0:00:02 > 0:00:04TV - the magic box of delights.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06As kids, it showed us a million different worlds
0:00:06 > 0:00:08all from our living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- So funny! - That was state of the art.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15- Argh! - I loved this.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Each day, I'm going to journey through
0:00:17 > 0:00:19the wonderful world of telly...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- Cheers.- ..with one of our favourite celebrities.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24- We're going into space. - It's just so silly!
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Oh, no!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Yeah!- As they select the iconic TV moments...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- My God. This is the scene! - Oh, dear.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39..that tell us the stories of their lives.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40I absolutely adored this.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Some 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 > 0:00:52..many will inspire...
0:00:52 > 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 > 0:01:01- I am emotional now. - Today 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.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25My guest today is one of Britain's most cherished actors.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30It can only be the legend that is Anita Dobson.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- Welcome. Mwah.- Mwah.- Mwah. Mwah.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- European! Come and sit down. - Thank you.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- Hiya.- Ah, are you looking forward to this?- Yes, I am.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45- Yeah?- Very much so.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Anita stepped into the limelight on 19th February 1985
0:01:50 > 0:01:53on the first-ever episode of EastEnders
0:01:53 > 0:01:55playing soap diva Angie Watts.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Since then, she's continued to be one of our best-loved actors
0:02:00 > 0:02:03on both stage and screen.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07She even shimmied her way through a nine-week run
0:02:07 > 0:02:10on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Amongst the TV that made her,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16a man who helped kick-start our obsession with ballroom dancing...
0:02:18 > 0:02:21..a much-loved kids TV show...
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Don't I know you from someplace?
0:02:23 > 0:02:27..and a Christmas present that shocked 30 million of us.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Happy Christmas, Ange.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- Thank you for asking me.- Oh, it's a pleasure to have you here.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Well, I've got so many years now, that I'm so old
0:02:38 > 0:02:40that reminiscing is all you can do, isn't it, really?
0:02:40 > 0:02:41No, it's not.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44So, do have much chance to watch TV?
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I watch it when I can, and, you know, if I'm home,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49but, really, I'm a film buff - that's me.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Oh, yeah, cos a lot of your choices today
0:02:51 > 0:02:53are films that you watched on TV.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Yeah, cos I loved Sunday afternoon matinees
0:02:56 > 0:02:59with, you know, all those Hollywood movie stars,
0:02:59 > 0:03:00and the thrillers, Hitchcock,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04all those black-and-white movies and science-fiction films -
0:03:04 > 0:03:05I loved all of that.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Well, today is a celebration of all those things you loved.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11But first up, we're going to rewind the clock
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and have a trip down memory lane
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and look at a very young Anita Dobson.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19A true East Ender,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Anita Dobson was brought up in Stepney, East London.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Dad and Mum both worked in the clothing industry
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and raised Anita and her younger sister, Jill,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31in a small but cosy council flat.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Despite the modest surroundings, Anita's closeness to her parents
0:03:35 > 0:03:38meant that she didn't leave home until she was 27.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43After drama school, she became a jobbing actor,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45starting out on children's telly.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49But then came an audition for a new soap opera at the BBC
0:03:49 > 0:03:51that changed everything.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Anita is married to rock god Brian May,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58but she's a legend in her own right too.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So, how does it make you feel looking at that, you know?
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- It makes me realise that I've...I've been around an awful long time.- No!
0:04:05 > 0:04:09And it does seem amazing, because sometimes people say,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11"When did you do...?" a certain production's name,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13and I can't remember any of it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14It's all become a blur.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18And one day, I'd love to sit down and kind of go through, very gently,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22all the things that you've been in and the time you had doing them
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and all the people that you met.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28- Because, otherwise, it just becomes, you know...- A blur.- ..a blur.- Yeah.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- Are you one for looking back, though?- Not really.- No?
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I'm somebody who lives very much in the moment,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and I'm all for moving on. I think...
0:04:37 > 0:04:39I don't watch myself much on TV,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43unless it's something really important or very technical.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Generally speaking, if the director's happy
0:04:45 > 0:04:47and the people that did it are happy
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and you feel you gave 100%, onto the next. Yeah.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54You won't be watching this?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- Of course I'll watch this. Yes. - Thank you.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- I want to see you and all the clips all over again.- Good.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Yes. I'm definitely watching this. - I'm pleased.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Well, let's kick off with
0:05:07 > 0:05:11a little bit of your required childhood viewing.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13- This is your must-see TV.- OK.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15And a classic film.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Fred and Ginger.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20BALLROOM MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Theirs was an iconic dance partnership
0:05:23 > 0:05:27that initially lasted from 1933 to 1939,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30before they reunited in the late '40s.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Swing Time is the sixth out of ten films
0:05:33 > 0:05:37of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40It was typical of the films shown in the Sunday afternoon matinee slot
0:05:40 > 0:05:43on TV during Anita's childhood.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- They make it look so easy, don't they?- It's beautiful.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I so wanted to just be Ginger Rogers.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53- They're like one person, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59The glamorous pair with
0:05:59 > 0:06:02their incredible synchronised routines and extravagant sets
0:06:02 > 0:06:05became box office gold,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07with audiences looking for escapism
0:06:07 > 0:06:11during The Great Depression of the 1930s.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Fred Astaire preferred the magic of their dance scenes
0:06:14 > 0:06:17to be captured in one long continuous shot.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I mean, you just know that they've rehearsed for weeks
0:06:20 > 0:06:22to get these routines right.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Well, apparently, every day of his life, he tapped.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27- First thing in the morning. - Really?- Yeah.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29And for hours. Even when he wasn't working.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31That's why he's so good.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Did you think Ginger Rogers got the credit she deserved?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38You know, cos it was always, "Yeah, Fred Astaire," but...
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- Well, she wanted to act as well... - ..something...
0:06:40 > 0:06:42..where as he always was a dancer first and foremost.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44But she was a good little actress,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and I think she kind of diversified a bit - maybe that's why.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49But look how beautiful she is.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I know. And that dress.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Oh!
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- BOTH CLAP - Oh!
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- That was gorgeous!- Really? - Oh, my goodness.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- Yeah. Beautiful. Makes me cry. - Really? Why? Why is it so emotional?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Because it's so exquisite to see
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- two people dance together in perfect sync...- Harmony, yeah.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21..that it just...
0:07:21 > 0:07:25And also the way they move, the beauty of it
0:07:25 > 0:07:28makes me feel very emotional, yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30So, you would sit down on a Sunday with the whole family?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Well...always me.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34I mean, irrespective of what was on,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I would watch the Sunday afternoon matinee,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and sometimes they did have them on Saturday afternoon.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42So, we'd have Sunday dinner and I'd be, plonk, in front of the box.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45And Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, whatever it was,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47you know, I would be there.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49- Westerns, anything. - Oh, anything?
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Anything. I just loved the movies.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53And do you think that made you want to be an actor?
0:07:53 > 0:07:56What made me really want to become an actress, the clincher was
0:07:56 > 0:07:59when I was a young girl, I was taken to see Julius Caesar
0:07:59 > 0:08:02in which James Mason starred as Brutus.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06And I remember listening to the beautiful voice that he had,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and thinking, "I want to make people feel like that.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10"That's what I want to do.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15"I want to have that kind of ability to move people
0:08:15 > 0:08:19"and make them cry and make them feel something."
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Well, we have a clip of that particular film...
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- No!- ..with James Mason in.- Oh!- Yes.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- My goodness. I am going to cry now. - Shall I get the tissues out?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- CROWD PROTEST - If there be any in this assembly,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34any dear friend of Caesar's,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38to him I say that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41James Mason starred as Brutus in this
0:08:41 > 0:08:461953 classic movie version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50..not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51So, look at that scene.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53I mean, look at the amount of extras,
0:08:53 > 0:08:54and he did it all in a dress.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57LAUGHTER
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- I mean, to be that heroic, I mean, amazing.- Yeah.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02I just think he's awesome.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04The film featured other big stars like Marlon Brando,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07and its sets, like this one, were recycled from
0:09:07 > 0:09:12the big epic Quo Vadis, made two years earlier.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17However, the film still went on to win an Oscar for its art direction.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Look at the photography. It's awesome, isn't it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:24You know, the shadows, the detail, everything.
0:09:24 > 0:09:25Yeah, I think it was a winner.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Brutus is seen here addressing an angry mob after murdering Caesar.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It's one of the last times this famous speech
0:09:32 > 0:09:34was seen on the big screen.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Since then, the play has been adapted
0:09:36 > 0:09:39at least nine times for television.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Who is here so vile that will not love his country?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46If any, speak, for him have I offended.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49I pause for a reply.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- Wow.- How does that make you feel? APPLAUSE
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- Thank you so much. - Oh, no, it's an absolute pleasure.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58It's fantastic.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So, we're going to move on to your home life, Anita.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03What was that like?
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- I was born in the East End... - You're a true Cockney, aren't you?
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- Born within the sound of Bow Bells. - My father was born within
0:10:09 > 0:10:11the sound of Bow Bells, so he was a true Cockney.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Stepney was a little further away from Bow.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14We couldn't actually hear the bells.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18But, yeah, I like to think of myself as a Cockney born and bred.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21So, there was me, my dad, my mum and my younger sister,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and we were very, very close.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28We had a little council flat, and I felt very blessed.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29I was very loved as a child.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31So, you know, born right in the heart of London.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Where's that Cockney accent gone? - Well, it's still there.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37I mean, if I tell jokes, or get tiddly...
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- HE LAUGHS - ..or get cross, it's right there.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Who makes you laugh these days?
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Erm...I tend to laugh a lot anyway.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- You're very bubbly. - I'm a fairly optimistic person...
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- Which is lovely.- ..and I think you should never go through a day
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- without having laughed really loudly at least once.- Mm-hm.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- That's my advice to anyone. - Does your husband make you laugh?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00He's...well, he's a very serious man.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02We're very, very different, Brian and I.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04He's very serious. You know, he's an astronomer,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06he's a sort of absent-minded professor.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08I mean, when you say, "He's an astronomer,"
0:11:08 > 0:11:11you think, "Oh, bless," but he's a professor, isn't he?
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- He's Dr Brian May.- Dr Brian May.- Mm.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16- Isn't that amazing?- Yeah.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I can get an examination whenever I want.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20LAUGHTER
0:11:20 > 0:11:22And he's a doctor of astronomy.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25He's a doctor of physics, I suppose, really, astrophysics.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Yeah, astrophysics.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28And he does 3-D photography,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and he's an animal rights campaigner,
0:11:31 > 0:11:32and he's a rock god.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I mean, you know, there's nothing...
0:11:34 > 0:11:37He's got four careers, where most of us - if we're lucky -
0:11:37 > 0:11:39may be successful at one, you know? Yeah.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40And his humour's quite dry.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Sometimes he'll catch me unaware and he'll really make me laugh.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45But generally speaking,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47he's not kind of, you know, a knock-about funny guy -
0:11:47 > 0:11:49that's not really his thing, no.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- Yeah.- It's more me, I suppose. - Yeah, that's what makes you so...
0:11:52 > 0:11:53It's that yin and yang, isn't it?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- Yeah, it is, isn't it? - That's what you need.- Yeah.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58And you've been together quite some time now,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- which is wonderful, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Been married nearly 15 years, been together 29!
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- 29!- Oh, God.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- Yeah, it does deserve a round... - APPLAUSE
0:12:10 > 0:12:11It's not bad, is it?
0:12:16 > 0:12:19So, your next clip is your parents' choice.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22It's a show that your mum and dad really enjoyed.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I'd like to introduce the girl who usually dances with me.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Here she is, attractive Christine Norton.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- "Attractive."- "Attractive." SHE LAUGHS
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Aw, bless her. She looks lovely.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The basic step of the cha-cha-cha, you'll remember, goes...
0:12:37 > 0:12:40one, two, cha-cha-cha...
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Victor Silvester, a former world ballroom dancing champion,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47began his lessons on the radio in 1941.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50His show brought a touch of glamour to the listeners' lives
0:12:50 > 0:12:53during wartime Britain.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Look at the dress. The skirt. I love it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59He moved onto our screens in 1948,
0:12:59 > 0:13:05where he stayed on the BBC until the mid-'60s.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- And so this is must-see viewing for your...- ..mum and dad, yeah.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Because they used to have, not arguments,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13but they used to have little moments when my dad would say,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16"What are you doing? That's not a fish tail."
0:13:16 > 0:13:18And I'd think, "What are they talking about?"
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- But, obviously, they all have special names.- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25One, two, three, one, two, one, two, three.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29Right, well, that's all it is,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33so now we'll give you a short demonstration of the cha-cha-cha.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Shall we have a go, Anita? SHE GASPS
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Shall we?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- Are you serious? - Come and join me over here.
0:13:39 > 0:13:40Oh, my goodness.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Right, are we ready for this?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Oh, my button's undone. Hold on.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46- He's getting undressed. - LAUGHTER
0:13:46 > 0:13:50CHA-CHA-CHA MUSIC PLAYS
0:13:52 > 0:13:54And... What are we doing, then?
0:13:54 > 0:13:56- You're leading with the right. - Am I?- Yes.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Yes, there you go.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- BOTH:- One, two, cha-cha-cha,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06one, two, cha-cha-cha.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09One, two, cha-cha-cha,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13one, two, cha-cha-cha.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17- Woo! One, two...- Ooh, hello. BOTH:- Cha-cha-cha,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22- one, two, cha-cha-cha. - SHE LAUGHS
0:14:25 > 0:14:28SHE LAUGHS
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- APPLAUSE - We were wasted, weren't we?- I know.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- Wasted.- I know.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Victor Silvester's televised dance lessons
0:14:36 > 0:14:40not only contributed to a boom in dance schools around the country,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43it also started an obsession with ballroom which
0:14:43 > 0:14:45is still in evidence to this day.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47Come Dancing began
0:14:47 > 0:14:50in 1949,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53eventually evolving into a national competition
0:14:53 > 0:14:55with couples from all across the UK
0:14:55 > 0:14:57going head-to-head for the coveted trophy.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Hosts have included Judith Chalmers
0:15:01 > 0:15:03and the much missed Terry Wogan.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Not to mention high-kicking journalist Angela Rippon
0:15:07 > 0:15:11who hosted the show for three years from 1988.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14By 2004,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16we were missing the sequins and the big bands,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19so with Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly at the helm,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Strictly Come Dancing was born,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25and ballroom was back on our screens with a bang.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28And it hasn't left since.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31With around 40 versions of the show worldwide,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34the phenomena isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Let's look at your next choice.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45It is a performer,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47but before we look at it,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51I would like to give you a very subtle, subtle clue...
0:15:53 > 0:15:55..as to who it is.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56Don't know what he's doing.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I hope he's not taking his clothes off and doing something naughty.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00OK.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Oh! Yes! - LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:16:03 > 0:16:06# I, I, I, I, I I like you very much... #
0:16:06 > 0:16:08# I, I, I, I, I, I... #
0:16:08 > 0:16:13- Carmen Miranda.- Yes.- Yay! Woo! - APPLAUSE
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- There you go.- Fantastic.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18We're going to...we'll watch a little clip now,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21and in it she plays a banana xylophone,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- so that's your big moment to shine within this.- Merci.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26So, here we are.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Let's have a look, ladies and gentlemen, at Carmen Miranda.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Oh, my goodness.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36# I wonder why does everybody look at me... #
0:16:36 > 0:16:37A Brazilian bombshell
0:16:37 > 0:16:42who became one of the highest-paid female stars in 1940s Hollywood,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Carmen Miranda will always be remembered for
0:16:44 > 0:16:47her outrageous fruit hats,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51especially this one from the 1943 film The Gang's All Here.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55It was director and choreographer Busby Berkeley's first colour film
0:16:55 > 0:16:59and featured typically flamboyant dance numbers.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01# ..the lady in the tutti-frutti hat
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- # Some people say... # - She was tiny.- Really?
0:17:05 > 0:17:06Yeah. About four foot or something.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- They had to have little men to dance with her.- Oh, really?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- I bet they did.- I tease. - LAUGHTER
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Oh, they're in a trench.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17# ..because I will not take it off to kiss a guy... #
0:17:17 > 0:17:21With hundreds of dancing girls and thousands of bananas,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23big spectacles like this made it
0:17:23 > 0:17:2720th Century Fox's most expensive wartime musical.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31# ..the lady in the tutti-frutti hat... #
0:17:31 > 0:17:33The psychedelic masterpiece
0:17:33 > 0:17:35was seen as a Second World War morale booster.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- Your xylophone solo's coming up... - Oh, is it?- ..any minute now, Anita.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43# ..and when you're gay you dress that way
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- # There's nothing wrong with that... #- Here we go.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48SHE PLAYS BANANA XYLOPHONE
0:17:54 > 0:17:56She's going all the way around, look.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:18:07 > 0:18:09- That was good.- Fantastic.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- My grandfather adored her.- Yeah?
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- And I actually got to play her. - Oh, really?- I did.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I did a musical called Happy As A Sandbag,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and in it I played Carmen Miranda, and I sang the song,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23# I, I, I, I, I I like you very much. #
0:18:23 > 0:18:24And it was fantastic.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And, also, I had to come down a huge flight of stairs
0:18:27 > 0:18:28and go straight into a conga.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31You know, dah-dah-dah, which she did in the film,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and I remember the director was a lovely man called Philip Hedley,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and he said...the first day we went into theatre, he said,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40"Anita, I want you to look at those stairs
0:18:40 > 0:18:41"and I want you to say to yourself,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44'One day I'm going to go down them.'"
0:18:44 > 0:18:46- Meaning fall?- Yeah.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48So, every night, I used to start the song at the top of the stairs,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50and by the time I got to the bottom,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52I thought, "Phew, I'm on even ground."
0:18:52 > 0:18:55And the night I did go down in a show
0:18:55 > 0:18:59and I went straight up in the air and went smack onto my butt.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02But lucky for me, the gods were with me, cos the next line was,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04"And when I fall, I think I fall for you."
0:19:04 > 0:19:06And I was up!
0:19:06 > 0:19:09LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE Oh, that's a lovely story.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Mad, isn't it?
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- The whole company were like... - SHE CHUCKLES
0:19:15 > 0:19:17The lovely thing about Carmen Miranda,
0:19:17 > 0:19:18she just used to pop up in movies,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and make these sort of cameo appearances.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Which nobody could understand because the accent was so thick.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27- But the energy of the woman was wonderful, wasn't it?- Fantastic.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- And the eyes were going. I loved her.- Yeah.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37So, moving back to your television career.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Can you remember your very first big break?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42- My big break?- Mm-hm.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Well, of course, the biggest break had to be EastEnders, yeah.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46That was the thing that changed everything.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I'd kind of being knocking around for a while
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and done sort of things like Partners In Crime
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and, you know, sort of odd little bits.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- Play Away.- Oh, really?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- That was my first telly, really, Play Away.- Play Away?- Yeah.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00# P-L-A-Y, Play Away way, Play Away. #
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- You don't have to sing it, Anita. - That's all right. But I like it!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Do you know why? Cos we've got it for you.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Here we go.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- This is Anita Dobson... - It's fantastic.- ..on Play Away.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Say, don't I know you from someplace?
0:20:15 > 0:20:18- HE HICCUPS - The name's Wild Bill Hiccup, ma'am.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Running for 13 years from 1971,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Play Away was the sister programme to Play School.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26The format was aimed at older children
0:20:26 > 0:20:30and was like a musical variety show with songs and sketches.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- One glass of water coming up. - Thanks.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- So, how old would you have been?- Yay!- Oh.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- Hey! - HE CHUCKLES
0:20:37 > 0:20:38Oh, thank you, ma'am.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- HE HICCUPS - No, ma'am, I'm afraid
0:20:44 > 0:20:46they haven't done the trick.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Well, why don't you try drinking from the other side?
0:20:49 > 0:20:51They say that can cure hiccups.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- Very good American accent there. - Thank you very much, sir.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57If that's what you say. Seems a stupid idea to me.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01LAUGHTER
0:21:01 > 0:21:02There you are.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04So in character. Look at her.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- HE HICCUPS - No, ma'am, still there.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- Fantastic.- So, your time on Play Away, what was that like?
0:21:11 > 0:21:12Oh, I loved it. I loved...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14- Do you remember Brian Cant?- Yes.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Oh, he was adorable.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17How did you get the job?
0:21:17 > 0:21:19I auditioned. Same as everybody else.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Yeah, went along, sang a bit, you know, chatted a bit,
0:21:22 > 0:21:23read some sketches and that was it.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- Had you been to drama school?- Yes. Yeah, I went to drama school.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Webber Douglas, which is gone now -
0:21:28 > 0:21:30that's how old I am.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31The weird thing was that
0:21:31 > 0:21:34the drama school was in Gloucester Road, South Kensington,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and I lived in Stepney.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38And when I got a grant,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41cos we didn't have any money, obviously, where I came from,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45so I had to apply for a grant cos I hadn't gone to university.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49So, I got one, erm...and they would pay for the fees,
0:21:49 > 0:21:50but I had to live at home,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53which meant I didn't lose any weight because Mum was still cooking.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57So, I would travel up to, you know, South Kensington...
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- IN A POSH VOICE: - ..where everybody spoke like that.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02And it was all a bit, "Yah. Oh, darling, how lovely."
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Then I'd go home, and everyone was like...
0:22:04 > 0:22:06- IN A COCKNEY ACCENT:- "How did it go, then? Was it all right, girl?
0:22:06 > 0:22:08"I bet you was fantastic today."
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- And it was like being a sort of split personality.- Yeah.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13But I think it was good for me.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15- It kind of gave me two voices, if you like.- Yeah.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18- Gave you your EastEnders voice. - Yeah, it did.- Yeah.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20And how did that come about?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22My agent said, "Oh, they want to see you.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27"The girl that's playing...that was playing Angie Watts has been sacked,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29"so they're looking for someone to play the part.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32"So, Julia Smith, the executive producer,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34"has asked to see about six..."
0:22:34 > 0:22:36I think it was six or eight actresses.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38- "..of which you're one." - So I said, "OK."
0:22:38 > 0:22:40So, I went along in a little '40s suit.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- I remember it was maroon. - I've still got it.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44With a little waist and a little brooch...
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- I bet you can still fit into it as well.- I can! Bless you.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49And I had my hair gelled.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51And as I walked in, Julia Smith went,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54"Now, that's a look. That's a good look."
0:22:54 > 0:22:57And that's all she said. And I thought, "Sounds good."
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And then I read about six scripts,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03and I thought, "This is good."
0:23:03 > 0:23:07And she said, "Take them home, and we'll call you this afternoon
0:23:07 > 0:23:09"and let you know whether you've got it or not."
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I got into my beaten-up old Vauxhall Cavalier
0:23:12 > 0:23:13with the tartan seating
0:23:13 > 0:23:15and drove home.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18The heavens opened, the car broke down,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I got soaked, I had to get a cab -
0:23:21 > 0:23:22I had no money in those days -
0:23:22 > 0:23:24had to get a cab, got home, drenched,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27walked through the door of my little council flat,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29dropped the scripts down, sat in the armchair.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31The phone went. My agent said, "You've got it."
0:23:32 > 0:23:36So, and I often find...yeah, when adversity strikes,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40- sometimes it's a good omen, strangely enough.- Yeah.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- So, how long was you in it for? - Only three and three-quarter years.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- Really?- Yeah. - So you wasn't in it that long.- No.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I suppose I felt I wanted to quit while I was ahead.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53There's only so many ways you can play a drunk scene -
0:23:53 > 0:23:54that's what I thought.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I thought, "You're going to have to go round and do them all again."
0:23:57 > 0:24:00And I thought, "No, you've gone as far as you can go."
0:24:00 > 0:24:02And then, of course, they divorced us,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05and, for me, that was the end of the line.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I thought, "These two people work so well
0:24:07 > 0:24:10"because they stay in the same house."
0:24:10 > 0:24:14They war and they fight, but they stay under the same roof.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16The minute you separate them,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19something changes the chemistry in a way.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Shall we have a little look at a little moment from EastEnders?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Oh, my God. Which one have you chosen?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Oh, there he is.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29You don't regret staying with me, do you? Don't answer.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31BRIAN CHUCKLES
0:24:31 > 0:24:33I don't want to get morbid, today of all days.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Audience figures peaked on Christmas Day in 1986
0:24:36 > 0:24:39when 30 million of us switched on
0:24:39 > 0:24:42to watch Den end his marriage to Angie
0:24:42 > 0:24:45in true Dirty Den style.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47..like on the Orient Express,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49back in the bar,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51chatting up the barman.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54"Oh, I've told my husband this terrible lie.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56"Six little months to live."
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Still got that top.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04This, my sweet, is a letter from my solicitor
0:25:04 > 0:25:07telling you that your husband has filed a petition for divorce.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Happy Christmas, Ange.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16DRUMS BEAT
0:25:16 > 0:25:17God, I looked all right, didn't I?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- Wasn't bad, was I? - You still look good.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24APPLAUSE
0:25:24 > 0:25:25It's nice.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28You forget...cos you're so in it, you forget, you know,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31that when I left, and I watched some of the reruns,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34then you realise kind of the impact you had.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37But I suppose you have no idea, you know, at the time
0:25:37 > 0:25:41just...what you look like and kind of how you're affecting people.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Well, it was one of the most iconic scenes
0:25:43 > 0:25:46in the whole of the history of EastEnders.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47It was a great part to play.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Really fantastic part. I was very blessed.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55- But, as I say, I never knew what it was going to do.- Yeah.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58It is amazing that you still have this huge energy.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00You know, you're still...
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Right...right the way through your career
0:26:02 > 0:26:06have just kept this energy there, kept the ball up.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08You know, it's a real passion,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- and obviously a love affair with acting that you have.- Yes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Thank you for putting it so nicely,
0:26:13 > 0:26:14but, yes, I think you're right - it is.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Basically, I eat, sleep and drink it.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18You know, if I'm not talking about it,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22I'm watching it or reading about it or discussing it or...yeah.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Or talking to youngsters and helping them, you know?
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Yeah, if anybody...people ask you to go and chat to people, I love it.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I love the fact that, you know, youngsters,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35you want to inspire that same passion and desire in them,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39you want to see their eyes light up and you want to see them fired up.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43So, what's the best advice you give to a budding actor?
0:26:43 > 0:26:46NEVER give up. Never give up.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48If you want it badly enough, it will come,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50but you have to give it everything,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54and you have to believe in it, and you have to not give up.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01So, you're a fan of Midsomer Murders.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I do like Midsomer Murders, yeah.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Does it worry you, all these murders happening?- It does seem odd.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Does seem a little odd that...
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I think, "Is there anybody left...in Midsomer?"
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Yeah, it's worrying, isn't it,
0:27:13 > 0:27:14that people go there and die, really.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Yeah, yeah.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18So, Anita, I give my guests the opportunity now
0:27:18 > 0:27:21to pick a theme tune for us to play out on.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23My head's full of Flanagan and Allen at the moment,
0:27:23 > 0:27:24so I can't think of any.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26But I do remember a series that I loved
0:27:26 > 0:27:30and a policeman that I adored was Dixon Of Dock Green.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31Oh, wow. Yeah.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- Do you remember Dixon Of Dock Green? - Yes, of course.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- Was it Jack Warner? - Jack Warner, yes!
0:27:35 > 0:27:37And he was always so lovely, wasn't he?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40With his hands around his back. "Evening, all."
0:27:40 > 0:27:41Aw, lovely. Yeah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43All right. Well, you've been lovely as well.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- My thanks to you. - Thank you so much.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- Can I have a little peck? Mwah. Mwah.- Mwah.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- Shall we do three?- Go on!- Damn it. - LAUGHTER
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- So, my thanks to you, Anita... - It's a pleasure.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55..and my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57- We'll see you next time.- Bye-bye. Thank you.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59APPLAUSE
0:27:59 > 0:28:02DIXON OF DOCK GREEN THEME MUSIC PLAYS
0:28:15 > 0:28:17- DIXON:- Hello, that boy with the mouth organ's back again.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Oh, well, he's...he's not a bad bloke.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24HE CONTINUES TO WHISTLE
0:28:24 > 0:28:26It's a bit lonely on the old beat sometimes, you know...?