UK - East Midlands Traffic Officers Rescue Darth Vader On The M1

International

UK - Highways Agency Traffic Officers have come to the rescue of one of movies’ best known baddies after his car ground to a halt on the M1. Actor Dave Prowse, best known as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films, was heading north on the M1 on the way to Burton on Trent for a role on a new film when his car developed problems between junctions 18 and 19.

Highways Agency Traffic Officers have come to the rescue of one of movies’ best known baddies after his car ground to a halt on the M1.

Actor Dave Prowse, best known as Darth Vader in the original Star Wars films, was heading north on the M1 on the way to Burton on Trent for a role on a new film when his car developed problems between junctions 18 and 19.

When the warning lights appeared on the dash board, Dave managed to pull onto the hard shoulder.  He rang through to the East Midlands Regional Control Centre using an emergency telephone and a patrol was dispatched to help.

The star who educated a generation of children as TV’s Green Cross Code Man in the 1970s and 80s, was surprised at the noise and speed of the traffic travelling just metres from him while he waited for recovery.

"The traffic officers told me to wait behind the barrier, and I couldn’t believe the noise from the traffic that was sailing past me,” said Dave. “I am known as the Green Cross Code Man, but this was a totally different situation.

“The traffic officers were fantastic, really lovely. They turned up quickly and helped me to arrange for the car to be recovered. I was on my way to rehearsals and filming at Yoxhall, near Burton on Trent when I broke down. Then, that weekend I was due to attend a reunion of the 501st UK Garrison, which is a Star Wars costumed charitable organisation, at the National Space Centre in Leicester. I’m the Commander in Chief Worldwide so it was really important I that I was there, and when I broke down my boot was full of memorabilia and photos.”

On-road traffic officers Craig Chapman and Asha-Jayne Neary based at Watford Gap outstation, and control room traffic officer Jo Li who was gaining experience of life on patrol, were dispatched to the scene.

While assisting David, who lives in Croydon, the traffic officers realised who he was, and also the unusual history of his Mercedes car.

“It has a great provenance as the car was previously owned by my good friend Kenny Baker who was R2D2,” said David. “Of course, because of Kenny’s size he used to keep a little ladder inside the boot so he could climb up and put his suitcases in the back. When he had finished, he’d put the ladder back into the car but then he couldn’t reach to close the boot, so he had tied a cord to the boot handle. I decided to leave the cord there as a reminder of the car’s previous owner.”

Traffic Officer Craig Chapman (29) of Milton Keynes said: “We meet all kinds of people on the hard shoulder and every day is different, but since I started work for the Highways Agency in January, meeting Darth Vader is definitely one of the strangest situations I’ve been in, but he was such a nice man and was so grateful that we came to help.”