Penny Smith

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0:00:02 > 0:00:04Telly, that magic box in the corner.

0:00:04 > 0:00:07It gives us access to 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 > 0:00:21They've chosen the precious TV moments that shed light...

0:00:21 > 0:00:22Love this!

0:00:22 > 0:00:25- 'She's beaten the panel...' - Look at that!

0:00:25 > 0:00:26..on the stories of their lives.

0:00:26 > 0:00:29Go on, Champion! Go on, Champion.

0:00:29 > 0:00:30..like, "Argh!" "Ooh!"

0:00:30 > 0:00:32Some are funny...

0:00:32 > 0:00:34Oh, quite amazing! Unbelievable.

0:00:34 > 0:00:36No, no, no...

0:00:36 > 0:00:38..some are surprising...

0:00:38 > 0:00:40Paddington Bear.

0:00:40 > 0:00:42..some are inspiring...

0:00:42 > 0:00:44- That's what kid should be doing now!- Yeah!

0:00:44 > 0:00:46Lay a ten-pence piece on a table with a bit of sticky tape.

0:00:46 > 0:00:48Look at that! Stonking.

0:00:48 > 0:00:49..and many...

0:00:49 > 0:00:51..some turtles capsize.

0:00:51 > 0:00:53..are deeply moving.

0:00:53 > 0:00:57I knew that we were in the presence of history.

0:00:57 > 0:01:01I am crying. I actually broke down into tears after that.

0:01:01 > 0:01:03So come watch with us, as we hand-pick

0:01:03 > 0:01:05the vintage telly that helped

0:01:05 > 0:01:09turn our much-loved stars into the people they are today.

0:01:10 > 0:01:12Welcome to The TV That Made Me.

0:01:21 > 0:01:25My guest today is a TV and radio presenter, journalist,

0:01:25 > 0:01:29newspaper columnist and she has also written a few novels, too.

0:01:29 > 0:01:33Penny Smith spent 17 years as the face we woke up to

0:01:33 > 0:01:35on breakfast TV.

0:01:35 > 0:01:40The TV that made her includes a legendary double act...

0:01:40 > 0:01:42LAUGHTER

0:01:43 > 0:01:46..a handsome army officer...

0:01:46 > 0:01:48You can't stay here.

0:01:48 > 0:01:49What?

0:01:49 > 0:01:51..and a fairytale ending.

0:01:51 > 0:01:54"Must horses get their feet wet?" she said.

0:01:54 > 0:01:58The beautiful, the delectable, the gorgeous Penny Smith is with us.

0:01:58 > 0:02:01- Penny, are you excited about this? - I am!- Yeah?

0:02:01 > 0:02:03I am because...

0:02:03 > 0:02:07Well, I'm very excited about one particular clip

0:02:07 > 0:02:10because it's one of those things that I remember being

0:02:10 > 0:02:14so scared of, and yet utterly riveted by.

0:02:14 > 0:02:17Today is a selection of shows that we are going to show you,

0:02:17 > 0:02:20that you chose, that possibly made you into the person,

0:02:20 > 0:02:23shaped you into the person you are today.

0:02:23 > 0:02:25But first we're going to go back to the beginning

0:02:25 > 0:02:28and see a little bit more of the young Penny Smith.

0:02:31 > 0:02:35Penny Smith was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire in 1958,

0:02:35 > 0:02:39but grew up in rural Rutland in Lincolnshire.

0:02:39 > 0:02:42Dad Graham was a salesman, whilst mum Christine

0:02:42 > 0:02:46looked after Penny and her three siblings.

0:02:46 > 0:02:48So, does it take you back, looking at that?

0:02:48 > 0:02:52- Oh, I had such a happy childhood. - Yeah?

0:02:52 > 0:02:56I loved it, growing up in the countryside in Rutland and

0:02:56 > 0:02:59lots of cow parsley, lots of cows, sheep...

0:02:59 > 0:03:01Grew up on a bicycle, virtually.

0:03:01 > 0:03:04Bicycle, Wellingtons... I think I had three pairs of shoes,

0:03:04 > 0:03:07we had the Wellingtons, you had your school shoes

0:03:07 > 0:03:10and you had your sandals, and that was pretty much it.

0:03:11 > 0:03:16In 1965, seven-year-old Penny could have been watching the future unfold

0:03:16 > 0:03:19in Tomorrow's World,

0:03:19 > 0:03:22Warren Mitchell airing his views as Alf Garnett

0:03:22 > 0:03:25in Till Death Us Do Part

0:03:25 > 0:03:27and Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's

0:03:27 > 0:03:29surreal sketch show

0:03:29 > 0:03:31Not Only... But Also.

0:03:37 > 0:03:40So, we're going to have a look at a very early Jackanory now.

0:03:40 > 0:03:43- Are you excited about it?- Oh, yeah. Who's going to be on it?

0:03:43 > 0:03:46- Some people were not quite as good as others, let's be honest.- Let's be honest.

0:03:46 > 0:03:50- You know, some people are better at reading out loud than others.- Mmm.

0:03:50 > 0:03:54Let's have a little look if this person's any good at reading out loud.

0:03:54 > 0:03:58At present, their road lay across a huge brown bog

0:03:58 > 0:04:00which was called Black Feacal's Bog.

0:04:00 > 0:04:03- Oh, Bernard Cribbins!- Oh, I know.

0:04:03 > 0:04:04My goodness.

0:04:04 > 0:04:07Brilliant Jackanory reader, though, don't you think?

0:04:07 > 0:04:09Oh, lovely Bernard Cribbins.

0:04:09 > 0:04:10Arabel had wanted to come this way

0:04:10 > 0:04:13because she'd heard that there was a dinosaur's footprint

0:04:13 > 0:04:16on a small hill, right in the middle of the bog.

0:04:16 > 0:04:20What do you think the secret was to being a good Jackanory presenter?

0:04:20 > 0:04:23Looking like you weren't reading it

0:04:23 > 0:04:24and doing different voices.

0:04:24 > 0:04:28If you didn't do enough different voices, it's always confusing.

0:04:28 > 0:04:29You know, I wish we had a laser beam...

0:04:29 > 0:04:32Jackanory was originally developed for a six-week run,

0:04:32 > 0:04:36but became a continuous fixture for over 30 years.

0:04:36 > 0:04:39During that time, a galaxy of famous faces

0:04:39 > 0:04:42read us 650 different stories.

0:04:42 > 0:04:46Many of them would return again and again.

0:04:46 > 0:04:48A firm Jackanory favourite was Kenneth Williams,

0:04:48 > 0:04:51who appeared in 69 episodes.

0:04:51 > 0:04:55But that's nowhere near Bernard Cribbins' record -

0:04:55 > 0:04:58he notched up 111 appearances.

0:04:59 > 0:05:01Arabel was surprised.

0:05:01 > 0:05:03"Must horses get their feet wet?" she said.

0:05:03 > 0:05:07"Well, no, but sometimes they drop their shoes in the road."

0:05:07 > 0:05:10"Oh, well, Mortimer will keep a look out for that, won't you, Mortimer?"

0:05:10 > 0:05:12"Aaaaaak!" said Mortimer.

0:05:12 > 0:05:16Probably that's what the really good storytellers did then,

0:05:16 > 0:05:19- that they made the women different enough but without being silly.- Yeah.

0:05:19 > 0:05:23As long as they made it different enough and the accents different enough, it was always brilliant.

0:05:23 > 0:05:25So, here the Joneses were,

0:05:25 > 0:05:29travelling at 2mph towards Great Aunt Rosie in Castle Coffee.

0:05:29 > 0:05:32They had phoned her and said they might be a few days later than expected.

0:05:32 > 0:05:37- It's just all those little asides that sound like he's actually saying it rather than reading it.- Yeah.

0:05:37 > 0:05:40And they were the ones who were brilliant

0:05:40 > 0:05:42and I loved fairy tales,

0:05:42 > 0:05:47that mixture of scary and...

0:05:47 > 0:05:51incredible castles and things turning into something else.

0:05:51 > 0:05:55Quite a lot of people turning into frogs and all sorts of other things,

0:05:55 > 0:06:00and talking dogs and snakes and all that sort of stuff, loved all that.

0:06:00 > 0:06:02"I'll do the brushing!" said Arabel, eagerly.

0:06:02 > 0:06:03"I'd like to do it!"

0:06:03 > 0:06:07"Supposing its shoes need changing," said Mr Jones.

0:06:07 > 0:06:09Oh, I would have loved to have done Jackanory.

0:06:09 > 0:06:11- I'm the producer of Jackanory.- Mmm.

0:06:11 > 0:06:14I want you to come on and I want you to tell a little story for us.

0:06:14 > 0:06:15What would it be?

0:06:15 > 0:06:18Well, it it's the one that I can't quite remember what happens,

0:06:18 > 0:06:21but it's the one where he goes down, it's like, I think there is a soldier

0:06:21 > 0:06:23and he goes down and then there are three doors,

0:06:23 > 0:06:28and he opens the first one and it's a dog with eyes like saucers.

0:06:28 > 0:06:30- And then the next... - So, slightly spooky?

0:06:30 > 0:06:32Yeah, and then the next one, he goes down

0:06:32 > 0:06:35and it's the dog with eyes like plates,

0:06:35 > 0:06:37and then the third one is the dog with eyes like dinner plates.

0:06:37 > 0:06:40Can't remember any of the rest of it, but it was really spooky

0:06:40 > 0:06:42and I seem to remember there were deaths.

0:06:42 > 0:06:45- That would be your choice, would it? - Yeah, probably.

0:06:45 > 0:06:47I quite liked the rather gruesome ones!

0:06:47 > 0:06:50- I quite liked the Princess and the Pea as well.- Yeah, why?

0:06:50 > 0:06:52What in that appeals to you?

0:06:52 > 0:06:53Because I always feel that I...

0:06:53 > 0:06:56I always used to think that I was that Princess

0:06:56 > 0:06:58and I'd be able to feel the pea.

0:06:58 > 0:07:00- I want to take you back to that first decade, so...- Yeah?

0:07:00 > 0:07:04Tell us what your living room was like, your telly, your first telly experience...

0:07:04 > 0:07:07Well, it was a house... The house was a bit boxy,

0:07:07 > 0:07:11but there was a lot of garden and trees that I used to hang around in,

0:07:11 > 0:07:15- and there was an apple tree where... - So, very rural?- Very rural.

0:07:15 > 0:07:19The apple tree, I used to be able to hang upside down and put the book on the floor,

0:07:19 > 0:07:22and then just swing gently whilst reading my book. BRIAN LAUGHS

0:07:22 > 0:07:26Until eventually my knees gave out and I'd just collapse off,

0:07:26 > 0:07:29and then spend the rest of the time under the apple tree reading the book.

0:07:29 > 0:07:34The house itself, we had a hatch, which was very exciting.. BRIAN GASPS

0:07:34 > 0:07:37- ..between the kitchen and the dining room.- Oh, yeah, that was very plush.

0:07:37 > 0:07:38A serving hatch.

0:07:38 > 0:07:42- And then the sitting room was... It had a big...- Where was your telly?

0:07:42 > 0:07:45The telly...Dad put the telly so far up the wall that you...

0:07:45 > 0:07:48cos he didn't really want us sitting in front of the television.

0:07:48 > 0:07:50He thought we should be going doing things,

0:07:50 > 0:07:55like either helping him mend the car or bicycles or whatever else,

0:07:55 > 0:07:59so the television was really... We all watched the television like that,

0:07:59 > 0:08:02although actually when we were really little, like that,

0:08:02 > 0:08:05and you could only poke it on with a stick. PENNY LAUGHS

0:08:05 > 0:08:07It was that high up?

0:08:07 > 0:08:10- Well, when you're little it was. - Of course, yeah, yeah.

0:08:10 > 0:08:13So we're there like that watching the telly. BRIAN LAUGHS

0:08:13 > 0:08:16And, yeah, that was where the television was.

0:08:16 > 0:08:20So, it wasn't really a particularly comfortable experience, really.

0:08:20 > 0:08:23It was much better when there were loads of you on the sofa

0:08:23 > 0:08:26- because you were bolstered by other people.- Yeah.

0:08:26 > 0:08:29And so it was a bit more comfy somehow.

0:08:29 > 0:08:31So, did you have any TV snacks?

0:08:31 > 0:08:33- Well, we didn't actually it on the sofa.- No?

0:08:33 > 0:08:38But for a real treat, before you went and actually sat on the sofa,

0:08:38 > 0:08:42in the kitchen, my favourite...one of my favourite things were these sandwiches,

0:08:42 > 0:08:47and when I say sandwiches, they were more like... My mum used to call them doorsteps or doorstops.

0:08:47 > 0:08:49- No, doorstops I think she used to call them.- Doorstops.

0:08:49 > 0:08:53I want to make you feel at home now. I've got something for you. I've got it in the kitchen.

0:08:53 > 0:08:55- Just wait there.- Have you? - I'll be back in a minute.

0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Do you need a hand?- No, not at all.

0:08:57 > 0:09:01I've got something very special for you. Quite a coincidence you talking about doorstops.

0:09:01 > 0:09:05- I hope we've made them big and thick for you.- Look at...

0:09:05 > 0:09:08- I tell you what...- Yes, look at that.

0:09:08 > 0:09:10That is gorgeous.

0:09:10 > 0:09:12- So, it's the doorstep sandwich here. - Yes.

0:09:12 > 0:09:13What you do is you put virtually

0:09:13 > 0:09:16- all of this cheese in a sandwich... - Yeah.

0:09:16 > 0:09:19- You do a proper...- Good chunks, ladies and gentleman.

0:09:19 > 0:09:21And it's got to...yeah. Good chunks.

0:09:21 > 0:09:22Although if your mum came in,

0:09:22 > 0:09:25- she'd tell you to make them slimmer than that.- Cheese.

0:09:25 > 0:09:29- Oh, you have to have a lot of cheese...- A lot.- ..because it's a cheese sandwich.

0:09:30 > 0:09:32Oh, that's nice and tangy.

0:09:32 > 0:09:37- Mmm. Now, Mum made pickled onions.. - Yeah?- ..which blew your head off.

0:09:37 > 0:09:40- Ah.- But if it...- Ah, well...- Hold on a second, hold on a second.

0:09:40 > 0:09:43- Hold on, I've got a poof here.- This looks like... Is this...?

0:09:43 > 0:09:45Tastes like marmalade. Oh, it's...oh!

0:09:45 > 0:09:47- That's...- Is that what we need?- Yeah.

0:09:47 > 0:09:50- Ignore that...- No.- ..because we think that might be marmalade.

0:09:50 > 0:09:54- Don't ever put marmalade in a cheese sandwich.- No, it does smell like chutney, but it's quite...

0:09:54 > 0:09:55Oh, look at those!

0:09:55 > 0:09:57- Good, aren't they?- Oh, that is a proper...- Yeah.

0:09:57 > 0:09:59So, you take your pickled onion.

0:10:00 > 0:10:03- We won't be kissing anyone after this.- No, no, no, we won't.

0:10:03 > 0:10:06We had a pickled onion fork, which was very exciting. In the '70s...

0:10:06 > 0:10:08Oh, so you cut the pickled onions up.

0:10:08 > 0:10:12- Oh, yeah, no, you don't put the pickled onions...- Yeah.- Yeah, you want lots of pickled onions.

0:10:12 > 0:10:14- Do you know what? I'm actually salivating.- Are you? So am I!

0:10:14 > 0:10:16- I know, I know.- I've started to dribble! BRIAN LAUGHS

0:10:16 > 0:10:18SHE SMACKS HER LIPS Right!

0:10:18 > 0:10:20Let's move this cheese out of the way.

0:10:20 > 0:10:22- Yeah, get this cheese out of the way.- Yeah, yeah.

0:10:22 > 0:10:24And what would you have with this, a cup of tea?

0:10:24 > 0:10:26A cup of tea. A cup of strong tea.

0:10:26 > 0:10:30- Cut it in half?- Yeah, cut it in half.- Into four...triangles? No?

0:10:30 > 0:10:32- And also, you have to do this. - Oh, yes!

0:10:32 > 0:10:34- Squash it in there. - Squash it right in there.

0:10:34 > 0:10:38Squash it right in there and then, of course, that is...

0:10:38 > 0:10:40This is where, at an early age,

0:10:40 > 0:10:44you discover how to virtually dislocate your jaw.

0:10:44 > 0:10:48- I am so...- Do you need me to speak? Do you need me to speak at any stage for the next...?- No, no.

0:10:48 > 0:10:50- Right, here we go.- No. - Hold on a sec, here we go...

0:10:50 > 0:10:52- Mmm.- Mmm.

0:10:52 > 0:10:53Mmm.

0:10:53 > 0:10:56- That is lovely.- Mmm.

0:11:02 > 0:11:04So, let's move on to your next choice.

0:11:04 > 0:11:07Something that terrified you, terrified me, The Singing...

0:11:07 > 0:11:09Ringing Tree.

0:11:09 > 0:11:13And it was, I genuinely was very, very scared of this.

0:11:13 > 0:11:17- I don't know if it was because I couldn't follow it in any way. - Surreal.

0:11:17 > 0:11:19When I look back... At the time,

0:11:19 > 0:11:22I probably didn't even know the word "surreal" when we were watching it,

0:11:22 > 0:11:24but it was quite surreal.

0:11:24 > 0:11:26People... All sorts of things happening.

0:11:26 > 0:11:28I had no idea what... I had no idea...

0:11:28 > 0:11:31- at any stage.- This is plot, yeah, yeah.- Yeah. No idea.

0:11:31 > 0:11:33At that age, I just thought I didn't get it,

0:11:33 > 0:11:39- but looking at it again, I realise that it was...- Mmm.- ..weird.

0:11:39 > 0:11:40PENNY LAUGHS

0:11:44 > 0:11:47The Singing Ringing Tree was an East German children's drama serial

0:11:47 > 0:11:50made in the style of the Brothers Grimm

0:11:50 > 0:11:52and dubbed into English.

0:11:52 > 0:11:55It's a story of the prince who was turned into a bear

0:11:55 > 0:11:59as he attempts to deliver The Singing Ringing Tree to his princess.

0:12:00 > 0:12:03- Oh.- He's turned into a bear. - He's been...made into a bear.

0:12:03 > 0:12:04Look at him, poor thing.

0:12:04 > 0:12:08Look at that. How awful to go out one day and be a prince

0:12:08 > 0:12:12and then the next moment, you're a really bad-looking bear with a very funny face...

0:12:12 > 0:12:15- BRIAN LAUGHS - I know! I think they were sacked, they sacked the make-up department!

0:12:15 > 0:12:18..and a tree! What on earth...what on earth was going on?! PENNY LAUGHS

0:12:20 > 0:12:23What scared you so much about this? I know what you're going to say.

0:12:23 > 0:12:25It's the troll that lives under the bridge.

0:12:26 > 0:12:28- Oh!- Oh...- And there he is.

0:12:28 > 0:12:30Yeah, he was scary.

0:12:35 > 0:12:38I think we all look back and laugh and go, "Really?" but...

0:12:38 > 0:12:41Yeah, but he was, he was a really scary... What's he going to do?

0:12:50 > 0:12:52I mean, do you still find it scary?

0:12:54 > 0:12:56- No.- No, no!- No.

0:12:56 > 0:12:58No, but why did we find it so scary?

0:12:58 > 0:13:02- It was awful, though.- I think it's cos I couldn't follow it. - PENNY LAUGHS

0:13:02 > 0:13:03I don't think so!

0:13:03 > 0:13:07See, I seem to remember it being everybody who came into contact.

0:13:07 > 0:13:11As soon as you went onto the bridge, maybe that was the point, it was that bridge, wasn't it?

0:13:11 > 0:13:14So, the bridge loomed large and it was about approaching it,

0:13:14 > 0:13:17- and you just knew that something... - I'm pleased you've cleared that up.

0:13:17 > 0:13:19- ..horrible was going to happen.- Yeah.

0:13:19 > 0:13:22So, the bridge and... And in my head it was a troll

0:13:22 > 0:13:26and, of course, loving fairy stories so much,

0:13:26 > 0:13:29- it didn't really matter that things didn't make sense.- Yeah.

0:13:29 > 0:13:32It was just about a general feeling, wasn't it?

0:13:32 > 0:13:35I mean, you look at that and you go, "Oh, bless 'em." Look at it.

0:13:38 > 0:13:40- TRANSLATION:- Why do you threaten me?

0:13:40 > 0:13:41It's not my fault the tree didn't sing.

0:13:41 > 0:13:44You should have known the princess is bad-tempered and arrogant.

0:13:46 > 0:13:47And don't forget, you know,

0:13:47 > 0:13:50- we were a much more innocent bunch then, weren't we?- Mmm.

0:13:50 > 0:13:51It was a much more innocent era

0:13:51 > 0:13:54and those sort of things were clever.

0:13:54 > 0:13:56- And most of the... - Yeah, yeah, you're right.

0:13:56 > 0:14:01Anything transformation or where you become something else

0:14:01 > 0:14:03- was always incredible.- Yeah.

0:14:03 > 0:14:06You look back at things like Doctor Who, for example,

0:14:06 > 0:14:08and the Daleks, you know, not even remotely scary.

0:14:08 > 0:14:12- Then, hugely scary.- Oh, terrifying, yeah.- Absolutely terrifying.

0:14:12 > 0:14:16With a show like this, did you enjoy it scaring you?

0:14:18 > 0:14:19- I think I probably did.- Mm-hmm.

0:14:19 > 0:14:21It was one of the highlights of my week.

0:14:21 > 0:14:24I really looked forward to The Singing Ringing Tree -

0:14:24 > 0:14:28- it was an absolute treat. - Really? A moment of escapism..

0:14:28 > 0:14:30- It was a huge treat.- ..that opened a window on the world.

0:14:30 > 0:14:34It meant you could sit down for a minute and do something else, and just sit there and enjoy.

0:14:40 > 0:14:42I'm moving on to your next choice now,

0:14:42 > 0:14:46- something that possibly showed off your artistic flair...- Ooh.

0:14:46 > 0:14:49- ..or something you were interested in.- Oh. I loved... - This is of course Vision On.

0:14:49 > 0:14:52- Yeah, I loved Vision On.- Yeah. - I loved Vision On.

0:14:52 > 0:14:55It was the most brilliant, brilliant programme.

0:14:55 > 0:14:57You loved Vision On or you loved Tony Hart?

0:14:57 > 0:15:00- I... Yeah, indistinguishable.- Tony Hart was Vision On.- Tony Hart was Vision On

0:15:00 > 0:15:03and Morph and all those other sort of things,

0:15:03 > 0:15:05and making things and the way he painted,

0:15:05 > 0:15:07and all those other sort of things.

0:15:07 > 0:15:10And then, of course, there was the Painting Wall.

0:15:11 > 0:15:14With its mix of art, mime, sketches and animation,

0:15:14 > 0:15:19Vision On was designed mainly but not exclusively for deaf children.

0:15:19 > 0:15:22Tony Hart joined Pat Keysell for the second series

0:15:22 > 0:15:26and his artwork caught the imagination of the young audience,

0:15:26 > 0:15:30inspiring them to send their own work in to The Gallery.

0:15:30 > 0:15:31Now, The Gallery.

0:15:36 > 0:15:37Hold on a second.

0:15:37 > 0:15:40How old's the person who did that painting?

0:15:40 > 0:15:42Six? I don't think so.

0:15:44 > 0:15:46That's about right, age-wise.

0:15:46 > 0:15:47Oh, now that is good.

0:15:49 > 0:15:53Now, kids will be going, "Yeah, move on, move on," whereas I'm actually glued.

0:15:53 > 0:15:55I'm still glued. Look at that.

0:15:55 > 0:15:57I could look at these forever.

0:15:57 > 0:15:59There's a bit of glue on that one.

0:16:02 > 0:16:05So, what sort of stuff did the young Penny Smith make?

0:16:05 > 0:16:09- Everything, really.- Were you into all that?- I liked...you know, that sort of thing.

0:16:09 > 0:16:13Vision On and Blue Peter, I was the person who desperately craved sticky back plastic,

0:16:13 > 0:16:16but we didn't really have that sort of thing,

0:16:16 > 0:16:19so I'd have to make do with masking tape

0:16:19 > 0:16:21and drawing on the top of masking tape and everything else.

0:16:21 > 0:16:26But I did cross stitch and sewed and I made things.

0:16:26 > 0:16:28I was always busy making something.

0:16:28 > 0:16:32- So, did you ever have ambitions to send something in to Tony Hart? - Oh, yeah.- Really?

0:16:32 > 0:16:33Never did, though.

0:16:33 > 0:16:36You were quite annoyed with some of those pictures, weren't you?

0:16:36 > 0:16:38Well, I thought some of those pictures...

0:16:38 > 0:16:41- I thought that they looked like they had had help from adults.- Ah!

0:16:41 > 0:16:44And I am quite fair-minded

0:16:44 > 0:16:46and I don't think you should get help.

0:16:46 > 0:16:49If it says how old you are then it should be all your own work,

0:16:49 > 0:16:51and some of those...

0:16:51 > 0:16:56There's no way that some of those six and eight-year-olds had done those paintings. No way.

0:16:57 > 0:17:00But, there's no doubt about who made Vision On's artwork.

0:17:00 > 0:17:03The show's quirky logo was designed by Tony himself,

0:17:03 > 0:17:06who also created the iconic Blue Peter ship.

0:17:07 > 0:17:10When Vision On came to an end in 1976,

0:17:10 > 0:17:12Tony went on to host Take Hart.

0:17:14 > 0:17:17And, in 1984, the show was refreshed once again

0:17:17 > 0:17:19with new graphics as Hartbeat.

0:17:19 > 0:17:24At its peak, it received up to 8,000 drawings every week

0:17:24 > 0:17:26from budding young artists.

0:17:26 > 0:17:28Penny, what we've got now for you is,

0:17:28 > 0:17:30I can honestly say, hand on heart,

0:17:30 > 0:17:34some children's pictures of famous celebrities.

0:17:34 > 0:17:36None of them had any help.

0:17:36 > 0:17:40They are from Glazebury C of E Primary School

0:17:40 > 0:17:43and they did them especially for us.

0:17:43 > 0:17:45This one is from William, aged ten.

0:17:45 > 0:17:46Who do you think that is?

0:17:46 > 0:17:48Famous celebrity.

0:17:48 > 0:17:51- William, marvellous. I'm liking the teeth.- Mm-hmm.

0:17:51 > 0:17:54- They're particularly good.- But you have no idea what it is?

0:17:54 > 0:17:58No, and it is quite scary. There is quite a scary stare going on.

0:17:58 > 0:18:01I'm sort of slightly confused about the hat business going on.

0:18:01 > 0:18:03So, it's a little boy,

0:18:03 > 0:18:05but it's really a little lady.

0:18:05 > 0:18:08A little... A little boy who's really a little lady.

0:18:08 > 0:18:10- Jimmy Krankie. - Oh! Jim... Jimmy Krankie.

0:18:10 > 0:18:12You see, I don't really...

0:18:12 > 0:18:15- Ah!- I wouldn't really know what you mean.- All right.

0:18:15 > 0:18:16- I bet you'll get this one.- OK.

0:18:16 > 0:18:19This next one is from Lila. She's nine years old.

0:18:19 > 0:18:20Oh, Dame Edna.

0:18:20 > 0:18:23- We've got Lila.- That is brilliant! - She's nine years old.

0:18:23 > 0:18:25Here's your next one. This is Thomas, aged ten.

0:18:25 > 0:18:27He's done this one here.

0:18:27 > 0:18:29- Right, is that Bette Midler?- No.

0:18:29 > 0:18:33- Ah... Oh, that's quite a... - It's a TV star.

0:18:33 > 0:18:35- Quite famous for... - Is it Judy Finnigan?

0:18:35 > 0:18:39- No.- Well, lovely, smiley, smiley face.- Shall I give you an impression of her?- Go on then.

0:18:39 > 0:18:41- CILLA BLACK VOICE:- Yes!

0:18:41 > 0:18:42Is it? Oh, bless!

0:18:42 > 0:18:45I wouldn't have said that Cilla's nose was quite

0:18:45 > 0:18:47- that sort of...- Off tilt.- Yeah.

0:18:47 > 0:18:50- Well, she's probably had some work done...there. - PENNY LAUGHS

0:18:50 > 0:18:55Here's the next one. This one's from Will, aged eight years old.

0:18:55 > 0:18:57- It's good, isn't it? - Oh, look at that.

0:18:57 > 0:19:00- Is that...?- I like the tie, I think there's a lot of effort gone into that.

0:19:00 > 0:19:03- We've got his glasses on.- Really? Is that Trevor McDonald?

0:19:03 > 0:19:06- You are absolutely on the money. Congratulations.- Look at that.

0:19:06 > 0:19:08He's very smiley there. Look at him.

0:19:08 > 0:19:12- I know, I know, well, he's retired in that photo.- Yes, is he. He's having a lovely time.

0:19:12 > 0:19:17- And finally, this one here is Finlay, who's aged 12.- OK.

0:19:17 > 0:19:21Now, the blue and the lanes behind give it a clue. Is it Tom Daley?

0:19:21 > 0:19:25No. I think that's a bit of a red herring. That is just the backdrop.

0:19:25 > 0:19:28- That is just the backdrop? - Let's say he's sitting at a desk.

0:19:29 > 0:19:31Sitting...at a desk.

0:19:31 > 0:19:36- White T-shirt on there.- A white T-shirt, is that normal attire?- Mmm.

0:19:36 > 0:19:38- Hmm.- Quite high trousers.

0:19:39 > 0:19:42- Is it Simon Cowell?- Yes.

0:19:42 > 0:19:44- It is.- Do you know what?

0:19:44 > 0:19:47I quite like that smirk that's going on there.

0:19:47 > 0:19:49That's not bad at all.

0:19:49 > 0:19:52- Did you enjoy that?- Oh, they were lovely. I think there was...

0:19:52 > 0:19:58Children done well, that's Glazebury C of E Primary School. Thank you very much.

0:19:58 > 0:20:02And well done to you. I can confirm that you got 4/5.

0:20:02 > 0:20:03Yeah, so you only got one wrong.

0:20:03 > 0:20:05- Yeah, well done.- Yeah, yeah, well...

0:20:05 > 0:20:08- Oh, well, you had some help there, didn't you?- Yeah.- Yeah.

0:20:15 > 0:20:16Oh!

0:20:16 > 0:20:19- Poldark.- Oh, the original!- Really...

0:20:19 > 0:20:21Look at him

0:20:22 > 0:20:25And there she is, Demelza.

0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Come inside.- I see.

0:20:29 > 0:20:33- "Come inside."- Mmm.- Ooh, yes, look. - Very manly, the way he said that. - Yes, very manly.

0:20:33 > 0:20:35- And, look, she's got her... - Oh, she's wiped her hands!

0:20:35 > 0:20:37And do you know what I like? I like an apron.

0:20:40 > 0:20:43He's very much up your street?

0:20:43 > 0:20:46Do you know what? Still...yeah.

0:20:47 > 0:20:50- You can't stay here.- I don't understand, are you sending me away?

0:20:50 > 0:20:53- Yes, it's better.- But why? What have I done?- Nothing, nothing.

0:20:53 > 0:20:56"But why? What have I done? My goodness..."

0:20:56 > 0:20:57Why must I go?

0:21:00 > 0:21:01Is it cos of last night?

0:21:01 > 0:21:04- I didn't mean anything...- Oh, look and he's got a bow in his hair.- Mmm.

0:21:04 > 0:21:06- Oh, I like a man with a ribbon. - Really?

0:21:06 > 0:21:09Oh, there's something about a man in a ribbon. BRIAN LAUGHS

0:21:09 > 0:21:12But I'm to be sent away like I've done something wrong, like I stole something?

0:21:13 > 0:21:17- I'm doing this for you. Don't you see?- No!

0:21:17 > 0:21:20So, this is obviously the original Poldark we're looking at.

0:21:20 > 0:21:22Oh, the original Poldark, yes, that was good.

0:21:22 > 0:21:26But that's yours? I mean, we've only recently just seen this on TV, but for you...

0:21:26 > 0:21:30Yeah, no, I watched the one recently. Far too slow. People doing slo-mo and all that sort of stuff

0:21:30 > 0:21:34- and actually, Poldark himself, not beefy enough for me.- Oh.

0:21:34 > 0:21:36A bit too lean, a bit too...

0:21:36 > 0:21:38No, you need a proper bloke,

0:21:38 > 0:21:40who looks like he could actually carry you

0:21:40 > 0:21:44across the marshes for quite some considerable period of time

0:21:44 > 0:21:46without needing a horse. BRIAN LAUGHS

0:21:46 > 0:21:50- I so wanted to go and live in Cornwall, stride around clifftops... - Really?

0:21:50 > 0:21:53..wearing that kind of outfit, like Demelza there, Angharad Rees.

0:21:53 > 0:21:56- Had you read the books? - No. No, no, no.

0:21:56 > 0:21:59- Oh, really?- No, no, no. Funnily enough, it wasn't the sort of...

0:21:59 > 0:22:02No, I can't remember what books I was reading back then.

0:22:02 > 0:22:04I went through a very, very pompous phase,

0:22:04 > 0:22:09- where I read only very, very... - Highbrow.- ..highbrow books.- Mm-hmm.

0:22:09 > 0:22:11Most of them probably I didn't...

0:22:11 > 0:22:14Most of them, probably, I just read without taking in a word

0:22:14 > 0:22:16but no, I didn't read the Poldark books.

0:22:16 > 0:22:18I was too busy watching them

0:22:18 > 0:22:23and that was just such a pleasure.

0:22:23 > 0:22:24Look at her great hair.

0:22:24 > 0:22:28- What is it about the Poldark story that you enjoy so much?- Well, its...

0:22:28 > 0:22:32Well, again, I can't really remember what on earth went on - no idea -

0:22:32 > 0:22:34- except that there were love stories. - Uh-huh.

0:22:34 > 0:22:36There was love stories, there was intrigue.

0:22:36 > 0:22:38It had everything I loved.

0:22:38 > 0:22:41So, it sounds to me as if you wanted to be one of these characters.

0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Oh, Demelza!- Yes.- Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

0:22:43 > 0:22:45- Swept off your feet...- Yeah!

0:22:45 > 0:22:47- ..carried across...- Yeah!

0:22:47 > 0:22:50Yeah, if anybody... Of course, if a bloke ever had tried to carry me anywhere,

0:22:50 > 0:22:53I'd have said, "Put me down immediately. Stop it. Stop it now."

0:22:53 > 0:22:55- "On your bike." - PENNY LAUGHS

0:23:01 > 0:23:03Comedy heroes now, Penny.

0:23:03 > 0:23:06- The strawberry and cream of British comedy.- Oh, right.

0:23:06 > 0:23:09- Well...- I'm not going to say anything. Let's just have a little look, shall we?- Yeah.

0:23:09 > 0:23:12The legendary, we'll have a little chat afterwards, Morecambe and Wise.

0:23:16 > 0:23:17LAUGHTER

0:23:19 > 0:23:26This...is one of my favourite scenes...of all time.

0:23:29 > 0:23:30Oh, come on, Ernie!

0:23:31 > 0:23:33LAUGHTER

0:23:33 > 0:23:35THEY LAUGH

0:23:37 > 0:23:39I love... PENNY LAUGHS

0:23:40 > 0:23:41- It's still funny.- Yeah.

0:23:49 > 0:23:52- I used to fancy Eric. - Did you really?- Mmm.

0:23:52 > 0:23:54I think just cos he was so funny.

0:23:58 > 0:24:00I've got a pair of pyjamas like that! PENNY LAUGHS

0:24:03 > 0:24:05APPLAUSE

0:24:07 > 0:24:08Oh, yeah, the sausages.

0:24:12 > 0:24:14- How brilliant was that?- They were...

0:24:14 > 0:24:18- I could watch that over and over and over again.- It is harmless, wholesome, silly fun.

0:24:18 > 0:24:22Very, very idiotic and just brilliant.

0:24:22 > 0:24:25- There's something about watching your parents laugh...- Mm-hmm?

0:24:25 > 0:24:27..that is like nothing else.

0:24:27 > 0:24:31You know, seeing Mum and Dad laughing away just made us laugh even more.

0:24:31 > 0:24:33It was just so funny

0:24:33 > 0:24:36and Dad, of course, trying to be Eric and Ernie...

0:24:36 > 0:24:40- So you would all sit down as a family and watch this?- Oh, it was absolutely family viewing.- Yeah.

0:24:41 > 0:24:45Morecambe and Wise were Britain's most popular comedy duo

0:24:45 > 0:24:47for over two decades.

0:24:47 > 0:24:48All the big names queued up

0:24:48 > 0:24:50to appear on their shows,

0:24:50 > 0:24:52such as Glenda Jackson,

0:24:52 > 0:24:55Peter Cushing

0:24:55 > 0:24:57and Elton John.

0:24:58 > 0:25:00I suppose it's an obvious question,

0:25:00 > 0:25:03but why are they so appealing, Morecambe and Wise?

0:25:03 > 0:25:08- Do you think it's because we grew up with them?- It's difficult, isn't it?

0:25:08 > 0:25:09Because, of course, when you're...

0:25:09 > 0:25:11Because childhood memories loom

0:25:11 > 0:25:15so much larger in terms of what you found funny.

0:25:15 > 0:25:17Quite a lot of the things, when you go back to them,

0:25:17 > 0:25:19you go and look at them and you just go, "Really?

0:25:19 > 0:25:21"Did I really like that?!"

0:25:21 > 0:25:23I don't know...

0:25:23 > 0:25:26I think Morecambe and Wise have stood up to the test of time

0:25:26 > 0:25:29- because Morecambe and Wise were the first...- Mhmm.

0:25:29 > 0:25:32..to do that sort of thing.

0:25:32 > 0:25:35- No swearing, no need to resort to any of that.- No.

0:25:35 > 0:25:37And just...

0:25:37 > 0:25:40- I think it's the silliness.- I agree.

0:25:40 > 0:25:42- It's the silliness, the absolute... - It is, it is.

0:25:42 > 0:25:46They're like a couple of little kids and I think Eric Morecambe's,

0:25:46 > 0:25:49- sort of, like a cheeky, little 13-year-old, isn't he?- Yeah.

0:25:49 > 0:25:52And, actually, clever.

0:25:52 > 0:25:54Well, yeah, of course.

0:25:54 > 0:25:55You know, I mean, comedy...

0:25:55 > 0:25:58- They make it look easy and natural. - Yeah.

0:25:58 > 0:26:01- Yeah.- It takes some doing.

0:26:01 > 0:26:03Morecambe and Wise Christmas specials attracted

0:26:03 > 0:26:06huge TV audiences.

0:26:06 > 0:26:09But do they get the prize for the highest ever rated

0:26:09 > 0:26:12light entertainment Christmas show?

0:26:12 > 0:26:14At five, 11 million saw

0:26:14 > 0:26:16Jim and Barbara argue over

0:26:16 > 0:26:18whether to spend their Christmas

0:26:18 > 0:26:19cash on a holiday or a

0:26:19 > 0:26:21high definition TV box in

0:26:21 > 0:26:24The Royle Family.

0:26:24 > 0:26:26At four, Geraldine celebrated

0:26:26 > 0:26:27her 10th Christmas with

0:26:27 > 0:26:28the villagers in

0:26:28 > 0:26:30The Vicar of Dibley,

0:26:30 > 0:26:32entertaining 12 million.

0:26:32 > 0:26:35At three, 15 million watched

0:26:35 > 0:26:36Wallace and Gromit tackle

0:26:36 > 0:26:38a murder mystery in

0:26:38 > 0:26:41A Matter Of Loaf And Death.

0:26:41 > 0:26:44At two, 19 million watched Raquel

0:26:44 > 0:26:47leave Del in Only Fools and Horses.

0:26:47 > 0:26:49And at one, yes, it's our

0:26:49 > 0:26:52comedy duo with 28 million viewers.

0:26:52 > 0:26:54But they share the winners' podium

0:26:54 > 0:26:56with comedian Mike Yarwood,

0:26:56 > 0:26:58whose show went out on the same day,

0:26:58 > 0:27:01so it's a tie for the top spot.

0:27:01 > 0:27:04Penny, it is now time for the ultimate Morecambe and Wise

0:27:04 > 0:27:06- trivia quiz...- Oh!- ..because I know you're a fan.

0:27:06 > 0:27:09- Right.- I'm going to give you a series of tough questions

0:27:09 > 0:27:12- on the nation's favourite double act.- Oh, my goodness.

0:27:12 > 0:27:15- This is like... Can we have the lights go down...?- Mastermind.

0:27:15 > 0:27:17It is, isn't it? Yeah. Do-do-do-do.

0:27:17 > 0:27:20Fist one, just to ease you in, OK?

0:27:20 > 0:27:21What are they called?

0:27:21 > 0:27:22- Morecambe and Wise.- Correct.

0:27:22 > 0:27:24Which of the two lads was famous for

0:27:24 > 0:27:26having the short, hairy legs?

0:27:26 > 0:27:27- Ernie.- Of course it was.

0:27:27 > 0:27:29Which British entertainer was

0:27:29 > 0:27:33cruelly mocked by the boys for not being a very good singer?

0:27:33 > 0:27:36- Des O'Connor.- Are you sure about that?- All the time.

0:27:36 > 0:27:38- It was along with Andrew... - Val Doonican?- No.

0:27:38 > 0:27:39Andrew Preview was the other one who

0:27:39 > 0:27:41was a not very good conductor.

0:27:41 > 0:27:43- Oh, that was a lovely bit, yeah. - Andrew Preview.

0:27:43 > 0:27:47"Not necessarily playing them in the right order."

0:27:47 > 0:27:49In the 1978 episode,

0:27:49 > 0:27:51which ex-Prime Minister made a guest

0:27:51 > 0:27:53appearance on the Eric and Ernie Show?

0:27:53 > 0:27:56- Ex-Prime Minister? Oh!- Used to have a pipe.

0:27:56 > 0:27:59- Harold Wilson.- Yeah, he made a guest appearance.

0:27:59 > 0:28:02- Harold Wilson?!- That's the thing, they just had them all, didn't they?

0:28:02 > 0:28:04They just had everybody, yes, exactly.

0:28:04 > 0:28:07- Was he there in his Mackintosh?- Hmm. - Yes, exactly.

0:28:07 > 0:28:09You were no-one if you weren't a guest

0:28:09 > 0:28:11- on the Morecambe and Wise Show. - No, no.

0:28:11 > 0:28:14On the Morecambe and Wise Show, what was the name of...?

0:28:14 > 0:28:16Oh, this is a tough one.

0:28:16 > 0:28:19The harmonica player who never got to play a whole song?

0:28:19 > 0:28:22Do you remember, right at the end, he used to come on and...

0:28:22 > 0:28:24and they'd go, "You should go."

0:28:24 > 0:28:26I know but what was his name? Was it...?

0:28:26 > 0:28:28"Not now, Arthur!"

0:28:28 > 0:28:30Correct.

0:28:30 > 0:28:33Another tough one. If you know this, you must be a fan.

0:28:33 > 0:28:36Eric Morecambe wasn't his real name,

0:28:36 > 0:28:38took his surname from a town he grew up in.

0:28:38 > 0:28:40What was Eric's real name?

0:28:40 > 0:28:42- Eric...- Bartholomew.

0:28:42 > 0:28:44Oh, yes, it was! Well done, indeed!

0:28:44 > 0:28:47And finally, what do you think of it so far?

0:28:47 > 0:28:49- Rubbish! - You got five.- Did I?- Well done!

0:28:49 > 0:28:51- Yeah.- Well done, me.

0:28:51 > 0:28:54- You are currently an expert on Morecambe and Wise.- Really?

0:28:54 > 0:28:57You could be on Mastermind and that could be your specialist subject.

0:28:57 > 0:29:02I could, well, as long as they only ask me those five questions...

0:29:02 > 0:29:05- and ask me to do a routine.- Oh, yeah. - A Penelope Keith routine, mind you.

0:29:05 > 0:29:08Would you like to have been on the show?

0:29:08 > 0:29:10- Yeah!- Yeah.

0:29:10 > 0:29:13Penny Smith on the Morecambe and Wise Show, dancing.

0:29:13 > 0:29:16- Yeah, I'd love that. - Really?- Anything. I am rubbish.

0:29:16 > 0:29:19I did... I was Britney Spears for Comic Relief

0:29:19 > 0:29:23and I blame it on the fact that one of the props fell on to my feet.

0:29:23 > 0:29:26- I'd been practising for a week, properly...- This was going out live to the nation.

0:29:26 > 0:29:30Live to the nation and then I just I fell apart,

0:29:30 > 0:29:35moved around rubbing myself, looking like a woman with hives, that was it.

0:29:35 > 0:29:36What prop fell on you?

0:29:36 > 0:29:39It was the phone, it was the one where she's being the air hostess.

0:29:39 > 0:29:41So I had the phone like that,

0:29:41 > 0:29:45I put it back and then the whole thing just fell onto my feet, so I...

0:29:45 > 0:29:46With it being live...

0:29:46 > 0:29:49It being live and then, of course, all these dancers and I was going,

0:29:49 > 0:29:52"Oh, no, hold on a second, one, two, three, one, two, three, hopeless."

0:29:52 > 0:29:56- I love dancing.- Really?- I'm first on the dance floor, the last to get off.

0:29:56 > 0:30:00Love bopping about but, generally,

0:30:00 > 0:30:03on my own or with somebody else there being stupid.

0:30:03 > 0:30:05Couldn't see you on Strictly then?

0:30:05 > 0:30:08I'd be pretty hopeless. I would be one of those ones who...

0:30:08 > 0:30:12Everybody would go, "Oh!" They'd feel sorry for me. Yeah, I'd be hopeless.

0:30:12 > 0:30:14You'd be like the comedy. The always have the funny one.

0:30:14 > 0:30:18I'd be the comedy act, wouldn't I? I'd be the comedy act.

0:30:22 > 0:30:25I'm moving on to your family favourite now,

0:30:25 > 0:30:29something you all watched, obviously, guess what, as a family.

0:30:29 > 0:30:30- Isn't that unusual?- Yeah.

0:30:30 > 0:30:34I'm not going to say anything but the brilliant Dad's Army.

0:30:34 > 0:30:36Our escort can't get here before morning,

0:30:36 > 0:30:38so we've got to keep these chaps all night.

0:30:38 > 0:30:40Well, in that case, we'd really better really chop

0:30:40 > 0:30:42their buttons off.

0:30:42 > 0:30:44Put that thing away...

0:30:44 > 0:30:46I just love him, Arthur Lowe.

0:30:46 > 0:30:49They recognise authority when they see it. You'd better come with me.

0:30:49 > 0:30:52Yes, of course. AUDIENCE LAUGHTER

0:30:52 > 0:30:54His timing is impeccable.

0:30:54 > 0:30:59And this was in an era when you didn't really want to be retaking

0:30:59 > 0:31:03things because it was expensive and, apparently, he is utterly brilliant.

0:31:03 > 0:31:05Oh, he's rather handsome.

0:31:05 > 0:31:08# Whistle while you work Hitler is a twerp

0:31:08 > 0:31:11# He's half barmy So's his army

0:31:11 > 0:31:12# Whistle while you... #

0:31:12 > 0:31:15Your name will also go on the list.

0:31:15 > 0:31:17What is it?

0:31:17 > 0:31:19- Don't tell him, Pike.- Pike.

0:31:19 > 0:31:22- That's the one.- Oh!

0:31:22 > 0:31:23The classic.

0:31:23 > 0:31:26Dad's Army marked the beginning of a legendary TV

0:31:26 > 0:31:30partnership between producer David Croft and writer Jimmy Perry.

0:31:31 > 0:31:35In 1974, they created It Ain't Half Hot Mum,

0:31:35 > 0:31:37starring Windsor Davies and set in India

0:31:37 > 0:31:39at the end of the Second World War.

0:31:39 > 0:31:42They then worked together on the holiday camp comedy

0:31:42 > 0:31:44Hi-de-Hi in the 1980s,

0:31:44 > 0:31:48starring Paul Shane, who they also cast in You Rang, M'Lord,

0:31:48 > 0:31:51set in the aristocratic 1920s.

0:31:52 > 0:31:56But David Croft did have the occasional misfire along the way.

0:31:56 > 0:31:59Molly Sugden was cast as an old lady accidently

0:31:59 > 0:32:03blasted into space in the year 2050.

0:32:03 > 0:32:07Critics called it "the worst sitcom ever made."

0:32:07 > 0:32:09Ouch.

0:32:09 > 0:32:11AUDIENCE LAUGHTER

0:32:11 > 0:32:13Look here, I've had about enough of you. You tell your men that

0:32:13 > 0:32:17they've got to stay here for the night and they'd better behave themselves.

0:32:17 > 0:32:18Now, get on with it.

0:32:18 > 0:32:21What was brilliant was that you didn't know where it was going.

0:32:21 > 0:32:25It wasn't obvious where it was going and there was always something

0:32:25 > 0:32:29that was quirky in it that you just thought, "I didn't see that coming."

0:32:29 > 0:32:32It's still superb.

0:32:33 > 0:32:35AUDIENCE LAUGHTER

0:32:37 > 0:32:39The fish and chip shop still open?

0:32:39 > 0:32:40AUDIENCE LAUGHTER

0:32:41 > 0:32:44Yeah, I think so, why?

0:32:44 > 0:32:49Here's ten shilling, go and buy some for the prisoners.

0:32:49 > 0:32:50Oh, right.

0:32:50 > 0:32:53Oh, look at him. Oh!

0:32:53 > 0:32:56You see, what a kind man. There he is, he's going

0:32:56 > 0:32:58- to go and get some fish and chips.- Yeah.

0:32:58 > 0:33:02Each episode was beautifully crafted. It was superb.

0:33:02 > 0:33:05- And your whole family loved this? - Whole family...

0:33:05 > 0:33:08Well, I don't know about whole family loved it, necessarily, but it

0:33:08 > 0:33:12was certainly one of Dad's favourite shows and so it was a big time.

0:33:12 > 0:33:15Again, it's that thing about seeing your parents laughing.

0:33:15 > 0:33:18So Dad was laughing, Mum was laughing, so, therefore,

0:33:18 > 0:33:19we were all laughing.

0:33:19 > 0:33:23And that just... It gives it an extra fillip, doesn't it,

0:33:23 > 0:33:25- when everybody is corpsing.- Yeah.

0:33:25 > 0:33:28And then when Dad, of course, would stride around

0:33:28 > 0:33:30repeating various words.

0:33:30 > 0:33:32So you're saying you watch it now, you enjoy it even more?

0:33:32 > 0:33:36I enjoy it even more because I think I now know people like that

0:33:36 > 0:33:38and, as I said, you know, we're all doomed.

0:33:38 > 0:33:41My dad used to, obviously, shout, "We're all doomed,"

0:33:41 > 0:33:44- as he burnt the toast or whatever else had happened.- "Don't panic!"

0:33:44 > 0:33:47"Don't panic, Mr Mannering, don't panic!"

0:33:47 > 0:33:50Yeah, exactly, as we'd run out of pickled onions, it was generally

0:33:50 > 0:33:52food in our house that was a, kind of,

0:33:52 > 0:33:54"We're all doomed," or, "Don't panic."

0:33:54 > 0:33:58Nothing of, whatever it was, was left in the house, therefore, you know,

0:33:58 > 0:33:59"Don't panic."

0:33:59 > 0:34:01So all those little catchphrases

0:34:01 > 0:34:03and we were quite a family for catchphrases,

0:34:03 > 0:34:05we liked our little catchphrases.

0:34:05 > 0:34:09Did you miss the fact that there was no females in Dad's Army?

0:34:09 > 0:34:11I never really thought of it consciously but, I think,

0:34:11 > 0:34:15unconsciously I just thought I could have done with a female presence.

0:34:15 > 0:34:18There was... Occasionally, you'd see Mannering's wife...

0:34:18 > 0:34:21And, of course, you certainly had the long-running joke

0:34:21 > 0:34:25about Sergeant Wilson and his relationship with

0:34:25 > 0:34:28Pike's mother.

0:34:28 > 0:34:32- But they never went past women in the trucks.- No.

0:34:32 > 0:34:34It was like a town deserted.

0:34:34 > 0:34:37It was like, "You women? Are you women? Out, out, out!"

0:34:37 > 0:34:41- Yeah.- Yeah, odd isn't it, though? - Hmm.

0:34:47 > 0:34:50Your next choice is a series you enjoyed watching

0:34:50 > 0:34:53but didn't let too many people know about this.

0:34:53 > 0:34:55- Do you know what I'm on about? - I do.- Go on.

0:34:55 > 0:34:58Now, it might seem odd that I didn't want to tell people that

0:34:58 > 0:35:00- I liked this show...- Yeah.

0:35:00 > 0:35:04..but at school, I was seriously poor at science.

0:35:04 > 0:35:07And so if I'd have confessed to loving this programme,

0:35:07 > 0:35:11they'd have said, "Well, how come you're not better at school?"

0:35:11 > 0:35:13- There we go.- Let's take a look.

0:35:14 > 0:35:16The tunnel that's now proposed enters

0:35:16 > 0:35:21France 160ft below the inviting beach of Sangatte to the...

0:35:21 > 0:35:25Horizon launched over 50 years ago with the mission to bring

0:35:25 > 0:35:29the world's greatest scientists and philosophers to our screens.

0:35:29 > 0:35:32How could such a tunnel be built in a given time for a given cost?

0:35:32 > 0:35:35- Roget Massey.- We hope so.

0:35:35 > 0:35:37Ah, they're talking about the Channel Tunnel.

0:35:37 > 0:35:39- Look at this, the Euro Tunnel.- Yeah.

0:35:39 > 0:35:41- This is when it was just a thought...- Yeah, look at that.

0:35:41 > 0:35:43..and let's get you on the beach in your suits.

0:35:43 > 0:35:45And then, look, we'll just dig a hole here

0:35:45 > 0:35:48and then we'll keep on tunnelling.

0:35:48 > 0:35:50It was here that the prototype tunnelling machine

0:35:50 > 0:35:54- of Colonel Frederick Beaumont was assembled underground... - Oh, look at this, big machinery.

0:35:54 > 0:35:56..and began to advance into the chalk.

0:35:56 > 0:36:00- Cool.- Are you still gripped by it now?- Shh!- Says it all.

0:36:02 > 0:36:05PENNY: And then, I think, there was lots more of that boring machine

0:36:05 > 0:36:07and it was huge.

0:36:07 > 0:36:09And it's just... There's something about huge whopping

0:36:09 > 0:36:11great bits of machinery.

0:36:11 > 0:36:14My dad, as I mentioned, an engineer and he'd got this company

0:36:14 > 0:36:19and got these whopping great bits of machinery, and the smell of oil

0:36:19 > 0:36:23and swarfega and hot metal,

0:36:23 > 0:36:26and men with goggles on...

0:36:26 > 0:36:28Sweat dripping from their bodies.

0:36:28 > 0:36:30- Hmm, yeah.- Muscley.- Yeah, dirty.

0:36:30 > 0:36:32Dirty with just those small vests.

0:36:32 > 0:36:36Yeah, with their hair tied back in a ribbon. Oh, hold on!

0:36:36 > 0:36:39Straying into Poldark.

0:36:39 > 0:36:43No, there is something about huge bits of machinery. I love...

0:36:43 > 0:36:46- That you find interesting. - I do, I can't help it.

0:36:46 > 0:36:50I love all that sort of thing and going to the science museum,

0:36:50 > 0:36:55for example, looking at how people went to space in tiny, tiny little

0:36:55 > 0:36:58things that were barely bigger than a saucepan.

0:36:58 > 0:37:01And they'd all squash in there and you can just imagine them,

0:37:01 > 0:37:04cheek-by-jowl, I don't know, 20 hamsters in a cage,

0:37:04 > 0:37:06all, sort of, squashed up together and everything

0:37:06 > 0:37:08and then you've got these enormous great big things.

0:37:08 > 0:37:10And I'm impressed by both of them.

0:37:10 > 0:37:13I'm impressed by the fact that men can make something really small

0:37:13 > 0:37:18that goes up or, in fact, even rather large and pointy going up,

0:37:18 > 0:37:21when we're talking about rockets... Shush.

0:37:21 > 0:37:26Or, of course, just massive whopping great things,

0:37:26 > 0:37:31- with all these moving parts and teeth and cogs and, oh!- Ooof!

0:37:31 > 0:37:35Oh, screws and left-hand facing things.

0:37:35 > 0:37:38Would you watch Horizon, you know, every week?

0:37:38 > 0:37:40- Erm, not necessarily every week.- No.

0:37:40 > 0:37:43I think I was a bit older by that time, so I probably had

0:37:43 > 0:37:46quite a lot of homework and various other things that I was doing.

0:37:46 > 0:37:48But I loved going with Dad

0:37:48 > 0:37:50and Dad, in fact, liked taking me around.

0:37:50 > 0:37:52Before he had...

0:37:52 > 0:37:56He had a big company making pylons and derricks

0:37:56 > 0:37:58and various other things, huge great structures.

0:37:58 > 0:38:02Before he did that, he used to take me around...

0:38:02 > 0:38:04When he was a salesman, I used to go

0:38:04 > 0:38:08and look at great big tractors and massive great bits of machinery.

0:38:08 > 0:38:10And I was always there, just looking at them

0:38:10 > 0:38:13and imagining what they were getting up to.

0:38:13 > 0:38:17But there's something about that...

0:38:17 > 0:38:18The creative element of it.

0:38:18 > 0:38:21I think with creative it comes back to Vision On and Blue Peter

0:38:21 > 0:38:23and making things.

0:38:23 > 0:38:26Making things that worked and making things that did things.

0:38:26 > 0:38:29It's all about being constructive, isn't it?

0:38:29 > 0:38:32- I like things that have a purpose. - Mm-hmm.

0:38:32 > 0:38:36And you can't think of anything with much more purpose, for example,

0:38:36 > 0:38:41than that huge great boring machine.

0:38:41 > 0:38:43One of the very good things about Horizon,

0:38:43 > 0:38:47they explained very complicated things in a simple form.

0:38:47 > 0:38:49You know, visually...

0:38:49 > 0:38:53This is something that you have to do, you know, in your job.

0:38:53 > 0:38:55In the job, yes, I suppose you do.

0:38:55 > 0:38:58Well, you have to talk as though nobody knows what you're talking about.

0:38:58 > 0:39:00I mean, that's the whole point about news,

0:39:00 > 0:39:02you're explaining something,

0:39:02 > 0:39:04or you're getting somebody else to explain,

0:39:04 > 0:39:05and having to ask the questions.

0:39:05 > 0:39:08And I think that's another reason why I love being a journalist

0:39:08 > 0:39:10because you're actually saying, constantly,

0:39:10 > 0:39:12"I don't understand, tell me.

0:39:12 > 0:39:14"I don't understand how this works, explain."

0:39:14 > 0:39:17- Yeah.- And I love that.

0:39:21 > 0:39:26Penny Smith, can I take you back to your first broadcasting experience?

0:39:26 > 0:39:30I want you to have a little look at a picture of you now at Thames News.

0:39:30 > 0:39:34- There you are.- Yeah, look at me having a lovely time

0:39:34 > 0:39:37with Andrew Gardner, who was such a gentleman,

0:39:37 > 0:39:39such a lovely, lovely man.

0:39:39 > 0:39:42And I did love working at Thames News.

0:39:42 > 0:39:45I used to go out in the morning and I used to do a story,

0:39:45 > 0:39:49and then I had to come home, throw the editing notes into the editor

0:39:49 > 0:39:54and then go and do the afternoon news at 3.30, and then I'd go and finish

0:39:54 > 0:39:56off the item that I was doing,

0:39:56 > 0:39:58and then co-host the six o'clock with Andrew.

0:39:58 > 0:40:01And it was the most blissful, blissful job.

0:40:01 > 0:40:03It was a really good time.

0:40:03 > 0:40:07I did that for, I think it was a year I was at Thames News.

0:40:07 > 0:40:09Did you come from radio to television?

0:40:09 > 0:40:13- No, I went from newspapers first... - Journalist.

0:40:13 > 0:40:17A journalist on a newspaper first of all, the Peterborough Evening Telegraph, and then I went

0:40:17 > 0:40:19accidently backpacking for two and a half years

0:40:19 > 0:40:22- and worked in Radio Hong Kong in the middle...- Wow.

0:40:22 > 0:40:23..to get a bit more money to carry on.

0:40:23 > 0:40:27And when I came home it was Radio Trent and then Border Television,

0:40:27 > 0:40:31and then Thames News and then Sky and GMTV.

0:40:31 > 0:40:33The lovely thing about Thames was

0:40:33 > 0:40:36that it was a lot more newsy then Border.

0:40:36 > 0:40:38Border Television, you had to...

0:40:38 > 0:40:42We all got in earlier and earlier because there was only, generally,

0:40:42 > 0:40:45one big real news story of the day. The rest of them were features,

0:40:45 > 0:40:47and I loved doing features,

0:40:47 > 0:40:52but it was always quite nice to do a newsy piece.

0:40:52 > 0:40:53So at Thames News, of course,

0:40:53 > 0:40:59we were talking about pretty meaty issues every day, which was good,

0:40:59 > 0:41:03and it was also a much bigger news organisation.

0:41:08 > 0:41:10What do you watch now on TV?

0:41:10 > 0:41:14Erm, I suppose, it tends to be...

0:41:14 > 0:41:16- I like comedy shows.- Yep.

0:41:16 > 0:41:19Erm, so, for example, Toast

0:41:19 > 0:41:23and anything with Julia Davis in.

0:41:23 > 0:41:26Perhaps more left of field ones,

0:41:26 > 0:41:30Inside No 9, I enjoyed the first series of Inside No 9.

0:41:30 > 0:41:32I've got the second series of Inside No 9 to watch,

0:41:32 > 0:41:34those sort of programmes.

0:41:34 > 0:41:36I love a good drama series,

0:41:36 > 0:41:39Cranford, for example.

0:41:39 > 0:41:41If I'm going through and I can't find anything,

0:41:41 > 0:41:43there's usually something on BBC Four, there's usually

0:41:43 > 0:41:47a series about something that I didn't even know I was interested in...

0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Yeah, yeah.- ..that I'll suddenly go, "Oh, look at that."

0:41:50 > 0:41:52Like, do you remember that one with the bloke

0:41:52 > 0:41:55swinging around on the outside of buildings, where he was

0:41:55 > 0:41:58looking at how buildings were made from way back when to now?

0:41:58 > 0:42:01He went down The Lloyd's Building, inside and out,

0:42:01 > 0:42:04looking at how they were made, how it all fitted together and those things.

0:42:04 > 0:42:08- Engineering again, you see? - And Guy Martin.- Uh-huh.

0:42:08 > 0:42:12When he did that series about huge great machinery, I loved that series.

0:42:12 > 0:42:16And when he was doing the thing about being fast, I loved all those.

0:42:16 > 0:42:19And, of course, I'm a news junkie, goes without saying.

0:42:19 > 0:42:22News... News looms large.

0:42:22 > 0:42:26- I watch it, I read it, I listen to it.- Yeah.

0:42:26 > 0:42:28It's just one of those things.

0:42:28 > 0:42:30It will be with me forever because, of course,

0:42:30 > 0:42:32I loved watching the news when I was a kid, as well.

0:42:32 > 0:42:35Penny, thank you so much for being on. I hope you've enjoyed it.

0:42:35 > 0:42:38- Loved it.- God bless you and we'd like to thank you.

0:42:38 > 0:42:42At this point, we'd like you to choose a theme tune.

0:42:42 > 0:42:45Out of all the shows that we've seen today, I think

0:42:45 > 0:42:49the one that I love the most still...

0:42:49 > 0:42:52And the music will stay with me, Vision On.

0:42:52 > 0:42:54Fair enough. My thanks to Penny

0:42:54 > 0:42:57and my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.

0:42:57 > 0:42:58Here's a bit of Vision On.

0:42:58 > 0:43:05MUSIC: Vision On Theme Tune by Claude Vasori