NARRATOR: Fire one of the most useful natural phenomena in the world, but also one of the most destructive.

RICHARD AMBROSE: So, what's fire all about?

NARRATOR: There's a three part formula to fire.

RICHARD AMBROSE: It's called the fire triangle.

JONNY PHILLIPS: And this is what you need; oxygen, usually from the air; a fuel, which is basically anything that will burn and heat to get the fuel to the temperature at which it will burst into flames.

NARRATOR: So how can you make fire?

JONNY PHILLIPS: Method one, elbow grease and plenty of it. The friction creates heat and tiny embers of wood which act as the initial fuel to start the fire, eventually.

RICHARD AMBROSE: And method two, flint and steel. This makes incredibly hot sparks of the steel, and once there's a flame, silver birch bark is ideal tinder, because it contains a natural oil which lights up very easily. Jonny, how you getting on?

JONNY PHILLIPS: Yeah, really well mate, yeah.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Yeah, [laughs], whey hey, flint and steel! Look at it! Excellent!

NARRATOR: The three elements of fire; fuel, heat and oxygen are the everyday stock in trade of Sandy McClure. Who has his own unique take on the fire triangle.

RICHARD AMBROSE & JONNY PHILLIPS IN UNISON: Whoa! How do you do that?

SANDY MCCLURE: Basically you just take some paraffin in your mouth um, and you need to blow it out so that you get as fine a mist as possible. It tastes absolutely disgusting to be honest.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Is it that bad?

SANDY MCCLURE: It really is that bad. Liquid paraffin doesn't burn.

RICHARD AMBROSE: So you're making a vapor.

SANDY MCCLURE: Yeah, you kind of um, mix air in your mouth as you blow it out.

JONNY PHILLIPS: And Sandy have you ever hurt yourself doing this?

SANDY MCCLURE:

Not, not too seriously, I had the wind change and blow the flame into my face once, uh, that burnt my lips and my face a little bit obviously, lost the eye, the eyebrows for a couple of weeks uh, and have had a couple of chemical burns on the gums.

RICHARD AMBROSE: So one word, should children try it at home?

SANDY MCCLURE: Oh no, definitely not.

JONNY PHILLIPS: What about adults? ‘Yeah, fine'.

SANDY MCCLURE: No! Definitely....

GROUP LAUGHTER

NARRATOR: It's the final part of our investigation into fire and Now we're going to find out how to burn a human.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Oh! What are you doing man?!

RICHARD AMBROSE: [laughing]

JONNY PHILLIPS: What are you doing?

NARRATOR:

This is about the limit of our special effects budget plus we need Jonny for future shows. So just like in Hollywood we found ourselves a stunt man. He's Rod Woodrough, veteran human fire ball. He's performed over a hundred fire stunts for TV and movies.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Hi Rod.

ROD WOODROUGH: How you doing alright nice to see you.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Yeah, you too.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Alright Rod, how's things?

ROD WOODROUGH: Yeah, good.

JONNY PHILLIPS: What's this you're putting on then?

ROD WOODROUGH: Uh, well this is the uh, undergarment to the main racing drivers' suit for being on fire and it's a like a one-layer nomex.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Yeah?

ROD WOODROUGH: Yeah, Kevlar based.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Right, ok.

ROD WOODROUGH: Keeps the flame from uh penetrating right the way through really.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Rod, how long have you been doing this?

ROD WOODROUGH: I've been a professional stunt man for about 25 years now, yeah. Eaten quite a bit of hospital food all round the world.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Have you seriously?

ROD WOODROUGH: [laughs] Yeah.

RICHARD AMBROSE: So...

ROD WOODROUGH: In um, in the early days when I...

JONNY PHILLIPS: So it does go wrong?

ROD WOODROUGH: Uh, it's had it's moments yeah. I mean in a hundred fire stunts, I've had two go wrong really, so...

NARRATOR: But just one mistake could be disastrous. So emergency medical help is always on hand in case the fire gets out of control.

RICHARD AMBROSE: What sort of heat will be coming off? I mean, have you ever measured it?

ROD WOODROUGH: It's difficult to describe really, but if you can imagine, I don't know, when you open your oven at home, times that by about 50.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Oh dear!

RICHARD AMBROSE: Right.

NARRATOR: This is mega high risk so fire fighting kit is essential.

ROD WOODROUGH: Drop more then. I'm just putting on a water based gel as a preparation just before I get..., that's it, that'll be fine. Fire will go everywhere, so it's got to go in the ears, up the nose...

NARRATOR: The body burn is only seconds away so it's time for solvent based glue.

JONNY PHILLIPS: This is your fuel, this is what you burn.

ROD WOODROUGH: This is what we're gonna be setting alight with, yeah.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Rod do you start to get nervous now at all?

ROD WOODROUGH: Uh, I can see the adrenaline just a little bit, yeah.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Indeed, Rod are you really gonna do this?

ROD WOODROUGH: Uhhh...

JONNY PHILLIPS: Are you serious?

ROD WOODROUGH: I've come this far so uh...

JONNY PHILLIPS: [nervous laugh] Ok, rather you than me.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Rod we're gonna stand back and we'll see you when you've been extinguished, ok?

JONNY PHILLIPS: Good luck mate, all the best.

ROD WOODROUGH: Ok, light me and let's go.

ROD WOODROUGH STUMBLING AROUND MOANING

JONNY PHILLIPS: I don't believe it.

ROD WOODROUGH: [MOANING]

RICHARD AMBROSE: There's a bit just down here.

ROD WOODROUGH: Water.

PARAMEDIC: Where?

ROD WOODROUGH: Just a bit of water.

PARAMEDIC Where?

ROD WOODROUGH: In the middle of the back, little bit, not a lot, little bit. And in the middle of that leg.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Rod, are you alright?

JONNY PHILLIPS: You ok Rod?

ROD WOODROUGH:

Just two seconds, yeah? [inaudible]

JONNY PHILLIPS: That was stunning.

ROD WOODROUGH: Did it look good?

RICHARD AMBROSE: Whoa!

JONNY PHILLIPS: That was stunning.

ROD WOODROUGH: Bit of CO2, CO2, CO2 just a bit.

RICHARD AMBROSE: Do you want some water?

ROD WOODROUGH: Yeah, ok?

JONNY PHILLIPS: Wow! That was stunning, absolutely stunning.

RICHARD AMBROSE: When you, when it set off, I couldn't believe how much flame was there is.

JONNY PHILLIPS: I thought you'd put too much on. I really was shocked

RICHARD AMBROSE & ROD WOODROUGH LAUGHING

JONNY PHILLIPS: My heart's going like a train.

RICHARD AMBROSE: I was like, hold on, it's already gone wrong.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Yeah, yeah, quick, put him out, that's too much.

LAUGHTER

ROD WOODROUGH: Well it's good to try and get that height with, with no gloves and everything. I could feel it licking a bit.

JONNY PHILLIPS: Burn? Did it burn?

ROD WOODROUGH: No, no, feels alright.

JONNY PHILLIPS: No? Definitely not?

ROD WOODROUGH: I got a bit when I turned on that bottom camera there. Did you see that when it came up here?

ROD WOODROUGH STUMBLING AROUND MOANING

JONNY PHILLIPS[replay]: I don't believe it.

RICHARD AMBROSE: When you started going down, I thought hold on we, we've really got to put you out quickly and it's like no, no, this is my flame. Do they call you hot rod?

GROUP LAUGHTER

ROD WOODROUGH: Funny you should say that.

ROD WOODROUGH STUMBLING AROUND MOANING

JONNY PHILLIPS[replay]: I don't believe it.

NARRATOR: But this is all in a day's work for a movie stunt man.