Dhiren's shock at TV stitch up

Sep 24 2007 By Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

A BIRMINGHAM man is still reeling from his live appearance on prime time TV which earned him £2,000.

Dhiren Varand, from Richmond Hill Road, Harborne, was set up by his friend Patrick Lay for the sting operation which landed him on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

The 22-year-old account manager was waiting for friends outside a TV shop in Harborne High Street when the show's presenters appeared on the screens.

Dhiren said: "When they came on I thought 'fantastic, I can watch them while I'm waiting' but then all of a sudden they were talking to me. They said my name but I didn't realise they were saying it to me.

"I was in shock, Ant and Dec were speaking to me live on TV. They said 'you're live on Saturday Night Takeaway and your friend's just stitched you up'.

"The whole night was unreal. It will certainly stick in my memory for a long time."

Dhiren was asked if he wanted to win some money by climbing onto a Jiggy Bank - a large piggy bank which can fork out up to £5,000 when someone rides it.

"My friend stitched me up big style," said Dhiren, who is still deciding how to spend his winnings.

"But he knows I'm always up for a laugh and that I've always wanted to be on TV. The challenge was quite hard actually and halfway through I pulled my left calf muscle. I was in absolute agony but I told myself to keep going.

"I've had loads of phone calls and text messages. Then when I was out people in bars and clubs were saying they'd seen me on TV. It's nice to have a bit of fame even if it's only short lived."