Richard Arnold The TV That Made Me


Richard Arnold

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Transcript


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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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-Aah!

-I loved this.

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Each day, I'm going to journey

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through 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 is just so silly.

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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 adore this.

-Some will make you laugh...

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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.

-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 knows a thing or two about television.

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He is the one and only Mr Richard Arnold.

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Richard! Welcome, welcome to my flat.

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Thank you. Thank you.

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A radio and TV presenter for over 20 years,

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Richard's made a career of knowing about what's on the box,

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working as a TV critic for GMTV

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and most recently, as the entertainment editor

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on Good Morning Britain.

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The TV that made him includes a very fashionable costume drama,

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an inspirational talk show legend...

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A veritable maelstrom of emotional carnage.

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..and a TV show that kicked off his career.

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Bless her heart. Well, Tina, who am I to refuse a damsel in distress?

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Richard, you must know more about TV than anyone else does.

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I mean, you're famed for being a TV critic, you know,

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-and your magazine articles, things like that.

-Yeah.

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So, you should be an expert on this show.

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See this is where you're always put...

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under the cosh when people assume that you have seen absolutely

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every hour of television over the last 30 years.

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I probably have, but I can't remember a lot of it.

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Well, today is a celebration

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of your favourite TV moments.

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-Oh, you will have me tearing up.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Do you think so?

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-Oh, yeah.

-Yeah?

-I love pressing that nostalgia button.

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You know, when you start talking about TV of old,

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it takes you right back. It's the best therapy...

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-We're going to need a bigger couch, though.

-You think so? Why?

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-Well, cos if I'm in therapy, I like to stretch out.

-OK.

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-You can stretch out.

-I can stretch out?

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-You're good with that, aren't you?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

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-Of course he is. Of course he is.

-Well, before we get started,

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we're going to find out a little bit more about the young Richard Arnold.

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-Right, OK.

-Have a little look at this.

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Born in 1969 in Hampshire, Richard grew up with his mum Dot,

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and his dad Dave, who was a helicopter engineer.

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The family moved to Aberdeenshire when he was 11,

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and he went on to study at Edinburgh University.

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After uni, Richard headed to London to take a course

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in journalism.

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This would eventually lead to him getting the job that would shape the

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rest of his career when he became a reporter for Inside Soap magazine.

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Richard's first TV gig was The Sunday Show in 1995,

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and he's been a familiar face on our screens ever since.

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-Takes you back, doesn't it?

-Doesn't it?

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TV, for us, was appointment to view.

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It was actually quite unifying.

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We always ate our dinner or whatever at the table,

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but we went to the TV, obviously, and gathered around it.

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And we would watch shows as a family.

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I'm an only child, so it was me, Dot and Dave.

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And they're still with us, you know.

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And we still, to this day, whenever they come and stay,

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we'll sit down and watch the big shows like Strictly and X Factor.

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-Yeah?

-And the dramas and all that.

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-I want to take you back to your earliest TV memory now, Richard.

-OK.

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I'm not going to say any more,

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but let's have a little look, shall we?

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-Ooh.

-La Maison de Toutou.

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-Yes.

-The letterbox.

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I'd forgotten that.

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It was originally a production

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from France.

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-Was it? I had no idea.

-Yeah, yeah.

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They added British voices at a later date.

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DOG WHISTLES

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Why are you whistling, Hector?

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I'm calling Mrs Frog. I'm bored.

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-I feel like some company.

-Oh, Hector.

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First broadcast in the UK in the '60s,

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Hector's House was a popular but rather basic hand puppet show.

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..Mr Hector calling.

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-That's brilliant!

-Oh, the frog.

-I'm regressing.

-The frog.

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I know, I'm regressing.

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Weren't we easily pleased? LAUGHTER

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We really were.

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The funny thing, this is the sort

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-of thing you can watch now and it's quite hypnotic, isn't it?

-Yeah.

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This gentle children's TV series featured Hector the Dog,

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Zsazsa the Cat and Kiki the Frog,

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as they got up to all sorts of adventures in Hector's back garden.

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Nothing there? Oh, well, the postman hasn't been yet.

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-Let's go and put it in the box.

-Oh, yes.

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What do you think of the puppetry? It's hilarious.

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Well, it's state-of-the-art. It's state-of-the-art, who needs CGI?

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-I don't.

-What's not to love?

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Could you imagine children today enjoying it?

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Do you know what, I-I think if you

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take these devices out of their hands and stuff, you know,

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their imagination is just as vivid as it was...

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Goodness knows we needed imagination to fill in the gaps here,

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didn't we, when we were younger?

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Do you know what I mean? I wonder where those puppets are.

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They're probably in an attic with a lot of old memories.

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-HECTOR CLEARS THROAT

-"My dear Hector..."

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-"My dear Hector..."

-Yes, my dear Hector.

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"You are a great big old Hector..." Ha, you see, they know me.

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Oh, yes.

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So, this is a very young Richard just getting

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-engrossed into Hector's House, was it?

-Mm-hm. Yeah.

-Yeah?

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Well, it was the narrative, very tightly woven plots,

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Brian, that got me into it, I think...

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LAUGHTER It was utterly gripping.

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I wish there had been an omnibus, let's put it that way.

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We're going to go to Must See TV.

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-And before we...

-Oh, my God.

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..we have Must See TV, there is a little clue as to what it might be.

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-You sure this goes out in the afternoon?

-Yeah, yeah.

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Can you guess what the show might be, if we've given you this?

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-If you've given me this?

-No, no, no. You've got a little...

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Is this like a dressing gown that I wore in my misspent youth

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while I watched my favourite show?

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-Well, I believe it's someone on that show...

-Right.

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..who used to wear something very similar to that.

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-Come on.

-Yeah, it's what I'm thinking about.

-It's Dallas.

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It's Dallas. Right. OK, yeah, this is my favourite show of all time.

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I actually go to Southfork, well,

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-have done for the last six years, every year.

-Every year?

-Every year.

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-Like...to pay homage?

-Well, yes, yeah! Give it a dust.

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-Should we have a little look?

-Yeah, go on.

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Take me back, take me back. Here's a bit of Dallas.

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Debuting in 1978 as a five-part miniseries, the original run of

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Dallas was extended and went on to air for over 13 seasons

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between 1978 and 1991.

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Thanks to its gripping, sensational storylines,

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Dallas was a huge success and went on to be dubbed

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in 67 languages,

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broadcasting in more than

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90 countries.

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I'm a complete Dallas aficionado/fan.

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It was the show that we watched as a family -

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again, because you had to stay in for television, then.

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So, this was obviously pre the VCR or whatever.

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And so, when it started in 1978,

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I remember sitting down and watched it.

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Then, of course, the whole shooting of JR thing happened in 1980,

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and it all took off. And I would sit in a...

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HE LAUGHS

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..not something too dissimilar.

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-It was like a sort of quilted silk dressing gown.

-Right.

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You know, on Dallas, JR's favourite drink was bourbon and branch,

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which is like a Scotch and water, I suppose, isn't it? Whatever.

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So, I would...

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get Mum to put lots of ice in Coca-Cola

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so that when he drank, I would drink.

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And it would rattle like it does on the show.

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Like a young person's drinking game, isn't it?

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HE LAUGHS That's where it started.

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-Well, we have a scene here, and it involves Larry Hagman.

-Go on.

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Slightly risque. Well, you can almost see everything.

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Well, just keep spreading the Bs, boy.

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'Yes, sir.'

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Booty, booze and broads.

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The first thing you taught me a good lobbyist likes.

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Oh, close your...

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-BOTH:

-Ooh!

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That could have gone either way.

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Oil baron JR Ewing was only meant to be a supporting role,

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but this addictive villain proved hugely popular with viewers

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and soon became a lead.

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Brilliantly played by Larry Hagman,

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JR was the only character to appear in all 357 episodes.

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-Well, what have we here?

-GLASS CLINKS

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Now, that's a dressing gown, Richard.

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Well, it's a little closer to what I normally wear at home, actually.

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-Really?

-Yeah, the company I keep is marginally different.

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LAUGHTER

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-But the gaping kimono, I do own.

-Really?

-Yes, I do own. Yes.

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So, did you have a favourite character within the show?

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It was Linda Gray - Sue Ellen - and JR.

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It was all about them for me.

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But what about when it came back and it was all a dream?

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-Oh, Bobby? Yeah, the shower?

-Yeah.

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In one of the most bizarre plot lines ever seen on primetime

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television, Bobby Ewing returned to Dallas a year after being

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killed off.

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And the explanation of his return -

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that the whole previous season's

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events had been a dream.

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Good morning.

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How did that sit with you?

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-I loved it cos it was great to see Patrick Duffy back.

-Yes.

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So, I would forgive them anything,

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if it was getting the whole family back together,

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so that didn't bother me.

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I managed to suspend disbelief. I mean, I think the show went

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a little downhill then, but nevertheless, I stuck with it

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all the way to the end. Watched every episode.

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You are without doubt a Dallas expert,

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so we would like to put you to the test right now.

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I'd like to remind everyone that you actually did this...

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This is your specialist subject on Mastermind.

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-Yeah, it was, yeah.

-It was.

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Starting now. After the initial pilot episodes of Dallas,

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Duncan Acres became the location for which fictional Texas ranch,

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the home of the Ewing family?

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-Southfork Ranch.

-Yes.

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-Richard.

-Yes.

-This is your Dallas quiz.

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-STOPWATCH CLICKS

-When JR was first shot

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on March 21st, 19...

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-'80.

-See, you know all that.

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..who did it?

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Was it Kristin Shepard, Sue Ellen, Cliff Barnes or Miss Ellie?

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-Kristin Shepard.

-Absolutely correct.

-Sue Ellen's sister. Yes.

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-HE LAUGHS

-Won that.

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-That is your...that is your...

-Do I have to put it on?

-Yes, you do.

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I'm not sure it goes with my kimono, but I'll give it a shot, Brian,

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just cos I'm a big fan.

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Shall I just put it on my nose? I mean, we'll just do that.

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OK, we are good.

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-Name...

-AUDIENCE LAUGHS

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This is a serious quiz, ladies and gentlemen.

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I'm on a knife's edge, ladies and gentlemen, here.

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-Well, my career is, anyway.

-Name...

-THEY LAUGH

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-..name the Dallas spin-off series that ran from 1979 to 1993.

-That...

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-Was it...? Oh, you don't even need these.

-Go on.

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..Santa Barbara, Knots Landing,

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The Colbys, The Ewings?

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It was Knots Landing, and I've been there too. Three times.

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-A cul-de-sac in California.

-Great.

-Yep.

-You've upgraded now.

-Have I?

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To a slightly bigger hat. You can take that one off.

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-Well, that might work. I can take that one off, can I?

-Yes.

-Right.

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Oh, OK. Right, I might have to wear it at a jaunty angle for now.

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Is that all right?

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Which Academy award-winning actress replaced

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Barbara Bel Geddes in the role of Miss Ellie for just one season?

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Was it A - Donna Reed, B - Elizabeth Taylor,

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C - Jessica Tandy or D - Katharine Hepburn?

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The late, great Donna Reed.

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-Donna Reed.

-APPLAUSE

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We're getting there. HE CHUCKLES

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In 1987, which Hollywood heart-throb had an early role as Randy,

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the boyfriend of Charlie Wade?

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Was it A - Brad Pitt, B - Johnny Depp,

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C - John Cusack or D - Ben Affleck?

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-Brad Pitt.

-That is correct.

-Yeah, yeah, that's right.

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APPLAUSE

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-OK, slightly bigger.

-Well, it's a bit...

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-It's Tex-Mex, I'll give you that. It's Tex-Mex.

-Final question.

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Name all four Ewing brothers.

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Gary, Ray, Bobby and JR.

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-Absolutely right.

-Thank you very much.

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Do I get the full ten gallons now?

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LAUGHTER

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Did you win this in a raffle?

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-Your applause, please...

-APPLAUSE

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-..to the king of Dallas.

-Thank you.

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The man who pretty much knows it all. Well done indeed.

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Thank you, ma'am.

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-And we're going to do an Advert Break now.

-OK.

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It's a VW advert.

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-Oh, OK, right.

-Starring...

-Is this Paula...?

-..Paula Hamilton.

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-Yeah, yeah, I do remember this.

-Yeah.

-Oh, this was great.

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# Everyone is going through changes... #

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I can't believe you found this.

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# And no-one knows what's going on. #

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It's almost 30 years since Paula Hamilton reached the heights

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of her modelling career,

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starring in one of the most iconic TV ads of the '80s.

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She going to keep that fur coat?

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I think we've all had days like this, haven't we, ladies?

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Or dates that have gone wrong like that?

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So, she's, obviously, not in the best of moods.

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Look at the shoulder pads on that.

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Thinks about dropping the keys through the drain,

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but she's not going to give up the motor.

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And there she goes.

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Now, which one of us hasn't re-enacted that moment?

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LAUGHTER

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# But the world goes on the same. #

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And also, I think you hear the music then.

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Adverts around that time in the '80s

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had soundtracks, effectively, didn't they?

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And the songs became hits off the back of them,

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so Sam Cooke, the old Levi's adverts, you know?

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It sort of all caught on.

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You know, these songs suddenly became big hits off the back of,

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you know, obviously, being in adverts.

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Well, we've got something now that's got plenty of frocks

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and the odd shock.

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RICHARD LAUGHS Oh, it's The House Of Eliott!

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This 1920s period drama followed the fate of two sisters

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after their philandering father dies,

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leaving them penniless.

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The sisters set their sights on starting up a dressmaking business.

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I'll have it sorted out in a minute.

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Louise Lombard, was it?

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-Yes, she was. Louise Lombard.

-Yeah, Louise Lombard. Yeah.

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-It's been a very heavy day for all of us.

-Right.

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Um, right, well, there were 36 garments in the small store.

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-Now, they're undamaged.

-Only 36?

-I'm afraid so.

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-The House Of Eliott. Sunday nights.

-Yeah.

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And it was such kitsch viewing.

0:15:320:15:35

So, two women, obviously, setting up their own fashion house,

0:15:350:15:38

which was The House Of Eliott.

0:15:380:15:40

French and Saunders did a fantastic spoof of it

0:15:400:15:42

called The House Of Idiot. LAUGHTER

0:15:420:15:44

You know what French and Saunders are like, God bless them.

0:15:440:15:46

They got it absolutely bang on. Every episode would sort of open

0:15:460:15:50

-with a penny-farthing coming into view.

-Yeah.

0:15:500:15:53

Um, it was all that sort of business.

0:15:530:15:55

But with a bit of overtime here and at Bayswater,

0:15:550:15:57

I reckon we could make up the lost time in about eight weeks.

0:15:570:16:00

As soon as that?

0:16:000:16:01

-I think that's a little optimistic.

-Well, everyone's keen to try.

0:16:010:16:05

Well, I think we'd better err on the side of caution and say ten weeks.

0:16:060:16:09

-Don't you agree?

-Yes, I do.

0:16:090:16:12

People couldn't understand why it was so popular, I think,

0:16:120:16:15

-and it became... It was the Downton of its day, if you like.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:16:150:16:18

Or certainly in a similar slot.

0:16:180:16:20

It's something you watched religiously?

0:16:200:16:22

Yeah, we used to watch it on Sunday nights. I'd just moved to London.

0:16:220:16:25

We were living hand-to-mouth, so we would always be staying in.

0:16:250:16:28

You know what I mean? Eating tuna pasta bake or whatever.

0:16:280:16:30

I was living with two friends at the time, Shona and Louise,

0:16:300:16:34

-and the three of us would re-enact scenes.

-Really?

-Yeah.

0:16:340:16:38

It was terrific. Absolutely terrific.

0:16:380:16:42

-That takes me right back, that does.

-Aw.

0:16:420:16:44

I mean, this was a costume drama, so were you into fashion?

0:16:440:16:47

Not really into fashion, you know, um, but I loved...

0:16:470:16:52

-Again, I suppose it is that sort of glamour...

-Is it the romance?

0:16:520:16:55

..the romance, yeah. I loved all...

0:16:550:16:57

You know, like A Passage To India, A Jewel In The Crown.

0:16:570:17:00

-Loved all those shows.

-Mm-hm.

0:17:000:17:02

Give me a sweeping saga, and as you say, frocks and shocks,

0:17:020:17:05

-and I'm a happy man.

-Yeah.

0:17:050:17:09

And they're vintage, you know. Perhaps House Of Eliott less so,

0:17:090:17:12

with the greatest of respect to the creative team behind it.

0:17:120:17:15

But when you think about Brideshead Revisited

0:17:150:17:17

and shows like that, I mean,

0:17:170:17:18

I just think we set the standard in this country.

0:17:180:17:21

Richard, we're going for your Biggest TV Influence now.

0:17:260:17:30

I won't say anything, but have a look at this.

0:17:300:17:32

Here he is. The governor.

0:17:320:17:33

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:17:330:17:35

-Aw.

-He is a legend, isn't he?

-Yeah, absolutely.

0:17:350:17:39

Compliments of the season to you, my people,

0:17:390:17:42

and a very happy Christmas.

0:17:420:17:43

In the decade that Wogan aired,

0:17:430:17:45

this hit talk show pulled in the biggest stars.

0:17:450:17:48

Generally broadcast live, the late, great Sir Terry

0:17:480:17:51

was known for his unflappable and humorous interviewing skills.

0:17:510:17:55

This is a Dallas one. I've got this on VHS.

0:17:550:17:59

-I've got this on VHS!

-You are unbelievable.

-Yes.

0:17:590:18:01

A good old Texas boy, John Ross Ewing Jr,

0:18:010:18:05

otherwise known as Larry Hagman.

0:18:050:18:06

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:18:060:18:09

I can almost quote it word for word.

0:18:090:18:11

You cracked the old whip, didn't you, by bringing back Bobby?

0:18:110:18:15

Well, no. No, not at all. I...

0:18:150:18:18

My whole modus operandi

0:18:180:18:20

was to get the show back to where it was a year ago.

0:18:200:18:22

Because it had slumped in the ratings?

0:18:220:18:24

Not because it had slumped in the ratings.

0:18:240:18:26

Because it wasn't any fun any more.

0:18:260:18:27

-An absolute master of his game, Wogan.

-Yeah.

0:18:270:18:31

And just watching this,

0:18:310:18:32

-I used to pretend I was being interviewed by him.

-Oh, no.

0:18:320:18:34

I was an only child, Brian, so you had to make a lot of it up,

0:18:340:18:38

fill in the blanks, and I used to pretend I was being interviewed.

0:18:380:18:41

-There was no singing in a hairbrush for me.

-No.

0:18:410:18:44

But there was sort of, you know, imagining being interviewed,

0:18:440:18:47

-rather like you're doing now.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

0:18:470:18:49

Um, and Wogan was always my preferred...

0:18:490:18:51

No disrespect, but, you know... LAUGHTER

0:18:510:18:54

He's a cocky devil, isn't he?

0:18:540:18:56

-Why would you say that?

-LAUGHTER

0:18:560:18:58

There is something about his demeanour.

0:18:580:19:00

What do you think of Wogan's technique?

0:19:000:19:02

He just... He has... He had a...

0:19:020:19:06

-His charm.

-Mm-hm.

-You know?

0:19:060:19:08

I think it was that twinkle in the eye, his charm,

0:19:080:19:12

-he sort of affectionately ribbed people.

-Mm-hm.

0:19:120:19:14

It felt very inclusive.

0:19:140:19:16

You know, I just think, as I say, a master of his game.

0:19:160:19:19

He was indeed.

0:19:210:19:23

Legendary entertainer Sir Terry Wogan started his career

0:19:230:19:26

on Irish radio before joining the BBC in the mid-'60s.

0:19:260:19:30

Thanks to his quick wit, wisdom and charm,

0:19:320:19:35

he became a broadcasting superstar of both radio and television.

0:19:350:19:40

Sir Terry could turn his hand to anything,

0:19:410:19:44

from fronting a hit game show to co-hosting Children in Need.

0:19:440:19:47

Not only did the world's biggest celebrities

0:19:490:19:51

flock to be interviewed by the great man...

0:19:510:19:53

..his Radio 2 breakfast show regularly boasted

0:19:550:19:58

eight million listeners, including the Queen,

0:19:580:20:01

which made him the most popular radio host in Europe.

0:20:010:20:05

Speaking of Europe, Sir Terry was, of course,

0:20:050:20:08

famed for his cheeky commentary on the Eurovision Song Contest.

0:20:080:20:12

Yeah, I think I've made a little mistake.

0:20:140:20:16

-WOGAN:

-That's OK. You're fired.

0:20:160:20:18

Without doubt one of the most popular

0:20:190:20:21

and best-loved broadcasters in Britain,

0:20:210:20:24

Sir Terry, we miss you.

0:20:240:20:26

So, as a young man, Richard Arnold will be looking at this,

0:20:280:20:31

dreaming of being the Terry Wogan interviewing many guests.

0:20:310:20:35

Yeah, absolutely.

0:20:350:20:36

As I say, the fact that I've ended up being in a position

0:20:360:20:39

to interview all these big names over the years -

0:20:390:20:41

could be sportsmen, you're shaking hands with prime ministers,

0:20:410:20:44

-you've met all your TV heroes...

-Yeah.

0:20:440:20:47

..it's extraordinary.

0:20:470:20:49

I mean, who have you been in awe of?

0:20:490:20:51

I was flown to New York to interview Barbra Streisand.

0:20:510:20:56

StreisAND.

0:20:560:20:57

And...

0:20:570:20:59

Cos I called her Barbra STREISand, which you tend to do in Britain.

0:20:590:21:02

Of course, she's quick to correct. She said, "It's StreisAND."

0:21:020:21:04

But she was wonderful.

0:21:040:21:05

You get showed into the room. You're sat there and she's there.

0:21:050:21:08

There's this lighting rig going on. Everything is fabulous.

0:21:080:21:11

Anyway, it's a very hot day in New York.

0:21:110:21:13

It's early autumn and we're in this hotel, as I say.

0:21:130:21:16

The lights are up

0:21:160:21:17

and I started to get a bead of sweat on my top lip.

0:21:170:21:20

It wasn't nerves at all because I think if you've done your prep -

0:21:200:21:23

and obviously being a big Barbra fan,

0:21:230:21:25

which may come as a shock to you... LAUGHTER

0:21:250:21:28

..I was, you know, giddy, more than anything. Really excited.

0:21:280:21:32

Anyway, the interview, I think, is going really, really well

0:21:320:21:35

and she's tittering away.

0:21:350:21:37

She said, "You're my leading man for today."

0:21:370:21:39

I thought, "Great, I'll have that."

0:21:390:21:41

And she then stopped the interview.

0:21:410:21:45

And she just leant forward with a tissue and mopped my top lip

0:21:450:21:49

and she said, "We've got to take care of each other, right?"

0:21:490:21:52

-It was unbelievable. I was like...

-Lovely.

0:21:520:21:54

Extraordinary.

0:21:540:21:56

-And the second time was also in New York.

-You've got a bogey.

0:21:560:21:58

Have I got a...? Have I? LAUGHTER

0:21:580:22:01

She did it with a bit more panache.

0:22:040:22:07

Well done. She did it with... And there it is.

0:22:070:22:10

-I love the way you bit. "Have I? Have I?"

-Yeah.

0:22:120:22:16

What was your first break into television then, Richard?

0:22:210:22:24

How did you go from being interviewed,

0:22:240:22:25

pretending to be interviewed by Wogan to...?

0:22:250:22:27

To getting on the telly?

0:22:270:22:29

I was working for a magazine in London at the time.

0:22:290:22:32

It was one of its kind at the time.

0:22:320:22:34

It was a magazine about soap operas,

0:22:340:22:36

and this was my sort of work experience

0:22:360:22:38

when I came down from Scotland,

0:22:380:22:39

cos I actually started off studying law at Edinburgh.

0:22:390:22:42

Gave it up after about three weeks. It was a little too...

0:22:420:22:44

It wasn't like Crown Court, let's put it that way.

0:22:440:22:47

And so moved down and a phone call came into the office saying,

0:22:470:22:50

"We're looking for someone to come on and talk about telly

0:22:500:22:53

"on this new show."

0:22:530:22:54

It was a youth show called The Sunday Show.

0:22:540:22:56

It was out on Sundays, funnily enough.

0:22:560:22:58

Did exactly what it said on the tin.

0:22:580:22:59

And it was about '94, '95,

0:22:590:23:02

and my nickname on the show was Soapy Dick.

0:23:020:23:06

LAUGHTER

0:23:060:23:09

-That's a moniker that can stick with a gentleman.

-Yes, yes.

0:23:090:23:13

And so that's how it started,

0:23:130:23:16

and we did a sort of surreal take on the week's TV.

0:23:160:23:21

Well, let's have a look, shall we, at your big break?

0:23:210:23:25

We've got this rather heart-rending letter from...

0:23:250:23:27

HE LAUGHS 'Oh, no way!'

0:23:270:23:30

-This is you on The Sunday Show, Richard.

-No way!

0:23:300:23:32

Where did you find this?

0:23:320:23:34

Broadcast on a Sunday lunchtime,

0:23:340:23:36

the show gave the lowdown on what was happening

0:23:360:23:38

in the world of entertainment.

0:23:380:23:40

"..why we are so unpopular.

0:23:400:23:41

"I just want people to accept us the way we are, pigs and all.

0:23:410:23:43

"Can you help? Love always, Tina." Bless her heart.

0:23:430:23:46

Well, Tina, who am I to refuse a damsel in distress?

0:23:460:23:48

So, I've brought in a couple of media moguls

0:23:480:23:50

into the studio today to help boost and polish up the Dingles' image.

0:23:500:23:53

'I remember the shirt. Notice the sheen on it.'

0:23:530:23:57

And the bouff, look at the bouff, girls.

0:23:570:23:59

-Oh, yeah.

-It's not bad. Well, I've still got my hair, at least.

0:23:590:24:03

So, save our bacon. And this would be...

0:24:030:24:05

'How old am I here then? 24?'

0:24:050:24:06

-You've got to be in your early 20s, haven't you?

-Yeah.

0:24:060:24:09

-Been around a while, haven't we?

-You have, love. Not me.

0:24:090:24:13

HE LAUGHS

0:24:130:24:15

-This was Sunday morning hangover television.

-Yeah.

0:24:170:24:19

That was just for me presenting it, but...

0:24:190:24:21

-Was it nerve-racking?

-Yeah, it was. It was. It was very nerve-racking.

0:24:210:24:24

This is the first national live television that I did.

0:24:240:24:27

I did a bit of cable as a pundit before that,

0:24:270:24:29

and then a couple of years later,

0:24:290:24:30

the phone call came from Breakfast TV and that was it.

0:24:300:24:33

I've never had a lie-in since.

0:24:330:24:35

I mean, I suppose the practicality of actually, you know,

0:24:370:24:42

getting up every morning at the crack of dawn,

0:24:420:24:44

how difficult is it?

0:24:440:24:46

Uh, do you know, it's not as bad as people...

0:24:460:24:49

I am a bit of a morning person.

0:24:490:24:51

I do like to be tucked up in my bed, the earlier the better.

0:24:510:24:54

But, yeah, I've been woken up by the driver once

0:24:540:24:57

-in the best part of 20 years, yeah.

-Oh, right.

-Yeah.

0:24:570:24:59

And it's like anyone who oversleeps for work -

0:24:590:25:03

it throws you completely.

0:25:030:25:04

Mum, God bless her, she's all of 79 years of age, and very robust.

0:25:040:25:08

-Can I touch some teak?

-Yeah, of course you can.

0:25:080:25:10

And it's funny, cos she'll ring up -

0:25:100:25:14

and I know when the call is coming

0:25:140:25:16

cos I'm feeling a little bit under the weather.

0:25:160:25:18

And about sort of ten o'clock at night

0:25:180:25:20

and Dad will have told her not to bother me...

0:25:200:25:22

You know, "Leave the boy alone."

0:25:220:25:23

..she'll ring up and say, "Everything all right?"

0:25:230:25:26

I said, "Yeah. What?"

0:25:260:25:27

"You looked a bit tired this morning."

0:25:270:25:30

I said, "Mum, you're the only woman who still knows

0:25:300:25:32

"what her 46-year-old son is wearing to school, effectively," you know.

0:25:320:25:37

So, they enjoy that,

0:25:370:25:38

because I'm still living with them at home, essentially,

0:25:380:25:41

cos they can get up every morning...

0:25:410:25:43

Mum's always like, "What's he said now?

0:25:430:25:44

"Oh, he can't say that," you know.

0:25:440:25:46

"Leave him alone, Dot. Leave him alone, Dot."

0:25:460:25:48

So, Richard, what TV do you watch now?

0:25:530:25:55

I don't watch a lot of television in real time any more.

0:25:550:25:58

The only things I will sit down for are the big shiny floor shows,

0:25:580:26:02

you know, like Strictly and the X Factor,

0:26:020:26:05

so I tend to download a lot of television.

0:26:050:26:07

-But, yeah, it's all those sort of...

-What about Downton?

0:26:070:26:09

Downton, I love Downton.

0:26:090:26:11

Downton, I was on... The very first series...

0:26:110:26:18

I was working below stairs.

0:26:180:26:21

I was on set for the very first series,

0:26:210:26:23

and that was quite extraordinary being part of that

0:26:230:26:26

and getting to know the cast then

0:26:260:26:27

and then obviously watching as the show took off,

0:26:270:26:30

and it's impossible to overestimate

0:26:300:26:32

the popularity of that show in America.

0:26:320:26:34

-Oh, really?

-It's extraordinary.

0:26:340:26:36

And to be part of every series,

0:26:360:26:39

to go down and visit the set every series

0:26:390:26:41

and get to know the cast - Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery...

0:26:410:26:43

-So, you would be on interviewing the guests?

-That's right.

0:26:430:26:46

-And so you would be on that journey, if you like, with them...

-Mm-hm.

0:26:460:26:49

..cos they remember you coming to the very first episode.

0:26:490:26:52

That's been a real privilege,

0:26:520:26:54

-being part of that, albeit from a very, you know...

-Yeah.

0:26:540:26:56

Removed from it. That is extraordinary, that success.

0:26:560:27:00

Now, we give our guests a chance to choose their theme tune

0:27:000:27:03

-that we're going to play out.

-Oh, right. OK. Right.

0:27:030:27:05

So, what's it going to be?

0:27:050:27:06

OK, well, obviously, Dallas is too much of an obvious one,

0:27:060:27:12

and I hear that enough, but there is one particular theme

0:27:120:27:16

which I guess was the Dallas of its day

0:27:160:27:19

as far as we had over here.

0:27:190:27:22

-Howards' Way. Do you remember Howards' Way?

-Yeah.

0:27:220:27:25

Used to love it.

0:27:250:27:26

I was brought up in Hampshire, as I said,

0:27:260:27:28

so the fact that this was down on the Solent

0:27:280:27:29

and you could actually go and drink in the local pub

0:27:290:27:32

and all that sort of business... Not at that age, clearly, but...

0:27:320:27:35

-Shall we have it?

-Shall we?

-OK.

-Let's go. Take it away.

-My thanks...

0:27:350:27:38

-I've got to do the bye bit!

-Do you? LAUGHTER

0:27:380:27:40

-Yeah!

-Sorry.

-It was going so well.

-MUSIC: Howards' Way theme

0:27:400:27:42

Thanks to Richard, and we're going to listen to Howards' Way.

0:27:420:27:46

And I would like to say thank you for watching The TV That Made Me.

0:27:460:27:49

-Can I say bye-bye?

-Um...

0:27:490:27:51

Bye-bye.

0:27:510:27:53

Thank you. APPLAUSE

0:27:530:27:56

# Always there

0:27:580:28:00

# Our love is

0:28:000:28:02

-BOTH:

-# Always there... #

0:28:020:28:05

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