Episode 1 Going Back Giving Back

How often have you watched the news and seen disasters...

The sea rose up 20 feet, flooding the area.

..and tragedies?

The bomb exploded at about 3:10 this afternoon.

SIRENS

But what if you were caught up in the events?

GUNFIRE

I've been out there and checked. So many bodies and she's not there.

And now, inspired by your past,

you are on a mission to help someone today...

The support that we had after the fire was so tremendous,

you just want to do something for the people that helped us.

Hopefully, I'll be able to help him to achieve some of his goals.

..someone who has no idea that this life-changing gift is coming.

Oh, my days!

Why's there so many people outside?

Hiya, Paul.

CHEERING

We're here today to surprise somebody very special.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

This is Going Back, Giving Back.

It's September 2003.

A group of ordinary Yorkshire women

find themselves thrust into the limelight.

-What do you make of the red-carpet treatment?

-Oh, amazing!

-Massive!

-I want one at home!

Stars overnight for the unlikeliest of reasons.

The middle-aged WI members had all posed for a calendar naked

to raise money for charity

after Miss February lost her husband to cancer.

Unimaginable success followed, leading to a blockbuster film,

a stage show and a West End musical.

The calendar has sold by the hundreds of thousands

and the girls, well, they are international media stars.

Now this extraordinary woman wants to help someone else

who's also suffered a terrible loss...

If I could help somebody who was in my position...

just a little bit, just give them a little bit back,

that would be fantastic.

..putting them centre stage to give them the gift of a lifetime.

-The minute they've done their first bow, we go on stage.

-Yeah, OK.

-OK?

-I'm ready for it.

-Look at you! OK, let's go.

CHEERING

TRAIN WHISTLE TOOTS

71-year-old Angela Knowles, formerly Baker,

lives in a quiet village in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

19 years ago, she lost her dear husband John to cancer.

His death triggered the fundraising calendar.

And I can't wait to meet Angela.

And get out of the rain!

DOORBELL CHIMES

-Hiya!

-Hello.

-How are you?

-I'm good.

-How are you?

-Good, thank you very much.

-In this lovely weather.

Proper Yorkshire weather, yeah?

We won't melt, I don't think.

I feel like I know you so well already,

-but I bet I'm not the first person to say that, am I?

-No, you're not.

But we're recognisable when we're in our black and sunflowers more,

but occasionally we get recognised now in the supermarket.

But Angela was never after fame.

The saucy calendar was dreamt up to raise money

for research into blood cancer, that killed her husband John.

You guys have raised so much money for charity.

Yeah, we have, yeah. Nearly £5 million.

Look at that smile on your face when you said that. I love it!

And when we raised the first million, I sat at this table,

just writing it all day with all those noughts at the end.

I could not believe that that's what we'd done.

But now we can put a five in front.

John was just 53 when he found out he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

It's a cancer that affects the immune system.

He died just months after diagnosis.

It was such a shock, because he was such a healthy person.

Never had a day off work.

And we just couldn't believe it.

Angela was heartbroken.

The couple had been inseparable

since they'd met in their late teens.

Where would you be, do you think,

and what would have happened without the support of the girls?

Oh, I don't know.

I would have been in a much sadder place, I think,

if I hadn't had the girls and my friends and family.

Best friend and fellow WI member Trish would drop in all the time.

Trish used to come round and she'd bring her pyjamas and say,

"You know, I'm stopping tonight."

It was just great because I hated being on my own.

And they were just there, all the time.

After John died, I thought my world had come to an end.

But, you know, the girls got together and we did what we did,

never thinking what would happen.

Not in a million years.

You've raised so much for charity, as I say.

-But now, you want to help someone individually.

-Yes, I do.

I'd like to help someone in my position.

Well, in order for you to give back, I think we need to go back first.

I've got the car outside, so we're going to go on a little drive.

All right. Great. Sounds good. Are you a good driver?

We'll find out. Come on, let's go.

Angela's life has played out like a Hollywood movie.

But before we hear about that,

I want to find out a bit more about John.

So our first destination is a place that was very close to his heart.

Tell me a bit about John and how you first met, then.

-Because you were both very young, weren't you?

-Yes.

-I was 17 when I met John.

-Right.

I had the best job ever.

I worked in the students' union at Sheffield University

-and I ran the National Union of Students travel bureau.

-OK.

John came in one day with a group of friends to book a holiday

and I thought, "Oooh, he looks a bit of all right."

You should've been concentrating on your job.

And, of course, you know, he filled his application form in,

so I knew where he came from, what he was doing...

-And you were keen.

-Yeah, I was.

After a couple of meetings, John asked Angela out,

having heard she had free tickets to a student dance.

John phoned up at 4:55 and said,

"I hear you're going to the dance tonight. Can I take you?"

Oh...

He was a bit of a Yorkshireman,

because he knew I'd got free tickets!

ALED LAUGHS

So that was the reason, then, OK.

So, anyway, yes. So...

And that was that.

A year later, we got engaged on graduation day.

-Gosh.

-And a year after that, we were married.

Angela and John's wedding was in 1966 at her local church.

Two years after their big day, their first child Rachel was born.

And their second, Matthew, came in 1971.

They were extremely happy.

What was so special about him?

-Well, he was good-looking.

-Yeah.

And he had a lovely smile.

-And he was quite shy.

-Right.

You know, it was just one of those things,

kind of love at first sight and you just click.

He very much was your soul mate, wasn't he?

He was my soul mate, yeah. He really was my soul mate, yeah.

It was good. Life was good.

-Well, you've guessed where we are now.

-Yes.

This is a place where...

-Lots of memories.

-Lots of memories.

-Mm-hm.

We're at the Dales Countryside Museum.

An assistant National Park officer for 24 years,

John was passionate about the Dales.

The last project he undertook

was converting this disused railway station

into a museum for the area.

This is one of the places that I managed to bring John

when he was really, really poorly,

because he was desperate to see them starting the alterations.

-Well, this was his place, wasn't it?

-It was his place.

-So, yeah, his place.

-Yeah.

The museum documents the Dales' past,

focusing on the 19th and 20th century.

-You know this person.

-I do know this person.

The museum manager is Fiona Rocher. She used to work with John.

-I usually come when you're not here.

-That's right.

How are you? Nice to see you.

Thanks so much for being here, showing us around.

That's all right. You're very welcome.

So we've come to a building that means a great deal to you.

Yeah. We have.

The John Richard Baker exhibition hall.

-It's just wonderful.

-Isn't it just?

-Mm-hm.

"A man who loved the Dales,

"striving to sustain their natural beauty for future generations."

John was highly regarded by his colleagues,

always pushing himself and others to deliver the best for the Dales.

-What was John like to work with?

-He was really enthusiastic.

Good fun to work with,

but very determined in everything that he was doing.

And he had a huge passion for the Dales

and a passion for this project.

Only 54 when he died, John still had so much to live for.

-It all happened so quickly, though, didn't it?

-Yeah. It did.

In the grand scheme of things.

-Because he was such a fit man, wasn't he?

-He was, yeah.

And then suddenly, bang!

And it was, you know, diagnosed, massive operation

and then...

..they tried chemo, four lots, and it didn't work.

-And it was how many...?

-Five months altogether.

-Five months altogether?

-Yeah.

-And if anyone tried hard to get better, he did.

-Mm.

Really, really tried hard.

And thought that he would, really.

Cos he was so positive right to the very last day.

How do you feel when you're here?

Erm...I try not to cry.

But really proud.

-Yeah.

-Really proud.

-This is his legacy.

-Yeah.

-It is.

-It's pretty impressive.

-It is.

-Yeah.

But to have this room named after him is very special.

He's here.

He's here. He was a huge supporter, wasn't he?

He's here.

It's interesting, isn't it, you know, through his work,

-getting people to know about the Dales and your work...?

-Yeah.

Between the both of you,

-you've brought a lot of people to the Dales.

-Well, yes.

Calendar Girl country.

I don't know what... I think he'd approve of it.

Yes.

We're now going back to the day

Angela and her WI friends thought might cause a stir in the village.

But instead, it caused a frenzy all over the country.

We'll have a little test now, then, OK?

-Miss February?

-Me.

-Yeah.

I knew you'd know that one.

-Miss November?

-Ross.

-Yeah.

-Trish was Miss October.

-Yeah.

Chris was Miss September, with her buns.

-That was a funny one.

-Teapot and buns.

The 11 women who dared to bare

were all members of the Rylstone and District WI.

The Women's Institute was set up in 1915

to help rural communities grow their own food in World War I.

Since then, it's become the largest

women's voluntary organisation in the UK.

We help each other, we learn from each other,

we enjoy being together.

In 1974, Angela joined.

And she's never looked back, making lifelong friends,

including best mate Trish.

So they do a national WI calendar.

And they ask for...

It's always on a theme.

So a nice picture of a sunset or a village green or whatever.

And this particular year they were asking and Trish just nudged me

-and said, "You know, we could do our own calendar."

-Yeah.

"We could do it depicting the crafts of the WI,

"but Pirelli style."

Yeah.

And I just looked at her and said, "As if we'd do that!"

We had a very funny half-hour saying what craft we'd be.

But we never did anything about it.

We just talked about it for ages.

Until John was ill and he was in hospital.

And one day, all the girls were there.

-And we were telling him, you know, "We're going to do this."

-Yeah.

And he said, "You'll never do that. You're just all talk."

-But you see...

-Red rag to a bull.

Yeah.

-Feisty Yorkshire ladies.

-Yeah.

Three months after John died in 1998,

Trish suggested they did the calendar

to take Angela's mind off things,

as much as raising money for blood cancer,

which is the third-biggest cancer killer in the UK.

The night was set.

We went with our dressing gowns, slippers and a bottle of red wine.

It's great, isn't it? You couldn't make it up, could you?

Angela and Trish recruited nine other volunteers, all WI members.

Local artist Terry Logan, the husband of one of the ladies, Linda,

volunteered to take the pictures.

And Linda had the fire stoked up so we wouldn't get cold

and all the curtains closed and the door locked, you know,

-in case one of the neighbours popped in.

-Yeah.

Was there a lot of nerves or a lot of laughter?

A lot of laughter. A lot of laughter and...

Just what you needed.

Yeah, just what I needed. And...

You know, I'd gone and I didn't take any pearls or anything,

I just wore whatever there was.

And took my clothes off and they just said,

because I could play the piano, they just said, "Sit here.

-"Play Jerusalem."

-Brilliant.

So you've finally guessed where we're going now?

Probably, we're going to Cracoe.

Could be.

-Probably the pub.

-Could be.

Cracoe is a village in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

It's where Angela and John had their family home.

It's also where the calendar was created.

-So you guessed right.

-Yes.

-What's the pub in the village?

-The Devonshire Arms in Cracoe.

-Shall we head in?

-Yeah.

-No point standing out in the rain.

-No.

When Angela and her friends printed the calendar,

they arranged a launch.

They only expected a few friends to turn up.

Even in their wildest dreams,

they couldn't have imagined what was going to happen.

The WI women were about to go global.

This is the room where we launched our calendar.

What was that like, that day?

Well, that morning, I woke up to Sarah Kennedy talking about us.

-On Radio 2?

-Yeah. And then Terry Wogan.

And then I thought, "Oh, my goodness."

And then I rang Trish and I said, "Everyone's talking about us."

She said, "You want to see the pub car park.

"It's full of white vans with satellite dishes on the top."

A simple press release had caught the eye and imagination

of news editors all over the country.

It's called the Alternative WI Calendar.

It features 11 members of Rylstone and District WI.

The UK's media were desperate to see the middle-aged women,

who were taking their clothes off for a risque WI calendar.

-What went through your mind?

-"Oh, what have we done?"

I thought, "What have we done?"

By lunchtime, we were on the local BBC.

And at evening, we were on the six o'clock BBC News.

-Goodness me.

-It was just incredible.

What was the atmosphere like in this room?

Well, everybody was just so excited.

You know, and it's not what they expected.

-Shall we get into the car?

-Yes, let's go.

By the end of 1999, eight months after it was first launched,

88,000 copies of the calendar had been sold in the UK.

The WI friends had become household names.

Voted women of the year, they even went to Buckingham Palace

to present copies to Her Majesty the Queen and the Queen Mother.

Our last stop is Kettlewell,

the setting for the blockbuster hit Calendar Girls,

the movie based on Angela's powerful story.

-Shall we go and have a little sit down?

-Yeah, let's.

The year after the calendar was launched in the UK,

it was released in America.

240,000 copies were sold.

The women had become international stars.

I was getting phone calls from Hollywood.

Which sounds wonderful, but it's quite scary,

when you've no idea, you know, how to cope with it.

Studios were fighting over Angela's story.

Eventually, she, along with five of her WI friends,

agreed to have a film made

but set strict terms.

A percentage of the profits had to go to Bloodwise,

the blood cancer charity they supported.

It also had to be set in the Dales with an all-British cast.

Angela, an ordinary woman from Yorkshire,

was about to get a phone call that dreams are made of.

An A-list film star was to play her in the movie.

The phone went one day and I answered the phone

and this person said, "Hello, Angela, it's Julie here."

And I went, "Julie? Do I know a Julie?"

I said, "I'm sorry?"

And she said, "It's Julie Walters."

Well, I nearly stood to attention.

She said, "What are you doing on Thursday?"

Well, if I'd been doing anything, I would have cancelled it, wouldn't I?

-Of course you would have.

-And she said she'd like to come and meet us.

And I baked scones for them.

-But I didn't do it for you, honey.

-No, thanks for reinforcing that fact.

Yeah, lovely. Cheers!

But then, after Julie came, they all came.

And they were just like friends.

Julie Walters played Angela,

whilst Helen Mirren took on the role of Trish.

The delightfully funny film was released in 2003

and was an instant hit.

Off!

Off! Off!

Off! Off! Off!

Off!

For months, the girls travelled the world promoting the film

and their charity.

Everywhere they went, they wore a sunflower

in memory of Angela's husband John.

Look where the ladies of the Women's Institute have been tonight.

A world premiere with red-carpet treatment.

We don't think we're stars. We just dip in and out of this.

We don't think this is our lives.

This is something we do now and then

and then we go back home and that's where we want to be.

I mean, we still do the washing on a Monday

and the ironing on a Tuesday and we have to go to the supermarket

and no-one kind of makes a fuss of us. And it's good.

We thought, after the film, there couldn't be anything else.

And then there was the stage play.

-And then we thought, "That must be it."

-Yeah.

-And then, David Pugh came and said...

-He's the producer, yeah?

Yeah, the producer of the stage play, as well.

..that Tim Firth and Gary Barlow had been writing a musical.

Well, what do you say?

Heavens...

But do you know what the great thing about it is?

As you say, the reason you did it in the first place is to raise money.

And you've raised how much?

-Nearly five million.

-Nearly five million.

And the amount of hearts that you've touched along the way.

-Yeah.

-Incredible.

Including this one today, I've got to say.

I've so enjoyed taking you back, I really have.

And has doing all this, you know, all the places we've been,

-has it made you want to help someone even more?

-Yes.

That would be really good.

If I could help somebody who was in my position, just a little bit,

just give them a little bit back, that would be fantastic.

Well, listen, I'll see you in a week or so.

-And thank you for everything.

-It's all right.

-It's been great seeing you.

-And great to see you.

And I forgive you for not baking me a cake.

-Just about!

-Next time.

Oh, yeah, promises, promises!

Wow, what an inspirational day.

I've thoroughly enjoyed meeting Angela. She's such a ray of light.

And, you know, what she and her fellow Calendar Girls achieved

is astounding.

They are life-savers through the money that they raised

for their charity.

And taking Angela back on this journey into her past

has been moving.

But it's also focused her mind to really want to help someone today,

someone who's in a similar position to the one she was in 18 years ago,

when she had the support of her friends.

And we think we've found somebody who really fits the bill.

Katie Moore lives in Hampton, Middlesex,

with her son Archie, who's five.

Three years ago,

Katie lost her husband and soul mate Tom to leukaemia.

He was just 35.

Angela is about to meet Katie for the first time

to see if there's a way she can help her.

I'm expecting to learn lots about Katie.

I think, once we get chatting to each other,

we'll probably find out that we've got a lot of things in common.

So it'll be good, I think.

I've never been short of a conversation.

Katie believes we're making a programme

about losing a loved one to cancer.

She's completely in the dark

that she might be in line for a generous gift from Angela.

Lovely to see you. Can I come in? Thank you.

-This way?

-Yes, straight through.

-Thank you.

It's really nice to meet you. You have a story to tell.

And I have a story to tell.

-So I think...

-Unfortunately.

-That's why we got together.

So you tell me how you met.

Tom and I were on the same course,

so we both did sports studies with business.

And a very long story short,

we got together towards the end of our final year.

And obviously, we were together until he passed away at 35.

-35...

-Mm.

That's very early.

Katie and Tom were studying at Southampton University

in the late '90s.

They married in 2010.

A year later, they had baby Archie.

Just like Angela's John, Tom was seemingly fit and healthy.

He loved sport, playing football every week.

He'd also landed his dream job working for the Premier League.

But in August 2013, he started complaining of feeling ill.

He was always getting the flu. He would have night sweats.

He would be coughing.

-Probably very similar to what you witnessed.

-Yeah.

The GP was just giving him antibiotics

or telling him to go home and rest.

So I called a private GP and I got him a blood test.

We took the blood tests.

I absolutely didn't think it would be what it was.

And I got a call from the GP to say could I bring Tom in.

And when the word "leukaemia" came out of her mouth, I...

-I don't know, just glass shattered.

-Mm.

He was in pieces.

I was in a sheer panic. I just thought, "You've got this wrong.

"You've absolutely got this wrong."

Tom was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, or AML,

an aggressive form of blood cancer requiring immediate treatment.

Two days before his 35th birthday, he started chemo.

And you're in hospital for four weeks

and then he was allowed home for a week.

And then it would happen again and again.

And we were positive and we just thought we'd get through it.

Tom underwent gruelling chemo.

After three rounds, he was approved for stem cell treatment.

A donor had been found. It looked as if he was going to recover.

But then, after a blood test, his consultant called.

He said, "Can I speak to Tom? Because we've seen

-"irregular cells in his blood."

-Yeah.

And basically, he'd relapsed.

And he then underwent his fourth chemo.

And then he caught an infection.

And...

..he went to intensive care.

And in intensive care, Tom just deteriorated and deteriorated.

Eventually, I got told that...

..Tom wasn't going to make it.

So how long had he had it? How...?

-Five months.

-Five months?

-Yeah.

Because it's so similar, you know?

-He had the night sweats. We thought he had flu.

-Yeah.

And he had four lots of chemo, too.

But then, eventually, erm...

..it went into his brain.

And he couldn't stand up, he couldn't walk.

And the consultant said, probably, he would never have walked again.

And John heard that and he just said he'd had enough.

He didn't want anything else.

And that's it.

-So we've got a lot in common.

-Yeah, we have.

Five months.

So quick from being...

well.

-And...hard to take.

-Yeah.

While Angela is with Katie,

I've arranged to meet one of Katie's best friends - Debbie.

-Hi. How are you?

-Come in.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-Please, come in.

-Thanks.

I'll take my coat off.

It must have been awful for you as a friend seeing her go through that.

It was terrible, because her and Tom were just one of these couples

that we had up on a pedestal.

He just was a very well-rounded, thoughtful and kind man.

Just gave her what she needed.

They were thinking about another child.

When we got the news that he had died, it was just...

a kind of punch to the stomach for all of us.

-You don't expect it, do you?

-Not at that age, no.

She'd sent us all a message saying, "My angel has gone."

And she didn't say any more than that.

It's just so unexpected in life.

And I just remember that day, we went round the day after he died.

And just going into the room she was in

and she was under the covers and just broken.

And just having to hold her was just...

It was really sad.

How has she been since then, then?

-Sorry...

-No, it's OK. It's obviously still raw, isn't it?

-You know?

-Yeah.

She's been amazing.

-She's strong, isn't she?

-Yeah.

Just...

-I'm so proud of her.

-Yeah.

I think the first year of Tom passing away was a complete blur.

And I even look back and think, "What did I do in that first year?"

I absolutely don't know how I got through it.

And the hardest thing was when...

I mean, yes, I was busy

and we were here, there and everywhere

doing everything with the calendar and the film,

but, you know, the other girls, when we'd gone anywhere,

-we were on a train and all their husbands met them.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I've been there.

-You know, and you just get off and you know there's no-one there.

-Yeah.

As well as dealing with her grief,

Katie was left trying to do the best by little Archie,

just a toddler at the time he lost his dad.

She's had to be strong for the both of them.

-Archie was two when Tom passed away.

-Mm-hm.

So he doesn't really remember his daddy.

Obviously, we have pictures and we do talk about him all the time.

It would have been hard on your own, coping with that and a small child.

I can't imagine what it was like.

It is hard. It's hard just juggling everything.

Like Angela,

Katie's had a huge amount of support from close friends.

Debbie was on maternity leave when Tom died.

She would drive two hours across London every day

to be there for Katie.

She knew there was a group of us and we were on the phone

and we were there for her, no matter what.

You're a very close unit. All of you, you're friends.

We have been friends for a long time,

some of us since the age of five.

There's so many parallels between your story

and that of the Calendar Girls, as well, and Angela.

Katie works in fashion, an industry she loves.

But since Tom died,

she's had to juggle her career to look after Archie.

While she takes a break from full-time working, just like Angela,

she'd like to raise money for blood cancer research

and also for young widows.

I would love to do something.

I've done a half-marathon. We have raised money for Bloodwise.

But it's now how to take that forward and what else to do.

It will happen, I'm sure.

Angela is trying to think if there is a way she might help Katie.

But first, she's planned a little treat.

-Katie, you've been told that you've got to be free tomorrow.

-Yes.

You're going to have some very good friends

that are going to come and join you.

And you're going into the West End...

and you're going to see The Girls musical.

Oh, my gosh!

-Your show?

-Yes.

Oh, my gosh! That's amazing!

Thank you. That's... That's so sweet.

It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure.

Not only will Katie get to see the show,

but Angela is hatching a plan to surprise her at the theatre

with an even bigger gift...

She's going to be, erm...

excited or angry?

-She's got a tendency to be a bit cross sometimes.

-Oh, no!

-So...

No, I think she'll be excited

and it will just be quite overwhelming for her

to take it all in,

-because she doesn't feel she deserves anything special.

-No.

Which is exactly why she deserves something special.

-Well, she's going to get something special.

-I know. It's amazing.

Hey, listen, I'll leave you to it.

Next time I see you will be, erm...

-in a busy theatre.

-Yeah. Oh, God...

-I'm not sure who's more nervous.

-Anyway, thanks for talking to me.

-Thank you.

Our stories were so similar.

They really were.

And, yeah, it was...

I didn't think they'd be so similar. But it was amazing, yeah.

And we both...

felt, you know?

You just feel what you went through and what it was like.

And it was good to talk about it.

I would love to be able to support her

and I feel sure that I will be able to.

To help Angela work out how she can give something back to Katie,

she's asked her best friend Trish to London.

She's the perfect person for advice.

After all, the famous fundraising calendar was all her idea.

-Hello, you.

-Hello.

Fancy seeing you here! Are you all right?

Well, you know what I've been up to?

Well, vaguely.

Yeah, well, I went to meet this girl yesterday called Katie,

who's only 35,

who's got the same story as mine, really.

She met her husband at university.

-She's got a little boy.

-How old?

He's five now. Nearly five, yeah.

And Tom, her husband, gorgeous- looking, you know, and so happy.

And he was diagnosed with leukaemia.

And he died after five months.

-Just like John.

-Yeah.

-She's really young to be widowed, isn't she?

-Yeah.

How many years is it since he died?

I think it's three.

Angela is wondering if she can help Katie achieve her dream

of raising a substantial amount of money for blood cancer in Tom's name

and help young women who've lost a partner.

You know, we're so similar in so many ways, because, you know,

just like me, I had you and all the other girls.

-And we were always so focused, weren't we...

-Mm.

..on doing this calendar?

-And not really knowing what was going to happen to us.

-No, no.

And also, like for me, with the calendar and everything,

-you feel as though you are doing something so positive.

-Yeah.

Yeah, even though it's hard to do, it was something positive,

-and in John's memory.

-Yeah.

And he would have been proud.

And I'm sure her husband would be proud of her...

Yes, that's what I said.

-..to know that you've got up and done something...

-Yeah.

..and perhaps helped a lot of other people.

-Like our money will have. Like the research has.

-Yeah.

-So, yeah, it's a really good thing.

-Yeah.

Trish has reaffirmed Angela's decision to give something back.

And she thinks she might have found a way to help Katie.

I'm on my way to meet Angela.

I'm really looking forward to catching up with her again.

I'm also excited to hear how her meeting with Katie went.

I reckon Angela is the right person to help Katie.

The million-dollar question is...how.

Angela's waiting for me just around the corner

from where the musical of her story is playing in London's Theatreland.

Katie and her friends are on their way to see the show,

so time to find out exactly what Angela's got planned.

Thanks so much for meeting up with me. I know you've met Katie.

-How did it go?

-She's amazing.

And we really got on well.

Because I met her friend.

And one of her best friends was saying that, you know,

explained, of course, what she's gone through,

which is absolutely horrendous.

But also, you know, I thought of you instantly,

because she's got this close set of friends

-that have really helped her through it.

-Yeah.

-We were so similar in so many things.

-Oh, really?

The friends, you know, helped.

And then Tom was only ill, you know, after being a very fit guy,

for five months. Like John.

So we had so much in common to talk about

and how we felt and everything.

So how are you going to help?

Well, her job has been in fashion.

-And she had thought about doing a fashion show in memory of Tom.

-OK.

-And Bloodwise are going to help her do that.

-Oh, wow!

And maybe get some celebrities, as well, along the way.

-Oh, so a massive...?

-Yeah, quite a big one.

The charity Angela supports raises money for blood cancer research.

They're going to organise a fashion show with Katie

in honour of her husband.

They've also offered to make Katie an ambassador

and she's going to meet the CEO to discuss

how they can best help young widows.

So it's just brilliant.

-So she'll be working with a whole team?

-Yeah, it couldn't be better.

And me, as well. I'm going to help her. And the other Calendar Girls.

-Oh, really?

-So we're going to be like mentors for her.

-Oh, that's amazing.

-So, it's good.

You know, I'm hoping it's going to give her something to focus on.

Something to work for.

And feel in a real good... feel good for herself.

Talking to her friends, that's exactly what she needed, really.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, combining both her passions,

-the fashion and also the charity work.

-Yeah.

-Oh, fantastic.

-So I'm sure she'll love it.

-Have you put all your thoughts down in a letter?

-I have.

-Right, OK.

-So the musical starts a little bit later.

-Yes.

I reckon, at the end of the musical,

-we should go on stage and surprise her. What do you think?

-Yeah.

Yeah!

-Are you nervous about that?

-I am.

But I think she'll be up for it. I really do, yes.

-Oh, I'm excited. This is going to be a good one.

-Yes.

The stage is set, as Katie and her best friends Debbie and Alexia

arrive in London's West End to see the musical.

As they settle down for the show,

Katie still thinks we're filming her for Angela's treat.

She has no idea that, as soon as the performance ends,

we'll be taking to the stage to surprise her.

It's just five minutes until curtain call.

-Right, how are you feeling?

-A little bit nervous.

-I'm nervous, as well.

-I know, but excited.

So they're about to bow.

-So the minute they've done their first bow, we go on stage.

-Yes, OK.

-I'm ready for it.

-Look at you. You're all, "Oh...!" Let's go.

Angela and I take our place backstage.

Trish is with us.

I'm used to being in the wings, but even I am feeling the nerves.

There are hundreds of people in the audience

and no-one but Katie's two friends

have any idea what's about to happen.

Please welcome to the stage two original Calendar Girls,

Angela Knowles and Tricia Stewart

and Aled Jones!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

We won't keep you very long, ladies and gentlemen.

Angela and I are here for a reason.

I'm Aled, by the way. That's Angela.

And we're here today to surprise somebody very special

in the audience.

One of you.

This person has no idea this is going to happen.

So as I invite her onto stage, please give her a round of applause.

The one and only Katie Moore, ladies and gentlemen!

CHEERING

Brilliant.

You didn't see that coming, did you?

How are you?

Katie, you thought we were making a programme

about dealing with bereavement.

Which is part of the story.

Not the full story, is it?

No.

What happened to me and what happened to you is so similar.

-So similar.

-So similar.

So many things are the same.

And I wanted to give you something back,

like these people here have given me.

-I'm going to cry now.

-No, don't cry.

I can't say it, but it's in a letter.

-And if you can...

-Go on, you go.

-..I'd like you to read it out.

-I won't be able to read it out.

-You won't?

-No. But I've got two darling friends

-that might be able to read it out.

-Aled?

-Come on, then, yeah.

I've got no make-up on, but I'll do this, anyway!

"Katie, your story of losing your husband Tom

"is so similar to my story.

"You, like me, have a desire to raise money

"and help find a cure for blood cancer patients.

"I also know how knowledgeable and passionate you are

"about the fashion industry.

"With that in mind, we've teamed up with Bloodwise,

"who are going to lend you their full support

"to set up your own charity fashion show

"in the memory of your husband Tom."

Wow! Oh, my God!

That's amazing!

"I also want to make you an ambassador for the charity,

"working directly with the CEO

"to help support young people who are bereaved.

"And I want to act as a mentor to you in all your fundraising efforts.

"Onwards and upwards, as we Calendar Girls say."

There you are.

There you are.

-A few sunflowers for her.

-Can I just ask you...?

Let me carry it for you, darling.

It's been quite a day.

It is really heavy, wow!

Put it down, it'll be fine.

-Let me ask you, I know it's very emotional...

-I'm sorry.

Don't be sorry.

Please, don't be sorry.

I was gone before I even got onto the stage, to be honest with you.

-How do you feel about all this?

-Erm...

throughout watching the theatre performance, there was just so much.

Even the dressing gowns you were wearing...

I've got one. And it was a bit like,

"Oh, my God, she's wearing the same dressing gown." And, yeah, bizarre.

Just so many... Just too much in common.

And now an ambassador.

I can't even take that in.

And what am I doing on the stage?

And finally, if you need a couple of models for your fashion show,

then Angela and I are available.

-But we're definitely going to keep our clothes on!

-Definitely!

Don't start.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a very emotional day for Katie.

I'm sure you'll join me in giving her a round of applause.

But also, as we leave the stage,

a massive round of applause for these guys.

Incredible stars from The Girls!

CHEERING

Oh, it's amazing. I can't comprehend it.

I'm completely and utterly gobsmacked.

I haven't taken it in.

I actually just need to sit down and digest it, because I just...

I don't know. I...

Yeah, it's amazing. And...

Yeah.

And I don't think she had any idea, really, what was happening.

And I think she's kind of, you know, taking it all in.

It'll take a while, I think.

But, yeah, it was really, really good.

I nearly didn't cry. But then I did a bit.

But it was very emotional.

-It was amazing.

-Amazing and emotional.

-Yeah.

-Just so special.

She didn't expect it at all.

I think her and Angela had such a special connection

that she gets why this is a really important step for her.

And she will do amazingly with the fashion show.

-Fashion's in good hands.

-Definitely!

It's an absolutely amazing opportunity for her and her life,

and coming out of something so horrendous this happens, so...

And Tom would be so proud.

Well, what a privilege it was to see the joy on Katie's face just then.

You know, Angela knew instinctively

what Katie needed at this point in her life.

And she was completely right.

Combining Katie's love of fashion

with a charity that she cares so deeply about was spot-on.

And now Katie is going to be mentored

by the Calendar Girls themselves.

Well, that's the icing on the cake.

How can I do a programme involving the WI

and not even get to enjoy a slice of cake?

Well, as they say, onwards and upwards.