Courtsey of Terry.Gilmour
Popular television presenter John Sergeant has described the Isle of Man TT and its international fans as ‘great’ and ‘amazing’.
Next Tuesday at 8pm, the TT will feature in the first episode of John’s new three-part ITV1 series John Sergeant on the Tourist Trail, in which he returns to his roots as a tour guide and gets a unique perspective of Britain by joining different tourist parties and experiencing Britain through their eyes.
Alongside the Isle of Man, the hour-long shows will feature other leading tourist destinations and attractions, including Loch Ness, the Lake District and the Eisteddfod Music Festival in Wales.
However, John said his visit to the Isle of Man during the 2009 TT and meeting some of the dedicated German fans who make the journey was one of the highlights of making the series.
He said:
‘I think the German bikers were the most amazing. For me it was the most amazing experience of thousands of German bikers who wear leathers and all the rest of it, descending on the Isle of Man.’
‘I didn’t know about that. Obviously I knew about the TT races, the tourist trophy races, I’d heard about that all my life. But I’d never been to the Isle of Man. For me it was interesting to wonder “why were they there?” and why were the people of the Isle of Man keen on bikers?’
John added:
‘Bikers know that in all sorts of places they’ll be unwelcome and people will be slightly frightened of them. And the idea of all these bikers en masse, you think that would be a nightmare for anywhere but of course, not for the Isle of Man.’
‘It’s a great festival and once they know that, it goes onto the map for German bikers. If you’re an enthusiast about motorbikes and you live in Germany, where do you want to be in June – the Isle of Man.’
‘I thought that it was an amazing story and it was all such good fun.’
‘Once they peel off their leathers, they’re not in the least bit frightening and they’re very welcoming. And I thought that contrast between the noise of the bikes, what they actually were like, what they turned into and what characters they were, was great. And it was so amazing that they loved the experience so much that they come back, year after year.’
During filming for the TT feature John also met TT hero Guy Martin and German rider Karsten Schmidt, who explained the thrill of competing in the world’s greatest motorsport event.
John Sergeant (ITV)
The trip was organised by the Isle of Man Government’s Department of Tourism and Leisure, which assisted the production crew from Mentorn TV with the on-site logistics during their four-day trip.
Tourism and Leisure Minister Martyn Quayle said:
‘It was a great pleasure to welcome John Sergeant and the crew to the Isle of Man this year and I am really looking forward to watching the programme.’
‘Hopefully it will show people in the UK that one of the world’s greatest free spectator sport experiences is on their doorstep and will encourage them to book for the 2010 TT Races.’
