A television producer who worked on Sir David Attenborough’s documentaries has been caught on camera in an extraordinary road rage incident, telling a family “I want you to die” as he attempted to place them under a citizen’s arrest.
Fergus Beeley was filmed yelling at a family inside a vehicle after they had pulled off the M27 following a minor car crash near Portsmouth, Hampshire.
The wildlife producer and director can be heard calling the family “wankers” and told them to “get back in your car before you die”.
Police were called to the incident in Sainsbury’s car park in Hedge End on Saturday morning.
Two allegations of common assault were made by two people, but neither man wanted to pursue the complaint, police said.
The extraordinary exchange, which has been shared widely on social media, has sparked a comedic parody Fergus Beeley Twitter account.
The twitter account, which is captioned “you’re under citizen’s arrest”, shows Beeley “on the run” from the authorities.
The account also jokes that Beeley may not be in work on Monday following the heated exchange at the weekend.
Beeley’s IMDB page has also been edited to incorporate this latest incident, with his biography now reading: “Fergus is known to get very angry in supermarket car parks and has a hobby of placing anyone and everyone under citizens arrest.
“He also tells people to get ready to die while placing them under citizens arrest. It is unclear if Fergus is just angry, or a Basil Fawley tribute act.”
Beeley’s LinkedIn profile shows that he was a series producer on the BBC’s Natural History Unit and has worked on such shows as Planet Earth.
Simon Gale, who was caught up in the unpleasant exchange, said he was driving to Portsmouth with his wife Louise, their 11-year-old son, and his mother-in-law when a car from the inside lane tried to pull into the middle lane and ended up hitting their vehicle.
He said that when his wife tried to exchange insurance details with the driver of the other car, Fergus Beeley pulled up and “started screaming and shouting”.
Gale, of Salisbury, Wiltshire, said: “It was quite a scary thing.
’He flew into an absolute raving state. When he got out the car he demanded, ‘Do you know who I am?’, and when I said I didn’t he grabbed me and pushed me against the car.”
Gale added: “My son was so scared by it that he actually ended up sleeping in our room last night. He’s very shaken.
“Luckily none of us are harmed in any way - but we’re still quite shaken by it. We’re definitely going to be a bit more cautious from now on.”
The internet reacted in predictable fashion, with the incident spawning a host of gifs and memes, many of which included the infamous Basil Fawlty scene where the uptight hotel owner attacks a car with a tree branch.
Police said in a statement: “We were called to a non-injury road traffic collision on the M27 between junctions 5 and 7 at 11.30am on July 22.
“The incident involved a Mazda 3, a Peugeot 107 and a Skoda Octavia.
“When officers attended all parties had moved to the Sainsbury’s car park in Hedge End.
“A 32-year-old man from Southampton and a 54-year-old from Gloucestershire each made an allegation of common assault but neither party wanted to pursue the complaint.
“As a result, advice was given to both parties and told that two assaults will be recorded and filed.”
Beeley has been contacted for comment.