0:00:02 > 0:00:04Telly, that magic box in the corner.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07It gives us access to a million different worlds,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10all from the comfort of our sofa.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13In this series, I'm going to journey through the fantastic
0:00:13 > 0:00:17world of TV with some of our favourite celebrities.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20They've chosen the precious TV moments that shed light...
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Pick that one out.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23It's called scone pizza.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25..on the stories of their lives.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I used to go mental if a swimmer was on.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It would just, like, make my life.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'Some are funny...'
0:00:31 > 0:00:34- Oh... Ooh, sha-bob.- Oh, my word!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36- Some...- There's been a murder.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38..are surprising.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41My mother didn't laugh that much. It was, sort of, hard going but,
0:00:41 > 0:00:43God, she laughed at that.
0:00:43 > 0:00:44Some are inspiring...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46In all of those programmes, in different ways,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49there's something special going on.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51..and many are deeply moving.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52Oh!
0:00:52 > 0:00:54The death of John F Kennedy...
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Now we can't imagine what it was like to receive such
0:00:57 > 0:01:00devastating news then.
0:01:00 > 0:01:01So come watch with us
0:01:01 > 0:01:04as we hand-pick the vintage telly that helped
0:01:04 > 0:01:08turn our much-loved stars into the people they are today.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21My guest today is a star stand-up on TV
0:01:21 > 0:01:24and the international comedy circuit.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26He's also a writer, presenter and actor.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30He's famous for his easy charm and honest wit - sounds like me, really.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It's Stephen K Amos,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36who is the biggest thing to come out of Tooting since Citizen Smith.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39The TV that shaped him includes
0:01:39 > 0:01:41a record-breaking children's show...
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- Well, dance away, then...- Right. - ..and we'll watch.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48..and a series of sinister stories with more twists than
0:01:48 > 0:01:49a bag of pretzels.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The child was trying to warn me.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56It can only be the one and only Stephen K Amos...who's here.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Are you excited about this, this trip down memory lane?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01I'm very excited. I can't wait to see what you've got in store.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Well, I'm going to take you on this journey that made you into,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06- possibly, the person you are today...- Oh, hope so.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07..with regards to television.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11- Because I love what you've done with the flat. I mean, it's amazing. - Yeah?- Yeah.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14It already takes me back, looking at the TV and, what looks like, a gramophone.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Because I actually do have my parents' gramophone from back
0:02:17 > 0:02:20- in the day in my living room today. - Really?- Oh, yes.- Oh, right.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24- It's got a drinks cabinet that lights up when you open it.- No!- Yes!
0:02:24 > 0:02:26And it's got a padded velvet back
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- and it's got the wireless radio tuner thing.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And at the top, you lift it up and up comes the turntable.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37I have got flat envy, do you know that? I really have.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41So we're going take you on this path, but first up we're going
0:02:41 > 0:02:46to have a look at what it was like to be the young Stephen K Amos.
0:02:46 > 0:02:54Stephen K Amos and his twin sister Stella were born in London in 1967.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Theirs was a large family
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and a family who didn't stay put in any one place for long.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- Your family, they moved a lot, mate.- We did move...
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Ha-ha-ha-ha! You have done your research! Yeah, we moved quite a bit
0:03:09 > 0:03:11because, I think, my parents, in the early days, thought of
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- themselves as property developers.. - Oh, right.- ..and we thought we were
0:03:15 > 0:03:17in the Witness Protection Programme because they moved around...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20I went to about five different primary schools and three different
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- secondary schools.- Really?- Yeah, not only did they move around a lot,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- there was a lot of us in the family. - How many of you?- Eight kids.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28- Eight...!- It's not necessary.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Because you had to have a voice in the family household. I mean, there's nothing worse,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35sitting around the dinner table, all these kids, all of us, my mum
0:03:35 > 0:03:38leaning over to my brother, pointing to me and going, "Who is that?
0:03:38 > 0:03:41"I don't recognise him."
0:03:41 > 0:03:44"I'm your son. I'm the son, I'm the middle one."
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- So you had to do something to have your voice heard...- Yeah.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48..and mine happened to be comedy.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Something that really got the family excited...
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Yeah.- ..and me too.- Oh, good.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- Yeah, Record Breakers and the brilliant Roy Castle.- Oh!
0:04:02 > 0:04:03There he is there.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06# Dedication's what you need Dum-dum-dum...
0:04:06 > 0:04:10BOTH: # Dedication's What you need..
0:04:10 > 0:04:15# If you wanna be a Record Breaker. #
0:04:15 > 0:04:18The good thing about watching this programme as a family...
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Because he used to try a lot of the stuff himself.- Yeah, yeah.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Are there any records on tap dancing?
0:04:23 > 0:04:24Well, no, not really.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26The nearest we've heard of is
0:04:26 > 0:04:28a heel-stomping record in
0:04:28 > 0:04:29Flamenco dancing.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32It was set in September 1967 in Australia by a man
0:04:32 > 0:04:34called Solero de Jerez.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36And that's the power of television, you see?
0:04:36 > 0:04:41When you see someone that you admire doing a challenge and you think,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43"Maybe I could give something a go."
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- Right, well, dance away, then... - Right.- ..and we'll watch.
0:04:46 > 0:04:4917, he's done 17 there, in that second section.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Go on, Roy!
0:04:51 > 0:04:5524, that's fantastic! He did 24. That's enough, you've shattered it.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Well, that was 24, which is 1,440 taps in a minute.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02So you are a record breaker!
0:05:02 > 0:05:04APPLAUSE
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Without a doubt, the greatest all-round entertainer.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12All-round, without doubt. He could put his hand to anything and do it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Yeah, he'd give it a go, didn't he?
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And that's what, kind of, encouraged us to think we could do anything.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Did you ever want to see just how big the world's biggest seed is,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25or how many people it's possible to summersault over?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Well, if you did, then you probably
0:05:27 > 0:05:29watched Record Breakers.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31And the programme almost broke a record itself,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34as one of the longest running children's series
0:05:34 > 0:05:36in British television history,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40running for 29 years and seven days.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Did it make you realise that ordinary people could do
0:05:43 > 0:05:45extraordinary things?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47That's the point. It meant that, because... You saw him
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and you knew he was a professional,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52but then he was also encouraging people, ordinary people,
0:05:52 > 0:05:54to try and achieve something.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58And, even though it's something that can, maybe, be seen a bit as silly or
0:05:58 > 0:06:01frivolous, it's still an achievement in doing something
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and it gets recognised. Everyone, back in those days,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07had a Guinness Book of Records, do you know what I mean?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Everybody had those.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- You...- Oh!- ..have got one right now.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Your very own Record Breakers Annual...
0:06:16 > 0:06:18- Oh, my goodness.- ..from 1976.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22- Wow.- Yeah, there he is.- God!
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- It's like the evolution of man, there, isn't it?- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32What were you not allowed to watch on television?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- Oh, my god, if any bit of flesh... - Yeah.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38..was on TV, that was it.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40That was it, you had to get out of the room?
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- No, Mum would leap, like... She could be in the kitchen...- A gazelle.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49..she could be upstairs, you'll be watching even an advert,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52a holiday advert, you know, somebody in a bikini...
0:06:52 > 0:06:54She's down there, like a gazelle,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58changing the channel, you know? "Dirty, dirty."
0:06:58 > 0:07:04How did this affect the Stephen Amos growing up?
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Well, I can't wear a bikini now, can I?
0:07:09 > 0:07:12The thing is, I don't know how it was for many families,
0:07:12 > 0:07:15but if anything sexual was on the TV, you know,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17we're not that kind of family, we didn't talk about things.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20You know, I never had the talk for example, you know,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23"The talk. The talk." I had no idea what you did.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Couldn't watch anything like that, if it's not educational,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28if it's not entertaining, you can't watch it.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Well, this is something you weren't allowed to watch, you were sent
0:07:31 > 0:07:36up to your room and...I'm sorry, your mother's had a word with me
0:07:36 > 0:07:38and said you can't watch it.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45- There's naked ladies in silhouettes, it's wrong.- Yeah, these were...
0:07:45 > 0:07:47This was one of the...yeah.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Look, as long as you don't say anything to her...
0:07:49 > 0:07:51- I won't say anything, if you don't.- There we go.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- Yes.- Tales of the Unexpected.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05So did you ever get a sneaky peak at this or...?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Yeah, I did, yeah.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09You did get to watch this eventually?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Well, yeah, when I got older, I'd get to watch it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13But when we were sent to bed, you know,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Mum and Dad would be on the couch and I'd be sneaking my head
0:08:16 > 0:08:19through the little door, like that, having a good look.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Because the good thing about this show was that every single episode
0:08:24 > 0:08:27was a stand-alone story and so...
0:08:27 > 0:08:30And sometimes it was quite scary.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Despite being made on a relatively modest budget,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37this long-running series often featured huge Hollywood stars,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39such as...
0:08:41 > 0:08:45The public couldn't get enough of this spine-tingling stuff.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50You've got to help me. Don't you see what it is? It's a spell.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Like this one,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54a creepy tale of a newlywed, who thinks her house is being
0:08:54 > 0:08:58haunted by the ghost of her husband's first wife.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04There is an evil spirit in this place that wants to get rid of me.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- It is eerie, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08You know? You can imagine getting a bit spooked out by this,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- especially as a young kid.- I know.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- Even the lighting.- Yeah.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20"Prince of Darkness, I make me a sign..."
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Ooh!- I think we know where it's going, don't we?- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27"Death in the morning shall he know."
0:09:27 > 0:09:29- Oh, my goodness! See what I mean?- Yeah!
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Every single episode was like, "Arg! Ooh!"
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Do you think something like this would have given you nightmares?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Oh, absolutely.- Really?- Yes.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Many nightmares and...that's probably why I'm not a big
0:09:42 > 0:09:47fan of horror movies or sci-fi, or fantasy at all.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49No, I like things that are a bit more real.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57What did the Amos family watch together?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Any programme that featured a black family or a black
0:10:00 > 0:10:04character, suddenly the whole family were like, voom, hey!
0:10:04 > 0:10:05Mum would call out,
0:10:05 > 0:10:10"Children, there's a black person on the television, come quickly!"
0:10:10 > 0:10:14And we'd all gather round, mouths open, going, "Oh, wow!"
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Shall we have a little look at this then?
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Edward, could I have a word with you...in the kitchen?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24The kitchen? We've got guests.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- It's personal. - Annie, Susan has come to visit us.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Now, obviously, because of her...
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Well, because she is what she is... Thank you.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Can you believe it?
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Now, then, what is it?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Thomas and Susan are married.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Oh, my god!
0:10:41 > 0:10:44AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Thomas, what have you done?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48- Dad, you've got yourself a daughter-in-law.- Well...
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Well, really this is... This is something that we
0:10:51 > 0:10:52should have been prepared for.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56It was difficult for us, Mr Simson. We didn't know if you'd understand.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Understand? Of course we understand.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I understand it's bloody ridiculous.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- Look at the big laughs on that line. - Yeah.- Whoa!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It makes me feel quite sick inside, a bit,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15because it may have been a reflection of the times and one of the ways
0:11:15 > 0:11:18people address and deal with what was happening in the country
0:11:18 > 0:11:20at the time, you know?
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Something that's never been seen before, you know?
0:11:22 > 0:11:25People of different cultures, different backgrounds getting together.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28So, for us, watching this as a family, we could really empathise
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- with the young black actress there. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34And particularly when we saw more of this programme,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36where the parents come in, and it's always...
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Whenever these, sort of, '70s shows,
0:11:39 > 0:11:40when they deal with race in this way,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44it's always the female figure of whoever she's married to,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47like the white guy or the black husband...
0:11:47 > 0:11:50The female matriarch of that household seems to be the one of the
0:11:50 > 0:11:54voice of reason, the one that's, kind of, trying to diffuse the situation.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57And it's always the male figure that's either, kind of,
0:11:57 > 0:11:58bigoted and has got these...
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Who maybe represents a view that was prevalent in society.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06My point now, when I look back at this,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09is that was there not a way where we could laugh at that
0:12:09 > 0:12:13but not in such a blatant and ignorant way?
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Maybe that's what it was all about, though.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Dad, has it ever occurred to you, you don't have to
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- do anything about it? I mean, it's our problem.- No, it's not.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I mean... What are the neighbours going to say?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Oh, for God's sake, don't give me any of that, Dad. To hell with the neighbours.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29You talk about shows that had black actors in it,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31how excited you were to watch those sorts of shows.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33What other shows were you excited about watching that
0:12:33 > 0:12:36focused on black actors?
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Well, when I look back, you can't ignore the miniseries that was called
0:12:40 > 0:12:41Roots by Alex Haley.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45I mean, that was groundbreaking for a young kid like me
0:12:45 > 0:12:47watching that with my whole family.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It was on, you know, every week for about six or seven weeks
0:12:51 > 0:12:55and it told the story about this guy's family history, his family tree
0:12:55 > 0:12:59from slavery to the present day, stuff I hadn't learned at school.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04It was so amazing and moving and it really, kind of, made me think
0:13:04 > 0:13:08and realise the differences that other people had to go
0:13:08 > 0:13:11through before we got here, do you know what I mean?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Your name is Toby.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I want to hear you say it.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Your name is Toby.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25You're going to learn to say your name. Let me hear you say it.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27What's your name?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Kunta.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Kunta Kinte.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And so that was very ground-breaking because we got to school
0:13:38 > 0:13:42on the Monday and everybody was talking about it, it was so powerful.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45That was one of the first things I'd ever seen which was
0:13:45 > 0:13:49an entirely majority black cast with a very important story.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52So that was very important to the family? Did they all sit down and watch that?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Oh, God, yeah, we all sat down and watched it together, just transfixed.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59So did that give you a feeling of acceptance, you know,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01- them representing you?- That...
0:14:01 > 0:14:03The word you used their, "Representing,"
0:14:03 > 0:14:05is so important because that's what it was like.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It was like, you're representing, brilliant, excellent.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And it meant that you were visible and visible in a way that wasn't
0:14:11 > 0:14:15derisory. It was more of a celebration and that's why...
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Even watching Lenny from back in the day, you know,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22all his early TV stuff, I was like, "Wow, go on, you're representing."
0:14:22 > 0:14:27The guys behind the Real McCoy, you know, showing us that, yeah,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30we can on there, we can be funny - groundbreaking.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33That must have been huge weight on those performers' shoulders
0:14:33 > 0:14:36thinking that they're representing a whole generation of young
0:14:36 > 0:14:38black kids, you know?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Even when I look back
0:14:39 > 0:14:43and think about watching TV on a very basic level, whenever you saw
0:14:43 > 0:14:48the news and it had Trevor McDonald came on, we were transfixed.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52"Oh, that's Trevor!" And Mum was just like, "Oh, his sultry voice,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54"I want to marry him. Why did I marry...?
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Talking to my dad, "Why did I marry you? I could be with him." Brilliant.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Do you feel that pressure?
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Do you know? When I first started, I didn't think I would
0:15:03 > 0:15:06because I had this rose-tinted view that everyone
0:15:06 > 0:15:09was on a equal level playing field.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Whenever I go out now, I get stopped by young black youths, male,
0:15:13 > 0:15:18female, go, "Yeah, well done, Steve, representing."
0:15:18 > 0:15:19That's the word you get all the time,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22even till today, "Representing."
0:15:22 > 0:15:25So I'm very much aware of what I'm doing and the choices that I make.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- Does that influence your comedy? - It makes me be a bit more real.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32When I first started doing comedy, it was all about jazz hands,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34"Look at me, I'm funny, ha-ha."
0:15:34 > 0:15:37But in the last few years, I've been talking about stuff that
0:15:37 > 0:15:41really matters to me and that's where I'm at.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Did you, sort of, get into comedy quite late?
0:15:49 > 0:15:51I did get into comedy quite late.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53This is the genuine story about how I got into comedy.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57You may remember, quite a few years ago, I think it may have been '95,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59when Hoover did a promotion,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02an advertising promotion in newspapers and TV,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04if you bought one of their Hoovers,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08you got two return tickets to America, New York or Florida.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10- So off you went to America? - I went to America.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12I was seeing a friend of mine who lived there
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and, at the same time, there was another friend of his from England
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and we were there for a week and she was like, "You're really funny.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19"Why don't you to comedy?"
0:16:19 > 0:16:22I'm like, "Don't be silly. I'm funny, you know, one-on-one."
0:16:22 > 0:16:25She went, "No, no, I'm running a comedy club in England,
0:16:25 > 0:16:26"come and do some stuff."
0:16:26 > 0:16:29And I got back to England a couple of months later and I called her,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I went, "Were you serious?" And she went, "Yes!"
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- That's how I started.- Yeah.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35I've never looked back.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39So your whole career started from a television advert and here is
0:16:39 > 0:16:42another. We've got another...
0:16:42 > 0:16:46If you can say this word, vacuuming-ing advert.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51# It's all you have to do
0:16:51 > 0:16:54# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:16:54 > 0:16:57# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:16:57 > 0:17:00BOTH: # Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:17:00 > 0:17:02# Remember what to do
0:17:02 > 0:17:05# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Ha-ha, you've always got to put the freshness back into your carpet
0:17:08 > 0:17:09- and, do you know what?- What?
0:17:09 > 0:17:12When this advert was playing all over the country,
0:17:12 > 0:17:14we didn't even have a vacuum cleaner.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17No. And I was so amazed that people were
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- so excited...- Yeah.- ..about cleaning their carpets.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24But what made it even worse was that you could get talcum powder,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27sprinkle it on your carpet, on your dirty carpet, make it dirtier
0:17:27 > 0:17:29and then... Why didn't you just clean the carpet?
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Yeah, what if you didn't have a Hoover?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34I mean, you were at home not having a Hoover,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36putting the Shake n' Vac down, covered in talc.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38I can't see the telly.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42We've got the Shake n' Vac, but we haven't got a Hoover. Oh, bless.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46This is one of the best known adverts of all time.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Never before had anyone been so happy to vacuum
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and Jenny Logan brought an energy to the role that has
0:17:53 > 0:17:55since become lodged in the minds of anyone
0:17:55 > 0:17:57who lived through the '80s.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:18:00 > 0:18:05The catchy tune has stood the test of time for over 35 years.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08In 2010, the jingle was rerecorded
0:18:08 > 0:18:12by pop sensation...Jedward,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15who were born a decade after the advert was first released.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Pop-tastic!
0:18:17 > 0:18:19She looks so happy...
0:18:19 > 0:18:21- Oh, yeah, you have to do a little dance.- ..so happy.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25You know, I mean, I thought we could... As a homage to that,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28pay tribute to it, you know, this afternoon.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I've got...
0:18:30 > 0:18:32You haven't got Shake n' Vac?!
0:18:32 > 0:18:33I can't give it to you like that.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35You always have to hold things like this.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Oh, my...! Do you know? I've never...
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- Huh! It...- I've got the Hoover.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44This is actually...
0:18:44 > 0:18:49We're going to get you doing a bit of Shake n' Vac for us now.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Well, you have to acknowledge that this place is a bit pongy.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Yeah. Here we go, let's do the song.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59BOTH: # Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:18:59 > 0:19:02I've broke it! You hold that, I'll hold that.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- You're the singer.- Whoa, thank God, that's why you stick to comedy.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Cor blimey, that was awful singing.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- At least the freshness is back. - There you go.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- I have to say...- It does smell good. - It has livened it up a bit
0:19:16 > 0:19:20and got us out of our chair, and a little bit of exercise there.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Yeah, because I love an ad that we could sing along, all right.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25That's the key to an advert - it makes you remember things.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27One of my best adverts I can remember, as well,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30because we love biscuits in our house.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33My parents were into Rich Tea, I was into...
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- My dad was into Jacob's Cream Crackers.- No Digestive?
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- No Digestives, no. Jammie Dodgers.- Ah, yes.- Yeah.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- An, of course...- Custard creams? - Custard Creams, yeah.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- ..Bourbons.- Bourbons, yes.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47And the favourite, right, Ginger Nuts.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- Your favourite?- Yeah. Do you remember the advert?- No, no.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54# I'm a Jamaican ginger grower and I'm very proud to say
0:19:54 > 0:19:56# I grow the finest ginger In the world today
0:19:56 > 0:19:58# You pick the best and packet them
0:19:58 > 0:20:00# McVitie's come to buy it
0:20:00 > 0:20:01# You snap into a McVitie's Ginger Nut
0:20:01 > 0:20:04# The taste is Jamaican ginger
0:20:04 > 0:20:06# The world's best is waiting for you
0:20:06 > 0:20:08# I knows it I grows it. #
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Stephen K Amos is available for advertisements.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13There it is.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16That was brilliant, that deserves a round of applaud.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Thank you very much. I'll take that.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20I'll do round of applause, there you go.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27What did to your mum and dad enjoy watching?
0:20:27 > 0:20:31My dad... As I said, my dad liked nature programmes,
0:20:31 > 0:20:36anything that Dickie Attenborough produced, loved them.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Anything about the world as well.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- Mum, on the other hand, was all about glitz and glamour.- Oh, right!
0:20:42 > 0:20:47- Variety shows...- Yeah?- Danny La Rue. - Ah-ha!- Oh, my God.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Well, have a little look at this. Here's the man, Dan.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53# Down the road there lives a man
0:20:53 > 0:20:55# I'd like you all to know
0:20:55 > 0:20:59# He grew a great big marrow for the local flower show
0:20:59 > 0:21:01# Now when the news got round of it
0:21:01 > 0:21:03# They came from far and wide
0:21:03 > 0:21:09# But when they saw the size of it
0:21:13 > 0:21:15# Everybody cried
0:21:17 > 0:21:20# Oh what a beauty
0:21:20 > 0:21:25# I've never seen one as big as that before
0:21:25 > 0:21:28# Oh what a beauty
0:21:28 > 0:21:32# Why it must be two foot long or maybe more
0:21:32 > 0:21:37# Now it's such a lovely colour Nice and round and fat
0:21:37 > 0:21:40# And I've never seen a marrow quite as big as that
0:21:40 > 0:21:43# Oh what a beauty
0:21:43 > 0:21:47# I've never seen one as big as that before. #
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- So this is something your mum enjoyed?- My mum loved that.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55To be honest, I think she missed out the word drag
0:21:55 > 0:21:59because she was genuinely convinced that Danny La Rue was a woman.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01- I worked with Danny La Rue.- Oh, wow.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I worked with him, I did seven pantos with him,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and he really was a legend.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I saw him when he was... When I was seven and he was
0:22:11 > 0:22:12starring at the Palace Theatre,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and Danny La Rue would do 22 weeks there.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17I went there and sat right up in the gods
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and I was seven years old, and I said to my mum and dad...
0:22:20 > 0:22:22They said, "Did you enjoy the show?"
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I said, "One day, I'm going to marry that woman."
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Danny would always want me to tell that story.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33But, no, he was a very kind man, very gentle, very quiet man,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35of course, once he got into the gear...
0:22:35 > 0:22:37I think even then he, sort of...
0:22:37 > 0:22:39He doesn't mind me saying it now,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42but he was past his sell-by date slightly,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46but when he was a young man, you honestly...
0:22:46 > 0:22:49He was the most beautiful woman you ever saw.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51And the clothes, you know?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Yes, the costumes were amazing and,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55in fact, I think he was the first
0:22:55 > 0:22:58drag artist I ever saw
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and, also, one who could perform and sing live, which was quite rare.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07The amount of attention to detail that went into the clothes,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09the hair, the banter...
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Really, really quite something special.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Do you enjoy these sort of shows?
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I suppose we did, in a way, because, as I say, it's a variety of stuff.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- You get singing, maybe you get some...- Comedy.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23- ..comedy...- Magic. - ..maybe some magic.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27All, kind of... Something we could all enjoy as a family entertainment.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30It was in the era where variety was alive and well.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34You know, from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38when a lot of variety stuff was on, including the Royal Variety show.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41We watched it religiously every year.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44And then we wind on 30 years...
0:23:44 > 0:23:46- and you're on it.- And I get to be on it. Who'd have thought?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49You know, me as a ten-year-old kid watching the Royal Variety
0:23:49 > 0:23:53with my parents and family, never in a million years did I think,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55"Oh, one day I'll be on that."
0:23:55 > 0:23:57And I was.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04I love doing this job, folks,
0:24:04 > 0:24:05and I swear to God...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Let me tell you a bit about myself first.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I come from quite a big family
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and as kids my dad tried to think of ways to keep us occupied.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15His solution was to get my mum pregnant eight more times.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16LAUGHTER
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Car journeys were a nightmare.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20I have a twin sister, she is my best friend.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22However, I get asked two questions on a regular basis,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25one of them is, "Are you identical?"
0:24:25 > 0:24:28LAUGHTER
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Oh! What was I wearing?!
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Go on, Stephen.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36The London I grew up in is very different to the London that it is now, right?
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Because I grew up in a time where the young people... There's a 90-year-old...
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Is there a student here somewhere? Is it you, son? Hello, how old are you?
0:24:43 > 0:24:45- 19.- 19. What year were you born? - '88.
0:24:45 > 0:24:481988.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Did you hear that silence? LAUGHTER
0:24:51 > 0:24:53That's called jealousy.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58There are people in this room with underpants and socks older than you.
0:25:00 > 0:25:01You know who you are.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03How does it feel watching it?
0:25:03 > 0:25:05- Do you know what? My heart has stopped...- Really?
0:25:05 > 0:25:07I'm not even joking.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Oh, my goodness! People make an effort, they all wear their
0:25:10 > 0:25:13dicky bows and their DJs
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and they paid quite a lot of money to sit there,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and you've got four minutes to, kind of, get them and they...
0:25:19 > 0:25:21For me, it wasn't my target audience
0:25:21 > 0:25:23because those people don't normally go to comedy clubs.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26What was your mum and dad's thoughts on you doing a Royal
0:25:26 > 0:25:28when you went back?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I kid you not, I'd been doing stand-up for about ten years,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34my parents had never seen me do a live gig before.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38I did a couple of warm-up gigs and my parents came.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41It's about 4,500 people and so they came and they
0:25:41 > 0:25:43were sitting in the stalls, and I was like, "Can I just say...?"
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Halfway through the show...
0:25:45 > 0:25:47I was nervous and people were backstage going,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51"Your going to do your jokes about them? But they're here." "Yeah, I've nothing to hide."
0:25:51 > 0:25:54So halfway through the show, I just went, "Can I just say, folks, my
0:25:54 > 0:25:56"mum and dad are sitting there?"
0:25:56 > 0:26:00The crowd went electric. Mum stood up, took a bow. She's like that, "Yeah."
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- Like the Queen.- "Yep, that's my son, my son."
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Had never seen me before, "My son."
0:26:05 > 0:26:07When I got to do the Royal Variety show,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09afterwards, as you know, you meet whoever's there,
0:26:09 > 0:26:11be it the Queen or Prince Charles,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15and in the line-up there's a picture of me with the Queen,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18that is now pride of place in my mum's living room.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- Oh, isn't that lovely?- Yeah.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Going full circle now, what do you watch now?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- What do you watch on TV? - Do you know what?
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I've got a soft spot for soaps
0:26:31 > 0:26:34because, obviously, I travel quite a bit with this job,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37which I'm very grateful for and so the things that
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I watch now are soaps, you can catch up on them because they
0:26:40 > 0:26:41- tend to repeat them.- Yeah.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45And since I was a kid, you know, I've liked things like Dallas,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Dynasty, Knots Landing, all the dramatic soaps,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50all the big money American soaps.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54So I've come full circle and it's EastEnders, now it's Corrie,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56which is just hilarious, do you know?
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Is that what you watch it for? To have a good laugh?
0:26:58 > 0:27:00- Well, Coronation Street, yes.- Really?
0:27:00 > 0:27:02That's probably the best soap out there.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06It's got humour, it's got pathos, it's got, you know,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08real deep storylines as well.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Would you, if you could wave a magic wand, would you love to be in Corrie?
0:27:12 > 0:27:16I'd love to do a season in Corrie, yeah. Can you imagine?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- I think you'd be brilliant. - I'd even try my hand at putting on
0:27:19 > 0:27:21some sort of northern, sort of, twang...
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- if that's not too bad. - You're awful!
0:27:24 > 0:27:26I don't know where that's from.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29- Well, I have got no idea, but I'll give it a go.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30- Yeah. Weatherfield.- Yeah.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Can you imagine me being the landlord of Rovers Return?
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- I think you'd be brilliant. - Thank you.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39I'll even wear high heels, a blonde wig in homage to Julie Goodyear.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41We would love to see that.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45- There's people watching this now going, "Hmmm."- "We can make that happen."- Yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- I think you've been a wonderful guest, you really have.- Thank you very much. Thank you, Brian.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Very funny and I want to thank you for doing the show.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55At this point, we ask our guests to pick a theme tune to go out with.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57What would you like to go out with?
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Well, let's pay homage to the lovely Roy Castle,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03- let's do Record Breakers. - Yeah, Record Breakers.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Many thanks to Stephen and many thanks to you for watching
0:28:05 > 0:28:07The TV That Made Me.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10See you next time, bye-bye!
0:28:10 > 0:28:16# Dedication that's all you need
0:28:16 > 0:28:19# If you wanna be the best and you wanna burn up the rest
0:28:19 > 0:28:24# Then dedication's what you need Dum-dum-dum. #