Network Rail / "Close To Home" Short Film

Network Rail asked me to produce a short film to highlight the unknown and major consequences of throwing items onto train tracks. This film focusses on two boys, Benjamin and Tom, as they recount the events of the previous night.
Aimed at students, this film is being shown in schools nationwide.
I wrote, directed and edited this film. Across 2 days of shooting, I worked with a phenomenal team of filmmakers and actors, and I'm very proud of the final film.
Please do take a watch, share it, and give it a thumbs up!
Thanks for watching!

[@Breezycupcake1990]

3 boys did something similar while on an overpass. They threw a huge Boulder off the bridge and it crashed through a man's windshield. He died and the boys were tried as adults

[@CharlieMay-sd6he]

Such an amazing and inspiring video to show the importance of safety on the railway and how to keep other safe.😊

[@mantypoos1]

Yikes.I did not know this. Not something I would ever think of doing. This was very well done and will have great impact on any audiance. Great job.

[@tjminimoto]

The teen is a good actor he deserves an Oscar

[@pauljordan4452]

No Oscars for TV.

[@tjminimoto]

@@pauljordan4452 He deserves an Emmy then

[@tobiasjenkins2427]

GREAT TRUE LIFE STORY 👌 AND THIS SHOULD BE SHOWN IN ALL SHOOLS,COLLEGES & PRINSON

[@tvsma]

Not at all expected. Stunning.

[@petercdowney]

4:51 Ben lost his liberty. Greg lost his Mum.

[@bensmusicworld]

And Ben’s stupidity has killed Greg’s Mum.

[@tjminimoto]

A lesson in all of this is to never give in to peer pressure

[@pauljordan4452]

​@@tjminimoto10 year old children learn that.

[@Band-maid-fan101]

He said he got kicked out of the assuming club at 2 am and Greg said his mum was on a train from London last night surly there won't be any trains around that time

[@unknown-im2bh]

London to Brighton trains run all night

[@hurricanedorian4897]

JG3 during the night there are less trains but most lines have trains running at night I know at my town the York to Scarborough line has trains running but less active so instead of every 30 minutes it’s every hour

[@PottersVideos2]

@@unknown-im2bh No they don't, night trains from London only run as far at Gatwick Airport.

[@unknown-im2bh]

Potter's Police, Security and Railway videos nope, trains from London Victoria to Brighton run all night as do thameslink to London Bridge

[@darylkemp1257]

So does HS1 with its vital link s to the airports

[@connordennis1881]

Yes it true bro he is still waiting in trial his friend is going to cry every day his my birthday comes around that his mum is not they god bless her she is in heaven

[@ashton_gaming8670]

Rest in peace ✌️ ☮️ Sandra Barnes. Hope you are in heaven.

[@PottersVideos2]

@@ashton_gaming8670 Who is she?

[@ashton_gaming8670]

Potter's Police Videos Sandra Barnes is the woman who died in hospital. She got seriously hurt on the train from when it stopped and she got sent to hospital. Later she died. The aim of the story is to get people to never mess about or litter/throw things on the railway as it could lead to other people’s death and some serious consequences.

[@yonolono8717]

Weve all done something in our life Bens just unlucky enough to one so severe that he goes to jail Always think before you drink

[@cmcofficial1964]

Ben has a mong eye

[@ryanodonovan9497]

Uh, no! Just don't throw objects at trains or onto the tracks when you should know that it's fucking stupid and dangerous! If it takes alcohol to get a person to do that, the problem is that they're a moron who should be separated from the public, not that they've had a drink. Alcohol only shows one's true colours - it doesn't make them do something they wouldn't do. Otherwise, why is it that I've never done anything nearly as stupid as throwing something onto the railway, no matter how much I've drunk in my time?

[@cmcofficial1964]

@@ryanodonovan9497 true, it takes more then alcohol to throw something onto the tracks the NHS CDC and WHO all did a joint study on it and found that it takes more then just being drunk for a brain to throw something onto a place what it knows is dangerous and handles a lot of civilians. What happened in the video was a underlying metal issue what combined with alcohol took control and caused him to do that, The comment “just unlikely enough to one so severe that he goes to jail” is false he is unlucky to have this underlying mental issue however not unlucky that he threw it onto the tracks

[@yonolono8717]

@@ryanodonovan9497 first of all thos comment is a year old and second your probably a grown old brat sat behind a screen thinking your all perfect. Literally everyone i mean everyone as nobody is perfect has done something stupid in their life especially at this age. Your not perfect so stop replying to this comment thinking you are.

[@ryanodonovan9497]

@@yonolono8717 Firstly, what does it matter how old your initial comment is? Your thoughts could've changed in that time, but the fact your post is still here doesn't indicate that, and your response confirms you still stand by it. Secondly, at what point did I say or imply I was perfect? Nowhere, so don't start putting words in my mouth. And thirdly, how can you determine my age just because I point out such obvious facts that children much younger than this teenager here would understand? You can't. And if by "old" you mean I'm at retirement age, I'm decades from it. Never make such stupid assumptions unless you have something to actually prove it. Age isn't even relevant here. I'm not perfect - I have done some bad things in my life. In fact, I realised after saying what I said that I exaggerated by saying that that I've never done anything "nearly" as stupid as this. When I was 15, I and a friend were dropping twigs off a bridge one day, even as cars were passing below. We knew that little twigs couldn't possibly make a car crash, but we still got a well-deserved telling off by the police for being fucking idiots, where we had it implied to us that even little objects could cause someone to lose concentration to the point of crashing. And this had nothing to do with alcohol (at least not with me) as I never even started drinking until about a year later. It wasn't because we were "unlucky", it was because me and my friend should've known better, but didn't. There's no excuse for what we did. Even so, there's no fucking way, even at a younger age than that, that I would've thrown a _heavy_ object (that obviously could've caused a crash) into the road, and even less so onto a railway or approaching train, when the danger is greater! And you saying that a teenager like this is "unlucky" is nonsense. He did something he should've known from much younger than that was foolish and unnecessary, but didn't. If he did, he wouldn't have done it even when drunk. The passengers, especially those who were injured or killed were the ones who were unlucky.

[@Millennial_Manc]

Ben’s gonna be passed around in that men’s prison like a joint.

[@satorsquare2362]

4:43 the look on that kids face

[@thunder-hedge]

Which one?! 😂

[@CVNTCOUTURE]

When the 10 toxic wastes kick in

[@ashton_gaming8670]

Rest in peace Sandra

[@lexi4424]

GAMING ASHTON well where else is he going

[@neilshearer6899]

They both knew about the dangers and implications of throwing something onto the tracks so he had to accept the consequences of his actions

[@Diablo-vm4pv]

I dont think anybody died its probably just an example video of how simple things can become serious

[@AstonL3]

I looked up the incident, there where only delays and the suspect who through the microwave was arrested

[@TraineePilotJess]

Brighton! That's where I live!

[@apotato5563]

I have been onboard of trains that went into the emergency brake at 90mph. It wasn't that bad, or do electrostars have insane emergency brakes?

[@keirangeorge9046]

Brendan Urie has had a change of career. Also this can mean life in prison? Well it's the UK so 12 years will do.

[@petercdowney]

Ben shouldn't have gone into that interview room without a solicitor present. Sorry. I come from a family of lawyers. But legal representation at a police station is always free of charge. The solicitor's costs are paid through public funds.

[@jmwloup5110]

We have signs that says no solicitors as they are always trying to sell vacuums and other crap enough to call the lawyers on hem

[@kerbalcatlegodude9669]

Why is tom always in these Lol a microwave of all things!

[@Omegajunior2658]

Dear lord! That was absolutely awful! I am terribly sorry for the loss of Greg's mother Sandra Barnes. God bless her. Ben shouldn't have placed any object on a train track and he shouldn't have thrown any objects at trains either, y'know.

[@user-by4qf9sc6w]

That ringtone sounds familiar

[@abecoulter8550]

simple rule, dont fuck around at railway corridors

[@mutantthegreat7963]

Life in prison for placing a microwave on tracks, but 18 weeks community service if you throw acid in someone's face. Sounds like the UK alright.

[@robnewman6101]

21st Century British Policing.

[@Charlie123307]

Actions have consequences

[@flyingscotsman_a3]

How can an emergency brake application kill the passengers inside the train? Like sure they may fall forwards but die? Was there a full on train wreck or what?

[@AstonL3]

In this scenario maybe the driver hit the emergency brakes then the train de railed after that

[@SeizureGman]

If a train is going at a decent speed and only sees the microwave last minute then prob what follows is what happens. - Train does emergency stop and stops before object is hit what will prob happen here is that the sheer harsh nature of the stop and there is prob passengers who are standing it dont take much to loose balance and smack head hard off bulkhead or rail or anything and that causes the deaths/injuries. - Train stops and despite this still hits microwave and causes derailment which causes injuries and possible death. Trains are travelling especially inter city ones at decent speeds some over 100 mph with passengers not in seatbelts or standing easy for emergency brake incidents to cause injuries

[@flyingscotsman_a3]

@@SeizureGman Trains take a long time to stop, an emergency brake application wont do much to affect those inside, nor would hitting a microwave. You can see plenty of videos of trains hitting cars and all sorts at level crossings, much larger objects of course, and the train is fine.

[@SeizureGman]

@@flyingscotsman_a3 depends where the microwave is if it hits the wheel at high speed you have a possible derailment event

[@Spookieham]

​@@flyingscotsman_a3big difference between a slow moving heavy freight train hitting a car and a fast passenger express. The latter often details.

[@cerburrows9380]

Couldnt they hire an actor to play the police officer? As opposed to a police officer who can't act?

[@thisisnotme7017]

acting a prat has done this

[@BenskiBoi]

By where I live my mum saw people who I knew who went to my primary who where in my class on a bridge train bridge on the other side of the metal

[@johnb8956]

Can someone explain how exactly emergency brakes cause passengers to sustain injury?

[@56independent42]

Standing passangers can be thrown to the ground, and sitting passangers can be thrown randomly with a sudden stop.

[@johnb8956]

@@56independent42 the brakes aren’t that good lol

[@colathoughtspodcast5683]

@@johnb8956 yes they are. How else would you expect they try to stop a moving train?

[@johnb8956]

@@colathoughtspodcast5683 with brakes. My point is that even emergency breaking would struggle to throw someone off balance, let alone cause injury.

[@colathoughtspodcast5683]

@@johnb8956 but the injury is not caused directly by the brakes. If a person hasn't got good balance, or wasn't holding on for a second and the train stopped abruptly, a person could fall. The injury is sustained by the fall; you could land on your head or neck and be paralyzed forever from falling from a standing position. I've seen people fall over in buses, as well.

[@stefaniachatzopoulou6322]

Did he do that really?

[@petercdowney]

Didn't know police officers used the doorbell...

[@pauljordan4452]

4:22 The policeman said "frown" - Cockney accent?

[@bensmusicworld]

⚠️ Stupidity Kills ⚠️

[@Routevisual42]

Are these acted?

[@dew9103]

nO bUt ThE cAmErA jUsT hApPeNs tO bE aT tHe RiGhT pLaCe At ThE rIgHt TiMe

[@IndigoFei]

Did this actually happen? I searched up Ben Claymore and I don't find anything.

[@somepersononplanetearth9577]

No. It's fictional just to show people, mainly teenagers, why you shouldn't do this.

[@haydenstock21]

I read about an incident where a microwave was thrown late at night which cause massive delays in the area in 2017 I think it was but indeed any proper collision can be fatal and so this would represent what happens when there is a collision

[@Reilly_rblx]

Ben a bit zesty

[@tofeetiggy2259]

Ok.... so you can go to jail for like for throwing something on a train track But if you actually murder someone you don’t?

[@somepersononplanetearth9577]

Well you do...

[@ryanodonovan9497]

Murder _is_ punishable by imprisonment. What are you talking about?

[@petercdowney]

2:50 Oh shit. Not good.

[@chrishenniker5944]

I'm wondering why the character of Benjamin wasn't charged with murder?

[@Thermuda]

For a murder charge it would have to be proven that there was a clear intent to kill - in Benjamin's case it was unintentional so was charged with endagering saftey on the line (which is in relation to tampering with the rails/equipment which would endanger lives) - he was also charged with intent - therefore it was determined that his actions was willful and that carries the harsher penalty of potential life imprisonment - especially considering that it caused a fatality. As this is a railway specific incident it's charged under railway bylaws - if this was someone throwing bricks off a bridge onto a motorway it could be either class as reckless endangerment with intent or potentially manslaughter.

[@chrishenniker5944]

Cauterize Thanks for the information, but I'm surprised that there's a difference offence for the Roads. Why was it uniform officers and not the CID who arrested him?

[@adder3597]

@@chrishenniker5944 Likely to be BTP unless they handed the incident to local authorities, as BTP have responsibility for law enforcement on the railway network.

[@Thermuda]

@@adder3597 For pure railway incidents there is likely no need for BTP to hand over to the local force as they should be able to process it themselves. Also CID do the investigations but in most cases it will be uniformed officers who will make arrests if there is a need to. Hope this is also useful information.

[@seraphina985]

@@Thermuda I know it was CID that did a canvas for witnesses regarding a fatal incident that occurred outside where I used to live in the UK although that was perhaps more complicated as it likely would not count as a purely railway incident. At the time CID were canvassing for witnesses they were already investigating an altercation between the female victim and a male on the road bridge above so I would assume that would be cross jurisdictional as the incident began on the street.

[@thomasnorton2679]

is this a true story?

[@Joshua78b]

Probbaly it sounds like some thing that would happen

[@unknown-im2bh]

Thomas Norton no

[@bensmusicworld]

No but it gives people an idea of what could happen if you throw objects onto train tracks. Hopefully this will educate people and save lives.

[@PottersVideos2]

Why emergency stop the train? In my opinion it would be better if the driver simply stopped the train using the full service breaking.

[@transportflick923]

Potter's Police Videos nope. Better than getting derailed.

[@royalbloxcruisesroblox8870]

Potter's Police Videos Emergency Stops work quicker than full brakes which means stopping distances are different. If the train uses full breaks then it can take longer to stop meaning it can derail either way

[@Ingramdumpkiss]

I don't have much confidence in the expertise of someone talking about braking who does not know how to spell braking.

[@tgk300xx4]

@@transportflick923 Microwave is never gonna derail a train. Even the hardest part of a microwave will just be flattened.

[@CycolacFan]

TGK300 Xx but at speed in the dark the driver wouldn't necessarily see it was a microwave, just something on the track.

[@stephenB-yq9kw]

Police are called pigs not police

[@literallygrass1328]

lol