06/02/2014 The One Show

Hello and welcome to the One Show with Alex Jones. And Matt Baker. You

could be forgiven for thinking that night's guests really do not get

along. Just leave, you are not wanted. You are a failed husband, a

failed father, a failed Muslim, you are a failed man! Well, there will

be no argy-bargy in the studio tonight, and anyway they are good

mates, it is EastEnders' Nitin Ganatra and Himesh Patel. Good

evening, last! Wonderful to see you. Great to be here. You have been

working together since 2007, but your story starts a little bit

before that, tell us how fate brought you together. Yeah, so it

started in early 2007 maybe, my sister told me she was in a

restaurant in Leicester, and she bumped into Nitin and got his

autograph for me. So you were a big fan? I had been to see him in Bride

And Prejudice. I was terribly famous at the time! On the autograph, he

wrote, so you want to be an actor? Famous last words! After that, two

months before I started EastEnders, I went to see a radio comedy, and

Nitin was in it. I went down and spoke to him between the two

episodes that were getting recorded. Did you remember that moment? I

remember writing the autograph, because I was in a restaurant at the

time, I thought, OK, the kind of made the connection. You were about

16 or 17? And then, what was it? Some time later, I got a call about

EastEnders, went in for a meeting, and as I went in, I passed him in

the corridor. Do you always write that on people's autographs? May

be! We will work together one day! It is the only time I have written

it. All those subliminal notes, give me a large cheque! You have been an

interesting family. On that subject, we take for granted that most people

are lucky enough to grow up knowing their grandparents. But in the event

of family breakdown, when mums and dads can arrange access rights

through the law, it is not the same for grandparents, as Esther has

discovered. 18 months ago, I joined a wonderful

club with over 14 million members in the UK. I became a grandparent. I am

absolutely amazed by the feeling of love, which is quite overwhelming.

If I don't see him for a couple of days, I really feel a pang. So I can

only imagine what it must be like to be a grandparent who doesn't have

this sort of relationship because they are not allowed to. It is

estimated that more than 250,000 grandparents are denied access to

their grandchildren. I am on my way to meet Jane and Mark, who have not

seen their granddaughter in almost seven years following the break-up

of their son's marriage. It is a horrible feeling, to feel that, for

whatever reason, the little girl that we loved so deeply is no longer

part of our family. There isn't a day that goes by where I do not

think of her. We just choose to have someone the full times. It is like a

living bereavement. It is a horrible empty void that is there every

single day. They have written many letters and tried many times to make

contact, to no avail. People who have not been through this may not

understand the depth of their pain. You were completely devastated. Yes,

heartbroken, and ashamed that this should happen. Ashamed? Yes, being a

grandparent, you do feel as though you should be able to make things

right in your family, and you suddenly come up against a brick

wall, there's nothing you can do. If you are a parent trying to get

access to your own child, you can seek help through the courts. But

for grandparents, the law offers little support. Do grandparents have

a right to see children? What does the law say? They do not have

automatic rights, no special rights for themselves at all. They would

need to show to the court that there was a need for the child to see them

and it was in the child's best interests. Jane and Mark wrote to

their local paper about their situation. To my astonishment, nine

grandparents suddenly appeared at my front door who hired never met

before, but we had a common feeling, because they were going through

exactly what we were going through. And to date I have been contacted by

over 1000 grandparents. They set up a support group for grandparents who

do not have access, which now meets once a month in their home. The pain

of it is just awful, and I have got three young grandchildren that I

never see. They are missing out on grandparents. And I know that myself

and my husband would be wonderful grandparents if we were given a

chance. Do you think you ought to have legal rights that you could

enforce? Or do you think we are not in that ball game? Our grandchildren

should have legal rights, not necessarily us. This is all about

the grandchildren, surely. We are adults, we can make choices.

Children can't. I have a granddaughter I have never seen

since birth, and they have never given me a reason, and it is quite

sad. That is why I have come for these meetings, and it helps an all

lots to get over that hurdle. It is hard to describe, the ongoing pain.

I am never reduced to tears... Oh, I am not but... I think it is time for

drizzle cake! There was so much pain in that room

from a group that only really want the welfare of the children that

they have now lost, and I don't feel that it is about a change in the

law. I think it is about parents recognising that, really, all they

want to do is support and help and love their grandchildren. And I'm

wondering, is it not possible that these bridges could be mended?

I am sure lots of viewers at home sympathise with the women and men in

that film. The bond between a grandparent and a grandchild is, you

know, invaluable, isn't it? Quite rightly, you want to follow this up,

don't you? Yes, if we can, because I don't think people recognise the

pain, that came as a shock to me. The fact that it feels like a

bereavement, they think about their grandchildren every day. I am

wondering whether any parents watching that film might think, is

it possible now to take the first step? Starting from now, I am sure

things have happened, maybe people regret that, but bear in mind that

these grandparents do not want to take sides. They do not want to keep

a battle going, they want to do the opposite, they want to re-establish

the bond of love that they miss so much. How would they take the first

step? Well, if any parent feels that they can, and I do hope they might

think about it seriously. If they get in touch with me, if they write

to the One Show in the normal way, but just put Esther, spell at how

you choose! What I will try and do, I cannot promise to solve every

problem, but if I can facilitate the communication again, only for the

sake of the children. You know, wearing my child line had, I know

grandparents can be such a force for good in children's lives,

continuity, a sense of fun. When I was a horrible teenager, I ran away

from home to my grandmother, because she taught me the games she used to

learn when she was little, nursery rhymes. There was wonderful family

continuity, and it is so worthwhile from the child's point of view. If

we have viewers who find themselves in the same position at the

grandparents in that film, what would your advice be to them? Stay

neutral. Make it absolutely clear that you are not taking sides. Maybe

there has been some family falling out, maybe you are on one side or

the other in terms of the family, but from the point of view of the

grandparent, you are in the middle and only care about the child. Your

focus is on your relationship with your grandchild. As we saw, that

love runs very, very deep, and children benefit from that. Often

the person in the family with the most life experience. Absolutely,

and that is why they feel so ashamed, that they should be

bringing things together. OK, Esther, thank you very much indeed.

Do please get in contact, parents. Whether you see it as a blight on

our streets or an acceptable form of artistic expression, most people

have a view on graffiti. They do. Mike Dilger has been to explore a

wood in Devon where a more natural type of graffiti with a meaningful

message has been discovered. Throughout history, people have

carved their names and trees, or inscribed messages of true love. But

across the UK, tree carvings have been discovered which reveal much

bigger stories, of love, great camaraderie, and even war. And it is

archaeologist Chantal who has discovered there is more to these

carvings than what is inscribed on the tree. I normally associate

archaeology with dead or buried things, but you are looking at trees

that are alive, of course. It is, but it is what the children have

done to the trees that interests me. These carvings are a passion of

mine, and I look at military ones, because I am obsessed with the First

and Second World War. Chantal tracks down inscriptions by people sent to

fight in the wars and then researches their personal histories,

and her latest find has brought to this would in Devon. This tree is

absolutely plastered in graffiti. Some of them are really clear. We

have got Carlson here, then San Diego, California, USA. With this

information, she uses military archives and public records to find

out about each soldier's history. We know he was in F company of an

infantry regiment, and he carried on in the army after the Second World

War, he survived, he stayed in the army. Private Carlson and thousands

of other American troops were stationed here in Devon as they

prepared for the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. This is

actually an area where the Americans were encamped preparing for the

D-day invasions, so they would use this forest as a rat run to the

nearest town, so coming back from the pub or going to meet girls may

be. Flew her research, she has discovered that some of the men who

carved their names here never returned home. -- through. This one

here is really clear, Earl of them. Yes, from South Carolina USA. What

do you know about this chap? Earl Odom, he took some hunting down, but

he was also a member of F company, here from May to June, when they

were sent onto ships to await their D-day invasion. On the 11th of June,

he received a gunshot wound to his stomach, and on the 12th he died.

That is quite emotional, really quite sad. Just a few weeks after he

carved this, he died on the battlefields of France. But he is

organised on a tree in Devon. -- immortalised. The story does not end

there. Chantal has tracked down some of his relatives, who know we are

going to call them about Earl Odom but have no idea why.

Thank you first and foremost, Nancy and Debbie, for joining us. Can you

tell us your memories of him? He was a very loving person, and I remember

I was real close to him, that was his sister, she was real close to

him. What was his job before he went to war? Probably a farmer, but he

went to walk very young, because he was 33 when he died in 1944. The

reason we are interested in Earl Odom is the most amazing tree

graffiti that Chantal found in Devon, south-west England. You

probably cannot see that, you might be of DC a circle, and there is some

writing in there. -- you might be able to see. That says South

Carolina, yes. The best thing about the tree, which is really unusual,

you can actually pinpoint it to a two-week period when he was in the

area. That is amazing, that is very amazing. You must be very proud of

your great uncle. It is a pleasure for us to meet and talk to you. We

are proud. Thank you. And as the Second World War starts to fade from

living memory, it is interesting to think that individual soldiers have

left their mark to say, I was here. Amazing. I love that species of

tree. It's called a dog tree. You can tell by the bark!

I actually fell for that. Yes, all right, thank you. I need to

minute to recover. On we go. As the chirpy cheerful postman of

Albert Square, but this week Masood has been labelled a complete failure

by his son, Tamwar. But has he hit rock bottom? Or could there be

further for Masood to fall? Oh, what am I? I'm not a husband. A

dad? To Tam or Syed or Shabnam. Not even a postman any more. Come on,

you are making a scene here, man. Oh, you are never safe. You know

that. No matter how old you get, right. You can always lose

everything. Well, there you are, Masood,

literally in the gutter. Can he sink any lower? Where is this going? He

does. It gets quite critical for him. After that scene, he ends up

opening his suitcase and eating his underpants. And then, it is kind of

a new low for a postman to eat your own underpants. Or for anybody It

gets pretty bad. It is lovely. It is nice to see this character kind of

unravel a little bit. It is fun to play, no matter how dark it gets, it

gets more and more fun. Is he still a goody in your eyes? Obviously

there is a darker side to him. I think it is in the writing, really.

Everyone is on fire at the moment with EastEnders. The writers are all

kind of really enjoying the work. They are all creating new stuff. It

is being led beautifully by dom particular Tredwell Collins.

-- Dominic. It is allowing us as actors to play

around with T everyone loves Masood and knows he is a good guy. The

risk-taking is interesting, they are pushing the envelope out with these

characters and letting them explore their lives more. For me, it is

great. It can get a touch too tedious to be nice guy all the time.

Himesh, do you have any ideas where you would like to see Tamwar going

in terms of storilines? I spoke to them before this, he has done a lot.

He lost a lot. It has been a year of loss. They've stuck together. We are

seeing the affect it is having on Masood now. But what has it done to

Tamwar. He is always in the middle. He is stuck in the middle. What

conclusions did you come up with? Well, it was interesting. It happens

quite often that people give into the darkness and go down a certain

path or are led down a certain path by certain circumstances, you know,

but, what if he deals with it in a different way? It is something I'm

going to be looking forward to talking todom and the story team

about. There are rumours, we have to bring this up, that you are going to

have a bit of a revamp, ?25 million worth. What is the Goss? What is the

new buildings? How is the Square going to look? Do we know anything?

I think they are still in the designing stage. All the ideas are

being thrown on the table. I think it's kind of long overdue. I

remember my first day in the Vic, carrying my postman's bag. I

couldn't get through the doors because they were designed in a

really weird way, where you have to go through sideways and there's lots

of set that's kind of had its day. Three decades old. It wasn't built

to last that long. It was built to last a short period of time. They've

made it work. It is, as you say, an exciting time with all sorts of

things happening. We are looking forward to T I think it is going to

take a while to get there. It'll look beautiful. It is 2018. Yes.

Good, right, now, for some, thing sight, brace yourselves, everybody,

the sight of this might trigger some terrible memories. There you are, do

you remember that, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes? For the younger

viewers out there. It is just fiction. Very much. Our next film is

matter of fact. Here is a tell about a nasty fruit about to attack our

shores. The Malaysian durian fruit, growing in Asia for thousands of

years. Only now has it been imported to the UK. This thing has a very

distinct smell. People have likened the pungent odour to dead rats,

sewage and rotting meat. Its prickly exterior is removed and fruit vacuum

packed before being sent over to the UK for consumption. But, beware, I'm

told as soon as the seal is broken, the smell of the durian will escape.

Let's see if the great British public want to do the durian fruit

tasting. It smells horrible. That is vile. Very, very strong cheese,

pineapple and a bit of cheese and onion. I've tried kangaroo before

now. OK, let's see what you make of this. No, no. Quick. Sorry. So, the

taste is bad. But what did the public think when given a whiff in

our fridge? I don't know what is wrong with your nose, mate, it is

horrible. Inhail, deeply. My refrigerator smells worse than that.

Breathe in. Breathe in. It is very pongee, isn't it? It is terrible. Do

you want it take some? We can't shift it. We have so much of it. ! I

like it. It is nice. Oh. Well, one man who is delighted at the

Malaysian daughterian is available here in the UK is 201 1 MasterChef

winner. Tim Anderson. He is with us now. -- Malaysian durian. It is a

smelly customer, wafting around the studio now. What are the good

points? Why should we be eating more? Well, the aroma is one of its

strongest points but it has a lovely, intensely creamy

custard-like texture. That, I guess, is in a lot of ways both what

appeals and disgusts. The smell which is cheesy and funky and I

think quite a bit like rotten onions. I have theories so the tow

you have made. It is at odds with the creaminess -- I have the

risotto. How would they eat this in Malaysia? It is a somewhat expensive

fruit and different varieties are different. It is not bad, you know.

You have the chips, they are dehydrated and that's in a slaw with

peanut dressing, basically. Have a go at the ice-cream. It is the most

intense one. When you dehydrate them, some of the aroma dissipates

and you are left with a nice, sweet, almond-type flavour but this

ice-cream. The Risotto is lovely, I was about to say.

The interesting thing s it is lovely when it is cooked but one of us,

somewhere in this studio will be sniffing the raw fruit before the

end of the programme. Now John Segreant has been to Coventry to

witness what is the end of an era. This may not look like it but this

is one of the most famous companies in the country. For what they've

been making here in Coventry for more than 100 years. Sadly, it's now

fallen on hard times. Generations of schoolchildren,

millions of us, me included, were their customers. This is the home of

Cashers name tags. During its heyday, the workforce was up to

1,000 strong. Now they are down to only 10. A company stalwart started

here at 18. He has been with the company for over 43 years. What was

it like when you first joined? The first thing I noticed was the noise.

It was really noisy. But it was a hive of activity. How many name

tapes were you producing? In our busiest period from June to

September, we are typically processing 20,000 individual name

orders through the system. A week. At that time we didn't have much

competition at all. We were sending name tapes all over the world. The

company made woven fabrics long before their first name tapes came

off the line in the 1870s. They kept their original skills to produce a

range of products, including badges for swimming teams and fat ball

clubs. They diversified into other woven fabrics. One of the things

they came up with, the first company to come up with the idea of making

the name tapes which all children, ever since have had woven into their

school clothes. They were by appointment to the Queen. Some of

the name tapes were the ones made for Prince Charles when he was at

school. And when did the decline start? We

started losing the name orders perhaps 20 years ago, in the

mid-'90s. I suppose a lot of the kids weren't having proper name

tapes, was that it? No, you could buy markers and printed and iron-on

names. It was easy perhaps for parents rather than have a woven

name. When the company was put into receivership, you knew it was all

over, did you? Well, yes, for 47 people last week, it certainly was.

That must have been a terrible bloe. They were upset. There were people

crying. It was sad to see. The company may be in dire straits but

their legacy lives on in Coventry. We invited people from the Joseph

Cash primary school, named after the company's founder. They've come to

receive some of the last woven name tags to the made in this factory.

Are you excited about this? Yes. Are you sure? Yes. I didn't hear you?

YES Is that your name? I really like the

badges. When the coat gets lost, you know which one is yours. Put them in

the wash. They won't come off. With a sticker label, it'll come off

easily. Right, you are all labelled up. Hooray.

Hooray. Some name tapes may continue to be made in factories like this,

but there is no doubt that the glory days of this Coventry industry are

over. Aw, thanks, John. Let's hope there

is a positive outcome. Would you believe it, Nitin, when you first

came over, lived near there. Yes. I did. We've discovered you used to do

experimental performance, is this right? I did. Well, it is time to

find out who is going to be sniffing this durian fruit in all of its raw

glory. Is it going to be you two, or is it going to be Matt? Somebody is

going to be leaving the studio... Honestly, I won't be able to. I

tried some of the ice-cream and it was, oh, punchy.

So, we have some experimental scenes, don't we?

We do. We have experimental performers who have reenacted famous

EastEnders scenes. All you have to do is try and recognise the scene.

OK. Ready for the fist one. If you get two right, you don't have to

sniff it. I've heard that before. Well, you can confer. Yeah. The Sla

text res is. Is it -- the Slaters. Is it the. You are not my mother,

one, you are my sister, mum. You are my mum, sister. It is, it

is. We'll give you that. It was when Zoe found out that Kat was not her

centre, was her mother. It gets weirder. Here is the second one. --

not her centre. -- not her sister. Any thoughts? You look like you

might know. Was it when Janine pushed - oh what was his name -

Barry off the cliff? Oh, my goodness me.

I'm gagging. I have just released this from its packet. It is

absolutely offensive. That's it from this evening. Thank you to our

guests. You have got to smell it. Oh! I'm back with Chris tomorrow and

Kevin Spacey and Kate Mara. See you then.