Fuel panic-buying could be an ideal TV sitcom

Published: 8:51 AM April 13, 2012 Updated: 8:15 PM November 3, 2020

SIR – “Don’t panic, don’t panic!” was the frequent shout from Corporal Jones as he proceeded to do just that, and mild rebuke from the rather cumptious, ‘I’m in charge’ Captain Mainwaring, officer in charge of the local platoon of the Home Guard volunteers guarding our shores during WW2 against invasion.

This displeasure was directed at Private Pike with the comment ‘stupid boy’.

There lies the basis for a new up-to-date series on TV, with the title ‘NO! Prime Minister’.

The role models are in place, including the part of Private Pike.

As a variation on the issue of of gas masks to every civilian at the beginning of the war supplied in a brown cardboard box with a loop of string for carrying purposes, every household could be issued with one or more jerrycans, on the off-chance that every motoring household could have its own reserve supply of petrol stored or lying around the premises, just in case the fuel might be needed, as advised by Government ministers.

You may also want to watch:

The rest I leave to any aspiring script writers.

The less than original idea came to me this morning (March 29) when on a shopping trip to Morrisons on Black Fan Road, I became involved with a seemingly endless queue of cars on what was a panic-buying situation, marshalled by employees of the store whereby, on entering the site, each driver was instructed, shoppers to the left, those for petrol pumps line up, bumper to bumper to the right, ad infinitum.