Carol Kirkwood The TV That Made Me

Telly. That magic box in the corner.

It gives us access to a million different worlds

all from the comfort of our sofa.

In this series, I'm going to journey through the fantastic world

of TV with some of our favourite celebrities.

They've chosen the precious TV moments that shed light...

-Proper.

-'She seems like a nice girl, though.'

-Look at that.

..on the stories of their lives.

THEY SING

Some are funny.

-Could you do the chanting?

-I could do... Mnum, mnum, mnum.

Some...

Amazing.

..are surprising.

I was mortified.

Some are inspiring.

I am not a number. I am a free man.

-And many...

-Did George Orwell get his predictions right?

It's all so dramatic!

..are deeply moving.

Oh, no.

And heads down the beach towards almost certain death.

All of us, weeping.

So come watch with us as we hand-pick the vintage telly

that helped turn our much-loved stars into the people they are today.

Welcome to the TV That Made Me.

My guest today is one of the first people we see when we wake up.

Carol Kirkwood has been brightening up our mornings come rain or

shine for over a decade.

The TV that made her includes a family game show...

Could we have the scores on the doors, please?

..a Scouse sitcom...

-Do I ever ask you personal questions about your private life?

-Yes.

..and a kids' institution.

My idea of this special treat is called scone pizza.

It can only be the one and only,

-the lovely Carol Kirkwood is with us today.

-Hi, Brian.

Are you excited about this?

I am, I'm really looking forward to taking a wee jaunt down memory lane.

That's what it is. Today is a collection of TV archives,

things that you've enjoyed over the years but first up,

we're going to rewind the clock and go back to the early Carol.

Carol Kirkwood was born Carol MacKellaig on 29 May 1962

in the remote rural village of Morar in the West Highlands of Scotland.

Mum and Dad had their hands full with two sons, six daughters

and a family business to run.

My parents owned a hotel.

It was only about four minutes' walk up the road, but we spent a lot of

time in the hotel and we used to play in the hotel car park on our bikes.

And when we went to school, the local school, when we were at primary

school, we would come home for lunch and I never wanted to do that.

I wanted to stay with my friends and have a school lunch,

but we were going back to the hotel and having a hotel lunch.

So things like lemon sole, salmon, and I wanted a burger and chips!

With you talking about that hotel...

You might find this a little bit interesting.

'And then the manager will come out and welcome you all to Morar.'

BAGPIPES PLAY

That's Morar Hotel!

'Here, too, is a piper to greet you after your second day's journey.

'The hotel manager is on the doorstep to welcome you.'

Oh, my goodness!

-Oh, my goodness!

-How does it feel seeing it?

-Lovely.

-Oh, gosh, I spent years there.

-That's not you on the left.

SHE LAUGHS No.

We used to love it when the coach drivers would come up

because they would take us for a spin in their coach.

-You'd be sitting there like wee girls.

-So, is that...?

-Oh, yes. Yes!

That's what it was like. Look at the wallpaper and the carpets.

-Oh, look at that fire.

-That's what it was like!

The rooms look out at the dark islands of Rum and Eigg.

-Look at that view, Brian.

-Oh, it's stunning.

-Look at the bedspread!

HE LAUGHS

You had these candlewick bedspreads too.

We had so much freedom!

Because you'd come home from school, dump your school bag, pick up

your bike with your friends, swimming costume on, off to the beach.

-It sounds to me like you didn't have much time to watch TV!

-SHE LAUGHS

Well, our TV was very much monitored.

I know some children nowadays go in and just watch telly

ad nauseam or watch it on the computer or whatever.

It wasn't like that for us. We were very much outdoor kids

and we'd play and make up games.

-Well, look at that. You had a chance to see...

-Beautiful.

..a beautiful setting.

But I remember, at the corner of the hotel in the opening

shot of that, there was a car parking space

and my dad always parked there.

And I was just little, wanted to learn to drive but was far too young.

And so the hotel was on a slight slope,

the car park was on a slight slope.

So anyway, he had a Jag and I was sitting in the Jag pretending

to drive, turning the steering wheel.

I'd seen Dad taking the handbrake off often.

I took the handbrake off, didn't know how to put it back on

as the car and me slid slowly smack into the wall.

Couldn't sit down for two weeks.

Dad was gutted! Bless him.

Carol, your earliest TV memories, what are they?

-We didn't have telly when I was a wee girl, Brian...

-No!

..because we didn't have reception.

We didn't actually get BBC One until probably... I was about six.

Then we only had BBC One for donkey's years after that,

so STV, as it would have been in my case,

and BBC Two just weren't there, and as for Channel 4 or 5, well,

-we're going back to BC, so obviously they weren't there either.

-Yeah.

As six-year-old Carol and her siblings

switched on TV for the first time in 1968,

they could have watched The Railway Children,

one of the first children's novels adapted by the BBC,

Dad's Army, beginning its nine-year run,

and the last episode of sitcom

Beggar My Neighbour, starring Reg Varney.

The first programme I actually remember is Play School,

the theme tune and everything.

A little trip down memory lane for Carol Kirkwood. Here we go.

Look at that! Oh, my goodness!

-VOICEOVER:

-Here's a house.

-Oh!

-With a door.

CAROL AND BRIAN: Windows - one, two, three, four.

-Ready to knock?

-Yes!

Here you are, there's some cornflakes for you.

Oh, my goodness, Big Ted!

I used to do this as a kid myself with my dolls. We'd have tea parties,

be pretending to feed them things, cakes and things.

So, you mentioned the names of the dolls. Don't cheat!

Who have we got, then?

There was Mabel and Jemima, there was Big Ted and Little Ted...

-Big Ted, Little Ted.

-..and Humpty.

-And apparently Hamble.

-Hamble!

Oh, my goodness, I'd forgotten about her.

For me, Humpty was the star.

He was the only one that looked... I don't know, I liked Humpty.

Plenty of sugar.

Look at Humpty, what a cool hairdo!

BUZZING

What do you think that is?

-Look at the special effects!

-I know, look at that fly!

This is better than Avatar!

BUZZING CONTINUES

-Oh, look, there's Brian Cant.

-Doesn't he look young?

Did you guess it was on the end of a bit of thread?

I've really come to say it's time to say goodbye until tomorrow.

-Goodbye until then.

-Goodbye.

You used to answer them when everybody was saying goodbye.

You'd go, "Goodbye!"

BBC Two's planned opening night on 20 April 1964

was blacked out by a power cut.

When the new station finally launched the next day,

Play School was its first-ever programme.

-So, what did you love about it, Carol? The simplicity?

-Yes.

I'd never seen anything like this before because again,

growing up, my mother was a teacher.

We grew up with lots of books and things

but we hadn't seen television. It seems incredible now.

-And just to see that and to see what they did...

-And see it in colour?

Well, we were black-and-white to start with,

but seeing it in colour now - incredible!

It takes you back to when you were inch high,

and it wasn't just me watching it, it was my wee sister

and then later on my wee brother as well.

I think he was a bit of a legend, wasn't he, old Brian Cant?

Yes, he was.

I used to think he was just like a big brother,

although he probably would have been old enough to be my dad -

no disrespect intended to Brian.

But, yeah, he just had a warmth about him as well.

Just a really nice man.

Over its 24-year run,

Play School introduced us to 104 ever-enthusiastic presenters.

But there were a few who stood out from the crowd.

The legendary Johnny Ball, dad to DJ Zoe Ball,

and children's TV stalwart,

Chloe Ashcroft, presented 545 episodes each across three decades.

Avengers and Carry On actress Julie Stevens appeared in 600 episodes.

The man most linked to the show, Brian Cant,

managed 620 episodes, but even he didn't beat Carol Chell,

who appeared in a whopping 763 Play School days.

Oh, those were the days. They don't make telly like that any more.

-No. And it was only on for a short period of time.

-I know.

I think that's what was interesting,

there's not a children's channel, like now you have got CBeebies.

Then, you had a little window and that was your time.

It was also how you watched it, so I would watch it with my mum

if she was around, for example, and my little sister, as I was saying.

It was a family thing. Play School was on.

There was a time you switched on the telly and there it was.

And you were glued, you know, kind of sitting there

with your mouth hanging open, just agog

watching all that was happening.

Then you would repeat some of it yourself with your toys.

So, do you recognise anything around our palacious little place here?

That chair, actually. We had two of those in our front porch.

-They were blue and white.

-Yeah?

-Exactly the same.

-We've got pipes for you.

-Oh!

-My dad used to smoke a pipe and... Oh, a wee story for you.

-Go on.

Bless him, I loved the smell of the tobacco that he burnt.

Obviously we didn't smoke. Thank you.

I feel like Sherlock Holmes now!

Anyway, we would, in the morning, after...

He put his pipes in the stand at night before he went to bed

and my wee sister, Trish, and myself would go down

and we'd be sucking on them in the morning, like,

"Mmm, this tastes nice," and they'd be covered in slabbers!

We put them back and poor Dad, not having a clue we'd done it,

later on would put his tobacco in, light it up.

I don't think I know anyone that owns a pipe these days.

-No, neither do I.

-It's just from a different era, isn't it?

Your biggest influence, Carol, stems back to 1973.

I'm not going to say any more. We're going back to 1973.

Princess Anne, as she walks down the aisle of Westminster Abbey

-to marry Captain Mark Phillips.

-Oh, my goodness.

-Now, you were a huge fan.

-I was, I loved Blue Peter.

...The Royal Military School of Music.

We used to watch this all the time.

You'd come in from whatever you were doing.

If you were outside playing, you'd come in and watch Blue Peter.

If you were outside crashing the car, you'd think,

"You know what? I'd better go in now, it's Blue Peter!"

I'm in enough trouble.

There are an estimated 500 million people going to be watching

the royal wedding on Wednesday and amongst them, there's going to be

an awful of a lot of children, because the Queen...

I remember actually watching this particular one.

Look at the set.

Gosh, it looks so sparse.

Launched in 1958,

Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's programme.

Not bad for a show that was designed to fill a six-week

gap in the schedule.

It blazed the trail for TV shows to break out of the studio

and use BBC TV Centre as a location,

prompting a stern memo from the then BBC management

that read, "Television Centre is not a place of entertainment."

Have a listen to what Johnny's got to say

because he's got rather a good idea for something to do.

Dead right, there. My idea is to give your mum a holiday too.

Tell her you'll cook her a special treat when she puts her feet up

on Wednesday morning to watch the television.

I loved John Noakes.

So did I, you never knew what he was going to do next.

-And he always got so many things wrong.

-I know, that was his charm.

Look at the state of that!

I loved, "Here's one we prepared earlier."

Oh, that's where it first started.

-A lovely smell.

-We smelt it.

-Is it done?

-Is that why you're here?

-I haven't had any lunch.

-Can you pass the knife?

-Is this the sort of thing you would have made?

-Yes.

-Really?

I wouldn't have done it regularly but because they made it

on Blue Peter, it would be, "Let's have a bash at doing this."

I didn't make everything they made,

but they always had the sticky-back plastic

and the loo rolls and the empty washing-up liquids.

And they are making this for the royal wedding

-so that they can eat this.

-Which is exactly what we did.

With the scones?

Yeah, we made them and we sat down... I remember it so well.

The sun was shining,

we drew the blinds, watched it on the telly with our scones.

To make you feel more at home, we've actually got some scones for you.

-Have you?

-Yeah, I shall go and get them.

-Thank you.

Wait there. Don't go anywhere.

Scones, it's a long time since I've had a scone.

-Oh, lovely!

-I've been in the kitchen.

Oh, yum! You know, I may as well whack them straight onto my thighs

because that's where they're heading.

-Oh, yeah, a moment on the lips.

-I know.

Blue Peter is also renowned for its cast of animals.

Each year, young tortoise owners were reminded how to safely

prepare their four-legged friends for winter,

usually with the show's longest-serving pet, Freda,

who stayed with the show for 16 years.

She first appeared in 1963 as Fred until they realised he was a she.

So, was Blue Peter something that made you want to be a presenter?

-Yes.

-Really?

-I wanted to be a Blue Peter presenter full stop,

but I was so shy.

Is it still an ambition to be a Blue Peter presenter?

Gordon MacKenzie Highlander,

I would be like the granny on that programme!

-I think you could earn a gold Blue Peter badge today.

-Yeah?

What I've got planned for you... This is a classic,

a moment that every year on Blue Peter they would do

and present to the children, and of course this is your chance

to do that and I have a couple of things to get for you.

-I'm feeling very nervous now, Brian.

-Don't feel nervous.

-Eek!

First of all, I would like to introduce you to Trevor.

-That's not real, is it?

-Yeah.

-Seriously?

-Just put him on your lap there.

-Hello, Trevor!

And we are going to hibernate him.

Oh, I can feel his leg moving on my leg!

Oh, it's quite tickly!

-Trevor, you're tickling me!

-So, we're going to... We're going to put...

-We're going to hibernate him.

-CAROL GASPS

So, you have to take this box

-that is big enough for him to turn around in...

-Yeah.

-Oh, Trevor!

-..fill it with shredded paper...

And this is yours. I will hold on to Trevor while you now

-present the rest of this moment to earn your gold Blue Peter badge.

-OK.

OK, well, first of all,

Trevor, I hope that you are going to enjoy your bed.

Some very nice bedding here for you.

We've put this through a shredder, it's all confidential,

you can't see anything from it.

-No.

-So, Trevor, I'm just going to make...

-Very important, data protection.

-Yep...

CAROL LAUGHS Absolutely.

Spreading this out, nice and evenly.

HE MOUTHS Yeah.

-It's going all over the place, Trevor.

-Nice.

But we want to make a nice little...

I'll make it nice and soft in the middle, particularly, a little...

A little bit of a hollow for Trevor to sit in.

Yes, a little bit of a hollow.

-Note the hollow. That's very good, you know.

-Yeah, so that...

Yeah, you've sold it for me.

Right, Trevor, how deep would you like your bed?

-Um, I think one more and that should do.

-One more? OK.

Do we now place Trevor in, Blue Peter presenter?

Yes, well, has he got anything else that can go in with him,

-or is this it?

-Well, what, like, a cuddly toy?

What do you mean? I don't know, he doesn't need anything else.

Oh, Trevor, little man!

I like the way you're stroking him. He can't feel anything, it's...

I know, I don't like to touch him in case I scare him, though.

Oh, why are you going to scare him, Carol?

-Oh, you're a good boy, aren't you? Look at you!

-Ooh...

There you are, I'll let you place him into the box.

OK, Trevor, come on, we're going in.

-In you go, wee man.

-And now...

There you go! Watch your wee leggies.

-There you go!

-So, we have to... And then we have to...

-All settled.

-Oh...

This is a true Blue Peter moment.

-Look at that.

-This is a little...

A little message from Trevor.

CAROL LAUGHS

-Oh!

-But a good Blue Peter presenter will always carry on

in the face of adversity.

Carol, you hold them because my hand's a bit messy.

Look at him, he's looking out, now, what are you laughing at?

We have to punch some holes in here. I need a dry-clean.

If you've got to go, Trevor, you've got to go.

BRIAN SIGHS OK. How many...three on each side?

Yeah. And just maybe a few on top there, that's it.

You're OK, Trevor.

And, um...

And, of course, then you put a bit of gaffer tape over it and...

Yeah, and Bob's your uncle. Trevor's your uncle.

Congratulations, well done,

I think you've earned your gold Blue Peter badge.

Thank you.

In the... No, it's all right, it's the other hand!

THEY LAUGH

Thank you, Brian.

-Oh, let's watch something else, we need to escape from all of this.

-Aww!

Thanks to Blue Peter,

the only thing harmed there was maybe a bit of my pride.

The show's first-ever pet arrived in 1962,

but sadly, the poorly pup died shortly after her debut.

Fearing the news might upset the young viewers, who had been asked

to choose her name,

producers secretly found a lookalike to take her place.

The new dog was named Petra.

Over 50 years, the show has become home to...

Thankfully not all at the same time.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Oh, I used to love this!

Do you know, every Saturday, the television on,

everybody sitting down, The Generation Game on, loved it.

Yeah.

In the '70s, traditional variety shows fell out of favour

and TV bosses were on the hunt for something new.

And could we have the scores on the doors, please?

Step forward Bruce Forsyth with his Generation Game.

It fast became one of the biggest game shows of the decade.

When Larry Grayson took the helm in 1978, it seemed unstoppable.

In 1979, at its peak,

the show entertained 25 million people of all generations.

-Larry was so funny.

-He was so endearing.

You never knew what the devil was going to happen

-and he was on with Isla...St Clair, wasn't he?

-Yeah.

Please meet Miss Isla St Clair.

And look at Isla's dresses.

APPLAUSE

Did you always want to be Isla St Clair?

-No, I wanted to be a contestant on this.

-Oh, right.

I loved the way that they would be killing themselves laughing,

so if they were making something with pottery, for example, and you know

how you have to keep your hands on it as it spins, or it'll go choooww?

-Yeah.

-If you take your hands off it...

-Oh, here they go.

I say, I wouldn't like to stick a chocolate flake amongst this lot!

LAUGHTER

It always ended up a right old mess, didn't it?

But Larry was so camp around the whole thing, which made it.

I know, I know.

-You are doing well, Fred.

-Fred?

Fred, Joe.

Look at that, though!

Oh, look at the mess.

Look at the mess!

And you'd be sitting at home thinking,

"I could do better than that!"

The show introduced us to a conveyor belt of glamorous assistants,

including trained dancer Anthea Redfern,

who would go on to become Mrs Forsyth.

Isla St Clair arrived alongside Larry Grayson and would go on

to present her own travel show and become a folk singer.

And after a nine-year break, the show returned in the '90s

with Bruce back at the helm and Rosemary Ford as his sidekick.

She became eternally linked to the catchphrase,

"What's on the board, Miss Ford?"

I love, more and more, Larry Grayson, as I've got older.

-I just think he was so...

-So funny.

-He was.

-MIMICS LARRY:

-"And you know..."

-But he was also... He was caring as well, you felt you knew him.

-Mm.

-You thought, "Oh, Larry, bless you."

-Yeah.

He was that kind of person.

Bruce had a slickness, but there was...there was...

It was just chaotic, you know, it was.

-With Larry, I know.

-Yeah.

But remember the conveyor belt and they'd be trying to help him?

"Have you said a cuddly toy? Have you said a cuddly toy?"

-"Yes, I've said a cuddly toy."

-Yeah.

Cos that was always there. But the Teasmade,

the electric blankets, the candlewick cover for your bed,

all the things that were trendy in those days, maybe a radio.

What else did they have? Cutlery and vases and glasses and all of that.

-MIMICS BUZZER:

-You've won!

-CAROL LAUGHS

-You won, Carol, all right?

-I loved it.

-What did you get?

-The Hoover, the shaver, the electric drill, the blanket, the cuddly toy...

-A Hoover? Yes!

So, let's move away from The Gen Game now,

a world away from The Gen Game because this is TV taboo,

this is something that, well, dare I say, really made your mum

and dad hot under the collar.

THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST THEME TUNE PLAYS

Is this The Old Grey Whistle Test? Do you know what?

I'm surprised I even know that

because I was never allowed to watch it.

-Wonderful opening music, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

What's really strange about this is I was never allowed to watch it,

it was too risque.

It was on late at night as well, but the Sex Pistols and groups

-like that were on and anything with that word in front of it...

-Yeah!

-And were originally on this programme.

-Yes.

-It was...

It certainly was a forerunner for...just great acts.

Look at Whispering Bob!

Hello there and welcome to this week's Whistle Test.

-Do you know, the thing is, now I know him, he's a friend...

-Uh-huh.

..and it's so strange to think that I wasn't allowed to watch him

and now he's just...amazing.

First of all, music from an American group who are to The Stones

what The Monkees were to The Beatles -

a pale and amusing derivative.

These are the New York Dolls.

-Remember that Love Story movie that was out many moons ago with Ali MacGraw in it?

-Yeah, yeah.

I didn't see that till I was about 31,

so just a couple of days ago, frankly. Um, because...

Thank you for not laughing at that.

-THEY LAUGH

-I'm sorry.

You managed to keep a straight face.

But because there was so much shenanigans in it, put it that way.

-Yeah.

-So my dad would just say, "This is rubbish," and switch it off.

But in a way, I wasn't bothered about that

because I used to find it embarrassing. We were all very young

and innocent and, you know, a couple kissing on telly was like,

"Oh, Mum and Dad are in here, don't want to see that."

-And they wouldn't let you watch this?

-No.

Did you know that The Whistle Test was actually commissioned

by David Attenborough?

-No, I didn't.

-Yeah.

-Gosh.

It was good, though. All my friends at school were allowed to watch it

and they'd be in in the morning at school saying who they'd been watching and how cool they were

and how brilliant they were, and I just didn't know anything.

-Aww, did you pretend that you'd watched it?

-Yes, sometimes I did.

-Ah.

-Cos I felt so uncool!

-And do you think...?

-I mean, you've now befriended... It's Bob, isn't it?

-Bob, yeah.

Is that because way back then you just wasn't allowed

-to even watch the show?

-No...

Have you ever confessed to him that...?

No, I've never confessed to him, so I hope he's not watching today!

-But, no, I haven't. But he's a lovely, gentle man, Bob Harris.

-Mm.

Really lovely.

Mock rock.

The New York Dolls and one of the songs from their first album,

that was called Jet Boy.

Was this the sort of thing you were into at...?

I was more a Donny Osmond kind of girl, loved Donny Osmond.

Bay City Rollers to a certain extent.

I mean, when I was growing up at school

we had all the Bay City Rollers stuff,

like the short tartan trousers,

the hessian bags that had Bay City Rollers on them, all that stuff.

But it was... You were either Bay City Rollers or you was Donny Osmond.

I know, Donny Osmond was my number one. But music is my passion.

If I had to tell you anything it would be music, so, yes,

I bought loads of records, then CDs and now download it all the time.

-LOVE music.

-But when you were younger,

-did you find it difficult to get hold of records?

-Yes.

-Really?

We had to go from Morar to Fort William,

which was about 45 miles away.

Now, nowadays, you think, 45 miles,

a drop in the ocean. But it was twisty roads...

Yeah, but you were in a horse and cart, weren't you?

-It was that long ago.

-You cheeky monkey! No!

-But we had single-track roads with lay-bys.

-Yeah.

So, you know, it would take forever to get to Fort William.

-It was an excursion.

-So how would you get music, then?

Well, Radio Luxembourg and Top Of The Pops.

And one year, from Santa, we actually got... My sister and myself

got two tape recorders, and the kind that you pressed play

and record, so you'd have them in front of the telly

whilst your favourite track was playing, or when they were doing

the top 40 on the Sunday evening and you'd get your music that way.

-So it was a bit... Swwshhhswww...

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

..until we got the records.

-It's amazing how it's moved on.

-I know!

-Can you imagine it?

-Oh, I know!

So, we're going to move on to comedy heroes

and I'm going to take you now back to 1973.

-1973?

-Yeah.

-I was 11.

-Aww!

It's going back to the days of bows and arrows.

Fancy spending Friday night on me own.

CAROL GASPS The Liver Birds!

BRIAN HUMS THEME TUNE

Me, with all the talent, it's a sheer waste of woman.

They were so funny.

Didn't you just love the way that Sandra was, like,

"Oh, I've found a new man,"

-and Beryl was so matter-of-fact about the whole thing?

-Yeah.

-Hi, Beryl!

-Hello.

-Have a nice evening?

-Ecstatic.

I've had four showers and half a gallon of cocoa.

-I had a fabulous time.

-Where did you go?

No, Paul and I stayed in.

-Ooh, did you now?

-Yeah, we wanted to see the play on the telly.

Of course you did, love.

I found it hilarious, I loved it.

I just loved the characters.

-The characters.

-I loved them both.

-Beryl, I loved her sense of humour.

-Mm-hm.

-And Sandra, she was just like your big sister, wasn't she?

-Yeah.

She was really nice.

I loved seeing their fashions, though, because they had white

boots, knee-length white boots and you'd think, "Wow, look at them!"

Look, she's got 'them on there.

Beryl! Do I ever ask you personal questions about your private life?

Yes.

When you brought that fella back last week,

did I ask what you were doing on the sofa?

You didn't have to, this sofa gives its own running commentary.

Four twangs and a boing and me secrets are out.

No, that was really good, that was good fun.

So, which one of them was closest to you?

Which one of those two characters was closest to Carol?

I would like to say Sandra, but it was probably Beryl!

The Liver Birds was often seen as a female version of The Likely Lads

and was co-created by one of TV's most successful writers.

Carla Lane would become the first woman to create

hugely popular sitcoms.

She scored her first solo hit in 1978 with Butterflies, casting

Wendy Craig as the frustrated stay-at-home wife

to Geoffrey Palmer.

She went on to write love affair drama, Solo, in 1981

and The Mistress in 1985, both starring Felicity Kendal.

In 1985, she wrote I Woke Up One Morning about four alcoholics

trying to quit the drink, starring Jean Boht, who went on to star as

Nellie Boswell in the smash-hit sitcom Bread.

So, Carol, watching The Liver Birds,

did it make you want to live in the city?

I always wanted to live in the city, not necessarily Liverpool,

although I've been to Liverpool many times.

Edinburgh or London were my cities of choice

and I did end up living in both.

Yes, because it seemed so glamorous -

-the styles, the opportunities and everything else.

-Yeah.

So, yes, it did.

And when I was growing up, you know, it was beautiful

and I appreciate it as an adult, but as a child,

you did all the outdoor things like going a bike, cycling, and so on...

Yeah, I mean, you had an idyllic childhood.

Yes, but it didn't have cinemas and things like that.

The disco was in the local hall, for example,

so it wasn't a discotheque, as they were called in those days.

Did you eventually get a pair of knee-high white boots?

No, I got knee-high black ones, though.

Let's not go there, Carol, let's move on.

Carol, what was it your mum and dad loved to watch?

A whole host of things, but again, it is Saturday night viewing -

-Blankety Blank with Terry Wogan.

-Oh!

They were big fans of Terry Wogan.

So I'm going to take you back there now,

to your parents' choice - Blankety Blank.

APPLAUSE

Good evening and welcome.

Now, who have we here that we haven't had before?

-Me, sir.

-You, sir?

-Yes, me, sir.

-Wee Joe Brown.

Yes, sir.

-Do you know, the star of this was the microphone, wasn't it?

-Oh...

-They loved that.

-Yeah, they did too.

Said Biggles, "By Jove,

"flying in an open biplane is an exhilarating experience."

-Very good that, isn't it?

-Yes, very good, yes, carry on.

"Why, the wind almost blew my BLANK off."

Do you know, this takes me back.

We'd all be sitting round, you know,

watching the telly, and it was - shhh,

silence whilst we watched this and listened to what Terry's saying.

But it was so funny and some of the answers they gave,

and you'd play along with them as well.

-Goggles?

-Goggles.

I thought from the old days they would always wear one of these?

Yes, wig.

BUZZER

It's amazing when you look at it and you see all the hairdos,

-which were trendy at the time.

-Yeah.

Well, I copied Norman and I had toupee, but...

-Goggles!

-I had goggles.

BUZZER, APPLAUSE

But some of the things they came out with were so random,

you know, "What?!"

Come on, handsome. Pants, you had.

LAUGHTER

"Almost blew my pants off?" Some wind!

You wonder how long it took to film this with all the laughter and everything.

Mm.

She's gone with goggles. I think... Well done, Lynsey.

Terry was brilliant as well, he's got the gift of the gab.

Yeah, there's a real art to it.

I mean, he's got a lot going on there - he's got six celebrities, he's got the contestants.

Well, there you are, Connie, two points is as good as anything on this show.

They had the Supermatch Game which used to finish it,

and I bet you always wished you could play that, didn't you?

-Yes, yes!

-Good.

-Oh, no!

Good.

-And here it is. Here it is.

-Brilliant.

So, look, I've even got a... I'm not quite sure what it is.

Looks like a drumstick.

It is, actually, you know, we've adapted that.

But it's good, it's good.

So, we are going with the theme of you being the gorgeous,

lovely weather lady that you are. Snow.

So, what do we think it is? What do we think that is?

What do you want to put in there?

-Shower.

-Snow shower?

I'm like as if I think that this works, I can't believe...

I want to say Snow White, in all honesty,

-but sticking with the weather theme, I'm going to say snow shower.

-Whoa...

-Let's see. So. This is for one point.

-Yeah.

-We did ask 100 people to supply this...missing word.

-OK.

-You are saying...remind me again?

-Snow shower.

OK, let's see if you get... Snow shower?

-BRIAN GASPS

-Snow White, which was, of course, your first answer there.

-Ooh.

-Gasps of awe from Carol.

Number two, sno-o-o-ow...

Plough?

Man! Oh!

-Yeah. So we are hoping that this is snow... Remind me again?

-Showers.

-CAROL GASPS

-Snowball!

-So you are completely wrong.

-Gutted!

-Well, commiserations.

-I'm rubbish at all the games on this show, aren't I?

-Uh, no, you're not. Yes, you are.

-Yes, I am.

I would like to give you a consolation prize,

something that you can take home with you and here it is.

I've always wanted one of these. Thank you very much, Brian.

-It's a pleasure!

-I love it.

Carol, we're moving on to your guilty pleasure now,

something that you would not ever miss.

That has to be Starsky & Hutch.

-Oh, you betcha!

-Oh, I loved this!

STARSKY & HUTCH THEME TUNE PLAYS

-Look at that car.

-Look at that car, look at it, it takes the corner...

I know, typical bloke, ain't I? Look at the car!

And the way they fall over the bonnet. Especially Hutch. Phwoar!

-You had a soft spot for Hutch? Really?

-Yes.

In the 1970s, cop shows didn't come much cooler than this.

David Starsky and Kenneth Hutch skidded their way around

Bay City, California, catching bad guys in their iconic Gran Torino.

The series caught the mood of the decade with its fashionable

flares and funky soundtrack.

Do you know, I used to wash my hair before this came on every week.

I'm going to have to hold you back, you are nearly in the telly here!

But it is the middle of the show!

Well, at least I can hear the end of the game on the radio.

Hey, listen, listen...

-Before the show went on...

-Yeah, I can't take my eyes off this, sorry.

-..you used to wash your hair?

-Yes.

PEOPLE SCREAM

Just...just in case. Just in case.

-In some weird world that I lived in as a child...

-Uh-huh.

..David Soul could actually see me and see that I had washed my hair!

-Aww!

-I adored him.

-Yeah?

And if anybody spoke when he was on, it was like, "No, please don't."

-And he was just such a hero.

-Mm.

He was all man, there was nothing he couldn't do.

He was brave, he was powerful, he was handsome.

He was funny and he was so cool.

Yeah, Carol, calm down, love. Calm down. Even I fancy him.

CAROL LAUGHS

What did you think of the other characters in it and Huggy Bear?

Huggy Bear was really cool as well, you know, he was all, sort of,

shrugging his shoulders as he was walking along and...

Starsky was too, Starsky was always eating, wasn't he,

in his big long cardigans and things?

But he was cool too, but David was the epitome of perfection for me.

-Don't stand there with your mouth open, cuff him.

-Oh.

See? So cool, took command of the whole situation, real he-man.

Lines like that, "Don't stand there and look at him, cuff him," you know?

You are very good at that, actually, Brian.

-Do you think so?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Thank you very much.

The '70s ushered in a wave of flashy US cop dramas that were unlike

anything British audiences had seen before.

The kindly policing of Dixon Of Dock Green with Jack Warner was

still on our screens and despite the slightly more realistic Z Cars,

British TV needed to take a handbrake turn.

And it came in 1975's The Sweeney, with John Thaw

and Dennis Waterman's Flying Squad

taking on London's underworld. "Shut it!"

Then, in 1978, it was the police themselves in the dock in

Law And Order, starring future EastEnder, Derek Martin.

Were there any other TV crushes? Was there any other shows

where you would sit there with your hair done?

He...

David Soul in Starsky and Hutch was the main one, he was just so cool.

-Do you know what? I met him in later life.

-I know you did, I know you did.

-How do you know I did?

-I know you met him in later life

and we are all going to see this right now.

Excited cos she's sitting alongside David Soul!

We were going to get to the weather, weren't we?

-We're about to take her out and hang her up!

-Are you, indeed?

-Oh, a little touch of the arm there, Carol.

-What was I wearing?!

I know, we all blame poor Carol.

-But it is going to get better this weekend.

-Yeah.

Do you get letters of complaint? Do people blame you? Do they shoot the messenger?

They do. The most common thing I'm asked is, "What're you going to do about it?"

What ARE you going to do about it?

-Look how he's turned his body language...

-Oh, the body language is there.

Didn't I hear recently that the BBC had asked their weather people

to sort of put a nice spin on the weather, regardless if...?

Absolutely not, David! You must be talking about another channel.

Controversy...

-Were the other presenters aware of your crush?

-Yes, what had

happened beforehand was the researcher for The One Show

phoned me up and I said, "Who is the guest that's on tonight?"

and he said, "David Soul,"

and I went, "Ah, David Soul who was Hutch in Starsky & Hutch?"

and he said, "Yes," and I went, "Oh, I used to LOVE him."

So, on the show, they were playing a little video of something else.

Adrian Chiles turns to David Soul and said,

-"David, Carol used to really fancy you."

-No!

Yes, and he turned to me and said, "Do you not now?" What do you say?

And I just said, "Well, David, I haven't seen you for quite a while,"

and he said, "Well, you are seeing me now."

Again, I said, "Well, I think you are lovely." What can you say, though?

-You can't say, "Yes, I fancy you," or, "No, I don't."

-Yeah.

-Whichever.

-One time he was in... Do you remember Saturday Swap Shop?

-Yeah.

And Superstore and all of these Saturday morning programmes.

He was on that and I tried phoning up.

I must have run up a huge phone bill from the Highlands,

-trying to phone London all the time to talk to him.

-Well...

let's welcome him.

-SHE SHRIEKS

-No, no.

That would have been hilarious! I would have been mortified!

We've reached the point where we want to talk about your big break,

how it came about, your interest in weather.

I mean, did you go to college, did you study it, was it a game plan,

or was it pure luck that you fell into this sort of career now?

Pure luck to fall into weather. I wanted to be on the telly

and had written to the Beeb to find out what I had to do

and I was just a regular presenter, doing other shows,

but not big shows, and my agent at the time was new

and he invited me to go for an audition for the Weather Channel.

I had no meteorological experience at this stage whatsoever

and I'm saying, "I don't want to be a weather presenter,"

and he said, "Well, they're probably not going to offer it to you anyway,

"you big-headed thing, so just go for the audition,"

so I did. Well, Brian, love at first sight.

When you present the weather in certain studios,

you can't see anything behind you - it's either a blue or a green screen,

so you see the image of what you're talking about

in the camera in front of you, which is reversed,

-so it is like rubbing your tummy and patting your head.

-Right, right.

When you've got a front - it's hard not to move your hands

when you're talking about the weather -

but when you've got a weather front that's here and you rub your finger

down along it like that

and there's nothing there, it's just green,

it's so satisfying, and the weather, it changes every day.

-This is satisfying?

-It's challenging.

So getting it right is what is satisfying?

Yes, because you're looking at an image that's reversed,

that's not behind you,

that you're talking about, so it's tricky to do

and the temptation is to do that when you're talking about the weather,

to bring your hand in front of you rather than keeping it behind,

but I just loved it. I loved the weather stories we'd talk about -

there's a beginning, a middle and an end to every weather story.

It's timed, we're usually in a live news environment

and with breaking news and things, you might be told,

"You've got two minutes."

You've got what we call open talk-back,

which means you hear everything.

If somebody's saying, "I want an Earl Grey,"

you hear that, or talking about EastEnders,

you hear that as well as your timing, so you've got a minute left,

you've got 15 seconds left, whatever.

All of that is challenging

whilst talking about the weather at the same time.

But the weather is so varied and I love my job.

Do you many times go out on location?

-Yes, I go out on location lots.

-Do you enjoy that?

-Love it.

-Yeah?

But sometimes it can be really rough!

-Sometimes you're standing in blizzards or rain...

-We know.

We know. We've got some classic moments of you, Carol,

where things did start to go a bit rough.

And in the north of Wales, for example,

we'll be looking more at snow in the hills.

Now, behind all of that,

we're also going to have very strong winds gusting inland to about 55mph.

I remember that - we were in a blizzard.

I had the producer holding on to my legs,

-because it was...

-So while you're filming this,

-you've got a producer hanging on to your legs?

-Yes. And you know what?

It was so cold, my mouth started to freeze, my tongue.

It was like being hit by pins and needles.

And, really, wherever you are, it's going to feel cold,

despite the fact that we've got temperatures

up to about ten degrees Celsius in the Channel Islands.

When you add on the strength of the wind and the wind chill,

it will feel more like below freezing.

'The gallery was saying,

'"This is great television, have another minute!" I'm like, "No!"'

But you can't say, "No, I don't want another minute!"

You've just got to carry on.

-I'll never forget that, ever, as long as I live.

-You can't even see!

'I know!'

That's it from me. Back to you two.

Weather is not the only hazard.

Here we go, have a look at this.

GASPING: 'I remember this!'

..although it will still be hot and humid, not quite as hot and humid

as it's going to be in the next few days, Charlie and Lou.

LOUD LAUGHTER IN STUDIO

Listen to the laughter!

Oh, Carol, don't look behind you!

Don't turn round!

Upstaged by a dog - it's the story of my life!

And it's true, it is.

You are so endearing, you really are,

-and you have the most amazing smile.

-Aww!

And a wonderful joy, you know?

Bless, you're not so shabby yourself, Brian.

Oh, please! No, but you really are,

and I think that's what will sustain you and why you are so popular,

is because of how much sunshine you bring to the weather.

Oh, thank you, that's a lovely thing to say. Thank you.

So, what do you watch now?

I watch loads of telly.

I'm a big soap fan, from Neighbours

to Corrie to EastEnders, watch all of them.

I like reality telly as well...

-Oh, really?

-..such as Strictly

and The Island With Bear Grylls at the moment,

-that's pretty good as well.

-Ah!

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-We have to finish now.

-Aww!

But our guest always gets the opportunity to pick a theme tune

to play us out with,

so what sort of theme tune, or what would you like us

to play out this afternoon with?

How about the theme tune to Top Of The Pops?

-Dee-dee-dee-dee-dee!

-Ga-dang-dang!

That sounds good to me.

I meant every word -

this lady brings a ray of sunshine into the world and we love Carol.

Thank you so much! It's been an absolute pleasure.

Carol Kirkwood, ladies and gentlemen.

Here is Top Of The Pops!

MUSIC: TOP OF THE POPS THEME