Graham Manning
Graham Manning – “Yellowhammer Roadshow”
Inspired by the wind-up organ that Kevin Burn used bring regularly to carnival, Graham determined one year to construct something memorable of his own and came up with the idea of a mobile discotheque.
Intended as a one-off what was to be the first prototype of the legendary Yellowhammer Roadshow made its debut in 1988 as a budget model - made out of a couple of old bicycle wheels and a single recording of ‘Pretty Woman’ - which Graham used to tag along with Kenny “Miss Fifi” Miles around the parade route.
Shortly after carnival Graham too the contraption to a ploughing match where old-timer Bill Hogg, a man not reknowned for yielding praise easily, was moved to comment- “That’s pretty good Mannings!” So inspired, the embryo model was taken around to Jack “Dad” Edwards’ place at Ball Corner and revamped to become the machine that has become such a familiar sight every September since.
The innards have been through some changes over the years; the original radio-cassette literally went up in smoke as the result of erroneous battery connections, mercifully the body of the machine was rescued.
For the past several years, Graham has sounded the plaintive farewell to the annual festive fortnight by parading around the village on the Sunday morning playing ’The Carnival is Over’ by The Seekers – “Some like it, some get annoyed” - he observed.
For all the fun he’s had over the years Graham nominates as his claim to fame the day he took the Roadshow to Beechingstoke Fete where it provided the accompaniment as he danced with Jet from the Gladiators TV show – “I was stone cold sober and she was a very nice person!” – Graham recalled with a smile.
