0:00:00 > 0:00:04Coming up, three celebs become 12 again.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I faked the fact that I had got flu.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11I was the only vegetarian in the world that didn't like vegetables.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Yeah...I know that band.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16And we catch up with R&B megastar Usher.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I sang all the time. The girls liked it.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Yay!
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Want to find out more? Well...
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be best mates
0:00:28 > 0:00:32with your favourite celebs when they were your age?
0:00:32 > 0:00:35What did they get up to? What were their favourite songs?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37And what TV shows did they watch?
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Because despite the glamorous lifestyles they now lead,
0:00:40 > 0:00:45once they were a kid with a dream, just like you.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48This show lets you look back in time with your favourite celebs,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51as they become 12 again.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Oh, Roy! Tell me you'll save me life.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01He's one of Coronation Street's most loved actors.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Ever since I've been hot potting over there, we've been plagued
0:01:04 > 0:01:05by kitchen malfunctions.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08But back in 1987, Antony Cotton
0:01:08 > 0:01:10was acting up in a different manner altogether.
0:01:10 > 0:01:1412 was kind of the peak of my naughty career.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18My childhood was spent trying to wind my parents up,
0:01:18 > 0:01:19particularly my mum.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24That's not a good thing, but that's basically how I was.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29She's a Winter Olympic gold medallist who likes nothing more
0:01:29 > 0:01:33than to throw herself face first down an icy slope.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41But back in 1994, Amy Williams was tied up in family life.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43We would just all play together.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46My brother would be tying me up on the rope swing
0:01:46 > 0:01:47at the top of the garden
0:01:47 > 0:01:50and go off for dinner, and I was still hanging there, in mid-air.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54But it was always OK. It was a happy family life.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Hello, good evening, and welcome to Top Of The Pops.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01He's the smooth-talking DJ who for years was a regular on TOTP
0:02:01 > 0:02:05and was the first ever voice on Radio 1.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Welcome once again to the fun-filled frivolous frolicking world of fun.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11And he's never far from our screens today.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14You've been a very, very naughty boy.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16In fact, back in 1955,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Tony Blackburn was already on the Do It Yourself
0:02:18 > 0:02:21road to DJ superstardom.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24I had a microphone and I put the speaker in the hall.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27I only had my mum and dad listening, and sometimes my sister.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31That was the way I started DJing, to an audience of two.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Luckily, I have a slightly bigger audience now.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38It may all be gold medals and red carpets today,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40but that wasn't always like that.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So let's go back and find out what they were all like
0:02:42 > 0:02:46when they were kids and meet their 12-year-old selves.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I was quite quiet, shy.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53I was always in trouble, and I always had a big mouth.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57I was pretty well behaved and always have been.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59It's really boring, that, but it's true.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I wasn't really into fashion or anything.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05I was quite a country girl at heart,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08so I had quite straight hair, mousey brown,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11pretty similar to now.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13I would just be in leggings and a baggy T-shirt,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15what we always used to wear back then.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I remember buying a pair of tartan trousers,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22and I've got a photograph of me in these tartan padded trousers.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I just thought they were the bee's knees.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27They weren't.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30I wasn't that fat, I was just an average sort of kid.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35I had sort of black hair... Blacker than it is now, obviously.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38I don't think I was bad-looking, not terrific-looking.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42There was nothing particularly outstanding, I don't think.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44So we now know what our three celebs looked like,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46but what were they up to?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48When I was 12, I was really into all my animals.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Half of me was like, "I want to be a vet."
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The other half was, "I definitely want to be good at my sport.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55"I want to go to the Olympics."
0:03:55 > 0:03:59But when Amy was at school, sport wasn't the cool thing.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Back then, it wasn't as cool to be into your sport. It was quite hard.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Being a sporty girl...
0:04:05 > 0:04:09There weren't that many people who were interested in sports day.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Even in races, I would purposely slow down a bit,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14cos I knew I was quite far ahead.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I remember almost being a bit embarrassed.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21It was quite strange, I guess, thinking back on it now.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I went to a public school called Midfield School in Somerset,
0:04:27 > 0:04:28and it's a sporting school.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I remember going there and the headmaster saying,
0:04:31 > 0:04:33"I understand you're a fast bowler."
0:04:33 > 0:04:37And he said, "Imagine that I'm the stumps.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42He marked out a cricket pitch and I bowled this ball down,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44and hit him really quite badly on the leg
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And he said, "That was fast", and he gave me a scholarship.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Nobody believes the way that happened, but it did.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I went to an amazing place called Oldham Theatre Workshop,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56which was out of school.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58You weren't there for a hobby,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01you were there because you wanted to be in showbusiness.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06It didn't matter where you came from, who your parents were,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08what kind of a house you lived in.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12None of that mattered. None of us were interested in any of that.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Everybody was equal, we were all the same, we were all pals and friends.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Beautiful way to live, really.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Whilst it was all peace,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22love and group hugs for Antony in the early '80s,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27back in 1955, things weren't quite as harmonious at school for Tony.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33When I was at school, when I was 12, it was compulsory to box.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37I didn't think anything of it. Now, you'd think,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40"There's a lesson where you're actually hitting the people
0:05:40 > 0:05:42"you go to school with."
0:05:44 > 0:05:50Back in the 1950s kids used to box regularly in clubs and schools.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52(VOICEOVER) Meet six-year-old Billy May,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56making up in enthusiasm what he lacks in boxing finesse.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I would it would be wise if you kept on Billy May's
0:05:58 > 0:06:01best side at school.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04In some schools it wasn't an option. You were forced to don gloves
0:06:04 > 0:06:07and enter the ring with your fellow classmates.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09(VOICEOVER) In boys' boxing clubs,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11many parents are adamant that the sport is a good thing,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13carefully supervised.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15What sort of damage do you get?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Muscles...and I've got one black eye.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19You've had black eyes?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21I found it really started hurting.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23There were people there who could box far better than me.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I remember, I was in for this boxing match
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and I faked the fact that I'd got flu.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35I remember getting off doing that, and I gave it up eventually,
0:06:35 > 0:06:36cos it was just too hard.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Obviously lying to your teacher is bad,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43unless you're trying to avoid getting smacked in the face!
0:06:43 > 0:06:47In 1987, when he was 12, Antony was taking hide and seek
0:06:47 > 0:06:51just a little bit too far in my opinion.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53My mum would take us out shopping,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57and we'd go on the train and then we'd hide on the train,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00but we'd hide so well that the police would be called.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04And they'd find us two hours later, and we'd be hidden in a luggage rack
0:07:04 > 0:07:09behind suitcases, with my mum literally half dead on the floor
0:07:09 > 0:07:11with panic.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14When I was that age... I was quite naughty.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Antony, you naughty boy. Your poor mother.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Now we know what our celebs were like at 12,
0:07:22 > 0:07:27but the important question is what were they listening to?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Music was never something that I was massively into.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34When I got to school, you kind of had to pretend quite a lot.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36"Yeah...I know that band."
0:07:36 > 0:07:41You know, and just go along with the flow, just to kind of stay cool.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45So what was the music that Amy pretended to like?
0:07:45 > 0:07:49One of the biggest hits of the year, when I was 12,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51was Wet Wet Wet - Love Is All Around.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55# I feel it in my fingers
0:07:55 > 0:07:58# I feel it in my toes... #
0:07:58 > 0:08:00What a tune.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Wet Wet Wet first became famous in the '80s,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05but it wasn't until the '90s that they really hit the jackpot
0:08:05 > 0:08:09with this song taken from the British film of that year -
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Four Weddings And A Funeral, starring Hugh Grant.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It was MASSIVE.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17# It's written on the wind... #
0:08:17 > 0:08:19I remember everyone talking about it.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21It was number one for 15 weeks.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Now, a brand-new number one record.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25It's Wet Wet Wet...
0:08:25 > 0:08:29And it's seven weeks at the top for this song from Wet Wet Wet.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31So it's nine weeks for the Wets.
0:08:31 > 0:08:3315 weeks at number one.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38It seemed as though the song would be at number one for ever.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39There was no let up.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Love Is All Around has become the biggest selling pop record
0:08:44 > 0:08:45of the decade in Britain.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48For the last 15 weeks, there's been no escape.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50It seems everywhere you go you hear the number record
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Love Is All Around.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Finally the end came and when it did,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58what was the masterpiece that knocked
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Wet Wet Wet from pole position?
0:09:00 > 0:09:01MUSIC: "Saturday Night" by Whigfield
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Now, this is Whigfield who, when not dancing around in a towel,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08was out dancing around on a Saturday night.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13# Saturday night, I feel the air is getting hot
0:09:13 > 0:09:15# Like you baby... #
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Yeah, that definitely reminds me of back at school parties.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23# Dah dah dah dum dee dee dee dah dah dah dah dah... #
0:09:23 > 0:09:26The dance with the twiddly bits
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Forward, backward.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32It was always sort of a happy one that you'd have to get up
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and dance and do the little routine.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Well, if it makes you happy, Amy, I guess it can't be that bad.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Hang on, it definitely is that bad.
0:09:45 > 0:09:51So while Amy was pretending to like the big radio hits of 1994,
0:09:51 > 0:09:56in 1955, for Tony, getting to hear new music wasn't so easy.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01When I was 12 years old, the only way I could listen to music was
0:10:01 > 0:10:03on Radio Luxembourg.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06That was the only way I heard up-to-date music.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Back when Tony was 12, there were no British radio stations
0:10:10 > 0:10:11playing pop music.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14So the kids of the day had to tune their radios to
0:10:14 > 0:10:18a station from a tiny European country called Luxembourg.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21This is Radio Luxembourg, your station of the stars,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24broadcasting on 208 metres medium wave.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Cool Radio Luxembourg was a far cry from what the BBC
0:10:27 > 0:10:29was like back then.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Once again, we stop the mighty road of London's traffic,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38and from the great crowds we bring you some of the interesting people
0:10:38 > 0:10:41who have come by land, sea and air to be in town tonight.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45It's not hard to see why people tuned into Radio Luxemburg instead.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Hi, everybody, this is your DJ BA Barry Aldis at the microphone.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51It's great to be with you again...
0:10:51 > 0:10:53And it had a big influence on Tony.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57When I listened to Radio Luxembourg, I thought,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00"This is a great way of the future...putting records on."
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I loved music and talking in between them.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Right, let's fast forward to the '80s and see what Antony Cotton
0:11:08 > 0:11:09was listening to.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I loved Michael Jackson. I loved...
0:11:12 > 0:11:14I was obsessed with Michael Jackson.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19I remember the very first playing of the Bad video.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21I just remember being transfixed.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23MUSIC: "Bad" by Michael Jackson
0:11:29 > 0:11:33When Antony was 12, Michael Jackson was the biggest star on earth.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35He was massive!
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And everywhere he went, so did mobs of fans.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I love him! I love him!
0:11:42 > 0:11:45His mega-selling pop songs, unique style
0:11:45 > 0:11:50and amazing dance moves all helped to crown him the king of pop.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57But Michael Jackson wasn't the only music that Antony liked.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59I also liked The Smiths.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04MUSIC: "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" by The Smiths
0:12:06 > 0:12:10It's fair to say there is a big difference between Michael Jackson
0:12:10 > 0:12:15and The Smiths, who were fronted by ultra-serious lead singer Morrissey.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Music should be used in order to make serious statements,
0:12:19 > 0:12:24because so many groups sell masses of records
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and don't raise people's levels of consciousness.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Yeah, man(!)
0:12:28 > 0:12:32The Smiths were one of the biggest indie bands in Britain the '80s.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37The point of The Smiths was, they told stories that weren't about
0:12:37 > 0:12:41getting up and going dancing. And, you know, feeling the beat.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46I became obsessed with The Smiths and the Meat Is Murder album.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51The message behind Meat Is Murder reflected frontman Morrissey's
0:12:51 > 0:12:53vegetarian beliefs.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56# This beautiful creature must die... #
0:12:56 > 0:13:00I was vegetarian for a year but, as my mother now tells me,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03laughing her head off, I was the only vegetarian in the world
0:13:03 > 0:13:05that didn't like vegetables. So I ate very little.
0:13:05 > 0:13:11# I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear... #
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Being a vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables is a bit of a problem.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19So, did Antony manage to keep it up?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Next thing, I was running into a McDonalds in Bury town centre,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and stuffing a cheeseburger into my mouth and phone my mum, saying,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32"You'll be really happy when I tell you I've just had a cheeseburger."
0:13:32 > 0:13:35My mum said, "Oh, Antony, I am glad."
0:13:35 > 0:13:39I'm not sure that Morrissey would be. Cheer up, you're on the telly.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Still to come...
0:13:43 > 0:13:45We catch up with none other than R&B megastar Usher
0:13:45 > 0:13:49and find out what he was up to when he was 12.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53I want my joint to swoop up like a ramp.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57And we find out what TV our celebs were glued to when they were 12.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Metal Mickey had ears that lit up.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It always ended on a positive note. It was like, "Yay!"
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Oh, you shouldn't be doing that, young man,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11But first it's time to find out what news stories had a lasting effect
0:14:11 > 0:14:14on young Amy, Tony and Antony.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17The big news story was the Channel Tunnel opening.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23There were big ceremonies on both sides of the Channel today
0:14:23 > 0:14:27to mark the long-awaited official opening of the Channel Tunnel.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32In 1994, the long-awaited Channel Tunnel finally opened.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36There had been various plans to build a tunnel to France
0:14:36 > 0:14:39for about 200 years, so it was an amazing moment.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42It's terrific. Absolutely marvellous.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43It's a momentous occasion.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48I was hoping that I'd be able to see a bit outside, but I can't.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52I don't know what she was expecting. It's an underground tunnel!
0:14:52 > 0:14:56The Channel Tunnel was obviously a massive, long, ongoing process.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It took over eight years to build.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04When it really happened and finally opened, there was all the problems
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and the massive money loss.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11The cost of the project spiralled and, in the end, nearly doubled
0:15:11 > 0:15:14to around a whopping 10 billion pounds.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19But maybe that's no surprise - it did after all take
0:15:19 > 0:15:2115,000 workers to make it all happen.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25But it wasn't just the costs that worried 12-year-old Amy.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30I remember thinking, "Hang on. Are we still an island?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34"Can we still claim...cos we're actually joined up."
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Getting quite, "Oh, not sure if I like this."
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Now, I think it's an amazing thing and people can jet off on a train.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Within a few hours, you're in Paris.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Now, around 19 million people
0:15:47 > 0:15:49travel through the Tunnel every year.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53That's an amazing 52,000 passengers per day.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01When Tony was 12 in 1955, one of Britain's best known politicians
0:16:01 > 0:16:04was calling it a day.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Winston Churchill, probably the most famous Prime Minister
0:16:07 > 0:16:12of all time, who won the Second World War for us, he resigned.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Sir Winston Churchill was 80 when he finally retired in 1955,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20having been one of Britain's most important Prime Ministers.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24He was famous for his inspiring wartime speeches.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33We shall fight in the fields, we shall never surrender.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40And his trademark was his Victory V hand sign.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Even though Churchill's resignation was a massive event
0:16:43 > 0:16:46in Britain at the time, it wasn't something that
0:16:46 > 0:16:49particularly caught 12-year-old Tony's imagination.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53It's because we didn't have constant news on television
0:16:53 > 0:16:55or radio. It's a strange thing to say,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59but the newspaper was more important than television.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01As I didn't read the newspapers when I was 12,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I was much more interested in football or music,
0:17:05 > 0:17:10and going out ice skating, it didn't really make an impact.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17In 1988, Antony witnessed the news of one of Britain's worst disasters.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21When I was 12, there was the Lockerbie disaster,
0:17:21 > 0:17:25which was when a plane was blown up as it was flying over Lockerbie.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Good evening. A Pan American Boeing 747 airliner,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38flying from London to New York,
0:17:38 > 0:17:40crashed tonight in the Scottish borders.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Police say there have been many casualties.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47They don't yet know how many, or if anybody on the plane survived.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55On the 21st December, 1988, Pan Am flight 103 was
0:17:55 > 0:17:57brought down by a terrorist bomb attack.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01In total, 270 people died in the disaster.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08It was brought down over British soil and it was something to do with
0:18:08 > 0:18:12that far away land that I wasn't aware of up until that point.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16It wasn't just a plane that fell out of the sky,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20it wasn't just a plane that had had a malfunction,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22it was something that had been planned and plotted.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Therefore, there was a sinister side to it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30A terrorist from the North African country of Libya
0:18:30 > 0:18:32was held responsible.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34It is believed that he wanted to target American passengers
0:18:34 > 0:18:38following a dispute between the two countries.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Later, the Libyan government paid six million pounds
0:18:43 > 0:18:47to every family who lost loved ones on that day.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Still to come, we ask the all important question -
0:18:54 > 0:18:56what would our celebs do if they were 12 again?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58This is an amazing time of your life,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01you might not think so there and then,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04but just enjoy your school, enjoy your friends.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09I'd say, "Dear Antony, stop messing around."
0:19:09 > 0:19:13I would say, "Grab every opportunity you can in life."
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Before that, we've got two minutes to discover what Usher was like
0:19:16 > 0:19:18when he was 12.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21# If you wanna scream, yeah... #
0:19:21 > 0:19:24He's the singer, songwriter, dancer and actor
0:19:24 > 0:19:27with so much talent it's almost too much to take.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29That's now.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33But what was the platinum-selling artist Usher like when he was 12?
0:19:33 > 0:19:36# If you wanna... #
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Man, at 12? I sang all time.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43I would dance all day, all night - the girls liked it.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47I wanted to be an entertainer.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Usher is known today for his super slick looks,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and even back in 1990, things weren't so different.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02The one thing that I think made it all tie-in and work together
0:20:02 > 0:20:05was your hair. There was a group called Kid 'n' Play at the time.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08# We are Kid 'n' Play in total effect
0:20:08 > 0:20:09# We get funky... #
0:20:09 > 0:20:14And Kid had this...tall, tall high top fade.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Hi, this is Kid, known as the fellow with the high-top fade.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20I was like, "I wanna have a high-top fade,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23"but I want my joint to swoop up like a ramp."
0:20:23 > 0:20:25That was my look.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26MUSIC: "Yeah!" by Usher
0:20:28 > 0:20:34Hmm. So what was Usher and his high- top fade listening to back then?
0:20:34 > 0:20:38That was the first time that I was introduced to a group by the name
0:20:38 > 0:20:39of New Edition.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41MUSIC: "Candy Girl" by New Edition
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Listening to New Edition kind of led me towards some of my goals
0:20:51 > 0:20:54because I realised, "Wow! These are kids."
0:20:54 > 0:20:56And they were able to do it, so why can't I?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05If I could be 12 again,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I really would enjoy spending more time with my cousin Latoya.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13I miss those times. She was one of my...best friends.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Aww. Isn't he nice?
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Right, let's get back to business and find out what Antony, Amy
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and Tony were watching when they were 12.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30We just didn't have a TV in my family.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33It was just something my parents decided not to have.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35The only chance I got to watch TV would be
0:21:35 > 0:21:37either going to friends' houses
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and hanging out with them, or just at grandparents' houses.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44I do remember watching Animal Hospital with Ralf Harris.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Animal Hospital with Rolf Harris was a hugely popular show that
0:21:52 > 0:21:54was on BBC One for ten years.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57G'day. Welcome to the Harmsworth.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03It was presented by Rolf, not Ralf, Harris who would visit
0:22:03 > 0:22:06animal hospitals to check up on sick pets.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09There was everything from iguanas and rats, to parrots and swans.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11And of course cats and dogs.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14And sometimes it wasn't for the faint hearted.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16That's moving forward.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18And you reckon that's broken.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Completely torn.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Although, throughout the programme, some of the animals would die,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and it would all be very sad. It always ended on a positive note.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29It was like, "Yay!"
0:22:29 > 0:22:32As you can see, Sammy's walking quite well, and it's only three weeks
0:22:32 > 0:22:34since the operation.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It was just really lovely to watch. Ralf Harris was so great at it.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42He really captured your heart, I guess.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Yes, ROLF did! Just look at the way he cuddles that hedgehog.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47Hmm. Cute.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53When Antony was a kid it was robots, not animals,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55that were on his telly.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I loved Metal Mickey, but I had no idea what it was about.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01# Ready, steady, are you set
0:23:01 > 0:23:03# For Metal Mickey... #
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Antony was not alone. Practically everyone who saw it didn't get it.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Basically, Mickey was a robot who lived in a house with
0:23:10 > 0:23:12the Wilberforce family - don't ask why -
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and his number one fan - their gran.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18He can't help being a twit.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21ROBOT: Thank you for nothing...
0:23:21 > 0:23:22The bond between Gran and Mickey was
0:23:22 > 0:23:25so strong they even had pet names for each other.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Don't ask why.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- ROBOT: Hello, my little princess. - Hello, fluffy.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Metal Mickey had ears that lit up.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37As well as flashing ears, he had magic powers. Don't ask why.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40ROBOT: I will get it with my Metal Mickey magic.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44But, overall, Mickey was a pretty rubbish robot,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46which lead to all sorts of high jinx.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Either way, in the early '80s
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Metal Mickey was the highlight of the TV week.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Each Saturday afternoon at 5.15, both kids and adults would tune in
0:24:04 > 0:24:08to catch Mickey's latest antics and hear his classic catchphrase.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11ROBOT: Boogie, boogie, boogie, boogie
0:24:12 > 0:24:14# He's a lot of fun
0:24:14 > 0:24:16# He weight a half a tonne... #
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Robots were quite big in them days, weren't they?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23He weighed half a tonne, that's like a car.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25# So look out look out
0:24:25 > 0:24:29# Here's Metal Mickey... #
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Back in the 1950s for Tony, TV wasn't quite the same
0:24:33 > 0:24:35HD experience as you have today.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39The television itself was very, very small,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41little postage-stamp size,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43but you could by a magnifying glass
0:24:43 > 0:24:47that actually fastened on to the front of the TV,
0:24:47 > 0:24:48and it made it look bigger.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50The only problem was,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53if you sat at the side you couldn't see the picture properly,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58so you had to sit quite well in front of it. So that was that.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02By today's standards, these TVs in the '50s were not so good.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05But even on a tiny screen, there was one show that Tony still loved.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The show that was really big when I was a youngster
0:25:09 > 0:25:11was Dixon Of Dock Green.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17You'd have the opening sequence, where there'd be this copper,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21the friendly copper, all dressed up, and he'd say, "Evening all".
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Ah, good evening, all...
0:25:23 > 0:25:28Dixon Of Dock Green was a drama that ran for over 20 years on the BBC.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32The main character's a warm-hearted police officer called George Dixon.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34And sometimes, when you do get to the bottom of a case,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37you get a Dickens of a surprise.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41He was the kind of copper everyone want wanted in their neighbourhood
0:25:41 > 0:25:45and, as a result, the series was hugely popular.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Thank you very much. I'm sorry you've been troubled.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Thank you.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51It wasn't violent or anything like that.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53It was, "Oh, you shouldn't be doing that, young man."
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Come on. Look, I don't want to get tough with you, soldier,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- but if you make me... - Don't make trouble here, Doug.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00All right.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04It was all terribly gentlemanly and there was no violence.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Oh, my dear chap. I haven't been near the place.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I hate the neighbourhood.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11A really big show. Those of us who had televisions,
0:26:11 > 0:26:12we never missed that.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14See you next week.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Those were the TV memories of our three celebs,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but what do they remember most about being 12?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24If I was to reflect on when I was 12,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28I think I was just really lucky. I had a very happy childhood,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31very close family.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The best thing about being 12 is knowing you've got the whole
0:26:34 > 0:26:37of your life ahead of you. You don't know that at the time.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41I suppose that's why, when you're 12, you live with this boundless energy,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44where every day is a new day and every day is exciting.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48The best thing about being 12 was looking forward to being a teenager,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51as all 12-year-olds do.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54This is an amazing time of your life.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57You might not think so there and then,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00but just enjoy your school and just be strong to who you are.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04Don't worry about what other people are thinking and, like me,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07you might suddenly become amazing at a particular field
0:27:07 > 0:27:09that you didn't think you would've.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12If I would give any advice to a 12-year-old now,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14and a 12-year-old would never take my advice,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16cos you never take the advice of parents,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20I would say, "Grab every opportunity you can in life."
0:27:20 > 0:27:23That's something I have done.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25If I could write a letter to my 12-year-old self,
0:27:25 > 0:27:31I'd say, "Dear Antony, stop messing around,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33stop feeling sorry for yourself.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37It'll all be all right. Life's amazing.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41So, what've we learnt?
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Sometimes just liking a pop star is not enough.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50I love him! I love him! I love him!
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Never take dance lessons off a Robot.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59And if you've been number one for 15 weeks,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01watch out for the woman in bath towels.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03# Dee-dee-nah-nah-nah! #
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Subtitles By Red Bee Media Ltd