A GLAZEBROOK couple had a holiday with a difference when they packed their vagabond shoes and started spreading the news in old New York with the Real Holiday Show.

Michael and Marianne Bain, of Carlton Way, swapped sleepy suburbia for skyscrapers and side-walks when they travelled to the Big Apple for their 20th wedding anniversary. They saw an advert for the Channel Four show asking holiday-makers to get in touch and applied, but heard nothing until 30 hours before they were due to fly when the film crew phoned and asked if they could tag along.

The cameras followed the pair around the city during their four day trip and also filmed them back home in Glazebury.

Michael said: "They were keen to compare the village to New York so they filmed us in the Black Swan at Hollins Green and in the Planet Hollywood restaurant, at the local shop and in Bloomingdales, and also on the village green and in Central Park.

"Our village of around 200 houses is very different to a city of more than 16 million people."

During their stay, Michael and Marianne saw all the sights including the Empire State Building, World Trade Centre and Broadway, as well as taking a helicopter flight.

"The crew were exhausted," said Michael, "they didn't know how we did it all!"

The programme, which is to be screened in February, will have a Valentine's theme and, appropriately, the couple had their marriage blessed in St Patrick's Cathedral during their trip. "The cameraman asked if I thought Marianne would cry during the ceremony," said Michael, "but when we got her into church, she didn't just burst into tears, her legs went as well!

"I asked how it felt to make a fool of herself in front of millions of people!"

And the couple said that being filmed made their holiday better. "It wasn't intrusive at all," said Michael.

"It added to the whole trip and we'll get a lovely video record. We are going to London shortly to complete the filming so the holiday may be over, but the fun is still going on."

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