SEVEN times motorcycle racing world champion and TV’s ‘King of the Jungle’ Carl ‘Foggy’ Fogarty MBE is the star of new docu-reality series Bike Club.
Series one of the show streams exclusively on new freemium platform MeeTV in the New Year – with the pilot episode out now, and one new episode of Bike Club streaming every week.
In the 13-part series, with bite-sized episodes lasting 10-15-minutes each, the iconic British motorcycle racer and his wife Michaela open the door to their family home in Blackburn, Lancashire.
Thanks to the show, for the first time ever, Britain’s 1.3 million registered motorbikers can get a unique retrospective insight into the UK’s dynamic motorcycle culture.
‘Foggy’ is one of the most successful and loved motorbike racers of all time and a national sporting treasure. Following a turbo-charged career in the 1990s which saw him win 59 races in 12 seasons and carve himself a seat at motorsport’s top table, he went on to win ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ in 2014 and become a household name.
Bike Club spotlights key members of the biking fraternity, including Mark Wilsmore, owner of the world-famous Ace Café in North West London, a transport café since 1938 and an iconic hangout for bikers, rockers and petrolheads. Also in the series, Brazilian pro rider Sabrina Paiuta attempts to get her European race licence and clocks up death-defying speeds on the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in Kent.
The show is one of the first productions by MeeTV, a new and free indie streaming platform showcasing emerging and curated talent.
“Bike Club lifts the lid on the UK’s coolest counterculture without relying on the posing and posturing usually associated with the scene,” said film-maker Mat E Smith. “While I travel the UK under the premise of fixing up my own bike, biking royalty Carl and for the first time on-screen, his wife Michaela, share what life is like after surviving one of the most dangerous sports in the world.”
The first series of Bike Club sees ‘Foggy’ sharing his prized motorbike collection, which includes a fun three wheeled tuk-tuk and his first ever motorcycle given for his 10th birthday that was recently restored by the British Motorcycle Museum; as well as him taking to the beer pumps at his local pub pulling a pint of his own locally made ‘Foggy Gold’ ale. In one of the episodes, ‘Foggy’ fondly recounts how he was brought up around motorbikes thanks to his dad George, who’s now in his eighties, and road raced at the Isle of Man TT in the 1970s.
Foggy’s wife Michaela confessed: “I wasn’t sure about opening up our lives at first but this is exactly how our lives are and I’m really proud of that,” with Carl adding: “The result of Bike Club is that you see me and Michaela as we are with each other every day – bickering and bantering. Welcome to the mad world of the ‘Foggy’ household!”
Mark Wilsmore, who turned the Ace Café into a British icon, said: “The world of the combustion engine is today at a crossroads and in a hundred years people will look back at Bike Club and the Ace Café and they will recognise the problems and the community, it will still exist. They will know us, the conversations at The Ace, the laughter in garages, workshops, and at the roadside, the shared experiences of riders from all walks of life. Mat has captured the stories, camaraderie and the soul of motorcycling today. He wants everyone to know who’s behind the helmet and jacket, shining a light on the excitement that keeps us together, unveiling and celebrating the bonds that unite our diverse community.”
MeeTV founder & CEO Mat E Smith’s approach to film-making produces a uniquely intimate and light-hearted view of the British motorcycle scene.
“Carl and Michaela are usually very private people so when MeeTV asked about filming them, we all had to sit down and think about it,” said Neil Bramwell, Foggy’s manager. “Mat captures them perfectly as a couple and shows how they are together and you can see the same with everyone in the series. Capturing people and life today as a document for tomorrow is very clever and the mundane of a normal day is made up of lovely moments. If Mat stopped filming and staged all his shots like most production companies do, he wouldn’t get the light in everyone’s life that makes us all want to get out of bed every day.”
MeeTV showcases high-quality, user-generated content at no cost to viewers or creators.
The independent streaming platform has an impressive library of original films and productions where uniqueness and individuality are celebrated, and creators are encouraged to “think outside the box”.
MeeTV prioritises quality over quantity, selecting content through rigorous content moderation to ensure a safe and respectful online experience. It also has innovative features to foster direct engagement and collaboration between viewers and content producers.
Other shows now streaming on MeeTV include World’s Forgotten Temples with Paulo Bonini, who’s known as ‘Mr B’. ‘Mr B’ is a Londoner and an English-speaking presenter for Cambodia’s biggest news outlet, The Khmer Times, and this real-life explorer is filmed as he goes in search of abandoned ancient temples hidden across Southeast Asia.
For further details about Bike Club and MeeTV, please visit www.meetv.net
