The BBC “World in Action” documentary “Destination Doha”, which followed three British truck drivers on a trip to Qatar at the height of the Middle-East boom was mentioned on the PDF earlier today and this inspired me to dig out my copy and watch it again.
This is a fantastic piece of film and I wondered who else had seen it?
I have to admit that I saw it when it was first shown on tv in 1977, back when I was a kitten… 
Inselaffe:
I have to admit that I saw it when it was first shown on tv in 1977, back when I was a kitten…
Hell, I wasn’t born in 1977…but I do have a copy on DVD. Annoyingly it keeps stopping and starting but I have watched it numorous times anyway 
I have the DVD also.
Saw a DVD copy of this going on eBay last week for 99p buy it now.
Meant to get it but got detracted and it had gone by the time I remembered!
Alex
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■■?
its a good watch alright but the copy i have is missing an extra bit where it shows footage of a guy with near frost bite ? may have to get another copy!!
Now u have just inspired me to watch it again!!!
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■■?
I think a lot of it was staged.No one with the organisation of Astran has to have a full brake stripdown in Belgium on the way out!Not that this is not the sort of breakdown you can avoid on this sort of work.I think the idea was to show the viewer as many types of situation that can arise on a trip.They had more problems on that trip than I think I had in 12 months.I’m sure I heard that the bogged down event in Saudi was staged,quite possible.I came across roadworks on the tapline many times and had to take a diversion,sometimes I got bogged down,sometimes I didn’t.
Trucks on this type of work are usually very well looked after,and I think Astran are as good as any.When I was on for Brit European,you had a new truck every 12 months,and your old one was pensioned off to do European only.
Mechanical breakdowns usually ocurred when you had a few thousand miles behind you.The sort of breakdowns I have been involved with,(not all on my own vehicle),replacing the clutch in a Fiat 619 on the Telex motel car park in Ankara,clutch hydraulic failure on a 290 Volvo at Zahko,propshaft U/J replaced on my Scania 142 in the desert,Saudi,Replace broken gearbox selectors on a 290 Volvo by the Dead Sea in Jordan,source spring leaves to repair broken trailer springs in Baghdad,major engine failure on Scania 111 on the tapline.
All this was over a number of years,if I had genually had all the breakdowns that Astran had on one trip,I don’t think a second trip would have been something to look forward to.
Just got a copy on eBay for 99p! £2.36 including postage, not bad at all!
Alex
Hi just got this dvd from ebay. Anyone else have problems watching it. It wont load for me. Cheers
The copy I got wont work on my laptop, my desktop PC or the DVD player we have in the lounge, but on my other (Toshiba) DVD player it works absolutely fine!
Try using something different to play it.
Alex
bestbooties:
I have the DVD also.
Me too.I’ve not long had the other one sold on ebay,the Scania promo film of the drawbar outfit going to the Middle East…not quite as good as Doha as the bloke/language is in Norwegian,but pretty good watch nonetheless…recommended 
Ben9:
How much of it was staged for the camera
Dunno, but I’ve certainly never been skiing with a couple of other drivers when I’ve been weekended.
ive had doha for ages and is a great watch .the norwegian one with the scania is bandar abbus express,theres also an italian one made by fiat called rotta karachi (route kararchi)and thats got 3 fiats from rynart transport from holland in it
I have it on video it was recorded for me by dave paulton from his own contributors copy. I got it some time ago now (long before astan was sold) i emailed them and was told it was not available but a couple of weeks later i recieved an email saying dave would do me a copy.
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 have 
Well I tried to, me & a few blokes were in Carisio one weekend & decided to hit the slopes, I was in my Transcon with a lad called Jamie from Central Freight, Gary Hogger Had a bloke called Gordon with him in his 142, we made it up to the slopes, stuck the lorries in a car park full of Mercs & Rollers & ended up right on the lash for the rest of the weekend, not a film camera in sight 
As a footnote Jamie from central Freight got murdered in Prato (John) the following summer 
ive got loads of trucking dvds including this one, i not watched it for a while though