Simon Barnett and co-host Lana Searle are packing their bags for South Korea, and if everything goes to plan, Simon will finally meet his long-time hero, Tom Cruise.
This morning on the More FM Breakfast Club, an audio message revealed a huge surprise: “Simon, Lana, yesterday, you accepted your first mission. Identifying two New Zealanders to attend the London Premiere is vital, but that was only the beginning.”
The audio went on to explain that Simon and Lana will attend the South Korea ‘Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’ movie premiere.
“Simon, your personal mission, pack your bags, your passport, and a microphone,” the audio said.
In seven days, they will travel to Seoul, in South Korea, where a spot has been secured for Simon in the press pit alongside the red carpet.
The audio then encouraged Simon to “make contact with (Ethan) Hunt,” who is played by Tom Cruise in the film, and “recover the message he carries for the rest of New Zealand”.
It also instructed Simon to take his "closest confidant," Lana, to film the interaction.
"What the heck?!" Simon responded to the clip, prompting Lana to reply: “We’re going to South Korea! You get to meet him!”
Lana promised Simon: “This is real, this is the real thing.”
After Simon was left with “genuine embarrassment” in 2017, when a radio prank went wrong and Simon believed he was talking to Tom Cruise, only for it to be an impostor.
Simon assured listeners he had no idea the trip was happening, with Lana revealing she was told half a day ago to help with planning.
Despite calling Lana a “snake” for already knowing, Simon’s excitement returned when he realised she would be helping him navigate his way around South Korea.
“I’m so scared, I’m the least travelled person in the world, so thankfully you’ll be with me," he said. “How do you get to South Korea?”
Still trying to process the news, Simon said, “Tom will be... where am I?”
Lana explained he'd have a prime spot on the red carpet: ‘You’ve got to represent New Zealand in there, man. There’s no other person for the job. We trust you.”
When Lana asked, “Did you think next week you’d be going to South Korea?” it was clear Simon had only just realised how soon the trip was.
“I’m not going to sleep for seven days," he said.
The girl from Dargaville and the boy from Ashburton, taking on South Korea - what an adventure it will be!
