Doreen Whiting is 67 years old and is living in South Wales. She has a son and daughter and five grand children, all boys. She worked at Pinewood Studios in the 70' and 80'. There is only five copies of her book available. She asked Roger Moore his permission to to have it reproduced on his website. Roger Moore kindly accepted. All our thanks to Roger Moore and Doreen Whiting. Feel free to leave a message about the book and the author here.

I had a dream. It seemed like it was an impossible dream but I knew that one day I could make it come true if I worked hard enough at it and so this is the true story of how I managed to make that dream come true.

When I was a teenager I lived with my parents in Peckham, South East London just a stones throw away from Stockwell, which is also in South East London. On our brand new black & white television a programme called "The Saint" was being shown. As far as I was concerned it was love at first sight. Roger Moore aka Simon Templar was, to put it mildly, absolutely gorgeous! I fell in love at first sight. Si did my Mum! I bought all the magazines I could find with Roger Moore in it. Even if they only had a tiny snippet of information about him in them I bought them. All my spare cash was spent buying anything that showed him in all his glory. I found out that he was born in Stockwell and walked to the street where he had lived, even though by then he had long ago left there. I became so obsessed that my husband to became jealous of him. When we got married we were both nineteen, still very young, but Roger was still my most favourite man in the world. My husband was in the army when we first got married so I lived alone for nearly two years while he served his conscription time. It was very worrying as he went to Cyprus while all the troubles were there and to North Africa and Germany. When he was demobbed after we had been married nearly two years we started our family, firstly we had a son Leonard then seven years later we had our daughter Lisa. After Lisa was born we moved to Langley in Berkshire, which is very near Pinewood Studios, and so my story begins.

It seems like a lifetime ago now but I have loved Roger Moore for over five decades. What am I thinking? It is a life time. The Saint, The Roaring Twenties, The Alaskans, Ivanhoe, Maverick, The Persuaders, and many, many films. I watched them all, entranced by his good look and charming manner. Then along came James Bond. THE James Bondas far as I was concerned. As I had never seen Sean Connery as Bond until later when the first Bond films came on the television. It was hust too much to bear I just had to find a way of meeting Roger Moore. I had tried so many, many times when "The Persuaders!" was being filmed at Pinewood Studios, as by then I had moved to Langley which was quite close to where the studios were located and it would have been very easy for me to get there. But I was only told to try again next week, next week came and I was told again to try next week, time and time again until finally the series finished and the filming stopped and I still hadn't met my idol. About this time I did quite a naughty thin, I rang Directories Enquiries and asked for the tlephone number of a Mr. R. Moore and I gave his address, as by then I had found out that he lived in Denham. They told me that it was an ex-directory number and so they couldn't give it to me. So I asked if they would consider ringing the number but not telling me what it was. What a nerve I had! But they did it! The phone rang and I waited on tender hooks waiting to hear who would answer it. Then this lovely rich voice said "Hello" and I melted. Roger Moore himself had answered. what was I going to say? He said "Hello" again. I just couldn't tell him what I had done; it was enough to know that I heard his voice so I put the receiver down. I felt elation and depression all the same time. I had done the unthinkable and phoned Roger Moore, but had not had the courage to follow it through and speak to him. This made me all the more determined to meet him, somehow.

The years passed and Leonard (now Leo), and Lisa were now going to school and I worked part time in a solicitors office, boringly typing out litigation forms and writing up the more interesting divorce cases of the time when, due to an unfortunate event at the office where I worked, I found myself out of work and needing a job, so I sat down and thought. I scanned the local newspapers and found nothing that interested me, then I had a brainwave, what would I have to lose by just driving along to Pinewood Studios and asking whoever might stop me, as someone was bound to, if there were any vacancies ? Nothing at all, the worse they could do was to tell me to turn around and drive back out again. So I got into my car and did just that. I drove along the lovely leafy lanes that lead to the Studios and as I knew it would be, I was stopped at the security gate and, as I had practised at home, I asked the security officer at the gate if there were any vacancies anywhere at the studios.

The man at the gate looked into a book that he had on his desk and asked me if there was anything particular that I wanted to do, I shrugged my shoulders and replied that I would do anything, so I was told yes, there was a vacancy in the restaurant which has just become available would I be interested. Would I ! He made a quick phone call then I was told that I could be seen immediately and so I was told where to park my car and given direction to the manager's office to have an interview with the restaurant manager a Mr. Thomas. I was very nervous, I had never worked in a restaurant before, I had always been secretary, still, nothing ventured nothing gained, so I knocked on his door a voice said "Come in" so I entered the office. Mr. Thomas told me that the job had not been yet advertised as the previous waitress had left suddenly the day before so he was rather desperate to fill the vacancy as soon as possible. After telling quite a few fibs about my experience as a waitress to Mr. Thomas, and telling him that I had served on tables before, he aid that I could have the job. Then he asked me when I could start, and I crossed my fingers and told him I could start tomorrow, so he said right I will see you at nine o'clock and at lunch time you can give Roger Moore his lunch. Well, I nerlay swooned. what a delightful prospect. It was pure coincidence that he pickedon Roger Moore's name as obviously I had not told him that the reason that I wanted the job was so that I could meet Roger, so when he said those words my heart leapt and I couldn't believe my luck. From driving into the gateway of the studios to driving out again with the job had taken forty-five minutes. Forty five minutes which were to change my life and make my wildest dreams come true.

What I didn't know at that time but was to find out a few weeks later was the reason the previous waitress had left. It appeared that Mr. Thomas was a serial groper. I found this out a few weeks after I had started work and when I told the other girls they just shrugged their shoulders and said that if I wanted the job I had to put up with it as they did, but the previous girl didn't so she was sacked on the spot. These days that would not be allowed to happen but unfortunately at that time the workers had to put up with that sort of treatment or leave the job. I decided that if it happened again I would slap his face and walk out regardless of the fact that if I did I would probably not be allowed inside the studios again and therefore would not be able to see Roger Moore again, but I was not the sort of girl to put up with any unwanted attentions.

Anyway back to the moment when I left the studios with the job of my dreams. On the way home I was in a daze, in fact I do not remember the journeu at all. I told my family the good news and they were all very excited for me. (I think my husband was a little jealous). Before actually going home I drove to the shops and bought myself a necklace with my name on it, it was nothing special not silver or gold just my name, Doreen, so that when I saw Rogerhe would knwo who I was and, hopefully, remember me. I didn't sleep at all that night I tossed and turned and all I could think of was what I would do when at last I would meet this wonderful man face to face. Funnily enough when my time at the studios finished I lost the necklace and never found it again, that was rather spooky.

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