He was once the most watched television star on the planet.
Now, with a new Baywatch film just around the corner, minds in Dundee are turning back fifteen years to when Knight Rider and Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff ended up on the ballot paper for the role of Dundee University’s next rector.
A group of students behind the audacious bid dreamed of Hasselhoff giving surfing lessons on Broughty Ferry beach and his low-budget TV movies being shown in Dundee cinemas.
Within weeks Hoff Fever had taken off – there was a Knight Rider comedy show in a city pub and one of the campaign team even decided to audition on Stars in their Eyes as Hasselhoff.
It was perhaps ironic that students Benni Esposito and Graham Phillips were behind the bid to “put the city on the map” by bringing the Hoff to Dundee.
Benni and Graham had previously been told to “emigrate” by one angry councillor a year earlier after their Edinburgh Fringe show was heavily criticised.
The Road from Dundee incurred the wrath of church leaders after claiming Hasselhoff was the Second Coming and it was accused of doing untold damage to the city’s reputation after describing it as a “cesspool of filth corruption, shell-suits, and bad marketing campaigns.”
The students – whose stage names were Ben Darcy and Brandon Reed – were already up and coming stars on the UK comedy circuit.
In 2001 they launched the seemingly unlikely rector bid with Graham gathering votes whilst dressed in the star’s trademark leather jacket, tight jeans and chest hair.
They managed to get enough nominations and Hasselhoff ended up on the ballot paper alongside Fred MacAulay, Richard Whitely, MSP Nick Johnston and Islamic academic Dr Abd-al-Fattah El-Awaisi.
There was speculation the whole thing was a hoax until Hasselhoff described the nomination as “a great personal honour” but one he eventually turned down due to his intensive work schedule.
The star had just started filming spin-off series Baywatch Hawaii but said he hoped to make a “one stop visit to Dundee to speak to the students” in the future.
This prompted a £2,000 bid to persuade the star to perform at the campus during freshers’ week.
They wanted the actor, who had sold over 40 gold and platinum albums across the globe, to sing for them and talk about his career.
The DCA was even approached and bizarrely asked to show some of his back catalogue of movies such as Gridlock and Avalanche to “honour his visit”.
But the students were again left disappointed when Hasselhoff’s agent expressed little hope that he would ever visit the city.
That meant it was left to Graham to take on the star’s role when a Knight Rider comedy show took place to raise money for Morgan Academy which had been destroyed by fire and the show would eventually enjoy a run in London’s West End.
Things then went from the sublime to the ridiculous when Benni auditioned for TV talent show Stars In Their Eyes to further enhance the star’s connection with the city.
Benni imported Hasselhoff’s albums from Germany while a recording studio agreed to record his version of Looking for Freedom which was the song Hasselhoff performed on the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Looking back 15 years, Graham, who is originally from Perth, said: “It was a legendary time.
“Sadly Benni died in 2005 but the rector campaign brings back so many happy memories of that time we spent together at Dundee University.
“It’s just a shame we didn’t manage to bring him over but Hoff Fever really did take off in 2001 and I’m glad we were a part of it.”
