Lockys TV Appearance

By complete luck and kindness from a friend who was doing the same career path as me, on her first day at East London University, 3 people didn’t turn up to the course. She called and said she had spoken to the tutors and if I wanted an interview I needed to go down to London tomorrow. I straight away call them, booked a train ticket and packed a bag. The interview went well and at the end of it I was so pleased they had offered me a place on the course, with one stipulation; the course had technically already started yesterday… I was late and I’d already missed the first day. They wanted me to start the very next day. Within 12 hours I’d packed my entire house into black bin bags, dropped most off at a friend’s house on the way and travelled to London with 2 suitcases full of clothes, no accommodation booked but all I knew if that I needed to start this course. I’d been given an opportunity that I wouldn’t get again, I’d been offered a career. I found a hostel local to the university campus, however I didn’t trust leaving my bags their so every day I turned up with my suitcases. It was quite a talking point and people got to know me for it. One week into the course, Id sorted a house-share and moved out of the hostel. Id settled in quite well and that Saturday I was watching Ant and Dec’s Saturday night take away. A competition was on to win 2 tickets to be in the audience for the live show in 2 weeks time. I’ll text in not expecting much success but thought it would be a great night to go and watch. 2 days went by before I received a call from ITV. They asked me if I could tell them 3 funny stories about myself. To which I responded with ‘I’ll tell you one long story that will make up for 3’. After telling my story the girl was howling down the phone and asked if I could repeat it live on TV? Of course I agreed and she confirmed that I had won the tickets and she would try her best to get me on the show. 3 days prior to the show my phone rang to a number I didn’t recognise. It was a gentleman from ITV; ‘Hello is that Dave? I’m just calling to confirm how you pronounce your second name?’ This is a usual question I receive with a surname spelt Loughlin, more usual is Loglin or Loogin but I thought it strange for ITV to ask the question unless they had plans on using me! After I confirmed ‘Loughlin’ I asked if that was all? The gentleman panicked and started asking me if I had any other funny stories or wanted to add to my previous story? The conversation was quiet abrupt and strange but I felt quite excited that it must be good news and maybe I would get to tell my story. Saturday Night Takeaway is famous for audience participation and prizes for the audience. They have a competition called ‘Win the Ads’ whereby they take a funny photo of each audience member and pick one at random from the ‘super computer’ to have the chance to win prices from each advert between two popular television shows. Saturday was finally here and id invited my housemate to be my +1 for the night. On arrival the first thing was to have our funny face photos taken for the competition, then we made our way over to the free bar!! 2 beers down and Id started to notice some of the people in the room had took a shining to me? More than that, I was being watched by staff behind the bar, security and what looked like producers for the show. I asked my housemate and he thought I was crazy, until he looked around and agreed it felt a little strange. Maybe I was being paranoid after my 2 beers  or maybe excited with the phone call I’d received however I remember betting my friend that they would seat us near the end of a row or somewhere special in the auditorium. 15 minutes later we were being called into the studio and sure enough my predictions were completely wrong. No one to seat us, no specified seating, just walk in and sit down anywhere. I sat between my housemate and an elderly lady who loved to chat. Before the show started a warm up act came on to get the audience involved in the show and excite them up to use them move in the show. Bradly Walsh came on and offers 3 men from the audience a chance to win a crate of beer if they would do a quick strip tease on an unsuspecting female from the audience. Being a student, my hand was first to be raised along with only 2 other men in the audience. Bradly looked at my straight in my face and didn’t invite me down? Sure enough he invited the other 2 men with hands up and demonstrated for a 3rd male? So I waved a little… still no reaction apart from ‘come on guy we just need one more male?’ So the lady next to be asked me to stand up and she shouted ‘Him, him’ without avail he finally persuaded an unwilling man onto the stage. ‘That was very strange’ said by my housemate and my new found friend next to me. So id missed out on the beer but made myself comfortable for the show. Lots of celebrities on the show including, All Saints, Johnathan Ross, Simon Cowell and Ricky Gervais. It was 45mins in and time for Ant and Dec to start the Super Computer. Flicking through the faces they shouted STOP and sure enough yours truly, pulling my stupid funny face. The camera on the boom arm in the ceiling came hurtling towards me and I trotted down the stairs to the main stage just as Ant and Dec were introducing an advert break. I was met at the stage by a producer. She explained within the 3 min advert break that ‘Ant will say they and you will respond, Dec will point at this and you will turn around’ I was so confused and not really taking any of it in. Just as I asked her to repeat herself she looked at me and confirmed id be live in 4,3,2,1…. That was it live in front of 19 million viewers. Ant and Dec started by introducing myself and asking me some questions about myself. They continued to explain the game. They would ask me as many questions as they would win 90seconds and for each one I get correct I could pick a number from the prize board of 20 numbers. Each number had a prize behind. These prizes consisted of a £15K car an £8K car and another £8K car, a round the world trip, a ski trip to America, a grand in the bank, a winter coat, a plasma VT, bath towels, toilet roll, a pineapple and spaghetti. Before I knew it the questions had started and Id managed to get 9 questions in the time with 8 of them correct. Id picked my 8 numbers and the people at home could see what I had already won, however I couldn’t. Later I would learn that I won 2 of the top prizes. I was given the ultimate decision and opportunity; Walk away with my unknown prizes or gamble all of the prizes I’d won on one question, if I get it correct I’d win all the prices if wrong I’d lose them all… of course I said gamble. The question: which group formally split up has reunited this week to go on tour… is it Genesis or The Police? Music, I’m useless with music… the crowd were completely silent and I was secretly hoping for help that wasn’t coming… I had to guess… I went with Genesis. 3 seconds later I had a little Ant or Dec raised high in the area as his legs wiggled and dangled. I was right, what a guess. I was quickly ushered back stage by the producer that I met during the advert break at the very start. She congratulated me and continued to describe what happens next. ITV where to offer me a cash settlement for the prizes. I suppose we both win as they don’t need to go out and buy prizes and I don’t have to worry about selling brand new cars. Although the word settlement can mean a number of things but to be means a negotiation. But enough of that for now, it was celebration time and back stage into the green room, I was met by All Saints and the other celebs from the show for a free bar, hugs and congratulations. Monday came and I was awaiting my ‘settlement offer’. Id added the prizes up to be around £36K however I thought hard about what my lowest figure I would go down to would be? If they offered me £20K maybe I should take the prizes? A fair offer would be maybe £30K as a settlement? Id decided that if I valued the prizes at £36K, my safe figure was £25K. Anything below this and id take the prizes in an attempt to either make them increase their offer or try and sell the prizes myself. When they finally called, she confirmed an offer of an astonishing £38K, to which I gladly accepted without hesitation.