Tapescript 13.

InterviewerHow did you become thepickpocket consultant for Oliver Twist?

JohnWell, I'm the director of a company which supplies magicians for live events, and for TV and films. Roman Polanski, the director of the film, he was looking for someone to train the actors - the young boys - to teach them to be pickpockets. He wanted them to be able to pick pockets so fast and so skillfully that it would look like they'd been doing it for years, so that they would look like professional pickpockets. So anyway, the film company got in touch with my company, and then 1 flew to Prague where they were shooting the film, to meet Polanski.

InterviewerWhat happened when you met him?

JohnWell, he didn't give me a normal interview. He just asked me to steal his watch, without him noticing.

InterviewerAnd did you?

JohnYes, I did. So he gave me the job!

InterviewerHow long did it take the boys to learn to pick pockets?

JohnNot very long. They learned really quickly. To be a good pickpocket you need confidence and children have that confidence. In the end, they got so good that they were stealing from everybody on the film set, even from me. I started to feel a bit like Fagin myself.

InterviewerSo what's the trick of being a pickpocket?

JohnThe real trick is to make people notice some things but not others. Some magicians call it 'misdirection', but I call it 'direction' - you have to direct people towards what you want them to see, and of course away from what you don't want them to see. Let me show you. What do you have in your jeans pockets?

InterviewerEr just keys.

JohnCan you show me them?

InterviewerWow! That's amazing! You've stolen my wallet... and my pen. I really didn't notice a thing...

JohnThat's the trick you see. All I had to do was to direct your attention to your jeans pocket and your keys, and you forgot about your jacket pocket and your wallet.

InterviewerThat's incredible. I mean I was prepared -1 knew you were going to try to steal from me. And I still didn't see you. So if someone wasn't prepared, it would be even easier.

JohnThat's right. If you know where people are looking, you also know where they're not looking. So for example if someone comes up to you in the street with a map and asks you where something is, they make you look at the map, and perhaps while you're doing that they're stealing your wallet or your phone from your back pocket.

InterviewerTourists are especially at risk from pickpockets, aren't they?

JohnYes, and that's because pickpockets know exactly what they're going to look at; which is usually a building or a monument. For example, take tourists in London. When they come out of Westminster tube station, the first thing people do is look up at Big Ben. And when they look up, it's easy for pickpockets to do their work. And of course, thieves love the posters in the tube that warn people to be careful with their belongings -you know the ones that say 'Watch out! Pickpockets about!' As soon as men read that, they immediately put their hand on the pocket that their wallet is in, to make sure it's still there. The pickpockets see that and so they know exactly where it is.

InterviewerWell, I'm sure that information will be very helpful to everyone and especially to tourists. John Freedman, thank you very much for talking to us this afternoon.

JohnYou're welcome.

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