I’m on The Undateables tonight

I was about to leave a very cold Sunderland for a fishing trip with my dad when my phone rang. It was a producer at Channel 4.

Me performing at a local restaurant in Sunderland

It turned out Steve, one of several “undateable” people from the TV show of the same name, was planning on proposing to his girlfriend. He wanted the proposal to be unique and one his girlfriend, Vicky, would remember.

In order to do this, he decided he needed a guitarist.

That’s where I came in. In a weird game of Chinese Whispers, an old school friend called Kyle had recommended me to his friend Steve who had then told the show producers about me after hearing some of my performances.

For me this is the South

The producers said they would pay for my train tickets from Newcastle to Manchester so I could be part of the proposal.

My role was to pretend to be a busker on the streets while Steve walks past with his girlfriend. Steve was then to burst into song while I accompanied him, serenading a shocked Vicky before getting down on one knee and popping the question.

Arriving in Manchester with a few hours to spare, a meeting with Steve allowed us to fine tune the proposal plan.

His (hopefully) future wife and family were out at a pub lunch while the producers and Steve got everything ready. Vicky’s family were aware of the plan and came to hide in a nearby shop in order to shower Vicky and Steve with celebration. If she said yes, that is.

Ready, Set….. Action

When my moment came, I couldn’t help but feel nervous being surrounded by a film crew and four cameras. What if I fuck the song up? What if I forget the chords? Even worse, what if she says no? How do I stand there, just the three of us, and react to a turned down proposal?

As Steve and Vicky approached he turned to me, smiled and took Vicky’s hand. I began to play the song we’d picked: Come To Me, by the Goo Goo Dolls.

At first Vicky looked extremely shocked and confused. After the first chorus though, her confusion began to change to delight. It can’t have been hard to cotton on that something big was happening by that point. It’s not normal for your boyfriend to burst into song while you’re surrounded by television cameras.

Me and Steve performing ‘Come to Me’

At the end of the song (spoilers), Steve got down on one knee and jumped up with glee when she said yes.

Within minutes, her family all came running over and celebrations were in the air. At that point I was honoured to be part of such a special moment and couldn’t stop smiling.

Vicky came over to me and informed she thought I must have been a famous musician filming a music video that Steve had just interrupted. I blushed.

Me and Steve

On the train back home, I couldn’t help but feel thankful to have been asked to be part of such a magical thing…and get my face on television.

Steve, thank you for trusting me to perform for your proposal, I loved every minute of it.