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 > 0:01:38The TV that shaped him
0:01:38 > 0:01:40includes two little piggies with
0:01:40 > 0:01:42the squeakiest voices in show biz...
0:01:42 > 0:01:45MUSIC: Pinky and Perky
0:01:45 > 0:01:47..a record-breaking children's show...
0:01:47 > 0:01:50- Well, dance away, then...- Right. - ..and we'll watch.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54..and a series of sinister stories with more twists than
0:01:54 > 0:01:56a bag of pretzels.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58The child was trying to warn me.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02It can only be the one and only Stephen K Amos...who's here.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Are you excited about this, this trip down memory lane?
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I'm very excited. I can't wait to see what you've got in store.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Well, I'm going to take you on this journey that made you into,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12- possibly, the person you are today...- Oh, hope so.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14..with regards to television.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17- Because I love what you've done with the flat. I mean, it's amazing. - Yeah?- Yeah.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It already takes me back, looking at the TV and, what looks like, a gramophone.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Because I actually do have my parents' gramophone from back
0:02:23 > 0:02:27- in the day in my living room today. - Really?- Oh, yes.- Oh, right.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- It's got a drinks cabinet that lights up when you open it.- No!- Yes!
0:02:30 > 0:02:32And it's got a padded velvet back
0:02:32 > 0:02:36- and it's got the wireless radio tuner thing.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39And at the top, you lift it up and up comes the turntable.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43I have got flat envy, do you know that? I really have.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47So we're going take you on this path, but first up we're going
0:02:47 > 0:02:53to have a look at what it was like to be the young Stephen K Amos.
0:02:53 > 0:03:00Stephen K Amos and his twin sister Stella were born in London in 1967.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Theirs was a large family
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and a family who didn't stay put in any one place for long.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- Your family, they moved a lot, mate.- We did move...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Ha-ha-ha-ha! You have done your research! Yeah, we moved quite a bit
0:03:15 > 0:03:18because, I think, my parents, in the early days, thought of
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- themselves as property developers.. - Oh, right.- ..and we thought we were
0:03:21 > 0:03:24in the Witness Protection Programme because they moved around...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I went to about five different primary schools and three different
0:03:26 > 0:03:29- secondary schools.- Really?- Yeah, not only did they move around a lot,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- there was a lot of us in the family. - How many of you?- Eight kids.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34- Eight...!- It's not necessary.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Because you had to have a voice in the family household. I mean, there's nothing worse,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41sitting around the dinner table, all these kids, all of us, my mum
0:03:41 > 0:03:45leaning over to my brother, pointing to me and going, "Who is that?
0:03:45 > 0:03:47"I don't recognise him."
0:03:47 > 0:03:50"I'm your son. I'm the son, I'm the middle one."
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- So you had to do something to have your voice heard...- Yeah.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55..and mine happened to be comedy.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- I'm going to take you to your first choice.- OK.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06This is something, well, something from way, way back,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- one of your earliest memories of television...- Oh, yeah.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11..in the Amos household.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15I'm not going to say any more, except Pinky and Perky.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32# We belong together
0:04:32 > 0:04:34# It's you for me and me for you
0:04:34 > 0:04:37# Just like one and one make two... #
0:04:37 > 0:04:39TV Centre there. There they are.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42# And still forever
0:04:42 > 0:04:47# Together we will be. #
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Do you know what? I think one of the reasons why I was really,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51kind of, into this was because I was a twin.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- So there was me and my twin sister, Pinky and Perky.- Yeah.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57- I thought they were two little lads. - Oh, did you?- Yeah.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02You see, I assumed they were a boy and girl, I didn't know for a fact.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Pinky and Perky, the twin boy pig puppets, were created
0:05:06 > 0:05:10and controlled by Jan and Vlasta Dalibor, a Czechoslovakian
0:05:10 > 0:05:14husband and wife team who emigrated to the UK in 1948.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19They wanted to turn their piglets into pop stars,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and the singing duo released dozens of singles
0:05:22 > 0:05:25over their 14-year history on our screens,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30but it wasn't until 1993 that they bagged their first hit record,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33reaching number 47 in our charts.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37# Reet Petite The finest girl
0:05:37 > 0:05:39# You'll ever wanna meet
0:05:39 > 0:05:41# Well, have you ever seen a girl...? #
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Pinky and Perky, that takes me back a long, long time.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Pinky was in red, Perky was in blue, I believe.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50You see, I never knew that, you know...?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Well, how could you know that? It's black and white, you know?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Well, even up until today, I didn't...
0:05:55 > 0:05:59Well, maybe a few years ago I found out that there were definite colours,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02which is what I probably think has led into that whole thing about,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04when you have babies, boys get blue,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- girls get pink and all that kind of...- Yeah.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09..I think it's because of this nonsense.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12But that's how we were influenced when we were kids,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14something as simple as that.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Were you intrigued how they got that...that sort of voice?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Yeah, completely. I thought, you know, as a kid,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23that is how they spoke, that's how they moved.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24And I think one of the
0:06:24 > 0:06:27hooks of this programme was that they did do what
0:06:27 > 0:06:30they're doing now, they'd sing a popular song
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and then that goes into your consciousness as a child.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37I thought they were the ones who had the big hits, I really did.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40I even thought they were playing those instruments.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43The voices were iconic. I mean, that really did,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47sort of, propel them into whatever world they went into.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49- But I thought we could recreate this now...- OK.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52..recreate the Pinky and Perky voice.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54We've got a couple of these.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Would you like the beret, so would you like to be Perky, or shall I?
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I think you should. Do you know why?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- In homage to my sister, I'll play the girl.- All right, then.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06OK, hold on, I've got it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08- There you go.- That works. - Do you think so?- That works.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10And then we've got the Pinky and Perky voice.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- AS PINKY AND PERKY - Hello, I'm Pinky.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15You've just got to say, Hello, Perky.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- Hello, Pinky.- Hello, Perky.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23- Shall we sing a song? - Yes, let's sing a song.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Shall we sing our hit single, The Grand Old Duke of York?
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Yeah. All right, then.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32BOTH: # Oh The Grand Old Duke Of York
0:07:32 > 0:07:36# He had 10,000 men
0:07:36 > 0:07:39# He marched them up to the top of the hill
0:07:39 > 0:07:41# And he marched them down again
0:07:41 > 0:07:43# And when they were up they were up
0:07:43 > 0:07:46# And when they were down they were down
0:07:46 > 0:07:48# And when they were only halfway up
0:07:48 > 0:07:50# They were neither up nor down. #
0:07:50 > 0:07:56- Yeah!- Whoa! My goodness! Let's release that, number one!
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- Yeah, Rihanna, you've got nothing on me.- Yeah.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04And Pinky and Perky aren't the only non-human pop stars to
0:08:04 > 0:08:08invade our Great British pop charts over the years.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11# The Wombles of Wimbledon Common are we... #
0:08:11 > 0:08:13The Wombles had the first of many
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Womble-related hits in 1974
0:08:16 > 0:08:19with The Wombling Song.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22# I wish I could fly way up to the sky
0:08:22 > 0:08:24# But I can't
0:08:24 > 0:08:26- # You can - I can't... #
0:08:26 > 0:08:30In 1983, Orville became everyone's favourite nappy-wearing duck
0:08:30 > 0:08:32when he reached number four with Orville's Song,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34featuring his human helper,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38the late, great Keith Harris.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42MUSIC: Rat Rapping by R Rat and S Jeffries
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Way before Eminem and Kanye, 1984 was the Year of the Rat,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50with Roland Rat scoring a top 20 hit with Rat Rapping.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Yeah, Rat fans!
0:08:54 > 0:08:56# Blobby Oh Mr Blobby... #
0:08:56 > 0:09:00And no list would be complete without the one and only Mr Blobby,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04who brought us this self-titled single in 1993,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07which, perhaps, surprisingly went
0:09:07 > 0:09:09all the way to the number one spot.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Cut to the chase, your living room, what was it like?
0:09:12 > 0:09:14The living room, I don't think it was typical for that era,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19we had four or five massive leather sofas with this, sort of...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23It looked like a coaster on the back, like what you get on trains,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27you can't put any grease, or whatever, on the arms,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29on the backs.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- And we had a three-tier marble table. - Ooh, marble!
0:09:32 > 0:09:37But only like this big, like coffee tables, but they were intertwined
0:09:37 > 0:09:39and had these, kind of, hideous brass legs.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42We had the gramophone in the corner, that was really lovely,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44and I think we also had a plastic, sort of, runway
0:09:44 > 0:09:46so you couldn't mark the carpets,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50even though we were never allowed to wear shoes in the living room.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- And ornaments, my mum loved ornaments everywhere.- We've got a few.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55A little homage to that.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59I think my mum would absolutely go insane if she saw these.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Although, she liked them for the house.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Although, I do remember one Christmas,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I bought her an ornament, I think it was a horse
0:10:06 > 0:10:10carrying a barrel, she was not impressed.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- She was like...- So you bought that as a Christmas present and she didn't like that?
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Yeah, she was like, "Have you bought this for me or the house?"
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Yeah, yeah, yeah.- And we had the TV and no remote control.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23In the old days, I was the remote control, yeah?
0:10:23 > 0:10:25And on the odd occasion, I was also the aerial.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29My dad's like, "Stand there, hold it higher, higher, stay there."
0:10:29 > 0:10:33You never watched a programme, just standing there like that.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Back in the day, my parents had one of those... Do you remember these?
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- These little plastic screens that went over your TV...- Yeah, go on.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42..and they were one colour, it was red,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46- to give the illusion that you had a colour television.- Terrible!
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Do you remember that?- Kids don't know what we had to suffer!
0:10:49 > 0:10:51They've got no idea.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- It's like a blur, was it? - It was a blur in the end.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56I was like, "Oh, what colour is it?"
0:10:56 > 0:10:58And Dad's like, "It's colour television."
0:10:58 > 0:11:02We didn't see him stick it on. It's colour television!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10We're going to have a look at your next choice now,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13something that really got the family excited...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Yeah.- ..and me too.- Oh, good.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- Yeah, Record Breakers and the brilliant Roy Castle.- Oh!
0:11:18 > 0:11:20There he is there.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23# Dedication's what you need Dum-dum-dum...
0:11:23 > 0:11:27BOTH: # Dedication's What you need..
0:11:27 > 0:11:31# If you wanna be a Record Breaker. #
0:11:31 > 0:11:35The good thing about watching this programme as a family...
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Because he used to try a lot of the stuff himself.- Yeah, yeah.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Are there any records on tap dancing?
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Well, no, not really.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42The nearest we've heard of is
0:11:42 > 0:11:44a heel-stomping record in
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Flamenco dancing.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It was set in September 1967 in Australia by a man
0:11:48 > 0:11:50called Solero de Jerez.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53And that's the power of television, you see?
0:11:53 > 0:11:57When you see someone that you admire doing a challenge and you think,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59"Maybe I could give something a go."
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- Right, well, dance away, then... - Right.- ..and we'll watch.
0:12:03 > 0:12:0617, he's done 17 there, in that second section.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Go on, Roy!
0:12:07 > 0:12:1124, that's fantastic! He did 24. That's enough, you've shattered it.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16Well, that was 24, which is 1,440 taps in a minute.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19So you are a record breaker!
0:12:19 > 0:12:20APPLAUSE
0:12:20 > 0:12:25Without a doubt, the greatest all-round entertainer.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28All-round, without doubt. He could put his hand to anything and do it.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Yeah, he'd give it a go, didn't he?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34And that's what, kind of, encouraged us to think we could do anything.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Did you ever want to see just how big the world's biggest seed is,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42or how many people it's possible to summersault over?
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Well, if you did, then you probably
0:12:44 > 0:12:45watched Record Breakers.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48And the programme almost broke a record itself,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51as one of the longest running children's series
0:12:51 > 0:12:53in British television history,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56running for 29 years and seven days.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Did it make you realise that ordinary people could do
0:13:00 > 0:13:01extraordinary things?
0:13:01 > 0:13:04That's the point. It meant that, because... You saw him
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and you knew he was a professional,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09but then he was also encouraging people, ordinary people,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11to try and achieve something.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14And, even though it's something that can, maybe, be seen a bit as silly or
0:13:14 > 0:13:18frivolous, it's still an achievement in doing something
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and it gets recognised. Everyone, back in those days,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24had a Guinness Book of Records, do you know what I mean?
0:13:24 > 0:13:25Everybody had those.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- You...- Oh!- ..have got one right now.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32Look at that!
0:13:32 > 0:13:36- Oh, my goodness!- Record Breakers, have a little look.- Ha-ha!
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Isn't it wonderful, isn't it? Isn't it just from a different era?
0:13:39 > 0:13:43And I've got here, just to put you to the test, some records.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Some records. Well, I want to play a little game now, true or false?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Actually, I've got three questions from that Record Breakers annual.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Here we go, here's the first one...
0:13:52 > 0:13:56In 1973, Margaret Featherstone became a record breaker in what
0:13:56 > 0:13:58kind of noisy competition?
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Eh... Noise, possibly whistling, or humming?
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Erm, shouting?
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Shouting, it was indeed!
0:14:06 > 0:14:11She shouted the word suey at 106 decibels.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14She won the very first women's world record
0:14:14 > 0:14:18shouting championships in Scarborough.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21In Scarborough. Suey? What does suey mean?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24God knows... Try saying it loud.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Suey!
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Has she lost someone, a cat? Suey!
0:14:30 > 0:14:36- Where are you, Suey?! Tea time!- Where's Sweep?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Here's another one.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43In 1976, Roy Sullivan became a world record breaker by being
0:14:43 > 0:14:47hit by lightning how many times over 34 years?
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- Over 34 years?- Poor old Roy. - Yeah, very unlucky man. 34 years?
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Erm, let's say twice a year for 34...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Shall we go there?
0:14:57 > 0:14:59No, we won't go there!
0:14:59 > 0:15:02OK, let's say...OK, four.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Did he live under a tree?
0:15:04 > 0:15:05From 68 to four!
0:15:05 > 0:15:09"Twice a year... All right, then, four."
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- Erm, six times.- So, no, you weren't far away.- I know.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14In 1975, Connie Baker of the USA
0:15:14 > 0:15:17became a record breaker by swinging how many hula hoops
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- round her waist at one time? - I would say, because I've seen...
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- They're quite big, them hula hoops... - Yeah, yeah.- 57.
0:15:25 > 0:15:2758!
0:15:27 > 0:15:30That is unbelievable! Congratulations!
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I have nothing to give you, except your very own
0:15:32 > 0:15:34Record Breakers Annual...
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Oh, my goodness.- ..from 1976.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- Wow.- Yeah, there he is.- God!
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- It's like the evolution of man, there, isn't it?- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51What were you not allowed to watch on television?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- Oh, my god, if any bit of flesh... - Yeah.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56..was on TV, that was it.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58That was it, you had to get out of the room?
0:15:58 > 0:16:02- No, Mum would leap, like... She could be in the kitchen...- A gazelle.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08..she could be upstairs, you'll be watching even an advert,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11a holiday advert, you know, somebody in a bikini...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13She's down there, like a gazelle,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16changing the channel, you know? "Dirty, dirty."
0:16:16 > 0:16:22How did this affect the Stephen Amos growing up?
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Well, I can't wear a bikini now, can I?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30The thing is, I don't know how it was for many families,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33but if anything sexual was on the TV, you know,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36we're not that kind of family, we didn't talk about things.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39You know, I never had the talk for example, you know,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41"The talk. The talk." I had no idea what you did.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Couldn't watch anything like that, if it's not educational,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46if it's not entertaining, you can't watch it.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Well, this is something you weren't allowed to watch, you were sent
0:16:49 > 0:16:55up to your room and...I'm sorry, your mother's had a word with me
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and said you can't watch it.
0:16:58 > 0:17:04- There's naked ladies in silhouettes, it's wrong.- Yeah, these were...
0:17:04 > 0:17:05This was one of the...yeah.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Look, as long as you don't say anything to her...
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- I won't say anything, if you don't.- There we go.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- Yes.- Tales of the Unexpected.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23So did you ever get a sneaky peak at this or...?
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Yeah, I did, yeah.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27You did get to watch this eventually?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Well, yeah, when I got older, I'd get to watch it.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32But when we were sent to bed, you know,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Mum and Dad would be on the couch and I'd be sneaking my head
0:17:34 > 0:17:37through the little door, like that, having a good look.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42Because the good thing about this show was that every single episode
0:17:42 > 0:17:45was a stand-alone story and so...
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And sometimes it was quite scary.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Despite being made on a relatively modest budget,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56this long-running series often featured huge Hollywood stars,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00such as...
0:18:00 > 0:18:04The public couldn't get enough of this spine-tingling stuff.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08You've got to help me. Don't you see what it is? It's a spell.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Like this one,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12a creepy tale of a newlywed, who thinks her house is being
0:18:12 > 0:18:17haunted by the ghost of her husband's first wife.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22There is an evil spirit in this place that wants to get rid of me.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- It is eerie, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27You know? You can imagine getting a bit spooked out by this,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31- especially as a young kid.- I know.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33- Even the lighting.- Yeah.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38"Prince of Darkness, I make me a sign..."
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Ooh!- I think we know where it's going, don't we?- Yeah.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45"Death in the morning shall he know."
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- Oh, my goodness! See what I mean?- Yeah!
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Every single episode was like, "Arg! Ooh!"
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Do you think something like this would have given you nightmares?
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- Oh, absolutely.- Really?- Yes.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Many nightmares and...that's probably why I'm not a big
0:19:00 > 0:19:05fan of horror movies or sci-fi, or fantasy at all.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08No, I like things that are a bit more real.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- What did the Amos family watch together?- We used...
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Well, my dad was a big fan of nature programmes, you know,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23he loves anything to do with animals and seeing how they live.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27- Mum was the one who loved, sort of, variety and big shows...- Yeah.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31..and any programme that featured a black family or a black
0:19:31 > 0:19:35character, suddenly the whole family were like, voom, hey!
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Mum would call out,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41"Children, there's a black person on the television, come quickly!"
0:19:41 > 0:19:46And we'd all gather round, mouths open, going, "Oh, wow!"
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Shall we have a little look at this then?
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Edward, could I have a word with you...in the kitchen?
0:19:53 > 0:19:56The kitchen? We've got guests.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- It's personal. - Annie, Susan has come to visit us.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Now, obviously, because of her...
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Well, because she is what she is... Thank you.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Can you believe it?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Now, then, what is it?
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Thomas and Susan are married.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12Oh, my god!
0:20:12 > 0:20:15AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Thomas, what have you done?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- Dad, you've got yourself a daughter-in-law.- Well...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Well, really this is... This is something that we
0:20:22 > 0:20:23should have been prepared for.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27It was difficult for us, Mr Simson. We didn't know if you'd understand.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Understand? Of course we understand.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31I understand it's bloody ridiculous.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- Look at the big laughs on that line. - Yeah.- Whoa!
0:20:38 > 0:20:41It makes me feel quite sick inside, a bit,
0:20:41 > 0:20:46because it may have been a reflection of the times and one of the ways
0:20:46 > 0:20:49people address and deal with what was happening in the country
0:20:49 > 0:20:51at the time, you know?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Something that's never been seen before, you know?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56People of different cultures, different backgrounds getting together.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59So, for us, watching this as a family, we could really empathise
0:20:59 > 0:21:02- with the young black actress there. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05And particularly when we saw more of this programme,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07where the parents come in, and it's always...
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Whenever these, sort of, '70s shows,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11when they deal with race in this way,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14it's always the female figure of whoever she's married to,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17like the white guy or the black husband...
0:21:17 > 0:21:21The female matriarch of that household seems to be the one of the
0:21:21 > 0:21:25voice of reason, the one that's, kind of, trying to diffuse the situation.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27And it's always the male figure that's either, kind of,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29bigoted and has got these...
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Who maybe represents a view that was prevalent in society.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36My point now, when I look back at this,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40is that was there not a way where we could laugh at that
0:21:40 > 0:21:44but not in such a blatant and ignorant way?
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Maybe that's what it was all about, though.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Dad, has it ever occurred to you, you don't have to
0:21:49 > 0:21:51- do anything about it? I mean, it's our problem.- No, it's not.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I mean... What are the neighbours going to say?
0:21:53 > 0:21:54LAUGHTER
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Of, for God's sake, don't give me any of that, Dad. To hell with the neighbours.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I think what is interesting is that the white people
0:22:00 > 0:22:04in that scene are ignorant, are coming over stupid,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08or is it because that's the way we're looking at it now?
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Well, exactly. That's why...
0:22:10 > 0:22:14When the dad had that first massive laugh, you can't quite tell whether
0:22:14 > 0:22:20people were laughing at him or laughing because it was a funny joke.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22That's why, when I say, when I do comedy now,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25watching programmes like this didn't inspire me.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So do you think shows like Mixed Blessings broke down barriers
0:22:28 > 0:22:30by having black actors?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33That's a very interesting point because, I think,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36obviously, they did because black characters,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41black actors were invisible, unlike America, which had, you know, the
0:22:41 > 0:22:45whole big civil rights movement. And if you watch American TV now,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48there's black sitcoms, Hispanic, there's loads of things.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52So maybe those programmes of the '70s were just
0:22:52 > 0:22:56a reflection of the times, which doesn't, necessarily, make it good.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Like, for example, before we started going to school, you know,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03preschool... My first day at primary school, I went into the classroom
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and came straight back home and said,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07"Mum, apparently there's a black boy in my class,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09"I can't find him anywhere."
0:23:09 > 0:23:11My mum's like, "It's you."
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- Because in our household it was never a thing.- Yeah.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17And then, also, whenever these programmes came out, I think
0:23:17 > 0:23:20they came out at the weekend, so you'd go to school on the Monday
0:23:20 > 0:23:24and whatever term was used to describe either the black girl
0:23:24 > 0:23:28or the black father, or vice versa the other side,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31you'd hear those in the playground. That was, kind of, acceptable.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33That's why, when I started doing my stand-up,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I was playing with perceptions, how you see people.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39I used to start off pretending I was a Nigerian person, "But the things
0:23:39 > 0:23:43"I said were the funny things. It wasn't the way you said it."
0:23:43 > 0:23:46So I'd say, "You're wearing glasses. Why are you wearing glasses?"
0:23:46 > 0:23:49"Are you defying the Lord? The Lord gave you
0:23:49 > 0:23:51"vision at a limited rate.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54"You defy him by wanting to see more."
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- And that's the joke...- Yeah, yeah, yeah.- ..as opposed to me going,
0:23:57 > 0:23:59"You are wearing glasses," or something.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Stephen, you talk about shows that had black actors in it,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04how excited you were to watch those sorts of shows.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06What other shows were you excited about watching that
0:24:06 > 0:24:08focused on black actors?
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Well, when I look back, you can't ignore the miniseries that was called
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Roots by Alex Haley.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17I mean, that was groundbreaking for a young kid like me
0:24:17 > 0:24:19watching that with my whole family.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23It was on, you know, every week for about six or seven weeks
0:24:23 > 0:24:27and it told the story about this guy's family history, his family tree
0:24:27 > 0:24:31from slavery to the present day, stuff I hadn't learned at school.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36It was so amazing and moving and it really, kind of, made me think
0:24:36 > 0:24:40and realise the differences that other people had to go
0:24:40 > 0:24:43through before we got here, do you know what I mean?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Your name is Toby.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I want to hear you say it.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Your name is Toby.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57You're going to learn to say your name. Let me hear you say it.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00What's your name?
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Kunta.
0:25:02 > 0:25:03Kunta Kinte.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10And so that was very ground-breaking because we got to school
0:25:10 > 0:25:14on the Monday and everybody was talking about it, it was so powerful.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17That was one of the first things I'd ever seen which was
0:25:17 > 0:25:21an entirely majority black cast with a very important story.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24So that was very important to the family? Did they all sit down and watch that?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Oh, God, yeah, we all sat down and watched it together, just transfixed.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31So did that give you a feeling of acceptance, you know,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- them representing you?- That...
0:25:33 > 0:25:35The word you used their, "Representing,"
0:25:35 > 0:25:37is so important because that's what it was like.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40It was like, you're representing, brilliant, excellent.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43And it meant that you were visible and visible in a way that wasn't
0:25:43 > 0:25:47derisory. It was more of a celebration and that's why...
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Even watching Lenny from back in the day, you know,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54all his early TV stuff, I was like, "Wow, go on, you're representing."
0:25:54 > 0:25:59The guys behind the Real McCoy, you know, showing us that, yeah,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02we can on there, we can be funny - groundbreaking.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05That must have been huge weight on those performers' shoulders
0:26:05 > 0:26:08thinking that they're representing a whole generation of young
0:26:08 > 0:26:10black kids, you know?
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Even when I look back
0:26:12 > 0:26:15and think about watching TV on a very basic level, whenever you saw
0:26:15 > 0:26:20the news and it had Trevor McDonald came on, we were transfixed.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24"Oh, that's Trevor!" And Mum was just like, "Oh, his sultry voice,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27"I want to marry him. Why did I marry...?
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Talking to my dad, "Why did I marry you? I could be with him." Brilliant.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32Do you feel that pressure?
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Do you know? When I first started, I didn't think I would
0:26:35 > 0:26:38because I had this rose-tinted view that everyone
0:26:38 > 0:26:41was on a equal level playing field.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46Whenever I go out now, I get stopped by young black youths, male,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50female, go, "Yeah, well done, Steve, representing."
0:26:50 > 0:26:52That's the word you get all the time,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54even till today, "Representing."
0:26:54 > 0:26:57So I'm very much aware of what I'm doing and the choices that I make.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- Does that influence your comedy? - It makes me be a bit more real.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04When I first started doing comedy, it was all about jazz hands,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06"Look at me, I'm funny, ha-ha."
0:27:06 > 0:27:09But in the last few years, I've been talking about stuff that
0:27:09 > 0:27:13really matters to me and that's where I'm at.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Did you, sort of, get into comedy quite late?
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I did get into comedy quite late.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25This is the genuine story about how I got into comedy.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29You may remember, quite a few years ago, I think it may have been '95,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32when Hoover did a promotion,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34an advertising promotion in newspapers and TV,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36if you bought one of their Hoovers,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40you got two return tickets to America, New York or Florida.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- So off you went to America? - I went to America.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45I was seeing a friend of mine who lived there
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and, at the same time, there was another friend of his from England
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and we were there for a week and she was like, "You're really funny.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52"Why don't you to comedy?"
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I'm like, "Don't be silly. I'm funny, you know, one-on-one."
0:27:54 > 0:27:57She went, "No, no, I'm running a comedy club in England,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59"come and do some stuff."
0:27:59 > 0:28:02And I got back to England a couple of months later and I called her,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04I went, "Were you serious?" And she went, "Yes!"
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- That's how I started.- Yeah.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I've never looked back.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12So your whole career started from a television advert and here is
0:28:12 > 0:28:14another. We've got another...
0:28:14 > 0:28:18If you can say this word, vacuuming-ing advert.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23# It's all you have to do
0:28:23 > 0:28:26# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:28:26 > 0:28:29# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:28:29 > 0:28:33BOTH: # Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:28:33 > 0:28:34# Remember what to do
0:28:34 > 0:28:37# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Ha-ha, you've always got to put the freshness back into your carpet
0:28:40 > 0:28:42- and, do you know what?- What?
0:28:42 > 0:28:44When this advert was playing all over the country,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46we didn't even have a vacuum cleaner.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49No. And I was so amazed that people were
0:28:49 > 0:28:52- so excited...- Yeah.- ..about cleaning their carpets.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56But what made it even worse was that you could get talcum powder,
0:28:56 > 0:28:59sprinkle it on your carpet, on your dirty carpet, make it dirtier
0:28:59 > 0:29:02and then... Why didn't you just clean the carpet?
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Yeah, what if you didn't have a Hoover?
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I mean, you were at home not having a Hoover,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09putting the Shake n' Vac down, covered in talc.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11I can't see the telly.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14We've got the Shake n' Vac, but we haven't got a Hoover. Oh, bless.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18This is one of the best known adverts of all time.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22Never before had anyone been so happy to vacuum
0:29:22 > 0:29:25and Jenny Logan brought an energy to the role that has
0:29:25 > 0:29:28since become lodged in the minds of anyone
0:29:28 > 0:29:30who lived through the '80s.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:29:32 > 0:29:37The catchy tune has stood the test of time for over 35 years.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40In 2010, the jingle was rerecorded
0:29:40 > 0:29:44by pop sensation...Jedward,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48who were born a decade after the advert was first released.
0:29:48 > 0:29:49Pop-tastic!
0:29:49 > 0:29:51She looks so happy...
0:29:51 > 0:29:53- Oh, yeah, you have to do a little dance.- ..so happy.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57You know, I mean, I thought we could... As a homage to that,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01pay tribute to it, you know, this afternoon.
0:30:01 > 0:30:02I've got...
0:30:02 > 0:30:04You haven't got Shake n' Vac?!
0:30:04 > 0:30:06I can't give it to you like that.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08You always have to hold things like this.
0:30:08 > 0:30:09Oh, my...! Do you know? I've never...
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- Huh! It...- I've got the Hoover.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16This is actually...
0:30:16 > 0:30:21We're going to get you doing a bit of Shake n' Vac for us now.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26Well, you have to acknowledge that this place is a bit pongy.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Yeah. Here we go, let's do the song.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31BOTH: # Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I've broke it! You hold that, I'll hold that.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36# Do the Shake n' Vac and put the freshness back... #
0:30:36 > 0:30:40- You're the singer.- Whoa, thank God, that's why you stick to comedy.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Cor blimey, that was awful singing.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46- At least the freshness is back. - There you go.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- I have to say...- It does smell good. - It has livened it up a bit
0:30:48 > 0:30:52and got us out of our chair, and a little bit of exercise there.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Yeah, because I love an ad that we could sing along, all right.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57That's the key to an advert - it makes you remember things.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59One of my best adverts I can remember, as well,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02because we love biscuits in our house.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06My parents were into Rich Tea, I was into...
0:31:06 > 0:31:08- My dad was into Jacob's Cream Crackers.- No Digestive?
0:31:08 > 0:31:12- No Digestives, no. Jammie Dodgers.- Ah, yes.- Yeah.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14- An, of course...- Custard creams? - Custard Creams, yeah.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16- ..Bourbons.- Bourbons, yes.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20And the favourite, right, Ginger Nuts.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- Your favourite?- Yeah. Do you remember the advert?- No, no.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26# I'm a Jamaican ginger grower and I'm very proud to say
0:31:26 > 0:31:29# I grow the finest ginger In the world today
0:31:29 > 0:31:30# You pick the best and packet them
0:31:30 > 0:31:32# McVitie's come to buy it
0:31:32 > 0:31:34# You snap into a McVitie's Ginger Nut
0:31:34 > 0:31:36# The taste is Jamaican ginger
0:31:36 > 0:31:38# The world's best is waiting for you
0:31:38 > 0:31:40# I knows it I grows it. #
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Stephen K Amos is available for advertisements.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45There it is.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48That was brilliant, that deserves a round of applaud.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50Thank you very much. I'll take that.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53I'll do round of applause, there you go.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00What did to your mum and dad enjoy watching?
0:32:00 > 0:32:03My dad... As I said, my dad liked nature programmes,
0:32:03 > 0:32:08anything that Dickie Attenborough produced, loved them.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Anything about the world as well.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- Mum, on the other hand, was all about glitz and glamour.- Oh, right!
0:32:14 > 0:32:19- Variety shows...- Yeah?- Danny La Rue. - Ah-ha!- Oh, my God.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24Well, have a little look at this. Here's the man, Dan.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26# Down the road there lives a man
0:32:26 > 0:32:27# I'd like you all to know
0:32:27 > 0:32:31# He grew a great big marrow for the local flower show
0:32:31 > 0:32:34# Now when the news got round of it
0:32:34 > 0:32:35# They came from far and wide
0:32:35 > 0:32:42# But when they saw the size of it
0:32:45 > 0:32:47# Everybody cried
0:32:49 > 0:32:53# Oh what a beauty
0:32:53 > 0:32:57# I've never seen one as big as that before
0:32:57 > 0:33:00# Oh what a beauty
0:33:00 > 0:33:04# Why it must be two foot long or maybe more
0:33:04 > 0:33:09# Now it's such a lovely colour Nice and round and fat
0:33:09 > 0:33:12# And I've never seen a marrow quite as big as that
0:33:12 > 0:33:16# Oh what a beauty
0:33:16 > 0:33:20# I've never seen one as big as that before. #
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- So this is something your mum enjoyed?- My mum loved that.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27To be honest, I think she missed out the word drag
0:33:27 > 0:33:32because she was genuinely convinced that Danny La Rue was a woman.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34- I worked with Danny La Rue.- Oh, wow.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37I worked with him, I did seven pantos with him,
0:33:37 > 0:33:39and he really was a legend.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43I saw him when he was... When I was seven and he was
0:33:43 > 0:33:45starring at the Palace Theatre,
0:33:45 > 0:33:47and Danny La Rue would do 22 weeks there.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49I went there and sat right up in the gods
0:33:49 > 0:33:52and I was seven years old, and I said to my mum and dad...
0:33:52 > 0:33:54They said, "Did you enjoy the show?"
0:33:54 > 0:33:57I said, "One day, I'm going to marry that woman."
0:33:57 > 0:34:01Danny would always want me to tell that story.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05But, no, he was a very kind man, very gentle, very quiet man,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07of course, once he got into the gear...
0:34:07 > 0:34:09I think even then he, sort of...
0:34:09 > 0:34:12He doesn't mind me saying it now,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15but he was past his sell-by date slightly,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18but when he was a young man, you honestly...
0:34:18 > 0:34:21He was the most beautiful woman you ever saw.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23And the clothes, you know?
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Yes, the costumes were amazing and,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27in fact, I think he was the first
0:34:27 > 0:34:30drag artist I ever saw
0:34:30 > 0:34:36and, also, one who could perform and sing live, which was quite rare.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39The amount of attention to detail that went into the clothes,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42the hair, the banter...
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Really, really quite something special.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48British TV has a rich tradition of cross-dressing
0:34:48 > 0:34:51right through the ages.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55The '40s and '50s saw Norman Evans as Fanny Fairbottom,
0:34:55 > 0:34:58the lady we knew best over the garden wall.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02In turn, this influenced Les Dawson's classic double act with
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Roy Barraclough as gurning girls Cissie and Ada.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12The '70s saw the Monty Python team getting dolled up
0:35:12 > 0:35:15in housecoats and curlers for their viewers' comedy pleasure.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21By the '80s and '90s, cross-dressing comedy acts ruled the airwaves,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25with Lily Savage and Dame Edna Everage's fame becoming bigger
0:35:25 > 0:35:27than their backcombed hairdos.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30In the noughties, we were treated to Matt Lucas
0:35:30 > 0:35:32and David Walliams in Little Britain.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34"I'm a lady."
0:35:34 > 0:35:36And bringing us back up-to-date,
0:35:36 > 0:35:40Brendan O'Carroll as everyone's favourite Irish
0:35:40 > 0:35:43mammy, the gorgeous Mrs Brown.
0:35:43 > 0:35:44Do you enjoy these sort of shows?
0:35:44 > 0:35:49I suppose we did, in a way, because, as I say, it's a variety of stuff.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- You get singing, maybe you get some...- Comedy.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- ..comedy...- Magic. - ..maybe some magic.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58All, kind of... Something we could all enjoy as a family entertainment.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02It was in the era where variety was alive and well.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05You know, from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s,
0:36:05 > 0:36:09when a lot of variety stuff was on, including the Royal Variety show.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12We watched it religiously every year.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15And then we wind on 30 years...
0:36:15 > 0:36:18- and you're on it.- And I get to be on it. Who'd have thought?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20You know, me as a ten-year-old kid watching the Royal Variety
0:36:20 > 0:36:24with my parents and family, never in a million years did I think,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27"Oh, one day I'll be on that."
0:36:27 > 0:36:28And I was.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35I love doing this job, folks,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37and I swear to God...
0:36:37 > 0:36:38Let me tell you a bit about myself first.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40I come from quite a big family
0:36:40 > 0:36:44and as kids my dad tried to think of ways to keep us occupied.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46His solution was to get my mum pregnant eight more times.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48LAUGHTER
0:36:48 > 0:36:49Car journeys were a nightmare.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51I have a twin sister, she is my best friend.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54However, I get asked two questions on a regular basis,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56one of them is, "Are you identical?"
0:36:56 > 0:36:59LAUGHTER
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Oh! What was I wearing?!
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Go on, Stephen.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07The London I grew up in is very different to the London that it is now, right?
0:37:07 > 0:37:11Because I grew up in a time where the young people... There's a 90-year-old...
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Is there a student here somewhere? Is it you, son? Hello, how old are you?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16- 19.- 19. What year were you born? - '88.
0:37:16 > 0:37:191988.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Did you hear that silence? LAUGHTER
0:37:22 > 0:37:25That's called jealousy.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29There are people in this room with underpants and socks older than you.
0:37:31 > 0:37:32You know who you are.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34How does it feel watching it?
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- Do you know what? My heart has stopped...- Really?
0:37:36 > 0:37:38I'm not even joking.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Oh, my goodness! People make an effort, they all wear their
0:37:42 > 0:37:44dicky bows and their DJs
0:37:44 > 0:37:47and they paid quite a lot of money to sit there,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50and you've got four minutes to, kind of, get them and they...
0:37:50 > 0:37:52For me, it wasn't my target audience
0:37:52 > 0:37:55because those people don't normally go to comedy clubs.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57What was your mum and dad's thoughts on you doing a Royal
0:37:57 > 0:37:59when you went back?
0:37:59 > 0:38:02I kid you not, I'd been doing stand-up for about ten years,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05my parents had never seen me do a live gig before.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09I did a couple of warm-up gigs and my parents came.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12It's about 4,500 people and so they came and they
0:38:12 > 0:38:15were sitting in the stalls, and I was like, "Can I just say...?"
0:38:15 > 0:38:16Halfway through the show...
0:38:16 > 0:38:18I was nervous and people were backstage going,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22"Your going to do your jokes about them? But they're here." "Yeah, I've nothing to hide."
0:38:22 > 0:38:25So halfway through the show, I just went, "Can I just say, folks, my
0:38:25 > 0:38:27"mum and dad are sitting there?"
0:38:27 > 0:38:31The crowd went electric. Mum stood up, took a bow. She's like that, "Yeah."
0:38:31 > 0:38:33- Like the Queen.- "Yep, that's my son, my son."
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Had never seen me before, "My son."
0:38:36 > 0:38:38When I got to do the Royal Variety show,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41afterwards, as you know, you meet whoever's there,
0:38:41 > 0:38:43be it the Queen or Prince Charles,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and in the line-up there's a picture of me with the Queen,
0:38:46 > 0:38:49that is now pride of place in my mum's living room.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51- Oh, isn't that lovely?- Yeah.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55And those are the honours, those are the things that parents must be so proud of.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57I mean, I've got kids now and just seeing them
0:38:57 > 0:39:00in a nativity play is, like, what an event.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04But to have a child that then goes on to do a Royal, you know?
0:39:04 > 0:39:06That's what made it for me, you know?
0:39:06 > 0:39:10I think, for entertainers and I think people...
0:39:10 > 0:39:12You know, it's like the World Cup, isn't it?
0:39:12 > 0:39:14It's like, when you've been chosen
0:39:14 > 0:39:17because you have to be chosen to do a Royal, you know,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20it is the acknowledgement by your peers that
0:39:20 > 0:39:24you are worthy of performing in front of royalty, you know?
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It's quite a weird thing because
0:39:26 > 0:39:29traditionally it's such an established show
0:39:29 > 0:39:33and everyone does it, you know, at the peak of their profession.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36So to be asked to do it and I was bowled,
0:39:36 > 0:39:38- I was like, "Really, me?"- Yeah.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40This was, kind of, my break year
0:39:40 > 0:39:43because I did the Royal Variety show, Have I Got News For You
0:39:43 > 0:39:45and Live at the Apollo
0:39:45 > 0:39:49and they all came out, like, within a month of each other.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52I did different sets on all of them and people were like,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54"Who's this guy? Where's he come from?"
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- Not knowing that I've been going since 1994, or whatever.- Yeah.
0:39:57 > 0:39:58It was just, "Bang!"
0:39:58 > 0:40:01And how did your life change after this,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03sort of, spate of TV appearances?
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Well, I'd been doing Edinburgh for a number of years,
0:40:07 > 0:40:08The Edinburgh Fringe Festival,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12and that year I did a venue called the Edinburgh...
0:40:12 > 0:40:15The Pleasance Grand and, in the month of August,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17we sold about 20,000 tickets.
0:40:17 > 0:40:22And then I went on tour that autumn for the following year
0:40:22 > 0:40:24- and we were playing number one theatres.- Yeah.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27You know, I was like, "What?! This is unheard of."
0:40:27 > 0:40:31That's because this came at the forefront of when stand-up
0:40:31 > 0:40:33was coming back into fashion, if you like.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38People were putting on stand-ups on TV, you know, modern, sort of...
0:40:38 > 0:40:39Well, not alternative anymore,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43but my kind of generation were being invited to come on this sort of show.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46But to be playing in a number one theatre which, obviously,
0:40:46 > 0:40:50is a huge venue must have been such an honour when these people
0:40:50 > 0:40:53are just coming in, in their droves, you know?
0:40:53 > 0:40:55I mean, the whole cliche about,
0:40:55 > 0:40:58you know, hearing the applause and, you know,
0:40:58 > 0:41:00the fact that I can do my stuff
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and talk about my experiences
0:41:03 > 0:41:06based on my humour, my growing up, race, sexuality...
0:41:06 > 0:41:09If people want to come and hear what you want to say,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11I think it's so humbling.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- Yeah.- You know, I'm so grateful that people want to hear what I do
0:41:15 > 0:41:20and talk about it because a lot of us have the same experiences, you know?
0:41:25 > 0:41:27We've come full circle now. What do you watch now?
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- What do you watch on TV? - Do you know what?
0:41:30 > 0:41:32I've got a soft spot for soaps
0:41:32 > 0:41:35because, obviously, I travel quite a bit with this job,
0:41:35 > 0:41:37which I'm very grateful for and so the things that
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I watch now are soaps, you can catch up on them because they
0:41:40 > 0:41:42- tend to repeat them.- Yeah.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45And since I was a kid, you know, I've liked things like Dallas,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Dynasty, Knots Landing, all the dramatic soaps,
0:41:48 > 0:41:50all the big money American soaps.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54So I've come full circle and it's Eastenders, now it's Corrie,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56which is just hilarious, do you know?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Is that what you watch it for? To have a good laugh?
0:41:59 > 0:42:00- Well, Coronation Street, yes.- Really?
0:42:00 > 0:42:03That's probably the best soap out there.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07It's got humour, it's got pathos, it's got, you know,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09real deep storylines as well.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Would you, if you could wave a magic wand, would you love to be in Corrie?
0:42:12 > 0:42:16I'd love to do a season in Corrie, yeah. Can you imagine?
0:42:16 > 0:42:19- I think you'd be brilliant. - I'd even try my hand at putting on
0:42:19 > 0:42:22some sort of northern, sort of, twang...
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- if that's not too bad. - You're awful!
0:42:25 > 0:42:27I don't know where that's from.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29- Well, I have got no idea, but I'll give it a go.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- Yeah. Weatherfield.- Yeah.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Can you imagine me being the landlord of Rovers Return?
0:42:33 > 0:42:35- I think you'd be brilliant. - Thank you.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40I'll even wear high heels, a blonde wig in homage to Julie Goodyear.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42We would love to see that.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46- There's people watching this now going, "Hmmm."- "We can make that happen."- Yeah.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50- I think you've been a wonderful guest, you really have.- Thank you very much. Thank you, Brian.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52Very funny and I want to thank you for doing the show.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56At this point, we ask our guests to pick a theme tune to go out with.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58What would you like to go out with?
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Well, let's pay homage to the lovely Roy Castle,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04- let's do Record Breakers. - Yeah, Record Breakers.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06Many thanks to Stephen and many thanks to you for watching
0:43:06 > 0:43:08The TV That Made Me.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10See you next time, bye-bye!
0:43:10 > 0:43:16# Dedication that's all you need
0:43:16 > 0:43:20# If you wanna be the best and you wanna burn up the rest
0:43:20 > 0:43:24# Then dedication's what you need Dum-dum-dum. #