When I set up my Tour Operator business in 2016 whilst still at Uni, I had no idea it was going to lead to so many exciting opportunities. It was a year ago since I graduated and we are now offering Themed Guided Tours, not just in my native Northumberland, but in Edinburgh, The Lake District and Durham too.
When I was approached by a US film company to help them with the production of a documentary, Global Investigator, to be aired on the Discovery Channel in November this year, I was both flattered and very excited at the prospect of appearing on TV. Even more exciting was the idea of appearing with the well-known US comedy actor, Rob Riggle who I actually admire. He has appeared in many US films and comedy programmes, such as Hangover, Step brothers and more recently, Modern Family. Being pretty outgoing and confident and certainly not camera shy, I jumped at the chance.
The filming was to take place at Sycamore Gap at Hadrian’s Wall, an iconic location with over 2000 years of history. I provide a Game of Thrones themed tour of Hadrian’s Wall which is why I was chosen for the documentary. I dress up as ‘Jon Snow’, although having red hair, I’m probably better suited as the unborn child of Jon Snow and Ygritte. Well GOT is a fantasy after all! My tour compares the Roman history of the wall with the similarities of the Game of Thrones theme, since the writer of GOT took his inspiration from a visit to Hadrian’s Wall.
Providing my Game of Thrones themed tour of Hadrian’s Wall
On filming day, I was both nervous and excited. I had a script which offered some guidelines so I was sort of prepared for what lay ahead, although nothing could prepare me for the actual buzz I felt at having a camera crew trained on me. It was definitely a ‘pinch yourself’ moment, exchanging lines with Rob Riggle and having some fun with a bit of ad-libbing too.
My Hollywood experience at Sycamore Gap with Rob Riggle 
‘Rob Snow’ with the awesome Mr Rob Riggle
The Production Team and Camera Crew were extremely friendly even though they were jet-lagged and tired from filming in previous locations. The weather was also perfect for our walk from Steel Rigg car park to Sycamore Gap – sunny and warm. It remained that way for filming too, so the day couldn’t have been better. My parents, who support my business were there to witness it all and take photos so we had a lot of exciting things to talk about on the drive home. Arriving home, we felt that we had experienced a touch of Hollywood that day.
Looking forward to the next filming opportunity!
Robert Lundgren Jones
July 18th, 2019
