It’s on Youtube
Harry Monk:
Dunno, but I’ve certainly never been skiing with a couple of other drivers when I’ve been weekended.
Now where’s Toby when you need him?
Ben9:
I have got the dvd. Bit worn but still watchable.just 1 question for greater minds than mine:
How much of it was staged for the camera or was it all very close to the truth■■?
Reading about in Long Haul Pioneer, they did say a lot of it was staged.
Sort of on the subject, the book is amust have for anybody interested in Astran and long haul truck driving.
I also have the DVD, well I own the DVD, my brother borrowed it 3 years ago and I’ve not seen it since.
Harry Monk:
Ben9:
How much of it was staged for the cameraDunno, but I’ve certainly never been skiing with a couple of other drivers when I’ve been weekended.
I’m sat having my weekly break in a ski resort in Austria, but unlikely to do any skiing as its 30 degrees outside, not a drop of snow to be seen. 
“Whats the time now Dave”?..looks at the sun …makes a sundial . . “Take that tangent”
What a hero.
Fair play to the men that did that run years back but can i be the only one thinking that John Williams came across as being a bit stagestruck in that film?
So after seeing this thread ,I thought not watched this for years. Must say I did enjoy it and i know this question has been asked a thousand times but were are the guys from it now, I know John has pass away (God rest him) he seemed a very nice guy but what about the others.
Watched it for first time this week. Loved it. Was always my dream as kid to do middle east and had a poster of an Astran truck on my wall but sadly born a little too late. I too would love to know where they are now.
Chaps you must buy Ashley Coghills brilliant book ‘The longhaul pioneers’ which is all about Astran from the moment it was started right up to the present day, it has a chapter dedicated to the making of ‘Destination Doha’. The Leyland Marathon was only a loaner as Astran didn’t run them and the driver in the documentry [■■■■ Rivers] was actually a test driver for Leyland. There is also a bit in the book about what the drivers are doing this days, sadley John Williams is no longer with us. 
Chris Hooper was an ex M.E driver.The last time i saw him was in Habay truckstop Belgium.
His Scania had the Transit yellow sign in Arabic on the front grill.
He has recently wrote a letter to Truckstop News.
I worked with Frank Hook when I was employed at Harrier Express, Faversham, Kent. Some of the drivers thought Frank was a miserable (zb), but I always got on great with him. Frank was a wealth of knowledge and would always give you help or advice if you asked for it.
If we were parked up together we would talk and laugh about my time in the Army and Frank`s time in the Navy . I worked with Frank for over a year before I realised who he was. He never spoke about Destination Doha or ME work until I brought it up. It was just something he had done, he didn’t feel the need to brag about it.
Frank fell from a trailer and badly broke his arm. While he was off sick I left Harrier Express and have not seen him since. Just the way it goes I suppose 
muckles:
Ben9:
I have got the dvd. Bit worn but still watchable.just 1 question for greater minds than mine:
How much of it was staged for the camera or was it all very close to the truth■■?
Reading about in Long Haul Pioneer, they did say a lot of it was staged.
Sort of on the subject, the book is amust have for anybody interested in Astran and long haul truck driving.I also have the DVD, well I own the DVD, my brother borrowed it 3 years ago and I’ve not seen it since.
Harry Monk:
Ben9:
How much of it was staged for the cameraDunno, but I’ve certainly never been skiing with a couple of other drivers when I’ve been weekended.
I’m sat having my weekly break in a ski resort in Austria, but unlikely to do any skiing as its 30 degrees outside, not a drop of snow to be seen.
Blimey is it 3 yaers since you last visited, didn’t realise the Roughton Troll was so expensive, well I’m glad to say you have ventered forth and stopped before you fell in the sea, and have the DVD back in your hands.
Great watch thanks for the extended lend. its what a big “bruv” is for 
PS if you go skiing I want to see it just for the scenery you understand
My dad Ray Neal was a young driver on Astran he was often away for months when we were kids… He is still driving semi retired for DHL.
He is going to a reunion soon in Warwickshire with all the other original Astran drivers
If anyone knows him or would like to contact him please PM me
Thanks
Martin
Just watched the ones oatcake put up. Some on YouTube have the section from Yugoslavia to Saudi missing.
I was riveted watching this. What a great film. Reminded me of Ice Cold in Alex. I like the small details that date it to the time. The music played, the old currencies in Europe, squeaky doors on new lorries, border posts. They even speak differently to how people do these days. The guy with the glasses is funny for his sayings. Slightly annoying the narrator keeps mispronouncing it ‘swordy-Arabia’.
Should be re posted under the main forum as more would see it and I’d think many would find it interesting. Shows you how different real lorry driving was back then.
Those of us on the ‘main forum’ have been watching and re-watching it since it came out in the '70s. I remember sitting on the edge of my bed gawping at this BBC World About Us production with disbelief and envy and frustration and wonder… Little knowing that one day I would be driving to Doha in an old artic in convoy with one of the same bloody characters that were in the film! That’s the way it was. It’ll never come back again and I feel privileged to have taken part in the old Middle-East Run. Robert 
got , the doha dvd and the ‘’ on your bike ‘’ one about an owner driver hauling bikes for raleigh and the one following big ‘‘h’’ to istambul , if you guys have any probs watching the copied dvds just download a viewer from the net called VLC MEDIA PLAYER , it plays any form of media , cheers
They get off the ferry in Ostend early doors and are still in Belge when they park up that night 
They say that Frank Hook was on his first trip
But on part two he talks about the run home.
He’s clearly done the run before.
They don’t seem in much of a hurry to get on either.
No early starts
Soldier z:
They say that Frank Hook was on his first trip
But on part two he talks about the run home.
He’s clearly done the run before.
They don’t seem in much of a hurry to get on either.
No early starts
I took it to mean that Frank was on his 1st Suadi trip, but had previously done Iran, as he does mention Iran iirc.
Would have thought that if your going that distance maybe you can pace yourself, what you lose one day maybe make up the next, and it looked at one point as if they were running late in the night (through Yugoslavia)
Just my thoughts, never done that sort off distance/work myself
Way back in the 80’s I read a book called Jugernaught, it was written by an author who rode shot gun with a M/E trucker from Blackpool. Brilliant book, but at one point the author try’s to persuade the driver to start earlier each day, rather than run late into the night, cant remember why now, but maybe its the way some guys prefer to work
Soldier z:
They say that Frank Hook was on his first trip
But on part two he talks about the run home.
He’s clearly done the run before.
They don’t seem in much of a hurry to get on either.
No early starts
I seem to remember there was something in the Long Haul Pioneers book about the filming, I think they were having to do quite a lot of stage managed stuff for the film crew which slowed their normal progress.
If your driving for days at a time without tipping and loading you can often start and finish when you want and I guess they didn’t have timed delivery.
When I was in canada I used to pretty much work 9am to 9pm as I hate early mornings.