Episode 4 12 Again

Coming up, our celebs become 12 again...

I looked about 40 when I was 12.

Looking a little bit like something from a horror movie!

-I clearly wasn't as cool.

-You weren't as cool as me!

..and we catch up with the hottest new pop band from America,

Hot Chelle Rae.

I would tell my 12-year-old self not to date the girl I met

when I was 14 years old.

THEY LAUGH HYSTERICALLY

Want to know what's so funny?

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.

# I'm going to leave the day behind... #

As two members of the number-one selling grime crew Roll Deep...

# We're going to have a real good time... #

..Brazen and Manga know how to show you guys a good time,

and even back in the late '90s they knew how to get the party started.

When I was 12 years old, football and my music, that was it.

That was all I was into...

And eating.

I just used to talk a lot. Just trying to talk and learn...

BOTH: And talk.

THEY LAUGH

She's a top music critic, radio DJ and TV presenter

who gets to make friends with A-list celebs for a living...

Unlike me.

The likes of Muse, Gorillaz, we've got Dizzee, we've got Florence,

we've got Vampire Weekend coming up.

But back in 1985, Edith Bowman's mates weren't so close.

I remember there being lots of falling-outs and making friends

and falling-outs and making friends again with people,

and I think that's all about everyone finding themselves

and finding who they are.

And he's the British TV legend who's been on loads of shows,

and was even the first ever Newsround presenter,

where, he was as famous for his jumpers as for presenting the news.

Finally, a new musical masterpiece got a sheepish response in Holland.

But in 1952, John Craven was less chic and more geek.

When I was 12 I was skinny.

I wasn't all that good at sport cos I got hurt too easily.

You know, when we were playing rugby and games like that.

So I was a bit pathetic, really.

It might be bright lights and showbiz today,

but when they were kids they had no idea what they were going to become.

So let's go back and find out what they were like at 12.

I was a cool kid. In school I was cool.

I was really into sport. I loved netball.

I was quite into model-making and having a bit of an adventure.

-I had hair then.

-I was going to say...!

When I was 12 I had hair. It was like silk!

THEY LAUGH

I was a big fan of the perm. I looked about 40 when I was 12.

My hairstyle was just short back and sides, like everybody else's, really.

I even had braces as well at them ages. Braces and glasses.

I always had everything first.

Doggy hats, I was the first one to wear that.

First to wear NY hat in the whole school.

The first person with bubbles. Everything! And I was the youngest.

-I clearly wasn't as cool.

-You weren't as cool as me!

Well, we're talking about 1952.

12-year-olds then were not as fashion-conscious

as they are today. I wore shorts till I was about 14, 12, 14.

People did in those days.

Apart from always wearing shorts,

having permed hair or even hair like silk,

what did our celebs get up to?

When I was 12,

I was just a big ball of energy.

I was really into sport, I was really into music.

I loved reading.

I thought I was good at Maths until I got to secondary school

and realised I was pretty rubbish!

I wasn't very good at sport but I was very adventurous.

I loved climbing trees

and we'd go out into the countryside on our bikes for the day.

It was an exciting time.

I was really fast. I was in all of the A teams in football, basketball.

We played hockey, athletics, I was the fastest in the year.

I weren't fast, never had the best clothes,

but I always liked music and talking to girls.

I was always good at that cos I was funny.

I was THAT guy, the funny one.

I used to fight like cat and dog with my little brother.

There was seven years between us.

And it started off by that whole thing where,

"I've got my own little real doll to play with," type-thing.

And then it's when he got annoying, you know, that fighting started.

So I probably got told off all the time from my mum and dad

for being horrible to my little brother.

Back in 1952, John had quite an unusual job to do at school.

One of my jobs at school was to be the Infectious Diseases Monitor.

I had to go round every Thursday afternoon with this book

and ask in every class if anybody was ill

with any of these infectious diseases.

In the 1950s there weren't as many vaccinations as there are now.

There were injections for TB and whooping cough,

but not measles, mumps and rubella.

Eventually more vaccines were developed

and the need for an Infectious Diseases Monitor became outdated.

But for John, there were still some conditions

that couldn't be prevented.

I suffered from eczema on my hands, on my fingers,

were all sort of spotty with eczema.

So I had bandages wrapped round my fingers on both hands,

and the reason was to stop me scratching it cos it is very itchy.

So there was I,

looking a little bit like something from a horror movie,

going around asking if anybody else had got infectious diseases!

Brazen in the late '90s got embarrassed in a very different way.

I remember going on a school trip.

I'd come out of the showers, gone back to the room,

and the other lot of girls was walking down the corridor.

And I've come into the room

and my mate pulled my towel off

and pushed me back outside... in the corridor.

I'm naked! HE LAUGHS

I've gone to run back to the showers, then I see my teacher's coming...

-You're killing it!

-..and I just got stuck in the middle, naked.

One of the worst experiences I've ever had.

You've seen what our celebs were getting up to while they were kids,

but what was the soundtrack to their childhood?

When I was 12 years old,

I was a big hip-hop fan.

He had that tune with Puff Daddy, Hate Me Now.

# You could hate me now... #

Lucky for Naz, not many people hate him now...or then.

He is one of the most popular rappers ever.

He's sold millions of records

and was voted the fifth-greatest MC of all time by MTV.

And the video had a big effect on the boys, too.

It was like a film.

It was all explosions, Puff Daddy was looking expensive.

Always, like usual.

Yeah. It was definitely like a big-budget Hollywood movie.

I thought, "Yeah."

But no matter how expensive the video was,

it still didn't match the supreme pop catchiness

of Manga's Guilty Pleasure.

I liked Spice Girls, to tell the truth.

# If you wanna be my lover You got to get with my friends... #

And Manga was not alone.

The Spice Girls were the biggest girl band of the '90s.

But for Manga in London, it wasn't exactly the cool music to listen to.

Er, not that that stopped him.

# Slam your body down and zigazig, ah! #

You know which one I did like,

and I think I shouldn't have really liked?

-You're going to say 2 Become 1.

-Yeah!

That tune was all right!

# Cos tonight is the night when... #

-BOTH:

-# ..two become one... #

# I need some love now I'm back for more

# Wanna make love... #

# ..to ya, baby... #

In 1996 Manga's favourite Spice Girls song

became the third chart-topping single for the band

and was that year's Christmas number one.

As a big man now, and a musician, I can say, "That song was OK,"

but at the time I knew it wasn't all right for me to like that.

# It's the only way to be... #

While Manga was singing along to girl bands in the '90s...

John in Yorkshire was discovering the original pop music of the '50s.

Well, I was very lucky because for my 12th birthday,

my parents bought me a little record player.

And coinciding with that

was the very first list of best-selling singles.

When John was a kid,

the first ever pop charts were created by magazine the NME.

Rather than a Top 40, it was a Top 12.

Still, for the first time ever, people could find out what was at

that all-important number one spot.

The very first number one was sung by an American crooner

called Al Martino, and it was called Here In My Heart.

# Here in my heart... #

It was the first record that I ever bought.

Al Martino rose to fame in the early '50s

and was the Michael Buble of his day.

Sadly, this song was his only number one.

Even though it was the early days of the charts,

there were still some pretty dodgy songs around back then.

In those days people liked novelty records.

I remember How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?

# How much is that doggy in the window? #

Sung by a lady called Lita Roza.

You'd be embarrassed to hear it today.

JOHN: # How much is that doggy in the window?

# The one with the waggly tail... #

So embarrassing now.

I don't see what's so embarrassing(!)

Whilst John was listening to the novelty songs of the '50s,

what was Edith listening to in the '80s?

Madonna, Papa Don't Preach.

# Please, Papa, don't preach I'm in trouble deep... #

-With her cropped, blonde hair...

-# Papa, don't preach... #

I remember the dance, as well, that she did. Oh, I love that song.

# But I made up my mind I'm keepin' my baby... #

When pop queen Madonna blew up in the early '80s

nobody could've predicted she'd go on to become

one of the world's top-selling female artists of all time.

She had a lasting impact on Edith,

as did a video from the '80s that has stayed in her memory for ever.

Visually, I hugely remember Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel.

# You could have a big dipper

# Going up and down all around the bends... #

It was like something no-one had ever done before,

that video, with what is now Aardman.

# This amusement never ends... #

Aardman are the people who now make Shaun The Sheep, Wallace & Gromit,

and Pirates.

But when Edith was 12 this was the first ever music video animation

that they'd made.

# Sledgehammer... #

The video was considered ground-breaking at the time

and won nine video music awards,

a record still unbeaten to this day.

It was so new at the time and it so fitted the song as well.

Hey, if you think this is weird and wonderful,

wait til you see what's still to come!

We catch up with Hot Chelle Rae...

I took classes and learned how to crotchet!

-When you were 12?!

-Yeah.

..and we find out what TV our celebs were watching.

You watch it as a kid and go, "Oh, I want to be in the audience."

-The flip...

-Yeah, that was the one.

He used to do magic tricks but they never seemed to work out very well.

SWEEP LAUGHS

But first, let's find out what news stories had a big impact

on our celebs when they were 12.

The biggest news during my year of being 12

was, of course, the Coronation of the Queen.

ARCHIVE: 'Her Majesty, the Queen,

'wearing her shimmering white Coronation gown,

'entered the Royal stagecoach in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace.'

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth took place in June 1953.

She was crowned Queen in a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey.

With the country still recovering from the effects

of the Second World War,

Britain desperately needed something to lift its spirits.

In those days, Britain was a pretty gloomy place.

Times were tough, there was still rationing of food.

Suddenly, this beautiful young girl was going to be our Queen,

and it seemed to lighten everything up.

Millions of people lined the streets of London,

and many camped out for days to catch a glimpse of the new Queen.

And for those who couldn't be there, it was broadcast live to the nation.

ARCHIVE: 'The BBC's television outside broadcast facilities,

'including a score of cameras, have been concentrated in London.'

This was a massive deal,

as lots of people had never seen a live event on television.

Everybody wanted to see it happen.

The only trouble was that not many of us had television sets.

You had to be quite well-off to have one.

We luckily knew somebody down the street who did have one.

And we all crowded into her sitting room,

20-odd people, I think, crowding in to watch the ceremony

on a very small television set.

'Thousands are surging up the Mall towards the Palace,

'which has now become the focus of everybody's efforts and attention.'

It brought the whole nation together in front of television sets.

Around 27 million people watched the Coronation on TV,

and a further 11 million listened on the radio,

meaning that practically the entire nation witnessed the event.

And of course the result of that was that everyone wanted to buy one.

A few months later, we got one, and the Craven family become TV viewers.

In 1997, when Manga was 12,

the world of fashion lost one of its most iconic designers.

One big story I remember, when Versace got shot.

'Gianni Versace, the fashion designer'

who dressed some of the most famous women in the world,

was shot dead today on the steps of his mansion in Miami Beach.

That was a big news story that always stuck out with me.

It was on the news all the time.

In July 1997, Gianni Versace was murdered in Miami.

He was one of the most famous fashion designers of the '90s,

who had celebrity fans from all over the world.

He should be considered extremely dangerous, and armed at this time.

The man who killed Versace was found dead shortly afterwards,

so the reason why Versace was murdered remains a mystery.

But it was Versace's personal life that opened a young Manga's eyes

to a world he didn't know about.

They kept saying his boyfriend was at the house or near,

and I didn't understand it.

Like, now, I understand there's gay people,

but I didn't really understand it, but yeah, I understand it now.

One of the big serious stories when I was 12

was the kidnapping of Terry Waite.

'Terry Waite hasn't been seen publicly in Beirut'

for more than 24 hours...

The kidnappers were now detaining Mr Waite against his will.

In 1987, Terry Waite was a church representative

who was sent to Beirut in Lebanon

to help release several people who had been taken hostage there.

Sadly, he himself was captured.

At the time, Lebanon was in the middle of a civil war.

There was lots of fighting and tension between people,

and to make matters worse many, like Terry Waite, were being kidnapped.

One thing that really does stick in my head, the images of it,

and it being everywhere,

it being on the news, of it being in the newspapers,

whenever you turned on the TV, it was being talked about.

After nearly five long years in captivity,

Terry Waite was released on 18th November 1991.

It's an overwhelming experience,

to come back and receive your greetings.

Whilst he went on to write a book detailing his experience,

luckily for him, the ordeal was finally over.

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

what would our celebs do if they were 12 again?

Enjoy your childhood. Don't try to be a young adult yet.

I'd definitely say have more of a plan,

have more idea what you're trying to do.

Have as much fun as I possibly could.

Before that, we've got two minutes to find out what hot new band

Hot Chelle Rae were like when they were 12.

Who wrote this?!

# We're going out tonight Tonight

# There's a party on the rooftop Top of the world

# Tonight, tonight. #

Nash, Ian and brothers Ryan and Jamie are Hot Chelle Rae,

the band taking the world by storm with their catchy pop songs,

and, may I say, top fashion sense.

But have they always been such snappy dressers?

I actually did something really interesting during that time.

You know like the crocheted hats, like beanies?

I was like, you know what, it can't be that difficult,

-and I took classes and learnt how to crochet.

-When you were 12?

-Yeah. And I got really good at it.

-That's so you!

-I know!

I got really good and I could make whatever colour I wanted. Perfect.

Hey, crocheting's like the new knitting! I'm so on board right now.

But for Nash, playing music was more his thing -

either with his country-music-star dad or his brother Chord,

who played Sam in Glee.

He had a mandolin that he had got that was going to be his instrument.

Every now and then, we'd try to play together

and it would sound like cast iron,

so it didn't happen too much before we got out of high school.

And now we play together, write together, all the time.

So when they weren't making music at home,

what were Hot Chelle Rae listening to?

When I was 12, I was listening to every type of music,

something as heavy as...death metal bands like Morbid Angel...

DEATH METAL MUSIC

But I would also listen to the Spice Girls.

# I'm giving you everything... #

I pretended at school that I didn't like any pop music that was popular,

even though I just loved it.

-I was listening to Smashmouth.

-Oh, my gosh!

# Hey now... #

Music aside, what would they do if they were 12 again?

I would tell my 12-year-old self

not to date the girl I met when I was 14 years old,

because she was terrible.

-Gem. What a gem!

-No, no, no, no.

-Did she break your heart?

-No, not even close.

It's OK, Jamie, we all get our hearts broken at some point!

Enough of Jamie's unbroken heart, though.

# I like it like that. #

Let's get back to business

and find out what Brazen and Manga,

John and Edith were watching when they were 12.

When I was 12,

there was something utterly special about Top Of The Pops.

Top Of The Pops was essential Thursday-night viewing in the '80s.

It was one of Britain's longest-running TV shows,

and was presented by the coolest radio DJs of the time.

Now live on Top Of The Pops, and as pretty as a picture, A-ha.

You watch it as a kid, and I guess cos there was nothing else like it,

we didn't have streams of music channels to turn to.

# And his thoughts are full of strangers. #

It was that ritual thing of sitting down and watching it,

having the volume so loud!

I remember my dad constantly telling me to turn it down.

If you hadn't heard a band, or you maybe had on the radio,

you were, "Oh, that's what they look like!"

Yep, it really was the only way to see your favourite bands.

# It makes no difference how you want to swing it. #

Which wasn't always such a good thing. Just check out these moves!

I think she's got a dodgy stomach!

All this made it for Edith the perfect place to be.

Going, "Oh I want to be in the audience!

"I want to watch Top Of The Pops."

But little did Edith know, she would go on to do a lot more

than just be in the audience for her favourite show.

It's Top Of The Pops!

Watching it as a kid and then going on to present a few shows

was just like a total dream come true.

That was the chart, that was Top Of The Pops, I'm Edith Bowman.

Let's fast forward to the late '90s

to find out what Roll Deep were watching on television.

I remember watching Robot Wars.

What?!

Robot Wars was must-see TV for the nerd in 1998,

originally hosted by Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson.

What on Earth happened there?

It was a slaughter!

It was the only programme where you could get a remote-controlled car,

strap on anything from a safety pin to a chainsaw

and cause utter mayhem.

-I used to watch it loads, and I thought...

-We need a robot.

Yeah, yeah! "I could build one."

Try to come up with a little something.

Towards the flaming pit! I wonder whether this will be...

a barbecue!

Contestants would spend agesbuilding robots,

only for them to get totally smashed up by rival contestants

or the dreaded house robots.

They used to have the claws and fire.

There was a wicked one that had a spinner on the front.

Yeah, there was one, the one from Robot Wars,

they had the house robots, what's the name? Best one!

There was Matilda.

Why was it called Matilda?

'Prehistoric Matilda's next up with hydraulic tusks

'and a truly lethal chainsaw tail.'

If you thought Matilda was a funny name for a robot,

then check out this lot.

There was Killertron, Shogun,

Grunt...and Barry! Some pretty brutal robots!

Although some didn't quite live up to their name.

See what I'm saying?

The thing is, with Robot Wars, yeah,

the idea of it was better than what was actually going on.

'It needs to get away from that!

'It could choke on a fur ball!'

This one can spit fire, but it's not really... It flips over.

'They're going to flip him!

'No! It's all over!'

Robot Wars was rubbish but really good at the same time.

I loved every second of it.

With Robot Wars, you either loved it or hated it,

but it was the only place you could see a fluffy robotic ladybird

get set on fire.

Chin up, lads!

Let's leave Nemesis hot under the collar and rewind to the '50s,

to the Craven household in Yorkshire,

where was one show was a particular favourite.

One day, my parents came back from my dad's work's dinner,

and they were raving about the cabaret act there, Harry Corbett,

and he had a glove puppet called Sooty.

He then got spotted by a TV producer and Sooty became a huge star.

Sooty made his first TV appearance in 1952

and got his own TV show in 1955.

I say, where did all your friends go?

The Sooty Show was a massive hit but Sooty himself needed a bit of work.

He had to be adapted a little bit to work on black and white TV.

He was a little brown bear.

You couldn't really see the details.

I gather that Harry Corbett gave him black ears and a black nose

so he would stand out on TV.

Once he got his new look,

there was not much left to do except frustrate his owner.

He used to do magic tricks but they never seemed to work out well.

He had a little friend called Sweep, and Sweep made a squeaky noise.

It was a very, very successful format,

and it's still going strong today.

Sooty is now the longest-running kids' TV programme in the UK.

So those were the TV memories of our celebs,

but what do they most remember about being 12?

Looking back, I think 12's a great age,

because it's that year and that age

just before you do take that step into having to make decisions.

12 was definitely a fun age to be.

Definitely.

Fun, games, laughter.

You were just starting to head towards your teenage years,

you were stopping being a little kid,

you were starting to realise that girls were quite attractive.

So if I was me, talking to my 12-year-old self again,

I would just try and encourage myself to enjoy it and savour it

and have as much fun as I could.

You're in the middle of still being a child and thinking you're an adult

and having to answer to your parents, thinking you're a grown-up.

I think nowadays, there are so many temptations around

to behave in a much older way, but enjoy your childhood.

Don't try to be a young adult yet.

Apart from doing music, I didn't know what I was doing.

Whatever was the thing to do, I was doing that.

I'd tell the 12-year-old me,

"Bruv, fix up, try and know where you're going."

I'd definitely tell him to have more of a plan,

more of an idea what you're trying to do

instead of just free-styling your way through life.

It was a good time, being 12. Very few responsibilities.

I just wish perhaps I hadn't had eczema on my hands.

That was an unfortunate experience for quite a while,

but apart from that, it was a great time.

So what have we learnt?

If you're going to spend time building your own robot,

at least make sure it's fireproof.

"And they're on fire. Get the fire brigade!"

Raw chickens make surprisingly good dancers.

Just wash your hands afterwards.

And if you've never seen your favourite pop star on TV before,

that could actually be a very good thing.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd