Cold Feet star James Nesbitt has jumped in to help make the car restoration dream of a father whose son and daughter-in-law tragically died during their honeymoon a reality.
Billy Rodgers had promised his son John during his wedding to Lynette, 26, in 2015 they would “make a start” on restoring his 1959 MGA Roadster, brought by Billy as a project in the 1970s, on the couple’s return.
Having put off getting under the bonnet for years due to the time constraints of everyday life, John – Billy’s only son – promised to help his dad restore the car to its former glory once the hectic wedding period was over.
But just six days into John, 28, and Lynette’s honeymoon in South Africa that October, the couple tragically drowned.
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Now the car is as good as new after Billy’s daughter Kathryn, 27, approached National Geographic programme Car S.O.S to help fix up the MGA Roadster as a surprise for dad.
She said: “It just felt like the most natural thing to do.
“He has made so many sacrifices for us and after my brother died he was just a pillar of strength to everyone. Everyone else just fell apart.
Kathryn continued: “We all wanted to do something for him and we knew how much pleasure he would derive from it.”
Show hosts Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw also enlisted actor James Nesbitt for their undercover mission to rescue the car – in the worst condition they had ever encountered – in Ballygowan, Northern Ireland.
The star, 53, came on board because Billy’s brother Ian works in James’ facilities company, making trailers for TV and film productions made in the area.
“He contacted me and asked if I would get involved,” said James.
Posing next to the overhauled motor, he recalled: “I wasn’t initially sure what the format would be, but the moment I arrived, I could sense this was something special. The car has undergone an extraordinary transformation from scrap to this absolutely stunning MGA.”
He continued: “As much as this is something that will give Billy a great lift, it’s also very poignant that he was going to restore this car with his son John. It’s a very, very human story.”
James, who donated his fee for appearing on the show to local bereavement charity the WAVE Trauma Centre, explained how an oblivious Billy was surprised with his as-new car after being invited to the London set of his detective drama Lucky Man.
Eventually, Billy twigged the blue MGA James was driving for filming was his very own car.
Billy recalled: “It was a wonderful moment and also incredibly humbling when I realised what had happened and all the people involved in helping to keep it a secret. John would have loved it so much.”
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“We live in cynical times, but that felt like a very pure and true moment,” said James.
“There are so many TV programmes these days where the reality feels forced. But just occasionally, we see moments like this where we sense the impact it has on someone and feel that out of darkness rays of hope can come.”
Revealing the MGA can be difficult to handle, James also joked he was nervous to get behind the wheel and give it a run out.
“I thought: ‘If I’m going to crash a car, this is the time to do it. There are plenty of people from Car S.O.S here who could fix it!’
“Also, I passed my test in a Lada, and if you can drive a Lada, you can drive anything!
The sixth season of Car S.O.S premieres Thursday 8th March at 8pm on National Geographic.
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