An independent betting shop was in for a pleasant surprise last month when the BBC wanted to film a scene in his shop.
Richard Ansell, owner of BetAnsell, let the crew come to the shop on Queens Road last month to film BBC 2’s The First Team, a sitcom that follows mostly off-the-pitch misadventures of three young football players at a fictional Premier League club.
Richard told WatfordNews: “The BBC had asked the large bookmakers, but no one seemed interested so when they asked me if they could film in my shop, I of course said yes.
“The crew covered up all our signs and even put fake graphics on our equipment. It was amazing how many people were there when we’re probably only going to be on screen for five minutes. At some points there were 40 crew members on set.
“It was nice to be picked as it’s unusual now days to see an independent betting shop on the high street. We opened in 1961 and we’re still going strong in the current climate.
“There are very few independent bookmakers left what makes us different is that we offer a personal service. I love what I do and I know a lot of my customers.”
The First Team, created by Damon Beesley and Ian Morris (Inbetweeners), focuses around three player’s (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, Jack McMullen, Jake Short) friendship and how they are far less proficient with women, money and social media than they are at scoring goals.
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