27/02/2012 The One Show

Hello and welcome to the programme. Our guest tonight has done some of

rock and roll's most memorable songs of all time. There was the

legendary Bat Out Of Hell, I Would Do Anything For Love, and of course,

what was the other one? Well, two out of three ain't bad, Matt. It's

Meat Loaf! Go on, mate. You know, you took the words right out of my

mouth. Brilliant. For crying out loud, can't you get it right? It is

nice to see you. Nice to see you, too, and he is in his jumper. I

don't know why they call them sweaters. And you're co-existing.

Yes, thank you for helping me remember that. I made this jacket

for the album called Co-exist. And the kids will like it, too.

Speaking of glitz and glamour, it was the Oscars last night, and

there's a lot of controversy of course about what happened when

Sasha Baron Cohen spilt these Ashes, I don't know whether you have seen

this. I'm sure he would not have been happy with that, I do not

think he would have been happy. did look very bothered. Knowing

Ryan, that would not have gone down very well. When I left, they were

saying that they were not going to allow him to come to the Oscars,

Sasha, and if he wanted to come, he could not come dressed as the

dictator. I guess they had to give in to it, and once he did that,

that was it. He got a lot more promo out of that than he would

have done if he had come dressed in a tuxedo. Lots of famous people of

course had a chance to thank their family and friends in front of

millions last night. But we thought, why should they be the only ones?

If you have anybody want to thank, for any reason at all, send us the

details and we will read some of them out at the end of the show.

get us into the thanking mood, we sent Lucy Siegle all the way to

Hollywood. Do we have a budget for Hollywood? No, it is a lot cheaper

than you might think. Here we go. When they asked me to report from

Hollywood on the red carpet, naturally, I was flattered, and I

jumped at the chance. However, Hollywood near Birmingham was not

what I had in mind. You look magnificent. These are my Saturday

scruffy clothes, actually. You're looking fabulous, who are you

wearing? You must be pretty busy... You're not the actor Tom Hanks.

I'm Tom Hanks from Birmingham, I'm a mechanic. Tom Hanks has obviously

won many awards - have you won anything? I did a bit of cycle

racing a few years ago, I have won the British Championship five times,

and also the Isle of Man TT. This is quite impressive. What awards

have you won? Five star excellence award for best tribute in Hollywood.

I wrote an essay about Martians taking over Birmingham. There's one

category which I don't think the academy has recognised, the best

acceptance speech, and I am going to recognise it now. Firstly, I am

just going to pack my girlfriend for being such an understanding

partner. I would like to thank all my pets, my mum, my brother, my

teammates. My husband, for producing the best fish and chips

in Hollywood. I am quite nervous having all of these people looking

at me up on stage. I would like to thank our local butcher, who gives

him regular meat. His name was not Richard, it is not rigid, actually,

but he is a fantastic bloke, and I have not divorced him yet, after

nearly 50 years. So, I had gathered the nominees together, but who will

win this coveted category? The winner of the best acceptance

speech is Nicky. Well done. And I would like to thank the residents

of Hollywood near Birmingham and all those people... There you have

it, emotional scenes from just outside Birmingham. Why do you

think she got upset at the fiddle player? Maybe she just doesn't like

it. Anyway, we were thinking about the first award that you ever got.

Yes, it was for football. And it was presented to me by a

quarterback who played for the US Cowboys, by the name of Don

Meredith, who eventually went on to be one of the Monday night football

presenters, and all of that when right over your head, but anyway...

He gave me the first award, which was a football award, and the only

person I thanked was him, for handing it to me. Thank you, very

much, and I left, that was it. Short and snappy. Yes, right to the

point. Now, we do like a powerful rock song, and you're the king of

writing those songs, so what would you say are the key ingredients to

make good, powerful rock song? you have to believe in what you're

writing about, you have to commit to it completely. You have to

believe it, in other words, you cannot just sit here and figure out,

OK, I'm writing the word son, what rhymes with son? You cannot just do

that, the words have to flow, there has to be passion, it has to come

from your heart. Too many writers go to the rhyming dictionary and

try to find words which rhyme, but it never works. There are lots of

examples of these passionate songs on your new album, Hell In A

Handbasket. Let's have a bit of one of the singles from that album.

Somebody's got to stand in the storm.

# Somebody's got to stand... # Somebody's got to stand in the

storm. # Somebody's got to stand in the

storm. It is track after track of really good ones. That's one of the

new ones, that was a video we did in Sydney, Australia, and I am

making myself crazy by watching that, going, why don't you turn and

look at the audience? It was really the third time we had ever done

that song, so I was just sitting and watching him, to make sure I

have got the words right. And finally at the end, I do turn and

look at the audience. Littlejohn comes in right after that with a

hip hop number. I combined rock with country with hip hop, which

nobody has ever done before. Why do you call it Hell In A Handbasket?

Because I have been saying that for the last six or seven years. It is

all about me, me, me, everybody wants a handout, nobody wants to

work, everybody wants something for free. We have lost our humanity, we

have lost our compassion for people. And the Internet has bred... It

happened today in America with the school shooting. I believe that is

from the Internet, the Internet has bred this hatred from people,

because people can hide behind User Names and write the most terrible

things in the world, and it gives people angst, and it builds up

until people explode and do things they should not do. And it is wrong.

Nobody is telling us the truth. this one is coming from the heart.

Yes, it is the first album that I have done through my eyes. We loved

it, especially the first track. lot of it is a confessional. It is

like I have gone to the priest and said, here I am. It is really great.

I'm glad you like it because I like it as well. On we go, a good head

teacher can make or break a school, but they are in short supply.

Gloria Hunniford has been to Ipswich to see what can be done to

get a right people applying for that job. We all remember our head

teachers, they were the tyrants, the people we most feared. Well,

not any more, apparently. Many schools are truly struggling to

find the right person for that job. So, as a nation, why is it that we

are losing our heads? The average wage for a head teacher is �55,000

a year, for roughly 55 hours a week. Yet there are still vacancies or

around the country. These students at this primary school in Ipswich

have taken matters into their own hands. Dear possible future head

teacher, thanks for looking into the job... They are working hard to

make sure they get the right person for the job. Not only did they help

to write such as -- to write the job description, but they're

helping with the interviews as well. They should have a good sense of

humour, they should be fair with us, and they should listen to us.

you have a really good head teacher, hopefully it will get you a really

good job, and then you will get paid lots of money. Last year, 36%

of primary and 19% of secondary head teachers' posts were reported

unfilled after an advertisement. The National Association of head

teachers that people are not applying for the job, and they say

that as a result, we could be heading towards a crisis. I find it

hard to understand why teachers are not aiming towards being a head

teacher, why do you think this is happening? It is of course a

concern. There are two main reasons, firstly, many head teachers are

close to retirement, about a third of them are within five years, and

secondly, deputy heads and assistant head teachers are looking

at it, seeing the risks and the pressure, and wondering if it is

the right job for them. You cannot actually open a school without

somebody taking the responsibility as a head teacher. So, this could

have a big impact on the standard of education in this country?

we will not be able to turn schools around without strong head teachers.

We need to get the best people in, not just anybody. We must be

demanding of them, and they must be ready for pressure. This lady knows

only too well what it is like. She is the head teacher at a school in

Suffolk, and another school, three miles up the road. She splits her

time equally between the two, meaning that she needs to be in two

places at once, with twice as many children to look after, and twice

as many parents to please. I have not experienced anything like it

before, but there is no reason why it should not work. I had my

reservations, but for us, it is a real benefit, because we get the

experience of an excellent head teacher, who has been at another

school in the local area. She has got a really good track record,

which have now is really important. I have specific days to be at each

school, and I will start at about 8 o'clock most mornings, meeting up

with my staff, looking at the day ahead. The day with the children

runs until 3 o'clock, but I'm quite often hear a few hours after that.

How can you do it at both schools? The main thing is that I am not two

head teachers, I have a strategic role, and I have superb deputy

heads in both schools, to make it manageable for me. Is there ever a

situation where a emergency arises? We have not as yet, but we are only

a few miles up the road, so it would not be a big issue if I had

to come over very quickly. suppose many sceptics would say,

the education authorities are doing well out of you, getting two for

the price of one. Maybe, but I feel I have done quite well with it as

well. It suits me, it is a solution for our Local Schools which is

working well. No regrets? Non- at The department for education say

that the vacancies have remained low and stable. That there are

currently 207 vacancies over 20,000 state schools. Cricks say it does

not reflect the department tis acting as head teachers. The

department of education is working hard to bring through the next

generation of teaching heads. But training takes time, concern is

growing that the gap will be too wide to fill. In the meantime,

heads like Karen have their work cut out for them.

Indeed, we have one of the country's most famous Deputy Head

teachers here, who last year had his ever move filmed for Channel 4.

When I speak to you, I expect you to look at me and speak to me

properly. You are failing to pass GCSEs at a standard you are able to

pass them at. You are not respecting people properly, not

respecting people properly and not enabling your success. Take your

hants out of your pockets while talking to me. Well, that told her.

It is Educating Essex ex's Stephen Drew! I don't think that was bad.

You did not yell or scold. You were talking to her straight ahead. I

hear you want to be a headteacher? A headteacher, yes.

I will ask a few questions to see if you qualify.

Interviewed by loaf loaf loaf?! don't mess around on The One Show.

How do you describe your teaching style? Clear, simple, fair.

Great. I was caught in the parking lot in my 1958 car making out with

my girlfriend, how would you have dealt with me? I would have seen

that as something that your parents deal with. We might leave you in

the car, your parents come in, and see if your parents want to have a

chat through the window. . Yes, but I want you to know that

I was the best kes kisser in the seventh grade. Why did you not

apply for this job earlier? I felt that I was ready to apply this time.

That is a good clip, there. What qualities do you have that

make you a great headteacher? think I'm calm, patient, clear,

forward-looking, I think that I understand what people need. I

believe in high standards. OK, Hell In A Handbasket comes out

today, are you going to buy it? Without a shadow of a doubt!

more? School uniforms, yes or no? Yes! Yes! OK. They should be the

girls in short halter tops, the boys, gym shorts with muscle shorts,

unless you look like me, in that case, armour.

I think that I will get the job ahead of you.

Stephen Drew, on a serious note, what is the thing that puts them

off wanting to be a headteacher? think that many people in my

position want to be a headteacher. Then they get to where I am, and

maybe the headteacher looks tired, then they reach a stop, a block.

There are lots that want to be a headteacher, but there are those

who think is just a step too far. They see so much in the news, so

much from the Government saying that the head teachers are not

doing a great job. So they feel talked down to.

How do you enthuse people? I think you have to say you know why you

came to teaching. There are great head teachers out there. You know

you can make a difference. Be inspired. Look at what the National

College are doing. Believe in what you want to do. Believe in what you

are doing. To know this is what you want to do, to inspire young people.

Whatever is being said out there by people who don't fully understand

education, by talking schools down. I cut past that. I believe that I

want to do it, I'm a passionate advocate for teaching, I want to do

Yes! My mother was a teacher, she would have agreed 100%. Teachers

teaching with are the most important people in the world. They

are the ones that educate the young. That's what we need right now. It

is better education. Thank you very much.

Give me five! Now, Arthur Smith may be a self-declared grumpy old man,

but there are a few things that make him happy. A bunny rabbit. A

fireplace and a lovely bedtime story. Tonight he is off to the

Lake District in search of all three.

Tonight I'm expecting to sleep sweetly. I'm staying in the house

where some of the world's favourite bedtime stories were written. Once

upon a time, there were three little kittens... This is Hilltop,

the Lake District home of Beatrix Potter, the author and illustrator

of Peter Rabbit and Tom Kitten and many more.

Beatrix Potter first visited the Lake District on family holidays

with her parents and completely fell in love with the place.

Her writing career began with letters written from the Lake

District holidays, illustrated with her beautiful sketches and sent to

the children of family friends. She used some of these later in her

first book, which she fought hard to get published. It was an

immediate success. Its with called the Tale of Peter Rabbit. Peter,

who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr McGregor's garden and

squeezed under the gate! But her parents did not approve of her

enterprise. Beet Rick came from a wealthy

background, a well to do family. Her father was a barrister. She was

brought up was would-be fit a Victorian je gentleman's daughter.

Daughters of respectable families did not go into trade. Things

became frosty when beet Rick grew close to her publisher, Norman.

Breet rix did not -- became close to Norman, but her parents did not

like Norman at all. They wanted her to look after them

in old age. The parents finally agreed to the

marriage, but sadly he died before it could take place, but book sales

from a small inheritance meant that beet Rick could wrifplt

This is -- write. This is where she wrote, writing at

her desk here, gazing out of the window for inspiration. It sounds

romantic, but actually, Beatrix was a canny woman. She was one of the

first writers to recognise the possibilities of merchandise. That

finally earned her the independence she craved. Allowing her to

finances a developing passion for farming and conservation and

settling into local life finding love again.

She started to work with William Healis. The local land agent. They

became friendly, when he proposed she accepted. They married late, he

was 47, she was 42, but they enjoyed 30 years together.

I'm sleeping downstairs tonight. Beatrix would have spent a lot of

time in this house. She loved animals, but she was a

farmer, and would not have been adverse to a touch of lamb hotpot

for her supper. Some of the walls were four feet thick, there used to

be queer noises inside of them, as if there might be a little secret

staircase. This is a dark, cold old house. I hope any scratchings that

I hear are from benign friends of Samuel Whiskers.

That was not the warmest night I have ever spent. I did have a

nightmare involving a plp McGregor, but I realise what a remarkable

woman Beatrix Potter was. She led a restricted life in many ways, tied

to her parents and old farbgsd. Yet through sheer ambition and

dedication to getting published she created her own life and wealth

which was very modern indeed and left a good legacy.

Leaving this land to the National Trust, but best of all, she led 23

tales that more than 100 years later are still read and loved by

children all of the -- over the world.

I used to love Peter Rabbit. You have that beautiful landscape. You

can imagine Beatrix Potter Penning way.

Children's stories are unbelievable. I loved Peter Rabbit, but I loved

The Little Train That Could. I have not heard that one? He could

not get up the hill. He kept saying, "I can't get up the hill." The

father train saying, "Yes, you can." The little train kept going,

trying and trying and trying, finally he got to the top of the

hill. So it is the Little Train That Could.

Mate, I'm sure that any kid who has heard that will be trying now.

Meaning that you can do anything you set your mind to.

Now, whether you are setting your mind to writing a new song, where

do you like to do it, then? Is there a special place you like to

write? Yep. I get all of the people that I know together. I tell them

the idea for the song. I tell them you guys go away and then I will

work with them. If I sit in the room with them, I will not record

it. I wait for a while, then I go in and change it all, then I record

it. I can't be in the room, every time I'm in the room with writers

when they start a song, I will never record it. The only exception

is I wrote with an English friend of mine named John Parr. We wrote

Magical together, I sat in the room with John, we wrote Magical. It was

number 14 in the charts in America. So... You have this incredible

energy on stage. Your songs are massive productions. There are

wonderful lyrics, but where do you keep finding the energy? You suffer

badly from asthma? I've been asthmatic since I was a child.

I had asthma so bad in Pittsburgh we got into a song called Loss A

nge loo serbgs r, I fainted. I woke up and said what song are we on,

where are we going to, they were telling me we have to get off the

stage. I told them to start it. They said

no, you have to get off the stage. I got up, I wanted to start the

song. It was not the greatest vocal in the world.

But then we finished the show. My shows are about 20 hours and 20

minutes long. I bet the audience were thanking

you for that. I was the little train that could!

Yes, you were. Now, we've been asking you to send

in your thank yous. Here we go. You start us off.

I love this one. This is, these are the thank yous,

this is from Amy. She says: Thanks to my cat, Dudley, for being so

cuddly. A good rhyme.

This is nice, this is from Charlotte. She would like to thank

ter sister for being such a brilliant sister. This one is

simple. This is from Steve : Thank you, Sue, for filling in the floor.