Sir Bruce Forsyth: Mr Entertainment

Almost every British viewer alive today has grown up with this man

appearing on screen. Sir Bruce Forsyth. He undoubtedly will go down

in history as the greatest all-round British entertainer. Oh, she's a

lovely girl! Nobody could do it all as well as he could. And nobody had

such a sustained place in the affection of the British public.

Thank you, very much. Good evening! The greatest entertainer. Bar none.

It was such a joy and an honour to work alongside someone of his

stature. It's nice to see you. To see you... He could sing, he could

dons, fabulous pianist. The comics. Everything. So all he could dance.

If you want an all-round entertainer, you think first of all,

Bruce Forsyth. Thank you so much, thank you. His story is also the

story of the growth of British television itself. From Sunday Night

at the Palladium. To Strictly Come Dancing. Whatever you think about

Roos's persona, in front of a live audience committee is away. --

Brucepersona. Chat show host, dons and singer, Sir Bruce Forsyth's

career spanned seven decades, breaking the record for the longest

career of any male TV entertainer. He did everything. And he was so

adored and so admired, and gave us all so much joy and pleasure. All

from a man whose roots were humble, but whose ambition and talent were

extraordinary. Born on the 22nd of February, 1928,

he was christened Bruce Forsyth Johnson. The youngest of three

children. They grew up in this house in the north London suburb of

Edmonton. After his parents had met at the local solvation army. He

didn't come from a showbiz background, interestingly. He was

the first in his family to sort of follow that path. His mum did a bit

of singing for the Salvation Army. But they didn't follow the showbiz

paths. But for Bruce, it was all he ever wanted to do. By their family

business none of the dazzle associated with Bruce's eventual

profession. My father worked very hard. He was a garage engineer. They

were wonderful parents. Probably my mother had more ambition for me than

I had myself. She would make all of his dance costumes for the

competitions he took part in, severing on each sequin

painstakingly. We weren't poor people, but we weren't rich, we were

sort of in between. But they did sacrifice a lot for me in those

early, early days. I would never have made it without them. He took

up dance lessons at the age of eight. It was to be a long, hard

slog. All Bruce talked about was as a child wanting to get out on those

boards. And he would talk about discipline. He would talk about how

hard you had to work. And that you had to do what came along. And prove

that you could do it, step-by-step by step-by-step. He was the sort of

1930s Billy Elliot, I suppose. He just worked and worked and worked.

He often told me that he would tap dance on the corrugated roof of his

dad's barrage in north London. He was driven. -- garage. And it was

very much in his psyche. And that's what powered him. A kid did sort of

have a go at me and say, oh, you're going to your dancing lessons, don't

be late, you know, and all this nonsense. So I pulled him off the

bike and gave him a right handful! Eight Bruce was never short of

self-determination. And he was inspired by the talent of a great

1930s movie star. Two of his favourites were my

favourites, most danceable site favourites. Fred Astaire and Gene

Kelly. He sat me down once and said, let's have a look at this. He turned

on a Fred Astaire movie. We just sat there, mesmerised.

I suppose his heroes throughout the whole of his life really were these

wonderful Hollywood stars, particularly Fred Astaire, who he

pretty much modelled his whole career on. The sort of dapper look,

the bowtie, the dinner jacket, the wonderful dancing and singing and

being funny and being an all-round entertainer. I suppose Fred Astaire

was the boy that he wanted to become. He was 11 when his mother

spotted an ideal opportunity. With the world is first natural

broadcasting organisation. -- the world's first national broadcasting

organisation, the BBC. Programmes trials Muttitt have covered a wide

range of entertainment and interest. -- programmes transmitted. Many

cabaret and variety artists have been used stock might and open

audition was posted from Alexandra Palace called, Come and Be

Televised. Would you like to recite in public? Dance? The Radio Times

asked. Bruce certainly did. He told the presenter that he wanted to be

famous like Fred Astaire and by his mother if our coat. Only the listing

for Master Bruce Johnson, sung and tap dance, has arrived in the

archives. But the year is underlined in history. 29th of August, 1939.

Days later, his TV career was halted as the order came to switch off the

television transmitter. The world was at war. The war years saw

tragedy for many. But Bruce and his family were hit in unexpected ways.

His brother-in-law died in an accident at work. And Bruce's only

brother, Johnny, a 21-year-old RAF pilot, was killed in a training

exercise over Scotland. His body lost at sea. A tragedy which Bruce

Braley talked about publicly. -- Bruce Braley talked about. Bruce

carried on striving, making his first stage appearance at the

Theatre Royal, Bilston, as Boy Bruce the Mighty Atom in 1943. They were

still experimenting with Adams. Adams was the new thing. And I

thought, I was just a kid of 14 -- atoms was the new thing. I thought,

what should I call myself? He was looking to make a living. If it were

possible to make a living doing the things he loved doing, which was

entertaining, then that would have satisfied him. I think he would have

been happy to have made a living. Then, teaming up with a fellow

performer, he placed an advert in the trade newspaper, the Stage,

advertising their act. He was done completely driven. He was a driven

performer, it was almost like an addiction. It wasn't something he

felt like he had a choice of leaving behind. Soon after the end of World

War II, Bruce formed another partnership with a musician called

Les Roy. Forsyth and Roy had completed a theatre tour, and were

encouraged enough to send a polite letter to the BBC seeking another

television audition. Unknown to them, their act was deemed

third-rate music hall, not for us. No letter. But in 1947, the Windmill

Theatre did take Bruce on as a solo act. This was a venue with a

peculiar talent. Performers share the stage with a backdrop of the

famous Windmill girls. It was a thankless task, performing five or

six shows a day at the Windmill. Nobody wanted to hear the comedians,

they just wanted to see the girls. Even this major taskmaster loved

Brucie so much that he advised him on how to improve his acts. And

Bruce, like a lot of the great 20th-century British comics, Spike

Milligan, Harry Secombe, Tony Hancock, he made his first break at

the Windmill the adult. He learned how to craft material, how to make

it his own -- the Windmill Theatre. He found his own voice. He was

masterly. Three weeks into his Windmill booking, Bruce found his

third National Service would wait no longer. -- his deferred National

Service. He spent two years as a musician in the RAF. After the

mopping in 1949, she returned to the Windmill and was keen to take on

work wherever he could -- after demobilising. He also teamed up with

a fellow dancer, Penny Calvert. The couple married in 1953. Within

four years, they'd had two daughters. By now, he keyed into

what would always be the chief motivator of his career. In the

theatre, when you're standing up in front of 2000 people, you've got

nowhere to go. You have to survive. And that survival mechanism, I

wouldn't want to do it, most people would never consider standing in

front of an audience baying to make them laugh or applaud or enjoy. And,

you know, he had that instinct in him. That said, I will make them

laugh or I'll make them applaud. It was an ability that served him well

in theatres. And soon back on television screens. While performing

at a seaside theatre, his talents were spotted by one of the country's

leading agents - by Le Marche. He could play the piano, he could

dance, sing, tell jokes, there was nothing he couldn't do. But he was

war, obviously, at that point. He was a jobbing performer looking for

any work that he could, whether it was the Windmill Theatre or a little

tiny theatre at Babbacombe, which was not exactly a number one

theatrical bait. By 1955, the growth of television was unstoppable.

Britain's first commercial channel was launched to challenge the BBC's

monopoly, giving new opportunity for performers at a time when Bruce

Forsyth was running short of options. It was hard. I did at one

time gave myself five years, I thought, if I'm not going to make it

within five years, alternative. Really? Yet. By Le Marche sent Bruce

Forsyth to audition for a variety hit on the ITV network, broadcast

live to millions. Sunday Night at the London Palladium. In 1958,

30-year-old Bruce stepped into Tommy trend's shoes as host. He would

never look back. So, this unknown with a big chin and

a growing steps on to the greatest variety stage in the world -- and a

grin. Bruce would have been quite entitled to be nervous at this

particular point. This was the beginning of his first appearance as

the presenter of Sunday Night at the Palladium. There wasn't the

slightest bit of nerves showing. Thank you, thank you very much. Good

evening! Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome to Sunday Night at the

London Palladium. # Hope you'll is the holiday has

been very gay # Hip hip hurray

#. Bruce didn't just take to the Palladium stage, she took over the

Palladium stage. I went to the south of France, I always wanted to go

there, what a place. Cyril, isn't it marvellous that? He lives there,

that boy! The audience loves his bossy, fuzzy personality. Are you

all right? We wondered where you were. Jolly good. Let's find out

where everybody is from. Where are you from? Party, it's a party.

London? Why are you late?! LAUGHTER

The middle section of the Palladium show was in fact a game show. Ladies

and gentlemen, it's time for Beat the Clock. In which you had to

handle members of the audience, push them into this position, that

position, throwing darts at that thing, kick that ball here, you

know. No, no, in the air! Give it one like that! His skill at dealing

with the contestants would define him forever. Now then, you have 55

seconds to Beat Clock. Step... No, you just step up here, facing the

front, behind is curtains, lots of words all jumbled up and you have to

get them into a well-known phrase. The catchphrases became legendary.

I'm in charge, that was one of his earliest catchphrases. If somebody

hit the target particularly well, didn't he do well? Those

catchphrases stayed with him for decades. It's a long claimed that

has no turning! You've won a major prize. There it is. I do hope you

like it. And I think he said during Beat the Clock, the contestant was a

bit slippy, which was wonderful for Bruce. He said, look, dear, I'm in

charge -- was a bit loopy. The following week you couldn't get in

the Palladium door for sacks of fan mail. He just took off.

MUSIC One of the most memorable episodes

was a two hander with Norman Wisdom. Where, due to an equity strikes, the

whole bill needed to be improvised. Two people doing an hour of live TV,

my God, that is amazing. Ladies and gentlemen... Welcome to Sunday Night

at the London Palladium. And to do it for all the right reasons, they

did it for the audience. You know, they weren't trying to buck the

Equity union, they were doing it because they knew that X amount of

millions of people would sit down on Sunday night and want to see the

show. Rather than just an hour of potters wheel or something, they

wanted to the performance. And they got Norman and Bruce. Remember, you

told the joke and you couldn't tell it for laughing. It was so funny, I

couldn't help laughing! Is been practising. I'll make a deal. If you

can tell that joke about loving, you can keep the suit! I couldn't be

fairer than that. They became on that one night national

institutions. That define them for the rest of their careers because

that was never forgotten. I was walking down the street the other

day... LAUGHTER

I remember him doing a turn with Norman Wisdom, where they were doing

a bit of wallpapering to that tune. Fibre in his mouth. I watched and I

said, this bloke is brilliant. -- he had a fag in his mouth. That is one

of the greatest bits of TV you can ever see.

It was genius. The TV personality of 1949, Bruce Forsyth. His dedication

had finally paid off. He hosted at the Palladium for three years, as

the accolades poured in, although it had taken 16 years to be deemed an

overnight success. Happening as quickly as this is the will drink. I

am petrified because this is the first after-dinner speech I have

ever made. The 1960s saw him seriously overworked and spoilt for

choice, while his personal lives or ups and downs. In 1957, his mother

had died of a stroke, and in 1961, his father suffered a fatal heart

attack. One year later, Bruce's third daughter was born, and by the

summer of 1964, although it would take ten years before their divorce,

he knew that his marriage to Penny was over. We were a double act, and

all of a sudden I went there, to the top of the business in this country.

In six weeks, I became one of the biggest names on television. When

you finally get the big break, it's difficult to still be a family man.

And I think that's what happened with Penny and I. Now one of the

biggest names in television, Bruce was following his dream. In 1964, he

landed the lead in the Neil Simon musical, little me. Performing in a

major production on a west end stage was something he had always aspired

to. He also hosted two major chat shows on opposite channels. But his

sights were set higher still. I knew that Bruce wanted to be a movie

star. That was his big ambition. You know how Bruce can always look at

himself and he has that sideways look, the chin, the nose. I think he

saw that face in a movie. How about one of these? Fell off the back of a

lorry. Be a good chap and run away. Would you fancy this thing? Now you

have my attention. What can I do for you? You are to get over to the book

man right away. I think he fancied being James Bond. That was

ridiculous. But if Roger Moore could do it, he could have done it. A

toast. Wherever my little girl goes, she will always find herself. He

could do it. It was not that he was this song and dance man, he could do

comedy acting parts. Enough with this nonsense. Get the book. And he

did some movies. He did Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and he did Star with

Julie Andrews, but none of them were blockbusters. That was the nearest

he got his ambition of Hollywood musicals. In the 1970s, they were

not being made, the days of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were long

gone. They have moved on to doing film versions of shows. What was all

that about, prancing in the audience, mucking about with my

material. What are you trying to do? Ruin me? Bruce lost out on a roll

that could have changed his profile as an actor forever. That of fading

in Lionel Barber's film musical Oliver. Ron Moody, they did not know

if he was going to do it. Lionel phoned me and he said, would you

like to do it? I said, I would love to, you are joking. He said, it is

going on a bit and could go either way. He said he would phone me later

in the week. He phoned me twice afterwards. Ron was wonderful. He

did the show, he knew the part, so it saved a lot of trouble. But it is

a thing I will always regret, not having the chance. But you were in

many movies and made some fine films. The fact that you were here

on British TV for so long is a great source of joy for us. If we had lost

due to the movies, we would have been poorer for that. What a lovely

thing to say. It is the truth. With the launch of BBC Two in 1964,

Britain became a three channel nation. Television was flourishing.

Good evening. This is BBC Two. But Bruce's focus on big-screen roles

meant that his small screen profile suffered. His bookings were mainly

in Cabaret. I knew his brilliant all-round talents, but at that time,

in the late 60s, early 70s, television was not seeking him in

abundance. During the 1970s, game shows started to replace more

expensive variety shows, and in 1971, the BBC were looking for a

host for a new production based on a Dutch format. Bruce was not looking

to host a game show, but memories of Beat the Clock stood strong. The

Generation Game would become the number one game show of the decade.

Good evening. Welcome to the Generation Game. We recorded the

show in the television Theatre. Bruce was desperate for as much

contact with his audience as he could get. Camera two. They are the

stars, I am the superstar, all right? Once again, the key was his

interaction with contestants and the audience. The beauty of the

Generation Game, it suddenly brought him to the masses. You visited a

tent in the desert with your eunuch. I am sorry, that was my fault. With

your unit. And they gave you gifts of beads. You knew it was polite to

give something in return. Oh, yes! It was family entertainment,

positive, happy. He laughed with people, never at them. You are aged

24 and have been married to Bill for 18 months. Still quite fresh. You

look still glowing. Tell me, as he started going out with the boys on

Friday night yet? No, he takes me with him. Does he bring you a cup of

tea on Sunday? No. It has started. It was like an uncle coming to tea

on Sunday and you have a few laughs together. Away we go. You had a huge

mass of public viewing that switched on to watch the Generation Game, and

people talked about it. We talk about reality television. It was

happening then. Did you see that silly person having their hair cut,

or that silly dance, or these silly people trying to make the Getty? Can

you see anything? You are not missing much. Right, I will give you

a guide. There is your hand. In your own time, away you go. Each one you

get in the glass counts as one point. Bruce in vented his thinker

poz, and new catchphrases, which became legendary. Nice to see you.

To see you, nice. Good game. Didn't she do well! Go there, and sit

yourself on the seat. Take the screens away. Have 45 seconds to

have a look. Lots of items will pass before your eyes. On the conveyor

belt we have a food hamper, a portable workbench, a sideboard

hostess, double electric oven blanket, cut crystal decanter... He

never had an off day. There was never a show where he was not very

good. Bruce always gave his best. A soda stream. In a golden age of

television, Bruce reached up to 19 million viewers, tuning in for

familiar family entertainment. You got the soda stream. Didn't he do

well? Well done. The game called for an assistant to bring on the

contestants. It was about scoring, and other bits, where you needed a

second partner to help the structure of the games. After a search failed

to find the right candidate, Bruce called on a woman he had ready met

at a lovely legs competition. And Theo's immense good looks and

personality impressed us all, but particularly Bruce. And she was

chosen. As we all know, the rest is history. Anyway, here she is, the

gorgeous, the lovely Anthea Redfern. Bruce married again in 1973. Simple,

but very nice. I must apologise. I had to leave for the studio earlier

than you this morning so I could not drive in the same car. You had no

trouble in the traffic? No trouble. Oh, good. The celebrity couple would

go on to have two daughters, making Bruce a father of five, as his

career reached new heights of popularity. And the 1970s saw him

capitalise on his success, as one of the stars who stepped into

advertising. Go and have your break, love. Thanks, Bruce. Sticky buns. It

is my first day. He was extraordinary. Instead of him being

on stage or in a studio, we took him to places. We have been talking

about Stork margarine. He was in their space, which is difficult

because he was not in charge, if you like. Is it Stork margarine? It

isn't, is it? It is. He gave them Brucie. He would come in and do the

thinker, or he would say, nice to see you. And he was extraordinary,

the way he dealt with people. They have gone Stork raving mad. You can

trust Stork. It tastes good enough to eat with nothing on. By 1978,

Bruce was the people's favourite, who had now fronted the Generation

Game for seven years, beating all competition, much to the

disappointment of ITV, who wanted their star back. Knowing his

ambition to want to be more than just a game show host, to sing and

dance and do all the things he could do, I worked out a format with my

head of entertainment that would show off Bruce in all his glory. I

am fed up with saying the same thing every week. It does get on my

nerves. I will say something different. And I sold it to him as

an idea, and he gave up the Generation Game and he came to us.

It is Bruce Forsyth 's big night. They promoted it as though the

second Messiah was going to arrive. It was quite ridiculous. He sang, he

danced, he did everything, everything possible that Bruce could

do. And he loved doing it. The real reason we came to London was not

that little show at the Palladium. It was because we wanted to peddle

our wares on Portobello Road, no. The real reason was that I had to

meet Mary Whitehouse just once before I die. Well, I have met her,

and, you see... Meanwhile, back at the BBC, Larry Grayson was doing

well as the new host of the Generation Game. Shut that door.

Larry's quirky style meant that audiences stuck with the show. I

can't find a five. Over on LWT, it was not going so well for Bruce's

big night. The problem was the press, the tabloids, set up a David

and Goliath story. Larry popped up as the host, and it was Larry

against Bruce. There was only going to be one winner in their mind,

because they will always side with the underdog. Despite his star

quality, it was a ratings flop. Would you care to the mother? What

does that mean? Are you going to be dad? What is going to happen now? We

had to take it off after a year because it was so painful for Bruce.

He was wonderfully loyal, because he could have turned on me and said,

they talked me into this and they haven't delivered. He could have got

himself out of it by blaming us but he didn't, he believed in the show.

I will tell you something, Parkinson has never done this! This is great.

Have you heard of Parkinson? As the chat show failed, so did Bruce's

second marriage, with his wife citing show business is the third

party in their marriage. Bruce, the family entertainer, experienced

negative press, which upset him so much he handed back his Sun

newspaper television awards. Undaunted, in 1979, Bruce decided to

follow a lifetime ambition by heading to Broadway to present a

one-man show at the Winter Garden Theatre. The show drew on his many

and varied talents. He could dance, sing, play the

piano, there was nothing that he didn't do. He was the British boy

showing by Americans that we are as good as they are. If he had been

born in America, he would have been a massive global star. Over the

course of his career, Bruce released more than seven albums.

# In now you're here # And now I know just where I'm

going # No more doubts or fears

#. And always remained a dancer. MUSIC

Bruce was what they called a offer. He did an American tap which was

very close to the ground. He didn't like English tap, the whole

up-and-down English tap thing. He looked like he was standing

still, but you are making these most incredible sounds with your feet.

He was absolutely full of rhythm. After Bruce's Broadway stint, LWT

gave him a dream commission. A duet with an international American star.

The ultimate song and dance man. He had also become Bruce's friend and

hero. Look at me and look at you. I just

thought I'd better get out here quickly. Why is that? I know you too

well, Bruce. I just want to get a couple of things straight in the

beginning of the show, if you don't mind, from one friend to another.

These are the definite no-no is during the time we're here, OK?

There will be no shark jokes, there will be no jewellery jokes, there

will be no one are jokes... Bruce working with Sammy was Bruce working

with, from his point of view, an idol. From the audience's point of

view, and equal. As sign you and I Bruce Sammy

# I'm so spruce and you're so hammy # All of the same, we go together

# Like gin and... Holed, holed, you did it again. You are doing

something different, Sam -- hold it. You know what I do an impression of

you, and all of a sudden you keep changing your style. Sammy was

enormously impressed by Bruce. Here is an English guy who is really up

to it. As sign you, yeah, yeah... -- # Yeah, yeah, yeah...

#. And I'll tell you what, Bruce kept right up with Sammy Davies.

In the same year, the British public got Brucie back in a role they were

most familiar with - hosting a new game for LWT. -- new game show. Our

Do Lee dealers are dying to dish out the cards. A way you go, my darlings

-- our Do Lee dealers. All we need are our players... Once again, his

easy manner with the consent of my contestants struck home. It became

any during television hit, presented by Bruce for 13 years. Welcome to

Play Your Cards Right. I'm a London taxi driver and I played golf. You

didn't leave your meter running outside, did you? We're not paying

for that, you know! Lovely, well,. Because he was connected to people,

that's what they love about him. He really was terrific with

contestants. Carol, who while you, my darling? I'm Carol Kennedy. A

very famous family! Yes, my darling? I'm from Manchester, I'm a nurse and

I work in a biscuit factory. Do you put splints and broken biscuits?!

His fundamental talent was being able to talk to individuals and

involve them in the fun. Mocking them slightly, but not too much.

Lower than an ace... This is to win the game. I bit of a chance. I

freeze! Here too Bruce invented many memorable catchphrases. What to do

points make? Prizes! Our star prize tonight in the car. The strange

thing about your career has been that no sooner do you seem to

succeed enormously in one phase, like for instance Sunday Night at

the London Palladium. Having achieved that, you give it up! You

sort of disappear. We all have peaks, you see. You can't expect

your career to be all one big peak. That's the kind of person I am. I

hate to feel too safe and to secure doing something, especially if I

feel that I'm in a rut and I've got to get on with the next thing,

that's me. What is the next game was law Miss World 1975. After his

second marriage had failed, Bruce had been happily single, until 1980

when he met a former Miss world from Puerto Rican. I was never going to

get married. The last thing I was going to do was get married. I was

going to be Mr frisky for the rest of my life! But I saw her and I just

felt like a tonne of bricks. I remember him telling me for the

first time that he had met Winnie, and she with this stunning looking

girl, 23, 24, whatever she was. I was a bit wary. He was now on his

third wife if they got together. They married in 1983. A way at the

golf club found out that I was, as I called it, Winnie's husband, he

called me Mr world! Their boy, Jonathan Joseph, known as JJ, was

born four years after they wed. The birth of Bruce's only boy made him a

father of six. Winnie was the woman he would spend the rest of his life

with. I didn't think it would last. And I think 99% of his friends

didn't think it would last. They thought he was being silly. And it's

turned out to be one of the Love III is of my lifetime. So one of the

love affairs. -- one of the love affairs. There was a real kind of

old-fashioned romance that just seemed to permeate their

relationship on a daily basis. She would be at the show every week, she

would often stay for the dress rehearsal, she would stay all the

way through to live shows. She was constantly by his side. And they

absolutely just adored each other. My darling, my darling Winnie, you

would always say. And his children, and his grandchildren. You know, he

had so much love for his family. She's been a wonderful, wonderful

homemaker. She's got on well with his children. They've had a

wonderful marriage. You know, they are just a couple, and they're

lovely. # I've never loved anyone

# The way I love you # How could I

# When I was born to be # Just yours...

#. They were incredibly happy years for him with Winnie. And he deserved

it. He was a good man. In the latter third of his life, Bruce Forsyth

achieved greater and greater happiness. He would also spend more

time playing the sporty adored. -- the sport he adored. Oh, he loves

his goal. He was likely frustrated, he would like to have played better.

But he was about eight or nine handicap, a good, steady performer,

and he liked to play properly and he would have loved to have played a

bit better. He took it very seriously. Quiet on the tee, please.

He lived right on Wentworth golf club. You would drive into his home

and you'd put the golf clubs on his body with him and you drive down a

path, and the gates would open straight onto the course -- on his

body. He discovered that he could go on to a golf course and breathe

fresh air for two or three hours, have a bit of lunch or whatever, and

nobody bothered them. You could be famous and golf clubs and you were

accepted, that's the way it was. It's still like that pretty much

today. Halfway up the 18th hole he would phone home and say, where ten

minutes away. And when we got back to his house, a bottle of champagne,

lovely dinner, I would look across the bar and there would be

photographs of him with Bob Hope, Dean Crosby... This man has had a

wonderful, wonderful wife. It's marvellous to just reminisce and

think about the droid -- wonderful life. -- the joy that he brought not

only to me but to millions of people stop white Bruce's career in

television lasted more than seven decades. Key to his longevity was

immense self-discipline. He was always very fit. He was a size 32

waste or so. Just tiny. The jackets were also full row. They were

immaculately fitted jackets. Everything was pressed immaculately

-- Savile Row. He just was immaculate. He had a regime that I,

20 years younger, couldn't keep up with. Exercise, deep breathing,

swimming. I never saw him unshaved. I never saw him with dirty shoes

worn by the fingernails. He was absolutely tiptop. -- Watmore giving

else. He was very careful with himself, sleeping, resting, eating.

One of the that Bruce used to do which was really incredible, he used

to do a turn in dance, you call it a but wet. When you are young, you

spot, you know, -- eight but wet. You never get dizzy. Bruce kept up

that spinning to the right and to the left, to determine that he would

stay forever Strong and on balance. He understood that you've got to

look after yourself. And he found a regime for himself where he could

stay in the best possible shape and keep going for as long as he did.

When most people are contemplating retirement, the 1990s saw Bruce

returned to the newly revived generation game. 62-year-old Bruce

appeared barely changed from his younger self. Gentlemen and

children, welcome to the generation game, it's nice to see you. To see

you... Nice! You know, it's been 13 years since I last did the

generation game. And I was so flattered when the BBC asked me to

come back to do it. You know, all of the pleading and the begging on the

grovelling, oh my... I hope I didn't belittle myself!

APPLAUSE Then, in 1995, he launched the price

is right. Another game show that would run. Lets meet the stars of

our show. Monaco, come on down! -- Monaco. Julie... He celebrated his

70th birthday surrounded by friends and admirers on television in a live

edition of Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

CHEERING APPLAUSE

Thank you, so much! Hold on... Listen to these people!

They can't all be wrong! Good evening...

# Ladies and gentlemen # Welcome to Sunday Night at the

London Palladium # 40 years ago

# This show was such a big hit # And I was proud to be

# A part of it #. Bruce's record in show business

meant that he could have chosen to live a comfortable, quiet

retirement. In 2003, watching television with Winnie at home would

change any chance of that. Thank you. Thank you so much.

We were watching the show, because it is such a great show, and we need

turned to me and said, you could do that show, they change the host

every week. I said, I was thinking the same thing. They change it every

week, so why not? He is not your first idea of a current affairs

commentator, is he, let's be honest. It is definitely time for... These

are the cards that the Americans... Please! This is satire. What

followed was the most extraordinary procession of the bad taste that we

would never have got away with with anyone else. Bruce Forsyth doing

play your Iraqi cards right, with a group of essentially Iraqi war

criminals. The middle card, so this is difficult. I never saw this

programme. That is why it is such fun for me! It was bonkers, amazing,

incredible and very funny. Tony Blair insists that weapons of mass

destruction will eventually be found in Iraq. Well, it would be nice to

see them, to see them... I have waited 14 years for the show to be

like this. I'm having the time of my life! For Paul, he was the

flickering star of his childhood, this black and white person, come

from the Palladium, and he was in front of him. What was the good news

for David Beckham? He is going to be an OBE. That does not seem much.

Have you got an OBE? Yes. That's what I mean. Ian is not necessarily

a permanent member of the show. You should bear that in mind. The new

direction we are taking... Yes. The way he did it was brilliant. He put

his own twist on everything he did, which is genius. He always stayed

true to himself. That was really the beginning of Bruce Forsyth again, it

was the start of the new Bruce. And it really felt like, looking back, a

moment of history. Bruce's appearance on Have I Got News For

You you brought him to a whole new audience. There was this man who was

almost 80, appearing, fronting a modern satire show, and completely

getting it and embracing it and being rather brilliant on it. What a

lovely audience! In 2004, the BBC head of entertainment was looking

for a suitable host for a prime-time Saturday night show. I suggested

this to him and explained what the format was, a pro-celebrity come

dancing, and he started laughing. And I said to him, are you laughing

at us, or with us? He said, with you, that is a genius idea. Strictly

Come Dancing would become one of the biggest Saturday night television

spectaculars ever. At the centre was Bruce Forsyth, the key figure

between the audience, performers and the judges. Please welcome your

host, Bruce Forsyth! And Tess Daly. The first time that I met Bruce was

through Strictly. And he was so relaxed that he's sort of made the

rest of us relax. Myself and the crew were all a little bit on pins

in the early days, because he was just such a legend. It's nice to

twirl you, to twirl you... Nice. It is so nice to be working with you,

tests. I am excited to be working with you but I am a little bit

nervous. Oh, forget you are working with a superstar. Bruce...

No one handle the live television quite like he did. He was in charge

of that studio floor. I was watching you carefully. Will you face me and

smile? He has a wonderful way of making people feel comfortable and

what I call knock-about stuff. He never puts you down, or may chew

feel awkward or uncomfortable. It is all wonderfully drawing you in. On a

personal level, his friendship has meant so much to me. Because he is

always there with a word of advice, if I needed it. And he really

supported me and welcomed me with open arms on the show. And here he

was, a legend, and he could not have been kinder. And I always really

appreciated that, because he made me feel so welcome. And we just had so

many good times working together. After all, it's time to meet the

stars of our show. Yes. Bruce kept the integrity of the show. It was

always about the dancing and the competition. They did not become

slapstick and comedic. He kept the integrity of the show, always. Lady

and gentleman, we give you tonight's competitors. BBC Breakfast

anchorwoman Natasha Kaplinsky and her partner, Brendan Cole. Bruce was

so supportive, understanding, and gave me a confident that even if I

fell over he would be there to pick me up.

He had the most extraordinary ability to really empathise and

understand, and I guess that is why everybody loved him so much.

Natasha, I'm afraid I don't agree with any of the other judges. I

thought you were Dahl, dull, dull. Bruce always supported the

contestants and he would turn on you about how you could say this or

that. Your time is up. Your time is up. That is what the judges thought.

But don't worry, you are the best. I said it right from the start. Bruce

always used to say, you're my favourite. And somehow, even though

you knew he said it to everybody else, you felt like he really meant

it. OK, my darling, you are going to finish up in Vegas. Not reading the

news, making the news. Is she easy? Bruce understands how to play to the

crowds in the best possible way. He is a performer from the top of his

head to the tip of his toes. After more than seven decades on screen

and a publicly supported campaign, he was honoured with a knighthood by

the Queen in 2011. Serb Bruce Forsyth Johnson, for services to

entertainment and to charity. I can honestly say that on my way here I

was very nervous, thinking, is anything going to happen, is this

really happening, is this really me, am I getting this wonderful honour?

The Queen asked me how long I had been in show business. When I said

70 years, she was very shocked. Sir Bruce Forsyth, an all-round

entertainer whose career reflected the regression of British television

itself. Is there anybody here who has seen me on television but never

in the flesh, put your hands up. Quite a few. Now put up your hands

if you are regretting it already. He brought something new to a

television screen that nobody else had really done, or may ever do

again. A proud family man who leaves six children and many grandchildren.

I would just like to say, Bruce, that you are not only a great

all-round performer, you are a great all-round human being. The music,

gossiping, silly, nonsensical, seeing the silly side of life, and

being considerate. A most generous, kind, humorous colleague. And I

certainly, at any meeting I have ever had with him, never forgot that

he was a star. Never short of energy or enthusiasm, Bruce Forsyth, the

consummate professional, in a 3-piece suit, with a smile and an

ever ready catchphrase. Nice to see you, to see you nice. With Bruce, we

have so much fabulous footage of him performing. With his jokes, his

music. It's brilliant. Every room he walked into, Healy at it up. I will

always be grateful for those years with Brucie, just being a little

part of a very long life. He once said that if he lived to be 100, he

would book the London Palladium for the celebration. Honoured and

thrilled to have been able to consider Bruce my friend. When your

hero becomes your friend, it's just perfection, really. A showmance, to

the end. He was always Brucie. From Sunday night at the Palladium to

Strictly, he is still the Bruce Forsyth we know and love. His

achievements will never, ever be bettered.

Hello, I'm Sarah Campbell with your 90 second update.

One of Britain's greatest entertainers Sir Bruce Forsyth has

A career spanning more than 70 years - he invented and re-invented