:00:43. > :00:47.Hello and welcome to a very special That's Life episode of The One Show,
:00:48. > :00:50.with Alex Jones. Matt Baker, and what would a That's Life special be
:00:51. > :00:54.without...Esther Rantzen! # That's Life. APPLAUSE. I am very grateful
:00:55. > :00:57.to Matt and Alex for allowing me to turn the clock back 40 years and
:00:58. > :01:01.celebrate the moment we launched a consumer programme that was to grow
:01:02. > :01:05.and grow. And, yes, there was a dog that could say sausages. Tell us
:01:06. > :01:14.what do you have on a Thursday? What? Sausages! And who can forget,
:01:15. > :01:17.although I would like to, the rudely shaped vegetables that became a
:01:18. > :01:21.regular feature of That's Life? Not my fault, it was the viewers. You've
:01:22. > :01:25.been sending more in and we will be having a look later tonight. And on
:01:26. > :01:29.That's Life we also went out on the streets to ask the public questions
:01:30. > :01:32.like: What sound effect can you make with your mouth? Can you tell the
:01:33. > :01:36.difference between brandy and whisky? Should Page three be banned?
:01:37. > :01:41.Tonight, I've returned to see if things have changed. That's Life
:01:42. > :01:54.also made a real difference to the world around us. We demanded
:01:55. > :01:57.compulsory seat belts, we highlighted the need for organ
:01:58. > :01:59.transplants, and we campaigned for playground safety. It's difficult to
:02:00. > :02:02.believe now that children's playgrounds were built out of
:02:03. > :02:10.concrete and tarmac before we intervened. In 1986, In response to
:02:11. > :02:14.a survey on That's Life into bullying and abuse of children,
:02:15. > :02:19.Esther founded Childline. Today, she has launched a brand new helpline
:02:20. > :02:22.called The Silver Line. It is a free, confidential 24 hour line that
:02:23. > :02:25.offers information, friendship and advice for older people. The number
:02:26. > :02:35.is 0800 470 80 90. The Silver Line commissioned a poll
:02:36. > :02:38.about the stigma of loneliness and asked some special questions for The
:02:39. > :02:51.One Show. Tony Livesey has the results. I get lonely sometimes, and
:02:52. > :02:54.I think about things. I'd didn't get lonely until this year because my
:02:55. > :02:59.partner had died. Sometimes you want to get out of the four walls,
:03:00. > :03:02.because it is your prison. There are many subjects people don't like to
:03:03. > :03:08.talk about, how much money the error -- they are, politics or religion.
:03:09. > :03:16.Now there is another taboo we can add to it. We can confirm that a
:03:17. > :03:18.survey has told us that if lonely -- older people are lonely, they often
:03:19. > :03:30.suffer in silence. I have come to Lancashire to help --
:03:31. > :03:34.to this centre which helps combat loneliness in Lytham Saint Anne
:03:35. > :03:39.Andrews, where 25% of the population over 65. -- Lytham Saint Anne 's.
:03:40. > :03:44.Many of the members here have talked to me about their lives and feeling
:03:45. > :03:47.lonely. Catherine O'Brien is in her 70s and was divorced 40 years ago
:03:48. > :03:51.and brought up her son and daughter on her own. She is in regular
:03:52. > :03:57.contact with her family and very active, but lately she has felt
:03:58. > :04:00.pangs of loneliness. There have been waves of loneliness, sitting and
:04:01. > :04:03.thinking that I am on my own with nobody to talk to. I do look forward
:04:04. > :04:10.to going out to the shops, just that contact. It is people passing away,
:04:11. > :04:16.and suddenly you feel very much on your own and lonely. Have you ever
:04:17. > :04:23.said that word beginning with L to your family? Macri I know, I don't
:04:24. > :04:28.want them to feel sorry for me -- -- I don't want them to feel sorry for
:04:29. > :04:32.me. I don't think it is anything to bother them with. According to the
:04:33. > :04:38.survey, one in seven older people say they often feel lonely. I just
:04:39. > :04:44.feel lost. I've never come across it before. It's a to me. Most of them
:04:45. > :04:48.say it is difficult to admit to other people. You don't want to tell
:04:49. > :04:53.them that you're lonely, because that would make them feel guilty,
:04:54. > :04:57.wouldn't it? More than half of those who said they often felt lonely said
:04:58. > :04:59.they'd never discussed these feelings with their families and the
:05:00. > :05:06.most common reason they gave as they did not want to be a burden. They
:05:07. > :05:10.have their own lives to lead. I've had my life. They are looking after
:05:11. > :05:16.their families now. Christine is in her late 60s and has three grown-up
:05:17. > :05:20.children. She has been widowed twice and lost her second husband last
:05:21. > :05:24.year. How often do you feel lonely? I would say every day when the
:05:25. > :05:29.curtains are drawn and I am on my own in the house. This is the first
:05:30. > :05:33.time I've actually suffered from true loneliness. I didn't really
:05:34. > :05:36.understand what it was. Your children will see this on
:05:37. > :05:42.television. How will they react to it? They will probably feel I should
:05:43. > :05:46.have said to any one of them and that I need them and they would
:05:47. > :05:51.come. I don't want to be much of an interference in their lives. Maria
:05:52. > :05:54.is Christine's only daughter and sees her mother every day, but it
:05:55. > :06:00.turns out that it is not the days that are the problem. She told me
:06:01. > :06:08.some time ago that although the daytimes are full, the evenings seem
:06:09. > :06:12.like a long drawn-out thing. I showed Maria what Christine told the
:06:13. > :06:18.camera to see if she knew how lonely her mother felt. How often do you
:06:19. > :06:24.feel alone? I would say every day. When the curtains are drawn. I found
:06:25. > :06:29.that pretty devastating, that she still feels lonely every single day.
:06:30. > :06:33.I feel like I want to do something about it, and I feel helpless,
:06:34. > :06:41.because I don't know how. What mum needs his company. Or something to
:06:42. > :06:45.stop feeling lonely. I did the same with Chris O'Brien, Cathy's, he had
:06:46. > :06:52.also wondered if loneliness a problem with his mum. She would get
:06:53. > :06:56.lonely now and again, she told me, and that was a surprise, because the
:06:57. > :07:00.last thing she would say to me and my sister is something that would
:07:01. > :07:05.upset us. There have been waves of it. Then you suddenly feel very on
:07:06. > :07:11.your own and lonely. I totally relate to the feeling, and that is
:07:12. > :07:16.the only woman who could bring me to tears, and seeing her upset is the
:07:17. > :07:22.worst thing I can see in my life. Afterwards, both families were glad
:07:23. > :07:25.that they had opened up. There is an understanding that we are on our
:07:26. > :07:31.own, and we should be talking and say what bothers us. He is at the
:07:32. > :07:37.other end of the telephone. Just pick up the telephone and ask what
:07:38. > :07:44.is happening. You can read right through me though, that is the
:07:45. > :07:48.trouble. So, to recap on those survey results, one in seven older
:07:49. > :07:52.people often feel lonely and more than half of those don't want to
:07:53. > :07:56.admit it to their family, and it's hard to know who to feel sorry for,
:07:57. > :08:03.the parents, the children, it's a no-win position. YELLOW -- it shows
:08:04. > :08:06.how opening up and talking to make a world of difference. It's very
:08:07. > :08:09.difficult to talk to your own children about it because you don't
:08:10. > :08:15.want them to feel guilty, which is why the new helpline is going to be
:08:16. > :08:19.open day and night. As you heard, the evenings are particularly
:08:20. > :08:24.difficult, and sometimes people say that Sunday is hard. We want to be
:08:25. > :08:27.there for them on Christmas Day. Last Christmas, during the pilot, I
:08:28. > :08:31.spoke to people who were not talking to anyone else, not only on
:08:32. > :08:34.Christmas Day, but throughout the Christmas period. It's really
:08:35. > :08:39.important that if people get these pangs, they try and bring us,
:08:40. > :08:42.because we have the two services, one is the helpline which is
:08:43. > :08:48.therefore you all the time, and the other is Silver Line Friends who
:08:49. > :08:50.will make book calls and establish a real relationship and get to know
:08:51. > :08:55.them over a period of time. Those are volunteers, and we will need
:08:56. > :08:58.those volunteers, people who can join us and we will need those
:08:59. > :09:01.volunteers, people who can join a Sunbeam train -- trained as Silver
:09:02. > :09:07.Line friends. There are charities that can help in this area anyway,
:09:08. > :09:11.so how does Silver Line differ? We have learned so much already. They
:09:12. > :09:16.have supported us and helped us and we have seen the way they help
:09:17. > :09:21.people. The RBS have contact -- contact lines. There are lots of
:09:22. > :09:25.charities. The fact is that people don't necessarily know how to
:09:26. > :09:28.contact them. As far as I know, none of these charities, apart from the
:09:29. > :09:35.Samaritans are there 24 hours per day. And the night-time, we had a
:09:36. > :09:39.lady in her 80s, ringing us at 3am. She is not alone, and her partner
:09:40. > :09:42.has Alzheimer's disease, and she feels desperately lonely. She said I
:09:43. > :09:46.am not bad enough for the Samaritans, I don't want to drink my
:09:47. > :09:52.daughter, but it's not a crisis, but I must talk to someone about how I
:09:53. > :09:55.feel. There is bound to be an increase in the number of phone
:09:56. > :10:00.calls this evening, so do be patient, but who can cause expect on
:10:01. > :10:04.the other end of the line? We have the staff working on the helpline,
:10:05. > :10:08.and when things calmed down a little, they haven't got a call
:10:09. > :10:11.handling time, they've been asked to talk as long as people need them
:10:12. > :10:17.too. What we found is that nine out of ten of the lonely people, 2.5
:10:18. > :10:24.million older people in the country, they think that the best way to help
:10:25. > :10:27.is a good chat on the telephone, and one in four of them never get a good
:10:28. > :10:34.chat on the telephone, so that is what we will provide. And there is a
:10:35. > :10:40.ring back service, and it's kind of a relationship which is wonderful. A
:10:41. > :10:43.lovely man said that when he put the telephone down he feels like he
:10:44. > :10:46.belongs to the human race. We have to think about what that means the
:10:47. > :10:49.rest of the time. Why should older people not feel like members of the
:10:50. > :10:57.human race? We have to think about that as well. So, what a day. Silver
:10:58. > :11:01.Line is now open. Here is the number again.
:11:02. > :11:08.It is open day and night, every day of the year, and there is more
:11:09. > :11:11.information about it on our website. There are 60 people receiving calls
:11:12. > :11:18.at the moment and it will be busy, so keep trying. Back to That's Life.
:11:19. > :11:21.If you want an example of what it meant to its viewers, we have got a
:11:22. > :11:29.letter that came into this week from Forbes. He says: -- John Forbes.
:11:30. > :11:37.You might recall a campaign to have all elevator is fitted with internal
:11:38. > :11:40.doors after our daughter had her arm severed on holiday. We are glad to
:11:41. > :11:46.say that they did take notice, and Sarah now has a full-time job, a
:11:47. > :11:49.six-year-old son called Martin and is a capable swimmer and has walked
:11:50. > :11:52.to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and works on projects for
:11:53. > :11:57.amputees in action. We would probably never get to know who --
:11:58. > :12:04.what had happened to those who were in your programme, so here is the
:12:05. > :12:08.chance, with very kind regards. You kept that from me, and that is
:12:09. > :12:12.fantastic news. How lovely them to write and tell us. That is
:12:13. > :12:19.fantastic. Here is more of the campaigning work by Esther and 13.
:12:20. > :12:22.-- her team. Right from the beginning, Esther wanted to bring
:12:23. > :12:27.about change and make people listen. Doctor John Maynard prompted
:12:28. > :12:30.That's Life into action when a woman broke suddenly in a traffic jam and
:12:31. > :12:36.killed her 18-month-old son who was standing behind her. The impact
:12:37. > :12:40.wholesome straight through the windscreen. That's Life made it
:12:41. > :12:45.compulsory for cars to be fitted with a rear seat belt, with the
:12:46. > :12:50.backing of Peter Bottomley, the then transport Minister. Don't rely on us
:12:51. > :12:54.what is good for you on your chant -- children and grandchildren. As
:12:55. > :12:57.the child restraint campaigns show, people are doing it. It worked,
:12:58. > :13:04.three years later that law was changed. When Carol's son was
:13:05. > :13:08.injured in the playground, she got in touch as well. That's life began
:13:09. > :13:14.to campaign for safe surfaces to be introduced in playgrounds. Here we
:13:15. > :13:23.have one of the new safe tiles and I will drop it. From the same height,
:13:24. > :13:27.onto concrete. That worked as well. 70% of the playgrounds have now been
:13:28. > :13:31.covered with the safe surfaces. But the one campaign no viewer could
:13:32. > :13:36.forget about was the little boy who desperately needed a new liver, he
:13:37. > :13:40.was two years old, and his name was Ben Hardwick. Then is two years old
:13:41. > :13:47.and will die in the next few years. He has a liver disease. The hospital
:13:48. > :13:54.told me he would not live for very long, so we knew he would have a
:13:55. > :13:58.short life. I said, why can't he have a transplant question mark and
:13:59. > :14:02.it was because there was no donors. We needed to change public opinion,
:14:03. > :14:08.so who better to change it than Esther Rantzen? The transplant was
:14:09. > :14:11.successfully carried out, making him the youngest person in the UK to
:14:12. > :14:16.receive this kind of treatment. Watching the appeal unfold from this
:14:17. > :14:18.game -- say site -- a bed in the same hospital was Matthew Whitaker
:14:19. > :14:25.who was born with the same life-threatening condition. I
:14:26. > :14:29.possibly might have got a transfer -- transplant, but without the help
:14:30. > :14:36.and publicity that That's Life brought, I might not have received
:14:37. > :14:41.it in time. It really was the power of television. We went of having no
:14:42. > :14:45.chance of our son surviving to the offer of a donor. Despite the
:14:46. > :14:50.success of the programme increasing the number of donors, the operation
:14:51. > :14:55.did not work and he died 14 months after the start of the campaign. I
:14:56. > :14:58.did it to save Ben's life, but the fact that so many children's lives
:14:59. > :15:04.have been saved is a great feeling. It is very comforting. When the
:15:05. > :15:08.final episode of That's Life was broadcast, a number of children who
:15:09. > :15:15.have had successful transplants were invited to the studio. In these
:15:16. > :15:22.children here tonight, Ben's memory does live on indeed. As does the
:15:23. > :15:26.legacy of That's Life will stop what was it, consumer show?
:15:27. > :15:28.Entertainment? For sure. And the influence of its campaign can still
:15:29. > :15:44.be felt today. Wow, what an impact. And I know that
:15:45. > :15:52.Ben and his mother, Deborah, their story, that made a real connection.
:15:53. > :15:57.Yes, for two reasons, then was the same age as my son Joshua, and the
:15:58. > :16:02.other was the courage of her, only 22 when she made that plea, and all
:16:03. > :16:05.of the campaigns owed something to the courage and altruism of the
:16:06. > :16:12.viewers who wrote and told us about them. Tonight the studio is packed
:16:13. > :16:19.with That's Life cast and crew, celebrating its 40th anniversary.
:16:20. > :16:23.Every doorway open, somebody with a remarkable story. They are the
:16:24. > :16:26.people. You would dress up in the most stupid of outfits. And send
:16:27. > :17:12.them out to do stuff like this. UN should be -- Iwan is with some of
:17:13. > :17:17.them in the green room. Michael, what did you do on the show and what
:17:18. > :17:20.have you brought tonight? I presented for three years and I have
:17:21. > :17:28.brought these, which were individually designed for each
:17:29. > :17:38.show. They were hand-painted before? Yes, on the Sunday itself.
:17:39. > :17:47.Maybe I had a little more hair. Julia, what did you do? I was
:17:48. > :17:59.Esther's PA, and this was a hat which was awarded to me. Can you put
:18:00. > :18:08.it on just for tonight? Catherine, what have you brought? In 1981, Mr
:18:09. > :18:12.did a survey of women who gave birth in the country, and this book came
:18:13. > :18:16.out of it which was ground-breaking because it said clearly that all
:18:17. > :18:20.women didn't necessarily want a natural birth, some wanted pain
:18:21. > :18:24.relief and whatever, and the important thing was that people
:18:25. > :18:31.involved in maternity care should listen to women and let them have a
:18:32. > :18:39.say in the birth they have. So you are very proud to be associated with
:18:40. > :18:45.the programme? Very proud. I am running out of lead, Esther, back to
:18:46. > :18:52.you. Actually, your licenses are not
:18:53. > :18:56.paying for that disgraceful jumper that you see going on! Tonight the
:18:57. > :19:04.wonderful news is that Matt is working on a tribute to the That's
:19:05. > :19:11.Life artist, especially for this anniversary. What incredible talent,
:19:12. > :19:22.that is wonderful. I just hope you don't slap me! There is no reference
:19:23. > :19:26.to teeth, I hope. One of the highlights for me was when I walked
:19:27. > :19:33.the streets in nothing but a pair of knickers and a microphone. I am
:19:34. > :19:41.talking about the box pops, when I went out to ask questions, and the
:19:42. > :19:50.temptation to do it again was too much so this is what happened when I
:19:51. > :20:15.went out with the One Show crew in tow. Do some yodelling.
:20:16. > :20:31.Have a drink and then tell me if it is whiskey or brandy. Whiskey.
:20:32. > :20:41.Brandy. You're joking? I'm not. My colleagues are saying it is whiskey.
:20:42. > :20:51.Have another six. OK. Cheers, everybody! Should this be banned?
:20:52. > :21:02.Yes, women are more than just a pair of boobs, at least most of us R. I
:21:03. > :21:07.took papers out onto the street 20 years ago. If I show you something,
:21:08. > :21:15.will you tell me if you like it or not. It depends what it is. I like
:21:16. > :21:29.it quite a lot, to be honest. Would you mind blowing up a balloon? Ah!
:21:30. > :21:46.Fantastic! This is a masterclass. He wants to tie a knot in it, I mean
:21:47. > :21:56.the balloon! I feel as if I have spent my whole life here. You dirty
:21:57. > :22:11.monkey! It was on this very corner, where I was handing out something.
:22:12. > :22:18.Up came the Black Mariah, and not having been arrested before I got in
:22:19. > :22:24.the driver's side and the police got me into the back.
:22:25. > :22:35.And you have got the glasses of whiskey and brandy. Don't worry, you
:22:36. > :22:40.are not paying for this either. You run the risk of being arrested,
:22:41. > :22:44.drinking on live television. Tonight, Matt and Alex have the task
:22:45. > :22:48.of reading out your letters, so let's have some from One Show
:22:49. > :22:55.viewers, starting with Victoria Kothe back from a trip to China. Is
:22:56. > :23:02.this a strange translation, or could it really be on the menu? Roasted
:23:03. > :23:08.urinating fish, spicy urinating fish. Go there and take your
:23:09. > :23:16.umbrella. I wouldn't eat them, I don't like spicy food. Martin
:23:17. > :23:26.writes... I saw this in Spain... Small bear and big bear. We also
:23:27. > :23:32.loved the unusual spellings you sent in each week, it seems it has not
:23:33. > :23:44.changed. Nicky writes in to tell us about this... David Bouley's primary
:23:45. > :23:48.school, don't you know - Burnt Ash Primary. Let's have a look at that
:23:49. > :24:00.school gate. No letter section would be complete
:24:01. > :24:09.without the unusually shaped vegetables. They became a regular
:24:10. > :24:19.feature. People can't still be growing them, can they? My first
:24:20. > :24:25.attempt at growing carrots, still traumatised. Wait for it... Perhaps
:24:26. > :24:36.you also remember the musical instrument made out of a cow's
:24:37. > :24:44.milking machine. Technical term for that is a cow cluster, I am told. We
:24:45. > :24:51.loved your musical inventions, just as much as you enjoyed playing
:24:52. > :24:55.them. Simeon would writes... Nothing would you like me more than to play
:24:56. > :25:04.the theme tune of that fabulous show, That's Life. It was fabulous,
:25:05. > :25:08.but are you any good? I played for Alex Jones. She was queueing for a
:25:09. > :25:18.portaloo earlier this year, she was amazed. I play the NHS walking
:25:19. > :25:20.stick. Let's hear Simeon playing the That's Life theme tune on his NHS
:25:21. > :25:51.walking stick. we have Adrian Mills here, and Gavin
:25:52. > :25:58.Campbell as well. Let's wind back the clock to when you sent in the
:25:59. > :26:04.CV. You wrote on it that you were brilliant at accents. I thought if
:26:05. > :26:10.anybody is going to do an accent on this programme of any sort, it has
:26:11. > :26:17.to be me, because I am good. Let's see how good you are with your
:26:18. > :26:26.Spanish. I do my best. You might foam them and tell them they don't
:26:27. > :26:35.have to come to Madrid, they can get the special discount! The most
:26:36. > :26:40.worrying thing about that clip is the thickness of the hair.
:26:41. > :26:41.And you are very good with the sword, let's have a look at you in
:26:42. > :26:55.action. Just very quickly, what was that
:26:56. > :27:00.about? The family had a house in Hertfordshire which have a beautiful
:27:01. > :27:06.traditional Japanese garden, and they had a little five-year-old boy
:27:07. > :27:10.who was a really keen martial arts expert. They said he was really good
:27:11. > :27:17.and the challenge was to give him a fight. I was told to be very, very
:27:18. > :27:28.careful with him because he was very small and delicate. He beat the...
:27:29. > :27:32.Out of me. We will leave it there! The public were always the stars,
:27:33. > :27:39.but Giles, you would have made a wonderful member of the That's Life
:27:40. > :27:57.team. Shall I try the traditional way? And finally...? Finally, an odd
:27:58. > :28:03.ode I have written in Cyril's memory. The name was Cyril. The look
:28:04. > :28:06.was odd, the odes were even odder. Esther and Cyril. At Esther's side
:28:07. > :28:09.he sat, benign, as genial comic fodder. As Esther did unsheeth her
:28:10. > :28:15.teeth, from Aberdeen to Harrow. Cyril with marrow? Cyril just waited
:28:16. > :28:21.to applaud the next mishapen marrow! I want to thank everyone for coming
:28:22. > :28:26.to celebrate our 40th anniversary of That's Life, and remember that the
:28:27. > :28:32.The Silver Line helpline is open now and you can call free from a
:28:33. > :28:38.landline on 0800 4 70 80 90. All of the details are on the One Show
:28:39. > :28:43.website. Now, Charlie Brighton was the surviving member of the original
:28:44. > :28:50.That's Life brass band. It had a unique sound and he has found some
:28:51. > :28:52.new bandmates to play us out now one last time. It will be wonderful.
:28:53. > :28:55.We're here tomorrow with Anne Reid when we'll be exclusively revealing
:28:56. > :28:57.the nominees for Sports Personality of the Year. See you at 7pm.
:28:58. > :29:03.Goodbye!