Music Special 12 Again

Coming up, stars of the music industry become 12 again.

When I was 12, I remember being really addicted to Beyonce.

-I used to love playing dress-up by myself.

-My mum would cut my hair.

I had some pumpkin head, like this.

-I had blonde highlights in the front, maybe!

-Eurgh!

We're going to discover what life was like for them when they were 12.

I wanted to be a marine biologist.

But really I just wanted to swim with dolphins or hang out with whales.

I always sang when I was washing up.

I sang in my bedroom, or to my mum, and that was it.

So, are you ready for some pop-tastic stories?

Have you wondered what it would have 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 some of our biggest music stars

as they become 12 Again.

# Hello, my name is Bridgit, nice to meet you

# I think you're famous... #

Today, Bridgit Mendler is an American pop princess

and star of hit show Good Luck Charlie.

Yes, that's the one.

But what was she like back when she was 12?

I definitely had my shy moments, but if I opened up, I was super sassy.

# That you could still believe in me... #

They are the awesome pop foursome called Lawson.

But back when lead singer Andy was 12,

he just wanted to be part of the gang.

In school, I hung around with a mix of people.

The music crew, the football crew, and everyone in between.

I liked to be involved.

# Throw those curtains wide... #

Today he is the lead singer of Manchester mega-stadium

rock gods Elbow.

But back in 1986, Guy Garvey had his head in the clouds.

I was a sensitive kid, a bit of a dreamer.

It says in all my school reports, "Guy must pay more attention."

A*M*E is a teenage singer who was discovered

by Take That main man Gary Barlow.

But what was she like as a kid?

I was loud, which I guess could be a bit annoying.

But I think I was an all right kid.

# You are the one I think of... #

Indie popster Kate Nash's debut album went straight to number one.

But back in 1999, she wasn't quite so cool.

I have never been a shy child.

But I definitely wasn't, like, in the cool going at all.

# Stay up tonight... #

She's a hotly tipped Scottish teenager with truckloads of talent.

But back in 2006, stardom seemed a long way away for Nina Nesbitt.

I was really shy with people I didn't know.

I sung in my bedroom or to my mum, and that was it.

# Why did you let it slip... #

Stooshe are the ultra-cool Brit girl group whose first two singles

went straight into the top five.

But back when she was 12, Karis couldn't wait to grow up.

I always wanted to be older than I was. Couldn't wait till I was 21.

And what about Alex?

At that point, I was just quiet, in the corner, looking all innocent.

And smiling all the time.

Today they're all massive popstars.

But we're going to rewind and find out what they were like

back when they were 12.

When I was 12, there's this thing called the slick we all used to do.

I went through about ten tubs of gels in two weeks.

And I used to get all the front part of my hair

and completely slick it around so it was like a massive side fringe.

And then get these crystal things and stick them on the front,

-and do little, like, pom-poms like this.

-Different.

-Did you grow your hair?

-I had short hair.

I had quite long hair at that point.

I had blonde highlights in the front, maybe.

Eurgh!

I always had horrible spots. I never had loads, I just had one big one.

I still get spots now. So hopefully they'll stop soon.

I started plucking my eyebrows when I was 12.

Found my mum's tweezers in her make-up bag.

-She came in an hour later, my mum was like, what have you done?!

-Imagine!

It was a nightmare but they're OK now!

When I got 12, I was getting into a bit weirder music.

I dyed my hair black at one point.

I looked a little bit of a kind of young punk emo.

I had big curly hair, long.

"Mum, I want short hair, and I want it to be straight."

So Mum would cut my hair. I had some pumpkin head, like this.

I was like, "Mum, what did you do?"

She was like, "You told me to cut your hair."

I was like, you should have said no!

So that's what they looked like as kids. But what did they get up to?

When I was in school, I got freakishly tall really quickly.

No-one else had really got that tall yet.

Everyone was like, you should play basketball.

So I started playing basketball.

I used to love playing dress-up by myself.

I remember one day I put together this awful thing.

It was like this multicoloured skirt that poufed out on the sides,

and I wore softball socks because I was playing softball at the time.

And I wore jazz shoes. And to me, I was like, "Oh, this is awesome!"

So I wore it to school, of course. And people were very confused.

When I was 12, shiny bomber jackets were the thing.

And I remember getting a row of safety pins,

and putting it through the zip on the arm,

to the zip that went up front of the coat,

in a kind of like, home-made military braid thing.

That went with my new National Health spectacles.

-I was really into Irish dancing when I was 12.

-All right, OK, yeah.

-I was in choir.

-Right...

-I was in chess club.

-Anything else?

-I was in Girl Guides too.

-This girl was busy!

So, Kate was cramming in every hobby under the sun.

But did our celebs have any ambitions for future pop stardom?

My dad was quite musical,

he was in a band with his brothers in Sierra Leone.

He was a massive inspiration, definitely.

My teacher used to bring a guitar in every day

and sing Beatles songs to the class. I was like, I've got to do that.

That's when I started learning to play guitar and sing a few tunes.

I wanted to be a gymnast. I always enjoyed doing music as a hobby.

I never thought I could do it as a career.

It wasn't till after I started performing

that I got the encouragement to do it as a career.

When I was 12, I probably wanted to be a stuntman.

What else did I want to do when I was 12?

I think for a while I wanted to be a priest.

That's a bit different from being a stuntman, Guy!

I was an altar boy and the priest was the main man.

You know, you get the outfit, and get to show off.

When I was 12, I wanted to be an actress and singer. That was it!

I wanted to be a marine biologist.

But really I just wanted to swim with dolphins, or hang out with whales.

Kate never got to hang out with whales, but she can carry a TUNA!

I used to watch my brother, he played guitar when I was like eight or nine.

I just wanted to outdo him. He played for a year.

I only started playing because I wanted to outdo him.

-You wanted to outdo him?

-I wanted to outdo him, yeah.

I wanted to outdo him. Yeah, it was great.

Did you outdo him at the end, though?

At the end of the day, I outdid him. So, Lee, if you're watching...

I outdid you.

But it wasn't all fun and games for our popstars to be.

And for young Guy, there were tough times ahead.

One of the most significant things that happened to me

when I was 12 was my mum and dad's divorce.

The feeling I remember was everybody being worried about everybody else.

It is the fear of what was changing.

And then what happened was, we used to go to my dad's,

my dad was only a mile away, and have tea with him.

We used to call it Garvey men's night.

I realise now that before Mum and Dad split up, I would probably

only see him one night a week, cos he was a nightshift worker.

So actually, when they split up,

the time I got with my dad was much better.

It's a sad time, but it's not a disaster.

And it was hard to have a laugh for a bit.

But not for long.

So, now we know what our popstars were getting up to at 12.

But what music were they listening to?

Avril Lavigne was just coming out at the time,

and I was obsessed at that age with the song Complicated.

# Why d'you have to go and make things so complicated?

# I see the way you're...

# Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated...

# Life's like this, you... #

Avril Lavigne was blazing a trail for Canadian pop

when Justin Bieber was still wearing short trousers.

She kind of has a tomboyish vibe.

She was one of the guys, a little tougher, which I thought was cool.

# Why d'you have to go and make things so complicated? #

Complicated was her debut single and became a global smash in 2002.

That was my favourite.

I even auditioned for a school play singing that song.

And from a Canadian pop princess...

..to homegrown Britpop.

One of my favourite albums

when I was a kid was What's The Story Morning Glory by Oasis.

That was probably, like, the first band I ever remember getting into

and Wonderwall was one of my favourite songs.

# Today is gonna be the day

# That they're gonna throw it back to you... #

Wonderwall was a massive hit for mouthy Manchester band Oasis,

reaching the number two spot back in 1995.

I started writing out lyrics around that age as well and learning them.

There's something really nostalgic about that song, and melancholy.

# Because maybe

# You're gonna be the one that saves me... #

I don't even really think I knew what it meant,

I still don't probably know what it means, but...

it reminds me of a very specific period of time around that age.

# You're my Wonderwall. #

Don't worry, Kate. I don't know what a Wonderwall is either.

And from the Mancunian band of the '90s...

..to these '80s Scottish legends.

I loved Deacon Blue. I thought they were great.

Guy's correct, they are great.

And the band from Glasgow are a must-have at all Scottish weddings.

# Tear out the pages

# That I got in these books... #

Ricky Ross from Deacon Blue had such a thick Scottish accent

that I used to make up what I thought he was singing. So, I mean...

# Cos you know we don't care... #

# You're a real gone kid... #

Now I know it's "Cos she's a real gone kid."

And then you go... # Maybe now, baby! #

-And Lorraine McIntosh would go...

-# Living out baby! #

-You can't do it, can you?

-I'm trying my best, mate!

Anyway, Real Gone kid was their first top-ten smash back in 1988.

I always sang when I was washing up. In your marigolds and your apron.

Washing-up brush as the microphone.

You'd be singing along to it at the top of your voice.

And looking at yourself in the window.

Well, you've got to start somewhere.

And whilst Guy was living the dream doing his chores,

Nina was practising for superstardom in her bedroom.

I had a little karaoke machine which was my favourite.

I used to sing Hero by Mariah Carey.

# There's a hero.

# If you look inside your heart... #

Released in 1993, Hero went on to be a global top-ten smash.

I would just sing until I went to bed, basically.

And every now and again, she still wails the old tune out.

-# Then a hero comes along... #

-Told you.

# With the strength to carry on

# And you cast your fears aside... #

And while Nina loved Mariah...

..12-year-old A*M*E was besotted with another powerful pop diva.

# Got me looking so crazy right now... #

When I was 12, I remember being really addicted to Beyonce.

I loved just watching her perform.

My mum would buy me DVDs of her performances,

and I tried to copy them.

# I'm a survivor.... #

Beyonce first found fame as a member of mega girl group Destiny's Child,

who hit the UK number one spot in 2001 with Survivor.

# I'm a survivor... #

But when Beyonce went solo in 2003, it was a laid-back R&B classic

that grabbed young A*M*E's attention.

I loved Me, Myself And I.

# Me, myself and I, that's all I got in the end,

# That's what I found out... #

I loved the video to that, I loved the whole rewinding thing.

I was like, whoa what is this?!

Me, Myself And I was the third hit from the massive debut album

Dangerously In Love.

And for Beyonce, a decade of chart domination had begun.

Yeah, I think that's my number one Beyonce track.

Still to come. Nina remembers a gunge-tastic gameshow.

I just remember gunge covering people and found it hilarious.

Kate recalls a legendary pop show.

It was just like a cool way of discovering music

and seeing your favourite bands playing.

And Bridgit says "Eh-oh!"

Eh-oh!

It was definitely a younger show, but I had an appreciation for it.

It was really cool.

But first, let's find out what news stories made a lasting impression

on our celebs when they were kids.

Businesses are being urged to have their computers checked

for the so-called millennium bug.

It's feared all kinds of equipment from video recorders

to air traffic control systems could fail

because they won't recognise the year 2000.

A big news story when I was 12 was the millennium

and what was going to happen.

The computers would shut down and planes would fall out of the sky

and everyone's going to lose their jobs.

Back in 1999, the millennium bug was a computer problem that

everyone was talking about as the end of the century approached.

We rely on computers for almost everything today.

If they break down, traffic could grind to a halt.

It's all a bit technical, but to save space,

computers save dates as two digits rather than four.

So in 2000, they'd have sort of gone back in 100 years in time

and all crashed.

If we don't act...

..then the result will be loss of money, of power,

and influence, perhaps on a disastrous scale.

Governments and businesses around the world spent billions trying

to make sure that disaster didn't strike.

For professional bug busters, there's plenty of work.

The process is simple, the scale of the task huge.

-KATE:

-Everyone was worried that the millennium was going to bring

the end of the world.

Even the microchip inside your video could fail,

making recording your favourite programmes impossible.

I actually remember being seriously kind of worried about that.

Me too, Kate!

I'd be devastated if I couldn't tape an episode of

the Antiques Roadshow on my video recorder.

And on the strike of midnight...

..not much actually happened.

So far, there've been no records of problems

caused by the so-called millennium computer bug.

Aeroplanes didn't crash from the sky

and electricity, transport and financial systems around the world

continued to work...normally!

I remember the most dramatic thing that happened that night,

and it was my friend eating an entire giant bucket of coleslaw.

So it really wasn't that bad.

You're right, it could have been a lot worse, actually, yeah.

And while Kate was fretting over computer bugs...

Guy's family were at the centre of a crisis

between the people who made newspapers and their bosses.

A major demonstration is being held tonight outside Rupert Murdoch's

new printing plant at Wapping in East London.

A big news story when I was 12 was the Wapping dispute.

Several thousand printers

and their supporters are protesting over the sacking of 5,500 workers

when Mr Murdoch moved his main titles to Wapping last month.

The Wapping dispute began in January 1986,

when newspaper workers went on strike

because their jobs were being threatened

by the introduction of new technology.

The same methods were employed for hundreds of years,

but the computers could do the jobs they couldn't.

This morning, readers of the Sunday Times

and the News Of The World woke up to a newspaper revolution.

Where a few hundred electricians have brought out

what previously needed several thousand printers.

So all those men lost their jobs.

But it wasn't just happening in London.

A few years before, in Manchester,

Guy's own family was directly affected by a similar dispute.

My dad was one of 2,000 men working on printing the Daily Mirror.

And overnight, 1,800 of them were made redundant.

But back then, the printers were very strongly unionised.

A trade union is an organisation of workers in a particular industry

who have joined together to protect their rights

and negotiate pay and working conditions with their bosses.

When so many men get sacked,

or when so many people's jobs are threatened, the unions go on strike.

And what a strike is, is everybody refuses to go to work.

The Wapping dispute was long and bitter

and the protesters often clashed with police.

The mood was of anger and frustration.

There was some pushing and shoving along the line.

160 police officers were injured.

Union leaders estimate the number of demonstrators hurt at over 300.

And for Guy's family, the dispute was particularly tough.

That was a really difficult period for everybody in my family,

because my mother was a policewoman before she got married.

Because of his beliefs and because of his union duties,

my dad was very conflicted over the whole thing.

After being in the news for over a year,

the strike eventually collapsed in February 1987.

Thousands of print workers had lost their jobs

and this was seen as a big blow to the UK trade union movement.

It was a difficult time for the whole country

and my dad was right in the middle of it.

So, when he was 12, Guy was learning how the world of work was changing.

But when A*M*E was young, her world was turned upside down.

One of Africa's most vicious civil wars

is thought to have cost 3,000 lives in the last few weeks.

I grew up in Sierra Leone, during the war.

The civil war in Sierra Leone began in the early 1990s

and lasted for more than a decade.

Sierra Leone is a lovely country, it's beautiful.

But it wasn't a very nice place to be at that time.

And A*M*E's family were directly affected by the conflict.

My mum is a hairdresser and her salon was bombed.

And so was the house right next to ours.

My mum, luckily enough, was able to get away to a neighbouring country.

A*M*E's family managed to flee the country

and they eventually settled in the UK.

United Nations troops were brought in in 1999

and the war was finally declared over in January 2002.

I don't really remember much about it but it was nice to come here,

and almost start fresh, and have brand-new friends.

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

What would our music stars do if they were 12 again?

I'd say to 12-year-old Bridgit, hang onto that uniqueness.

I would say, write more songs.

Cos there was some times when I got a bit distracted.

The world's your oyster when you're 12. It's brilliant.

It's definitely a year to enjoy and cherish.

I always wanted to be older.

Looking back now I should have just enjoyed it for what it is.

All right, back to business.

Let's find out what top TV shows our music stars tuned into

when they were kids.

A great kids' programme I watched when I was 12 was Get Your Own Back.

Yes!

Get Your Own Back was a totally bonkers kids' gameshow...

Blaarrrggh!

..which ran from 1991 to 2003.

Welcome to Get Your Own Back, the gungiest gameshow on TV.

The show gave kids the chance to get revenge on grown-ups

who were giving them grief.

-Who do you want to get your own back on?

-My teacher, Mr Clarkson.

-Who do you want to get your own back on?

-My mum.

And the poor grown-ups' crimes weren't that bad.

-You're sarcastic to the children, is this true?

-Not very much, no(!)

And the crazy games were designed to make them look a bit daft

-and they succeeded.

-You all right in there, Denise?

-Yes, fine!

I think I was just like an annoying child that found it funny

when adults got gunged.

It is the child with the highest score

that gets a chance to push the button and get their grown-up into the gunge

which is bigger and better and slimier than ever before!

I just remember gunge covering people and found it hilarious.

Mm! Love a bit of gunge!

Me and all my friends were always like,

-"Oh, we should nominate this teacher for it."

-Goodness me!

Unfortunately, we never got to gunge them.

So, while Nina was giggling over gunge, what was Bridgit watching?

I remember when we went to visit England when I was younger,

I saw the Teletubbies.

Teletubbies!

Hang on a minute, isn't Teletubbies for two-year-olds?

I have a younger brother, he was four at the time.

You wind up watching a lot of the same things.

Ah, the old younger brother routine.

Me and my brother would both watch it.

Time for Teletubbies!

Teletubbies followed the adventures of four cute and colourful

characters who waddled around the wacky world of Teletubby land.

So let's meet the gang.

-# Tinky Winky!

-Tinky Winky!

-# Dipsy!

-Dipsy!

-# Laa-laa!

-Laa-laa!

-# Po!

-Po! #

It was first shown in 1997.

And was loved by toddlers worldwide.

It was definitely a younger show but I had an appreciation for it.

-It was really cool.

-Really cool?!

Teletubbies seem to spend most of their time behind trees...

-Saying "Eh-oh."

-Eh-oh!

-And just hugging each other.

-ALL: Big hug!

I was very confused but I really enjoyed it.

You weren't the only one.

The Fab Four had a cult following amongst students

and even had a number one single in 1997

with a revamped version of their theme tune.

-# Tinky Winky!

-Tinky Winky!

-# Dipsy!

-Dipsy! #

So just how big a fan is our Bridgit?

Actually, I have a Teletubbies Halloween costume

that I've worn for the past two years in a row.

So that shows it had a big impact on my life.

Don't worry, Bridgit, your secret's safe with us.

And from a chart-topping hit to a number one pop show.

I remember actually, like, really loving Top Of The Pops.

Buckle up and please secure all loose valuables

for the best rollercoaster ride in music.

Of course we're number one, it's Top Of The Pops!

First broadcast in 1964,

Top Of The Pops was the BBC's chart show.

Me and my friends loved it.

Every week it would feature the biggest hits from the UK top 40.

ALL: Hi, we're the Spice Girls and we're number one!

# I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want

# So tell me what you want... #

I remember taping the first-ever Spice Girls performance.

# I wanna really really really wanna zig-a-zig, ah! #

Also Steps, Tragedy.

# Tragedy

# When the feeling's gone and you can't go on, it's tragedy... #

It was just a cool way of discovering music

and seeing your favourite bands play.

But it wasn't always as slick as a Steps dance routine.

And as with all live shows, things didn't always go to plan.

Sometimes, there were technical problems,

like with All About Eve in 1988.

Can you tell what went wrong?

-BACKING TAPE:

-# I hide in the water... #

Don't just sit there, you're on!

# I need to breathe... #

Sometimes singers couldn't actually sing,

like the Euro dance duo Cappella in 1994.

OFF-KEY: # Baby, dance, give it all that you can

# Cos it doesn't feel a thing for you... #

Ouch!

And sometimes rock stars struggle with even the basics.

Take it away, Rick Parfitt from Status Quo.

Oh dear! But despite some wobbly moments,

the world's longest-running music show ran for an astonishing

42 years until the lights finally went out in 2006.

It was a sparkly fun show that I think was really appealing to kids.

I think it's a shame that it's not around any more.

Yeah, you're right, Kate.

So those were the TV memories from our music stars.

But what were the best things about being 12?

I think being 12 is quite a weird age.

Your hormones are going crazy and it's all kind of new and exciting.

The best thing about being 12 in my opinion is probably just

the lack of worry and stress, you can do what you want. Go out and play.

For me the best thing about being 12 was going to secondary school

and meeting good friends, and having fun.

I think the best things and the worst things about being 12,

it's kind of the same thing.

You're trapped in between not being a kid any more

but definitely not being an adult.

That can be really frustrating, and it's really hard to fit in.

12 wasn't brilliant to me.

But then on the plus side, it's when I started realising that

I could plough my own furrow, I could work out what I wanted to do

with my life and I could stick to my own rules if I really wanted to.

And what advice they give to their 12-year-old selves?

Advice I would give to my 12-year-old self would be

to not grow up too fast.

I always wanted to be older.

Looking back now, I should have just enjoyed it for what it is.

I'd say to 12-year-old Bridgit, hang on to that uniqueness.

And I think I'd try not to boss my brother around as much.

I'd be a little bit nicer.

I would say, write more songs.

Cos there was some times where I got a bit distracted.

I wish I didn't let my mum cut my hair. It never grew back the same.

Your friends are so important at that age,

make sure you get in with the right friends.

The world's your oyster when you're 12. It's brilliant.

It's definitely a year to enjoy and to cherish.

When you hit 13 you're a teenager and that's a whole different ballgame.

I'd definitely like to experience it again.

So, what have we learnt?

If you're appearing on Top Of The Pops, try and stay on your feet.

Times were tough for parents in the '90s.

She's going to struggle to get that stain out.

And if you're a budding guitarist, never try to outdo Joel from Lawson.

-Did you do outdo him at the end?

-At the end of the day, I outdid him.

So, Lee, if you're watching. I outdid you.

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