TV Times - 30 November - 6 December 2002
TV Times Gold
Flaming Hell as the Blue Watch boys end up buried alive
1991 It was the biggest 'shout' Blue Watch had ever been called to. The closing episodes of the fourth series of London's Burning featured a huge warehouse blaze which left 15 million fans chewing their nails to the quick as the building collapsed, burying Bayleaf (our cover star James Hazeldine) and Hallam (Sean Blowers) alive.
The scenes took four weeks to film and weren't a lot of fun for the actors. 'I've never been so scared in my life,' James told us.
'The sheer power and terror of fire is what I remember. It's all very spectacular and exciting, but I think what you are left with is a feeling of fear after filming something like this. You're not on a high, rather you're aware of what can happen in real life.'
Sean Blowers agreed. 'I simply can't imagine what goes through the mind of someone trapped; who is absolutely convinced there's no escape. No wonder people suffer trauma afterwards.
'Hallam is supposed to be so strong and unemotional but he can't handle what he's been through. He needs help...'
Both firemen eventually recovered from their physical and mental injuries, and stayed on with Blue Watch for a further five years.
Bayleaf retired to open a restaurant in Littlehampton, West Sussex. But in 1996, in an awful twist, Hallam was killed during another big warehouse fire when he fell 80ft through a glass roof.