0:00:02 > 0:00:04- John, stand by. Turn over now. - Turning.- Sound running.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Action!
0:00:06 > 0:00:09# No matter what you are... #
0:00:09 > 0:00:12The cry, "Action!" meant that I had to start pedalling
0:00:12 > 0:00:13with the van in full pursuit.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Hold on to your seats because here we go.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Falling through space was fantastic.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21# ..Ooh, girl, with you... #
0:00:21 > 0:00:26When you think about the pantheon of presenters on British television,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28not just the BBC, there's no question,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32John Noakes is up there, he is one of the very, very best.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Suddenly I feel awfully alone up here.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Climbing the mast at HMS Ganges and tightrope walking -
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I mean, other people didn't do that sort of thing, that was John Noakes.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44# ..Knock down the old grey wall... #
0:00:44 > 0:00:47For all boys, particularly, he was the go-to guy who did
0:00:47 > 0:00:50something on telly that day before and you talked about it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53# ..Nothing to see Nothing to do... #
0:00:53 > 0:00:55You might call that an avalanche.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00The spirit of him, his gift to us really is that he said,
0:01:00 > 0:01:05"Listen, you don't have to be prim about presenting."
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Push it that way, that's it.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10"You can also bring a kind of sparkle to it as well,"
0:01:10 > 0:01:12so, thank you, John.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15# ..No matter what you are... #
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- He was a kind of nice, northern lad really.- Whoa!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21You know, down-to-earth but much more thoughtful
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and didn't play the fool when he was just with us.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Never mind the sheep, just smell that moor air.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29They say it turns men into mice.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33He was so shy, he wasn't an extrovert.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It's a wild and woolly night out there, lad, isn't it?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39So he invented a character that he could be.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42# ..No matter what you are... #
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Your sides, John.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Didn't he do...bleurgh?!
0:01:47 > 0:01:50# ..Doesn't matter what you do, girl... #
0:01:50 > 0:01:54John was a big star and he didn't even really realise it.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Hey! Big cheer for us. Hey!
0:01:57 > 0:02:01My greatest claim to fame is not being on Blue Peter,
0:02:01 > 0:02:02it's working with John Noakes.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07# ..Ooh, girl, you girl, want you. #
0:02:22 > 0:02:25The theme of the programme is adventure.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Yes, it's very difficult actually to say what Blue Peter is.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32It's many things, it's almost everything.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37We participate in things, we do things on film, we make things.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40We never stand on the sideline and watch, we do it.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Nelson's Column was a terrific Blue Peter epic.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50I mean, John was fearless and would have a go at anything.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Edward Barnes, who was the deputy head of children's programmes,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00used to live in Balham and every day, he'd come in
0:03:00 > 0:03:03via Trafalgar Square to get to Television Centre,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06and on one occasion, he saw a ladder up the side
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and he came and said, "Oh, there's a ladder up Nelson's Column,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11"send someone down to see what's going on."
0:03:11 > 0:03:14So I was sent off to go and have a look.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17And I arrived and I found
0:03:17 > 0:03:20the steeplejack on the square, Reg Dossell,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and I said to Reg, "What are you doing?"
0:03:23 > 0:03:26He said, "Oh, I'm cleaning the pigeon droppings out
0:03:26 > 0:03:27"from underneath Nelson's plinth."
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And I said, "Oh, sounds very good.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32"Do you mind if Blue Peter came down and make a film about it?
0:03:32 > 0:03:33"We could bring John Noakes."
0:03:33 > 0:03:37And he was sort of, "John Noakes?! Of course, John! Yeah, wonderful!"
0:03:37 > 0:03:40The doors used to fly open, he was such a big star.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47John had actually come back from filming
0:03:47 > 0:03:50with the forces' gymnastics team.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54He was absolutely shattered and exhausted.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Then they said, "We've got
0:03:57 > 0:04:02"the go-ahead for doing Nelson's column, but tomorrow morning."
0:04:02 > 0:04:07And so, he was already feeling quite stiff and elderly
0:04:07 > 0:04:11when he set off that morning to do the film.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Oh! I'm a bit stiff, I think.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- Here we go.- It's a long way, isn't it?- It is, yeah.- How high is it?
0:04:17 > 0:04:22- It's about 180 feet, I think.- Is it? How are the ladders fixed on?
0:04:22 > 0:04:24They're roped quite firmly around the actual column itself.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32We had a cherry picker in the corner of the square to get
0:04:32 > 0:04:34the big wide shot and then I thought, "Health and safety."
0:04:34 > 0:04:36In fact, I didn't think health and safety,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40I just thought, "How can I stop John from dying?"
0:04:40 > 0:04:42By gum, it's only held on with rope.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I said, "Have you got any safety harnesses?"
0:04:46 > 0:04:48They said, "Oh, yes, we've got a safety harness."
0:04:48 > 0:04:50They brought out this huge web-like thing.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54And it's quite heavy and, of course,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56there was 180 foot of rope to go with it.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59John just took one look at it and said, "I'm not wearing that, lad.
0:04:59 > 0:05:00"I'll be safer without."
0:05:00 > 0:05:03I took Reg to one side, "Are you sure about this?"
0:05:03 > 0:05:06And he said, "Don't worry, he'll be so scared,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09"he'll be making dents with his hands on the side of the ladder
0:05:09 > 0:05:12"as he goes up," which, of course, is not something you could ever
0:05:12 > 0:05:14put in a health and safety report.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16You have to take a rest every so often
0:05:16 > 0:05:19when climbing a ladder this long, otherwise your muscles weaken
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and you could easily lose your grip and fall.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Our cameraman Terry was waiting at the top and he really did
0:05:30 > 0:05:33have a bird's-eye view of me reaching the worst part of the climb.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I wasn't actually on the ground when he arrived.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40He told me afterwards that he looked up there,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42he very nearly didn't do it.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47At this level, the plinth on which Nelson stands overhangs the column.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50I then noticed to my horror the ladder at the very top
0:05:50 > 0:05:53of the column went back at an angle about 20 degrees.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58It leaned out across the top,
0:05:58 > 0:06:02so you actually had to lean out to go round,
0:06:02 > 0:06:03over the top of the parapet,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and that was the most frightening bit of it.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I found myself, literally, hanging from the ladder
0:06:10 > 0:06:12with nothing at all beneath me.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18He said, he hadn't realised how strong you needed to be
0:06:18 > 0:06:21to actually support your weight as you came underneath the plinth.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24You told me there was overhang, but you didn't tell me
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- it leant to one side, did you? - No, that was the awkward part.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I was safely on the ground with a pair of walkie-talkies
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and he climbed over the lip onto the parapet
0:06:36 > 0:06:41and I heaved a sigh of relief just when the walkie-talkie burst in,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43like, "Kshhh! Alex, he's got to do it again."
0:06:43 > 0:06:46It was the sound recordist. I said, "Why?"
0:06:46 > 0:06:49"Can't tell you, but I tell you, he's got to do it again."
0:06:55 > 0:06:56The fault on the sound was John saying,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00"They didn't bloody tell me about this," as he went over.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Once we were up there and we'd been up there a few minutes,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05John started to relax.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- That's it. How are you?- Fine.- Good.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12- It's the experience of a lifetime, actually.- It is, ain't it, really?
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Right, then.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Then, just as he was getting his confidence,
0:07:16 > 0:07:20the steeplejack had to go over the side of the parapet
0:07:20 > 0:07:24in a bosun's chair arrangement, so you had to lower yourself down
0:07:24 > 0:07:27to get under the parapet to clean off all the pigeon muck.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Kneel down on the base there.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33If I kneel down, I'll start praying, I think.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Again, when he realised he had to hang over
0:07:36 > 0:07:41the side of the parapet, he wasn't too happy about that either.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43- Get my other foot down.- That's it.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48- If you look over the edge, you can see all the footholds. - I'd rather not!
0:07:48 > 0:07:52It's one of those sort of sights that you can do without.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Move down a couple more feet.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00That's it, get your hands underneath there.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Mind you don't scrape your hands on there too much.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- OK?- Yeah. Are you coming down to join me?
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Yes, I'm coming right down there now.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13- OK? Do you feel all right? - Yeah, it feels fine.- Good.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18But again, in his professional way, he overcame that nervousness
0:08:18 > 0:08:23and was chatting to the steeplejacks as if he'd been at it all his life.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27I suppose before I go down, I had to go right to the very top.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- Yeah, why not?- There was insurance.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I mean, all BBC filming was covered by insurance,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36but there wasn't any additional insurance.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I got into terrible trouble with the Home Secretary, I think it was.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45They were not pleased that he didn't have any safety harnesses.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47It wouldn't happen now.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52Oh, a great deal of what we did we'd be in prison for now.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56My hat's a bit dirty. Never mind, I don't suppose anybody will see that.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04We were all in a bit of awe of him for it really.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07We thought, "Bloomin' heck, Johnny. Well done, mate," you know?
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Could only be proud of him.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15John was undoubtedly the action man.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19John never ever said he was scared of anything.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24That was the beauty of working with John.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I shall...prepare myself.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41CHEERING
0:09:44 > 0:09:46He had a bit of Yorkshire grit about him.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53He did this, "Oh, let's just do it then.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54"Come on, let's stop messing about."
0:09:59 > 0:10:01That's what warmed him to the audience in the first place,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04that there was somebody doing marvellous things.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11HE SHRIEKS
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- I still can't do it! - All these things started.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20When I was doing a film with Christopher Trace...
0:10:22 > 0:10:26..they had a tower crane, which was very new then.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29So I suggested to Trace that he climb up the tower crane
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and Trace said, "You're joking! I've got no head for heights,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35"I'm not going to go up one of those."
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Right now, let's go over and join John.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43So I asked Johnny and he said, "Oh, I'll have a go."
0:10:45 > 0:10:49John broke away from the rigidity of television.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52He did things that no-one had done before,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54he did things that no-one would do today.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And that takes spirit, courage and attitude.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Obviously it was his job, but he was doing it for the viewers.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08I'm out of breath.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11I'm listening and wobbling up here.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16So he's on a radio mic, there's no direction going on,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18he can't hear anyone on the ground,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20he's left on his own to produce a piece of television.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24I then had to try to shin up the mast to reach the top
0:11:24 > 0:11:25called the button.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37I just couldn't manage it, my legs were feeling like lead.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39I decided this was the moment to give way to the expert,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42though changing places on a ladder
0:11:42 > 0:11:46127 feet from the ground had its dicey moments.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50What he did was incredibly dangerous...
0:11:50 > 0:11:51a lot of the time.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56By not coming back with the film was worse.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59A-one,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02a-two, a-three...
0:12:02 > 0:12:03..and go!
0:12:05 > 0:12:07I've gone to St Moritz in Switzerland
0:12:07 > 0:12:09to go down the bob run with the RAF team.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15I actually managed to go with them on the trip to St Moritz.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I thought, looking at it, "I'm glad I'm not doing this," but, you know,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23John was up for it and a really nice RAF team
0:12:23 > 0:12:26who were taking him on board.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28My driver was John Blockey.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33John was giving me the ride of a lifetime.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35We shot round every corner perfectly
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and then got our speed up to around 90mph.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I was standing next to, I think it was John Blockey's wife,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and you could hear on the loudspeaker system
0:12:46 > 0:12:48what was happening on each run.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51But we didn't know that ahead of us there was a hole in the ice wall,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and by a million to one chance, we hit it.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00And then suddenly, she said, "Oh, my goodness, they've had a crash."
0:13:03 > 0:13:07I was trapped upside down in the bob and swept along for 100 metres.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11On the final bend, the bob righted itself
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and shot through the finishing post with John Blockey still in it.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I too went through the finishing post, but I was too dazed to notice.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I couldn't get out the sledge, yeah.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24I was hemmed up against the ice.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26He was extremely lucky to survive.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29You could see the way the guys put their arms around him
0:13:29 > 0:13:33and walked him off the run at the end. They knew.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- What happened to John? - John's fine. John's all right.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40I thought, "Oh, God, this could be major," but no, he was lucky.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43I mean, he just got really badly bruised.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I look at myself, I actually am an average person. I'm just lucky.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03He enjoyed a very happy childhood the first few years of his life.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09This is a period that John glossed over,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11he didn't want to talk about it.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18He got a chance go to Rishworth School, which was a boarding school.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Hated every moment of it, he said.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26I was always in trouble, I was a bit of a tearaway when I was little.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27I gave up Greek after three weeks,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30I gave up Latin after three years, French after four.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33If I had been at school any longer, I would have given up English.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38But I was a gymnast, rugby player,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42cross-country runner, so I had all the things for being able to
0:14:42 > 0:14:46swing onto pieces and jump out of aeroplanes for Blue Peter.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51He said, "When you finally left school on your leaving term,
0:14:51 > 0:14:56"the headmaster would have you all into the office to shake your hand
0:14:56 > 0:14:58"and say good luck for the future and all that,"
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and so John was lined up with the rest of the people
0:15:01 > 0:15:04who were leaving on that particular term,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and the headmaster headed down the row
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and when he got to John, he said,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12"Hm. I just don't know what's going to happen to you."
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Five, four, three.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21This is Lulu, she's from Chessington Zoo.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26And she's being... Well, she's leading in her keeper, Alec,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and she's also leading us in as well.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30John Noakes is responsible for
0:15:30 > 0:15:33one of the most memorable moments in British television history.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Let's just see if I can take the leg there and see if I can hold it.
0:15:37 > 0:15:44We had an item with a baby elephant who came from Chessington Zoo.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I'm going to give her a bucket of water and see if that will...
0:15:46 > 0:15:50- Come here, Lulu. - Settle her down.- There you are, there's the bucket of water.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52The inevitable happened.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55I mean, it was literally in one end, out the other.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58In Ceylon, even the male elephants don't have tusks.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01Oop! We're having a slight penny down here, a slight problem.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04And then Lulu began to defecate.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Alec, thank you very much indeed. Can you...?
0:16:07 > 0:16:09I'm going to stand back a little bit.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11It was right up Noakes' street really,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14because rather than pretend it wasn't happening,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17with his sense of humour and his built-in anarchy,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19John just took to this.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23As I was saying, we'll see all sorts of very exciting things.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Let it go that way. Let it go that way.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29I mean, Lulu the elephant,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32it's one of the best bits of television of all time.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35I feel so proud and lucky that I was there.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38No-one knows I was there, they know Val was there
0:16:38 > 0:16:40because they can remember that she tried to keep it going.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43I just stood there laughing, I'd gone.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- ..When we're on holiday. - Ooh! Get off me foot!
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Johnny really made it much more fun
0:16:47 > 0:16:50than perhaps it might have been otherwise
0:16:50 > 0:16:53and I don't think the elephant actually had stood on his foot.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55They're going away on holiday too.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58They're going to spend it out in the country, but Lulu won't be there.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00LAUGHTER
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Oh, dear! How are you doing?
0:17:03 > 0:17:06John was making it into a variety act.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09And there she goes, out of the studio. Farewell.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10Oh, dear, I've trod right in it.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Well, that's the thing about animals...
0:17:13 > 0:17:14They say it's lucky, don't they?
0:17:14 > 0:17:17And we're having a lucky programme today.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20That was absolutely John at his very, very best.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23I don't think he ever topped that. He tried.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26This is what's called getting left holding on to the cup of tea.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- Run it, Johnny, run it.- Come back! You eat the fish and chips!
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Right. Come on back, Roo. There's not going to be much time.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35How are you doing? All right? Can you sit up? Ooh!
0:17:35 > 0:17:37That's my finger! Yes, I know!
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Ooh, you take the food away from a lion and he'll murder you.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Ooh, look, it's all over the place. All right!
0:17:44 > 0:17:45All right!
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I'm not going to take it away from you, it's all yours! Help!
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- Can you give me a kiss? Oh!- Oh!
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Behave yourself!
0:17:52 > 0:17:55If there was a joke there, he would do it.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58I must say, Johnny, his white bits have come up really white already.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And his black bits are very black. They are, aren't they? Yes.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Obviously, after the programme is over,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- we're going to continue drying... - Oh, sorry, I thought you were Shep.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07We were out to have some fun.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11I'll get a dirty great big headache if I go over the front!
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Oh!
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Johnny's first thing always, whenever we did anything was,
0:18:16 > 0:18:17"Let's have some fun."
0:18:17 > 0:18:22Practice will win out in the end!
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Oh!
0:18:24 > 0:18:28There were elements of the real John went into the clown,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31the clown character that he evolved for himself.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35His clown suit that he would sort of put on to perform.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40But when he wasn't required to perform, you didn't see the clown.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Use proper make-up, don't use...
0:18:42 > 0:18:45That John Noakes that you saw on screen was what
0:18:45 > 0:18:49I always called his performance mode and he invented this madcap guy.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52He invented John Noakes.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I started life as an engine fitter in the RAF
0:19:00 > 0:19:01and then I joined BOAC,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05and I always wanted to be an actor or a pilot or a doctor.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I didn't have the brains for being a pilot or a doctor,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12so I became an actor. You don't need brains for that.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22He decided that he would change his name by deed poll.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26He took his name from his stepfather, Alfie Noakes,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30who was quite a well-known professional trumpeter at the time.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34And he became the John Noakes that we know.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41When I first came across him,
0:19:41 > 0:19:45he was definitely a starving actor which was quite appealing.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49He was spotted by an agent
0:19:49 > 0:19:51and that sort of rather changed things for John.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It was actually the most boring time of my life.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10The same play for five months.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13When you're doing the same thing night after night,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15same spot, same words.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17I couldn't do it.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25And after that, came back and then started getting bits on television,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27still doing rep in the meantime.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33By chance, he ended up going at very short notice
0:20:33 > 0:20:37to work for a friend of his who was a theatre producer
0:20:37 > 0:20:39who was working at Leicester Theatre at the time.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I was up at Leicester Rep doing a guest appearance as Willy Mossop
0:20:45 > 0:20:46in Hobson's Choice.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49My picture appeared in the Leicester Mercury.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Biddy Baxter, who's the editor, the boss, her mum comes from Leicester,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57so Biddy's mum sent the local paper down to Biddy
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and she saw the picture and wrote to me.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06I thought it might be an idea to audition him
0:21:06 > 0:21:09and see if he'd like to work on the programme.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11There's a friend of ours, John Noakes,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13up at the top of the hill now, and he hasn't been skiing either,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15but he's going to have a go.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16- Are you ready, John?- OK, Chris.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20He did a fairly disastrous audition.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27But there was just something,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30there was always something about Noakes
0:21:30 > 0:21:33that made you think there was something worth persevering with.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Well done!
0:21:38 > 0:21:39I kept on my feet.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Well, now for some really splendid pictures of skiers
0:21:42 > 0:21:44speeding down the French Alps.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46He didn't find it easy at all.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49He had a tremendous problem learning his lines.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55The Royal Horse Artillery use all these tools to clean their horses
0:21:55 > 0:22:00but things weren't quite the same at Wellington Barracks, because...
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Now, why weren't they the same?
0:22:04 > 0:22:07For the life of me, I just can't remember for the moment.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Er...
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Now this is a problem.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14I enjoyed being other people, pretending to be other people.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I enjoyed dressing up, putting on the make-up
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and false whiskers, and saying someone else's words.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Myself, I hadn't anything to offer, but I liked to be somebody else,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28and then sat in front of the camera, the camera wanted to see me.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I wonder if you can guess what this is.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32And it was a terrifying battle.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35It was quite frightening, in fact.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37I've often wondered what would happen
0:22:37 > 0:22:40if you got one of these stuck on your head, like this.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44I remember thinking he was good and very lively and fun.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Just take a look at this for a cabbage,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48I've never seen anything like it.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- Look at it, it's huge! - Is it bigger than me?
0:22:50 > 0:22:53- It's almost as big as your head! - Shall we measure it?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56We've got a tape measure there, just pop it round.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Gradually, he found the character he wanted to play,
0:22:59 > 0:23:06and he did it to perfection, really, and I think he stopped worrying.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15John was someone who defied the norms of television
0:23:15 > 0:23:17in the '60s and '70s.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19On your marks, champion going first, get set.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Are you ready?
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Go!- Eh? Oh! Now.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24He was irreverent.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26He was funny.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28He could be spontaneous.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32- How long has the society been formed now?- 160 years.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36160? Any founder members here?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39It was great hearing someone who just sounded like someone
0:23:39 > 0:23:41you might have heard in the shop next door or in your school
0:23:41 > 0:23:44rather than somebody who was speaking to you very carefully.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46- BEEPING - Then if I press it in the left eye...
0:23:46 > 0:23:49He was probably one of the first people in television
0:23:49 > 0:23:51with a real regional accent.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And this is one of the latest things and T-shirts to come out of Japan,
0:23:54 > 0:23:59and its designer, Kansai Yamamoto, and I had to write that on my wrist,
0:23:59 > 0:24:00comes from Tokyo.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04He enjoyed it when we had big items in the studio.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11# We are! #
0:24:11 > 0:24:16- We are!- We are on fire! Let's get the firemen in behind.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20When Purves arrived, they became great buddies.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And Valerie Singleton's boyfriend at the time
0:24:26 > 0:24:30said they were like a couple of soldiers on leave!
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Mr Peter Pruves.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Mr Peter Purves.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39He was never the most approachable person at first
0:24:39 > 0:24:43but we got on absolutely wonderfully virtually from day one.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Give me a hand, we'll open the box.
0:24:46 > 0:24:47He's very lively, isn't he?
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Here we are. Hello, fella.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50And out he goes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Pete was wonderful to bounce off,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55but when Pete wasn't there, Shep was there, so I could bounce off him
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and gradually started talking to the dog.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Yes, yes, you know that one, don't you?
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Ah! He's got sharp teeth.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09You have got sharp teeth.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Where's your bone? What he really needs now is a proper name.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Oh, sorry, I wasn't really watching.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I've got 100 lines of spelling des...
0:25:23 > 0:25:24John really loved that dog.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Thanks, Shep. I know you know how to spell it.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29And I think Shep understood John.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I know it sounds incredible.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33I'm not sure what he's going to do
0:25:33 > 0:25:36because they're fairly well spread out. He's doing a big circle there.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39They were a double act, John and Shep. Shep played
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Ernie Wise to John's Morecambe, basically.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Woof! Woof!
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The bark frightened Shep more.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- Who is this little friend?- He's a little friend with four legs.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53He's a bit like you, a dog.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54There he is.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Introductions are unnecessary, I have made contact.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58Shep also knew the rules of the game.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01He knew how to behave if he wanted to, not that he did.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03- Give my regards to the Doctor. - Affirmative.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Exactly like John, he'd got a rebellious streak.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09He was another natural subversive.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11They were an incredibly good pair.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14No! You might go off with the Doctor to another planet.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18They made a waxwork of John and Shep for Madame Tussauds.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21I am quite jealous because they never made a waxwork of me.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24You've got a very good likeness, actually, especially his eyes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26The people who watched the programme are not just children.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30They go from four to 94, 104 in fact.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31You get your old-age pensioners,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34go down the docks, all the dockers know you.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Anywhere you go.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37My better half.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40He was shy, he didn't like celebrity,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and I used to get a lot of mail.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45There were people from all walks of life
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and the all sort of felt that they were John Noakes's friends.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Don't worry, you've got Percy Thrower here to talk to.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52You can talk about your Brussels sprouts.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56He wasn't in there to become a star.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59He wasn't there to be a personality.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02He was there to enjoy doing things.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05It was last spring that Alex Jackson,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08the leader of the Falcons, invited me to jump with his team,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10but from a much higher altitude than I'd ever jumped before,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13from five miles up.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17The Falcons loved Noakes.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21There was nothing of the grand BBC presenter
0:27:21 > 0:27:25coming to be with the peasants. He was one of them.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Altogether, go!
0:27:27 > 0:27:30This guy was going to come and if he didn't cut the mustard,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33then he was probably going to be rejected,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35but he did, on every level.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Everybody liked John and we didn't have any problems with him.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43MUSIC: Flying by The Beatles
0:27:44 > 0:27:47I think what impressed me about John at the time was things could
0:27:47 > 0:27:49go wrong, but because we said
0:27:49 > 0:27:52if you do this it'll be OK, he just accepted that.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57And there was this confidence that, OK, he will do it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04He was nervous but controlled.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05And there was never a concern
0:28:05 > 0:28:08about him freaking out or doing something silly.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23He said it was the nearest thing you could get to flying like a bird.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Yes, he really did enjoy it.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31And we're in space, it's unbelievable, 25,000 feet!
0:28:31 > 0:28:32I remember we flew down to him
0:28:32 > 0:28:35and the boys had done their job very well.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38They linked up with John into a formation
0:28:38 > 0:28:40so that John was not flying on his own.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46On his right was the movie cameramen, Bobby Soutar,
0:28:46 > 0:28:51and a guy called Ray Willis was flying around taking stills,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54then the formation began to build a little.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Somebody else is coming down.
0:28:56 > 0:29:02Ray has joined us now, Ray with his still camera.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04And then somebody hit it hard.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06He's coming in rather fast.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09And...oh!
0:29:11 > 0:29:13I'm upside down!
0:29:13 > 0:29:14He flipped over onto his back
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and then recovered himself as he'd been taught.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Now we're going to make the link-up again.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29We had originally decided it would be really cool
0:29:29 > 0:29:32if John could do a commentary on the way down,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35but it could have interfered with his oxygen supply
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and that was out of the question.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45So we couldn't mic him up in any way, shape or form,
0:29:45 > 0:29:49so, secret's out, it was dubbed.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53He's still hanging on to me, whoever crashed into me,
0:29:53 > 0:29:54I don't know who it is.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57I think it worked quite well, a lifelong secret.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59And we've got a bit of cloud down there,
0:29:59 > 0:30:03120mph and you can feel the speed!
0:30:05 > 0:30:09People always talk about the five-mile jump and, of course,
0:30:09 > 0:30:13if you do your maths, 25,000 feet falls a little bit short
0:30:13 > 0:30:15of actually five miles,
0:30:15 > 0:30:19but there was always that temptation just to sneak those extra few feet
0:30:19 > 0:30:22and make a five-mile descent,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25so in all the courses that we did,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29we would always rely on the captain just to let the aircraft
0:30:29 > 0:30:31drift up to the five miles
0:30:31 > 0:30:35so it was...semi-legal, but very safe.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37It was always done safely.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40And now we're going to be opening.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44We used to do it on each course, we did it for John.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Only feet to go...and touchdown!
0:30:49 > 0:30:54John just said, "Job done," and we all got on the transport
0:30:54 > 0:30:56and went and had a beer.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59- That was all over the place. - And we went head over heels!
0:30:59 > 0:31:01The Falcons had been terrific,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04not many crack teams would take on a learner like me
0:31:04 > 0:31:08and thanks to them, I'd achieved one of my greatest ambitions.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15It was a bit like an overgrown schoolboy's job,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17I was a Peter Pan, really.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Towards the end I was very tired and exhausted
0:31:23 > 0:31:27and I'd worked 12 and a half years and I'd done all these things
0:31:27 > 0:31:31and I don't think any of them really ever realised how difficult it was.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33You've got to be a Tarzan, haven't you?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38I think there's a sense of honour, really,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41that you offer them something else.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44And John did Go With Noakes.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54HE SINGS TO HIMSELF
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Sheppy, bit more chocolate?
0:32:00 > 0:32:04When he did his Go With Noakes series, it's great.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Him and his dog going off doing daft things.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Shep and I had stumbled on the monthly gathering
0:32:11 > 0:32:13of the Egremont Gurning Club.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18You can't move it around with your hands and hope it sticks there?
0:32:18 > 0:32:20No.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23The nice thing about John was he loved people
0:32:23 > 0:32:26and whenever we took him into a situation,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28he wanted to get on with those people.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32I can't!
0:32:32 > 0:32:35He'd actually take more time to do that than most presenters would.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38He's a world champion.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40The sheep are over there.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Remember your motto - pull yourself together!
0:32:42 > 0:32:45All right? Now steady.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Shep had this instinct of knowing where the camera was, I think.
0:32:49 > 0:32:50There's a good boy.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54And would position himself or run around within shot to order.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Lie down, lie down! Not the sheep.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59Get off! Good heavens!
0:33:02 > 0:33:06I think possibly that would have been his happiest time on television.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08That was Egremont.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11We've never been there before.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14We might not never go there again.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18What are your good memories of Go With Noakes, do you think?
0:33:18 > 0:33:22I think the old dog, really. He was a super fella.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I've got some very sad news.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27He died on Saturday.
0:33:27 > 0:33:28Oh...
0:33:28 > 0:33:30And I'm not over it.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33John could be quite emotional,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36and if he was, he was.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40It's no sham, no pretence.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Well, thank you very much for coming in,
0:33:42 > 0:33:45and I'm sorry we've had to end on this rather sad note.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Well, I actually wanted to say it myself,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50I didn't want anybody else to say it.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53When Shep had died, that broke his heart.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04Did you have any qualms about giving up a very successful television career?
0:34:04 > 0:34:06None whatsoever.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09What about the fame? Do you miss that?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11The fame is in the minds of others.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15It's an abstract quantity.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16It doesn't exist.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19MUSIC: Joy by Apollo 100
0:34:19 > 0:34:22- We're going to come around. - I'll give you a hand.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26John was able to not have any backward looks.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28A bit of a maverick in a way.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32He had a happy knack of being able to change direction
0:34:32 > 0:34:34and not take life too seriously.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Wasn't particularly absorbed by material things.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41He was in a way quite a free spirit, really.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54This was going to be the next phase of our life.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57We were all set to sail off into the sunset
0:34:57 > 0:35:02with no plan other than to go to the Caribbean, really,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04and see what we found there,
0:35:04 > 0:35:06so that's what we did.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09But unfortunately we didn't get there.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15We left Gibraltar with not a wonderful weather forecast
0:35:15 > 0:35:17but not a particularly bad one,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20but unfortunately it got worse and worse.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27We were just off the North African coast
0:35:27 > 0:35:32when the weather really came in with a vengeance.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Gigantic waves, as I saw,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36I looked down the valley and looked out,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39as far as the eye can see was a wall of water,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42smooth, streaked with spume, and I think we went up it.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50We went up it and fell off and down.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54The wave broke on top of us, the windows caved in, the cabin split.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58The boat was half full of water, the mast came down
0:35:58 > 0:36:01then the starter motor went underwater
0:36:01 > 0:36:04and I couldn't start it again.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Later, we saw a tanker coming.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16That was the most frightening part of the whole thing,
0:36:16 > 0:36:18this tanker trying to come alongside.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23We were trying to manoeuvre as best we could.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26They were up there and we were down, it was just a nightmare situation,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30but anyway we did get alongside, they pulled us in
0:36:30 > 0:36:36and finally we scrambled up scrambling nets and onto the boat.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41MUSIC: Praise You by Fatboy Slim
0:36:49 > 0:36:52There is a saying that old Blue Peter presenters never escape.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54They're dragged back, they're thrown out of aeroplanes,
0:36:54 > 0:36:59they climb cliffs, today I'm here to go right up there.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01We'd like to give you the programme's highest award,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04a gold badge. There you go.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07In the later years when John was older,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10- he'd turn up and do those reunions. - That was worth it!
0:37:10 > 0:37:13It was a bit like the Laurence Olivier of Blue Peter presenters.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16He'd be the one who always just managed to grab
0:37:16 > 0:37:17the attention from everyone else.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21The 50th anniversary of Blue Peter,
0:37:21 > 0:37:22we went to Buckingham Palace to have tea
0:37:22 > 0:37:25with Her Majesty the Queen in the Salon.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28They filmed us arriving and everything else,
0:37:28 > 0:37:29you knew he was going to do it,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32up the big grand staircase, tripped.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Can't see a set of steps without falling over.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50Way on, long after Blue Peter, we were still very good friends.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58He was my mate.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00My pal John.
0:38:04 > 0:38:09# Feel like I'm flying, I'm dying to say
0:38:09 > 0:38:14# Want you forever and easy
0:38:16 > 0:38:21# Be where you are, where I want you to stay
0:38:21 > 0:38:27# Don't you know what I'm saying, believe me
0:38:29 > 0:38:33# Feel like I'm falling, it's all I can do
0:38:33 > 0:38:39# Lying and dying is lonely... #
0:38:39 > 0:38:42We all die, I'm going to die.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Well, not for a few hundred years!
0:38:50 > 0:38:52It's a super life.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04# Way to believe
0:39:17 > 0:39:22# Wish I could be... #