Chat Ed : Hello everyone! Thanks for joining us for our first Faking It chat of the new series. Tonight we have Malcolm “Woody” Woodcock here with us who was tonight’s faker. Woody is a bicycle courier from Manchester and had to try and fake it as a polo player having never been on a horse before in his life! Over to you Woody…
Woody : Hi this is Woody, hope you liked the show, I had am amazing time doing it and if you just took me for who I was in the programme then that's really cool.
Yorkshiregal : well done!!
Bridget : Hey Woody. ................Respect!
ViolatedAngel : Well done Woody!
Ali : Just want to say well done
zooterkin : Well done! Have you continued your interest in polo since the programme?
Woody : And if there's anything you want to ask me, fire away!
sophy : i thought you were amazing!!
Woody : As soon as I started the interest grew straight away. It is such an amazing sport and it really, really got into my blood. I had the best time. The whole thrill of the game and thundering across the field when you have seven other horses chasing you is great. Any opportunity for me to go on a horse with a stick in my hand and I'll take it!
ViolatedAngel : What did it feel like being around people who are completely different to you?
Woody : Heh, interesting name.
ViolatedAngel : Thank you :)
Woody : The thing is, right at the start I was very wary because it wasn't so much I didn't think I would get along with them more that I thought they would just look at me and basically think I was going to mug them! The best thing about it though was that every single person I met took me for who I was and not what I was wearing. They all just took me for me. That was really, really cool and unexpected.
pippa : woody, you did brilliant, Its a shame you had to change the way you looked just to fit in...but well done for showing them
Kareena : Do you keep in touch with the people who helped you ?
Woody : Yes, I was actually just with Claire today. I had a phone call from Kasper and he has invited me back I keep texting all the grooms who I stayed with at the polo club and a lot of the polo players too. So yeah I've kept in touch with all of them. I'm going back down in two weeks to meet up with everyone again.
Basil : Woody, tell us honestly - did you seriously not remember what happened to your hand or were you just too embarrassed to tell Claire and Kasper?
Woody laughs
Woody : I have no recollection of punching the hole in the door I am presuming I did because there was a big hole in the door and my hand was bleeding! The amount I had drunk though made my memory a little bit hazy.
MarkJDelaney : Have you changed your image right back to how you were at the start of the programme? Or has any of your polo-style image stayed with you?
Duncan : Congratulations. So have you grown back any of the facial hair?
Woody : Well the image that I started off with when you first saw me enter the polo world - I've had that for 15 years. I feel really comfortable like that. But last week I did wear my polo boots with a pair of leather trousers - which works quite well actually! And the whip...that always comes in handy ; )
BrightonBeachBabe : HAve you still kept the pink shirt or did you give it to Kasper?
Woody laughs
Vivbabe : ooooh, whip and boots...stop it!!!
Woody : I still have it! But, I really haven't found anywhere I want to wear it at the moment. I think I will just frame it and look upon it as a bad fashion day.
Brian Woodcock : Hi Bro, how's your back feeling now, recovered yet? :-)
Woody : Aah! My bro!
Woody laughs
Woody : Yo bro! Yeah yeah the back is fine, I'll be seeing you quite soon anyway so I'll catch you later.
elle : Has pushing yourself in this way, changed your 'laid back' lifestyle?
Woody : Hmm... it's changed my social lifestyle which I am still laid back about - it hasn't made me go all hyper-active or anything, but I had to learn to mix with a totally different social group, which was great.
BenB : Have u decided to put in for a raise now your a big shot tv star?
manuel : well done woody, are you still a courier?
Woody chuckles
Woody : I am still a courier. I actually got a pay rise before Christmas. So I think it would be a little bit cheeky to ask for another one just because I might be a z-list celebrity now
LittleBassist : That artwork you were doing in the program was amazing Woody; do you do much art?
mjac : Your painting is really cool, have you ever considered doing art for a job?
ViolatedAngel : I saw your drawing of Eric Draven... It's amazing!
Woody : Thank you for thinking my artwork is good. I am always painting, it is one of my main loves. I'm always thinking about it. I'd love to do it as a job, but most artists are always called struggling artists for obvious reasons really, but if anyone wants to offer me a job as an artist - fine, I'll take it!
applez4horses : I paint horses
Woody laughs
Woody : Okaaaay :) Do the horses mind you painting them applez and what colour do you paint them?
Samtopcafe : hey woody, can you paint that eric draven pic on my jacket?
BJAM : You were amazing - rising canter, cool. Do you like horses?
Conrad : Woody. Well done! Do you like horses or do you think they are big slobbering monsters?
Woody :Yeah horses are big slobbering monsters and that's why I luuurve them.
Alex4 : Did you ever fall off the horse?
Chat Ed : You can watch series one of Faking It on the 4Broadband site
Woody : Yes I did. Only the once surprisingly enough - in the woods. The horse tripped over a log I was trying to jump over and I fell off - that's how I hurt my back actually, but luckily they didn’t catch any of it on camera – haha!
zoe b : How did you get on the programme to start with? How did you hear about it?
Woody : Well they phoned me up out of the blue - they get the idea of the polo player first then they try and think of who they can turn into a polo player. They went round couriers, mountain bikers etc in London then eventually got to me.
Tigertot : Why did you take the challenge?
Kareena : Did you honestly think that you could do it ??
Woody grins
Woody : I took the challenge because I can't understand why anyone would say no to that. Being a different person for a month, getting to lead a completely different life – that was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
Andy- GJ m8! : How did you feel when you found out you had passed?
Woody : I was very, very, very happy! After all the pain that I went through and the lifestyle change I needed to do it. It was the best feeling. I was so nervous. I had to wait for a couple of hours before I found out anything. When I found out I had done it - it was just amazing.
Shame : Honestly can't believe you Faked it! Did it all just come together on the last day or did you have a sneaky suspicion you would do it?
Woody : No, actually it all came together on the last day. The day before the final test I was actually going to run away! Everything just worked though. I never thought I would do it to be honest, I thought they'd find me out within 30 seconds. But it all came together and I had a moment of clarity on the final day.
Kieran : How do you think the other more accomplished Polo players felt about the judges not spotting you as the amateur?
Woody laughs
Woody : I was thinking exactly that. The one that they did choose would be very, very upset I’d imagine. They didn't know at the time that I was the faker - they thought I was the same as them. If that was me I'd be gutted.
danielwinter : You were going to run away? What made you decide not to?
Woody : I just thought sod it I'm going to go out there and just do it so I stayed and saw it through.
mimi : Woody, what did you think of the stereotypical blonde polo girls? Have you since come across a pierced polo playing lady?
Woody laughs
Woody : The stereotypes are actually classed as 'stick chicks'. They were all nice enough people though but everyone was blonde, it has to be said and they did all look kind of similar.
Kate Cat and Kim : Hi Woody How did you like mixing with royalty?
miow : Prince Harry gave you a very strange look. How did you feel 'sticking out like a sore thumb' in front of the Prince?!
Woody : Strangely enough mixing with Prince Harry was very normal. It seems bizarre to say it but it was like he just walks into his local pub - people know him and he is just a normal 18 yr old lad really. The people there don't give him any hassle and he was just getting on with it. It seemed very natural.
lucym : Are you going to play polo again?
nicky80 : are you still playing polo and if not-do you think you ever will again?
Rachel : have you kept up with the polo?
Aaronius : Will you ever play polo again?
Woody : Definitely! Kasper has invited me back down so I'll be taking him up on that for sure.
Lady Sadie : Good! Good! Good!
Woody : He said he’d sort some games out for me. We'll get drunk and play polo. Maybe not at the same time. One before the other.
wobblydeb : Cool - you'll have to be on a 'What happened after they were famous' programme!
Samson : what does the future hold woody?,br>
lee : woody how has your life changed since the show?
Woody : Hopefully, the future holds ... hmm.. I've no idea. I really don't know. I will just make sure I have fun while I'm doing it. If something comes from this great, but if it doesn't the experience will be with me forever.
init : you should invent a polo game on bicycles
Hailee : Ur Paintings looked really ace!!
Syph : there already is bicycle polo init
Woody : There is already a bike polo team! So unfortunately I can’t invent that.
Chat Ed : Our half hour is up now ladies and gents so get your goodbyes in before Woody runs off…
Lynne : Really admire you for what you did - to go from not having ridden to riding (with style) and playing polo in 4 weeks is amazing
xbeckyx : good luck with the future :+)
roo : good luck
Andy1 : Bet work will be weird tomorrow with everyone recognising you !
metso : see ya
manchester_girl : good luckXXX
Buzz Lightyear : thanks woody, i expect a call about seeing Kasper soon
Holly : good luck xx
RoadKill : Good luck with it all woody!
WebbyWunda : Well done and keep up the good work! :o)
Yorkshire Lad : Good luck mate, well done!!!
Stock Back Lover : bye hope you do well in what ever you decide to do
Woody : Cheers for all the support, I'm so glad you liked it and have taken an interest. I've really enjoyed talking to you all. If you see me riding around Manchester wave and shout abuse at me! Bye for now!
Woody leaves the room
