Croydon funeral firm supplies hearse for Skyfall
The managing director of Croydon-based funeral firm JB Shakespeare has revealed that one of his hearses will feature in the opening sequence of the new James Bond film, Skyfall.
Chris Dighton’s Daimler DS hearse is part of an eight-vehicle motorcade, rumoured to be carrying the bodies of important officials killed in Afghanistan at the beginning of the latest instalment of the James Bond series.
“We were approached by another funeral director in February because the production team was looking for DS hearses to feature in the procession,” Chris said.
“The DS is the old-fashioned-style hearse, which many people associate with funerals. Ours is a 1985 model and is probably one of the last built. We still use it regularly and it is often asked for, particularly by the families of older people.
“There has always been a lot of fuss made over Bond film cars and now we can say we have got a Bond film hearse!”
Steve Hooker, who has worked for the firm for 33 years, was chosen to drive the hearse for the film sequence. He said of his experience: “I had to get to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich at 5.30 in the morning and then drive up and down the road outside over and over again until we finished at around 2.30 in the afternoon.
“We all had walkie-talkies in the cars and were continually being told to either speed up or slow down, according to the instructions of the director.
“When I first heard about it, I thought there might be some bombs or other excitement. I did not expect to be driving up and down the same route for the best part of half a day!”
Image: Picselect
