1 01:00:17,800 --> 01:00:22,600 ‘The news hour with Peggy Walker on BBC Radio Cumbria.’ 2 01:00:25,480 --> 01:00:30,280 ‘South Lakes resident Archie Workman, the man whose work tidying roadside 3 01:00:30,280 --> 01:00:35,880 verges in the Colton area, led to a passion for drain covers.’ 4 01:00:36,480 --> 01:00:38,120 ‘Yes, this is the story.’ 5 01:00:48,400 --> 01:00:50,840 Job satisfaction’s 110%. 6 01:00:52,280 --> 01:00:53,800 We got a lot of rain here 7 01:00:54,120 --> 01:00:56,440 and last night, horrendous thunderstorm. 8 01:00:56,800 --> 01:00:59,680 Lancaster flooded, but Colton Parish didn't 9 01:01:00,360 --> 01:01:02,280 because the drains were all clear. 10 01:01:06,360 --> 01:01:08,360 First of all, I like working in the fresh air. 11 01:01:09,280 --> 01:01:12,840 Well, one chamber full of mud and leaves. 12 01:01:14,160 --> 01:01:17,080 Of course, your lying with your legs in the road and your head down. 13 01:01:17,960 --> 01:01:20,280 I've had people saying, was I praying? 14 01:01:21,280 --> 01:01:24,160 For some, I'm a local hero. 15 01:01:24,160 --> 01:01:26,480 For others, I'm definitely a local weirdo. 16 01:01:29,800 --> 01:01:33,440 I get lots of plaudits from people just passing in the car 17 01:01:33,440 --> 01:01:35,400 saying, “Well, done mate, keep it up.” 18 01:01:35,400 --> 01:01:37,160 Yeah, I'm the lengthsman around here. 19 01:01:37,160 --> 01:01:38,800 Oh, these ladies are from Ulverston. 20 01:01:38,800 --> 01:01:40,640 Oh, right, well they’ll know me then. 21 01:01:41,320 --> 01:01:43,480 Well, a lengthsman is a medieval term 22 01:01:43,480 --> 01:01:48,160 for a road worker who looks after a length of road. 23 01:01:50,120 --> 01:01:52,080 There used to be hundreds of them in the UK 24 01:01:52,760 --> 01:01:55,480 but when mechanisation came in in the sixties they died out. 25 01:01:56,200 --> 01:01:59,800 I’m one of a small handful of lengthsman left in the country. 26 01:02:02,360 --> 01:02:05,720 My parish, Colton Parish, employs me 27 01:02:05,720 --> 01:02:08,600 and I have 20 square miles 28 01:02:09,120 --> 01:02:10,560 and an awful lot of drains. 29 01:02:12,800 --> 01:02:16,560 Some of the drain chambers have been full of mud and grit and gravel 30 01:02:16,560 --> 01:02:17,880 for about 20 years. 31 01:02:18,560 --> 01:02:19,920 I dig them out by hand. 32 01:02:21,840 --> 01:02:23,480 Interesting thing about these drains, 33 01:02:23,480 --> 01:02:24,680 they're all from Wigan. 34 01:02:31,600 --> 01:02:36,120 This is probably the oldest drain cover I have ever found in Cumbria. 35 01:02:36,120 --> 01:02:38,880 When I saw this the first time I went, ‘Wow’. 36 01:02:39,600 --> 01:02:43,360 Really lovely drain and it's been made in 1880-odd. 37 01:02:43,920 --> 01:02:46,080 I just love the big holes in the grid. 38 01:02:46,680 --> 01:02:49,600 It reminds me of somebody being in prison. 39 01:02:51,000 --> 01:02:51,760 It's fantastic. 40 01:02:53,400 --> 01:02:57,240 Some people discover music, some people discover new places to visit. 41 01:02:57,720 --> 01:03:00,560 My passion is finding new drains I've never seen before. 42 01:03:00,560 --> 01:03:02,040 Yeah, it's a bit of a treasure hunt. 43 01:03:04,200 --> 01:03:07,000 I take photographs of all the drains that I've cleaned. 44 01:03:07,440 --> 01:03:08,600 And I thought, hang on a minute. 45 01:03:08,600 --> 01:03:10,600 Wow, this is incredible. 46 01:03:11,040 --> 01:03:12,680 And that's when I really got hooked. 47 01:03:14,160 --> 01:03:17,360 I was amassing a collection of photographs of drain covers, 48 01:03:18,000 --> 01:03:20,760 and I thought, hey, I've got something here, I'll make a calendar. 49 01:03:21,640 --> 01:03:25,200 I only made six, and I gave one to the Parish clerk 50 01:03:25,200 --> 01:03:28,200 and some friends, and I gave one to the media. 51 01:03:29,720 --> 01:03:31,240 Now, a South Cumbrian man 52 01:03:31,240 --> 01:03:35,040 who's found a bit of fame for his love of the history of drain covers. 53 01:03:35,400 --> 01:03:38,400 Archie Workman got into the slightly unusual hobby 54 01:03:38,400 --> 01:03:41,280 through his work as a lengthsman for the Colton Parish Council. 55 01:03:41,680 --> 01:03:43,240 Well, a film being shot this week 56 01:03:43,240 --> 01:03:45,800 is destined for film festivals right around the world. 57 01:03:46,080 --> 01:03:49,640 Now, Archie, just remind us, how did your enthusiasm 58 01:03:49,640 --> 01:03:51,760 for drain covers of all things actually start? 59 01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:54,280 Well, I began about three years ago now. 60 01:03:54,400 --> 01:03:56,640 How time flies when you're digging drains. 61 01:03:58,080 --> 01:03:59,720 Our parish clerk knocked on the door, 62 01:03:59,720 --> 01:04:03,960 said would I be interested in helping the Parish be their lengthsman? 63 01:04:04,200 --> 01:04:06,120 And then I believe BBC Radio Cumbria, 64 01:04:06,120 --> 01:04:07,520 it could have even been our reporter, 65 01:04:07,520 --> 01:04:09,360 Neil Smith, started sticking his beak in 66 01:04:09,360 --> 01:04:12,400 and we got the story about your enthusiasm on air, didn’t we? 67 01:04:12,400 --> 01:04:16,640 We met one morning outside a drain in Tottlebank on a freezing cold morning. 68 01:04:18,360 --> 01:04:19,080 Good morning, Mike. 69 01:04:19,080 --> 01:04:21,800 Yes, from the Tottlebank crossroads above Penny Bridge. 70 01:04:21,800 --> 01:04:23,120 Now, in the verge here, 71 01:04:23,920 --> 01:04:25,720 it's not gurgling this morning 72 01:04:25,720 --> 01:04:28,320 because despite the rain last night there isn't actually any water 73 01:04:28,320 --> 01:04:31,800 flowing down into this particular drain, but this was a drain 74 01:04:32,160 --> 01:04:35,080 that featured in a limited edition calendar of drain covers 75 01:04:35,280 --> 01:04:37,160 that Archie Workman had produced for friends. 76 01:04:37,320 --> 01:04:40,680 I just made it as a joke, really, and it backfired big time on me because 77 01:04:41,400 --> 01:04:43,800 the reporter said, “You'll get lots of people wanting one.” 78 01:04:43,920 --> 01:04:45,400 I said, “No, they won't,” 79 01:04:45,400 --> 01:04:47,800 and then hundreds and hundreds of people wanted one. 80 01:04:48,000 --> 01:04:50,560 Archie Workman, thank you very much for popping into the studio. 81 01:04:50,760 --> 01:04:52,800 And something tells me they might just be the latest 82 01:04:52,800 --> 01:04:54,960 rather than the last chapter on this and they’ll be more 83 01:04:54,960 --> 01:04:57,760 on this roller coaster about the drains to come in future. 84 01:04:59,880 --> 01:05:01,160 Don't reach for your remote, 85 01:05:01,160 --> 01:05:04,800 but we've got one of the dullest men in Britain in the studio. 86 01:05:05,000 --> 01:05:07,640 ‘Archie lives in Cumbria and has long been captivated by drain covers...’ 87 01:05:07,640 --> 01:05:11,120 ‘And our interview with the self-confessed drainspotter...’ 88 01:05:11,120 --> 01:05:13,680 ‘And an eccentric form of celebrity.’ 89 01:05:14,080 --> 01:05:17,360 When the article in the Metro hit the press 90 01:05:18,280 --> 01:05:21,320 Leland Carlson of the Dull Men's Club 91 01:05:21,320 --> 01:05:22,120 rang me and said, 92 01:05:22,120 --> 01:05:23,720 “Hey, Archie, how would you like to 93 01:05:23,720 --> 01:05:25,960 come in our calendar and be Mr. March? 94 01:05:25,960 --> 01:05:27,040 The press went ballistic. 95 01:05:27,560 --> 01:05:29,840 It is our esteemed privilege to award you 96 01:05:30,240 --> 01:05:32,920 our Dull Men’s Club cap, wear it with pride. 97 01:05:33,320 --> 01:05:35,080 It’s just fantastic. 98 01:05:35,080 --> 01:05:36,560 It’s the highlight of my career. 99 01:05:37,280 --> 01:05:39,200 And within seven days... 100 01:05:39,200 --> 01:05:42,120 Oh, I tell you, it’s a gift, we’ve got a beauty for you this morning. 101 01:05:42,120 --> 01:05:43,120 Good morning. 102 01:05:43,120 --> 01:05:45,360 They are some of the dullest men in Britain. 103 01:05:45,360 --> 01:05:48,040 The most unlikely of pin-ups, they include... 104 01:05:48,040 --> 01:05:48,840 Archie Workman. 105 01:05:48,840 --> 01:05:51,640 Archie Workman, who is a drainspotter. 106 01:05:51,640 --> 01:05:52,640 The drainspotter. 107 01:05:52,640 --> 01:05:56,160 Their mundane new calendar could well become a best-seller. 108 01:05:56,480 --> 01:05:58,560 Mentioned on the BBC. 109 01:05:58,560 --> 01:05:59,840 ‘Have I Got News For You.’ 110 01:05:59,840 --> 01:06:02,200 They wanted a calendar, so I had to send them one. 111 01:06:02,440 --> 01:06:03,360 ‘Loose Women.’ 112 01:06:03,360 --> 01:06:04,840 And ‘The One Show.’ 113 01:06:04,840 --> 01:06:08,680 I took a phone call one day from an organisation in Southport 114 01:06:08,680 --> 01:06:09,560 called ‘The Gridders’ 115 01:06:10,160 --> 01:06:13,480 and they thought they were the only people who saw 116 01:06:13,480 --> 01:06:15,000 the beauty in drain covers 117 01:06:15,000 --> 01:06:17,080 and they said, would I like to come to their AGM? 118 01:06:17,360 --> 01:06:18,400 So I got the train 119 01:06:19,520 --> 01:06:21,800 and there they were, at the end of the platform, 120 01:06:21,800 --> 01:06:26,440 30 people standing with mobile phones and cameras cheering 121 01:06:26,440 --> 01:06:27,880 and they made me their president. 122 01:06:28,680 --> 01:06:30,080 There was another round of publicity. 123 01:06:30,080 --> 01:06:33,400 I was in The Telegraph, the Daily Express, the Daily Mail, 124 01:06:33,400 --> 01:06:36,000 Independent on Sunday, French newspapers, 125 01:06:36,120 --> 01:06:37,280 I ended up in Germany. 126 01:06:37,800 --> 01:06:39,960 One of my daughters said, “You're in De Bild.” 127 01:06:39,960 --> 01:06:40,760 My God. 128 01:06:41,480 --> 01:06:43,240 I lit the blue touch paper, 129 01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:45,480 but the firework has fizzed off around the planet. 130 01:06:45,920 --> 01:06:47,560 We've unleashed a global phenomenon 131 01:06:47,560 --> 01:06:49,080 and that's amazing, isn't it? 132 01:06:49,080 --> 01:06:52,880 I mean, how many of my stories go global within seven days? 133 01:06:52,880 --> 01:06:54,520 It doesn't normally happen. 134 01:06:54,800 --> 01:06:56,040 What could come next? 135 01:06:56,520 --> 01:06:57,720 The phone rings. 136 01:06:57,720 --> 01:06:59,160 It's a ladies magazine. 137 01:06:59,960 --> 01:07:01,800 We want to interview your wife. 138 01:07:01,800 --> 01:07:04,640 She says, “Well... 139 01:07:04,640 --> 01:07:06,560 it's a bit like living with Brad Pitt.” 140 01:07:07,440 --> 01:07:12,040 I quite enjoy the sort of fame that goes with being a ladies pin-up. 141 01:07:13,320 --> 01:07:16,480 A lot of people like a man in a uniform, don't they? 142 01:07:17,960 --> 01:07:19,680 I have another phone call 143 01:07:19,680 --> 01:07:22,160 from the local Conservative Party 144 01:07:22,160 --> 01:07:24,600 and they say we're having a fundraising evening. 145 01:07:25,040 --> 01:07:28,720 We understand you could probably come and talk about your drains. 146 01:07:29,640 --> 01:07:31,120 So I said, “Yeah, I'll be delighted.” 147 01:07:31,440 --> 01:07:32,480 They're going to pay me. 148 01:07:33,440 --> 01:07:35,080 Once that’s hit the press, 149 01:07:35,080 --> 01:07:37,440 in come the phone calls from the Women's Institute, 150 01:07:37,680 --> 01:07:39,440 the University of the Third Age, and the Rotary Club of Carlisle 151 01:07:39,880 --> 01:07:42,000 and the Rotary Club of Carlisle South. 152 01:07:45,240 --> 01:07:47,520 Well, yes, tonight the Drainspotter, Archie Workman, 153 01:07:47,520 --> 01:07:48,840 is actually in Carlisle, 154 01:07:48,840 --> 01:07:51,800 giving the latest in what is growing demand 155 01:07:51,800 --> 01:07:53,920 for after-dinner speeches about drains. 156 01:07:53,920 --> 01:07:56,280 And this is your talk, ‘My Life in the Gutter’, 157 01:07:57,040 --> 01:07:59,240 which is being delivered to some packed houses 158 01:07:59,240 --> 01:08:00,520 up and down the county. 159 01:08:03,520 --> 01:08:06,080 The people who are going to hear you tonight, 160 01:08:06,080 --> 01:08:07,280 what are they going to get to hear then? 161 01:08:07,280 --> 01:08:08,960 They're going to hear a little bit about my life story. 162 01:08:09,480 --> 01:08:12,560 I began in the gutter playing marbles at the age of five, 163 01:08:13,200 --> 01:08:16,160 and now some years later, I'm still in the gutter. 164 01:08:17,680 --> 01:08:20,760 So Stan Laurel is the celebrity of Ulverston. 165 01:08:21,080 --> 01:08:22,200 Maybe I'll be the next one. 166 01:08:24,080 --> 01:08:26,480 Will you please put your hands together 167 01:08:26,480 --> 01:08:30,320 and greet Archie Workman please for his talk on 168 01:08:30,320 --> 01:08:32,560 Welcome to My Life in the Gutter. 169 01:08:35,320 --> 01:08:36,800 There's an adrenaline rush. 170 01:08:37,600 --> 01:08:38,960 How many of you have driven around today 171 01:08:38,960 --> 01:08:40,240 and noticed a dirty road sign? 172 01:08:40,920 --> 01:08:43,320 After 5 minutes and initial first nerves 173 01:08:44,160 --> 01:08:45,400 I wanted to do it again. 174 01:08:45,600 --> 01:08:47,240 I suddenly realised Ulverston was 175 01:08:47,240 --> 01:08:49,240 the drain capital of Cumbria. 176 01:08:50,560 --> 01:08:51,720 Where do I want to take it? 177 01:08:51,720 --> 01:08:52,240 Gosh. 178 01:08:53,440 --> 01:08:54,680 One of my aspirations is to 179 01:08:54,680 --> 01:08:56,240 write a book about drainspotting. 180 01:08:56,640 --> 01:08:58,280 There's a book in everybody, isn’t there? 181 01:08:58,600 --> 01:09:02,320 It’s a medieval solution to a modern problem that we have today. 182 01:09:02,920 --> 01:09:05,400 My ambition is to get one of my calendars 183 01:09:05,400 --> 01:09:07,920 and have a trip to an American chat show. 184 01:09:08,800 --> 01:09:10,920 You push it through the hole, 185 01:09:10,920 --> 01:09:13,720 turn it around, and I pull them right out. 186 01:09:14,160 --> 01:09:16,160 It was very interesting. 187 01:09:16,160 --> 01:09:19,760 I didn't know there was so many different types of drains. 188 01:09:20,120 --> 01:09:20,760 Verdict? 189 01:09:21,920 --> 01:09:23,040 Ten out of ten. 190 01:09:30,720 --> 01:09:31,760 And I think that's it.