Episode 12 12 Again

Coming up, three celebs become 12 Again.

My careers teacher at school told me not to be silly and get a proper job.

Curtains were pretty much what every person had.

I just spent an hour or so in my bedroom, just sulking.

And we catch up with the pop sensation that is A*M*E.

I think I was... One word to sum it up would be "loud", I think!

Want to find out more?

Well, have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be

best mates with celebs when they were your age?

What did they get up to? What were their favourite songs?

What TV shows did they watch?

Despite their glamorous lifestyles now,

once they were a kid with a dream, just like you.

This show lets you look back in time with your favourite celebs

as they become 12 Again.

-Hiya.

-From Coronation Street to Doctor Who...

-I love you.

-..her life may be a nonstop drama today

but when Michelle Collins turned 12 in 1974,

she was already facing some tricky situations.

12 was a pretty tough year for me.

I think I had a lot of growing up to do.

I remember just wanting to fit in.

He's the ex-England captain, legend and all-round sports personality

but back in 1986, it wasn't all about cricket for Michael Vaughan.

I was sport-mad.

Football or cricket, tennis, squash, badminton...

Pretty much a sport nerd.

# Goin' down, down, down... #

Solo artist and veteran of the music industry,

he's done pop with Busted...

# That's what I go to school for... #

..metal with Fightstar...

..but in 1997, Charlie Simpson's shows were not so well-received.

I remember being obsessed with music.

We would do mini-shows throughout different break times.

We'd get told to turn it down. It was making a racket.

Yes, Charlie, keep it down. I'm trying to record a voiceover.

It's time to find out what this lot were like when they were kids.

I was quite serious at school. I didn't really muck around.

I liked being in a crowd. I didn't like being on my own.

I was pretty naughty.

My sister has always been far more domesticated than me.

My gran used to call me a minx.

I wasn't a troublemaker, but I'd find myself in trouble.

I was a stick insect.

Tall and thin. Spots arrived at 12.

If you went to school with a spot, it was a horrible experience.

I think I probably looked like any other 12-year-old.

I had very mousy hair.

There were gypsy cuts and feather cuts,

which were sort of layered hair.

Sort of a long mullet, really. And then down to there.

I had a gypsy cut, which was slightly cooler than a feather cut.

I went to a hairdresser and said, "Can I have the Jason Donovan look?"

I took a picture. "Can you copy that?"

Michael, even by '80s standards, that's a shocking haircut.

I hope you've got product in that.

-Get a tub of gel for 46p.

-What a relief!

-Last you about three years.

I've still got it, actually!

Curtains were what pretty much every person had.

It was either a bowl cut,

which was usually something that someone's mum would have

put on them, or if they were trying to break against the mould.

And everyone was doing that. It was THE haircut to have.

Our celebs may have been very particular about their hairdos,

but did they know what they were going to do when they grew up?

I wanted to be a footballer. I was involved in a local team.

We played every Sunday. I was in the school team.

We were winning quite a lot of games.

Got invited down to Sheffield Wednesday for a trial in the summer.

Lasted about three days and then they said I wasn't good enough

and then I started to become good at cricket.

While cricket was Michael's salvation,

Charlie's passion was causing problems.

I was obsessed with music.

I remember there was a point where they sat me down and said,

"If you don't stop just thinking about music and start concentrating

"on school work, we're going to have to keep you down a year."

It worried me because I was looking forward to going to senior school.

Charlie may have known that music was for him at 12,

but Michelle was still unsure about what she wanted to do.

Apart from the occasional play at school,

I don't remember doing anything really associated with drama.

So I don't really know where that came from, wanting to act.

I wanted to from quite a young age, but I was never encouraged to do it.

I remember going to my careers teacher who told me

not to be silly and get a proper job.

Erm... I think working in TV's a proper job.

OK, so now we know what our celebs wanted to be,

but what were they listening to as kids?

When I was 12, grunge was huge at that time.

Grunge was inspired by punk, metal and rock

and was made famous by the now-legendary band Nirvana.

# With the lights out it's less dangerous... #

From fashion to facial hair, this was more than just music.

It influenced countless bands. Who were Charlie's favourites?

There were a few I was listening to. Bands like Pearl Jam.

# Oh, I, oh, I'm still alive... #

In England, Bush were becoming quite big.

# Swallowed, borrowed... #

And then a band called Silverchair from Australia.

# Maybe not today... #

They were the first band I ever saw live. They blew me away.

They got signed when they were 15 and they were so good.

When you think of Australian music, you don't think of grunge,

you think of this.

# La-la la, la-la-la... #

Pop stars used to be in soaps like Neighbours,

such as Kylie Minogue and the gorgeous Holly Valance.

# When you look at me Tell me what you see

# This is what you get It's the way I am... #

Silverchair were the serious-rock export from Down Under

in the 1990s and made their lead singer Daniel Johns a massive star.

He went on to marry another Aussie, ex-soap star Natalie Imbruglia.

# Nothing's fine, I'm torn

# I'm all out of faith This is how I feel... #

It wasn't always the pop stars that our celebs were into.

Back in 1974, Michelle was turning on the radio for a different reason.

DJs were huge in those days.

We used to go outside the BBC and queue up for autographs.

How sad is that! Waiting outside the BBC for DJs' autographs!

Let me explain.

When Michelle was 12, Radio 1 was still quite new

and everyone listened to it.

The DJs were as famous as the pop stars that they were playing.

DJs such as Dave Lee Travis, Emperor Rosko and Tony Blackburn

were all household names and enjoyed superstar status.

Welcome along to The Tony Blackburn Show.

What a lovely sound this is as well.

# You ain't seen nothing yet... #

Unfortunately, Radio 1 didn't change much for the next 20 years.

As the DJs got older,

so did the audience and Radio 1 was left looking pretty fuddy-duddy,

becoming the target of many jokes.

One of me all-time favourite records of all time.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive with You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet.

One of me all time favourite records of all time, mate.

These comedy characters by Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse

were worryingly similar to the real Radio 1.

This is Mike Smash saying a-wee ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba bye bye!

Radio 1 drastically changed itself

so it could once again be the cool station we know and love today.

Still, back in the '70s,

the DJs were cooler than some of the bands themselves.

We mustn't forget The Wombles.

# Underground overground Wombling free

# The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we... #

The Wombles were furry creatures that lived on Wimbledon Common

and were the original eco-warriors too, recycling everything.

# Making good use of the things that we find

# Things that the everyday folks leave behind... #

But they were more than recyclers. They were also pop stars too.

-They were even on Top Of The Pops.

-# Remember you're a Womble... #

# Remember you're a Womble! #

-# Remember you're a Womble

-Remember you're a Womble

-# Remember you're a Womble

-Remember you're a Womble

# Remember member member what a Womble you are... #

I used to have guitar lessons.

We stole our mum's fur coats and dressed up as Wombles

-and played Remember You're A Womble.

-Yeah, that's a bit embarrassing.

Come to think of it, so was the real thing.

# Can you feel it? #

Time to find out if pop idols in 1986 were as wild as The Wombles.

At 12 years old, I used to love Huey Lewis.

Never heard of Huey Lewis? You might know this song.

# You don't need money... #

It was made famous in the 1980s blockbuster Back To The Future.

It starred Michael J Fox,

and also featured the coolest time machine ever.

# That's the power of love... #

Sorry, Doctor Who, but that DeLorean is C-O-O-L cool!

However, even with everything a 12-year-old boy wants,

it wasn't Michael's top track.

I used to love Kylie MInogue.

# I should be so lucky... #

Kylie Minogue made her name

in the UK as Charlene, the feisty female mechanic from Neighbours.

On Neighbours, she was my crush.

I had Sheffield Wednesday posters and Kylie Minogue posters.

Yup, Kylie moved seamlessly from garage to pop.

You see what I did there?

And got her first UK number one with this tune, released in 1987.

Pretty much everything that Kylie produced,

I would think it was great. She was the one.

You should be so lucky, Michael!

Still to come, we catch up with another pop princess, A*M*E.

I love Twilight. I've read all the books.

I think I've read them three times. Again and again.

We find out what TV was impressing our celebs when they were 12.

I remember being blown away by it.

You get this box and you get all these channels.

Charlie marvelled at technology but Michael was left disappointed.

He never answered my letter. But I used to watch it all the time.

And Michelle dreamed of dancing.

We were going to run away and join Pan's People.

But first, let's see what big news stories

had an impact on our celebs when they were 12.

Diego Maradona. The Hand of God.

This is the story of the moment of the most infamous handball

in footballing history and it happened at the World Cup in Mexico.

The planet had gone football-crazy

and England had started the tournament quite well.

I remember getting excited about the World Cup.

The family'd watch the matches.

But England were about to face a country that were determined to win.

'For Argentina's players,

'the match against England is the one they wanted most of all.'

Just four years earlier,

Britain had defeated Argentina in a bitter war over the Falklands.

'The Foreign Office said it hopes Sunday's World Cup match

'between England and Argentina will be played in a sporting spirit.

'It sees the game as part of efforts to restore good relations.'

As old rivals, both countries pinned their hopes on their star players.

'They hope the dazzling skills of Diego Maradona will eclipse

'the prolific goal-scoring talent of Gary Lineker.'

I was at home watching it. We had a decent team.

And we were close to doing something special.

And the act of one man and his hand... The Hand of God.

Getting up there and banging it over Shilton.

After a goalless first half,

the Argentine captain took matters into his own hands, quite literally.

He punched the ball into the back of the net and got away with it!

Maradona was the best player in the world, but he had cheated.

I couldn't understand how someone had got away with that

and why would he have done it?

It may not have been the winning goal, but it helped Argentina

to victory and sent the England squad out of the competition.

There's still some bitterness about their defeat by Argentina,

especially since Maradona has practically admitted

that one of his two goals came from a handball.

I just spent an hour or so in my bedroom, just sulking.

28 years nearly later, I realise that these things happen

and you have to take them on the chin.

1986 may have seen disappointment for Michael, but in London,

a tragedy was to happen very close to home for Michelle in 1975.

'In the tube crash at Moorgate this morning,

'at least 29 people are believed killed and 90 injured.

'It is the worst crash in the history of London's underground.'

On 28th February 1975,

a tube train crashed into a dead-end tunnel at Moorgate,

a part of London Michelle knew well.

I used to walk to school through Drayton Park, to Highbury.

Some people got on at Drayton Park and there'd been a terrible crash.

'The accident happened when a train raced past the platform,

'crashing through buffers

'and struck a wall at the blind end of a tunnel.'

First reports spoke of a dozen or so injured.

No-one could believe that the London Underground

could have a really major accident.

In total, 43 people died in the disaster. Many more were injured.

'The faces of the survivors and rescuers

'were ample evidence of the horror of the scene underground.'

In the aftermath of the crash, the people came together

and donated blood to those who were injured.

The police officer in charge at the scene said tonight,

'everyone had behaved magnificently.'

Automatic systems for stopping trains were introduced

at dead ends on the tube.

These systems came to be known informally as Moorgate Control.

In 1997, when Charlie was 12, the entire nation

was struck with grief after an event that became world news.

'Buckingham Palace has confirmed the death

'of Diana, Princess of Wales.

'She died following a car accident in Paris. She was 36.'

I remember when I woke up and went in to my brother's room,

my family was kind of sat round the TV and just in complete shock.

In the early hours of the morning on Sunday, 31st August 1997,

Prince William and Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales,

was killed in a tragic car accident.

'The accident happened in a road tunnel

'which carries an expressway under a bridge at the Place de l'Alma,

'across the River Seine from the Eiffel Tower.'

Diana was hugely popular with people in Britain

and across the world.

Her work for numerous charities,

along with her warm and natural personality,

made her a global icon.

'In Angola, she used her fame to draw attention to children

'injured by land mines

'and joined with charities to call for a total ban.'

Diana's death had a huge effect on people across the country.

Her public funeral at Westminster Abbey drew over a million mourners.

Mountains of flowers were left in tribute.

It was huge, huge news at that time. Seeing people genuinely upset.

They were upset as if someone in their own family had died.

That blew me away. What impact must this person have had on the world

for people to be feeling this.

And it really kind of resonated with me at that time.

Diana became known to the world as the People's Princess.

The nation hasn't seen the same kind of public grief since her death.

Still to come, we ask the all-important question,

what would our celebs do if they were 12 again?

I'd go and have a game of five-a-side football with my mates.

On a Wednesday night, floodlights, on Astroturf. Play for hours.

Just enjoy life a little bit more

and stop trying to be accepted by everybody.

I would encourage any child to pursue their ambition.

I think it's really important.

Before that, it's time to take two minutes with singer A*M*E.

# With all the lights like totally low... #

When I was 12, I was...

One word to sum it up would be "loud", I think!

The transition from primary to secondary school made me

feel the need to almost be over the top so people could notice me.

I used to love ribbons in my hair.

When I did wear plimsolls, I'd take out the laces

and put in the colour laces to match my ribbon in my hair.

And wear a stripy top which also matched.

Everything had to be coordinated.

A*M*E moved to the UK from Sierra Leone in Africa when she was eight.

By 12, she'd developed quite the love of literature.

I'm a big Twilight fan.

I think I don't want to get into it

cos then I'm going to start giving you my entire obsessive nature.

I think I've read them three times. Again and again.

But Twilight wasn't A*M*E's only love.

I had a crush on Justin Timberlake.

I loved him.

My favourite track would be Rock Your Body, love that track.

# Don't be so quick to walk away... #

I'd listen to a lot of Justin Timberlake's lyrics

and try to copy them and make them my own. Did that quite a bit!

If I was 12 again,

I would probably have gotten a little dance routine together

for my school talent show.

I remember performing Alicia Keys' Fallin'.

# I keep on fallin' in and out... #

Trying to project my voice in the way that Alicia Keys did.

# Oh, oh, I... #

And kind of failing a little bit!

Maybe having it a bit more performed, instead of standing there

and trying to properly sing. That's what I would have told myself.

Well, we think you've turned out just great, A*M*E.

# Just lettin' loose Just livin' life. #

Now it's time to get back to business and find out what Michelle,

Charlie and Michael were loving on TV when they were 12.

Top Of The Pops was just the programme to watch.

You had Pan's People.

# It's the best disco in town Number one in disco sound

# It's the place where hip people meet... #

When Michelle was watching Top Of The Pops in 1974,

videos were not that common.

If the song was in the charts but the band weren't available,

Pan's People were on standby to step in with an interpretive dance.

Nice move, ladies!

They got to dance on TV and be around all these DJs.

They had the best job.

They weren't the first dance troupe to appear on Top Of The Pops,

but they were the most influential.

I remember my cousin and I collaborating.

We were going to run away and join Pan's People. I wanted to be Cherry

and she wanted to be Flick.

But I was never a great dancer, so it wasn't ever really going to happen,

that I'd join Pan's People.

So, with Pan's People and Wombles performances,

Michelle loved dressing up.

In 1997, Charlie was about to experience a whole new world of TV.

I didn't know what Sky TV was. I remember being blown away by it.

You get this box and you get all these channels.

"This is the best present we've ever had!"

I know what you're thinking.

Why is Charlie so excited about having Sky TV?

Most families in 1997 still only had BBC One, BBC Two, ITV

and Channel 4.

Only four channels! I don't know how they managed either.

Satellite broadcasting has been around in the UK since 1978.

It wasn't until the 1990s

that multi-channel TV really began to catch on.

We were used to four channels. Suddenly, you have 100 channels.

You get to watch a channel that's just dedicated to movies or music.

Charlie now had another way to listen to his rock heroes.

There was a show on MTV called Headbangers Ball.

Welcome to the start of a brand new week and a brand-new day

and look for the metal marathon known as Headbangers Ball.

All the bands I was listening to would have live performances

or videos. Bands like Placebo.

# Cos there's nothing else to do... #

It was amazing. That was a really cool thing to have.

If you thought that was cool, Charlie,

wait till you see what Michael was watching in the '80s.

A show where you could write and ask for anything you want. Literally.

Jim'll Fix It was a massive show.

# Jim'll Fix It Jim'll Fix It... #

Jim'll Fix It was a TV show that made kids' dreams come true,

no matter how bizarre.

We've got a letter from the 2nd Sutton St Mary's Cub Scouts.

They said, "How about an unusual place to eat our lunch?"

Hosted by Sir Jimmy Savile,

each week, requests from lucky viewers would be turned into reality

and some of the fix-its have gone on to become TV legend.

-Are you sure you want to eat on the Revolution?

-Yes!

This is probably the most famous and definitely one of the funniest!

Unfortunately for Michael, not everybody's dreams came true.

I wanted to play for Sheffield Wednesday.

I wanted him to organise it, put blue-and-white stripes on

and play for the team. He never answered my letter.

I used to watch it all the time. Used to love the show.

# Your letter is only the start of it... #

From roller-coaster rides to wrestling to jumping into signs -

fair enough! - Jim could fix anything.

Jim'll Fix It was the king.

All kids would write in to try and get him to fulfil dreams.

He didn't fulfil mine!

At least you didn't get covered with your own packed lunch.

That is shocking!

So those were the TV memories of our three talented celebs.

What do they remember the most about being 12?

Best thing about being 12, I would say,

I just played sport all the time.

I was involved in every team. It was all I lived for in those days.

It was a difficult time.

Leaving primary school, which was my comfort zone,

having known all my friends at primary school for five or six years.

Becoming sort of on the edge of womanhood

and also wanting to be accepted and not feeling that I was accepted.

It was just the realisation that your life is about to change

and new things are going to happen.

It's very much opening a door to a new era in your life.

You start thinking about GCSEs. It's not too far away

and then you starting thinking about what you do after that.

That's quite daunting.

For so long, all you've done is just arrive at school

and do your stuff and you don't have that many decisions to make.

You've got decisions to make about what you're going to do.

You feel like you're dipping your toes

into a kind of more adult world.

It's a pretty seminal moment in your life.

It definitely was in mine.

You become a teenager and then it's a whole new ball game, to be honest!

If I was 12 again, I would go next door and say,

"Do you want to come out to play?" We'd get our roller skates out

and we'd roller skate down the road.

I'd just play football. I struggle now cos of my knee,

so I'd go out and have a game of five-a-side football with my mates.

On a Wednesday night, floodlights, on Astroturf, just play for hours.

If I was 12 again, I think I'd do exactly the same thing.

At that age, I can't thing of anything I did or would change.

I'd probably say...just relax a bit and loosen up

and just enjoy life a little bit more

and stop trying to be accepted by everybody

and wanting to be liked by everybody.

It's fine to be an individual.

At that age, I would encourage any child

to really pursue their ambition. I think it's really important.

Wise words, Charlie, my brother! What else have we learned?

Wombles are better at recycling than leapfrogging.

Packed lunches and roller coasters do not mix.

And finally, that phrase "you're never too old"?

Well, sometimes you can be.

A-wee ba-ba ba-ba-ba bye-bye!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd