A  page of MGF sightings on

TV, Films, books or adverts

I'm on the lookout for any more sightings of MGF's in the media (but not specific MGF products, books etc) so please e-mail me with your spotted MGF's

 

TV   

Sous Le Soleil 1996 - current
French TV Soap set in St Tropez  has featured an MGF in the show.

Now available on DVD

 "Sous le soleil"
Emmerdale  (ITV1 2003)
Charity Tate drives a solar red MGTF in the UK TV soap

 
Wrong Car, Right Car (BBC April 2003)
Contestant Lynne  Spalding  puts several cars through their paces and chooses a solar red VVC as her favourite much to every ones surprise and thanks to an excellent deal from the MGR dealer.

 
Ruby Wax in Bollywood    BBC 2 2003 MGF in background shot of Blenheim Palace sequences along with  Ferrari and Porsche

 
The Planman (ITV1) 2003 Robbie Coltranes Heist series - Solar Red MGF parked up as robbers leave the Strathclyde bank robbery - also in the title sequence each week.

 
Coronation Street (ITV1) February 2004  
Red TF 135 with ash interior driven by the character Maya with Dev in the car. It's been spotted on a couple of occasions but on the 23rd Feb it had a starring role in a "mad" drive through the countryside. The car was filmed travelling quite slowly and then speeded up to make it look faster resulting in a bizarre and false effect.

Maya and Dev on their Mad Drive - you can just make out the ash interior of the TF

 Thanks Dave Mills for info

Wild West BBC1 (March 2004)  Solar Red 03 reg TF seen in the BBC1 comedy "Wild West" which stars Dawn French and Catherine Tate.

Angela (Catherine Tate) spends the entire episode learning to drive as her father is visiting. She manages to send a yellow Capri off a cliff edge and crashes a van in the process. When she does pass her test she hires the TF to collect her father unfortunately she forgets where the Pringles are (brakes) and runs him over. OK it was slightly funnier than it sounds.

 
BBC News 11/5/04 Reporter Najit Darawal seen driving a nightfire red MGF in a special report. Was it her car ?

 

 

Eest Enders  BBC1 - September 2004

 

 The character of Kareena Fereira seen returning back to Walford from a summer season repping in Spain. She drove into Albert Square as the passenger in a Tahiti blue MGF belonging to an unnamed friend.
 

Waking the Dead - Final Cut (series 3) BBC1 - 2003

 

 A dark Green MGTF spotted in this episode as the lawyer for the gangster is seen pulling up and getting out of the car. Only a brief sighting but you can find out about this particular episode here :- http://waking-the-dead.me.uk/3ep1d.html 

Thanks Dave Chesman for this sighting
 

Coronation Street  ITV  November 25th 2004

 
Wow - a truly starry performance from the solar red MGTF 135  registration AE 371,  in the latest climactic episodes of the eternal triangle storyline in this UK TV Soap. As you can see from the picture the TF met a dramatic end along with the character Maya but not before she had set fire to all of ex finacee Dev's shops, kidnapped him and his wife Sunita, trussed them up in the flat above the only shop she hadn't yet torched. Tied Sunita to the gas cooker and left the gas on whilst she merrily set fire to the shop below. Watching it all from the drivers seat of her TF she was astounded when brave Coronation Street residents rescued Dev and Sunita. Incensed  - she floored the throttle and drove at them narrowly missing them and most of the other cast before smashing into a window. She lined up with wheels spinning for another go just as an HGV came around the corner and ploughed into the back of the TF crushing it , and Maya, against a brick wall.

Thanks Dave Alexander for drawing this one to our attention !

Maya getting ready for her drive of destruction

The TF smashes into the timber merchant

Rear crumple zones take the full impact as HGV makes contact

Maya sets off, wheels spinning

The TF makes contact but remains remarkably unscathed
EMMERDALE  - ITV1 January 2005  

Another TF for Emmerdale now that Charity Tate has got rid of hers. This one is driven by the character Karl King and is green in colour.

 

 

WHAT NOT TO WEAR - BBC Series 1

 

 Trinny Woodall & Susannah Constantine can be seen leaping in to their MGF to rush off to the next clothing disaster area.

Thanks to Sue Courtney from New Zealand for spotting this one

IT BEATS WORKING - BBC 2 - November 2005 

Series looking at people that give up their careers to follow a dream. This episode featured Jackie Highe who gave up her career as the editor of Bella magazine to be a Jazz Singer. Presenter Adrian Chiles joins her at a top jazz venue as she begins the journey to recognition as a singer/songwriter. 

On the way to that Jazz venue she is seen driving her Green MGF VVC registration number R10VVC. The car features in several shots during the programme.

 

WATERLOO ROAD - BBC1 

April 2006

February 2007
Stephanie Haydock, French Teacher at Waterloo Road has been  seen many times driving in to the car park of the school in her Trophy blue MGTF.

The Car used in series 2 belonged to MGOC member Barry Chadwick and bore the false registration of PK03AWY in the series.

There is one scene where the TF is parked nose to nose with an MGF outside Steph's house in Manchester. The F actually belonged to that real house owner.

Stephanie was played by actress Denise Welch in the series and the programme made by Shed Productions

 

 

EAST ENDERS - BBC 1

January 2007

 

 

 Bradley Branning buys a flash sports car to impress the girl at the office. Yes you guessed it that car was green MGF 1.8i  with the registration T 285 SPG. Unfortunately his  girlfriend Stacy Slater was none too impressed as this was money they aware supposed to be using to put a deposit on a flat. Cue the opportunity for some gratuitous damage to the poor F which duly happened with all the windows being smashed by Stacy with the help of an iron bar. The car made some further appearances in the show with it's windows mended and back in good condition before fading out and never being seen again.

 
TOP GEAR - BBC2

March 2007

 One of their classic shows which featured three cars extended into stretch Limos. Jeremy took a Fiat Panda and extended it with a pulley system to get from one end to the other. James took two cars and welded them together back to back whilst Richard had the MGF that we are interested in.

The car was in green with a registration of   N 653 XVR      .  It was cut in half and elongated and a huge spoiler built on the rear. Two seats were put in the back which had the benefit of the folding top still in place for weather protection. The driver at the front has a radio communication system with the passenger and in between was a bowling alley and archery course for entertainment.

All these cars had to be driven in central London to take celebrities to the Brit awards to the bemusement of the Londoners who witnessed the sight of huge cars trying to negotiate tiny bends.  The F did well and arrived at the occasion first with it's passenger Jamelia who did not look at all happy. The exit point was a set of hook over steps which proved novel.

The car had to be registered in its current form for road use so somehow must have passed a test and was given a Q plate of Q 641 GFD

 

 

 

FILMS  

My Giant   - Castle Rock Entertainment 1998

 

  Sam Kamen (Billy Crystal) is a movie star agent and is in  Romania with a client when his car, a dark green MGF , goes off the road and overturns in a river. He is rescued by a seven and a half  foot giant (Gheorghe Muresan) who , surprisingly, can actually get in the car.! 

MG F

The Hole -  2001

 

Blue MGF driven by psychiatrist Phillipa Harwood (played by Embeth Davidtz) 

The film also stars Thora Birch and Keira Knightley and is about four teenagers at a British private school who secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter - with unexpected results !

 

RPM

RPM - 1998

 

Pretty dire movie about a professional car thief who steals a prototype supercar. The F features briefly. Directed by Ian Sharp and starring David Arquette. Loads of other nice vehicles in this movie as well. 

MG F

No Te Fallaire (I Won't Let You Down)

2001

Spanish film directed by Manuel Rios San Martin in 2001. Follows a group of friends from school when something tragic happens to change their relationships. Features a volcano MGF seen in this pic tussling with a Jeep Wrangler.

Love Actually

Love Actually 2003

Not actually in the main movie but clearly visible in the Deleted scenes on the DVD in the church scene a solar red MGF.

 

 

BOOKS  
Man and Boy by Tony Parsons (HarperCollins 1999) Main character, Harry,  at hitting the ripe old age of thirty  impulsively buys a red MGF.

Sample quote :- "The car smelled like somebody else's life. Like Freedom. It was parked right in the window of the showroom, a wedge-shaped sports car which, even with it's top off, looked as sleek and compact as muscle. Naturally it was red - a flaming, testosterone-stuffed red. "   

 "A total babe magnet....plenty of poke. A young single guy couldn't do any better than an MGF".

Exactly !
 

Haynes "Learn to Drive"

 

  

In the Haynes 'Learn to Drive' book there is a photograph, opening the 'Sharing the road' chapter, of an Mk1 MGF MPi with a personal number-plate (N8 HEL) parallel parking while the New Mini featured throughout the book patiently waits. Interestingly enough, a few pages on there is a photo of an MX-5 that has just rear-ended a Ford Ka.

Thanks to Christopher Reeves for this sighting

 

ADVERTS All ads are NON Specific MGF/TF adverts
HALFORDS Picture of MGF in stores promoting car care products - Spring 2003

 
POLICE MUTUAL ASSURANCE SOCIETY Solar Red MGF with "NEW1" number plate used to illustrate how policemen might spend their savings .

 
INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED MOTORISTS   
Looks like a lilac coloured F in the IAM advert in  Drive On magazine for people passing their test - Dec 2003

 

PREMIUM CHOICE INSURANCE  
Advert in  Drive On Magazine for new drivers featuring tiny pic of Trophy Yellow F - Dec 2003

 

ITALIAN TV ADVERT FOR SEAT MARBELLA Solar red MGF draws up next to Seat Marbella at Traffic lights. Seat drive has smirk on face - F driver thinks he wants to race and speeds off from the Trafiic Lights. Seat driver still smirks as young lady pops up from his lap - no doubt having found her contact lens !

 

ADVERT FOR GARAGE DOORS July 2005 Seen on Discovery channel in teh UK in an advert for Hormann Garage Doors. It features the British Racing Green MGF driving along the road with the camera on board showing parts of the car, it's registration is, either P281ODD or ODF it disappears into the garage quickly at the end.

 

OTHERS (Newspaper/Magazines etc.)  
Washington Post Magazine (April 2003) Green MGF in cover photo of article on popularity of chain restaurants in America. Cut out of the author of the piece over a background of the F and a colage of other photos.
Churchills Insurance (April 2003) Spring promotion means you can win either a TF or ZS if you get an insurance quote a online from their website

Head Office of Auto Trader in Reading, UK Several large posters of a solar red MGF 1.8i adorned the walls in the main reception area .

 

Capital Radio UK

 

 A bit tenuous this one - but one of their "London Sound" competitions in October 03 featured an MGF filler cap being removed - someone won £5000 by guessing this correctly !
Top Gear 3 - Rock Ballads - A compilation form the BBC series who were never too keen on the F in the first place but their marketting departement saw fit to out one on the cover of the compailation album featuring the likes of Dire Straits, Jow Cocker, Simplae Minds - mmmmm -  OK may be they were trying to make a statement !

 

DIAMOND INSURANCE

 

 The insurance company for ladies only uses pictures of an MGF on all their folders and policy material