0:00:48 > 0:00:49If I asked you,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52"What is Britain's answer to Hollywood?" - where would you think?
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Well, today the BBC Antiques Roadshow has come to Elstree,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58and Elstree Studios, just outside London,
0:00:58 > 0:00:59have produced some of the most
0:00:59 > 0:01:03memorable movies and TV programmes over the past years.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08These rather nondescript buildings have produced things like Star Wars,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Indiana Jones, The Dam Busters,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13The Shining, and then on TV,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16The Muppet Show, The Avengers...
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Strictly is made here...
0:01:20 > 0:01:21..and Holby City.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26213, take five.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Last year, we asked you to get in touch with your stories connected to
0:01:29 > 0:01:31the world of entertainment,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35and not just TV and movies, but also music and stage.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40So where would make the perfect backdrop for such a programme?
0:01:40 > 0:01:41Where are we?
0:01:41 > 0:01:45EASTENDERS THEME MUSIC PLAYS EastEnders, of course.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48We're privileged to have Albert Square as our backdrop
0:01:48 > 0:01:50for this entertainment special.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Yes, we'll hear from stars of EastEnders
0:01:54 > 0:01:56over a tipple in the Queen Vic,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00meet unsung heroes behind famous movies like Star Wars,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03come face-to-face with Basil the rat, as well as meet fans of stage,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06screen and music legends.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10I think we can guarantee a nostalgic feast as we turn the spotlight onto
0:02:10 > 0:02:14showbiz on tonight's Antiques Roadshow.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Well, I've got the privilege of introducing
0:02:16 > 0:02:19one of the earliest heroes of my life.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22So, without any further ado...
0:02:22 > 0:02:23PIANO PLAYS
0:02:23 > 0:02:28# We want Muffin, Muffin the Mule
0:02:28 > 0:02:32# Dear old Muffin, playing the fool
0:02:32 > 0:02:36# We want Muffin, everybody sing
0:02:36 > 0:02:40# We want Muffin the Mule. #
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Hello. So you're here at last.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47So, the star of the show, and you are?
0:02:47 > 0:02:50- Will McNally.- And tell me, Will,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54what is your association with this fabulous mule?
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Well, it was my grandparents who owned and worked him,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00back in the '40s and '50s, and through into the '60s, I suppose.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I mean, was he always called Muffin the Mule?
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Well, well no, he was actually made in 1933,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09so, as a puppet, he's 84 years old this year,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13and it was when my grandparents, who were Ann Hogarth and Jan Bussell,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and they were well-renowned puppeteers of the Hogarth Puppets,
0:03:16 > 0:03:20and they were touring around the country in a caravan
0:03:20 > 0:03:21that converted to a puppet theatre,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and they were doing their shows and they found that they
0:03:24 > 0:03:26were five, ten minutes short in their length,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29so they needed something else.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So, one night my grandfather was there,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34and he decided on a kicking mule,
0:03:34 > 0:03:39and the kicking mule was to come on at the end of the puppet circus
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and sort of shoo and chivvy the clowns off the stage...
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- Oh!- ..chasing them around this way and that,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- and it all went down very well and the audiences loved it...- Yes.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53..but, after a while, my grandparents grew a little bit
0:03:53 > 0:03:55bored of it and they decided to cut that part of the act
0:03:55 > 0:03:57out of the show.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00And so my grandfather was working for the BBC as a producer and he
0:04:00 > 0:04:04met Annette Mills, and Annette Mills wanted to do a programme for
0:04:04 > 0:04:07children, singing songs at a piano, and she wanted something to go on
0:04:07 > 0:04:09the piano top, to help illustrate the songs,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11so she approached my grandfather and said,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14"Oh, Jan, would you make me a puppet?" and he sort of said,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17"Why don't you come round to my house and select one of my puppets?"
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Well, Annette fortunately thought that was a great idea, and so
0:04:21 > 0:04:23she went round to their house the very next day
0:04:23 > 0:04:26and selected the kicking mule, and named him Muffin the Mule.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Wonderful, wonderful.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31And as for Annette Mills, who by the way was the sister of John Mills,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- Sir John Mills...- Correct, yes.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37..we've got a photograph of her, way back at the BBC, at her piano,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41with Muffin, in full flow, and you can see your grandparents up there.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46That's right. Well, Annette was the face that everyone knows, you know,
0:04:46 > 0:04:47because she was the one on TV,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50but it was my grandmother who worked Muffin.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53My grandfather worked the others, and he was the TV producer and
0:04:53 > 0:04:56director of the show back in those days.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01This is a programme that lasted until 1955, am I right to say?
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- That's right, yes.- So tell me, where is he stabled these days?
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Oh, back home with me in Devon.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07But he's never out of retirement, is he?
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- No, we go around and we do a few presentations here and there...- OK.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13..and I'm hoping I might be able to get him back on TV one day.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Yeah. Well, you know, I've... I've got to value this fella.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19I mean, how do you value a TV icon?
0:05:19 > 0:05:21- Very difficult. - It's really, really difficult.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Now, I should point out for the benefit of the viewers that there
0:05:24 > 0:05:28are a lot of Muffin the Mules out there which are
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- made from a die-cast metal. - That's right.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I mean, I mean they produced thousands of them, and they do
0:05:32 > 0:05:36turn up with a certain amount of regularity on the Roadshow.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- They certainly do, yeah.- But what we're looking at here
0:05:38 > 0:05:41is much larger in scale and is the original.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46He is the original, he is the one and only that was made in 1933.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I will give you a modest,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52a modest guestimate that he's worth at least £5,000...
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- Oh, yeah.- ..but I'm tempted to opening the bidding to all these
0:05:56 > 0:06:01- people here and see where we go, but thank you so much. - LAUGHTER
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- Oh, it's a pleasure.- And...this sounds a bit silly,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06but despite the years I... I still want to kiss this fella.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- Do you mind if I...?- Of course not. - Come here, come here,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- I've missed you too. Mwah! - LAUGHTER
0:06:13 > 0:06:16You can call me bonkers, I don't care, I don't care.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Ahh...
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Next, Roadshow viewer Geoff
0:06:21 > 0:06:25recounts his unusual brush with fame to expert Jon Baddeley.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30So, Diana Dors, sometimes known as the English Marilyn Monroe.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Tell me the story of when you met her.
0:06:33 > 0:06:381977, I was driving up the M1, one Sunday evening on my own,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42very little traffic. A large Lincoln Continental flew past me at
0:06:42 > 0:06:47great speed, and I was going very slowly in a wreck of a car, and
0:06:47 > 0:06:50a little further up the road, there it was, stuck by the side of the
0:06:50 > 0:06:53road, with clouds of steam coming out one end, and Diana Dors standing
0:06:53 > 0:06:57there with a T-shirt on, with her own name across her chest
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and a picture of Paul Newman on the back, thumbing a lift.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02So you were the knight in shining armour...
0:07:02 > 0:07:04- Apparently, yes. - ..come to her rescue.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Yes, yes, and then she was quite happy
0:07:06 > 0:07:09to be taken to the Queen's Hotel in Leeds.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12She was absolutely lovely. She was very down to earth.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14She was one of the most, sort of, normal,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16if you like, people I could talk to,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19and the one thing I really remember her talking about
0:07:19 > 0:07:22with some amusement was, was her affair with Elvis.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25That kind of stuck very much in my mind.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28A year later or so, she was signing this book,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31the first one she produced, at Boots in Leeds.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34And when we got to the front of the queue,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37a book was handed to her and I said
0:07:37 > 0:07:41to her, "Hello, Di, how's the car?" And she... She looked at me,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43instant recognition. "Oh, hello, how are you?"
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and told the manager she was giving me the book.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48She signed it for me and then she said,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51"You're in the book. The story's in the book.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54"Can't remember which page it is, but there you are,"
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and all the people around were going, "Mavis, is he famous?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- "Should we get his autograph, too? - LAUGHTER
0:07:59 > 0:08:01And she dedicated the book?
0:08:01 > 0:08:06And she, yes, she said, you know, "To Geoff, thanks for the lift."
0:08:06 > 0:08:08"Thanks for the lift! Diana Dors." What a lovely memory.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- It is, yeah.- Cos one sort of thinks about Diana Dors as somebody
0:08:12 > 0:08:16who...all the scandal that went around her, she had...
0:08:16 > 0:08:19She was notorious, wasn't she? But she worked really hard.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22She was very active, not only as a film star
0:08:22 > 0:08:23but also as a cabaret singer,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and I think she was a very popular guest on all the talk shows.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29And what's the book worth? Not a huge amount.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33To anybody else, it's worth, I don't know, £30 or £40.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- To you, it's worth thousands. - Yes, exactly.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38There's not another one like it anywhere.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Next, it's all about outrageous outfits,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50flamboyant performances and sheer excess.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55Surrounded here by all this amazing stuff
0:08:55 > 0:08:58from the world famous Liberace -
0:08:58 > 0:09:00one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Mr Showmanship himself, yes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05And unusually we've got two collectors here today.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Yes, and we've not met, which is very exciting.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- And you've not met?- Not till now. - So, how did your obsession start?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13You in the beautiful purple shirt first.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Thank you, yes, in honour of Liberace himself.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So I started about 20 years ago.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I collected the first Christmas card and I thought,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23"Oh, this is interesting, maybe there's some others."
0:09:23 > 0:09:26And Liberace had over 200 fan clubs around the world.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28He received something like 10,000 letters a week.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32I mean, there's actually 34 cards that were sent
0:09:32 > 0:09:36from 1953 to the year just before he died in 1986.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39This is the 1953 card.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42What's interesting is that, actually, even in these early cards,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44he slightly dyed his hair.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47He was told he didn't look quite mature enough, so he actually dyed
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- his hair, and actually, in the later cards, he's got much darker hair. - CHUCKLING
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I love this one, this is so camp. Look at that.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Yeah, exactly, with the mobile, yeah.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- I mean, just...- I mean, they're very difficult to find now.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58It's taken me, sort of, 20 years.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02Of the 34 cards, I'm just missing six, so I've still got a little way
0:10:02 > 0:10:04to go, but I'll get there, I'll get there.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- And how did your obsession start? - Well, my grandfather Joe
0:10:07 > 0:10:09and my father John Bat both worked in MGM Studios...
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- Oh, really?- ..which was just up the road from here
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- in the '50s and '60s.- Yeah. - So I've always
0:10:14 > 0:10:17been a little bit starstruck, and of course, when Liberace passed
0:10:17 > 0:10:20away, they sold all his items from his houses,
0:10:20 > 0:10:24and I just had to have something, and obviously chandeliers and
0:10:24 > 0:10:27pianos would have cost far too much, so I bought what I like,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31which is fishes, and I got 12 fishes from his Malibu beach house.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Did you go over there to buy?
0:10:32 > 0:10:36No, I rang up America and put a bid in of 500.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- Oh, wow, yeah!- And I got... - For everything?- Yeah.- Wow!
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- That was a bargain.- Yeah, it was. - Yeah, for those who never quite
0:10:43 > 0:10:47understood the thrill and the excitement of Liberace, tell us what
0:10:47 > 0:10:51- it is about him that appeals to you. - It's interesting. In 1956, Liberace
0:10:51 > 0:10:53came here and did a tour round England, and then he
0:10:53 > 0:10:56toured Ireland as well, and there's a great review, actually.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Liberace was wearing all his fantastic costumes.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01He was a very, very, very accomplished pianist -
0:11:01 > 0:11:02there was nothing he couldn't play -
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and by the end of the concert, the reviewer said,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08"I wasn't a fan of Liberace. I am now."
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- And he influenced a lot of other performers.- Oh, absolutely, yes!
0:11:11 > 0:11:14He... I think, you know, James Brown was like a black version of him,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18with the cape and the showmanship and...and Prince.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20But let's get down to value.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Um, how many Christmas cards do you have?
0:11:23 > 0:11:27About 75, probably just over. I'm not 100% sure, but it's around 75.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33They've got to be worth...that's 75, I would say times 100,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- and then you've got all the... - Yeah, the signed photographs...
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- ..signed photographs. - ..are worth quite a lot, yes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41How much, how many of those have you got?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44At least, probably, five to ten. Again I'm not 100% sure.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48- So, say you've got ten of those... - Yeah.- ..at about £300 each?
0:11:48 > 0:11:53- Probably, yes.- I would say your whole collection altogether
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- has got to be £20,000.- Wow! Well, he's worth every penny. - LAUGHTER
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- You know, with all the things you've told me you've got...- Yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- And your glass things that actually belonged to him...- Yeah.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07- ..I think have to be worth £2,000 today.- Wow, wonderful!
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- Cos one still has the price tag on the bottom.- Oh, yes, look at that!
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- 12.- One of the things I love about Liberace
0:12:12 > 0:12:14is when he decorated his house,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17he actually bought some fantastic and priceless antiques,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19but next to it something from a junk shop,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and he valued both of them equally. It was really beautiful.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Well, if it was shiny, he liked it.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Exactly. If it was shiny, he liked it, yeah.- Exactly, that's Liberace.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28That's Liberace. That's right.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32From one sequined showman to another...
0:12:33 > 0:12:36In the late 1970s, Big Daddy was a wrestling legend
0:12:36 > 0:12:40and a regular fixture of Saturday afternoon TV.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Plonking themselves down in front of a telly on a Saturday afternoon,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47no child of the late 1970s or 1980s could have missed
0:12:47 > 0:12:51the monumental man-mountain that was Big Daddy,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and his colleagues, or nemeses I suppose,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Giant Haystacks and Gorgeous George and Kendo Nagasaki.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00You must have been a big fan.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Yeah, he was my hero.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04I used to watch every Saturday afternoon,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06but sadly I wasn't lucky enough ever to meet him,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09so I sort of went down the road of life
0:13:09 > 0:13:11of trying to collect his memorabilia.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13What does he mean to you? Why is he your hero?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16He just was. He was everyone's hero, wasn't he,
0:13:16 > 0:13:17back in the late '70s and '80s?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Mums and dads, nans, grandads.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21The music of We Shall Not Be Moved when he came out.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- "Easy! Easy! Easy!"- Well, there's the teddy bear.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26- His teddy bear that he used to come out with.- Yes.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Yeah, the whole package with him, really.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31You know, he met all kids, disabled kids, elderly people.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- He treated everyone with total respect.- Absolutely.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I mean, growing up Shirley Crabtree,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39I think his father was a professional wrester as well.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Shirley Crabtree Junior, who became Big Daddy,
0:13:42 > 0:13:44started in 1952, professional wrestling,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47but it was really when he sort of hit World Of Sport that his,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49his sort of... He began to get bigger and bigger and bigger
0:13:49 > 0:13:50and more famous in Britain.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Definitely, yeah. He wasn't a big star till later on in his career,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56till they changed the name to him. He used to be called The Guardsman,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and then he went on to be called Big Daddy,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02and that's when it went through the roof, his celebrity status.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03But you're, sort of, quite obsessive.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I mean, what we got here? We haven't just got the costumes.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I mean, we all recognise these oversized costumes,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12but you've got his watch, you've got his driving licence.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- I mean...slightly obsessed? - Uh... Yes and no, really.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's just artefacts that have appeared over the last
0:14:18 > 0:14:1920 years or so.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22His career, in 1987, hit a sort of hurdle,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24with a fight with King Kong Kirk.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28King Kong Kirk died shortly after and it was unconnected to the fight.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30He had a heart condition. But his career
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- never really recovered from that. - No, it didn't. He was meant to
0:14:32 > 0:14:36be on a television programme called The Saturday Show, and he was going
0:14:36 > 0:14:38to present that, but it sort of...
0:14:38 > 0:14:40He done some more wrestling after that, but he...
0:14:40 > 0:14:43He sort of faded away into insignificance, really, which was
0:14:43 > 0:14:46so sad, cos a man of that magnitude at that time, he'd be a...
0:14:46 > 0:14:48You know, an absolute superstar nowadays.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Well, I suppose, in many ways, he is sort of the forerunner, I suppose,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54of many of, sort of, the wrestling stars of today.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56He had that big personality, that big frame,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and that sort of big colour. really.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Oh, absolutely. I mean, you know, in this day and age, there's not many
0:15:01 > 0:15:05stars that everybody likes, you know? No-one had a bad word for him.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07- Yeah, he was a legend, wasn't he? - He was indeed. Absolutely,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10and I don't think there's anybody out there who wouldn't recognise
0:15:10 > 0:15:13these pieces and feel similar love - maybe not such deep love as you do
0:15:13 > 0:15:17for Big Daddy, but in terms of financial value, I suppose,
0:15:17 > 0:15:18what are we looking at?
0:15:18 > 0:15:22The singlet might be worth maybe £80 to £100 each. Full costume,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25maybe £200 or so, depending on what you're looking at.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28These pieces, slightly harder to value, because it's going to take,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31sort of quite a die-hard collector like you to, sort of,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33want Big Daddy's driving licence,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35but there we go, at least it's found a home.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38You couldn't pay me a million pounds for it, it wouldn't matter.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- Well, I don't think anybody would necessarily... - LAUGHTER
0:15:41 > 0:15:43..but we could be looking at, sort of collectively,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- around £1,000 or so.- Yeah, it means more to me than money, so...
0:15:47 > 0:15:49- A big heart for Big Daddy. - Absolutely.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- Thank you very much.- No problem.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Well, if there was ever an icon of the entertainment industry,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58it has to be Mickey Mouse.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01In 2018, he's going to be 90. He doesn't look it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07But here we've got a wonderful, scribbled, quick cartoon of Mickey,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- and it says here, "Hi, Mike." Now, am I looking at Mike?- Yes, you are.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15So, put the two together for me. How did, how did it work?
0:16:15 > 0:16:20Well, in the 1970s, I was working for my newspaper,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25a national newspaper, and I was in Anaheim, the home of Disney,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29in California, working with an actress called Daryl Hannah,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32she of the famous Splash film.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37And after photographing Daryl, I was taken by the execs up to
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Club 300, which is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43I didn't know it at the time.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48While we were having lunch, I'm sat opposite the Head of Studio
0:16:48 > 0:16:53- and the PR, and suddenly they both went... - PROLONGED GASP
0:16:53 > 0:16:56..and I thought, "Somebody's walked, a film star has walked in,"
0:16:56 > 0:17:00so I looked around. All I could see were four old men,
0:17:00 > 0:17:06sat at a table, and when I turned round to see my hosts again,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08- they were still going... - PROLONGED GASP
0:17:08 > 0:17:09And who were they? Who were they?!
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Well, they were the original animators from the early days of
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Walt Disney Studios.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18So they were four of the remaining nine old men...
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The nine old men, the famous nine old men.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24You had Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Wolfgang Reitherman, and, of course, Ward Kimball.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And I wanted to meet them, so they took me over and introduced me,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34and I had the most amazing couple of hours with them.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38- But Ward and I got on famously. - Well, let's just talk about Ward for
0:17:38 > 0:17:42a moment, because, yes, he joined Disney as a proper animator in 1937,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46and he was tasked with doing all kinds of things,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48including a kind of makeover on Mickey.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52If we look back to Mickey's birth in 1928
0:17:52 > 0:17:54he was a very different kind of creature.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58He premiered in his first film Steamboat Willie,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and he was quite lanky,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03not very cuddly, a bit, I have to say, rat-like.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- Yes, absolutely, yes. - Just between ourselves.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10But Ward then cosied him up.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14he gave him fatter cheeks, he made him a little bit plumper,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17he made his eyes slightly more endearing and...
0:18:17 > 0:18:22And I think the whole Mickey that we know so well today, one has to,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26to a large extent, plump that at Ward Kimball's makeover.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Absolutely. What was fascinating, I said to Ward...
0:18:31 > 0:18:36"I loved Mickey Mouse as a child. How did it evolve?"
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And he said, "Get me a piece of paper," and he started drawing.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Oh, this is, this is the whole thing happening!
0:18:43 > 0:18:49And this is Ward starting, and suddenly Mickey is coming alive
0:18:49 > 0:18:53on the paper, and when he'd finished it,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57he wrote, "Hi, Mike, from Mickey and ol' Ward Kimball."
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- Brilliant.- And the head of the studio said he'd never known him
0:19:01 > 0:19:06- to do that for anybody, ever. - It's a fabulous object.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11We then have to deal with the tricky issue of valuation.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15The thing is that it's not from one of the films,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18so, you know, is that a bad thing? But it is from Ward Kimball,
0:19:18 > 0:19:19so that's a good thing.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It is to you. Is that a bad thing or is it a good thing?
0:19:22 > 0:19:25So, at auction on the open market, I'd say between
0:19:25 > 0:19:30about £500 and £800, but it's almost priceless to you
0:19:30 > 0:19:33because it's your very own Mickey Mouse.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- Thank you very much for bringing it in.- Thank you very much.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Well, it's not all about the value.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41A few kind words and a thoughtful gift
0:19:41 > 0:19:45from the creator of your childhood hero can mean the world,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48as Judith Miller's about to discover.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50So, Harry Potter - a magical name
0:19:50 > 0:19:52to millions of people all over the world.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56But, Amy, you have a special link to JK Rowling.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Tell me about it.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Yes. My story started 20 years ago,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03when I unfortunately lost my mum to cervical cancer.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07She found out that she was 14 weeks pregnant with my little sister,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10and she decided to go ahead with the pregnancy,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12realising that she was probably going to sacrifice her life.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- And then she lost her life. - She did lose her life, yes,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- unfortunately, in 1997. - And this is your mum?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Yes, this is my mum here, and this is myself,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25my little sister Hannah, and this is my stepdad David.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29In 2003, my stepdad was approached
0:20:29 > 0:20:31by the researcher of Make A Wish Foundation.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35I don't know if you remember, they used to do Christmas
0:20:35 > 0:20:39television specials and I was invited to go on the special.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43I declined, because it had been quite a time since my mum had died.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46It had been in the past and I didn't really want to rake it all up again.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50- No.- They did say, "We'd still like to give you something."
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Unbeknown to me, a big package arrived one day, and in that package
0:20:54 > 0:21:00was what you see here today. So, the books here and also the photos
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- from JK Rowling.- So how did JK Rowling know about your story, Amy?
0:21:03 > 0:21:06Well, from all of the newspaper articles,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08my love of Harry Potter kind of shone through there,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and I think she kind of got an inkling
0:21:11 > 0:21:12and wanted to get in contact.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- So you got a personal letter from JK Rowling.- I did, yes.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- What's in it, Amy?- There's a few funny little quips
0:21:19 > 0:21:23about how she doesn't normally write to people.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Little things about Gilderoy Lockhart,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27one of the characters from Harry Potter.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Just... Just her admiration for my story and my courage.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34- It obviously really touched her, this story.- Yes, absolutely.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37That's lovely and what a lovely gift.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- And what about the poster? - So, the poster...
0:21:39 > 0:21:43I was invited as a guest of hers to go to the studios where
0:21:43 > 0:21:45The Goblet Of Fire was being filmed
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and I actually got to meet some of the cast.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Surreal experience, sitting on Daniel Radcliffe's bed,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- playing PlayStation with him, believe it or not. - LAUGHTER
0:21:53 > 0:21:56I was then taken into the make-up department, and Maggie Smith
0:21:56 > 0:21:58was sat there, having her make-up done.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03In walks Emma Watson. Big hello, handshake, "Nice to meet you."
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Absolutely surreal experience for such a Harry Potter fan
0:22:05 > 0:22:06that I am and still am.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- Well, it's just amazing... - Yeah, absolutely.- ..that all this
0:22:10 > 0:22:13came about because JK Rowling was really moved by your story.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Yes, yeah, yeah, and it's something that I won't...
0:22:15 > 0:22:17The experience and the items themselves
0:22:17 > 0:22:19will be something that I will treasure forever.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22I have a little girl, so they will be passed down to her.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- Which is wonderful. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25But obviously they have a value.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- Yes.- Particularly, you know, with all the collectors round the world
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and, I mean, all these Harry Potters, you know...
0:22:31 > 0:22:34a first edition. The others are not first edition,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36but this one is a first edition...
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- Yeah, it is, yes.- ..is going to be £3,000, £4,000.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44- The rest, maybe another £1,500... - Amazing.- ..but probably
0:22:44 > 0:22:47about £5,000 to £8,000.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50I mean, for you, that's not the important thing, I'm sure.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54It's isn't, no, it's the... It's the memory behind it, absolutely.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55- Marvellous.- Thank you.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Now, even the briefest of encounters
0:23:01 > 0:23:03can leave the longest of impressions.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Roadshow viewer Cheryl will never forget her brush with fame.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11In 1963, I won a competition to have tea with The Beatles.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16The tea never actually materialised, but I did meet them,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20and Paul McCartney walked across the studio floor,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24put his arm round my shoulder, and I died and went to heaven.
0:23:25 > 0:23:31Later on, he signed the back of my hand, there,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36and I was allowed to keep this signature for about three weeks
0:23:36 > 0:23:39until it turned into a filthy little black spot
0:23:39 > 0:23:41and my mother made me wash it.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47The great thing for me, really, was I'd suddenly gone from a fairly
0:23:47 > 0:23:50quiet, insignificant little schoolgirl,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and suddenly everybody wanted to know me,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56take me to the cinema, dance with me.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00So, um, yes, it was very good for the...for the ego.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Very good for a young, nervous 16-year-old.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12Time to pull up a bar stool and meet two of our EastEnders hosts.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Well, I'm delighted to say, here we are in the Queen Vic
0:24:14 > 0:24:17with two of EastEnders' longest-serving cast members.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Letitia Dean, June Brown - delighted to meet you here.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23And you're... You're fans of the show, I gather,
0:24:23 > 0:24:24of Antiques Roadshow.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Yes, I love old things, including myself.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30LAUGHTER
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Yes, we need to get you valued, June, don't you think?
0:24:34 > 0:24:37You've both been on the series for decades.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I remember watching you when I was more or less your age, when you
0:24:40 > 0:24:43- came here as a child star. - Yeah, about 16.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47And this, the Queen Vic, has been the scene of so, so many dramatic
0:24:47 > 0:24:50moments in EastEnders. I mean, what about you, Letitia?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I mean, big standout moments.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I think, when I was quite young, when I was about 17, 18,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I remember when a character called Lofty was in the show,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and I had to crawl, I couldn't get up there now,
0:25:01 > 0:25:06but I had to crawl along the bar, literally trying to, sort of, go,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09"Do you fancy me, Lofty? Do you want a kiss?"
0:25:09 > 0:25:12I mean, I know I'm probably not your type, but which bit of me
0:25:12 > 0:25:14really turns you on, eh?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20- Have I got the right legs for a mini?- Yeah, yeah, of course.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Do you like tights?
0:25:21 > 0:25:25- It was so embarrassing for me to do, you know, it was really awkward. - JUNE CHUCKLES
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- You know, it is at that age, isn't it?- Sure. And what about you, June?
0:25:28 > 0:25:30I mean, so many moments to pick from.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Well, I enjoyed practically every scene with my son Nick.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- Yes.- You know, I did love that.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Great one for you was your two-hander with Ethel.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I was just about to say, and I had one with Gretchen Franklin,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46- who was Ethel.- She was wonderful. - Which was absolutely lovely,
0:25:46 > 0:25:51and the only extra person we had in was a baby in the pram, Vicky,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Michelle's baby, wasn't it? And we were looking after her.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56Oh, that was lovely.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01Sometimes I'm inclined to ramble on a bit, take no notice.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03- I never do.- No, I don't mean I always ramble,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- I mean, it's only sometimes. - Here, look at this.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09- Who's that?- Michelle as a baby.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13- Oh, I say, isn't she like Pauline? - Yes.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16She's not like her mother, is she?
0:26:16 > 0:26:18- Oh, I can see it.- Oh.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- What's the time?- Oh, not time yet.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Well, thank you very much for joining us on
0:26:28 > 0:26:30our Antiques Roadshow 40th anniversary year,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and here in the Queen Vic of all places. It's been a real thrill,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36- thank you.- Oh, we are so honoured that you've come here for your 40th.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37- Yes, it's lovely.- We really are.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Cos we're quite proud of this place, aren't we, June?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Before we hear from our next visitor to EastEnders, I want to let you
0:26:43 > 0:26:46know about a special programme we're planning for 2018.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50It will highlight the role of pioneering women as we approach
0:26:50 > 0:26:53the centenary of women getting the vote in Britain.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56If you've got an item and story that relates to a woman who's been
0:26:56 > 0:26:59a pioneer, in any walk of life, we'd like to hear from you at...
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Next up let's hear from Roadshow viewer Lionel,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11who has a poignant memory of meeting Jimi Hendrix.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Back in the 1960s, as a young teenager,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18I helped my parents out in their cafe in the King's Road,
0:27:18 > 0:27:21and I often had my autograph book there, because
0:27:21 > 0:27:24they would be getting The Stones and The Beatles and people like
0:27:24 > 0:27:27that into the cafe, and one day Jimi came in,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and my father had his camera on him,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34took a photo of us altogether, the family with Jimi,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38and I was thrilled to get his autograph,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41which he kindly signed, "stay sweet always",
0:27:41 > 0:27:43rather than just his name in the book.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48Jumping forward a few years, I was selling platform boots in
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Kensington Market, made to measure, and my mother sent Jimi over
0:27:52 > 0:27:56to get a pair of purple crocodile boots made,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58which I measured him and took his deposit,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02and they were going to take a week to make, and then the next morning
0:28:02 > 0:28:06I got the news that he'd died that morning in his hotel,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and we took the deposit and bought some flowers,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10which went to the funeral.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Another Roadshow viewer, Terri, got in touch with us
0:28:17 > 0:28:19to tell us about the time she met the New York artist
0:28:19 > 0:28:24who once said that, one day, we'll each be famous for 15 minutes.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Andy Warhol, probably the most iconic artist, or one of them,
0:28:27 > 0:28:32of the 20th century. Amazing. Signed camisole. What's the story?
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Well, I was very fortunate.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38I was invited to join Andy Warhol's entourage for a day
0:28:38 > 0:28:41at the university in Colorado.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45I happened to be living there at the time, and I knew Kimiko through...
0:28:45 > 0:28:47- The subject of that poster? - ..the subject of this poster,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51- because I lived in the same house as her stepson.- Ah, right.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53John Powers and his father...
0:28:53 > 0:28:58- John Powers.- ..John Powers Senior had one of the largest private art
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- collections in the US at the time.- Yeah.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04So it was a wonderful connection, and a wonderful day I got to spend
0:29:04 > 0:29:07- with him.- And that's a picture of you, I take it?- That is, yeah.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11- Looking...- Much younger.- ..just as beautiful then as you are now.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15- Thank you.- And he had in his studio, The Factory,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19he was always inviting beautiful people and celebrities.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21- He created celebrity. - Yeah, he did.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25He really did, and he signed your camisole...
0:29:25 > 0:29:27- Yeah, he did.- ..on that day.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29He'd like to have signed other things as well.
0:29:29 > 0:29:30What do you...? What? What do you mean?
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Well, he offered to sign everything, but we went for my jeans,
0:29:34 > 0:29:38my silk jacket I had on, which you see in the picture,
0:29:38 > 0:29:42- and my camisole, and I settled for the camisole.- Ah, I see,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45and another iconic magazine, Interview, he signed that.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47Yes, he gave that to me later in the day.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50And in this picture he had one of his silver wigs on.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53Yes, he did, and I remember walking around with him, thinking,
0:29:53 > 0:29:57"Is that real or is that a wig?" because it was quite a...
0:29:57 > 0:30:01At the time, it was quite an unusual way to wear your hair.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Yeah, he was an interesting character.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Well, interesting story, amazing memory for you.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- Yeah, it was fabulous. - An amazing day, yeah, really.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Down to value.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Well, we've got this poster which is fairly iconic, typical Andy Warhol.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20He did these things in silk screen prints as an original
0:30:20 > 0:30:23but this is the poster and the unsigned poster is just
0:30:23 > 0:30:26a poster for an exhibition, £200 or £300.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29- Right.- With the Andy Warhol signature, and I presume...
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- This is Kimiko.- ..the Kimiko Powers signature in Japanese.- That's right.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Phwoar!
0:30:35 > 0:30:37£3,000 to £4,000.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38Really?
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Wow.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45The Interview magazine, signed by Andy Warhol,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48I'd say £1,000.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52This photograph I'm sure is by Lee Black Childers.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55He was a fascinating guy, I think from Kansas originally,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59- worked in a brothel.- Great. - On the reception.- It fits.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02- It fits perfectly. - Crazy guy, I met him and I'm...
0:31:02 > 0:31:05And I'm sure I went to an exhibition of his photographs recently
0:31:05 > 0:31:09and a photograph like that, Andy Warhol in a wig,
0:31:09 > 0:31:13beautiful woman standing behind him, I still think that's £500...
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- Wow. Wow.- ..to £1,000.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20This fits in with his idea of what art was,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23that art could be anything, even if it was commercial, the soup tins,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26the dollar bills, whatever,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29so I think this is really iconic Andy Warhol,
0:31:29 > 0:31:33and I would value this, with your story,
0:31:33 > 0:31:36and him wanting to sign everything you were wearing,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38I'd put this at...
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- £5,000.- Oh, my God.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44I'm going to cry.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Collective value, all told, £10,000.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Oh, God.
0:31:51 > 0:31:52Oh, my God.
0:31:52 > 0:31:53That's amazing.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Amazing. Thank you.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Time for a classic comedy moment,
0:32:02 > 0:32:05as we meet an unlikely and somewhat furry star.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Quite simply the most famous rodent
0:32:10 > 0:32:13- on British television.- That's right.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15- Shall we see him in action? - That'd be good.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Uh, Polly, would you get the biscuits please?
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Here they are, Fawlty.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22- Ah!- Uh, Cheddar, Danish blue, Edam?
0:32:22 > 0:32:24- A little Danish blue please. - Certainly.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32- Edam?- No, thank you.
0:32:32 > 0:32:33Biscuits?
0:32:34 > 0:32:35Thank you.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38LAUGHTER
0:32:46 > 0:32:49What...? Would you, would you care for a rat or...?
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Just, just the biscuits then, please, Polly.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Well, this little fellow did rather well that day.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02How have you got him?
0:33:02 > 0:33:06My husband made puppets for various children's TV programmes
0:33:06 > 0:33:10and then end... Somehow ended up with the Visual Effects Department.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15And so he made fabulous little Basil,
0:33:15 > 0:33:17and of course he thought it was a hamster...
0:33:17 > 0:33:19That's right, a Siberian hamster, yeah.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24- Siberian hamster! And so Manuel called him Basil.- That's it.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27- And this little chap was sitting in the biscuit box.- Yeah.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31And this little chap was actually pulled across the floor.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33At great speed across the floor, yes.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37With fantastic ingenuity of drawing pins in the bottom
0:33:37 > 0:33:40- to make him speed a little bit faster.- That, that's right, yes.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44I mean we're talking about in the mid '70s but people remember Basil.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Yeah, yeah, they do.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49- So your husband's work, and had he always made puppets?- Yes,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53when he was about five years old I think he started making puppets.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57- Really?- Yes, so we've got a houseful of puppets.
0:33:57 > 0:34:01But was Basil the rat his most famous?
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Uh, I think so, yes. Probably, yeah.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07So, we now have the two rats.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Now, John Cleese got one, didn't he?
0:34:09 > 0:34:12He asked if he could keep one, but unfortunately
0:34:12 > 0:34:17he's recently spoken about losing it somewhere so...
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- So the other Basil has gone? - Mmm, mm.- Oh, no!
0:34:20 > 0:34:26Well, actually what that does is make your Basils more desirable.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- Mm-hmm.- So because everybody
0:34:29 > 0:34:33of a certain age in particular knows about Basil.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36- Yeah.- And because that programme will go on and on,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38I think these have...have value.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41- Right.- This little chap here
0:34:41 > 0:34:45with his little moving head and his charming little arms,
0:34:45 > 0:34:47going up and down, I mean, how cute is that?!
0:34:49 > 0:34:53I think...each one of them
0:34:53 > 0:34:55is 2,000.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Really? Oh, my goodness.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Possibly even 3,000.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I mean... And, oh, my goodness.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05They are just so important in the history of comedy.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Oh, wow. He'll be absolutely thrilled to hear that.
0:35:09 > 0:35:10Thank you.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13MUSIC: James Bond Theme
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Wow. From memorable comedy to a famous movie franchise.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23When we put out our call for stories we were delighted when we heard
0:35:23 > 0:35:26from the daughter of the man who wrote this famous theme.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Monty, you are responsible for what I think is the most iconic
0:35:30 > 0:35:34theme tune of them all, which is the James Bond theme tune.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38- Thank you.- And you wrote it for a musical originally
0:35:38 > 0:35:40- that never got made.- Yes.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44So how did you come to use this piece of music for the Bond movies?
0:35:44 > 0:35:47Because I'd worked several times with Cubby Broccoli.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- The producer of the Bond movies. - The producer.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54And he'd just acquired the rights of the James Bond novels
0:35:54 > 0:35:59from Ian Fleming. The first one he was going to do would be Dr No
0:35:59 > 0:36:01and he wanted me to write the music.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05And what was it about the theme tune that you already had
0:36:05 > 0:36:08that you thought you could adapt to the Bond movies?
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Well, what I did was I dug it out
0:36:10 > 0:36:15and I played it and sang it to myself, and it went...
0:36:15 > 0:36:18# I was born with this unlucky sneeze
0:36:18 > 0:36:22# And what is worse I came into... #
0:36:22 > 0:36:25And so on. Nothing like it!
0:36:25 > 0:36:31And I suddenly realised that the way to do this is to split the notes,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34so instead of... # Da-ee-a-da. #
0:36:34 > 0:36:36..it became... # Dum-diddy-dum-dum
0:36:36 > 0:36:38# Dum dum dum Dum-diddy-dum-dum... #
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Well, the moment I heard that, I knew I was on to it.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44It had everything I wanted for James Bond -
0:36:44 > 0:36:48it had the ruthlessness, the sexiness and everything else.
0:36:48 > 0:36:54So looking at your manuscript here, looking at the notes, this...
0:36:54 > 0:36:58I know all the James Bond movies, I know your theme tune so well,
0:36:58 > 0:36:59so you've got the opening notes...
0:36:59 > 0:37:02# Da-nah-nah... # ..with a sharp note.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04- And then it goes on.- That's right. - Then you've got...
0:37:04 > 0:37:06# Da dah-dah dah dah Da da da
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- # Da dah-dah dah... # - Exactly. This is full...
0:37:09 > 0:37:14I've brought... I must have written that, scribbled that down in 1961.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18And why do you think your theme tune has lasted
0:37:18 > 0:37:23through all the different changes in music style, music fashion?
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Well, I can't even answer that but the, the point is
0:37:27 > 0:37:32that with any major theme, it's the first four bars that matter,
0:37:32 > 0:37:34and with that one...
0:37:34 > 0:37:37# Dum da-da dum dum... # ..is all you need really,
0:37:37 > 0:37:42because, from that, I wrote the whole thing organically.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45And you went to Jamaica to be on the set of Dr No
0:37:45 > 0:37:47with Sean Connery and Ursula Andress.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51We've got you here. Here you are. And this chap is the, the director.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54- That's Terence Young, yes. - And it must have been quite a thing.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58I mean did anyone have any sense, either the director or Sean Connery,
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Ursula Andress, that they were at the start of something that
0:38:02 > 0:38:04would last so long and become so huge in the movie industry?
0:38:04 > 0:38:06None whatsoever. It's not possible.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10So when you go to the cinema now, and you watch a James Bond movie,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13and you hear your music all these decades on,
0:38:13 > 0:38:15what do you think, are you proud?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17I'm very proud.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22Nobody could have been sure that it was going to last this long,
0:38:22 > 0:38:24and I certainly wasn't,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27and I didn't even think I'd be here to find out!
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Well, you're being very modest. It's a great piece of music,
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- and it's been lovely to talk to you. - Thank you.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Now, I understand that you're a sort of amateur archivist for the
0:38:43 > 0:38:48- Elstree Studios.- Well, yes, I act as a historian for Elstree Studios.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50I first went there in 1960 as a lad.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53My late father worked in the industry
0:38:53 > 0:38:57and I've been involved really for the studios for 57 years now.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Wow, fantastic. And you've brought along two of these story reports
0:39:01 > 0:39:04of I think a collection of up to 20.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Yes, there's about 20 volumes. I saved them from going into the skip
0:39:08 > 0:39:11when part of Elstree Studios was sold off and we were dumping
0:39:11 > 0:39:14material and I said I'd rather keep these because
0:39:14 > 0:39:17they're a unique legacy. They were compiled by
0:39:17 > 0:39:21the Reader's Department at Elstree Studios.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24In those days, studios had readers who would look at scripts submitted,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28new novels published, stage plays,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30anything that could give them an idea for a film,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33and they would have to compile a report, a synopsis of the story,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37and their comments as to whether the film was
0:39:37 > 0:39:39a possibility or not and submit it to management.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41And there is the challenge. They've turned down films like
0:39:41 > 0:39:45The Great Escape, Dr No, Passage To India,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48all sorts of films over the years because
0:39:48 > 0:39:51people trying to second guess what the market was for that,
0:39:51 > 0:39:55and these, in a sense, reflect a moment in time.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58So quite, quite an important historical document in many ways.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02I think so because I don't believe any other studios kept them.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Let's delve into this one here and if I can just open this.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07It's really heavy. Open it up...
0:40:09 > 0:40:13..and this is, well, "Title Of Subject: Thunderball."
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- Yes.- "Author: Ian Fleming.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17"Type Of Material: Thriller."
0:40:17 > 0:40:20And this is 25th of the 11th, 1960.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- This is before Dr No was shot, so this is...- Before Dr No.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27We just go on a few pages and we go to the report,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29and it says, "Reader's Comment:
0:40:29 > 0:40:32"Pretty much the mixture as before, plus a few modern props.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38"This time a typical James Bond adventure gets off to a good start,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40"but fails to build up tension."
0:40:40 > 0:40:43- So pretty damning really. - Very damning actually, yes,
0:40:43 > 0:40:45cos it goes on to say that, "All through the main story
0:40:45 > 0:40:48"this excessive use of modern gadgetry..."
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Which is the Bond staple, wasn't it?
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- Yes!- "..proves to be a substitute for character and intervention.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56"These defects would be certain
0:40:56 > 0:40:58"to show up more disastrously on the screen.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01"I feel the story would not promote a successful film."
0:41:01 > 0:41:04- "No..." - LAUGHTER
0:41:04 > 0:41:06- "No recommendation." - No recommendation.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10- So a big mistake.- Big mistake, yes. - Let's move on to the one nearer you.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Well, this one goes back to 1951,
0:41:13 > 0:41:17and this was for an idea of a film called The Dam Busters.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Now, did the public want a film about the dam busters,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25because it was only seven or eight years earlier?
0:41:25 > 0:41:28And here we see the reader's report.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31"There is everything here for a truly memorial war film.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34"The almost unbearable excitement,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37"the humour behind the scenes and even a love interest.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41"The whole thing would inevitably raise our prestige
0:41:41 > 0:41:44"and the film could be launched in a splash of publicity
0:41:44 > 0:41:47"as well as raising the morale of the nation at a time when
0:41:47 > 0:41:50"the lion's roar is more like a bleat from a Pekinese pup."
0:41:50 > 0:41:52LAUGHTER
0:41:52 > 0:41:55And the film was green lighted for production at Elstree,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59but it took two years preparing it, so it wasn't released
0:41:59 > 0:42:02- for, you know, a few years after that.- Um...
0:42:02 > 0:42:05It's very difficult to value an archive like... Without doubt,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09it's an important document in the history of British film-making
0:42:09 > 0:42:12and you've got 20 of those so, you know,
0:42:12 > 0:42:14even if you put it as little as £500 on each,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17that's 10,000 to 15,000, maybe more, for insurance,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20so, you know, it is an important archive.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23You saved it and I think we all owe you a great,
0:42:23 > 0:42:27well, appreciation, because without you, these would be long gone.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37The role of studio workers, such as story reviewers, was invaluable,
0:42:37 > 0:42:39as was the humble tea lady.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Thanks to a viewer getting in touch, we heard about Ruby,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47who met a galaxy of stars while working at MGM Studios in Elstree.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52- I've been told that you and I have got something in common.- We have?
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Yeah, I used to be a hairdresser to the stars,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57and I was told that you were a tea lady to the stars.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01Yes, I was, up at MGM in 1949.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05- '49?- Yep.- Wow, before I was born.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- Oh, stop bragging! - LAUGHTER
0:43:08 > 0:43:10So who are these two guys?
0:43:10 > 0:43:14He is here because I used to serve him on the trolley.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Stewart Grainger?- Stewart Grainger, and he used to come in specially
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- cos I used to do him bread and dripping.- Oh, really?
0:43:20 > 0:43:22He loved bread and dripping,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24and I used to do that specially for him,
0:43:24 > 0:43:29and I'll tell you a little thing about it, we used to bet.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31He used to throw a coin,
0:43:31 > 0:43:35and if I won, he paid for his bread and dripping,
0:43:35 > 0:43:39but if he won I paid for his bread and dripping.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42- Really?- Yeah.- How amazing!
0:43:42 > 0:43:47Yeah, but every time I won he used to say to me, "See my man."
0:43:47 > 0:43:51I said, "Who the heck is your man?" I said, "You owe me money!"
0:43:51 > 0:43:54That was, was when he was working on Beau Brummel.
0:43:54 > 0:43:58- Oh, right.- Victor Mature and he was my heart-throb by the way.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03- Oh, really?- I was asked to go to the cabin, with a tray,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06and when I went in, Victor Mature was there.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10I nearly fainted, I was so pleased to see him.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13I got the shock of my life cos when I took in the tray
0:44:13 > 0:44:17and put it down in front of him I turned round and asked him,
0:44:17 > 0:44:19did he want me to pour his tea for him,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21and he said, "Oh, no, thank you,"
0:44:21 > 0:44:26and when he turned around he had a head full of pipe cleaners.
0:44:26 > 0:44:28- What, for curling his hair? - Curling his hair,
0:44:28 > 0:44:32and I thought that was natural, cos that's what I fell in love with.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- Oh, my God.- He had a mass of curly hair.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37What was your impression
0:44:37 > 0:44:41of the studios and the people that passed through it?
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Oh, I mean, you just imagine!
0:44:43 > 0:44:45I mean, I'm a pitman's daughter
0:44:45 > 0:44:49and coming into this great MGM with lights and...
0:44:49 > 0:44:54There's studios all around, you know, it was... It was just awesome.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57I mean, it was the most wonderful experience of my life.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00- So happy.- Yeah.- Well, it's been incredible to meet you.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02- And you.- Wonderful to hear some of your stories.- Yes.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06I mean, I'm going on to 92 so my memories are still good.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09- That is, that's incredible. - Yeah.- You look amazing.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11- Thank you.- I really mean it.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13- Coming from you, thank you. Mwah.- Thank you so much.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21I regard myself as being a bit of musician so I know a little bit
0:45:21 > 0:45:24about guitars, and although I'm a bass player, I know exactly what
0:45:24 > 0:45:27that is. That's a Telecaster, that's a Fender Telecaster.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29But what's the history behind it?
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Well, this was the guitar that Mike Oldfield used to record
0:45:32 > 0:45:35the electric guitar parts on Tubular Bells.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38Right, so hence our copy of Tubular Bells here.
0:45:38 > 0:45:43I was nine years old when Tubular Bells came out.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46It was one of those albums that kind of, in a way, changed my life
0:45:46 > 0:45:49as a boy, I just thought it was just incredible.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52- So, what's that? 1973 the album came out.- Yeah,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Oldfield was 19 years old when he did that album as well.
0:45:55 > 0:45:56It's staggering, isn't it?
0:45:56 > 0:45:58- I hate him! - LAUGHTER
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Oldfield was a non-reader, wasn't he? He couldn't read music.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03That's right, he made up coloured charts
0:46:03 > 0:46:05to annotate when different instruments were coming in.
0:46:05 > 0:46:06Well, listen, you know,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09I'm going to have to ask you, how did you acquire it?
0:46:09 > 0:46:12Well, Mike put it up for auction for charity in 2009...
0:46:12 > 0:46:14- Right.- ..and it failed to sell. - Right.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18But what I did was I got an old copy of the catalogue
0:46:18 > 0:46:20- and then contacted the charity direct.- Right, OK.
0:46:20 > 0:46:21And made them an offer
0:46:21 > 0:46:24and they thought about it for a few days and accepted it.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28The other interesting thing was that Mike got it from Marc Bolan.
0:46:28 > 0:46:29- Ah, one of my heroes.- Yeah.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33So it's had two very famous players own it.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36I'd love to have a go on this guitar but I think it's more appropriate
0:46:36 > 0:46:39if you could strum a tune for us. Would you mind doing that?
0:46:39 > 0:46:41- OK, I can do that, for a small fee. - Lovely, OK, go ahead.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44I think that's incredible also about this guitar is that, you know,
0:46:44 > 0:46:47as you've just described, it was Marc Bolan's before.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50I mean that, that's a sort of a double whammy on a guitar like this
0:46:50 > 0:46:52really, isn't it? It's got history.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54Why did he pass it on?
0:46:54 > 0:46:57They were both signed to the NEMS agency -
0:46:57 > 0:47:02- you know, run by Brian Epstein... - Right.- And they were both involved
0:47:02 > 0:47:06with a chap called Roy Guest, and Marc didn't get on with the guitar,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08so when Roy heard that Mike was looking for one
0:47:08 > 0:47:12to record Tubular Bells, he got the guitar from Marc for him.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Are you ready?
0:47:26 > 0:47:27Brilliant.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32I don't think I'm going to embarrass myself
0:47:32 > 0:47:33and try and keep up with that.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36It's very good. I mean, it is, you know,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39it's a good enough guitar in its own right to be worth a lot of money
0:47:39 > 0:47:43anyway, as an original '60s Fender Telecaster,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46so if we're starting to kind of work it up and talk about its history
0:47:46 > 0:47:48and think about what it's really, really worth,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51you know it was Marc Bolan's to start off with.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53- Yeah.- Absolutely incredible.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56It then went on to be Mike Oldfield's, perhaps one of
0:47:56 > 0:47:59the biggest selling artists of all time,
0:47:59 > 0:48:01and here he is, picture of him in his studio,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04with that Fender propped up next to him in the studio,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06you know, 100% certain of that,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09and how do we put a price on it? It's really, really difficult.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Do you mind me asking what you paid for it?
0:48:11 > 0:48:14- Uh, under 10,000. - Under 10,000.- Yeah.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16- Well, you know, it was a lot of money, wasn't it?- Yeah.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18But I still think it's worth a lot more than that,
0:48:18 > 0:48:21and, quite frankly, I think if it were to come up for auction,
0:48:21 > 0:48:24I would put £20,000 to £30,000 on that guitar.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28It's a guitar with great history and I hope you enjoy playing it.
0:48:28 > 0:48:29- Thank you.- My pleasure.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32DOCTOR WHO THEME TUNE
0:48:32 > 0:48:35From music royalty to television history,
0:48:35 > 0:48:38so let's travel back in time for a unique memento
0:48:38 > 0:48:40of TV's favourite Time Lord.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45When I stepped onto Albert Square this morning,
0:48:45 > 0:48:47the first thing that struck me was the amount
0:48:47 > 0:48:50of television history that's here. We've got the square itself,
0:48:50 > 0:48:52of course the Queen Vic behind me,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55and from one iconic TV series, I suppose straight to another,
0:48:55 > 0:48:59and the days of black and white television,
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Doctor Who and The Tribe Of Gum,
0:49:01 > 0:49:03a television script,
0:49:03 > 0:49:05quite a rare thing, how did you get it?
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Well, it was given to me by my grandfather.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09I suppose I was about eight,
0:49:09 > 0:49:12went down to see him in the summer, as we always did.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15Grandad worked for a building company.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18William Hartnell had just moved out of his cottage in Mayfield
0:49:18 > 0:49:21in East Sussex, I think to somewhere in Kent,
0:49:21 > 0:49:24and this was in the detritus that was being thrown out
0:49:24 > 0:49:27during the refurbishment of the cottage,
0:49:27 > 0:49:31and Grandad gave it to me cos I was an avid, and still am,
0:49:31 > 0:49:33- Doctor Who viewer.- Wow. - So did you...
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Did you understand what it was, that it was a script for Doctor Who?
0:49:36 > 0:49:39Well, I suppose at that age, yeah, I knew it was a script for Doctor Who,
0:49:39 > 0:49:41I read it, yeah, cos there's technical stuff in there
0:49:41 > 0:49:44and I thought, um, don't really understand some of it, at that age,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47and it sort of just stayed with me when I moved round the country
0:49:47 > 0:49:48and grew up, and it's something
0:49:48 > 0:49:51I've always sort of wanted to know a little bit more about.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Well, fantastic. So the script has actually got this blue pencil
0:49:54 > 0:49:57which shows the lines that the Doctor speaks,
0:49:57 > 0:50:00and it makes you just wonder when William Hartnell,
0:50:00 > 0:50:03the first Doctor Who, was going through this with his pencil,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06probably sitting at home with his wife and working on his script,
0:50:06 > 0:50:08what he was thinking, it's a new programme, it's...
0:50:08 > 0:50:10No-one's seen this sort of thing before,
0:50:10 > 0:50:13no-one's really done science fiction on the BBC before,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15let alone at tea time on a Saturday,
0:50:15 > 0:50:18but it's just lovely to see it and, for me, a real privilege,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20it really, really is.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23One thing that maybe you hadn't realised
0:50:23 > 0:50:26this it isn't any old Doctor Who story.
0:50:26 > 0:50:32- This is a script for the very first Doctor Who story, 1963.- No.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37He was in 30 stories, he could have left 30 scripts in that house,
0:50:37 > 0:50:42it just so happens that he left the script for the very first story,
0:50:42 > 0:50:45and that's what we've got. This is the DNA of Doctor Who,
0:50:45 > 0:50:47it's the Genesis of the programme.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51So a very, very important thing.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52Doctor Who, as we all know,
0:50:52 > 0:50:56has an enormous fan following, it really does, and there are
0:50:56 > 0:51:00fans who would give their eye teeth for something like that.
0:51:01 > 0:51:05I don't see any reason for anyone wanting to fake this, it looks...
0:51:05 > 0:51:09You've given a cast iron provenance and it's showing signs of age.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13I think in terms of value we need to be looking at
0:51:13 > 0:51:16between £5,000 and £7,000.
0:51:16 > 0:51:17What?!
0:51:19 > 0:51:20Oh, my!
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Oh, dear!
0:51:23 > 0:51:26It's not going back and sitting in a file.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29You will never see another one.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Oh, wow. Thanks, Grandad!
0:51:33 > 0:51:34Thanks.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46When we put out the notice that we were doing a Roadshow special
0:51:46 > 0:51:49on entertainment we hoped beyond hope that we would get
0:51:49 > 0:51:51some wonderful film props,
0:51:51 > 0:51:54and you have delivered because you've got three props here
0:51:54 > 0:51:58for some of the greatest films ever made here in these studios,
0:51:58 > 0:52:01but what's important about film props is the history
0:52:01 > 0:52:04and the provenance. So what was your job here in the studio?
0:52:04 > 0:52:07My job in the studio was scenic painter.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12I painted anything that needed painting - a scene,
0:52:12 > 0:52:14a set on the stage,
0:52:14 > 0:52:18a prop - it was, "Ron, paint this."
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Sometimes I didn't know what it was.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25I wouldn't know what colour to paint it but I would paint it
0:52:25 > 0:52:28and I then I would get an OK from an art director,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30"Oh, yes, that's what we wanted."
0:52:30 > 0:52:34So here we have the iconic mask, Darth Vader's mask.
0:52:34 > 0:52:35Which series was this one from?
0:52:35 > 0:52:39This was the first Star Wars in '76.
0:52:39 > 0:52:43I started in January and this came to me
0:52:43 > 0:52:46a fortnight after I started work,
0:52:46 > 0:52:48and they said, "Spray this one."
0:52:48 > 0:52:51They showed me a drawing and I painted it.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54So we move from Star Wars on to Raiders Of The Lost Ark,
0:52:54 > 0:52:57and here, again, a really important prop
0:52:57 > 0:53:01because it was the one on the Staff Of Ra. I think it is, isn't it?
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- Yeah, the Staff Of Ra.- And it's how they discovered the right location.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07This was brought to me.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11I did five of them for different scenes throughout the film
0:53:11 > 0:53:14and they would come to me, collect one at a time,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16because they were quite fragile.
0:53:16 > 0:53:21I painted the actual Ark itself, the big gold Ark.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24- The actual Ark itself? - So that's the same, same process
0:53:24 > 0:53:26that I used for the Ark.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29And the Ark I think is now in a private collection.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33- It's in George Lucas's shed in the garden.- I think it is.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37But again, film-used.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Yeah, film-used, yes.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42- And finally the axe. - Yeah, the axe. This came to me...
0:53:42 > 0:53:46I did 14 months on The Shining
0:53:46 > 0:53:49and this came to me towards the end of the film.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52So this was the axe actually used to batter down,
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Jack Nicholson battered down the door.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58It went right through the door and got caught on the other side
0:53:58 > 0:54:03and when they pulled it out, it damaged the edge there,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07it cracked and it became loose, so it couldn't be used again.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11I was going to make a fibreglass one to copy
0:54:11 > 0:54:13so they could use it safely.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16So basically this is the original one that battered down the door.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19- That is the...- ..and the fibreglass one that they could carry around.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Yeah, they could carry around.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23So how did you come to keep such iconic pieces?
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Well, this came back to me to be refurbished,
0:54:26 > 0:54:30but I was waiting for the helmet, which is missing,
0:54:30 > 0:54:37so I just put this to one side and the film eventually wound up,
0:54:37 > 0:54:40cleared up, and everything was being thrown in the skip.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42- AUDIENCE:- Oooh!
0:54:42 > 0:54:44- In the skip.- So you saved it?
0:54:44 > 0:54:47So I said, I'll save that.
0:54:47 > 0:54:48The same with that.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51It came back to me after the film,
0:54:51 > 0:54:55and they said, "Here Ron, look after that," so I looked after it.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58LAUGHTER
0:54:58 > 0:55:00The same with this.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03This is no good any more, cos it's broken.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05We're not going to use it,
0:55:05 > 0:55:08so it stayed in my workshop for...
0:55:08 > 0:55:12..nearly five years, and then when I was clearing out,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15- I cleared this out with it. - So you saved these for the nation.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17- I saved them.- And it could all have gone in a skip.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20- It could have all gone in a skip. - Fantastic.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23So we have to talk about values, and prop prices have gone up
0:55:23 > 0:55:28radically in the last few years, so there are many, many collectors out
0:55:28 > 0:55:31there internationally, and these are truly international films,
0:55:31 > 0:55:33and these are iconic pieces.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- So what I'm trying to say, it ticks all these boxes.- All the boxes.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39Now, let's think about it if it went to auction.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42The axe, if it went to sale, I certainly would see that making...
0:55:42 > 0:55:45What shall I say? ..sort of £40,000 to £60,000.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47CROWD GASP
0:55:47 > 0:55:50The medallion, I would certainly think between
0:55:50 > 0:55:53£60,000 and £100,000.
0:55:53 > 0:56:00And, well, the most evilest iconic evil monster ever, ever produced -
0:56:00 > 0:56:02arguably - Darth Vader,
0:56:02 > 0:56:06known worldwide, so what's that worth?
0:56:06 > 0:56:08If it should come to auction,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11£150,000 to £200,000.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16- LAUGHTER - Quite nice.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18Quite nice.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21So what does that make? Quarter of a million, is that?
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Low estimate. 350, top end.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27- Yeah.- The best props I have ever seen.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29- Yeah.- And where do they go next?
0:56:29 > 0:56:32- To my son, grandson. - To your grandson.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33What a wonderful thing.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44What a stellar collection!
0:56:44 > 0:56:47Our thanks to Ron and to all those who've joined us to share their
0:56:47 > 0:56:51stories and reveal their mementoes from the world of entertainment.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58Well, that is an incredible bequest from your grandfather.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01- Yes, yes.- Did you know he was suddenly going to hand it
0:57:01 > 0:57:03- over to you? - Not, not to me. I assumed
0:57:03 > 0:57:06they would stay in the family, but not, say directly to myself.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08- So what do you think?- That's great.
0:57:08 > 0:57:12I mean I'm into my films and I do a bit of work
0:57:12 > 0:57:14in that sort of industry myself.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17It's not everyday you come across these sort of items though,
0:57:17 > 0:57:21- so it's a nice surprise. - I'll say! Well, congratulations.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23Thank you very much.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26From the EastEnders set and the Antiques Roadshow team,
0:57:26 > 0:57:29and of course Darth Vader, bye-bye.