GREAT BALLS OF FIRE

F*****G HELL! It certainly roasted my nuts!

I must admit even I was a bit reluctant to go near the team preparing this beauty. Apparently using large quantities of flammable liquid and flash powder is normal for properly trained crews wanting to make a bang for displays or the movies. The massive distance they went up the hill with this proved two things to me: One, how big this would be and two, they knew what they were doing sticking it that far away.

What followed when it went off was incredible. The most intense two seconds of my time with UKFR. Check out the video which includes a slow motion replay.

Fireball : The biggest fireball in the history of UKFR. You can feel the heat! (Warning, explicit language). 4Mb DivX video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing. Andy P's Fireball : Another brilliant fireball, this one created by Andy P during the main display. 4Mb DivX video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing.

ANDY P'S TEA CHESTS OF DOOM

100 rockets fired at once. As seen in Iraq!

Andy's rocket salvos were a complete surprise to me. I was enjoying a barrage of three or four cat three rockets being fired from the racks when all of a sudden a whole shedload went up. Some good effects too, and good hang time thanks to some falling leaves. And then it happened again... and again. These were 100 rocket salvos by Shellscape (cat 4, sorry!). They were named "Tea Chests of Doom" thanks to their physical size, and what they did to Gerry's fence - 100 rockets in a box have a seriously large amount of blisteringly hot exhaust gases to vent.

Tea Chests Of Doom : Three times 100 rockets. 7Mb DivX video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing.

SIXTEEN INCH SHELL MINE

Boom!

Wondering what happened to the sixteen inch shell? Well I am afraid it flowerpotted. That is, it went off in the tube. This does happen from time to time with any aerial shell. For one reason or another it does not lift, or the lift charge goes right through to the shell. When this happens it looks bloody spectacular, but very little risk, since any mortar tube will contain the blast so what happens is the pyro blasts out the top mine-style. So what we had here was a 16 inch mine! The pro crew were disappointed - but we weren't. It looked brilliant!

16 inch shell mine style : Video of the 16 inch shell. This is NOT a good clip - I panned up instinctively ready for the shell not realising it had mined, so I missed most of it. 1Mb DivX video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing. 16 inch shell remains : Picking over the wreckage. 4Mb DivX video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing.

HI-RES PANORAMIC FIRING ZONE SHOTS

GERRY "RIDE-ON" Vs. JAMES "S2000"

Can Gerry make it to the top of the hill on his ride-on mower before James - in his speedy S2000 - can navigate six miles of country roads, buy supplies from a busy builders' merchants and return and park his car? Watch my receding hairline retreat faster and further than ever before as I film from the passenger seat of the S2000.

S2000 : 21Mb Windows Media video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing.

MISC SHOTS / MORNING AFTER / UNCLASSIFIED

1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: 7:

1: One man and his tent 2: Keith and Annette with engraved plate 3: Er, answers on a postcard! 4: Close-up of Rocket rev's T-shirt 5: Morning after the wedding fireworks 6: More morning after debris 7: More morning after debris

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1: Pro-team arsenal 2: Lots of wiring 3: A review item that did not impress 4: Zedsquared as Batman in front of the remains of Eros (picture believed to be courtesy and © Pepsi) 5: Stunning image by Pete B of Eros from the other side 6: GaryP and partner 7: Battle damage to Gerry's fence caused by Andy P's "Tea Chests Of Doom" (rocket salvos in a box) - picture ©Gerry

Eros and Wheel : A (not very good) clip showing a few seconds of Eros blowing up, and a few seconds of the wheel. These were filmed right at the extreme of the camera zoom, hence the shaking (which was not related to the amount of beer I had consumed during filming!). 6Mb DivX video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing. Cat 4 Reprise : A cat 4 cake that was found unfired and put out of its misery at the very end of the night. 5Mb Windows Media video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing. Morning After : Depressing clip. Some viewers may find these scenes disturbing. Contains mild peril, moderate hangovers, bad weather. 19Mb Windows Media video file. Please "right click" and save to your PC before playing.