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20 April 2006

Hot Wax

Back in November 2002, we went to Blackpool for the day and visited Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks. Some of the waxwork models were so poor that I couldn’t resist taking photos of the best (and worst) examples to put on my website. I soon created the Waxwork Quiz which has now had almost 500 people attempting to complete it – but only 6 people have managed to guess 12/12 correctly!

Just over two years later, in November 2004, I was contacted by the producer of ITV’s Today with Des and Mel.

I work on Des & Mel – I came across your website which I enjoyed. I thought the pictures of the wax works were very funny and would love to show them on the show. Did you take the pictures? Would it be OK to use them!!!!!! I think Des would love them. Please let me know

Of course, I obliged, but only on the condition that I got a name check, a link to my website from theirs and a signed photo of Des and Mel. The photos appeared on the show on Friday, 26 November 2004, but it was a total disaster. Not only did they call me “Tony Roscoe” but when they tried to get the studio audience to guess who the waxworks were of, someone in the audience managed to guess every single one correctly! (I can only assume that they’d either visited my website before or had been to Louis Tussaud’s themselves!) To add insult to injury, they then said that I’d emailed the photos in to them! Honestly – as if I’d be so sad as to email photos into a daytime TV programme. Their producer had practically begged me to use them!!! A few weeks later, I finally received my “signed” photo. I say “signed” in the loosest possible sense since it was a digital print of a photo that had been signed. What absolute rubbish!

Anyway, I’d just about managed to get over that episode in my life and then all the bad memories came flooding back to me today when I was contacted by a researcher for a new Channel 4 “comedy panel show” who also wanted to use my photos! Again, I’ve obliged, but this time they can’t give credits for any pictures (apparently). But after last time’s efforts, that’s probably for the best.

The show is called “Best of the Worst” (or something like that) and should air towards the end of June 2006, so keep you eyes peeled in case my photos make it to the final edit!

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Hot Wax posted by at 21:53 3 comments Add your comments

3 Comments

I maintain that whilst you can't get credit (or payment, as you said today) you should still be trying to get some freebies out of them. Audience tickets, a DVD of a channel 4 show, backstage tour, something!!!
by Blogger Chris  
At least ask them for a wife Roscoe. If Burnley or whatever his name from the ordinary Boys can get a paris hilton look a like free from channel 4, you Roscoe, should at least get a Fat pat Butcher lookalike wife.

Sort it out Roscoe, sort it out.
by Anonymous Anonymous  
The condition of Louis Tussauds is appalling, but I heard they were improving/redoing them, so I thought "it might be WORTH 6 quid entry now... to find they've put it up to £8.95 each!! No updates to the models, just the dioramas they're in!

I wrote on TripAdvisor against this waxworks, and once I even wrote to them about how out of date and inaccurate the 'CATS' display was (ie costumes that have never been used, even since the show opened, wrong look etc), and they let me come down with photos of the characters, and seemed genuinely interested. But I never heard from them again, and they didnt change it.

Pathetic.

-TR
Rimsy@hotmail.com
by Anonymous Anonymous