Nick Hewer: Countdown to Freetown Page #4

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I would think.

I think it fits as though

it was made for it.

When you travel in Third World

countries,

and some rich European pitches up -

in their eyes -

he's like a big fat chicken and

everyone wants a little feather.

And that's what we've got here.

You know? It's an opportunity.

I don't like it,

I don't really blame them.

You spend more on coffees in a week

than they earn in a month.

Hold on, young man.

Been a long day.

I'd planned to see James today,

obviously.

Erm, but we're now

actually at the end of the second day

and we haven't actually been

in touch with him, so it's now

going to have to be tomorrow.

Next morning,

having lost another day,

Nick finally sets off

to find James...

Where's everybody going?

..only to discover another

traffic jam.

Now we shall see whether this has all

been a complete waste of time

or whether it really is the beginning

of something big for him.

Maybe he's a cheeky boy.

We met some cheeky boys who when

they came to repair the generator

were very cheeky, so we'll see.

Anyway, life in Sierra Leone

is a chancy business.

We're going to give this kid a chance

and let's see what he makes of it.

Nick, James just called me.

What did you tell him?

'I said from here

we are going to meet him.'

Nick's mission to help James

has taken two years.

He's about to discover whether James

can rise to the challenge.

Hi, how are you?

Fine.

Good to see you.

So what have you been doing?

I saw you two years ago.

Normally I just go around,

search for job.

On the street? Yeah.

Things have been very difficult.

But I'm...

I'm so happy to see you back.

Because, just imagine,

two years back,

I think you have forgot about me,

but...

I was thinking a little bit.

Because when I left here, I went

home, to England, and I thought,

"Well, every year

I like to go on a little adventure."

Old people do this sort of thing

to pretend they're young.

And I thought maybe I should have

another driving adventure.

And I thought, "Well,

maybe I'll drive down to see James."

And I thought it would be good

to pass on a bit of luck.

So I've brought something for you

to... sort of help you

start your business again.

- So shall we go and have a look?

- Well, yeah.

Come on, then.

Come on, Mohammed.

Finally, Nick takes James

across town to see the saw,

which he still doesn't know about.

What you doing?!

But suddenly, their day is

literally smashed off course.

That's impossible!

You've got no brakes!

Yeah, I have brake!

You've got no brakes!

This guy has no brakes on his lorry.

No brakes.

The trouble is, this is going to

kill us on time.

Hey, hey!

Oh, Christ! I'm watching

this policeman. Oh, bloody hell!

Let me see this damage here.

Let me see.

How do we cope with this situation?

Yeah, we have to go to the station?

Yeah, including you.

How long will it take?

We are in such time pressure.

Yeah.

I will take responsibility for

the damage of this vehicle.

Your duty is to make sure

this crazy lorry is made safe. OK?

Er, thank you. OK.

I will give you your driving

licence.

He's a danger.

He don't have the brake.

Who wouldn't think he wouldn't stop,

for Christ's sake?

We saw him 50 yards away.

He have no brake.

He was far from us.

He's trying to tell us pass, pass.

You OK, James?

I'm not so OK.

Let's try and make it just one crash.

James still has no idea why he's

driving across Freetown.

Nick is about to unveil the surprise

that he hopes will change

James's life.

Blimey. What a day.

OK, James, come.

I thought it would be useful

for you... to have, um...

a bit of a machine or something

to help.

So, what we've done,

we've brought you a little present.

Wow.

So it is for me?

This for you. So we've got a saw and

we've got a generator.

Now you're a businessman!

Wow! Thank you very much!

Heh!

Huh?!

Wow!

- Yeah?

- I'm so grateful.

That exciting?

Thank you very much.

I'm so grateful.

That's good.

But you must be successful now.

You must work very hard,

and don't give all the money away.

Don't go chasing girls

all over Freetown.

No, no!

Taking them to nightclubs.

I'm not like that!

'He's not a demonstrative boy.'

He's not all excitable.

But I think

he's genuinely a bit shocked

and I think he's delighted with it.

I think

he's sort of taking it in, really.

But he's not going to do cartwheels.

That's not in his nature.

I don't need him to break down in

tears and sort of sob all over me.

Glad he didn't.

The first part of the business

is for James to master the machine.

This edge needs to be as close

to this saw blade as possible.

'It's like a dream!'

You see, I tell you,

like... my dream has come true.

'Incredible to see something

you never expect.

'Drove me crazy!'

This peg lines up with that hole.

As well as operating the saw,

James will have to maintain it.

Nick spent 500 on spare belts

and tough titanium blades.

Training will take time.

So Nick heads out

to scout James' competition.

We've got to feel confident

that when we leave,

everything is in place

and that he's actually in business.

It's a big ask, actually,

when you think about it.

I really believe in that boy.

I know James will make it.

Just up the road is a

well-established carpentry business.

The boss is here.

Who's the boss? You're the boss?

How are you, sir?

How many people work for you?

We have up to ten workers presently.

Is that right?

Yeah, ten workers.

And what are you making?

What sort of furniture?

All kinds of furniture.

Windows, beds, chairs,

units as well.

So how many carpenters like you

has got his own saw?

Well, presently,

I don't know of others.

You're on your own?

Yeah, because it's difficult to

set up a kind of business like this.

And how do you power the saw?

Do you have a generator somewhere?

Well, presently,

we don't have access to a generator.

We are just trying to use

the National Power Authority.

So today,

when we don't have any light,

then we don't do any

effective work today.

The good news is

no other small workshop

seems to have a saw and a generator.

But there's a problem.

There's another important machine.

Here's a...

This is a surface planer.

A planer, yeah? Yeah.

What you've got, you're buying wood,

it always comes in fixed lengths,

it's cut, but it's rough.

- Yeah.

- And you prepare it.

You are correct.

Nick has overlooked

an obvious detail.

His ripping saw will make

light work of cutting wood,

but the planks remain too rough

to make furniture.

For that, they need to be

planed small, which,

without machines,

eats time and profit by hand.

What does interest me now is

the need to have a planer, maybe.

With a planer and a ripsaw,

then you have a very good

combination of machines.

Yeah.

Another day gone,

and problems are mounting.

As it dawns that the saw is not

very profitable without a planer,

local journalist Simon Aitken

arrives to scrutinise

Nick's grand act of charity.

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