0:00:02 > 0:00:04Coming up, three celebs become 12 Again.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I did the whole "double denim" thing, which I know you shouldn't do.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Can't get this jumper over my head!
0:00:09 > 0:00:14And this, like, big fat pink thing went and released a single!
0:00:14 > 0:00:16And we catch up with the star
0:00:16 > 0:00:19of The Sarah Jane Adventures, Daniel Anthony.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22I'd feel really awkward and start sweating.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Want to find out more?
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Well, have you ever wondered what it would have been like
0:00:27 > 0:00:31to be best mates with your favourite celebs when they were your age?
0:00:31 > 0:00:33What did they get up to?
0:00:33 > 0:00:37What were their favourite songs and what TV shows did they watch?
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Because despite the glamorous lifestyles they now lead,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44once they were a kid with a dream just like you.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48This show lets you look back in time with your favourite celebs
0:00:48 > 0:00:51as they become 12 Again.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Hi, I'm Tracy!
0:00:56 > 0:01:00She may be best known as tearaway Tracy Beaker,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02both as a resident and a carer at the Dumping Ground,
0:01:02 > 0:01:07but Dani Harmer's behaviour was much better back in 2001.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I don't think I was ever naughty,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I didn't ever play up or disturb anyone in the class.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14I just was a bit of a daydreamer, I guess.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Ye-a-a-agh!
0:01:17 > 0:01:21He's quite literally the many stars of The Big Impression on TV,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24but back in 1976 when Alistair McGowan turned 12,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26he was glued to the TV instead.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I watched so much television back then.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33My parents used to say, "You'll get square eyes."
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Have I got square eyes? No.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Hi there. It's Friday, and I'm Sonali.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42A BBC regular, from sporting events to news reports from war zones,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46she's ready for any challenge on TV, but back in 1992,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51Sonali Shah wasn't that comfortable in front of a camera.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53I hated posing for photos.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54I hated attention on me,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59and so I'm always really like this in photos, pouting and things,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and it makes me look like I was a really grumpy child, and I wasn't.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05I just hated photos.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Sonali may have perfected her superstar smile, but let's go back
0:02:08 > 0:02:13and find out what they were all like when they were kids.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17My style, if you can call it that, was quite unique.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19I made some dodgy choices.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24I had, like, buck teeth and big hair and, oh,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26I just was really funny looking.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27Star Trek was very popular in those days.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32I had very dark, thick, black hair and I had quite big eyebrows.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33I got called Spock.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37My mum used to make me have this, like, really thick plait,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39and I remember hating having to wear it like that,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42but my mum was really strict about it, so I had to just go with it.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45My hair, as probably everyone knows, was a really,
0:02:45 > 0:02:50really curly afro almost, which you couldn't tame at all,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and I'd like to describe it as a bird's nest.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Bad hair days can be a real pain, but it could be worse.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Poor Alistair had a bad ear day.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04My mother would often knit jumpers for me, and they were well-knitted,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07but she frequently got the collar size wrong, so I always had these
0:03:07 > 0:03:11two cuts on my ears there, where I used to have to wear these jumpers.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13And you'd take them off and they'd pull on your ears.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15I'd be there for ages undressing, going,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17"Grr, can't get this jumper over my head!"
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Then I'd always have these two little scabs there.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I just remember wearing my denim hat.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25It kind of looked a bit like a bus driver's hat,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and looking back now, it did look absolutely awful,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32and I used to wear denim trousers with the denim hat.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35I did the "double denim" thing, which I know you shouldn't do.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39I had two wardrobes because I had all my Indian stuff in one wardrobe
0:03:39 > 0:03:43and then all my English stuff in another wardrobe.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45It's like I had two separate lives.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48So that's what our celebs were like when they were 12.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51But what did they get up to?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53When I was 12, I was playing in the school football team
0:03:53 > 0:03:56and I used to love it. I used to love the muddy pitches
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and icy Saturday mornings and... I used to play in goal,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and the dirtier I got when I came home,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04the more happy I was. I used to love it.
0:04:07 > 0:04:13I did everything, so, like, I had after school clubs every single day.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I used to do Indian dancing.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18I used to play... steel bands, the harmonium.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19I used to go to life guarding
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and swimming classes on a Friday evening.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Every night there was something.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Er, and don't forget you managed to find time
0:04:27 > 0:04:30to appear on Blue Peter as well, Sonali.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33All these dancers are from the Saraswati Academy of Indian Dance,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35and we're going to do a show at the London Palladium
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- on the 25th of February. - Big theatre.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- All the proceeds will go to Childline.- Are you nervous?- A bit.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Live show at the London Palladium too? What a busy girl.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50But Sonali wasn't the only person appearing on TV.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53The biggest thing that ever happened to me when I was 12
0:04:53 > 0:04:55was getting the part of Tracy Beaker.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59You never let me eat sweets and the kitchen stunk of wet dog!
0:04:59 > 0:05:02I guess I had a completely different childhood to most.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Tracy Beaker calling Justine Littlewood.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Most kids were going to school and maybe going,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13hanging out with their mates in the park, whereas I was always working.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It was completely different, but it was really, really enjoyable.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20But acting wasn't Dani's only passion at 12.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24I do have a secret that some people'd be surprised to know about.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26When I was 12, I used to be a cheerleader.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29But I had to give it up cos there was no time
0:05:29 > 0:05:31and you've got to be 100% committed.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Cheerleading has always been massive in the USA,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39but back in 2001 when Dani was 12,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42it was just getting big here in the UK.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Today it's huge,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48with over a third of schools teaching it in PE lessons.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50But Dani certainly isn't the first celeb
0:05:50 > 0:05:52to try out for the cheerleading squad.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57Yes, ex-US president George W. Bush has even given it a try,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and it obviously did him a lot of good.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I mean, just check out these moves. Magnificent(!)
0:06:03 > 0:06:08If a cheerleading US President is a surprise, get a load of Alistair.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I was very good at gymnastics. When we did The Big Impression,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I did a sequence that was called Eastenders The Musical.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22I was going down as Dot, doing the singing and dancing and moving.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25And I did this wonderful, straight-legged cartwheel
0:06:25 > 0:06:29and round-off. And so many people came up to me and said,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32"I loved that Eastenders The Musical thing,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35"and the way you got that double to do that, it was fantastic."
0:06:35 > 0:06:37"That was me." "Yeah, yeah(!)" "No, that was me."
0:06:37 > 0:06:39They wouldn't believe it. I was heartbroken.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43OK, now we know that our celebs were full of surprises
0:06:43 > 0:06:45when they were kids.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Let's hope they had a good taste in music at 12.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51When I was 12, I used to love Mariah Carey.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54# Dream lover, come rescue me... #
0:06:54 > 0:06:57And this was when she was all, kind of, had this curly, big hair
0:06:57 > 0:07:01and used to dance around fields. I used to love her.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03# ..need you so desperately... #
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Mariah may have been huge in 1993, but one pop, erm, thing,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11made a massive impact on Sonali that year.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14So while I was listening to Mariah Carey,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16aliens or something landed in Britain
0:07:16 > 0:07:19and the whole country was gripped by this guy called Mr Blobby.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Mr Blobby made his name as a regular character
0:07:23 > 0:07:25on a show called Noel's House Party.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- Despite only being able to say one word...- Blobby, blobby, blobby!
0:07:29 > 0:07:31..he became a pop star!
0:07:31 > 0:07:35This, like, big fat pink thing went and released a single.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38# Blobby, oh, Mr Blobby
0:07:38 > 0:07:41# If only you could make us understand
0:07:41 > 0:07:43# Oh, Blobby! #
0:07:43 > 0:07:45It was the most annoying song.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46It was very catchy because it was annoying.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Everyone around me was buying it!
0:07:49 > 0:07:51# Blobby, blobby, blobby! #
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Yep, this musical masterpiece went on to become
0:07:54 > 0:07:56the Christmas number one that year,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58even knocking Take That off the top spot.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00His video everyone loved,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04and Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear was his chauffeur in the video.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It was like this weird thing that gripped the nation.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11If it seems strange that Jeremy Clarkson appeared in a pop video,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13it's not that uncommon, is it, Sonali?
0:08:13 > 0:08:18I was once in a Kula Shaker music video. Govinda.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Ah, the infamous Kula Shaker
0:08:20 > 0:08:23with their number, oh, seven, hit song Govinda.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26No way, where are ya? Are you, no that's the man.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Wait, are you the star of the...can't seem to...
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I can't quite...is...?
0:08:31 > 0:08:36Hello? Sonali? Are you, ah! There she is.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It is a very brief appearance.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40So that was quite cool.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Well, unfortunately not every video
0:08:42 > 0:08:46was as cool as this number...seven smash.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47Let me show you a few celebs
0:08:47 > 0:08:50making some best-forgotten appearances in videos
0:08:50 > 0:08:52before they were famous.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56When soft-rock maestro Meat Loaf
0:08:56 > 0:08:59somehow got his head stuck in a jukebox,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03he called on Angelina Jolie to rescue him
0:09:03 > 0:09:05in this video for Rock & Roll Dreams.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Sticking with the dodgy rock theme, here's star of Friends,
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Matt LeBlanc, getting sweaty in this Bon Jovi video.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20But really, he's got nothing to be embarrassed about.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Because his Friends co-star, Courtney Cox,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26had already made this now-infamous appearance
0:09:26 > 0:09:29in Bruce Springsteen's video for Dancing In The Dark.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Oh, dear. I bet she wishes she was literally dancing in the dark.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38This is so awkward.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Make it stop. Right, let's move on.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Things were a little bit more serious back in 1977.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The UK was going through a musical revolution,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and it wasn't easy listening.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53There was a lot of fear in being 12.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57I always thought something was going to ruin the world, spoil the world.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58And I thought it was punk.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Punk rock was the musical reaction to the turbulent times
0:10:01 > 0:10:06of the late '70s, and a rebellion against authority.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Punk was so explosive, it was so different.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It was like the whole world had suddenly changed.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15In the UK, the most notorious song of the time
0:10:15 > 0:10:17was called God Save The Queen.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19# God save the Queen
0:10:20 > 0:10:22# We mean it, ma-a-an! #
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Even though it was the biggest selling record at the time,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28it upset the powers that be, because they thought the song
0:10:28 > 0:10:29was attacking the monarchy,
0:10:29 > 0:10:34so the charts were fixed in order to keep it off the number one spot.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Punk was more than just music.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40It was a musical movement that had its own fashion too.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43# We're so pretty, oh so pretty... #
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Everyone was wearing safety-pins all over their clothes
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and through their noses.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Like hoodies today, punks had a terrible reputation in the '70s.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And spent a fortune on hair gel.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I still look back on it and think it was more creative
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and more interesting and more heartfelt and more poetic
0:11:03 > 0:11:06and more political than anything now.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10Fear ye not, Alistair. Punk did not die.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Its legacy lives on and has influenced
0:11:12 > 0:11:16just about everything Dani Harmer listened to in 2001.
0:11:16 > 0:11:22When I was 12, the sort of music I liked was, kind of, skatery punk.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25My favourites were Blink 182.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27# All the small things
0:11:27 > 0:11:30# True care, truth brings... #
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Sum 41.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33# I don't want to waste my time
0:11:33 > 0:11:36# Become another casualty of society... #
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Oh yeah, safety pins or not,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41playing guitars really loud is always a good thing.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44But Dani was about to discover the greatest song ever!
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I remember watching Tribute by Tenacious D.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53# This is the greatest and best song in the world... #
0:11:53 > 0:11:57I'd never heard of it before. Is this a story or is this a song?
0:11:57 > 0:11:59And are they being serious or are they joking?
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I just couldn't get my head round it.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04It was all these things.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Jack Black's rock ballad told the story of two musicians
0:12:07 > 0:12:09challenged to duel by an evil demon.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14# Play the best song in the world
0:12:14 > 0:12:16# Or I'll eat your souls. #
0:12:16 > 0:12:20It was absolute genius. It had everything in there.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It had amazing lyrics, it was really, really funny, great tune,
0:12:23 > 0:12:28and also you had Dave Grohl in there from the Foo Fighters being a devil.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Like, it had everything!
0:12:29 > 0:12:32# And we played the first thing that came to our heads
0:12:32 > 0:12:34# It just so happened to be
0:12:34 > 0:12:37# The best song in the world
0:12:37 > 0:12:40# It was the best song in the world... #
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Jack Black went on to appear in School of Rock,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45and became the international megastar
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and rock legend we know today.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49It was just absolutely brilliant
0:12:49 > 0:12:52and I'm still a massive fan of Tenacious D now.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- # Ah, be, zoo-goo-gum-bee-goo-be - Ah, ah
0:12:55 > 0:12:57# Flee-goo-gee-goo Flee-goo-gee-goo... #
0:12:57 > 0:13:00If you thought that was great and hey, you're only human,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02wait till you see what's still to come.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08We catch up with Sarah Jane Adventurer Daniel Anthony.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I used to write the lyrics down and then rewind it and rap along.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17And we find out what TV our celebs were tuned into when they were 12.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19She was doing what I wanted to do.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21She was on telly all the time, she was presenting.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I'd liked to have met him, cos he inspired me.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27I have never been paintballing, and it's Byker Grove's fault.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31But first, let's see what big news stories
0:13:31 > 0:13:34had an impact on our celebrities when they were 12.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38I remember when I was 12, everyone had real money issues.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42There was a big recession going on. Stock markets were crashing.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45I remember, it was a really tough time for everyone money-wise.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Crisis, as Britain's money loses its value in foreign countries.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Just like today, the early '90s saw Britain facing hard times,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58but the biggest issue back then wasn't the collapse of the banks,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01it was a problem with the pound itself.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Our currency, the pound, has plunged in value overseas.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09It'll buy far less around the world than 24 hours ago.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13The Government was forced to leave the Exchange Rate Mechanism,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17the system that controls much of Europe's money.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20The day became known as Black Wednesday.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22It was a low point for Britain,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26already struggling through a financial crisis.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Britain's businesses haven't been doing very well.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Other countries have avoided buying British,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36as they get more for their money elsewhere.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41It wasn't just businesses affected. Everybody's spending power fell.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46My family were building their home. We were trying to sell our house.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I remember everyone talking about money a lot
0:14:49 > 0:14:53and how our house wasn't going to sell for very much
0:14:53 > 0:14:55and we couldn't buy what we wanted.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Everyone was going through it at school.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Every kid was going through this big recession.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It made us all worry,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05but I don't think we quite got what was going on.
0:15:05 > 0:15:101992 may have seen a very Black Wednesday but in 1977,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Alistair had more to celebrate
0:15:12 > 0:15:16on one special Friday than just the end of the school week.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21At this very moment, there's tremendous excitement at Wimbledon
0:15:21 > 0:15:25with a real chance there'll be an all British final in the women's singles.
0:15:25 > 0:15:291977 was a very special year at Wimbledon.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Although the final didn't end up all British, we still won it.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37The biggest thing I can remember as a news story in 1977
0:15:37 > 0:15:39was Virginia Wade winning Wimbledon.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43That year's tournament had seen Sue Barker just miss out on the final.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Her opponent, Betty Stove from the Netherlands, went head to head
0:15:47 > 0:15:49with Virginia Wade.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I was a huge tennis fan,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57but this match was going to start when we were at school.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I was thinking, "I can't see this final."
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Our games teacher said, "The school is going to watch this match."
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Not only was Wimbledon celebrating 100 years of the tournament,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10it was also the Queen's Silver Jubilee.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Winning the title that year made it even more special.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I thought it was just fantastic.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It was so wonderful to be out there and to be relaxed
0:16:21 > 0:16:26and be at the centre of all that fantastic atmosphere.
0:16:26 > 0:16:27It was an amazing moment.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31I'm grateful to our games teacher for saying, "Watch this."
0:16:31 > 0:16:36It may have been a time of celebration for Britain in 1977,
0:16:36 > 0:16:42but when Dani was 12 in 2002, the nation was in mourning.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Buckingham Palace announced
0:16:44 > 0:16:48that the Queen Mother died peacefully in her sleep.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51One of the biggest stories that happened when I was 12
0:16:51 > 0:16:53was the Queen Mother dying.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58The Queen Mother died at 3:15pm with friends and family around her.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03I just remember the news being really sad. She was such a lovely lady.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07In 1936, Elizabeth and her husband Albert became King and Queen
0:17:07 > 0:17:11and were on the throne throughout the Second World War.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14In 1952, their eldest daughter became Queen
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and Elizabeth took up the full time job of being the Queen Mother.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23When she celebrated her 100th birthday,
0:17:23 > 0:17:28she even received the traditional card from Buckingham Palace.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31When you're 12, you think anyone past the age of 20 is really old.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34You can't even think about being 100.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39And to die at 101... Wow, that is such a massive age!
0:17:41 > 0:17:43When the Queen Mother died in 2002,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46there was a public outpouring of grief.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I remember there being flowers everywhere.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54Everyone was talking about it. It was just really sad news.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Still to come, we ask the all-important question,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02what would our celebs do if they were 12 again?
0:18:02 > 0:18:07I'd say, "Don't worry if you don't think you don't know yourself."
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Just try not to grow up too quickly.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Enjoy being 12 because it doesn't last.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15If someone's taking a photograph of you, smile.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Before that, it's time to take two minutes with actor Daniel Anthony.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- Ready?- Always.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Daniel may be best known as Clyde Langer
0:18:28 > 0:18:34from the Sarah Jane Adventures, but what was he like when was 12?
0:18:34 > 0:18:40I was really small. My blazer was a Small. It was still too big for me!
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Socially, I was terrible. I couldn't speak to people.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49I'd feel really awkward and start sweating.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53So my Mum's best friend's daughter went to a club on a Saturday
0:18:53 > 0:18:58and Mum thought, send him there and it'll bring him out of his shell.
0:18:58 > 0:19:04I was there for like two months and I was chatting to everyone
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and having a laugh. It definitely helped me.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Acting not only helped Daniel overcome his lack of confidence,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13but it also won him
0:19:13 > 0:19:18a starring role in London's West End as Simba in the Lion King.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23I just went with it. All my mates at school were really supportive.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25They came to see it.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28It was really nice, like a big eye-opener for me.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31It was then I realised that's what I wanted to do.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33That's what I wanted to pursue as a career.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Even away from the stage, Daniel enjoyed performing.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39I used to listen to Will Smith,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43write the lyrics down and then rewind it and rap along.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46# Wild Wild West, Jim West, Desperado...
0:19:46 > 0:19:48# Rough rider, no you don't want nada
0:19:48 > 0:19:50# None of this, six gunnin' this, brother runnin' this
0:19:50 > 0:19:54# Buffalo soldier, look it's like I told ya. #
0:19:55 > 0:19:58If I could go back to being 12 again,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02knowing what I know now, I'd say to work a lot harder at school.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Wise, wise words, Daniel.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06# Wild, Wild West. #
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Right, let's find out what Dani, Alistair and Sonali
0:20:09 > 0:20:11were watching when they were 12.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17The big soap when I was 12 was Byker Grove.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20# Byker Grove! #
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Byker Grove was a drama set in a youth club
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and was the Tracey Beaker of its time.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30I used to go to youth club and really connected with the show.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34I used to play sports and loved Byker Grove cos they did the same.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38I bet your youth club didn't have Ant and Dec!
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- So, we're all agreed on Sunday. - You bet.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45- Going to crush them and burn them to the ground.- Easy there, Terminator.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Yep, THE Ant and Dec!
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Apart from having the most famous presenting duo in the country
0:20:51 > 0:20:57as members, Byker Grove also tackled some pretty serious issues.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03The most shocking episode has got to be that paintballing incident.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The incident is one of the most memorable moments from the show.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11The kids had a paintballing match with a rival youth club.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18You know this paintballing? Do you reckon it'll be OK?
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Not chickening out on us, are you? - Eh?! Nah!
0:21:22 > 0:21:26At the time, paintballing was just getting big in the UK.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31When the episode climaxed with PJ, AKA Ant, getting shot in the eyes
0:21:31 > 0:21:34with paint, it was an image that has stuck with millions of people.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40We all knew it was going to happen, you can see as the episode goes on.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Warning, look away now,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46if you don't like seeing Ant with paint in his eyes. It's horrid.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- There it is. - I was totally traumatised.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I have never been paintballing and it's Byker Grove's fault.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57So apart from stupidly taking their masks off during paintball matches,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01here's another thing you probably didn't know about Ant and Dec.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04- He can't see!- Of course he can see, he just can't sing!
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Which is a problem cos he and Dec
0:22:08 > 0:22:12still managed a brief pop career in the early '90s.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14# I'm Ant, I'm Declan, a duo, a twosome
0:22:14 > 0:22:17# So many lyrics, we're fighting to use 'em
0:22:17 > 0:22:19# Let's get ready to rumble... #
0:22:19 > 0:22:23While Ant and Dec were exploring the outer realms of musical decency,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Alistair was watching a show
0:22:26 > 0:22:29where everyone pushed themselves to the limit.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I used to love watching Record Breakers.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37Record Breakers ran for 29 years, from 1972 to 2001,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41becoming one of the longest running shows in Britain.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44# That you're a record breaker... #
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Each week would see new world records broken,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49often by the star of the show.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54Hello and welcome to the Record Breakers. THUNDER
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Roy Castle was wonderful. He was such a great entertainer.
0:22:59 > 0:23:00# I'm singing in the rain... #
0:23:00 > 0:23:03He broke a lot of records on there.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08He did something where he broke the number of successive taps.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15There was a counter. Flashing red. Counting the number of taps.
0:23:15 > 0:23:2122, 23, 24. That's fantastic! That's enough. You've shattered it.
0:23:21 > 0:23:27That was 24, which is 1,440 taps in a minute.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29You are a record breaker!
0:23:29 > 0:23:33As well as breaking world records, Roy Castle loved to tap!
0:23:33 > 0:23:36He even preferred it to just walking down corridors.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38I wonder where he's going.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43They broke the record for the number of people tap dancing.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47He's on his way to break another tap dancing world record.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- Hello.- Hello.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54- Are you part of the biggest tap dancing troupe in the world?- I am.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01In one of the show's most elaborate stunts, 500 tap dancers took over
0:24:01 > 0:24:05the BBC Television Centre in this musical extravaganza.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11From tap dancing to tiddly winks, Roy Castle inspired
0:24:11 > 0:24:16a generation and will be remembered by many for one word.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18# Dedication
0:24:18 > 0:24:21# Dedication, that's what you need... #
0:24:21 > 0:24:22I never met Roy Castle.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26He died before I was doing anything in the public eye.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28He really inspired me.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31# If you wanna be a record breaker! #
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Whilst Alistair was dedicated to kids' TV when he was 12,
0:24:36 > 0:24:41in 2002, Dani was loving a show that was shown on a Saturday.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44That show was called the Saturday Show.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I remember it being absolutely hilarious.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Hello and good morning!
0:24:51 > 0:24:54It's our favourite day of the week, our favourite show.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58The Saturday Show was presented by Simon Grant and Fearne Cotton,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02- and was a mix of celebs, games and gunge.- Oh, no!
0:25:02 > 0:25:04- Have you got the prize?- No!
0:25:06 > 0:25:10But it wasn't the gunge that kept Dani glued to the show.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Fearne Cotton was a big idol for me
0:25:12 > 0:25:15when I was 12 because she was doing what I wanted to do.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19She was presenting. And she was really cool and relaxed
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and so natural in front of the camera.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26She had a way of gripping you into the programme.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31We've got one our loudest people ever in the studio today.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I got asked to go on there as a guest, which was so cool.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38It's Dani Harmer!
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- Are you well?- I'm fine, thank you.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I do remember being really nervous cos it was my first live TV.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50"Just calm down, don't say anything ridiculous, don't fall over
0:25:50 > 0:25:52"and you'll be fine."
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Absolutely fine?! I think you blocked this from your memory.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59SHE SCREAMS
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Dani may have blocked being gunged
0:26:08 > 0:26:10on the Saturday Show from her memory,
0:26:10 > 0:26:15but what do our three celebs remember most about being 12?
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Probably the best thing was the lack of responsibility
0:26:20 > 0:26:22and the amount of opportunity.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28You've joined high school, so you're finding all these new friends.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32That's what I really enjoyed about it. Just doing a bit of everything.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35I think being 12 was probably one of the best years of my life,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37because of Tracy Beaker.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41If that didn't happen, I wouldn't be here now.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It's definitely a big year of my life.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It was a funny age, at the same time.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50You weren't really a young kid any more,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53but you weren't quite a teenager.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56It's one of them awkward years
0:26:56 > 0:26:59when you're sort of still finding out who you are.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03If I was to speak to 12-year-old self, I'd say,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07"If someone's taking a photograph of you, smile!"
0:27:07 > 0:27:11I'd say, "Don't worry if you don't think you don't know yourself."
0:27:11 > 0:27:15I think a lot of people from that age onwards start to think,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17"What do I want?
0:27:17 > 0:27:23"I don't know who I am. I don't know what I want." Just try it.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28Just try not to grow up too quickly. Enjoy being 12.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31It doesn't last at all.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34In the blink of an eye, you're an adult with bills
0:27:34 > 0:27:38and boring stuff like that, so just enjoy being young.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40What an amazing time in your life.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I think probably one of the best times of your life.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45If only we could all be 12 again!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Yes, Sonali, but you'd have to smile a little bit more!
0:27:50 > 0:27:52So what have we learnt?
0:27:52 > 0:27:56If you get invited on stage by your favourite pop star at a concert,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58dance good.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01If you become a pop star, dance good!
0:28:01 > 0:28:05And if you become a world leader, never dance. What is he doing?
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Will someone stop him?
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd