Unmasked, the driver who keeps Jubilee line amused

HE IS the master of subterranean wit and rolling stock repartee, and today we can reveal the face behind the stream of oneliners keeping passengers amused on the Jubilee line - Mr Gary King.

As the Standard reported last month, one driver has punctuated the delays and cancellations with a string of jokes, becoming something of a cult figure among Jubilee line customers, and today Mr King stepped forward as the intercom comic. So, why the jokes?

"Everybody is depressed on the Tube," he said. "Blank looks, no eye contact, always blaming the staff. If there's a two-minute delay without a driver's announcement, people start getting angry. If you can make people laugh, it relieves the tension."

Not that London Underground lets him air his material uncensored. Announcers must adhere to a company code of conduct outlawing the broadcast of offensive language. "I'm politically correct," he said.

"I never swear or say anything bad about the company or comment on politics."

However, some jokes are at the expense of that eternal butt of comedians, the ex-wife, such as: "Chat to the person next to you - but if it's a blonde woman and she's telling you that you haven't shaved, you've left the toilet seat up and your socks don't match your shoes, ignore her. That's my ex-wife."

Mr King, of Edgware, has his fans.

"People come to me when I've finished my shift and say, 'You're wasted here'," he said. "I tell them: 'I will be in a couple of hours'."

He doesn't always go for laughs. There are football results to be relayed, and the obligatory safety announcement: "Mind the gap - and I'm not talking about the one between my ex-wife's ears."

Copyright 2001
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