Owain Wyn Evans has been pulled over for speeding in Northern Ireland, by a police sergeant who only exists on television.
The Ammanford-raised presenter was on a pit stop in Antrim today, Tuesday 10 November, when Belfast actor Neil Keery turned up live on Vernon Kay’s Radio 2 show. Keery plays the deadpan Sergeant Laurence McCloskey in the BBC One police drama Blue Lights.
He jokingly accused the cyclist of breaking the speed limit on Northern Irish roads.
Evans replied: “Oh my gosh, no way! I’ve been arrested by Neil from Blue Lights!”
108 miles from Larne around Lough Neagh, and another ferry to catch
It came on the longest day of his ride for BBC Children in Need: 108 miles from Larne, around Lough Neagh and on to Belfast. For the second day running he was racing a timetable, this time the evening ferry out of Belfast.
He set off from Glasgow on Monday and rode 84 miles down the west coast of Scotland to Cairnryan for the crossing to Northern Ireland.
The whole route is nearly 400 miles through all four nations, finishing in central Cardiff on Friday 13 November.
Wednesday’s leg is due to take him from Liverpool to Welshpool, bringing him back into Wales, according to the BBC’s live tracker.
‘5, 6, 7, Donate’: Steps and the Radio 2 presenters re-record a 1990s hit
Vernon Kay had another surprise for him on air, the first play of a new version of Steps’ debut hit ‘5, 6, 7, 8’. It has been renamed ‘5, 6, 7, Donate’ and given new lyrics to lift him through the day, the BBC says.
Steps sang on it themselves, alongside a long list of Radio 2 voices including Sara Cox, Jeremy Vine, Jo Whiley, Rylan Clark, Michael Ball, Elaine Paige and Tony Blackburn.
A message from nephew Joey and a visit from best friend Chris
Closer to home, his nephew Joey sent a good-luck message. His best friend, Chris, went one better and turned up unannounced at a pit stop.
The support is showing in the total. By 11am today he had raised £196,401, the BBC says.
This is his second big challenge for the charity. His 24-hour drumathon in 2021 raised more than £3.8m, by the BBC’s count.
He was not a cyclist before he started training for this one, the BBC says, and he admitted to “a couple of wobbles” three weeks before the start.
How to follow the last three days
A live tracker on the BBC Children in Need website shows where he is, and Radio 2 is carrying updates on air all week.
A BBC TV crew is following the ride for a film, Owain Wyn Evans: Four Nations Challenge for BBC Children in Need, on BBC One on Friday 20 November at 7.30pm.
Donations can be made through bbc.co.uk/owain.
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