Episode 10 12 Again

Coming up - three celebs become 12 again.

I had my first kiss when I was 12.

And I didn't know what I was doing.

All the awful fashions from the middle of the '70s, that was me.

I got a kiss, just a peck, off one of the girls you would class as fit,

in the year above.

And we catch up with the new kings of grime,

Clement Marfo & The Frontline.

Spots is the hardest thing about being 12.

Can't get rid of it.

Want to know more? Well...

Have you ever wondered what it would've been like to be best mates

with your favourite celebs when they were your age?

What did they get up to, what were their favourite songs

and what TV shows did they watch?

Because despite the glamorous lifestyles they now lead,

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.

# You know you're only in it

# Cos it's hot right now, hot right now

# Turn it up right now... #

She's the sassy singer who knows how to party

and has worked with legends such as Jay Z,

Kanye West and Will.i.am.

But back in 2002, Rita Ora was singing to an audience

a little close to home.

I'd sing in the morning, when my mum wasn't even awake.

She'd be like, "Rita!

"It's like the best alarm clock I've ever heard."

I was like, "Yeah, right."

# Cos it's hot right now. #

Today, Chris Bisson is a film and TV superstar...

There is a long, long way to go before I'm done.

..but back in 1987, he was shying away from the limelight.

I never wanted to be an actor as a kid because I was far too shy.

I was playing a Roman soldier in the nativity play and I spent that

entire time on stage with my shield in front of my face like this.

I suppose it'll have to do.

He's one of the nation's best-loved celebrity chefs,

who cooks up a storm on our TVs at the weekend.

Let's pretend that those lumps aren't there.

But in 1975, the only thing on Simon Rimmer's menu was football.

When I was 12,

I don't think I was remotely interested in being a chef.

Football was absolutely everything to me.

You know, I was completely and utterly consumed by it.

Take it on board, honestly. Any good ingredient, mwa!

Mwa, to you too, Simon!

Anyway, they're all massive celebs today

but back when they were 12,

they had no idea what they were going to become.

So let's find out who they were way back then.

When I was 12, I was very much a tomboy.

I used to not do that many girly things.

I would play football, usually with my guy friends.

I was quite a shy kid.

I used to listen to my mum and get on with my homework

and do my schoolwork.

I don't think I was very confident, when I look back on it.

I was with a group of mates who all seemed to be far better

at things than me, far more confident than me.

My hair was curly brown.

I used to just wear it out frizzy, actually, like a puff.

I wouldn't wear any makeup, even though I'd try,

but my mum would be like, "Why are you wearing makeup?"

I think I was pretty scruffy, to be honest with you,

because I was often out on my bike, getting dirty.

I used to get told off for getting clothes dirty all the time.

I didn't pay that much attention to clothes when I was that young.

I would just wear trainers more than I would wear shoes.

A pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

I used to just play football all the time,

so I didn't really think about that many things.

At the time, everyone wanted their hair in a centre part,

almost slightly feather cut, verging on a mullet.

Not the most attractive look in the world.

But I had that look, so I was happy with that.

All the awful fashions from the middle of the '70s, that was me.

So apart from being very scruffy and having terrible haircuts,

like Simon's awful mullet,

what else did our celebs get up to back when they were 12?

I used to go to karate, which was one of my things,

and I used to play a lot of cricket.

But I certainly wasn't outgoing.

Nobody ever thought that I was going to be an actor.

I was probably the least likely person to become an actor

that you'd ever met.

My mum bought me this keyboard and I would just sit on the keyboard

and play and sing. I would go to after-school choir classes.

It was definitely my hobby

and I just would go and sing and sing and sing,

and Mum would say, "Come home and eat." I'd be like, "OK, in a minute."

Socially, in school, I fitted into probably slightly geeky,

slightly quiet, so I was never captain of the football team,

but was mates with the majority of people.

So I wasn't up there with the guys that were 100% fanciable

for the girls,

and I wasn't right down at the "I get picked on," geek level.

But when Chris was 12, he bagged himself a role

in a top kids' TV show.

Sandra, Sandra! I need a bed pan, San.

Children's Ward was the biggest TV drama for kids at that time.

I expect you make your parents' life a misery, JJ.

Being on TV changed things at school.

But while you are on this ward, you'll speak to me

with some respect.

Girls would talk to me, which was a major bonus.

And then the big thing that kicked it off was, I got a kiss,

just a peck, off one of the girls

that you'd class as fit in the year above, Angela.

She gave me a kiss in front of everybody.

It was only a peck, but my street cred went through the roof.

And Angela wasn't the only girl to take an interest

in 12-year-old Chris.

Whilst working on another children's programme,

Chris caught the eye of

a future mega star.

While I was working on The 8.15 From Manchester,

there was an actress called Anna Friel,

who is now a big Hollywood star.

She asked me out by leaving me this letter on the back

of a filming schedule for that day, asking me if I'd go

to the pictures with her on Saturday and watch Teddy Goes To War.

I never went. Totes gutted!

Totes, indeed! Anna Friel is now

one of the UK's biggest actresses,

having appeared in tons of films,

TV shows and plays,

both in the UK and America.

In 2002, when Rita was 12,

she was already getting a taste for performing in public.

I just wanted to be a singer and I wanted to perform

in front of millions and millions of people.

It didn't scare me,

it just made me feel like it was what I was meant to do.

I would always imagine it in my living room,

singing to my mum and dad, and stuff,

on New Year's and Christmas and birthdays.

They'd always be like, "Rita, go and sing Happy Birthday."

So I'd be like, "OK!" # Happy... #

It was just something I've been wanting to do my whole, entire life.

Whilst Rita was developing

her vocal chords,

when Simon was 12, he was beginning to develop an eye for the ladies.

I had a big crush on a girl

called Jeanette Jarvis,

who was in the year above me.

She was the first crush that I had.

But by the time I was 12, 13,

we used to knock around with quite a lot of girls.

And youth club on a Wednesday night

was always the time when, at the end, they'd put "slowies" on,

and that's when you'd have a bit of a smooch

with whichever girl you managed to get hold of, basically.

So, yes, I do remember my first kiss,

but I'm not going to reveal who it was with, in case she's watching!

She was good, though.

So that's what our

12-year-old trio were like,

but what music were they into?

When I was 12, I loved listening to Beyonce.

Crazy In Love definitely was one of my favourite songs.

Crazy In Love was Beyonce's first song as a solo artist.

She was joined on the track by her future husband Jay-Z.

I remember the video. I remember Jay-Z coming out of a burnt car.

I remember her kicking the water pipe

and water went everywhere.

And she looked so pretty. Beautiful.

The video to Crazy In Love was a huge success,

winning several awards.

And Beyonce was known for ever after for her wicked dance moves.

Oh, yeah!

Me and my friends used to do the whole dance routine

and copy her on TV.

And do a bit of...

# Uh oh uh oh, I'm gonna... #

Anyway...

Wind the clock back to the mid-1970s

and Simon was listening to music that was a little bit more "Uh-oh!"

My absolute favourite band at the time was Slade,

who had been around for a few years. And they were just brilliant.

Their music was fantastic, very catchy, very poppy.

One of my favourite tracks was Cum On Feel The Noize,

which is one of Slade's biggest hits.

Slade dominated the UK music scene in the early '70s. They were huge.

That's despite having one of the wackiest wardrobes in pop.

Noddy Holder's the lead singer. A big mop of ginger hair.

And he was renowned for wearing a top hat

and lots of kind of sparkles.

And then Dave Hill is probably the person, apart from Noddy,

that everyone remembers, who used to wear absolutely ridiculous clothes.

I remember once he dressed as a nun, in a really sparkly nun's habit.

And he had a kind of a basin haircut

and quite often would have sparkle through his hair.

Nobody panic! That hairstyle died out years ago.

Their image was brilliant. It was glam rock.

Glam rock was absolutely massive.

You actually couldn't walk down a high street without seeing

someone dressed in glam rock clothes.

The glam rock era is still known today for being outrageous,

mostly down to the bonkers outfits that the musicians wore.

If you didn't wear platform boots and lots of glitter,

then you just weren't cutting the glam rock mustard.

Each glam rock group had their own, um, let's call it unique style!

But there was only room in Simon's heart for one band - Slade!

I actually met Noddy Holder

and even now, I was still absolutely star struck at meeting him,

and he was lovely as well.

And I'm sure he's a fan of your souffle, Simon!

When Chris was 12, he liked all sorts of different stuff.

Bob Geldof, Do They Know It's Christmas?

# Feed the world... #

Fat Boys, The Twist.

# Come on, baby

# Let's do the twist... #

Whitney Houston, One Moment In Time.

# Give me one moment in time... #

De La Soul were one of my favourite bands.

# Mirror, mirror, on the wall

# Tell me, mirror, what is wrong?

# This is Me, Myself and I

# From me, myself and I... #

But there was one song in particular

that really struck a chord with Chris.

One of my favourite songs as a kid was Ebony and Ivory,

by Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.

Two musical legends.

# Ebony and Ivory

# Live together in perfect harmony... #

Ebony and Ivory refers to the black and white keys of a piano,

because historically, the black keys were made out of ebony,

and the white ones from ivory.

For Stevie and Paul, the black and white keys sitting together

represented their views on racial integration.

# We all know that people are the same whereever you go... #

When I was 12, racism was much more prominent than it is now.

My dad was West Indian, of Indian descent. My mum was white English.

I think maybe it struck a chord because it was about groups

of people living together and how they could live in perfect harmony.

Not the greatest record in the world, but significant.

Not the greatest record in the world is somewhat of an understatement,

but it did top the charts in both the UK and America.

# Ebony, ivory

# Living together in harmony... #

Still to come, we catch up with

Clement Marfo & The Frontline to see how they rolled when they were 12.

When I was 12, I was a bit of a rascal.

I've always tried to be the entertainer.

And we find out which TV shows our celebs were glued to back then.

If you're ready, say, "Bluegh..."

BOTH: Bluegh!

-Raven was so fun because it was adventurous.

-It's coming.

The demon's breath is coming.

It's genius. Still now, it's genius.

But first, let's find out

which big news stories

had a lasting impact

on young Chris, Simon and Rita.

I remember my dad always used to watch the news,

and I would be really kind of like, "Uh, can we change channel?"

But the one I remember was the Golden Jubilee.

Good afternoon.

It's party day across the UK, as people join in

a Bank Holiday of celebrations for the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

The Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002,

marking 50 years of her being on the throne.

The Golden Jubilee was celebrated in many different ways,

with flypasts, parades and street parties.

I now declare this street party officially open.

But the highlight of the celebrations

was the Party At The Palace, a huge gig held in the gardens

of Buckingham Palace, featuring loads of pop stars.

To top it all, Queen guitarist Brian May blasted out

the National Anthem, standing on the roof!

MUSIC: "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN"

I remember watching the show and millions

and millions of people were watching on screens.

We, your Majesty, are here tonight because, above all,

we feel proud of you.

CHEERING

It was like a very big deal. It was a good time, we had fun.

In 1975, when Simon was 12,

Britain was caught up in a very unusual war.

One of the big news stories I remember when I was 12

was what was called the Cod Wars.

The latest battle in the Cod War off Iceland has been the most

dramatic and the most dangerous so far.

Britain and Iceland were arguing over fishing rights,

so the Icelandic government was saying that Britain

was fishing illegally,

taking too much cod out of Icelandic waters.

Britain had been fishing in the sea

around Iceland for over a century.

But as early as 1958,

Iceland tried to ban British boats

from these waters, in order to

protect their own fishing industry.

And in the mid-1970s, things came to a head,

when the British Navy were sent in to protect our fishing fleet.

It got incredibly nasty.

Every night on the news, you would hear stories where British trawlers

would be rammed by Icelandic coastguard vessels, or indeed

by other Icelandic vessels, to try to get them out of the waters.

All last night, two Icelandic gunboats

and two Royal Navy frigates engaged in a running battle.

Relations between the two countries got so bad that eventually,

the British government agreed

that our trawlers would not fish within the disputed area.

As a result of the concessions that Britain ended up giving,

it meant that there was a huge number of job losses.

Loads and loads of people in the British fishing industry

lost their jobs.

What are the prospects for the future?

Well, very grim really, I think.

Fishing communities have suffered across the UK.

However, compensation has slowly been paid to fishermen,

some receiving pay-outs even now.

They were promised compensation at the time.

They never properly received it, not fully at least, until now.

In 1987, when Chris was 12, maritime news was also hitting

the headlines, following a disaster in the English Channel.

When I was 12, one of the big stories that was around

was the Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster.

The British ferry disaster off Belgium.

Hope is fading for 79 people still missing.

Cross-Channel passenger ferry the Herald Of Free Enterprise

capsized on the night of 6th March 1987,

just after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge,

as it was heading to Dover.

The ferry had sailed out of the dock,

but they hadn't closed the doors at the back,

so as it got out of the port,

it got full of water and it basically capsized.

We were just trying to find things to hang onto,

because the force of the water was breaking the tables up.

We've got cuts and bruises all around our legs, where things were

coming and hitting us, you see.

193 passengers and crew sadly died in the tragedy.

Since the disaster, new safety regulations have been

put in place, making ferry travel

safer for passengers and crew.

Still to come.

Our celebs wind back the clock

and offer some advice to their 12-year-old selves.

Be proud of what you are and just stick by what you believe.

Suddenly, you're expected to behave

a different way once you're in secondary school.

I would just say, have fun being 12.

Before that, it's time to discover

what Clement Marfo & The Frontline were like, in 12 In Two Minutes.

# I'm feeling ten feet tall

# Unstoppable I'm the champion

# Champion, champion, champion... #

These dudes are set to become stars of the grime and hip hop world.

But what were Clement, Kojo and Stacey like when they were 12?

When I was 12, I was extremely shy.

Very, very quiet.

When I was 12, I was a bit of a rascal.

I've always tried to be the entertainer.

When I was 12, I was a little bit geeky,

a bit of a goody two shoes at school.

Goody two shoes, eh?

But what were Clement Marfo & The Frontline listening to

when they were 12?

Kris Kross!

# Jump, jump... #

Remember Kris Kross?

ALL: Yeah!

# Jump, jump... #

OK, so the guys were listening to Kris Kross

but, goody two shoes Stacey, what made you want to jump, jump?

I listened to a lot of Spice Girls, Steps, S Club 7.

# Reach for the stars... #

Anything I could dance or sing along to, like Cleopatra...

# Cleopatra, coming at'ya! #

ALL: # Cleopatra, coming at'ya! #

Stop that now!

OK, so, dudes, what's the hardest part of being 12?

Spots. Spots is the hardest thing about being 12.

Can't get rid of it.

You wake up in the morning, there's one there, one there,

there's one there.

You try everything and the more you just try and pop, it gets worse.

Dude, tell me about it!

Right, Kojo, Clement and goody two shoes Stacey,

what will you guys never forget about being 12?

12 is that transition of becoming a teenager.

-You felt grown up because of secondary school.

-Yeah.

It's definitely a good feeling because it's like the next chapter,

and I think that was the best feeling,

to understand that I'm becoming a teenager now.

Right, let's get back to business

and find out what Rita, Simon and Chris

watched on telly when they were 12.

On ITV, there was a show called Wacaday.

# It's Wacaday! #

Wacaday was a kids' TV show that was on in the mornings

during the school holidays.

It was hosted by Michaela Strachan and Timmy Mallett.

Hello, wideawakers! Good morning. It's a fabulous T day today.

Timmy Mallett was well known for his crazy outfits,

and let's face it, some of them were pretty horrific!

What do you think of the shorts? Do you like them?

Do I look completely and utterly bonkers?

They're terrible. One of the most popular items on the show

was a section, rather imaginatively named Mallett's Mallet.

As in Timmy Mallett's mallet. Get it?

This was basically a word-association game,

only if you made a mistake, you'd get hit with a massive foam mallet.

Mallett's Mallet is

a word-association game. You mustn't pause,

or hesitate, or you get a bash on the head like this...

or like this...

"If you're all ready, say, bleugh!" You'd have to go, "Bleugh!"

Bleugh!

And he'd go, "Cucumber."

-Long.

-Short.

-Thin.

-Fat.

If you didn't get the association with cucumber,

you'd get whacked with the mallet.

There you go!

And then you got a whack plaster stuck to your face.

You wiggle your nose up and down over there,

so all your friends at home can see you.

Whilst in Chris's day, kids were being hit over the head

with mallets, when Rita was 12 in 2002,

kids were being subjected to all manner of torture.

So one of my favourite kids' shows when I was 12

would have to be Raven.

Let us go. Your first challenge awaits.

Raven was a fantasy gameshow on CBBC.

It's coming. The demon's breath is coming.

Children at the time were mad for it.

It was set in a mystical land.

Actually, just down the River Clyde from Glasgow!

Kids, who, for extra dramatic effect, were called warriors,

would take part in challenges and play games,

like Avoid The Terrifying Man With No Face But A Massive Foam Stick,

and the always popular...

Let's See If We Can Get Stuck Up A Tree In A Medieval Tunic.

-Are you sure you want to continue with this challenge?

-I can't do it.

Very well. Then I will bring you down.

Raven was so fun, because it was adventurous, which I was.

I would be jealous of the kids going on adventures.

The spider's tunnel isn't exactly an inviting place.

It had a good-looking kind of Raven character in it,

someone pretending to be like a big, masculine superhero.

Raven himself was an ancient Scottish warlord

who acted as the warriors' guide throughout their quests.

Trust in me and you'll not need your eyes.

Each series would end when one of the warriors was named

the Ultimate Warrior.

You are a worthy champion.

How does it feel?

Great.

Ultimate Warrior can't believe his luck!

Well done.

I bet he still wears that mediaeval tunic.

In 1975, Simon was glued to a show that still holds

a place in the hearts of the nation today.

When I was 12, one of my favourite TV shows at the time

was a comedy called The Good Life.

The Good Life ran from 1975 to 1978

and portrayed suburban life at the time.

The basic premise of The Good Life

is that there's a couple, Tom and Barbara Good,

who decide that they're going to jack in the rat race,

and they're going to become self-sufficient.

Hello, Geraldine. Say harvest, Geraldine. Harvest, harvest.

You're never going to talk, are you?

Tom and Barbara dig up their garden and they keep pigs

and they keep chickens, and it's that great juxtaposition thing,

where you have this incredibly beautiful house

which they turn into a glorified farm.

And the reaction that their very posh neighbours have,

and how they can possibly do this.

-Barbara! What are you doing?

-I'm trying to sell my veggies.

But you're sitting where you can be seen.

There's no point hiding in the shed, is there?

Margo and Jerry are their next door neighbours, who are incredibly posh.

-Gerry, tell her this is the Avenue.

-She knows that, she lives here.

Mum would always comment on what Margo wore

and how they were always cruel to Margo.

Now, that is a miracle.

The comedy is based around the fact that their very simplistic life

was far more rewarding from a personal point of view

than Gerry and Margo, who were still in the rat race.

If one of you so much as sniggers, I'm going straight back indoors.

It was genius. Still now, it's genius.

Oh, quite!

Those were the telly memories of our three celebs,

but what do they remember most about being 12?

When I look back at when I was 12, I think it's quite a confusing age.

You're kind of coming out of being

a young kid, where all of his decisions are made by his parents,

to suddenly having that little bit of freedom

and striving to have that little bit of independence.

You leave primary school and it's accepted that you are a kid.

Suddenly, you are expected to behave a whole different way,

once you're in secondary school.

I had my first kiss when I was 12 and I didn't know what I was doing.

It was very kind of like...

Your body's changing. You're going into puberty,

which is happening at exactly the same time when you are

interested in girls, so you want to look your best

and for girls to like you.

You are there with a spot which, at the time, to you,

seems like you've got a second head growing

and it really kind of knocks your confidence.

My advice for being 12 would definitely be - just be fun

and be confident. Don't think too much because you are still learning.

I would just say, have fun being 12.

Like yourself. Go for it.

Just have that little bit of a push and be proud of what you are,

and just stick by what you believe.

So what've we learnt -

if you're looking for some

fashion tips, give this man a wide berth.

If you need your eyes tested,

give this man a wide berth.

Trust in me and you'll not need your eyes.

And if don't fancy getting hit on the head with a mallet,

give this man a seriously wide berth.

Boff!