Motorway Cafe | Jock's Cafe | Colnbrook | Roadside Cafe | Good Afternoon | 1978

'Good Afternoon' Presenter Elaine Grande takes a trip to Jock's Cafe in Colnbrook, which has been open for 43 years owned by the Lowden Family.
First shown: 04/07/1978
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Quote: VT19513

[@wmr9019]

Been there in 1970s with my daddy, he was HGV driver from 1952 happy days not like today, RIP to all gone including my daddy xxxx

[@ironbalance]

Rest in peace all those older people in the video. Elaine been dead for 20 yrs now.

[@lj7169]

I've just realised that they're talking about 43 years ago 43 years ago!

[@angelicupstart1977]

The simple things that now in lockdown we must never ever take for granted again.

[@willis6430]

I wanna go back to 1978

[@jimsimpson1006]

Me too. Take 30p with you for egg and chips.

[@ajs41]

@@jimsimpson1006 I had ham, egg and chips in Wetherspoons in Baker Street, London yesterday and it cost £5. Still pretty good price compared to most places these days. (Don't live in London, was just there for a few hours).

[@saxongreen78]

I just did - found myself sitting on the back seat of Dad's old Holden in a shitty nappy...great days!

[@gord307]

Everyone looked so nervous! A slice of life 43 years ago :-)

[@ajs41]

I was born this year, albeit right at the very end of it. Interesting to watch.

[@johngill7776]

I used to live near Jock's Cafe. Had the biggest menu you ever seen. All homemade not like today 5mis bing!!!! Open from 06.00am - 09.00pm. Good days and happy days.

[@trevorg2128]

I used live near walk over the waste land at the back.

[@stuartwilliams4555]

Good to see Dennis Waterman at 16:42 in this film. Presumably meeting a producer to discuss the upcoming Minder project.

[@paulmcdonough1093]

its not dennis your wrong there so why say it?

[@citizen1163]

@Stuart 🤣🤣🤣

[@johngill7776]

That's ironic because a episode of The Sweeney was made at Jock's Cafe.

[@pwareham61]

Bet Dens getting the right hump, trying to eat his sausage egg and chips

[@silenthunteruk]

@@johngill7776 The Professionals also filmed there.

[@mirahsamiyahrajwan7903]

Love this menu. Good tasty simple British Food, my favourite. Morning lunch and early evening meal, with tea or coffee.

[@saxongreen78]

The air is alive with the energy of decline and inevitable oblivion...it's grimy, careworn and ossified - and it's so captivating. 😊

[@elrjames7799]

@Sodham G'morris. Nicely written with hindsight, but not contemporarily apt.

[@saxongreen78]

@@elrjames7799 Is that so? Please elaborate, if you will...

[@elrjames7799]

@@saxongreen78 I'll leave the intricacy of any heartfelt emotional elaboration to you Sodham: I'm not in your league. Hindsight is certainly a wonderful thing.

[@saxongreen78]

@@elrjames7799 Oh...so you just dump an ambiguous complaint, then when asked to clarify you reply with passive aggression. Thanks for your contribution.

[@elrjames7799]

@@saxongreen78 What is 'passive aggression': isn't that a contradiction in its own terms: an oxymoron?

[@damiencrowley5546]

This cafe was used as a filming location for The Sweeney.

[@damiencrowley5546]

@Andrew Wilson Supersnout and possibly Drag Act, although I could be wrong about the latter.

[@faisalahmad4455]

Respect. Thankyou

[@madwatermelon1316]

Back in the day when Britain catered well for truck drivers. Not anymore. No wonder we're in the mess we are now.

[@maxpowers2242]

I sniff urine stained cream slacks and a vote for Brexit

[@harrytd]

Had many a breakfast (and dinners occasionally) in Jock's when I was a young software salesman on the road in the mid 1970s. Happier times. A time when the purpose of living was more than to be stuck in the permanent traffic jam that is Britain.

[@MarkPMus]

A 9p stamp! 😮 Wowsers! Back in the day, loads of shows offered free stickers, posters, leaflets etc… You could even write away and ask for actors’ & presenters’ autographs. I doubt that happens nowadays.

[@ColonelBummleigh]

Great show.

[@mistofoles]

Blimey , 30p for egg and chips !

[@MarkPMus]

That would’ve been £1.74 in 2020. Still very reasonable. Except that I don’t like eggs 🍳!

[@mickeyp5122]

God Bless them all.

[@AndySmallbone]

Here because I’m rewatching the sweeney 👍

[@chunkybuster7203]

He's a laugh, the owner !

[@silenthunteruk]

This is still around under new ownership, now known as the Riverside Cafe.

[@ajs41]

Really? That's interesting. Someone else in the comments claimed it wasn't there anymore.

[@rickxlcr]

The Riverside Cafe is a completely different place a little East along the Colnbrook Bypass and is still open.

[@ajs41]

@@rickxlcr Thanks for the info.

[@Rob_Walker.]

RIP Jock's

[@TrueBrit1]

Fascinating. Two observations - 8:35 - 'Derek' was without a shadow of doubt a serial k1ller. And Doris, bless her - either she was the most conscientious and hard working employee ever, or she was in extreme fear of what the rest of the family would do to her if she didn't get those 100 fish gutted and 36 rock cakes done by midday. "No Derek no, not the dark, dank basement again. Pleeeeeaaseeee..................................noooooooo."

[@KeithWilliamMacHendry]

A bit of Scotland in dear London Town. 💙🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🙏🏻

[@drubber007]

You're Derek aren't you? You're called cousin Derek, why is that? So you're a member of the family? Oh yes...yes.......a cousin. Comedy.

[@arilebon]

Loved it. Read your comment first, was anticipating the dialogue. Did not disappoint.

[@drubber007]

@@arilebon You're welcome 😊

[@jasonayres]

That's cousin Derek, yes. He was known for buying 700 potatoes at a time, you know.

[@typower9]

I noticed that too. 😅

[@ivanahavitoff7308]

Doris has no tricks with her Shepherds Pie.

[@noelmaher4633]

That saying " Quantity over Quality"still heard in IE. Now though fading like this clip, sad and dour faces at motorway fuel stops, no more Hi, morning, nice day, just dour and sad Europeans checking their phone and watches. Banter completely lost.. Bit like CCCP 80s.....

[@EddieHutchinson-jm9zc]

It's still there, albeit remodelled and renamed The Riverside Cafe. The 'site' of Jocks Cafe is shown on Google Maps but that's in the wrong spot. Further down the Colnbrook By-Pass going towards Heathrow is now a derelict pub which was once turned into a 'Spearmint Rhino' - I drove past it several times but never felt the need to pop in!

[@trevorg2128]

Are you from the end of the village

[@EddieHutchinson-jm9zc]

@@trevorg2128 No, I live about five miles away near Staines.

[@metalman4141]

What does the size of the pie got to do with the onslaught of the weekend ?

[@saxongreen78]

Stinginess. £

[@greencell1968]

She said this so matter of factly.

[@ajs41]

Probably because there was more demand for pies at the weekend so they had to ration them.

[@roops2939]

Richard Burton and Frank Sinatra were often seen there. Elvis used to pop in at times, usually after closing times , around midnight. The cafe would open up specially for Elvis. I'll bet the tips were worth it.

[@daadirabbi]

It seems wonderful TV channel where is it mow?

[@williamstephens9945]

It was part of the ITV network. I think it got absorbed into ITV.

[@daadirabbi]

@William Stephens thanks for the info.

[@silenthunteruk]

@@williamstephens9945 Lost its ITV franchise in 1992 to Carlton. Possibly as a result of "Death on the Rock"...

[@Traveller69]

Super Cringe and Super Fascinating at the same time. Makes you realise how much more media savvy the average person is nowadays. The presenter really earned her chips as all concerned were hard work to interview. I fully expected her last foray with sausage, chips and (very overcooked) egg man would result in her having to retreat in a hail of the rock buns, that she was failing to convince anyone, were actually as popular as she desperately wanted them to be! Brought back fond memories of that era which I realise is possibly only the case because I was 9. Do hope some further background info on what happened to the participants is forthcoming. Thanks for sharing.

[@typower9]

She (the presenter) would have made things easier for herself AND others if she had introduced herself to people or at least saying hi, before launching into questioning them. Would have helped too if she had first asked those truckers for permission to ask them questions and to sit at their table before plonking herself down beside them with her microphone.

[@djlewis5149]

Annoying presenter. Aggressive, patronising and the pseudo french accent on ‘specialit-ay’ lawdy

[@WhatALoadOfTosca]

@@djlewis5149 You almost have thought she was Canadian wouldn't you?

[@WhatALoadOfTosca]

@@typower9 Unless you have an unedited version of this, and know otherwise, she probably did introduce herself off camera.

[@johndobb4723]

Is colnbrook near Heathrow airport ?

[@standenberg]

Yeah it’s between Slough & Heathrow, near to M25 & M4.

[@johndobb4723]

@@standenberg I thought so, I've stayed at a Travelodge near Heathrow airport terminal 5 a few times and I thought the place sounded familiar, it's not far from Datchet and Poyel either if my memory serves me right

[@johngill7776]

@@johndobb4723 Spot on I used to live in Langley about a mile and a half from Jock's

[@johndobb4723]

@@johngill7776 did you ever venture to the ocean blue chippy on Horton Road in Datchet ? Been there a couple of times and the food is bob on 👍

[@johngill7776]

@@johndobb4723 it got to be the only chip shop in the country. That has a chip shop right next door. And across the road is the express Tesco which used to be the Sportsman pub.

[@chrisknightmp]

11:22 and that’s how Little Chef came to be with their Olympic Breakfast 😂

[@martinfitzgerald1605]

07:19 'Something exotic' 😂

[@saxongreen78]

...like coconut ice, or a pineapple ring on the side. 😊

[@jasonayres]

Derek was a cousin (-yes, yes -), but I did feel sorry for Doris. She was an 'outsider'. She kept gutting fish, regardless. Resilient. Inspirational.

[@jasonayres]

@Andrew Wilson Oh no 😱 Doris: Yes 😐 Derek: Yes 😐

[@bellini236]

Doris is my Mum 😅 This video is hilarious to watch

[@maycheadle6355]

​@@bellini236Hello. Does she know this has been put online, please ?

[@bellini236]

​@maycheadle6355 she does ! We have shown her and the first thing she commented on was her hair 😂

[@maycheadle6355]

@@bellini236 Yes, I was admiring it. Thanks.

[@solarr2]

👍👍👍👍🇵🇱👍👍👍

[@alandixon2345]

Love Poland too!

[@flalingbashers2957]

Proper snap .

[@ajs41]

Funny how everyone's thin despite eating a lot of less-than-healthy food.

[@trevorrandom]

Takes 3 people to operate the till!

[@alicewestbury4817]

You don't see presenters interviewing people with their hands in their pockets now.

[@ajs41]

It needs to make a comeback.

[@Salmagundiii]

Wow, her accent and use of the word 'trucks' in the intro had me very confused for a moment. Were there many other Canadians who were this prominent as 'talent' on UK telly? Sydney Newman is an obvious behind the scenes example.

[@heinkle1]

1935

[@felix2672]

Jesus the kids looked older in the 70s the boy at 4:27 looks like he has stubble, he was probably a trucker !

[@ajs41]

Kids wanted to look older in those days, now they want to look younger.

[@JohnSmith-su3ze]

18:23 He's looking at her with total suspicion 🤣

[@mistofoles]

"Get your finger out of my food, woman !"

[@flyby676]

The site was sold for a out £3 million in the 80s.

[@enhancesoutheast5964]

People eat more salads now.. Lol

[@saxongreen78]

Notice the big Scotch egg on the plate...there'll be no dodging that fried meat, ya long haired hippies!

[@enhancesoutheast5964]

@@saxongreen78 get those deep fried 65% pork fat sausage's into you , and don't mind those salads and they'll turn you into a big soft Jessie...

[@saxongreen78]

@@enhancesoutheast5964 😁 Aye...grease is an important food group.

[@enhancesoutheast5964]

@@saxongreen78 ☺️

[@sarahlouise7163]

fascinatig social history, despite the interviewer. how the heck did he get the job?

[@WhatALoadOfTosca]

Long closed now

[@ajs41]

Do you know which year it closed?

[@tobyhawkins9996]

24p a plate of grub 😆

[@horsenuts1831]

£10 for a week's labouring wage.

[@mistofoles]

Was she American ??

[@ajs41]

Canadian.

[@TrueBrit1]

12:30 - Doris and salads ring a bell to me...................................."Where's the salad Dor"....................."Oh, where's the salad, where's the salad - (with two fingers up) THERE'S THE SALAD NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!" Watch 1:52 of kzbin.info/www/bejne/iX24ZYJrjtajh8U

[@mistofoles]

Is Doris wearing a wig ?

[@numberstation]

I think she’s wearing a merkin.

[@mistofoles]

@@numberstation What the frig is a merkin ?

[@numberstation]

@@mistofoles Google it, and try not to laugh.

[@NoirL.A.]

interviewer sounds canadian.

[@ajs41]

Correct. Canadian.

[@NoirL.A.]

@@ajs41 similar to american accents but much more refined, less slang and spoken more clearly plus uses certain british phrases like "bloody" and pronouncing "been" as "bean" which americnas don't do. plus back in the 70's canadian accents were much more distinct from american accents than they are now.

[@josefstout2194]

Can't place the presenter's accent!

[@lj7169]

@GaryGuevara is it? I thought it sounded more like queens English

[@Earhairy]

"Can't place the presenter's accent!" Elaine Grande was born in Canada.

[@ironbalance]

Im gonna shave my mustache just like the owner. Hahahaha

[@saxongreen78]

...ya need a hare lip, first! ☺

[@gustavo5989]

It was quite popular during the 40s nas 50s

[@tomweickmann6414]

The host seems amazed at the slightest thing. And is oblivious to the obvious. Derek and the prep girl are right out of an old Hammer film. Creepers.

[@redfred70]

They are all so defensive. God knows what into the food.

[@kavorkaa]

They are probably all dead now

[@ironbalance]

hahaha.

[@trevorrandom]

Probably thanks to this Government's lack of funding for the NHS for so many years...

[@Rob_Walker.]

Imagine covid back then 😶

[@kavorkaa]

@@Rob_Walker. i think back then people had more common sense and would have protected themselves better than today with so many conspiracy theories spun around

[@Rob_Walker.]

@@kavorkaa not a chance loads would die look how many died to the rest of the world here, and the reason why we have a vaccine so fast is due to technology we have today back then HIV killed today it's nothing covad19 would mutate at a rate so fast the government couldn't get it out to the public fast enough tv was even sparse for most family's back then. Bottom line we would all be F.

[@user-yr3ze9hc7o]

England, it's a nother biggest, countries- the sized of penna, states commentwealth, with populations, of millions of residences, are born united, kingdom's, it's have's any things, too do with other's individ...has arrived there's,

[@bellosardo84]

what an awkward presenter

[@ajs41]

Typical 70s presenter. I quite like that style of presenting.

[@paulmcdonough1093]

get a microwave there move with the times ,its quicker,owner looks like fulton mckay from porridge ha ha

[@flalingbashers2957]

Dik ed move on .