Sheffield film-maker Paul Barrett shares memories of 1980s safe driving film made with Star journalists

The former Sheffielder featured in Retro (March 28), talking about his links to his musical hero, but he had other interests that brought him into contact with a well-known Star reporter of years gone by, Bernard Smith.

Paul said: “I’ve been making films, going right back to when I was nine. I’m 75 now. I continued with my interest in film-making and over the years I graduated to more professional film.”

He started filming Sheffield Show in about 1983. Paul reckons the event became Sheffield Motor Show the following year.

The Star sponsored the event in those days and the paper’s motoring correspondent Bernard Smith, who wrote under the name Leslie Driver, was heavily involved, along with his colleague and great friend Janet Dunkley.

Janet was familiar to readers as Auntie Janet who ran the Junior Star club for years.

Paul showed Bernard his film and he was impressed and asked Paul if he would consider making a film for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, of which he was a very active member.

The idea was to show common mistakes that drivers make and explain what they should do.

Paul directed and Bernard wrote the script for the film, called A-Level Motoring.

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“You don’t make that kind of film in five minutes,” said Paul. “It took nearly two years. Bernard had got a full-time job at The Star and he couldn’t just take time off in the day.

“The only time we could film was at the weekend and the weather in this country is variable.

“We went to Derbyshire and did motorway filming and went to the town centre. We literally covered Sheffield and Derbyshire.”

Bernard had links with South Yorkshire Police, who had to give permission for some of the filming to take place and occasionally be on hand to see that everything was done safely.

They dubbed the car they used, a yellow Mini Metro, the yellow peril.

Janet, who was also a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, expertly played the bad driver.

Walkie talkies kept Paul in touch with Bernard when they did sequences on the move.

The film holds fond memories for Paul. “We met so many times, I got to know them really well. They were almost like part of my family.

“I used to visit with Bernard in The Star offices at night. He was there every night until 11pm.”

Paul said tha t Bernard was very pleased with the finished film, which was narrated by former BBC broadcaster John Brand .

Go to our website, www.thestar.co.uk, to see clips from A-Level Driving. The film is available on DVD from Paul Barrett for £10 plus £5 P&P by calling 07866 315966.