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Troubador Planes, Passports and Porkie Pies – Slice One

Released: 28/04/2016

ISBN: 9781785891571
eISBN: 9781785895937

Format: Paperback/eBook

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Planes, Passports and Porkie Pies – Slice One

Stirring Tales of UK Border Control (but not as shown on TV)

by Mike Clarke

Mike Clarke worked for 18 years in Immigration Control in London’s larger airports, the last 9 as a Chief Immigration Officer. In his time there, he encountered every scenario you could imagine – and some you’d never dream of! Planes, Passports and Porkie Pies – Slice One details the ups and downs of his working life: queues and crises, joy and despair, cock-ups, punch-ups, forgers, robbers, liars, lovers, thugs, drugs and always the poorest of the poor. Join Mike as he recounts just some of his more memorable moments, from a man wearing a suit filled with £80,000 cash to his part in the truly shocking sudden death of the Russian Atomic Clock. Planes, Passports and Porkie Pies is a hilarious memoir that will particularly appeal to those familiar with the immigration sector, as well as anyone who has ever suffered at the hands of mindless bureaucracy.

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Thoroughly enjoyed. Entertaining, thought provoking, a little heartbreaking

by Johanna

Very funny book, haven't seen Mike in several years, good to see he can still tell a good story, even if some parts are very poignant.

by barry T

As an SB man who worked for many years with IB I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I actually laughed out loud frequently. To the author, a very good read, thankyou.

by Mick hurst

This is a slice that truly whets the appetite for more. Mike provides an hilarious and nostalgic insight into a Service that, sadly, has long since disappeared.

This is a thoroughly good read and I look forward to devouring (second slice) Mike's continuing account of subsequent roles and experiences in the intensely challenging spheres of after entry and anti-terrorism.

by JS

I asked secret santa for this book and he/she delivered. I had the pleasure to work in the Immigration Service for 36 years and alongside the author at The Appeals Section at Harmondsworth for a while. Thoroughly enjoyed the relevant section in the book as well as the other reminders of what a great time we all had whilst holding the keys to the Kingdom as the recruitment campaign suggested. Made me laugh and cry and for that I am truly grateful. Well done Mike and now I must locate the next "slice".

by Steve Harvey

About the Author

Mike Clarke

Job-wise, most of what I choose readily to recall, whether with pleasure or with pain, is already in the 2 Slices, although there's a bit more of domestics in the novel 'Dog Strap Five' (Vol.1 soon I hope to be published, and Vol.2 about to be written).

Otherwise, I have enthusiastically re-embraced general, idle, swanning around - barring my dog,no-one swans more successfully, more generally or more idly than me - and my only vague current concern, arguably not before time, is my health, which I think is best described like this.

Heart (attack, then triple by-pass), stroke (but only mini), diabetes (but only borderline), and now liver (though fuck knows what exactly, because they're still working on it) don't particularly worry me, because they're only practices for Death.

What does, just a tad (worry me, I mean) is that any day now, all that practice will suddenly prove bloody perfect, but that's life.