0:00:02 > 0:00:04TV - the magic box of delights.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07As kids, it showed us a million different worlds,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09all from our living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- This takes me right back. - That's embarrassing!
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I am genuinely shocked.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Each day, I'm going to journey through the wonderful
0:00:17 > 0:00:20world of telly with one of our favourite celebrities...
0:00:20 > 0:00:24- It is just so silly.- Ah! I love it!
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- Is it Mr Benn?- Shut it!
0:00:28 > 0:00:33- ..as they select the iconic TV moments...- Oh, hello.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36..that tell us the stories of their lives.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Oh!
0:00:38 > 0:00:40- Oh, my gosh.- Cheers.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- Some will make you laugh...- Wah!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44SHE LAUGHS
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..some will surprise...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48HE QUACKS
0:00:48 > 0:00:50- ..many will inspire...- Oh!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Look at this. Why wouldn't you want to watch this?
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- ..and others will move us.- Seeing that there made a huge impact on me.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Got a handkerchief?
0:01:01 > 0:01:02So, come and watch with us,
0:01:02 > 0:01:08as we rewind to the classic telly that shaped those wide-eyed
0:01:08 > 0:01:11youngsters into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21APPLAUSE
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26My guest today is a gifted comedian and actor, Mr John Thomson.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- Hello.- How are you?- I'm all right.- Give me a cuddle.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Come and sit down. Welcome to my flat.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39From The Fast Show to Men Behaving Badly...
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Playing The Field to Cold Feet, if there's a good comedy
0:01:43 > 0:01:48drama show on telly, there's a good chance this man is in it.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Amongst the TV that made him, a show where a bear,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54a hippo and an alien all lived happily together.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Oh, yes, Geoffrey, oh, that's a good idea.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02And a classic 1990s sketch show that launched 1,000 catchphrases.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Nice!
0:02:04 > 0:02:08- How are you, mate?- I'm very well. - Are you excited about looking back on your past?
0:02:08 > 0:02:14- Yes, I am. Yes.- So, what was TV like as a child, you know, growing up?
0:02:14 > 0:02:18I was all over the place as a child, and I couldn't settle,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22but THAT would settle me. That was my baby-sitter, that was my nanny.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27- So you would plonk me in front of that and I would just...- Zone out.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Zone out. I would even watch the test card.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32LAUGHTER
0:02:32 > 0:02:35With the girl with the Alice band and the clown and the noughts
0:02:35 > 0:02:37and crosses and the balloon. Yes.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40So, John, today is a celebration of your favourite highlights,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42TV highlights, that have shaped you,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45probably even made you the person you are today.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48And before all that, we are going to rewind the clock now
0:02:48 > 0:02:53and have a look at what it was like being a very young John Thomson.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55There's my clicker.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Born and bred in Lancashire, John was a boy of the '70s,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03growing up near Preston with his dad, a local businessman, mum,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06a bookseller, and his younger brother, Ben.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11While still a student at Manchester Poly, he got his first TV
0:03:11 > 0:03:14break doing voice impressions for Spitting Image.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Before long, we got to see him on our screens in comedy
0:03:17 > 0:03:19hits like Coogan's Run...
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and as Len the barman in Men Behaving Badly.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Later, starring as the hapless Pete Gifford in the long-running comedy
0:03:26 > 0:03:32drama series Cold Feet firmly established him as a household name.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35But for many, he truly made his mark as the legendary jazz critic
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Louis Balfour in The Fast Show.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Which was nice, or should I say,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43AS LOUIS BALFOUR: nice!
0:03:44 > 0:03:47So, John, do you remember watching TV as a kid?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Like we said, they used to just plonk you there.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52I had a lot of favourite as a child.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54There was Watch With Mother, which was
0:03:54 > 0:03:58kind of an offshoot from the radio, which was Listen With Mother.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02So we didn't really do the wireless thing, because it was the '70s, so...
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Do you know why it was called Watch With Mother?
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It was, you know, so that the mums would be there,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12so they wouldn't dump them. As they did with you.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15So you didn't actually watch with Mother.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It should have been called Watch On Your Own.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Mine should have been, should have been called
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Watch And Call Social Services.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23LAUGHTER
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- I remember Andy Pandy...- Yeah.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- ..the Flower Pot Men. Woodentops. - Yeah, Woodentops.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40- And then, over the other side, Rainbow.- Ah.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And, er, Pipkins I absolutely loved.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- So, your first choice is actually Rainbow.- Yes.- Why?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51There is an apocryphal story that goes with Rainbow, where my mum
0:04:51 > 0:04:55caught me, because she wasn't watching with me, obviously.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59My mum saw me, and I looked round with a very angry look on my face,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02and my mum said to me, "What on earth's the matter?"
0:05:02 > 0:05:05And I said, "I want Bungle to die."
0:05:05 > 0:05:06LAUGHTER
0:05:06 > 0:05:09And the reason was, he was kind of a bit mamby-pamby
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and very sensible, whereas I was always a Zippy fan.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Because he was a bit naughty.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And I was always a bit naughty, you know, attention-seeking
0:05:17 > 0:05:19and kind of, you know, troublesome.
0:05:19 > 0:05:24And I kind of identified with... Out of all the Rainbow cast,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Zippy was my man. Whereas Bungle, no...
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Should we have a little look? Should we see if Bungle,
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Bungle the bear, see if he is irritating in this one?
0:05:32 > 0:05:36- There is a letter for you. - A letter for me, Geoffrey?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- Is there one for me, Geoffrey?- No, sorry, Zippy.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Bungle and his mates, George and Zippy,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45with presenter Geoffrey Hayes, made up the Rainbow house.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49This preschool kids' show first appeared in 1972...
0:05:49 > 0:05:53as Britain's answer to the American hit series Sesame Street.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57With over 1,000 episodes, it ran for two decades.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I don't think I like sharing a bed any more.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I think I should have a bed of my own.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- Is he irritating you here, John? - Yes, slightly, yes.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- A bed of your own?- Yes. And a room of my own as well.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- And a room, he is getting very big-headed.- Well, he's 18.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14LAUGHTER
0:06:14 > 0:06:19- And he is in bed with a cow and an alien.- It is a hippopotamus.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- Oh, is it a hippopotamus?- Yeah.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23But we've only got two bedrooms, Bungle.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Ours and Geoffrey's.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28I only ever saw one episode where it explained what Zippy was.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- And he is, apparently, a dwarf from outer space. Honestly.- Really?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- Yeah, I bet you didn't know that. - Can you do Zippy?- Oh, yes.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- AS ZIPPY: - It was one of those voices that everybody could do, you see.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42But everybody did that, because he only had one hand. Because the guy is doing this.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45So everybody did this, you see. So everybody...
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- AS GEORGE: - And George, he talked like that, didn't he?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Might I have your room, and you share with Zippy and George?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- Well, is that what you want? - Yes, Geoffrey, it is.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Oh, all right, Bungle, you have my bedroom tonight.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02- So, he really upset you, Bungle. - Bungle, I had no time for him. No.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07- Did you... You really...- I'm over it now.- Are you?- I'm over it.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09- Are you really over it, John?- Yeah.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12I am. As bears go...
0:07:12 > 0:07:16You haven't seen Bungle for 35 years.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17LAUGHTER
0:07:17 > 0:07:21We have flown him 25 miles to be here.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Would you please welcome the original Bungle bear?
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Ho, ho, ho!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- Hello.- Hello, Bungle. Come and join us on the sofa.- It is John Thomson.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39- Hello, Bungle.- Hello.- No hard feelings. I was only five.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40- Were you?- Yes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44- I was five once.- Were you? - Do you feel better now?
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- I'm dealing rather well with it. - Yeah. You haven't actually...
0:07:47 > 0:07:50You haven't been affectionate to it, though, John.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- Do you know what, he's a lot more cuddly upfront.- Ho, ho!
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Yeah. Do you know what, yeah, I can see the appeal now.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01So, Bungle, it is honestly, truly a great honour to be here, because
0:08:01 > 0:08:03when they said, "We've got Bungle,"
0:08:03 > 0:08:06I didn't think it was THE real Bungle, but you were...
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Oh, yes, I was. When you were little.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Underneath the famous fuzzy suit is Malcolm Lord.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16He took over the role in 1989 for three years.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22He was the third actor to play the iconic brown bear during
0:08:22 > 0:08:25its original run on Thames Television.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- Are you wearing shoes now?- I am.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- Zippy told me you've got cold feet. - Oh, yes, I have.- Oh, dear.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37GROANS
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- Bungle, it's been lovely to meet you.- I am genuinely shocked.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45LAUGHTER
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Oh, Bungle, thank you so much for coming on the show.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- John, do you think you have buried the hatchet?- Totally. Friends.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- Friends, forever.- Forever. Aw. - AUDIENCE:- Aw!
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, from Rainbow,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01the original Bungle bear.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03APPLAUSE
0:09:03 > 0:09:07- Bye-bye, everybody. - Bye-bye. See you now.- Ho, ho!
0:09:11 > 0:09:13We're moving onto Sneaky Peak.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15This is a Sneaky Peak with a difference,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19- because this is something you used to watch...- Yeah.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23..but only because, because of your aerial.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Oh, yes.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- This was Batman and Robin.- Mm.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And...do you want us to play...?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- Or just tell us the story...- Do you want the background?- Yeah, so...
0:09:33 > 0:09:37- OK. There were a few things in my house that was banned.- Mm-hm.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Benny Hill wasn't allowed.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42- He was too blue. - GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:09:42 > 0:09:45I don't know if anyone else suffered at the hands of this,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49but we were told that Swap Shop on a Saturday morning
0:09:49 > 0:09:52was a sensible programme to watch, but the truth be told,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- everyone wanted to watch Tiswas. - Yeah, yeah...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57But that WASN'T a sensible programme.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01We weren't far from Winter Hill, which is the mast
0:10:01 > 0:10:04that broadcast all the TV, so we got a good reception where we were.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08The beauty of it was I could turn off Swap Shop, sneak upstairs,
0:10:08 > 0:10:14watch the end of Tiswas, but then with the dial tuned to HTV,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18which was the Welsh version of ITV, and watch Batman.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22- Ah-ha...- No-one else, that wasn't on ITV for us northerners.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Fortunately...it wasn't in Welsh.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26LAUGHTER
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- WELSH ACCENT:- "Ker-clow".
0:10:28 > 0:10:29You know what I mean? Um...
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- Can you imagine? - It's not the same, is it?
0:10:32 > 0:10:33- WELSH ACCENT:- The Riddler. Joker.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- Shall we have a look? - Yeah, let's have a look.- Here we go.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39That title music, it's brilliant, isn't it? Here we go.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43With its bombastic and camp style,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45this 1960s depiction
0:10:45 > 0:10:48of the famous comic book hero Batman
0:10:48 > 0:10:51originally ran for three series.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- It's not quite The Dark Knight, is it?- No, it's not, really.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- But this is where it all came from? BOTH:- This is where it started.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00They call it the cowl, don't they, the Batman mask?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- But he had pencilled-on eyebrows on top.- Let's have a look.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Strange. No answer.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10- I wonder...- What is it, Batman? - Something that...
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Oh, you're right.- There.- There, look at that.- Constant surprise.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17He looks like he's had too much Botox, doesn't he, really, look?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- Holy stuffy.- Exactly, Robin.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Do you know what? For crime-fighters,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24- terrible peripheral vision. - LAUGHTER
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Do you know what I mean?
0:11:26 > 0:11:28You're constantly...
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Ow! What?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Cos he couldn't see him coming.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Not the greatest idea, is it, really?
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Its cartoony characters and dialogue played for laughs
0:11:39 > 0:11:43made it a timeless favourite amongst young and not-so-young viewers.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44THE JOKER LAUGHS
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- Cesar Romero...- Mm-hm. - ..who played the Joker here,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50but I could always see the tache underneath. It kind of bugged me a bit.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52He must've been a bit of a diva, they'd go,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55"Shave the tache off", and he'd go, "No. Not doing it."
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Destroy them!
0:11:58 > 0:12:01- Here we go, here comes the fight sequence.- Oh, it's coming.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- Not bad though, you know. Crraack!- Yeah.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- The sound effect. Oooff!- Oooff!
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- This make 'em...- Yeah.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Thwapp! You can imagine it in Welsh, can't you?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15HE SPEAKS IN WELSH
0:12:15 > 0:12:19- It's still good choreography, isn't it?- That there looked real.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Yeah.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22Watch out, Batman.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Batman!
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- If I was directing this...- Mm? - ..I'd say, "Could we go again?"
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Cos it just sort of went on his shoulder
0:12:29 > 0:12:31and it wouldn't have done much, would it?
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Batman and Robin, the dashing diamonds of derring-do!
0:12:35 > 0:12:37THE JOKER LAUGHS
0:12:37 > 0:12:41It's like that thing with Captain Kirk, he was always doing this.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- You're all right, aren't you? - That actually hurt, that did. LAUGHTER
0:12:44 > 0:12:45Or this one,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49the double-handed on the back of here between the shoulder blades.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- People would just go, "What did you do that for?"- Mm.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56They go down, don't they? They go, "Ah!"
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Actually they go like that and they go, "What was that?"
0:12:59 > 0:13:04- We spoke about the sound effects. - Yes.- We've got some.- Oh, OK.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- We've got some here for you. - It's a test, is it?- It's a test.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Let's see how well you are,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12see how much you are up on the old sound effects.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15We want you to decide whether they actually came from the show or not.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- True or false?- OK.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- I'm definitely having "Kapow!"- "Kapow!"?
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- What do we reckon?- Yeah. AUDIENCE:- Yes.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- What do we think? Right hook?- Maybe a cross.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30- Oof!- After three. One, two, three.- Oof!- See?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- BOTH: Kapow.- Stunt school as well.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34- Well, you're right.- Yeah, that's in. - It was.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37"Sock!"
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Do you know, it's that kitsch, the show, it wouldn't surprise me.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43So you're saying true?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Yes, or no? FROM AUDIENCE:- No.- No.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48You're being swayed by my flatmates, aren't you?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- I think it's an amusing concept... - Yeah.- ..but I'm saying no.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- Well, you're wrong. It was... - Should've gone with my instinct!
0:13:56 > 0:14:01- Yeah.- "Rakkk!!"? A rakkk is a rakkk, rakk-k-k-k-k-k...
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- No.- No.- That's more of a gun. - You're wrong. It is. Incorrect.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Oh, that's the Welsh one...
0:14:07 > 0:14:08LAUGHTER
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Oh, I've got it the wrong way round!
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- "Zgruppp!"?- "Zgruppp!".
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- I don't know. I'm not buying that. - No? OK, then. So, you're saying no?
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- No.- It is a yes. GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- Zgruppp?- Yeah.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- And it's the final one. - "Flrbbbbb!".- "Flrbbbbb!".
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Flrbbbbb?
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- It could be breaking wind underwater.- Yeah, I thought that.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34- BOTH:- Flrrbbb...
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- I'll say yes.- Well, you're absolutely right in saying yes.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- They ALL were?- They all were.
0:14:39 > 0:14:40LAUGHTER
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- Going to have to go through every episode now, to look for flrbbb. - Yeah.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Holy-moley, Batman.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51With seven other actors, like Val Kilmer in 1995,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55this caped crusader has been portrayed by more actors
0:14:55 > 0:14:59than any other superhero in movie history...
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Val Kilmer, then George Clooney two years later,
0:15:02 > 0:15:03only lasting one film.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08But Christian Bale, with the sequels Dark Knight
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and The Dark Knight Rises became
0:15:10 > 0:15:11the first to play Bruce Wayne
0:15:11 > 0:15:14and his alter ego three times
0:15:14 > 0:15:15on the big screen.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Entering the Batcave next
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and joining the legion of actors before him,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Ben Affleck is the latest to don
0:15:21 > 0:15:23the cape and cowl, taking on another
0:15:23 > 0:15:27classic superhero in Batman Versus Superman,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Dawn Of Justice.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37John, we're going to take a little break now.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40- We're going to have an advert. - Right.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- It's one of your favourites, the finger of Fudge.- Oh, yes!
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Before I play it, do you think you can remember the theme tune?
0:15:47 > 0:15:48I can...
0:15:48 > 0:15:52# A finger of Fudge is just enough to give your kids a treat... #
0:15:52 > 0:15:56# A finger of Fudge is just enough until it's time to eat... #
0:15:56 > 0:16:00The advert for Cadbury's Fudge bar ran from the late 1970s.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Its catchy tune was actually a traditional folk song,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07"The Lincolnshire Poacher" and the slogan, "a finger of fudge
0:16:07 > 0:16:11"is just enough" was popular enough to continue well into the 1990s.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16I've got a theory on this and I meet the odd person and go, "You, too!"
0:16:17 > 0:16:21# A finger of Fudge is just enough, it's very small and neat
0:16:21 > 0:16:23# It's full of... # This is what I thought they said...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27# PEPPERY goodness until it's time to eat
0:16:27 > 0:16:29# A finger a Fudge is just enough... #
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- You thought...- Peppery. - Peppery goodness?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34I thought they were like that...
0:16:34 > 0:16:35In the factory...
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Like that. And they'd go, "Giuseppe!"
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- And he'd have his big... - IMITATES PEPPER GRINDING
0:16:41 > 0:16:44..thing, like that, cos it sounds exactly like,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46"it's full of peppery goodness..."
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- Because the words are Cadbury's goodness...- Cadbury, yeah.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Please agree with me, it's "peppery" to me.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53To my untrained ear...
0:16:53 > 0:16:56# A finger of Fudge is just enough... #
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Here we go.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00# It's full of Cadbury goodness... #
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- I'll give you that.- Peppery?
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- AUDIENCE MEMBERS:- Yeah.
0:17:05 > 0:17:06- Yeah.- I don't feel a fool now.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09So was you cheated when you bought a finger of Fudge
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and it didn't taste of pepper?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Do you know, in this day and age,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17to add pepper to fudge, it would probably work.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Heston, if you're watching...
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Let me know. Give it a go.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Where there any other adverts that used to catch your eye?
0:17:24 > 0:17:27Oh, God - so many. I used to love the Milk Tray.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30It's coming back! They're looking for the new Milk Tray man.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33I was a huge Bond fan as well, as a child,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35since I was a very, very small...
0:17:35 > 0:17:37And James Bond films were...
0:17:37 > 0:17:40I still am a huge James Bond fan and it was like James Bond,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42but delivering chocolate.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44THEY HUM THEME TUNE
0:17:44 > 0:17:47But you know, he'd jump off a cliff, swim through shark-infested waters,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50get up, climb up the same cliff...
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Then...
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- Open up a manky box, because they were all wet.- Yeah!
0:17:59 > 0:18:03John, we've reached the odd category, a moment where you get to
0:18:03 > 0:18:07choose a programme that you like just for the hell of it.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Let's have a look at what you chose.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Short films like this were actually terrifying and doom-laden
0:18:15 > 0:18:17public information films
0:18:17 > 0:18:19shown on TV from 1945
0:18:19 > 0:18:21to the present day....
0:18:21 > 0:18:23'Polish a floor and put a rug on it.'
0:18:23 > 0:18:26That rug will soon change into something else. There you go.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28- The mantrap.- Look!
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Brand-new baby, straight back from the hospital...
0:18:31 > 0:18:34The mum's polished the floor, thinking everything's lovely...
0:18:34 > 0:18:36MAN SCREAMS
0:18:36 > 0:18:39And to think, he'd only just come FROM the hospital.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- BUT, it could have been HER through the door first.- It could have.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Double casualty. A fragile baby...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48I can't imagine that scene of horror.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50And you know, all the blame lies at the mum,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- just trying to keep a tidy home. - Yeah.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Polish the floor, you may as well leave a mantrap.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00- That's full-on, isn't it? - It is!
0:19:00 > 0:19:01It is, isn't it?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04But that stayed with me.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07What, you don't clean?
0:19:07 > 0:19:08No.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12- It's filthy, my house, squalor. - But no-one's falling over.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14I do have...two runners in my hall,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17but they're rubberised underneath.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- Mm-hm.- See? But that is down to the manufacturer.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22I can't believe we're talking about this!
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- I can't believe we're talking about...- Rubberised matting.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31But the thing is, though, if you look at the back story of that,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34it's not the first time she's cleaned that floor.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Maybe she doesn't like the son-in-law.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38There's a subtext to it.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41She stalled her, with the baby, did you see that?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44At the door, she went... "He's gone, yeah!"
0:19:50 > 0:19:52You're well renowned for being the king of voice-overs.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Yes, I do quite a few.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56You do documentary series and things like that,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58so voices and impressions,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01did that sort of ease you into the sort of world we know as showbiz?
0:20:01 > 0:20:02My first job...
0:20:02 > 0:20:05When I went to drama school,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Steve Coogan was in the third year.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I was a first year.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Steve got wind of the fact there was a guy who could do impressions and
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Steve said, "I work for a show called Spitting Image
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and I went, "Oh, do you?" He went, "Yeah, I work at weekends.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22"I do the voices for these puppets - it's a satirical show."
0:20:22 > 0:20:26He said, "You should send a tape off". So I put down...
0:20:26 > 0:20:30I did it properly, I spent time to put music behind it and did little
0:20:30 > 0:20:35sketches with my voices, and I sent it off and lo and behold, I got
0:20:35 > 0:20:38the job and that was my first kind of break into the business.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41So when I was a student, my Saturday job...
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Working as a student was just... My Saturday job was Spitting Image.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- So what characters would you play? - I started off...
0:20:47 > 0:20:49With Gazza.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53- GAZZA VOICE:- I was just like, crying all the time, like, you know?
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Remember he used to... Like Sweep!
0:20:55 > 0:20:58He was like a Geordie Sweep that played football.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01HE GIBBERS AND CRIES
0:21:02 > 0:21:04..and he'd cry...
0:21:04 > 0:21:08And then what you had to do, you'd work your way up the ranks...
0:21:08 > 0:21:12And then I ended up doing Bill Clinton, President of the United States in the end.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15So I got to be a president in the end,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19but it was great fun...in its day, it was a great,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22hugely popular show and a great break, really,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24even though you didn't see me, it didn't bother me,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I was working and I was doing something I loved
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and that's why I'm so grateful every day that I do a job I love.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Yeah.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34We're moving on to The Fast Show.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35OK.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Oh, I love this character.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40This is Chip Cobb, I'll explain where I got the name in a minute.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- He's the deaf stuntman.- So, Chip...
0:21:43 > 0:21:45You run to the edge of the roof,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47there's a shot,
0:21:47 > 0:21:48you clutch your chest
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and then you fall.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Who do I shoot?
0:21:52 > 0:21:53No, YOU get shot!
0:21:53 > 0:21:54OK, right - yeah.
0:21:56 > 0:21:57It all comes from...
0:21:57 > 0:22:01The expense and time it takes to set up a stunt, you know,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04they want to get it in one, don't they? Every time.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07I thought, make the stuntman deaf
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and he messes it up every time,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12so they have to keep doing it again.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14No, I'm not happy about this, Peter.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16The stunt's higher than we arranged.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I've asked my bloke to deflate that bag, it's way too small.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Need a larger bag in there, it's going to cost more money,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23but I've got to think about the safety.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24Can you stand down,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27we need to replace the bag with a bigger bag and, er...
0:22:27 > 0:22:31- Go and check your make-up with Ruth. - Chuck myself off the roof?
0:22:31 > 0:22:33All right.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Aaargh!
0:22:44 > 0:22:46You said you had a story about his name.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Yeah, I was looking at the menu... It was...
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Because we have teacakes and barm cakes,
0:22:52 > 0:22:56depends where you come from and when we were filming at the time,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00cos a lot of this was shot in the north-east and they have cobs.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05And one of the things on offer in the cafe was a chip cob
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and I thought stuntman, Chip, sounds about right,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09surname Cobb, Chip Cobb.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11So he's Chip Butty.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Was he one of your favourite characters on The Fast Show?
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Yeah, I loved doing him.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17He's one of my creations, I wrote him,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20but the most popular one's the Jazz Club,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23which Paul and Charlie created, but I fleshed out.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Welcome to Jazz Club.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Great.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28REALLY great.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31On paper, it's not very interesting,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34so all that, "great, nice", stuff
0:23:34 > 0:23:38was my lovely director's idea to make it more interesting.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41On the show today, Jackson Geoffrey Jackson,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45surely the most innovative force in modern jazz trumpet styling.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Nice!
0:23:47 > 0:23:50One extra dimension to make that character funnier was to
0:23:50 > 0:23:53look at the Tube map...
0:23:54 > 0:23:58It's an endless source of names for jazz players.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01"Featuring Leicester Square on sax, Ongar on bass
0:24:01 > 0:24:04"and Parsons Green on keyboards."
0:24:04 > 0:24:08So you just pick them out and they work brilliantly.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12The Fast Show was one of the most popular sketch shows of the 1990s.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15The re-occurring gags,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18characters and the catchy one-liners were the brainchild of
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Paul Whitehouse and his friend, writing partner Charlie Higson.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27What was it like working with Paul and Charlie?
0:24:27 > 0:24:30It was as much fun as it looks.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33But it was gruelling, because we'd do...
0:24:33 > 0:24:35We'd be literally, "What am I now?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38"Oh, I'm a caveman"..."Are you?"
0:24:38 > 0:24:41"Oh, yeah - I'm a mad scientist..." But it was just...
0:24:41 > 0:24:44It was such great fun, I love doing sketches.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- Who in your opinion was the greatest Fast Show character?- My favourite?
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Course, not including yours, which we all know and love...
0:24:52 > 0:24:53It's Rowley Birkin,
0:24:53 > 0:24:57the judge that Paul does.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Yeah. You can't understand what he says...
0:25:00 > 0:25:01It's the drunk judge...
0:25:01 > 0:25:02Who...
0:25:02 > 0:25:04HE SLURS
0:25:04 > 0:25:07..I said Christmas cracker...
0:25:07 > 0:25:09HE SLURS
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Terrible jokes...
0:25:13 > 0:25:15And a hat! Ha-ha-ha!
0:25:15 > 0:25:16That kind of thing.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19So, I just...
0:25:19 > 0:25:22But it was based on a real guy that Paul used to go fishing with.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24- Really?- So you often...
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Paul would go, "What?" And he'd go...
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- SLURS WORDS - ..the wife's terrible breath!
0:25:29 > 0:25:31And Paul kind of...
0:25:31 > 0:25:35You often find that characters lifted from people that really
0:25:35 > 0:25:40exist are so much stronger, the basis for them.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42But it was just a joy to do.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I'd like to do a reunion.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Something you are doing a reunion for is...
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- Cold Feet.- That's right, yeah.
0:25:50 > 0:25:56It's 12 years, nearly 13 years since it finished and it is 20 years
0:25:56 > 0:25:58since it started.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59No!
0:25:59 > 0:26:01I was 28 when I started that show.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I'm a bit nervous, because the pressure is on.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08But the demand for it is huge because over the years,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10the last 12 years, the public have...
0:26:10 > 0:26:13And the same goes for the rest of the cast,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15people stop me in the shops
0:26:15 > 0:26:17and in the street
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and say, "When is it coming back?"
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- The demand for the show is there. - It's because they love it.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Yeah. We hit the mark the first time round,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27so I just hope we can do it again.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- So what do you enjoy watching now? - I like a good box set.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Obviously, I did Breaking Bad, that took me a year to finish.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41On terrestrial TV, I won't miss Luther.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44- Oh, right.- I like that, cos that's dark.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46I really like that.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49John Thomson, have you enjoyed it, this trip down memory lane?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- Very much, I've loved it. - You've been a wonderful guest.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56- It's been a pleasure.- I've really enjoyed my time with you.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Now, we give our guests the opportunity to pick a theme tune
0:26:59 > 0:27:02for us to play out on. What's yours today?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Well, as a drummer, I've always been a fan of the bass, so the rhythm
0:27:05 > 0:27:10section is the backbone to music and the bassline on this is fantastic.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12- It's the New Avengers theme.- Ah!
0:27:12 > 0:27:14So if you listen to the bassline on this,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16it's really quite something special.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Well, it wouldn't be complete without our special guest,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22we'd like to welcome him back from Rainbow, the lovely Bungle...
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Come on in, Bungle.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Thanks to Bungle, my thanks to John and my thanks to you
0:27:28 > 0:27:33for watching The TV That Made Me. We'll see you next time, bye-bye!
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- Come on, you guys.- Whoa!
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Zippy and George!
0:27:36 > 0:27:41NEW AVENGERS THEME TUNE PLAYS
0:27:55 > 0:27:56# Da-ba-da-ba-dah!
0:28:09 > 0:28:10# Da-na-na
0:28:10 > 0:28:12# Da-da da-da-da...
0:28:12 > 0:28:14# Da-da da-da-da... #