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 > 0:00:08all from our living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- So funny!- That was state-of-the-art.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- HE SCREAMS - I loved this.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'Each day, I'm going to journey through
0:00:17 > 0:00:19'the wonderful world of telly...'
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- Cheers.- '..with one of our favourite celebrities...'
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- We're going into space. - It's just so silly.- Oh, no!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Yeah!- '..as they select the iconic TV moments...'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- My God, this is the scene.- Oh, dear.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38'..that tell us the stories of their lives.'
0:00:39 > 0:00:40I absolutely adored this.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43- 'Some will make you laugh...' - SHE LAUGHS
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Don't watch the telly, Esther. Watch me.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- '..some will surprise...' - HE LAUGHS
0:00:47 > 0:00:50No way! Where did you find this?
0:00:50 > 0:00:51'..many will inspire...'
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It used to transport us to places that we could only dream about.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'..and others will move us.'
0:00:57 > 0:00:58I am emotional now.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Today, we look even more deeply.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Why wouldn't you want to watch this?
0:01:02 > 0:01:06So, come watch with us as we rewind to the classic telly
0:01:06 > 0:01:09that helped shape those wide-eyed youngsters
0:01:09 > 0:01:11into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21- APPLAUSE - Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23My guest today has been the King of the Jungle,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25the star of the Square.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27It can only be the one and only Joe Swash.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30- CHEERING AND APPLAUSE - Welcome, Joe.- Hello, mate.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32- You all right? - Sit yourself down there.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Thank you very much.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- Joe Swash!- Hello. CHEERING
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Look at that cheer. They love you, Joe.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42A gentleman who is humble, shy, modest, tough, deadly, resourceful,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44at the peak of his physical fitness and mental alertness,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46- handsome, debonair...- Oh, stop it.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48..devastatingly beautiful young lady.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Here, let me give you that.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Thanks for that, mate. THEY LAUGH
0:01:52 > 0:01:55- Oh, thank you very much indeed. - Don't spend it at once.- I won't.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Joe Swash began his career as a child actor
0:02:00 > 0:02:03before graduating to Albert Square.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05His character, Mickey Miller,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08was a wide boy with an eye for the ladies,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11a part that fitted Joe like a glove.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16We all loved Mickey, but after five glorious years in Walford,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Joe surprised us all when he turned up down under
0:02:19 > 0:02:21as King of the Jungle.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26The TV that made him includes
0:02:26 > 0:02:30the show that made a drama out of an emergency
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and the soap that made him a star.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35It's burning a hole in my pocket.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37- Are you excited about the day, looking back?- I am.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39When they asked me to do this
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and started speaking about the programmes that I'd done,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44all these memories come flying back that you forgot about.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47So, it was like kind of walking through your history a little bit.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49It was nice.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Yeah. So, we're going to go back to your childhood.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55- Yeah, my childhood cos they're my most vivid memories of TV.- Really?
0:02:55 > 0:02:59I think TV is everywhere these days,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01so, as a kid, it really does shape your view
0:03:01 > 0:03:03on what you like and what you don't like.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06So, yeah, it'll be nice to show you my childhood programmes.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- Oh, I'm looking forward to it, mate.- Yeah.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10And there's so many I forgot about as well.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12All these other programmes come flying back.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- We'll do another show with you. - I've got loads for you.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18- We'll do a series just on Joe. - You don't need any more guests.- No.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20- Just me and you, innit? - Just me and you.- Yeah.- Give me that.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22First up, we're going to rewind the clock
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and have a look at a very young Joe Swash.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Oh, right. OK, this is interesting.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Joe Swash is a Londoner through and through.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34He was born in Islington in 1982
0:03:34 > 0:03:37to doting parents Ricky and Catherine.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Sadly, Ricky died of a heart condition
0:03:41 > 0:03:43when Joe was just 12,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46which made the bond between him and his two younger sisters,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Caisie and Shana, even stronger.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56Joe went to the famous Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington
0:03:56 > 0:04:00where he studied alongside young talents like Natalie Cassidy.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03They both went on to join the cast of EastEnders
0:04:03 > 0:04:06where Joe was joined by his real-life sister Shana,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10who played his on-screen sister Demi.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13What was the young Joe Swash like?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Oh, you know what? I reckon the young Joe Swash...
0:04:15 > 0:04:18- I reckon I was probably very hard to live with.- Really?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Yeah, cos I had a lot of energy and I needed to do stuff
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and touch stuff, and I broke a lot of stuff as a kid.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I think I tested my mum's patience.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28So, TV, for my mum, was like a blessing
0:04:28 > 0:04:31cos that was the only time I'd sit down and not do nothing for a while.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Have you got trouble with haemorrhoids at the moment?
0:04:34 > 0:04:36LAUGHTER I think they're all right.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Then why are you sitting on my pillow?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41It makes me feel slightly taller. LAUGHTER
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- It's like a booster seat. - Do you feel inferior?- No.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48You're a big man, aren't you? You've got a good frame on you, Bri.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50HE LAUGHS
0:04:50 > 0:04:52So, that's what made you sit on my pillow.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54- Yeah, I've got a habit of sitting on pillows.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Now it's time for your first TV choice.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- This is your earliest TV memory.- OK.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- Well, let's just take a look, shall we?- All right.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- Yes. You see, furry face... - 'Oh, Grotbag.'- ..it means
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- you'd make a lot of money. - CASH REGISTER CHIMES
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- Do you remember this?- Grotbags? Yeah, I do vaguely remember it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18There's a lot of cash to be made from an improved mouse restrainer.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21'The programme revolved around the everyday lives
0:05:21 > 0:05:24'of Carol Lee Scott's pantomime witch Grotbags
0:05:24 > 0:05:26'and her puppet minions.'
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Dodos hardly constitute a mass market.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'The show owed much of its broad humour,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35'filming style and puppets to the great Rod Hull.'
0:05:35 > 0:05:36Boo! Ha-ha!
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'That's because Grotbags first appeared
0:05:39 > 0:05:41'as a character on Emu's World.'
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Shut up, furry ears.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45'Well, I think, if my son was watching this,'
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- he would've been scared of this. - He would? Why?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51He's scared of everything on TV, my little boy.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53He's a bit of a wimp when it comes to TV,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and I think this would have sent him over the edge, the green lady.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58So, were you scared watching this as a young child?
0:05:58 > 0:06:00I think I might have been slightly scared.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- And I had a thing for witches as a kid.- Yeah.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08Not that I liked them, but I always thought that witches were around.
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Do you know what I mean?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12So, I'd walk past my bathroom door at my mum's house,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15but every time I'd walk past the door and the lights were off,
0:06:15 > 0:06:16I'd have to do that cos I'd think
0:06:16 > 0:06:19that there would be a witch in there or under my bed.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So, yeah, this was a little bit like sadomasochistic.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- And this all stemmed from Grotbags. - From Grotbags, yeah.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27And then Roald Dahl, he did The Witches, the film, remember?
0:06:27 > 0:06:28- Yeah.- The Witches.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- That done me in for a couple of years.- Really?- Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- Witches played a big part in my life.- Really?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35LAUGHTER Talking of my mum...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- They've guided you? - HE LAUGHS
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- You'll take that bit out, won't you? - No.- Yeah. She'll kill me.- We won't.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Brats! We're knee deep in brats at the moment.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'So, she used to refer to children as brats.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- Were you ever a brat?- Yeah, I think people would have called me...
0:06:51 > 0:06:53- But not a brat. I mean, a likeable brat, I think.- Yeah.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56You know, I wasn't malicious or rude.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- I just was, like, a real hyperactive...- Cheeky?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- Yeah. ..boy. Hyperactive boy. - Cheeky lad.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Did you get into any scrapes? Were you accident-prone?
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Yeah, I've broken my legs, I've broken my arm,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I've broken my fingers, my toes.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11So, bringing it back to Grotbags,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14what did you think of her costume, you know?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16I wouldn't say it was a great costume.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Look, I think the wig's quite a teller.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- I think you can tell it's a wig, can't you?- I can tell that's a wig.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- I don't think that mole's real. - No, I don't think it...
0:07:24 > 0:07:25And I don't think she's green.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- But she's got crazy-looking eyes, doesn't she?- Yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30I'm surprised that she didn't go on to do other stuff.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32What, Shakespeare or...?
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Yeah, a little bit of stage work. LAUGHTER
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- She's a good character actress, isn't she?- Yeah.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39I could see her on Baywatch. They could call it Baywitch.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41So, what was your living room like, Joe?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- What was, you know, growing up....? - So, my house...
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Yeah, the house that I grew up in, it was...
0:07:46 > 0:07:48My mum still lives in that house.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50My sisters still live there and stuff,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52so it's nice to go back. It was a nice house.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The front room wasn't massive. Similar sort of size to this.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Maybe smaller than this.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00So, we'd all have...like, my mum and dad used to have the sofa.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Remember beanbags? - Yeah.- We used to have beanbags.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05So, you used to sit on a beanbag to watch the telly?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Me and my sister used to have a beanbag until I broke the beanbag
0:08:08 > 0:08:10and the beans went everywhere.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12- You know when the beans get, like, static electricity?- Yeah.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14They were stuck on the walls, on the ceilings.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17LAUGHTER My mum had the Hoover out.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19HE IMITATES HOOVER Yeah. So, the beanbags had to go,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22so we just had to sit on a cushion in the end, yeah.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24But, no, it was lovely because, as a family,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26we'd all sit around together.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27My dad was a London taxi driver, so...
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- My dad was a taxi driver. - Oh, was he?- Yeah.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- See, there you go.- There you go. - He used to come back on Fridays -
0:08:33 > 0:08:35that was his day - and he wouldn't work the weekends,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38so we'd get, like, a takeaway and all sit and watch TV.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It's lovely. Really lovely memories of being in the front room.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44- Close family?- Really close family. Still really, really close.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Unfortunately, my dad passed away when we were younger,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50but as a family, we're really close, and we still watch TV together.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- So, Joe, we're moving on to your Must See TV now.- Mm-hm.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04An absolute classic from down under. Let's have a little look at this.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Oh! Do you remember this?- I...
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- Go on. Tell me about it. - I know the theme tune.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15# ..when strange things happening Are you going round the twist? #
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Yeah. See, that little kid looked like me when I was a kid,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19my mum used to say.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- This was a great programme. - So, what was it about?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Well, what I can remember is,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27is that just magical,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29weird things would happen to them.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- Yeah.- And they'd have to explain why they happened.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34It was like a family of young kids and the mum and dad,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and just how they kind of coped with them and stuff like that.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39None of it really made sense.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41The TV, when I was a kid, didn't make sense...
0:09:41 > 0:09:43HE LAUGHS ..as it does today.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I'm hoping they'll be faster than this in the frog race.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Come on, Libby. Show them what you're made of. Go!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'Actually, this comedy drama was about a widowed dad
0:09:51 > 0:09:52'and his three kids
0:09:52 > 0:09:56'who lived in a mysterious and ghostly lighthouse in Australia.'
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Got all these little hairs on them.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02- This must have been the dad. Look. See, it was a lighthouse.- Yeah.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- Come on, let's have it. - I used it to brush my mouse.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- Use your own toothbrush, Bronson. - Not my mouth. My mouse.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12'It was sold all over the world,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16'winning awards in Canada, America and in Australia.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'And 15 years after the last series was broadcast,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21'it's still watched down under.'
0:10:23 > 0:10:24Right.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28I used to fancy that girl as well a little bit.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- She might have been my first sort of crush.- Oh, first crush.- Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Mice are disgusting creatures.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- I could get some terrible disease. - SHE SCREAMS
0:10:36 > 0:10:38It's in his pants. That'd have had me in stitches.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40LAUGHTER He's got a frog in his pants.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44I'd have been rolling around on the floor. It's amazing.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Did it inspire you to be an actor?
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- I mean, cos you started at a really young age, didn't you?- Yeah.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Yeah, well, I started off doing, like, baby modelling
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- when I was about eight to six, six to seven or something.- Right.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Cos I had curly, long hair and it was bright red,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02and, like, at parties, my mum and dad used to say,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04"Joe, Joe, who's your dad?"
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And they trained me to say Mick Hucknall.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08LAUGHTER
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Which I think's a bit cruel, you know what I mean?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13But, yeah, I'd done a little bit of modelling,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and then my mum is good friends with Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20who my mum's known for years. They're like family.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22And they went to a place called Anna Scher's.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25And cos I had a lot of energy, they was like...
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- "We know where to stick him." - .."We'll stick him in there."
0:11:27 > 0:11:31And it was nice then because my energy was kind of
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- aimed towards something.- Yeah, you had something to focus on.- Yeah.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36And it kept me out of a lot of trouble as well
0:11:36 > 0:11:39because I really fell in love with being on TV and working.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- Yeah.- So, I knew then...
0:11:42 > 0:11:44My mum and dad, they used to blackmail me, basically,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47say, "If you're naughty, you can't go to work."
0:11:47 > 0:11:49So it kind of kept me out of trouble.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- Kept me out of trouble for a long time.- Kept you focused.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Kept me focused as a young kid. To have a passion as a young kid,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I think is really important
0:11:56 > 0:11:58cos it does keep you on the straight and narrow
0:11:58 > 0:12:01and it kind of keeps you kind of focused on something.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Did you do any adverts or anything like that?- Yeah, I did an advert.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I'm sure you know about it. I'm sure you've got it.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08- You've got it, haven't you? - I might have.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- Shall we have a look at Joe Swash? - Let's have a look.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Let's see Mick Hucknall live. - HE LAUGHS
0:12:14 > 0:12:20'Andrex's toilet tissue ads have always been, well, comforting.'
0:12:20 > 0:12:22There's a new kind of tissue...
0:12:22 > 0:12:24'Joe's ad appeared in 1989,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27'and features all the Andrex hallmarks.'
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- Is that you?- That's me.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- Aw, weren't you sweet?- Stop it.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'The soft lighting, the domestic setting,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'and all importantly, the cute puppy and even cuter kid.'
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Bleurgh! APPLAUSE
0:12:42 > 0:12:44That was, um... HE LAUGHS
0:12:44 > 0:12:46You've got to kiss me first.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- No, I ain't going to kiss you. - You've got to kiss me, Bri.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- Come on. If we're going to do it, do it properly.- All right.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Mwah! Hold on.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Bleurgh! LAUGHTER
0:12:56 > 0:12:58You know I love you. I wouldn't do that.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00I'll have your kisses all day long.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Joe, we're going to move on now to Parents' Choice.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10So, this is what my mum and dad would have chosen, yeah?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Yeah. Let's see what it was.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15MUSIC: 999 Theme Tune
0:13:15 > 0:13:17HE SINGS 999 THEME TUNE
0:13:17 > 0:13:19You know it's a serious programme with...
0:13:19 > 0:13:21HE SINGS 999 THEME TUNE
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- It's either 999 or the news, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26'The life-savers in leather on the streets of Bristol...'
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Yes, it's 999, created
0:13:28 > 0:13:32after the runaway success of Crimewatch UK.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It was a reconstruction show featuring every emergency service
0:13:35 > 0:13:38from firefighters to coastguards.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41It proved that dramatising reality was hugely popular.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42It was an instant hit,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46with over 12 million of us watching every week.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52But watching it now, none of it looks particularly scary,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- but at the time...- Yeah. - ..I loved this programme.- Yeah.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58It was like watching a real episode of Casualty or something.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01- You know what I mean?- Yeah. - Do you remember this?- Yeah, 999.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04I loved it. I watched it religiously.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Your own house should feel the safest place in the world,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09but more accidents...
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Oh, Buerky. Look at Buerky!- Yeah.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Yeah, he's changed. - Look at those chinos, mate.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Ooh, and he ain't got any socks on. Very cutting edge.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19That'd have taken ages to iron that crease in them trousers.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21That's not his kitchen, is it?
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Now, if a freshly made cup of tea hits you,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25then the heat burns deeper and deeper.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Didn't think skin reacted in the same way
0:14:27 > 0:14:29as tissue when it got burned.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33LAUGHTER
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Look, you know that kid's in trouble. Look. Straight away.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Oh, no. Don't. Oh, no.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41You know when you watch Casualty and you see the actor in the beginning?
0:14:41 > 0:14:43You're like, "They're going to die in a minute."
0:14:43 > 0:14:45LAUGHTER I hope that baby doesn't.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- Oh, look. Don't do it. - No, he'll be all right. Don't.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50'I turned to get the milk...'
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- JOE GASPS - No!
0:14:52 > 0:14:54HE SCREAMS Is he going to do it?
0:14:54 > 0:14:56HE SCREAMS
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Chucked him in the sink. LAUGHTER
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Um, but, no, I like this programme. This was really, really good.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05- And there's all different sorts of 999 emergencies.- Yeah.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06You had, like, a plane crash in one of them,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08then you would have, like, a snow one.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12What we're going to do now is to push your acting skills, Joe.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- Oh, stop it.- Yeah. I'm going to give you various scenarios,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and we want to see how well
0:15:19 > 0:15:23and what a great actor you are at those 999 scenarios.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25I ain't done acting in ages. HE LAUGHS
0:15:25 > 0:15:26I ain't done it in ages.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29You should just be able to turn it on. It's like a light switch.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33I'm not like you, am I? We're not all born to do it, Bri.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35This is me. You read out Me.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38"Brian making a cuppa, scolded by the kettle."
0:15:38 > 0:15:39OK, I'm making a cuppa.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- Ooh.- Wait, wait, wait. What are you doing? You've got a kettle here.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- Oh, yeah. All right. All right. - LAUGHTER
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Just making that...
0:15:46 > 0:15:50HE SCREAMS
0:15:50 > 0:15:52He's burnt himself right in the crotch.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- APPLAUSE - Thank you.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- All right, then.- Right. - I'll read out your one.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03"Joe, a boy who got stuck down a well, and he is from Halifax."
0:16:03 > 0:16:05All right. LAUGHTER
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- So, you've got to do the accent. - So, this is the well, right?- OK.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13What's a Halifax accent? LAUGHTER
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- How do they talk in Halifax? - Yorkshire. Yorkshire, Joe.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Yorkshire. Give me... I need a little...
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- YORKSHIRE ACCENT:- 'Ey up, me duck. Help! Help!'
0:16:20 > 0:16:22YORKSHIRE ACCENT: 'Help me! Ey up!
0:16:22 > 0:16:25'Hey up, duck. Help me.' LAUGHTER
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'Give me your hand, love. Give me your hand. I've got you.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30'I've got you. Pull yourself up now.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- 'Help me!- Come on. Come on. I've got you. I've got you.'
0:16:34 > 0:16:36THEY GROAN
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- APPLAUSE It was all right.- All right.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I'm knackered, mate.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Ladies and gentlemen, by applause, um, Joe Swash.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Oh. You're going to struggle there, Bri.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Me.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55RIPPLE OF APPLAUSE
0:16:55 > 0:16:58LAUGHTER I'd say, Bri, that was a draw.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00All right. Thanks, love. Thanks.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Tell you what, mate, for that,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04- you can have your tenner back. - Nice one.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06- LAUGHTER - Yeah.- Sweet.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- So, Joe, your next choice is Comfort Viewing.- Right.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18And considering people watched this show in bed,
0:17:18 > 0:17:19it couldn't get any comfier.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Oh, Big Breakfast!
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Set in a house in East London
0:17:24 > 0:17:26with the cameras flying all over the place,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Channel 4's alternative breakfast show
0:17:29 > 0:17:31was truly revolutionary.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- What a legendary show this was. - Really? Did you ever appear on it?
0:17:35 > 0:17:39No, I didn't really do any TV work at the time,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42but I do remember thinking it's the only programme in the mornings
0:17:42 > 0:17:44that didn't bore the life out of me.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48- CHEERING AND APPLAUSE - It's Gordon the Gopher.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53- Gordon the Gopher's in the bathroom. - You wouldn't believe the stories.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Zig and Zag are interviewing Gordon the Gopher.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58This is brilliant. It's what you need in the morning.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- That's a young Chris Evans there. - That is, isn't it?
0:18:01 > 0:18:04He's brilliant as well, isn't he, Chris Evans?
0:18:04 > 0:18:06So, what set this show apart from GMTV?
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Well, I mean, you had Paula Yates in the bed with people...
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- That's right, yeah. - ..doing her interviewing.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- Um, you had Denise van Outen first thing in the morning.- Yeah.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20As a young boy, that was definitely going to get you up in the mornings.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22LAUGHTER
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- You've got Zig and Zag, you know. - Zig and Zag.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28It's almost like it's kids' TV
0:18:28 > 0:18:30that your parents are watching as well.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33So, is it the type of show that would make you want to skip school?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37- You know, would you sort of...? - I couldn't skip school as a kid.- No?
0:18:37 > 0:18:40You couldn't get a day off school out of my mum for love nor money.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- No?- I tried every trick. LAUGHTER
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I've stuck my head on a radiator to try and warm it up.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48LAUGHTER I remember chopping up...
0:18:48 > 0:18:51I chopped up little carrots and made, like, a weird soup,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53put that down the toilet, made out like I'd been sick.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56I did everything. You couldn't get a day off school off my mum
0:18:56 > 0:18:59unless your finger was hanging off. LAUGHTER
0:18:59 > 0:19:02- Honestly. "Have an aspirin, go to school."- Yeah.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05But on the odd occasion that I'd have, like, a sick day
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and you could just lay in bed and you could watch that,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10you know, brilliant morning TV.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Did you think it was very anarchic? You know, really...?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15It was very of its time, and I don't think...
0:19:15 > 0:19:17There's nothing like that at the moment.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19I don't think anything replaced Big Breakfast
0:19:19 > 0:19:23- as that sort of like high...- Energy. - ..energy sort of morning show.- Yeah.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Do you remember, at the end of the series,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26when they stopped the whole thing,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29they did a competition where you could win the house?
0:19:29 > 0:19:31- That's right, yeah. - You could win the house.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32I thought, "What an amazing present."
0:19:32 > 0:19:35- It's house, Joe. - House, sorry.- Not "haarse."
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- LAUGHTER - That sounds disgusting.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40"You could win the haarse."
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- House.- House, yeah. - You could win that lovely home.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45LAUGHTER
0:19:45 > 0:19:47APPLAUSE
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It was good, though, wasn't it? It was a good programme.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- It was brilliant, yeah. - Good programme.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- So, Joe, your first day on EastEnders.- Yeah.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- What was that like?- Yeah, well, I nearly got sacked on my first day.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07- Yeah. I mean, I always wanted to be in EastEnders.- Right.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10I mean, when we were at Anna Scher's, my drama class,
0:20:10 > 0:20:12we'd talk about it cos we knew Natalie Cassidy
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and James Alexandrou that were in it already.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Everyone wanted to be in films, but I just wanted to be in EastEnders.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19It was, like, my passion, EastEnders,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21so to get it was amazing.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23But then I wanted to share it with my mates cos, like...
0:20:23 > 0:20:25So, I invited my mate along.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27I sneaked him in the studio for my first day.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And I said to him, "Don't leave the dressing room.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32"Stay in the dressing room." And he didn't.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34He went wandering around, and we were filming,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and he walked round the back of the camera right through the scene.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41They had to stop. They all went mad. "Who's this geezer?"
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- "It's my mate Nick the Greek." - Nick the Greek!
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Nick the Greek, yeah, we called him. And, yeah, so, I nearly got sacked.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- They had to escort him out, and I got told off.- Oh, right.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53But I think I set the tone. They knew what they were handling,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- what they were dealing with. - Yeah.- You know?
0:20:55 > 0:20:57So nothing else would surprise them.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- You're a great actor. There's no denying it.- Thank you.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- But did you find it hard to get the accent for EastEnders?- Yeah.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05LAUGHTER Yeah, I did.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- It was something you had to work on? - I think that was one of
0:21:08 > 0:21:11the good things about EastEnders, and my character Mickey -
0:21:11 > 0:21:13he was just like me, so I wasn't even acting.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16I was just saying the lines like I'd have said them in real life.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17- You know what I mean?- Yeah.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- So, it was a pleasure to play him.- Yeah.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- You played him for six years. - Played him for six years.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26They brought a family in around him, which had my little sister in it,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28playing my sister.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31And we all still know each other really well from the family.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34But it was just an amazing place to grow up in.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39And I was 21, so, like, before that, I was just a ginger kid.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41And then, I get in EastEnders, I was like...
0:21:41 > 0:21:43I was like a big kid in a sweet shop.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I could eat everything, like.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48I could get into clubs for nothing. HE LAUGHS
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I went to town for about two years. I got in so much trouble.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54But thank God I grew out of it and I got it out of my system.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57So, here is you, Joe, on EastEnders.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I ain't seen any of this. I never watch my old stuff back.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Once I've done it, I've done it.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06- Is Spencer around, please?- Yeah. Why? Who's asking?- Oh, it's Mickey.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I'm Spencer's mate.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- 'Look at the shirts as well.- Yeah.'
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- He looks young, doesn't he? Old Richie?- Yeah, bless him.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Hey! Oh! All right, Spencer. You back there, mate?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19- I wasn't gone. - That's not what Nana just said.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- Nana's not in.- Come on, mate. We've got work to do.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24We ain't got time to chat all day. Come on, pal.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- See, I auditioned for his part, for Spencer...- Right.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30..and I got down to the last two to play Shane's brother.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Listen, Spence, you still got that cash?- Yeah.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- It's burning a hole in my pocket. - Why don't we have a little chat?
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- Still got that denim jacket? - Yeah, still got that.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45But it was really weird because when I auditioned for EastEnders,
0:22:45 > 0:22:47you know when you audition for a small part,
0:22:47 > 0:22:48you don't really want to do it
0:22:48 > 0:22:52because there's less chance of you getting a bigger part later on.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And I was really reluctant to do it
0:22:54 > 0:22:56because it was only for a couple of episodes.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00So, I was working at the BBC doing fire protection
0:23:00 > 0:23:02- cos I wanted to be a fireman.- Oh. - So, I was doing fire protection.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05So, I was going into a room and making sure,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07if there was a fire in it, it wouldn't spread.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08So, I'd be on EastEnders.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I'd go in and do maybe two weeks' work on EastEnders,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13and then go back to my normal job.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15So, I was on TV while I was doing my normal job,
0:23:15 > 0:23:19and everyone was like, "Are you not that dude from EastEnders? Mickey?"
0:23:19 > 0:23:22while I was working at the BBC doing a bit of building.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25And that went on for about three or four months to maybe a year
0:23:25 > 0:23:27of going in and out, in and out.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30It took them that long until they offered me my contract.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33What was it like when you got that phone call?
0:23:33 > 0:23:35It was amazing cos it was all I ever wanted,
0:23:35 > 0:23:36was to be in EastEnders.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39And I'd already got a taste of it from being Mickey,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42so when they said they wanted to keep my character,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44it was like winning the lottery. I was so excited.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Um, it's an amazing place. I've got some great memories.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- Would you like to go back?- I think, you know, the door's always open.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54People are always asking me.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57So, I think, one day, I would like to go back just because...
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Because when I was on EastEnders, I got ill.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02I got a thing called viral meningoencephalitis,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06so I was off work for about a year, in hospital, then rehab and stuff.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10So, I feel like, where my character was just about to go off
0:24:10 > 0:24:12and do his own little storylines,
0:24:12 > 0:24:13- it sort of got cut short a bit.- Yeah.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16So, I'd like to go back and do it properly one day.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17We'd like to see you back there.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Oh, thanks. But then I like what I'm doing.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I like doing presenting and I like doing the Jungle
0:24:22 > 0:24:23and TV and doing stuff like that,
0:24:23 > 0:24:26so, you know, it's a balancing thing, isn't it?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28One day. One day. But they might not even want me back.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31- I caused them so much trouble when I was on there.- Why?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Oh, I was always late, I'd have parties.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36My biggest pulling thing at the weekend...
0:24:36 > 0:24:39If I wanted to pull someone, like, if I had my eye on someone,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41I'd take them to EastEnders on a Sunday
0:24:41 > 0:24:42cos I knew the geezer at the gate.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45So, I'd take them for a walk around the square, yeah?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48I did that for about a year until I got caught.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Because they had a camera that was doing an internet live feed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53- Oh, right.- After a while, it was just every Sunday
0:24:53 > 0:24:55going round with different people. HE LAUGHS
0:24:55 > 0:24:58You touched on the Jungle. What was that like?
0:24:58 > 0:25:00That was good, the Jungle, because I'd just left EastEnders.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- You became King of the Jungle.- Yeah.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04It was weird because I'd just left EastEnders,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and it was their decision for me to leave EastEnders,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09so I was slightly heartbroken by it.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11And I knew I was going to be typecast
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and I'd struggle doing other acting work.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16And then the Jungle came in, and I was really nervous.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19You know, I just didn't know what was going to happen.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20But I bit the bullet and did it,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and it was one of the best things I've done. Really enjoyed it.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26From that, I've been going back for the last eight years, you know.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28So, I've got my money's worth out of it.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. It's an amazing place.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Was it nice to be voted King of the Jungle by the public?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Yeah. Yeah, I think that was the best thing
0:25:35 > 0:25:41because it's such a...it's such a weird feeling being in there
0:25:41 > 0:25:43because you don't know no-one in there.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46There's no-one in there to say to you, "You're not being yourself.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48"What are you doing? Cheer up."
0:25:48 > 0:25:50So, you're constantly kind of questioning yourself.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53"Am I being myself? Am I being myself?"
0:25:53 > 0:25:55But no, it was just an amazing place.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57And again, like, EastEnders and the Jungle,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01I just have two of the most amazing, incredible memories of them.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05So, yeah, I'd say them two hold big places in my heart.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- Joe, I want to talk about the TV you love watching now.- Yeah.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Bring it full circle. What do you enjoy watching?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- I love documentaries.- Yeah? - I'm really into documentaries.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I love Louis Theroux and stuff like that.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28I like stuff like Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity, Strictly.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29I like my reality stuff.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Cos I grew up in a house full of women for most of it,
0:26:32 > 0:26:33cos my dad died I was 12,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36so that's got a big effect on my taste in TV.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41So, I like my soaps, you know, I like my antiques shows,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45like Antiques Roadshow and all of that.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Yeah, so, I think my taste in TV probably reflects
0:26:47 > 0:26:49my mum and my sisters' taste.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I had no control over the telly dial.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54That was up to them. I just had to watch what they watched.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Well, I want to thank you for brightening up my sofa today.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Thank you, mate.- It's been an absolute joy.- Is that it?
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- Yeah.- Aw!- Aw! Well, I've enjoyed it.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04It really has. The time's gone so quickly.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06But we give our guests the opportunity
0:27:06 > 0:27:08to pick a theme tune for us to play out on.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- So, what's it going to be, Joe? - All right.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14- Do you want me to sing it?- No. - LAUGHTER
0:27:14 > 0:27:16No, we play it.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- It's the actual theme tune. - Yeah, so...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20But you can sing it as well. You can sing along to it.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Shall we see if they get it, yeah? - Well, all right. Go on, then.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26# Dah-dah-dah! #
0:27:26 > 0:27:28No? LAUGHTER
0:27:28 > 0:27:30# Dah-dah-dah! #
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- We Will Rock You?- No! LAUGHTER
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- We watched it. It was on there. AUDIENCE MEMBER:- 999.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36- 999.- 999.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38# Dah-dah-dah! #
0:27:38 > 0:27:40That's my theme song. HE HUMS 999 THEME SONG
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- It's either the news or 999 coming up, yeah.- All right, then.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45So, we play out with 999. Have you enjoyed it?
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- I've loved it, yeah. - And we've loved you.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Let me come back because I've got all these other programmes.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53All right, I know you're struggling. You're out of work at the moment.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54- We'll let you back.- Get me back.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- We'll let him back, won't we? - AUDIENCE:- Yeah!- Yeah?
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- My thanks to Joe.- Aw. Cheers, mate. - Mate, thank you.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06We'll see you next time. Bye-bye!
0:28:06 > 0:28:09MUSIC: 999 Theme Tune