Joe Swash The TV That Made Me


Joe Swash

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Transcript


LineFromTo

TV - the magic box of delights.

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As kids, it showed us a million different worlds

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all from our living room.

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-So funny!

-That was state-of-the-art.

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-HE SCREAMS

-I loved this.

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'Each day, I'm going to journey through

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'the wonderful world of telly...'

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-Cheers.

-'..with one of our favourite celebrities...'

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-We're going into space.

-It's just so silly.

-Oh, no!

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-Yeah!

-'..as they select the iconic TV moments...'

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-My God, this is the scene.

-Oh, dear.

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'..that tell us the stories of their lives.'

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I absolutely adored this.

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-'Some will make you laugh...'

-SHE LAUGHS

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Don't watch the telly, Esther. Watch me.

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-'..some will surprise...'

-HE LAUGHS

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No way! Where did you find this?

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'..many will inspire...'

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It used to transport us to places that we could only dream about.

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'..and others will move us.'

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I am emotional now.

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Today, we look even more deeply.

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Why wouldn't you want to watch this?

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So, come watch with us as we rewind to the classic telly

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that helped shape those wide-eyed youngsters

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into the much-loved stars they are today.

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-APPLAUSE

-Welcome to The TV That Made Me.

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My guest today has been the King of the Jungle,

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the star of the Square.

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It can only be the one and only Joe Swash.

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-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Welcome, Joe.

-Hello, mate.

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-You all right?

-Sit yourself down there.

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Thank you very much.

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-Joe Swash!

-Hello. CHEERING

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Look at that cheer. They love you, Joe.

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A gentleman who is humble, shy, modest, tough, deadly, resourceful,

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at the peak of his physical fitness and mental alertness,

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-handsome, debonair...

-Oh, stop it.

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..devastatingly beautiful young lady.

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Here, let me give you that.

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Thanks for that, mate. THEY LAUGH

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-Oh, thank you very much indeed.

-Don't spend it at once.

-I won't.

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Joe Swash began his career as a child actor

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before graduating to Albert Square.

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His character, Mickey Miller,

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was a wide boy with an eye for the ladies,

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a part that fitted Joe like a glove.

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We all loved Mickey, but after five glorious years in Walford,

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Joe surprised us all when he turned up down under

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as King of the Jungle.

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The TV that made him includes

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the show that made a drama out of an emergency

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and the soap that made him a star.

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It's burning a hole in my pocket.

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-Are you excited about the day, looking back?

-I am.

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When they asked me to do this

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and started speaking about the programmes that I'd done,

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all these memories come flying back that you forgot about.

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So, it was like kind of walking through your history a little bit.

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It was nice.

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Yeah. So, we're going to go back to your childhood.

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-Yeah, my childhood cos they're my most vivid memories of TV.

-Really?

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I think TV is everywhere these days,

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so, as a kid, it really does shape your view

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on what you like and what you don't like.

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So, yeah, it'll be nice to show you my childhood programmes.

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-Oh, I'm looking forward to it, mate.

-Yeah.

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And there's so many I forgot about as well.

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All these other programmes come flying back.

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-We'll do another show with you.

-I've got loads for you.

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-We'll do a series just on Joe.

-You don't need any more guests.

-No.

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-Just me and you, innit?

-Just me and you.

-Yeah.

-Give me that.

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First up, we're going to rewind the clock

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and have a look at a very young Joe Swash.

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Oh, right. OK, this is interesting.

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Joe Swash is a Londoner through and through.

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He was born in Islington in 1982

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to doting parents Ricky and Catherine.

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Sadly, Ricky died of a heart condition

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when Joe was just 12,

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which made the bond between him and his two younger sisters,

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Caisie and Shana, even stronger.

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Joe went to the famous Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington

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where he studied alongside young talents like Natalie Cassidy.

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They both went on to join the cast of EastEnders

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where Joe was joined by his real-life sister Shana,

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who played his on-screen sister Demi.

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What was the young Joe Swash like?

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Oh, you know what? I reckon the young Joe Swash...

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-I reckon I was probably very hard to live with.

-Really?

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Yeah, cos I had a lot of energy and I needed to do stuff

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and touch stuff, and I broke a lot of stuff as a kid.

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I think I tested my mum's patience.

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So, TV, for my mum, was like a blessing

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cos that was the only time I'd sit down and not do nothing for a while.

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Have you got trouble with haemorrhoids at the moment?

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LAUGHTER I think they're all right.

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Then why are you sitting on my pillow?

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It makes me feel slightly taller. LAUGHTER

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-It's like a booster seat.

-Do you feel inferior?

-No.

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You're a big man, aren't you? You've got a good frame on you, Bri.

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HE LAUGHS

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So, that's what made you sit on my pillow.

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-Yeah, I've got a habit of sitting on pillows.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

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Now it's time for your first TV choice.

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-This is your earliest TV memory.

-OK.

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-Well, let's just take a look, shall we?

-All right.

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-Yes. You see, furry face...

-'Oh, Grotbag.'

-..it means

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-you'd make a lot of money.

-CASH REGISTER CHIMES

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-Do you remember this?

-Grotbags? Yeah, I do vaguely remember it.

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There's a lot of cash to be made from an improved mouse restrainer.

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'The programme revolved around the everyday lives

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'of Carol Lee Scott's pantomime witch Grotbags

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'and her puppet minions.'

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Dodos hardly constitute a mass market.

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'The show owed much of its broad humour,

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'filming style and puppets to the great Rod Hull.'

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Boo! Ha-ha!

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'That's because Grotbags first appeared

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'as a character on Emu's World.'

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Shut up, furry ears.

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'Well, I think, if my son was watching this,'

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-he would've been scared of this.

-He would? Why?

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He's scared of everything on TV, my little boy.

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He's a bit of a wimp when it comes to TV,

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and I think this would have sent him over the edge, the green lady.

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So, were you scared watching this as a young child?

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I think I might have been slightly scared.

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-And I had a thing for witches as a kid.

-Yeah.

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Not that I liked them, but I always thought that witches were around.

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Do you know what I mean?

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So, I'd walk past my bathroom door at my mum's house,

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but every time I'd walk past the door and the lights were off,

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I'd have to do that cos I'd think

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that there would be a witch in there or under my bed.

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So, yeah, this was a little bit like sadomasochistic.

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-And this all stemmed from Grotbags.

-From Grotbags, yeah.

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And then Roald Dahl, he did The Witches, the film, remember?

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-Yeah.

-The Witches.

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-That done me in for a couple of years.

-Really?

-Yeah.

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-Witches played a big part in my life.

-Really?

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LAUGHTER Talking of my mum...

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-They've guided you?

-HE LAUGHS

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-You'll take that bit out, won't you?

-No.

-Yeah. She'll kill me.

-We won't.

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Brats! We're knee deep in brats at the moment.

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'So, she used to refer to children as brats.'

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-Were you ever a brat?

-Yeah, I think people would have called me...

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-But not a brat. I mean, a likeable brat, I think.

-Yeah.

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You know, I wasn't malicious or rude.

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-I just was, like, a real hyperactive...

-Cheeky?

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-Yeah. ..boy. Hyperactive boy.

-Cheeky lad.

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Did you get into any scrapes? Were you accident-prone?

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Yeah, I've broken my legs, I've broken my arm,

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I've broken my fingers, my toes.

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So, bringing it back to Grotbags,

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what did you think of her costume, you know?

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I wouldn't say it was a great costume.

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Look, I think the wig's quite a teller.

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-I think you can tell it's a wig, can't you?

-I can tell that's a wig.

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-I don't think that mole's real.

-No, I don't think it...

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And I don't think she's green.

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-But she's got crazy-looking eyes, doesn't she?

-Yeah.

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I'm surprised that she didn't go on to do other stuff.

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What, Shakespeare or...?

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Yeah, a little bit of stage work. LAUGHTER

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-She's a good character actress, isn't she?

-Yeah.

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I could see her on Baywatch. They could call it Baywitch.

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So, what was your living room like, Joe?

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-What was, you know, growing up....?

-So, my house...

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Yeah, the house that I grew up in, it was...

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My mum still lives in that house.

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My sisters still live there and stuff,

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so it's nice to go back. It was a nice house.

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The front room wasn't massive. Similar sort of size to this.

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Maybe smaller than this.

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So, we'd all have...like, my mum and dad used to have the sofa.

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-Remember beanbags?

-Yeah.

-We used to have beanbags.

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So, you used to sit on a beanbag to watch the telly?

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Me and my sister used to have a beanbag until I broke the beanbag

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and the beans went everywhere.

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-You know when the beans get, like, static electricity?

-Yeah.

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They were stuck on the walls, on the ceilings.

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LAUGHTER My mum had the Hoover out.

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HE IMITATES HOOVER Yeah. So, the beanbags had to go,

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so we just had to sit on a cushion in the end, yeah.

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But, no, it was lovely because, as a family,

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we'd all sit around together.

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My dad was a London taxi driver, so...

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-My dad was a taxi driver.

-Oh, was he?

-Yeah.

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-See, there you go.

-There you go.

-He used to come back on Fridays -

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that was his day - and he wouldn't work the weekends,

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so we'd get, like, a takeaway and all sit and watch TV.

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It's lovely. Really lovely memories of being in the front room.

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-Close family?

-Really close family. Still really, really close.

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Unfortunately, my dad passed away when we were younger,

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but as a family, we're really close, and we still watch TV together.

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-So, Joe, we're moving on to your Must See TV now.

-Mm-hm.

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An absolute classic from down under. Let's have a little look at this.

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-Oh! Do you remember this?

-I...

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-Go on. Tell me about it.

-I know the theme tune.

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# ..when strange things happening Are you going round the twist? #

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Yeah. See, that little kid looked like me when I was a kid,

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my mum used to say.

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-This was a great programme.

-So, what was it about?

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Well, what I can remember is,

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is that just magical,

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weird things would happen to them.

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-Yeah.

-And they'd have to explain why they happened.

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It was like a family of young kids and the mum and dad,

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and just how they kind of coped with them and stuff like that.

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None of it really made sense.

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The TV, when I was a kid, didn't make sense...

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HE LAUGHS ..as it does today.

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I'm hoping they'll be faster than this in the frog race.

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Come on, Libby. Show them what you're made of. Go!

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'Actually, this comedy drama was about a widowed dad

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'and his three kids

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'who lived in a mysterious and ghostly lighthouse in Australia.'

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Got all these little hairs on them.

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-This must have been the dad. Look. See, it was a lighthouse.

-Yeah.

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-Come on, let's have it.

-I used it to brush my mouse.

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-Use your own toothbrush, Bronson.

-Not my mouth. My mouse.

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'It was sold all over the world,

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'winning awards in Canada, America and in Australia.

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'And 15 years after the last series was broadcast,

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'it's still watched down under.'

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Right.

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I used to fancy that girl as well a little bit.

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-She might have been my first sort of crush.

-Oh, first crush.

-Yeah.

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Mice are disgusting creatures.

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-I could get some terrible disease.

-SHE SCREAMS

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It's in his pants. That'd have had me in stitches.

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LAUGHTER He's got a frog in his pants.

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I'd have been rolling around on the floor. It's amazing.

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Did it inspire you to be an actor?

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-I mean, cos you started at a really young age, didn't you?

-Yeah.

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Yeah, well, I started off doing, like, baby modelling

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-when I was about eight to six, six to seven or something.

-Right.

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Cos I had curly, long hair and it was bright red,

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and, like, at parties, my mum and dad used to say,

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"Joe, Joe, who's your dad?"

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And they trained me to say Mick Hucknall.

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LAUGHTER

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Which I think's a bit cruel, you know what I mean?

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But, yeah, I'd done a little bit of modelling,

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and then my mum is good friends with Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke,

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who my mum's known for years. They're like family.

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And they went to a place called Anna Scher's.

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And cos I had a lot of energy, they was like...

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-"We know where to stick him."

-.."We'll stick him in there."

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And it was nice then because my energy was kind of

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-aimed towards something.

-Yeah, you had something to focus on.

-Yeah.

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And it kept me out of a lot of trouble as well

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because I really fell in love with being on TV and working.

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-Yeah.

-So, I knew then...

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My mum and dad, they used to blackmail me, basically,

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say, "If you're naughty, you can't go to work."

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So it kind of kept me out of trouble.

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-Kept me out of trouble for a long time.

-Kept you focused.

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Kept me focused as a young kid. To have a passion as a young kid,

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I think is really important

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cos it does keep you on the straight and narrow

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and it kind of keeps you kind of focused on something.

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-Did you do any adverts or anything like that?

-Yeah, I did an advert.

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I'm sure you know about it. I'm sure you've got it.

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-You've got it, haven't you?

-I might have.

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-Shall we have a look at Joe Swash?

-Let's have a look.

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-Let's see Mick Hucknall live.

-HE LAUGHS

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'Andrex's toilet tissue ads have always been, well, comforting.'

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There's a new kind of tissue...

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'Joe's ad appeared in 1989,

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'and features all the Andrex hallmarks.'

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-Is that you?

-That's me.

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-Aw, weren't you sweet?

-Stop it.

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'The soft lighting, the domestic setting,

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'and all importantly, the cute puppy and even cuter kid.'

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Bleurgh! APPLAUSE

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That was, um... HE LAUGHS

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You've got to kiss me first.

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-No, I ain't going to kiss you.

-You've got to kiss me, Bri.

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-Come on. If we're going to do it, do it properly.

-All right.

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Mwah! Hold on.

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Bleurgh! LAUGHTER

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You know I love you. I wouldn't do that.

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I'll have your kisses all day long.

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Joe, we're going to move on now to Parents' Choice.

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So, this is what my mum and dad would have chosen, yeah?

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Yeah. Let's see what it was.

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MUSIC: 999 Theme Tune

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HE SINGS 999 THEME TUNE

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You know it's a serious programme with...

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HE SINGS 999 THEME TUNE

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-It's either 999 or the news, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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'The life-savers in leather on the streets of Bristol...'

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Yes, it's 999, created

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after the runaway success of Crimewatch UK.

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It was a reconstruction show featuring every emergency service

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from firefighters to coastguards.

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It proved that dramatising reality was hugely popular.

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It was an instant hit,

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with over 12 million of us watching every week.

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But watching it now, none of it looks particularly scary,

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-but at the time...

-Yeah.

-..I loved this programme.

-Yeah.

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It was like watching a real episode of Casualty or something.

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-You know what I mean?

-Yeah.

-Do you remember this?

-Yeah, 999.

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I loved it. I watched it religiously.

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Your own house should feel the safest place in the world,

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but more accidents...

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-Oh, Buerky. Look at Buerky!

-Yeah.

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-Yeah, he's changed.

-Look at those chinos, mate.

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Ooh, and he ain't got any socks on. Very cutting edge.

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That'd have taken ages to iron that crease in them trousers.

0:14:160:14:19

That's not his kitchen, is it?

0:14:190:14:21

Now, if a freshly made cup of tea hits you,

0:14:210:14:23

then the heat burns deeper and deeper.

0:14:230:14:25

Didn't think skin reacted in the same way

0:14:250:14:27

as tissue when it got burned.

0:14:270:14:29

LAUGHTER

0:14:290:14:33

Look, you know that kid's in trouble. Look. Straight away.

0:14:330:14:36

Oh, no. Don't. Oh, no.

0:14:360:14:38

You know when you watch Casualty and you see the actor in the beginning?

0:14:380:14:41

You're like, "They're going to die in a minute."

0:14:410:14:43

LAUGHTER I hope that baby doesn't.

0:14:430:14:45

-Oh, look. Don't do it.

-No, he'll be all right. Don't.

0:14:460:14:48

'I turned to get the milk...'

0:14:480:14:50

-JOE GASPS

-No!

0:14:500:14:52

HE SCREAMS Is he going to do it?

0:14:520:14:54

HE SCREAMS

0:14:540:14:56

Chucked him in the sink. LAUGHTER

0:14:560:14:59

Um, but, no, I like this programme. This was really, really good.

0:14:590:15:02

-And there's all different sorts of 999 emergencies.

-Yeah.

0:15:020:15:05

You had, like, a plane crash in one of them,

0:15:050:15:06

then you would have, like, a snow one.

0:15:060:15:08

What we're going to do now is to push your acting skills, Joe.

0:15:080:15:12

-Oh, stop it.

-Yeah. I'm going to give you various scenarios,

0:15:120:15:16

and we want to see how well

0:15:160:15:19

and what a great actor you are at those 999 scenarios.

0:15:190:15:23

I ain't done acting in ages. HE LAUGHS

0:15:230:15:25

I ain't done it in ages.

0:15:250:15:26

You should just be able to turn it on. It's like a light switch.

0:15:260:15:29

I'm not like you, am I? We're not all born to do it, Bri.

0:15:290:15:33

This is me. You read out Me.

0:15:330:15:35

"Brian making a cuppa, scolded by the kettle."

0:15:350:15:38

OK, I'm making a cuppa.

0:15:380:15:39

-Ooh.

-Wait, wait, wait. What are you doing? You've got a kettle here.

0:15:390:15:42

-Oh, yeah. All right. All right.

-LAUGHTER

0:15:420:15:45

Just making that...

0:15:450:15:46

HE SCREAMS

0:15:460:15:50

He's burnt himself right in the crotch.

0:15:500:15:52

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

0:15:520:15:54

-All right, then.

-Right.

-I'll read out your one.

0:15:550:15:58

"Joe, a boy who got stuck down a well, and he is from Halifax."

0:15:580:16:03

All right. LAUGHTER

0:16:030:16:05

-So, you've got to do the accent.

-So, this is the well, right?

-OK.

0:16:050:16:09

What's a Halifax accent? LAUGHTER

0:16:100:16:13

-How do they talk in Halifax?

-Yorkshire. Yorkshire, Joe.

0:16:130:16:16

Yorkshire. Give me... I need a little...

0:16:160:16:18

-YORKSHIRE ACCENT:

-'Ey up, me duck. Help! Help!'

0:16:180:16:20

YORKSHIRE ACCENT: 'Help me! Ey up!

0:16:200:16:22

'Hey up, duck. Help me.' LAUGHTER

0:16:220:16:25

'Give me your hand, love. Give me your hand. I've got you.

0:16:250:16:28

'I've got you. Pull yourself up now.

0:16:280:16:30

-'Help me!

-Come on. Come on. I've got you. I've got you.'

0:16:300:16:34

THEY GROAN

0:16:340:16:36

-APPLAUSE It was all right.

-All right.

0:16:360:16:39

I'm knackered, mate.

0:16:400:16:42

Ladies and gentlemen, by applause, um, Joe Swash.

0:16:420:16:46

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:16:460:16:48

Oh. You're going to struggle there, Bri.

0:16:480:16:51

Me.

0:16:510:16:53

RIPPLE OF APPLAUSE

0:16:530:16:55

LAUGHTER I'd say, Bri, that was a draw.

0:16:550:16:58

All right. Thanks, love. Thanks.

0:16:580:17:00

Tell you what, mate, for that,

0:17:000:17:02

-you can have your tenner back.

-Nice one.

0:17:020:17:04

-LAUGHTER

-Yeah.

-Sweet.

0:17:040:17:06

-So, Joe, your next choice is Comfort Viewing.

-Right.

0:17:110:17:14

And considering people watched this show in bed,

0:17:140:17:18

it couldn't get any comfier.

0:17:180:17:19

Oh, Big Breakfast!

0:17:190:17:22

Set in a house in East London

0:17:220:17:24

with the cameras flying all over the place,

0:17:240:17:26

Channel 4's alternative breakfast show

0:17:260:17:29

was truly revolutionary.

0:17:290:17:31

-What a legendary show this was.

-Really? Did you ever appear on it?

0:17:320:17:35

No, I didn't really do any TV work at the time,

0:17:350:17:39

but I do remember thinking it's the only programme in the mornings

0:17:390:17:42

that didn't bore the life out of me.

0:17:420:17:44

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-It's Gordon the Gopher.

0:17:440:17:48

-Gordon the Gopher's in the bathroom.

-You wouldn't believe the stories.

0:17:480:17:53

Zig and Zag are interviewing Gordon the Gopher.

0:17:530:17:55

This is brilliant. It's what you need in the morning.

0:17:550:17:58

-That's a young Chris Evans there.

-That is, isn't it?

0:17:580:18:01

He's brilliant as well, isn't he, Chris Evans?

0:18:010:18:04

So, what set this show apart from GMTV?

0:18:040:18:06

Well, I mean, you had Paula Yates in the bed with people...

0:18:060:18:09

-That's right, yeah.

-..doing her interviewing.

0:18:090:18:12

-Um, you had Denise van Outen first thing in the morning.

-Yeah.

0:18:120:18:16

As a young boy, that was definitely going to get you up in the mornings.

0:18:160:18:20

LAUGHTER

0:18:200:18:22

-You've got Zig and Zag, you know.

-Zig and Zag.

0:18:220:18:25

It's almost like it's kids' TV

0:18:250:18:28

that your parents are watching as well.

0:18:280:18:30

So, is it the type of show that would make you want to skip school?

0:18:300:18:33

-You know, would you sort of...?

-I couldn't skip school as a kid.

-No?

0:18:330:18:37

You couldn't get a day off school out of my mum for love nor money.

0:18:370:18:40

-No?

-I tried every trick. LAUGHTER

0:18:400:18:43

I've stuck my head on a radiator to try and warm it up.

0:18:430:18:46

LAUGHTER I remember chopping up...

0:18:460:18:48

I chopped up little carrots and made, like, a weird soup,

0:18:480:18:51

put that down the toilet, made out like I'd been sick.

0:18:510:18:53

I did everything. You couldn't get a day off school off my mum

0:18:530:18:56

unless your finger was hanging off. LAUGHTER

0:18:560:18:59

-Honestly. "Have an aspirin, go to school."

-Yeah.

0:18:590:19:02

But on the odd occasion that I'd have, like, a sick day

0:19:020:19:05

and you could just lay in bed and you could watch that,

0:19:050:19:08

you know, brilliant morning TV.

0:19:080:19:10

Did you think it was very anarchic? You know, really...?

0:19:100:19:13

It was very of its time, and I don't think...

0:19:130:19:15

There's nothing like that at the moment.

0:19:150:19:17

I don't think anything replaced Big Breakfast

0:19:170:19:19

-as that sort of like high...

-Energy.

-..energy sort of morning show.

-Yeah.

0:19:190:19:23

Do you remember, at the end of the series,

0:19:230:19:24

when they stopped the whole thing,

0:19:240:19:26

they did a competition where you could win the house?

0:19:260:19:29

-That's right, yeah.

-You could win the house.

0:19:290:19:31

I thought, "What an amazing present."

0:19:310:19:32

-It's house, Joe.

-House, sorry.

-Not "haarse."

0:19:320:19:35

-LAUGHTER

-That sounds disgusting.

0:19:350:19:38

"You could win the haarse."

0:19:380:19:40

-House.

-House, yeah.

-You could win that lovely home.

0:19:400:19:43

LAUGHTER

0:19:430:19:45

APPLAUSE

0:19:450:19:47

It was good, though, wasn't it? It was a good programme.

0:19:470:19:50

-It was brilliant, yeah.

-Good programme.

0:19:500:19:52

-So, Joe, your first day on EastEnders.

-Yeah.

0:19:580:20:01

-What was that like?

-Yeah, well, I nearly got sacked on my first day.

0:20:010:20:04

-Yeah. I mean, I always wanted to be in EastEnders.

-Right.

0:20:040:20:07

I mean, when we were at Anna Scher's, my drama class,

0:20:070:20:10

we'd talk about it cos we knew Natalie Cassidy

0:20:100:20:12

and James Alexandrou that were in it already.

0:20:120:20:14

Everyone wanted to be in films, but I just wanted to be in EastEnders.

0:20:140:20:17

It was, like, my passion, EastEnders,

0:20:170:20:19

so to get it was amazing.

0:20:190:20:21

But then I wanted to share it with my mates cos, like...

0:20:210:20:23

So, I invited my mate along.

0:20:230:20:25

I sneaked him in the studio for my first day.

0:20:250:20:27

And I said to him, "Don't leave the dressing room.

0:20:270:20:30

"Stay in the dressing room." And he didn't.

0:20:300:20:32

He went wandering around, and we were filming,

0:20:320:20:34

and he walked round the back of the camera right through the scene.

0:20:340:20:37

They had to stop. They all went mad. "Who's this geezer?"

0:20:370:20:41

-"It's my mate Nick the Greek."

-Nick the Greek!

0:20:410:20:44

Nick the Greek, yeah, we called him. And, yeah, so, I nearly got sacked.

0:20:440:20:47

-They had to escort him out, and I got told off.

-Oh, right.

0:20:470:20:50

But I think I set the tone. They knew what they were handling,

0:20:500:20:53

-what they were dealing with.

-Yeah.

-You know?

0:20:530:20:55

So nothing else would surprise them.

0:20:550:20:57

-You're a great actor. There's no denying it.

-Thank you.

0:20:570:21:00

-But did you find it hard to get the accent for EastEnders?

-Yeah.

0:21:000:21:03

LAUGHTER Yeah, I did.

0:21:030:21:05

-It was something you had to work on?

-I think that was one of

0:21:050:21:08

the good things about EastEnders, and my character Mickey -

0:21:080:21:11

he was just like me, so I wasn't even acting.

0:21:110:21:13

I was just saying the lines like I'd have said them in real life.

0:21:130:21:16

-You know what I mean?

-Yeah.

0:21:160:21:17

-So, it was a pleasure to play him.

-Yeah.

0:21:170:21:20

-You played him for six years.

-Played him for six years.

0:21:200:21:23

They brought a family in around him, which had my little sister in it,

0:21:230:21:26

playing my sister.

0:21:260:21:28

And we all still know each other really well from the family.

0:21:280:21:31

But it was just an amazing place to grow up in.

0:21:310:21:34

And I was 21, so, like, before that, I was just a ginger kid.

0:21:340:21:39

And then, I get in EastEnders, I was like...

0:21:390:21:41

I was like a big kid in a sweet shop.

0:21:410:21:43

I could eat everything, like.

0:21:430:21:45

I could get into clubs for nothing. HE LAUGHS

0:21:450:21:48

I went to town for about two years. I got in so much trouble.

0:21:480:21:51

But thank God I grew out of it and I got it out of my system.

0:21:510:21:54

So, here is you, Joe, on EastEnders.

0:21:540:21:57

I ain't seen any of this. I never watch my old stuff back.

0:21:570:22:01

Once I've done it, I've done it.

0:22:010:22:02

-Is Spencer around, please?

-Yeah. Why? Who's asking?

-Oh, it's Mickey.

0:22:020:22:06

I'm Spencer's mate.

0:22:060:22:08

-'Look at the shirts as well.

-Yeah.'

0:22:080:22:10

-He looks young, doesn't he? Old Richie?

-Yeah, bless him.

0:22:110:22:14

Hey! Oh! All right, Spencer. You back there, mate?

0:22:140:22:17

-I wasn't gone.

-That's not what Nana just said.

0:22:170:22:19

-Nana's not in.

-Come on, mate. We've got work to do.

0:22:190:22:22

We ain't got time to chat all day. Come on, pal.

0:22:220:22:24

-See, I auditioned for his part, for Spencer...

-Right.

0:22:240:22:27

..and I got down to the last two to play Shane's brother.

0:22:270:22:30

-Listen, Spence, you still got that cash?

-Yeah.

0:22:300:22:33

-It's burning a hole in my pocket.

-Why don't we have a little chat?

0:22:330:22:36

-Still got that denim jacket?

-Yeah, still got that.

0:22:380:22:41

But it was really weird because when I auditioned for EastEnders,

0:22:410:22:45

you know when you audition for a small part,

0:22:450:22:47

you don't really want to do it

0:22:470:22:48

because there's less chance of you getting a bigger part later on.

0:22:480:22:52

And I was really reluctant to do it

0:22:520:22:54

because it was only for a couple of episodes.

0:22:540:22:56

So, I was working at the BBC doing fire protection

0:22:560:23:00

-cos I wanted to be a fireman.

-Oh.

-So, I was doing fire protection.

0:23:000:23:02

So, I was going into a room and making sure,

0:23:020:23:05

if there was a fire in it, it wouldn't spread.

0:23:050:23:07

So, I'd be on EastEnders.

0:23:070:23:08

I'd go in and do maybe two weeks' work on EastEnders,

0:23:080:23:11

and then go back to my normal job.

0:23:110:23:13

So, I was on TV while I was doing my normal job,

0:23:130:23:15

and everyone was like, "Are you not that dude from EastEnders? Mickey?"

0:23:150:23:19

while I was working at the BBC doing a bit of building.

0:23:190:23:22

And that went on for about three or four months to maybe a year

0:23:220:23:25

of going in and out, in and out.

0:23:250:23:27

It took them that long until they offered me my contract.

0:23:270:23:30

What was it like when you got that phone call?

0:23:300:23:33

It was amazing cos it was all I ever wanted,

0:23:330:23:35

was to be in EastEnders.

0:23:350:23:36

And I'd already got a taste of it from being Mickey,

0:23:360:23:39

so when they said they wanted to keep my character,

0:23:390:23:42

it was like winning the lottery. I was so excited.

0:23:420:23:44

Um, it's an amazing place. I've got some great memories.

0:23:440:23:47

-Would you like to go back?

-I think, you know, the door's always open.

0:23:470:23:51

People are always asking me.

0:23:510:23:54

So, I think, one day, I would like to go back just because...

0:23:540:23:57

Because when I was on EastEnders, I got ill.

0:23:570:24:00

I got a thing called viral meningoencephalitis,

0:24:000:24:02

so I was off work for about a year, in hospital, then rehab and stuff.

0:24:020:24:06

So, I feel like, where my character was just about to go off

0:24:060:24:10

and do his own little storylines,

0:24:100:24:12

-it sort of got cut short a bit.

-Yeah.

0:24:120:24:13

So, I'd like to go back and do it properly one day.

0:24:130:24:16

We'd like to see you back there.

0:24:160:24:17

Oh, thanks. But then I like what I'm doing.

0:24:170:24:19

I like doing presenting and I like doing the Jungle

0:24:190:24:22

and TV and doing stuff like that,

0:24:220:24:23

so, you know, it's a balancing thing, isn't it?

0:24:230:24:26

One day. One day. But they might not even want me back.

0:24:260:24:28

-I caused them so much trouble when I was on there.

-Why?

0:24:280:24:31

Oh, I was always late, I'd have parties.

0:24:310:24:34

My biggest pulling thing at the weekend...

0:24:340:24:36

If I wanted to pull someone, like, if I had my eye on someone,

0:24:360:24:39

I'd take them to EastEnders on a Sunday

0:24:390:24:41

cos I knew the geezer at the gate.

0:24:410:24:42

So, I'd take them for a walk around the square, yeah?

0:24:420:24:45

I did that for about a year until I got caught.

0:24:450:24:48

Because they had a camera that was doing an internet live feed.

0:24:480:24:50

-Oh, right.

-After a while, it was just every Sunday

0:24:500:24:53

going round with different people. HE LAUGHS

0:24:530:24:55

You touched on the Jungle. What was that like?

0:24:550:24:58

That was good, the Jungle, because I'd just left EastEnders.

0:24:580:25:00

-You became King of the Jungle.

-Yeah.

0:25:000:25:02

It was weird because I'd just left EastEnders,

0:25:020:25:04

and it was their decision for me to leave EastEnders,

0:25:040:25:07

so I was slightly heartbroken by it.

0:25:070:25:09

And I knew I was going to be typecast

0:25:090:25:11

and I'd struggle doing other acting work.

0:25:110:25:13

And then the Jungle came in, and I was really nervous.

0:25:130:25:16

You know, I just didn't know what was going to happen.

0:25:160:25:19

But I bit the bullet and did it,

0:25:190:25:20

and it was one of the best things I've done. Really enjoyed it.

0:25:200:25:23

From that, I've been going back for the last eight years, you know.

0:25:230:25:26

So, I've got my money's worth out of it.

0:25:260:25:28

Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. It's an amazing place.

0:25:280:25:30

Was it nice to be voted King of the Jungle by the public?

0:25:300:25:33

Yeah. Yeah, I think that was the best thing

0:25:330:25:35

because it's such a...it's such a weird feeling being in there

0:25:350:25:41

because you don't know no-one in there.

0:25:410:25:43

There's no-one in there to say to you, "You're not being yourself.

0:25:430:25:46

"What are you doing? Cheer up."

0:25:460:25:48

So, you're constantly kind of questioning yourself.

0:25:480:25:50

"Am I being myself? Am I being myself?"

0:25:500:25:53

But no, it was just an amazing place.

0:25:530:25:55

And again, like, EastEnders and the Jungle,

0:25:550:25:57

I just have two of the most amazing, incredible memories of them.

0:25:570:26:01

So, yeah, I'd say them two hold big places in my heart.

0:26:010:26:05

-Joe, I want to talk about the TV you love watching now.

-Yeah.

0:26:110:26:14

Bring it full circle. What do you enjoy watching?

0:26:140:26:17

-I love documentaries.

-Yeah?

-I'm really into documentaries.

0:26:170:26:20

I love Louis Theroux and stuff like that.

0:26:200:26:23

I like stuff like Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity, Strictly.

0:26:230:26:28

I like my reality stuff.

0:26:280:26:29

Cos I grew up in a house full of women for most of it,

0:26:290:26:32

cos my dad died I was 12,

0:26:320:26:33

so that's got a big effect on my taste in TV.

0:26:330:26:36

So, I like my soaps, you know, I like my antiques shows,

0:26:360:26:41

like Antiques Roadshow and all of that.

0:26:410:26:45

Yeah, so, I think my taste in TV probably reflects

0:26:450:26:47

my mum and my sisters' taste.

0:26:470:26:49

I had no control over the telly dial.

0:26:490:26:51

That was up to them. I just had to watch what they watched.

0:26:510:26:54

Well, I want to thank you for brightening up my sofa today.

0:26:540:26:57

-Thank you, mate.

-It's been an absolute joy.

-Is that it?

0:26:570:26:59

-Yeah.

-Aw!

-Aw! Well, I've enjoyed it.

0:26:590:27:02

It really has. The time's gone so quickly.

0:27:020:27:04

But we give our guests the opportunity

0:27:040:27:06

to pick a theme tune for us to play out on.

0:27:060:27:08

-So, what's it going to be, Joe?

-All right.

0:27:080:27:10

-Do you want me to sing it?

-No.

-LAUGHTER

0:27:100:27:14

No, we play it.

0:27:140:27:16

-It's the actual theme tune.

-Yeah, so...

0:27:160:27:18

But you can sing it as well. You can sing along to it.

0:27:180:27:20

-Shall we see if they get it, yeah?

-Well, all right. Go on, then.

0:27:200:27:23

# Dah-dah-dah! #

0:27:230:27:26

No? LAUGHTER

0:27:260:27:28

# Dah-dah-dah! #

0:27:280:27:30

-We Will Rock You?

-No! LAUGHTER

0:27:300:27:32

-We watched it. It was on there. AUDIENCE MEMBER:

-999.

0:27:320:27:35

-999.

-999.

0:27:350:27:36

# Dah-dah-dah! #

0:27:360:27:38

That's my theme song. HE HUMS 999 THEME SONG

0:27:380:27:40

-It's either the news or 999 coming up, yeah.

-All right, then.

0:27:400:27:43

So, we play out with 999. Have you enjoyed it?

0:27:430:27:45

-I've loved it, yeah.

-And we've loved you.

0:27:450:27:47

Let me come back because I've got all these other programmes.

0:27:470:27:50

All right, I know you're struggling. You're out of work at the moment.

0:27:500:27:53

-We'll let you back.

-Get me back.

0:27:530:27:54

-We'll let him back, won't we?

-AUDIENCE:

-Yeah!

-Yeah?

0:27:540:27:57

-My thanks to Joe.

-Aw. Cheers, mate.

-Mate, thank you.

0:27:570:28:01

And my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.

0:28:010:28:04

We'll see you next time. Bye-bye!

0:28:040:28:06

MUSIC: 999 Theme Tune

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