Mad about Parking? Parking Mad is coming to a TV near you

Regular readers will recall Mr Mustard's appearance in the first episode of 4 of the 1 hour Parking Mad series on BBC1.

Another 3 programmes have been commissioned and people with parking stories are needed. It could be you on the silver screen and you'll end up like Mr Mustard (slightly better known than he was a year ago) who takes parcels in for all his neighbours and one of today's delivery drivers said "You're that parking ticket bloke off the telly, aren't you". His employer challenge any PCN he gets but then make him pay if they lose which seems pretty tough on a delivery driver who is doing anything up to 160 drops a day for them and not earning a fortune. The next PCN he gets will be handled by Mr Mustard. Interestingly one problem he has is the shared use "loading" bays which cars can often use in the borough of Barnet from 10 until 4. His van is quite large and he can't then get to park in the High St and it makes his job more difficult. The idea that there weren't deliveries between 10am and 4pm was always a dubious one.

If you have a story to tell, then contact James Lewis of Century Films (the same production company as before) by email on james.lewis@centuryfilmsltd.com or telephone him on 0207 378 6106 and tell him your story.

Don't expect to be on the TV next week, it takes months of preparation and filming to make a TV documentary.

Traffic wardens and parking managers are equally welcome to join in.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Parking Mad - Tonight - BBC1 at 9pm

in which Mr Mustard makes his white booted appearance (oh dear, described as a crime against fashion by Mrs Angry's daughter who has her own blog, here). Mr Mustard hasn't had the pleasure of meeting Maddy yet but will be sure to dress "properly" if there is a chance that he might.

Mr Mustard also name-checked Mr Reasonable, and Barnet is stuffed full of bloggers who are all well worth following and the other member of the famous four (the fifth having escaped to Nottingham) is Roger at The Barnet Eye.

Do keep reading the soap opera that is Barnet.

Here is a link to the programme on iplayer .

Three more episodes yet to go featuring other people and places.

Are parking tickets funny? perhaps

PCN in yellow boxes are coming to Barnet soon.

Are parking tickets funny? well Mr Mustard made some of his friends laugh when he talked about an "interesting" parking ticket at FOI club a few months ago. They aren't funny when you get one but maybe, just maybe, a talk about them could be.

Mr Mustard is currently being filmed on occasion by Century Films who are putting together a documentary for the BBC about parking. They thought it might be good to see Mr Mustard pass on his knowledge about appealing parking tickets and how he achieves a 90%+ success rate - see, that is making you smile already.

So rather than packing a room with all his friends, there must be a group which is meeting in August ( it doesn't matter why you all get together although the local nudist society might pose some filming problems ) and who are prepared to allow Mr Mustard a 15 or 20 minute slot at the end of normal business to present a quick talk on parking tickets and how to appeal them. If he doesn't make you laugh he might save you £110 and then you will be laughing all the way to the bank. The presentation will be filmed by a small team of two ladies with one camera and no-one will be filmed if they don't want to be.

If you are game for a laugh (Mr Mustard does like to set himself a challenge from time to time) then please send an email to mrmustard@zoho.com and he will see what the film crew's diary looks like and get writing his presentation.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Has a parking ticket got your goat?

http://www.nannygoatsinpanties.com

During the last 2 years Mr Mustard has read some appeals which went to the independent adjudicator PATAS in which parking tickets were issued in absurd, ridiculous and downright unreasonable circumstances. These parking tickets cause anger, confusion and a feeling of helplessness when dealing with a pedantic and intransigent public official.

Now is the time to have your say.

Century Films, the makers of Parking Mad, are making another film about parking and it will feature some footage shot in Barnet (it being a hotbed of stupid decision making such as removing cash parking meters) so if you have a bonkers parking ticket, and the madder the better, please email liz.allen@centuryfilmsltd.com with the briefest of summaries of the problem ticket and what has happened. If the story is still continuing then so much the better.

You could be a film star.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard