TV Preview: UR SO V4IN – C4, 7.35pm
AMONG the Nigels of this world there is an intense competition going on. Several crave the same number plate – N1GEL – and are willing to spend a fortune to get it.
UR SO V4IN explores the world of personalised car number plates and the people willing to spend thousands to own the right combination of numbers and letters.
For these Nigels, plates are more than a strip of acrylic. They're a prized possession, a spark of individuality, and most importantly, a status symbol.
Retired satellite communications engineer Nigel Mills is the current owner of N1GEL, having originally missed out on buying it at auction when it sold for £78,000. Years later, he bought the plate for almost £80,000 in a private deal. It is now estimated to be worth £100,000.
Like Nigel Mills, Nigel Walker attended the original auction of N1GEL. Having missed out, the accountant settled on N2GEL, costing £700. But now, 10 years on, N2GEL is reported to be worth around £50,000.
Nigel Blackburn, meanwhile, is a gold bullion dealer from Birmingham. He owns six number plates worth more than £200,000 in total, the most prized being AU1, the plate sported by Goldfinger in the James Bond movie of the same name.
Finally, we meet intelligence consultant Nigel Dobbie. Shortly after buying his own very individual plate, he received a call from the DVLA withdrawing the sale on the basis that it should have been on their banned list. Couldn't possibly tell you what it says.
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