0:00:02 > 0:00:04Coming up, three celebs become 12 again.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05I was occasionally a bit cheeky.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Hang on, I'm at home but I'm on, I'm on the telly, I'm watching myself.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Bowww! It was brilliant.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Plus, we find out what Canadian pop-star Alyssa Reid was like
0:00:14 > 0:00:16when she was 12.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17'I dressed like a boy.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:19I played a lot of sports...
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Actually, I'm pretty sure I thought I was a boy until I was 14.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Dum, dum, dum...
0:00:25 > 0:00:28If you want to know what this lot are laughing about, keep watching.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Have you ever wondered what it would've been like to be best mates
0:00:33 > 0:00:36with your favourite celebs when they were your age?
0:00:36 > 0:00:38What did they get up to?
0:00:38 > 0:00:40What were their favourite songs
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and what TV shows did they watch?
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Because despite the glamorous lifestyles they now lead,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49once, they were a kid with a dream, just like you.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52This show lets you look back in time
0:00:52 > 0:00:56with your favourite celebs as they become 12 again.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04# Mercy, mercy your loving is the sweetest thing... #
0:01:04 > 0:01:07From hairdresser to superstar,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10he is the X Factor finalist who has his own seven nation army.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12# And a feeling coming from my bones... #
0:01:12 > 0:01:18But back in the year 2000, Marcus Collins wasn't all that different.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21If I could sum up what I was like when I was 12 years old,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I was a really excitable kid. I had loads of energy.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Today, she's one of Britain's favourite presenters.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29Miss Christine Bleakley!
0:01:29 > 0:01:30CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:30 > 0:01:35But back in 1991, Christine Bleakley was just happy being 12.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I was a happy go lucky 12-year-old,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41I think probably a little bit naive and slightly more innocent
0:01:41 > 0:01:43than a lot of my friends would've been.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44I caught up quite quickly.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46OPERATIC SINGING
0:01:49 > 0:01:53He is a worldwide renowned opera singer that made classical music
0:01:53 > 0:01:56so popular, he became known as The People's Tenor.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01But back in 1978, Russell Watson wasn't so good.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Probably most of my childhood, I was considered as a naughty boy.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09It may be all high notes and bright lights today,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12but it wasn't always that way. So let's rewind
0:02:12 > 0:02:16and find out everything about what they were like when they were 12.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I was a really excitable kid.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I had loads of energy. Occasionally a bit cheeky.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26I was a cocky little monkey and I think at that age as well,
0:02:26 > 0:02:27I thought I could take on the world.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29'All of a sudden, you're 12,'
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and you're at the big school, you've left primary school behind.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37I remember feeling like such a tiny little fish in this huge pond.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40'I was incredibly thin.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:44My legs looked like two strings of cotton with knots in the middle,
0:02:44 > 0:02:45they were my kneecaps.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47I was a little bit shorter than everybody else.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I was a really slow developer. I frizzy hair.
0:02:50 > 0:02:51LAUGHS
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Little afro.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'I had this massive, curly'
0:02:56 > 0:03:00black bush of hair, which I just could not control.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Which I still obviously have.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04A lot of work goes in to straighten it.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I used to wear bright colours, because I wanted to stand out,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10like big orange hoodies, or red hoodies
0:03:10 > 0:03:12and it was my way of expressing myself.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14So we now know what our celebrities looked like,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17but the important question is this, my friends...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20What else did our three celebs get up to?
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Er, football, football and football.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28And then at weekends, football.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'I used to be in the Scouts'
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and we used to go away camping and doing different activities
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and I was also in an after school hockey club
0:03:35 > 0:03:38which one of our English teachers used to run.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42We did a time capsule thing at school,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44which I'm guessing is still under the soil.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46And I remember writing in it
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I wanted to either be a podiatrist...
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Why? Working with feet. Or work in television.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55LAUGHS
0:03:55 > 0:03:58The TV thing though, I have to admit,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00just took over from a very young age.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Whilst Christine was dreaming of working in TV,
0:04:02 > 0:04:08Marcus was falling in love with somebody ON TV.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I used to have a crush on one of the presenters from CBBC
0:04:11 > 0:04:13and her name was Angelica,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Angelica Bell. Yes, she was my crush, I thought she was gorgeous.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18She changed her hair a lot,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21which probably pushed me in to doing hairdressing.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25'I think at that age, I was looking for approval from,'
0:04:25 > 0:04:27you know, my classmates and so on.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I'd be trying to make them laugh, doing silly voices,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32telling jokes...
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and I think probably at that time I was seen as the class clown.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'I'd been in the orchestra in school,'
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I'd learnt to play a little bit of violin,
0:04:42 > 0:04:46some keyboards, the penny whistle, I learned the recorder,
0:04:46 > 0:04:48I learned as many different instruments as I could,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50but I noticed that out of all of them,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53my voice was the one that I was the best at,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56so that kind of motivated me to want to do music.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Whilst Marcus had discovered his passion for singing and music,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04for Russell in Salford, it wasn't so easy.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06'Difficult to believe now',
0:05:06 > 0:05:07but I was probably a bit shy
0:05:07 > 0:05:11and a bit uncomfortable with actually singing in public.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13I used to sit up in my bedroom and sing and mimic other singers
0:05:13 > 0:05:17but nobody was listening to what I was doing,
0:05:17 > 0:05:18so it was never heard.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23And into my teens, 12, 13, was where I discovered guitars.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27And I bought my first guitar at that age
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and I was never off the thing.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34'Growing up in Northern Ireland, it's a beautiful place
0:05:34 > 0:05:36'and certainly was then,'
0:05:36 > 0:05:39but it wasn't the easiest place to grow up in for lots of people.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Life was difficult for many people in Northern Ireland.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46The Troubles, as it became known, lasted over 30 years,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and was caused by disagreements between different communities
0:05:50 > 0:05:52over if the country should belong to the Republic of Ireland
0:05:52 > 0:05:54or the United Kingdom.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Both sides often attacked each other,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00resulting in many people being injured and sometimes killed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04When Christine was 12, there was one incident that affected her directly.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06'It was one summer evening'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and we were all out playing like we used to
0:06:09 > 0:06:12when we were kids and this bomb went off.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It happened two miles from where we were
0:06:15 > 0:06:19and the ground shook like never before and this almighty bang...
0:06:19 > 0:06:22And within seconds, we were surrounded by smoke.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'And it was just petrifying.'
0:06:25 > 0:06:28As a little kid, those sort of memories
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and even talking about those things now, it's almost like,
0:06:31 > 0:06:32did that really happen?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36During this time, the British Army was sent to Northern Ireland
0:06:36 > 0:06:39to try and keep the peace between both sides,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43which at times lead to extreme measures being put in place.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46'To go into our city centre of Belfast, can you imagine it now,
0:06:46 > 0:06:51'wherever you might live, imagine your city with big gates around it',
0:06:51 > 0:06:53police and army and every one of your bags being checked
0:06:53 > 0:06:56before we were allowed to go down the main street.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It sounds crazy but that's happened in my lifetime
0:06:59 > 0:07:01and I hope it's never like that again for people
0:07:01 > 0:07:02growing up in Northern Ireland,
0:07:02 > 0:07:07or indeed anywhere. It's not an ideal way to grow up.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So those are just some of the stories about Marcus,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Russell and Christine when they were 12.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15But what kind of music were they listening to when they were kids?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18When I was 12, I was listening to all different types of music.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21I remember really being in to pop music,
0:07:21 > 0:07:25because... it was mainstream and I'd see it on the TV. S Club Seven...
0:07:25 > 0:07:27# Reach for the stars... #
0:07:27 > 0:07:29The S Club Juniors...
0:07:29 > 0:07:31# One step closer to Heaven... #
0:07:31 > 0:07:33'Five...'
0:07:33 > 0:07:35# Get on up when you're down... #
0:07:35 > 0:07:40- Steps... - # A deeper shade of blue... #
0:07:40 > 0:07:43If I could name a video that stuck with me from my childhood,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45I'd say Destiny's Child, Independent Women.
0:07:45 > 0:07:51# All the mommas who profit dollars Throw your hands up at me... #
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Destiny's Child were an American girl super band,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57featuring megastars Beyonce, Kelly Rowland
0:07:57 > 0:07:59and Michelle Williams.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02They had lots of hits and were absolutely massive.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06But what was it that Marcus particularly liked about this song?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10'They were in the air, flying for the Charlie's Angels soundtrack',
0:08:10 > 0:08:11that was an incredible video
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and something that always remains in my mind when I think of school.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17# Girl, I didn't know you could get down like that
0:08:17 > 0:08:19# Charlie, how your angels get down like that? #
0:08:19 > 0:08:23ALL: Good morning, Charlie.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Morning, ladies, but the name's Ian.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Right, let's get back and find out what Russell was listening to
0:08:28 > 0:08:29in the late '70s.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34'There was a period between the early to mid '70s',
0:08:34 > 0:08:38where it didn't seem there was that much exciting going on.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40At that point, it was something like The Real Thing,
0:08:40 > 0:08:43# You to me are everything... #
0:08:43 > 0:08:46# The sweetest song that I can sing, oh, baby... #
0:08:46 > 0:08:49But the smooth sound of the '70s was about to be shattered,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52as a new style of music arrived.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55All of a sudden you've got The Jam. Da-na-na-na-na-na...
0:08:55 > 0:08:59You know? Roaring guitars and booming bass.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03VOCALS DROWNED OUT BY MUSIC
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The Jam were born out of the punk rock music movement
0:09:06 > 0:09:07that started in the mid '70s.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12# I wanna be... #
0:09:12 > 0:09:16Punk began as a result of the general discontentment of the time.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19With high unemployment and no prospects,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23punk music became the voice of many angry young people.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27VOCALS DROWNED OUT BY MUSIC
0:09:29 > 0:09:32The music was aggressive, loud and for many,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35was a fight against authority and the Government.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39'It was a really exciting time to be a youngster at that point,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41'because the lyrics infused this sense of angst'
0:09:41 > 0:09:43against what was going on.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47So the great three pieces, like The Jam, were at the height
0:09:47 > 0:09:50of the period of time with the angry young man
0:09:50 > 0:09:53banging their head down with the guitar, dum, dum, dum...
0:09:53 > 0:09:56You know, the drums roaring in the background. Dum, dum, dum...
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And for Russell, Eton Rifles was one of their greatest hits.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01# Hello-hurray...
0:10:01 > 0:10:06#..what a nice day for Eton Rifles Eton Rifles. #
0:10:06 > 0:10:07It was brilliant.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12I want to get my Jam records out when I get home.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15# Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles. #
0:10:15 > 0:10:17So let's leave Russell jamming in the '70s
0:10:17 > 0:10:21and find out what Christine was singing along to in the early '90s.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24One of my favourite songs when I was 12
0:10:24 > 0:10:29has got to be Dizzy by The Wonder Stuff and Vic Reeves.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31# Dizzy
0:10:32 > 0:10:34# I'm so dizzy... #
0:10:34 > 0:10:35Yeah, you heard it right,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Vic Reeves from the Ministry Of Curious Stuff had
0:10:38 > 0:10:42a brief pop career in the early '90s with a band called The Wonder Stuff.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45# And it's you, girl Makin' it spin... #
0:10:45 > 0:10:49The Wonder Stuff were quite indie and quite cool and a bit rocky.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52# Damn blast, look at my past... #
0:10:52 > 0:10:53The Wonder Stuff were one of the biggest indie bands
0:10:53 > 0:10:56of the late '80s and early '90s
0:10:56 > 0:10:57and had loads of huge hits,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00namely this song which was called Size Of A Cow.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04# Size of a cow, oh... #
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And when they teamed up with Vic in 1991,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08they went straight to the number one spot.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11# Then I held you close to me and I kissed you
0:11:11 > 0:11:13# And my heart began to melt... #
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Vic Reeves thrown into the mix added a bit of madness and for me
0:11:15 > 0:11:17it just worked for some reason.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19# Girl you've got control of me
0:11:19 > 0:11:21# Cos I'm so dizzy I can't see
0:11:21 > 0:11:23# I need to call a doctor for some... #
0:11:23 > 0:11:25It was kind of the anthem of my year then, I just loved it.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29I remember dancing around in the house with my sister
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and spinning around and making ourselves just dizzy.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34# I'm so dizzy, my head is...
0:11:34 > 0:11:35# ..spinning
0:11:35 > 0:11:39# Like a whirlpool, it never ends. #
0:11:39 > 0:11:42As you can see, that's why I didn't end up singing in a band
0:11:42 > 0:11:44but yeah, it was one of my favourites.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45# Dizzy... #
0:11:46 > 0:11:48If that doesn't make you dizzy with excitement,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50wait till you see what's still to come.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55We catch up with singer-songwriter Alyssa Reid
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and find out what she was like at 12.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00You don't want to grow up, I know you think you do but you don't.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Trust me.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06And our celebs revisit their favourite telly shows.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08It was all organised, out ready for me to go.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12You know, I'll always belong in Crinkley Bottom for me.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Supposed to depict how things would look in the future.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18But first, let's see what news stories
0:12:18 > 0:12:20had an impact on our celebrities when they were 12.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I remember seeing the Millennium Dome
0:12:23 > 0:12:25and all the talk about it being built.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28The Millennium Dome was built as the centrepiece of Britain's
0:12:28 > 0:12:31celebrations for the millennium.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35It is 365 metres in diameter - one metre for every day of the year.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38But the Dome was very controversial.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41The Millennium Dome has come in for more damning criticism,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43this time from the Government's spending watchdog.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47It cost a lot more to build than originally planned
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and didn't attract as many visitors as they expected.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53- I think it's a waste of money. - Scrap it altogether.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54I don't think I'd waste my money
0:12:54 > 0:12:56on the Millennium Dome, thank you very much.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58But for Marcus, there was something else
0:12:58 > 0:13:00about the building that caught his attention.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02One thing I do remember
0:13:02 > 0:13:05is it was featured in a James Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09I remember seeing James Bond whizzing past there on a speedboat.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12But this isn't actually James Bond.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16In fact, this is real CCTV footage of wannabe robbers.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19In November 2000, a gang attempted to pull off one of the biggest
0:13:19 > 0:13:22heists the country has ever seen when they tried to
0:13:22 > 0:13:27steal 12 diamonds worth £350 million that were on display in the Dome.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And this was their cunning plan.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32First they smashed into the Dome using a digger,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35then broke into the display case using a nail gun and sledgehammers
0:13:35 > 0:13:39and their getaway vehicle was a high-powered speedboat.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Well, not quite - it was actually a small leisure boat.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45There was one problem though.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47The police had been tipped off about the robbery
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and were waiting for them disguised as cleaners.
0:13:50 > 0:13:56We arrested them with overwhelming force, with armed officers.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59The robbers were later tried and sentenced with one robber claiming
0:13:59 > 0:14:04he would have got away with it if it wasn't for the 140 police officers.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09And when Russell was 12 in the late '70s,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Britain was going through some very tough times.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14One of the big news stories when I was 12,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18we had, at that point, one of the biggest national strikes ever,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23I think around about 1.5 million people went on strike.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Throughout the '70s, living costs became very high.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31This meant that everyday things became more expensive.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The Labour government attempted to control rising living costs
0:14:34 > 0:14:37by putting a limit on people's wages,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41which meant that as prices rose, and people's wages stayed the same,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44many people became poorer and could buy less.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47There was a lot of people out of work
0:14:47 > 0:14:51and when you have high unemployment rates,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55you're going to get high discontentment rates as well.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59The trade unions led widespread strike action to demand pay rises.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03This meant that thousands of people refused to go to work.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09Within the next week, 95% of all the manufacturer of cakes
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and biscuits in this country will simply come to a halt.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Are you going to continue to picket there?
0:15:14 > 0:15:19We'll continue until such times as we get another offer.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23This time has become known as the Winter of Discontent.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I remember it quite well.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Mainly because of the fact that my mum was persistently complaining
0:15:29 > 0:15:33that the bins hadn't been picked up for about two or three weeks.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Not only did waste collectors go on strike, but lorry drivers,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40NHS workers and even gravediggers.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44As a result, the Labour government began to fall apart
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and the Conservatives, led by Margaret Thatcher,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51who promised to solve the problem, won the next general election.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Well, I'm appalled they've increased picketing.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55First, it seems so callous.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59When the Iron Lady took over, Maggie,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02she went in really quite heavily handed.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Margaret Thatcher restricted the powers of the trade unions,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08meaning it was less easy for them to go on strike.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Britain came out of its recession, but the country was
0:16:11 > 0:16:14never the same again. Even to this day,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17opinions are still divided about the actions taken by Margaret Thatcher
0:16:17 > 0:16:19at that time.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Just before Christine was 12, a huge news story happened
0:16:23 > 0:16:25that affected many countries.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30One of the biggest news stories when I was 12 was the Gulf War.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Thousands of soldiers and dozens of tanks from the Middle Eastern
0:16:36 > 0:16:41country of Iraq poured over the border into neighbouring Kuwait.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Within nine hours they'd seized control of the small country.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48The invasion of Kuwait was seen as illegal by the United Nations,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and Iraq was ordered to withdraw from the country
0:16:51 > 0:16:52or they would use force to remove them.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ignored the demand,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00and in January 1991 a coalition of many countries,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03led by America, launched Operation Desert Storm
0:17:03 > 0:17:05to remove the troops from Kuwait.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10We all learn about the First and Second World War at school
0:17:10 > 0:17:13and suddenly we're watching this war unfold on television.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Because the big boys were involved, America were in there,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20we were in there, it all felt like this was really kicking off.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Now they're moving forward in the direction of Kuwait City.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27The war only lasted for less than two months,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30but thousands of people lost their lives in the conflict.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34I was really frightened watching the news
0:17:34 > 0:17:38and it was a lot to do with the fact that news journalism changed somewhat
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and I think the Gulf War did that - it had people on the front line
0:17:41 > 0:17:44for the first time, we were seeing things as it was happening.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48I remember them even filming from the bombers that were heading over.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- NEWSREADER:- Every one of America's fighter bombers
0:17:51 > 0:17:55carries a video camera, providing a pilot's eye view of a bombing raid.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00At the end of February 1991, Saddam Hussein withdrew his Iraqi troops,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04and US President Bush announced the liberation of Kuwait.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Kuwait is liberated, Iraq's army is defeated.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Our military objectives are met.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13It was just so massive and I do remember that really quite vividly.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Still to come, we ask the all-important question -
0:18:18 > 0:18:21what would our celebs do if they were 12 again?
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Listen a bit more before I spoke.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27In many respects it's a difficult age.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30It was much more fun when I was 12!
0:18:30 > 0:18:34But before all that, we've got two minutes to discover
0:18:34 > 0:18:35what Alyssa Reid was like at 12.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38# Everywhere I go and everyone who knows me
0:18:38 > 0:18:40# Knows that I will stand alone... #
0:18:40 > 0:18:44She's a supercool Canadian pop star who had a number two hit
0:18:44 > 0:18:46with her song Alone Again.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53But when Alyssa Reid was a kid, it was a very different story.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55When I was 12 I had a mushroom cut,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58gap teeth and, like, tiny little box teeth,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01so it just kind of looked like Lego.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Oh, Alyssa, I'm sure your teeth weren't that bad,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07but what were you wearing?!
0:19:07 > 0:19:10I dressed like a boy. I played a lot of sports.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I'm pretty sure I thought I was a boy until I was 14.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16There must have been some girly things you got up to. Go on!
0:19:16 > 0:19:17'Fess up, sister!
0:19:17 > 0:19:21When I was 12 I attempted to wax my legs for the first time.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I poured the wax all over my legs,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26put the little cloth thing over the top of my leg.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30I don't know what I did wrong, but it looked like I had
0:19:30 > 0:19:33a perfect strip of a bruise all the way down my leg.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34It was really awful.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38OK. When you weren't horrifically hurting your legs,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41what kind of music were you listening to?
0:19:41 > 0:19:43I listened to a lot of Alicia Keys.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46I auditioned for my first competition with one of her songs.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51# I keep on falling in and out
0:19:51 > 0:19:54# Of love with you... #
0:19:54 > 0:19:57She wrote her own music, she played the piano,
0:19:57 > 0:19:58she had this incredible voice
0:19:58 > 0:20:03and she could get on stage without all the glitz and glam
0:20:03 > 0:20:07and she can still captivate an audience like...
0:20:07 > 0:20:09nobody else I've ever seen.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12But if Alyssa Reid was 12 again, what would she do?
0:20:12 > 0:20:16# How do I get you alone...#
0:20:16 > 0:20:22When I was 12 I was playing with Barbies and playing sports
0:20:22 > 0:20:24and I didn't really care about anything,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27and now I see 12-year-olds walking around in heels.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29I'm just like, "No."
0:20:29 > 0:20:31I want to shake people and be like, "You don't want to grow up.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35"I know you think you do, but you don't. Trust me.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37"Just stay young forever. Just be 12."
0:20:37 > 0:20:39"Never grow up."
0:20:39 > 0:20:42# How do I get you alone... #
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Well, that is impossible, but I love the sentiment.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Right, let's get back to our three celebs and find out
0:20:50 > 0:20:53what Marcus, Christine and Russell where watching when they were 12.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58At 12 years old I was really into arts and crafts
0:20:58 > 0:21:00so I was watching Art Attack,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Finger Tips, but my favourite of all was SMart.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06SMart THEME TUNE PLAYS
0:21:06 > 0:21:12SMart was an art show on CBBC which ran from 1994 to 2009.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I used to love making the different things, papier-mache,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19my mum was really artistic and really encouraged me to paint and draw.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22I think that's where I get my creativity from, my mum. And SMart.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28It had loads of ideas how to make your own artistic masterpieces,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31making anything from small doodles
0:21:31 > 0:21:34to turning your lunchbox into a giant sandwich.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37So, do you want to make a meal out of your lunchbox?
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Most of all, the SMart team loved nothing more than to make
0:21:40 > 0:21:44massive pieces of art out of anything they could find.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48I had so many different things to help me be creative,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50I had pencil crayons, felt tips,
0:21:50 > 0:21:54charcoal, chalks. You name it, I had it,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and my mum got me it and it was all organised, out ready for me to draw.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Stay!
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Bye!
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Let's rewind to the 1990s
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and find out what Christine was watching in Northern Ireland.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Every Saturday night it was Noel's House Party. Just fantastic.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And Noel Edmonds, as much as I watch him now
0:22:15 > 0:22:17on Deal Or No Deal or anything else he might ever do,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19he'll always belong in Crinkley Bottom, for me.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Thank you, guests, welcome to the old house here in Crinkly Bottom.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28- Noel's House Party was- the - Saturday night entertainment show
0:22:28 > 0:22:31of the '90s. It was presented by Noel Edmonds and was set in
0:22:31 > 0:22:35his made-up mansion, in his made-up town of Crinkley Bottom.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39It was absolute must-see TV where anything could happen.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41AUDIENCE LAUGH
0:22:41 > 0:22:46No-one was safe. Even people at home could be on the show.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51And now, live from Crinkley Bottom, it's NTV!
0:22:51 > 0:22:54You and your family could be sitting at home and suddenly you realise
0:22:54 > 0:22:57they had a hidden camera and you were on the telly
0:22:57 > 0:22:59and people looked at each other and couldn't quite figure out,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02"Hang on, I'm at home but I'm on TV, I'm watching myself."
0:23:02 > 0:23:05- If your name is Helen shout "house!" - House!
0:23:05 > 0:23:07SHE LAUGHS
0:23:09 > 0:23:13My mum always would say, "I couldn't think of anything worse.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15"Can you imagine that all of a sudden,
0:23:15 > 0:23:16"realising you're on the telly?"
0:23:16 > 0:23:19She would not like the element of surprise.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Good evening, Helen!
0:23:20 > 0:23:22HELEN SHRIEKS WITH EXCITEMENT
0:23:25 > 0:23:29One of the biggest parts of the show was the Gotcha Oscars,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31where Noel would prank his celebrity friends.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32LAUGHTER
0:23:32 > 0:23:34SHE SCREAMS
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Loads of celebrities fell victim to Noel,
0:23:37 > 0:23:42including Phillip Schofield, who was apparently stuck
0:23:42 > 0:23:45in a magician's guillotine in front of thousands of people
0:23:45 > 0:23:48seconds before he was about to broadcast live on Radio 1.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Good morning and welcome!
0:23:54 > 0:23:56LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I am strapped inside a guillotine machine,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04but that's the way it goes.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08I can't even turn round and cue Roger for a piece of music.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12I used to love the celebs even more for it, cos I thought,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15"You've got a sense of humour. You've allowed this to happen
0:24:15 > 0:24:16"and let us watch it afterwards."
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Only one person would jeopardise the beginning of the programme
0:24:20 > 0:24:21and that's Noel Edmonds.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24It was just brilliant and then, yeah, the old gotcha at the end
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and in would walk Noel. It was so funny.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29From the House Party, good night.
0:24:29 > 0:24:30BELL RINGS
0:24:32 > 0:24:35So let's leave Christine having a house party with Noel Edmonds
0:24:35 > 0:24:38and rewind to find out what Russell was watching in the '70s.
0:24:38 > 0:24:45Space: 1999 was brilliant and in the late '70s was supposed to depict
0:24:45 > 0:24:47how things would look in the future.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53The idea was that a scientific community were living on the moon,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Moonbase Alpha, in fact. There was a massive nuclear explosion
0:24:56 > 0:24:58and the moon was torn out of
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Earth's orbit and hurled into outer space.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02They cover it all in the intro, if I'm being honest.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Each episode would see the moon drifting into all kinds of trouble.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Evacuation procedure. - All eagles, prepare to evacuate.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13They'd come across loads of strange planets
0:25:13 > 0:25:15and even met an evil high-tech robot called...
0:25:15 > 0:25:17- Brian!- Brian?!
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Hey, don't laugh, that robot's got a very bright light!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Turn it off, turn off that light!
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Steady on, Brian.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Some of those watching the programme in the '70s really did believe
0:25:31 > 0:25:34that by 1999 they'd be able to live in space.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38Yeah, Space: 1999, fantastic.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Unless you were a robot called Brian, that is.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46So those where the TV programs that our three celebs were watching,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49but what do they most remember about being 12?
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Some of my fondest memories of being 12 are playing out
0:25:53 > 0:25:55in the late summer evenings
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and it'd still be light at 11 o'clock and it was just an easier time,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01everything was really cool, no responsibilities, no worries.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Just fun.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07The best thing about being 12 by far was the amount of energy
0:26:07 > 0:26:11that I had at the age of 12. I could run and play football all day.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Ah... Those were the days.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18Just innocently singing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22As much as I still might do that to this day, it was much more fun
0:26:22 > 0:26:24when I was 12.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29If I could go back and give myself, at 12 years old, a bit of advice,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33I would give myself a little bit more confidence
0:26:33 > 0:26:37and I would advise myself to listen a bit more before I spoke.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Cos I was very chatty.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43In many respects it is a difficult age.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49If I was to say I had any regrets it would probably be that I didn't...
0:26:49 > 0:26:54pay as much attention and apply myself
0:26:54 > 0:26:57to what I was at school for.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58You're definitely at that stage
0:26:58 > 0:27:01where you know you're on the growing-up phase
0:27:01 > 0:27:04and changing schools and I remember thinking,
0:27:04 > 0:27:09the whole way through the year of being 12, "I'm 13 next year!
0:27:09 > 0:27:11"I'm a proper, official teenager!"
0:27:11 > 0:27:13and that's a real milestone for everybody.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16There are hard times, you're going to get a few spots
0:27:16 > 0:27:20and feel a bit rotten. You know, you do come through it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23You'll come out the other side and...
0:27:23 > 0:27:25things change. It'll be all right.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Suddenly you blossom very quickly.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31You're 13 before you know it, then you're a teenager,
0:27:31 > 0:27:36and then you kind of fly off from then, and 12 was a great age,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I guess, as awkward as it was.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43And if you're feeling awkward at 12, trust me, it will get better.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49So, what have we learnt then?
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Be careful when you're watching TV. It could be you.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54Go!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56WOMAN SHRIEKS WITH EXCITEMENT
0:27:56 > 0:27:59AUDIENCE LAUGHS
0:27:59 > 0:28:03You can turn your lunchbox into a giant sandwich...for some reason.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Perfect for your light snacks.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08And next time you meet an evil robot called Brian, run away!
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd