- Well...- Turn the camera off before I answer that.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26You can answer that with the camera on.
0:53:26 > 0:53:28No, you're digging too deep, Richard. I'm sorry.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30You're digging too deep. We're sorry.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32What was your other question?
0:53:32 > 0:53:34I don't understand why that's such a sensitive...
0:53:34 > 0:53:37You've talked very candidly throughout the meeting
0:53:37 > 0:53:38about the difficult situation.
0:53:38 > 0:53:44- Richard, you're digging too deep. - Turn it off.- Turn it off.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46- Bye.- See you. Bye.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Alan is not leaving without a fight.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57But my time is coming to an end at the museum.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00And at the end of the season, a surprise leaving party
0:54:00 > 0:54:02is organised for Errol in the cafe.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Oh!
0:54:06 > 0:54:10Leave the light off. Leave it like that.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Nearly all the volunteers are there.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23How exciting!
0:54:23 > 0:54:25The Friends have brought him a leaving present.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29Well, isn't that fantastic?
0:54:29 > 0:54:32Bamber Bridge Motor Services. I'm speechless.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Look at this cake!
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Brilliant.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41I like that! Oh, my goodness me!
0:54:42 > 0:54:47Aw! When you've got your friends, eh?
0:54:47 > 0:54:52I want to find out what the latest is with Alan and Colin.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56- I notice that Colin's not here tonight. Why is that?- He was here.
0:54:56 > 0:54:57There's been a big dispute.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Did you know his display's gone?
0:54:59 > 0:55:03- Oh no.- It's gone, totally. It's all been smashed up.
0:55:03 > 0:55:04There's nothing there.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06- Really?- Yeah. You walk round there.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09Well, the lights are out now, but it's gone totally.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12It took two years to build and two days to take it down!
0:55:14 > 0:55:15Colin's arcade.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20I go outside the cafe into the dimly-lit exhibition hall.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24It's not just Colin's AV display that has disappeared.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27Alan's double-decker bus has gone, too.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31Both replaced by a tiny yellow three-wheeler van.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35But that isn't all that has changed.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38The Friends' Association has been disbanded.
0:55:38 > 0:55:42The Trustees have decided that the Trust is no longer prepared to
0:55:42 > 0:55:46have its name associated with that Friends' organisation.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49And the Trust has the power to do that, does it?
0:55:49 > 0:55:51- Yes, it does.- Because when I was round at Alan's
0:55:51 > 0:55:53he was holding a meeting of the Friends' Committee
0:55:53 > 0:55:57and there seemed to be some doubt as to who had the power,
0:55:57 > 0:56:01whether the Trust could actually, you know... It's all to do with
0:56:01 > 0:56:03whose constitution you believe in, doesn't it?
0:56:05 > 0:56:10The Trust has the power to be associated with or not
0:56:10 > 0:56:12any partner.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15The Trust had decided it didn't want to be associated
0:56:15 > 0:56:17with Alan Pritchard any more.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21And 20 years of a Friends' Association had come to an end.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27Ladies and gentlemen, our Errol.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29ALL: Errol.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32Thank you so much.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34- Cheers, everybody. - ALL: Cheers!
0:56:34 > 0:56:36I hope this really is champagne!
0:56:40 > 0:56:44I feel if the Commercial Vehicle Museum is to survive,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46it needs to focus on the needs of the visitor
0:56:46 > 0:56:49and not pander to the whims of the volunteers.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52Although it is nursing the wounds caused by bitter infighting,
0:56:52 > 0:56:55I think the museum's future is more secure now
0:56:55 > 0:56:58than when I first started filming six months ago.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03Best of luck and good luck for the future, Errol.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Right. Well, that's very kind, Richard.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08And it's been very, very nice knowing you.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12And I'll set off now. OK, then?
0:57:12 > 0:57:14Take care.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17I never did give you that Eccles cake, did I?
0:57:17 > 0:57:21- No.- We'll see about it next time. - All right. Bye bye.
0:57:23 > 0:57:28# Hey, have you ever tried
0:57:28 > 0:57:34# Really reaching out for the other side?
0:57:34 > 0:57:39# I may be climbing on rainbows
0:57:39 > 0:57:43# But baby, here goes
0:57:46 > 0:57:51# Dreams, they're for those who sleep
0:57:51 > 0:57:56# Life is for us to keep
0:57:57 > 0:58:04# And if you're wandering what this all is leading to
0:58:05 > 0:58:07# I want to make it with you. #