0:00:02 > 0:00:03TV - the magic box of delights.
0:00:03 > 0:00:07As kids, it showed us a million different worlds
0:00:07 > 0:00:09all from our living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- This takes me right back. - That's so embarrassing!
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I am genuinely shocked.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Each day, I'm going to journey through
0:00:17 > 0:00:21the wonderful world of telly with one of our favourite celebrities.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23It is just so silly.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Ah! Love it!
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Is it Mr Benn?
0:00:26 > 0:00:28- THEY SING - Shut it!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31As they select the iconic TV moments...
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Oh, he-llo!
0:00:33 > 0:00:36..that tell us the stories of their lives.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37WOMAN GASPS
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Oh, my gosh.
0:00:39 > 0:00:40- BOTH:- Cheers.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Some will make you laugh...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43HE PRETENDS TO WEEP
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Oh, no!
0:00:45 > 0:00:46..some will surprise...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48SHE SCREAMS AND LAUGHS
0:00:48 > 0:00:50..many will inspire...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Look at this. Why wouldn't you want to watch this?
0:00:53 > 0:00:55..and others will move us.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Seeing that there made a huge impact on me.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59BABY CRIES
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Got a handkerchief?
0:01:01 > 0:01:04So come watch with us, as we rewind
0:01:04 > 0:01:07to the classic telly that shaped
0:01:07 > 0:01:11those wide-eyed youngsters into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27My guest today is an amazing lady who has dedicated most of
0:01:27 > 0:01:30her life to righting wrongs.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It is Dame Esther Rantzen!
0:01:32 > 0:01:34CHEERING
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Oh, welcome.- Thank you. - Do I get a peck?
0:01:37 > 0:01:39She is a consumer champion, founder of ChildLine
0:01:39 > 0:01:44and one of the greatest broadcasters to ever grace the British Isles.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47The TV that made Dame Esther includes
0:01:47 > 0:01:52a drama that rocked the nation and crashed the BBC switchboard...
0:01:52 > 0:01:55the queen of "walkies!" and "siiiit"...
0:01:57 > 0:01:59..and of course, we will be looking at
0:01:59 > 0:02:01everyone's favourite consumer show.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03APPLAUSE
0:02:03 > 0:02:06- Please, come and sit down. Welcome to my flat.- Lovely.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08- My lodgers.- Yes.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11- Very tasteful. - Do you like it?- It's nice, isn't it?
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Is there anything here that you may have had at home?
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Not one single thing.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19LAUGHTER
0:02:19 > 0:02:22So, Esther, are you a fan of nostalgia?
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Yes, yes, yes, I love looking back and seeing old programmes
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and hearing old music, makes me feel young again, I love it.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35- What was your home like growing up?- OK, I grew up...
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I was born in Berkhamsted during the war,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39about the same time as Dunkirk.
0:02:39 > 0:02:45And we lived in a typical little semidetached house,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48with a privet hedge, and my dad used to wash
0:02:48 > 0:02:51the car on a Sunday morning and it was all very respectable.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Today is a celebration, a celebration of television
0:02:54 > 0:02:58that you have watched and loved and picked for us today.
0:02:58 > 0:02:59We are going to rewind the clock
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and look at a young Esther Rantzen.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- Oh, dear.- Or should I say Dame...Esther Rantzen.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- Well, say it once, cos it's a great honour...- Oh, it is.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09..but don't frighten me with it all the way through.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11- OK, so I can call you Esther? - Please do.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Otherwise I will have to be very proper.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Well, cop a look at this, this is Esther.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18- LAUGHTER - OK.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Esther Rantzen was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
0:03:21 > 0:03:24in 1940 to parents Katherine and Harry.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27After a spell living in New York whilst her father
0:03:27 > 0:03:30worked for the UN, the family headed back to the UK,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33where Esther attended Oxford University.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36After a stint as a BBC Radio assistant,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40she moved into television as a reporter for Braden's Week.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45In 1973, Esther became a true household name,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48as she presented the magazine show That's Life,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52which attracted up to 18 million viewers each week.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56She set up ChildLine in October 1986, and last year alone,
0:03:56 > 0:04:02ChildLine dealt with over 300,000 young people reaching out for help.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Esther's incredible achievements were recognised in 2015,
0:04:06 > 0:04:07when she was made a dame.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- Was it a nice trip down memory lane? - It certainly was.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14BRIAN LAUGHS
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I tell you what I always think about that.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19- If I had known that it was going to be all right...- Mmm.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20..how happy I would have been then.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24You get so worried when you're a kid, and you think things aren't
0:04:24 > 0:04:27going to work out, but actually, here you are at 75,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29and I have been very lucky.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36So was TV a big part of your life growing up?
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Actually, it was, because my late father was something
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- quite senior in the BBC - sorry about showing off.- No, no.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46But he was one of the television pioneers,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50so we actually had a television in 1946.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52But nothing to watch.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- I remember Andy Pandy.- Yes. - I remember Muffin The Mule.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I remember the little dot disappearing in the centre
0:05:00 > 0:05:01of the screen.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05So you talk about the dot, do you remember the interlude?
0:05:05 > 0:05:06The interlude was...
0:05:06 > 0:05:10It was actually, in some ways, better than the programme.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The Potter's Wheel interlude was introduced in February 1953,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21with a variety of these short films intended to cover
0:05:21 > 0:05:24the many intervals in programming.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31In those days, between programmes, you had this lovely soothing moment
0:05:31 > 0:05:33where you could just relax,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36chat to whoever you were sitting with, and there would be
0:05:36 > 0:05:39a potter doing something artistic
0:05:39 > 0:05:41and not at all rude with bits of clay.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52And it just put you in a good mood.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Well, to put you in a good mood now, I would like to do my own...
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- interlude for you.- Erm...
0:05:58 > 0:05:59LAUGHTER
0:05:59 > 0:06:04- Shall I go over there?- This might be terribly rude.- No! You are a dame.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06You're going to make a lot of mess, aren't you?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09You are preparing yourself for this.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12I am doing this for you, Esther. Away we go.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18I have never, ever used a potter's wheel in my life.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23The interlude ranged in length
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and showed everything from spinning wheels to seascapes.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29Oh, isn't this lovely?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34This film shows the hands of Georges Aubertin
0:06:34 > 0:06:37as he throws a pot accompanied by music.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42- The music was so important.- Don't watch the telly, Esther, watch me.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46- I'm sorry, sorry. - I am working like a dog here.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'Viewers who stayed alert might have noticed that Aubertin
0:06:50 > 0:06:54'never finished the pot, just kept remodelling it.'
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I'm getting a bit wobbly, a bit wobbly.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Oh, oh, oh, got a wobbly bit, wobbly bit.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03He's making his flatter.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07'Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is not how I roll.'
0:07:12 > 0:07:14APPLAUSE
0:07:18 > 0:07:22I can't believe I have actually done that. That is absolutely fantastic.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Very, very impressive.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30As pleased as I am with my pottery, I doubt I would ever have
0:07:30 > 0:07:33made it as a presenter on any of the classic craft shows.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Blue Peter led the way in 1958,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and I certainly remember wanting to be awarded a badge.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I still live in hope, although maybe not for my pot.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Tony Hart with Morph and the gallery slot, which we all loved,
0:07:47 > 0:07:52dominated a decade of telly crafting between 1984 and 1993.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Morph maintained his fame with another kids' craft show
0:07:56 > 0:07:58when he joined Kirsten O'Brien and co
0:07:58 > 0:08:01on SMart, which ran for 16 series.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04At the more grown-up end of the scale,
0:08:04 > 0:08:09we have the queen of the handmade home, Kirstie Allsopp,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11encouraging us to use our imagination,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15something Esther's father would often do.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Your father, he was very much into his technology, wasn't he?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21My father was one of the cleverest people I have ever met.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25He was an electrical engineer, he worked for the BBC,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27he worked for Lord Reith...
0:08:27 > 0:08:31- and he was one of the pioneers in television.- Really?
0:08:31 > 0:08:36But where I am so grateful to him was that he had two daughters,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40and this was at a time when, for a lot of girls and women,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44the ambition was get married, have children, settle down,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47good housewife, cook, dust - all those things.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51My parents wanted both of us to go to university and have careers.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54- Oh, wonderful.- And this was, you know, born in the 1940s,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56- so this was fairly unusual. - Mm-hmm.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00So I am very grateful to both my parents for their aspirations.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03So you have spoken about your dad, what about your mum?
0:09:03 > 0:09:05She was...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07SHE SIGHS
0:09:07 > 0:09:12..in deep disguise. She was so naughty...
0:09:12 > 0:09:14- BRIAN LAUGHS - ..so anarchic.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17You would see this dear, little old lady in her later life,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21with white curls and glasses, very respectable,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23and when she came on any of my shows,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25sometimes she would come on my talk show,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29she would always get a round of applause for being so wicked.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Really? Like a wicked sense of humour?
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Wicked sense of humour, always saying the unpredictable.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37What sort of things would she do?
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- Does anything spring to mind? - I remember Russell Harty...- Oh, yes.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43..thought that she was a dear, little, old lady,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46he was interviewing people's mothers.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48And he said to her, lovingly,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52"So, Mrs Rantzen, do you do a lot of baby-sitting for Esther?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54"Would you babysit for me?"
0:09:54 > 0:09:57And she said, "Russell, you couldn't afford me."
0:09:58 > 0:10:01It was good, it was good. But the television, in spite of the fact
0:10:01 > 0:10:03we had a very early television,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06my respectable parents thought it killed
0:10:06 > 0:10:10the art of conversation, so it was never allowed in the sitting room.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- It had to be out in the hall. - In the hall?!
0:10:13 > 0:10:15So we would put a couple of chairs in the hall,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and there was a boy who used to deliver the evening paper
0:10:18 > 0:10:21who spent hours looking through the letterbox.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22LAUGHTER
0:10:22 > 0:10:25We were a slightly eccentric family, looking back.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32- I hope you're ready for this.- Go on.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34This was, of course, Cathy Come Home.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Let's take him away without making any fuss, huh?
0:10:37 > 0:10:40What right have you got to take my kids from me?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Well, you can't find a place for them, can you?
0:10:43 > 0:10:44We can't have them sleeping out.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Will you help Mummy pack up?
0:10:46 > 0:10:51In 1966, the BBC first broadcast Ken Loach's gritty television drama,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55which dealt with a young family's descent into homelessness.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58It was watched by an audience of 12 million,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01a quarter of the British population at the time.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04And afterwards, the BBC switchboard crashed, because so many viewers
0:11:04 > 0:11:08called in to ask what they could do to help.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10We had a bite to eat from the cafeteria.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Of course, the kiddies didn't know what was going to happen.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15But I knew they'd catch up with us.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17- SCREAMING:- You're not having them!
0:11:17 > 0:11:20BABIES SCREAM AND CRY
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- Harrowing, isn't it?- Mmm.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24BABIES SCREAM AND CRY
0:11:27 > 0:11:29'66, Cathy Come Home.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- But it still touches you, I can see your eyes...- Oh, yes. Yes, yes.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Do you think Ken Loach realised what he was making there?
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Certainly, it looks like a documentary.- Hmm.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Extraordinarily well-acted.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Ken is a wonderful director.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48It was with pioneers like that that actually made you see that
0:11:48 > 0:11:53people sometimes have circumstances which they are powerless
0:11:53 > 0:11:56to protect their own children against.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58That programme really changed things.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02It shocked the nation and they wanted to do something about it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- Got a handkerchief? - We have got some, do you want one?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07OK, I will keep one by me. Are you going to do that to me again?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- No, no.- Promise?- Yes.- All right, Stick it there, in case.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's time to move on now to your TV fear.
0:12:19 > 0:12:25A pioneering BBC series that gave us Brits an uncensored look
0:12:25 > 0:12:28into the medical profession.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29But first, Esther...
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- Yes, dear?- ..we're going to need these. I'll pop out to the kitchen.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- He's left me all alone! - Which colour do you want?
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- Oh! I'll have the blue, please.- Blue.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Do you remember...
0:12:43 > 0:12:44what you used to do?
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Now, shall I explain what you're doing?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- Yes, it's all yours, Esther. - Never looked lovelier.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Thank you.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Picture the scene.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- I think it was Your Life In Their Hands?- Mmm.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- Which took you into the operating theatre, OK?- Yeah.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03And I can't stand it.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I'm totally squeamish, I can't watch anything like that.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09But my sister and my mother were addicted to it.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12So I was coming downstairs, remember the television in the hall?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- Still in the hall? - Still in the hall.
0:13:14 > 0:13:20They're sitting on chairs, they were watching television like that.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And I came down and saw these two lunatics with duffel coats
0:13:23 > 0:13:26on back to front, the hoods over their faces,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and I said to them, "You could always switch the thing off!"
0:13:29 > 0:13:32And they said, "No, we don't want to miss anything!"
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Silly women.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Do you want to keep the duffle coat? Are you up for this?
0:13:37 > 0:13:38- Um...- Shall we have a little look?
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- I'd like to keep it by me, just in case.- As a comfort blanket, OK.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42- Thank you.- OK, here we go.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Originally presented by Dr Charles Fletcher, this ground-breaking
0:13:46 > 0:13:49medical series first aired in February 1958,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51giving the British public an insight
0:13:51 > 0:13:54into the work of our medical professionals.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58In this case, the show follows a liver operation.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I've said before in this series that it's not light entertainment.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04ESTHER LAUGHS It's blood and gore!
0:14:04 > 0:14:05We know that a few people
0:14:05 > 0:14:08have been upset by the films we've shown before.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I can tell you who they are!
0:14:10 > 0:14:13In fact, some people have actually fainted.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15So, don't look in for the next few minutes...
0:14:15 > 0:14:17ESTHER LAUGHS
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Turn down the vision on your set or look away and I'll tell you
0:14:21 > 0:14:24when the film is over so that you can look in again.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27- VOICE-OVER:- The incision is being made...
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Oh, is it...
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Oh!
0:14:31 > 0:14:35I am dissecting amongst the deeper tissues...
0:14:35 > 0:14:40This eye-opening medical series was gory, but compelling viewing.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44The programme understandably divided and doctors and viewers alike.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47No doubt it was way ahead of its time.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51..about an inch of the length, you can see the liver,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54which instead of being smooth, is very lumpy.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Oh, that's...healthy.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01- Thank God it's in black and white! - Oh, he's digging around! Look!
0:15:01 > 0:15:06Can you imagine having someone poking around in your tummy?
0:15:06 > 0:15:10- I have to tell you, there are people fainting in the audience. - AUDIENCE LAUGHS
0:15:10 > 0:15:11That's the end of the operation,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14so those of you who've turned down your vision can now turn it up.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23So, Esther, now we're moving on to your next choice.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Here's a lady who was not afraid of taking the lead.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- Now...- Ah!
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Barbara Woodhouse.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Hello, little doggy! Now, as we know, she's got... HAD a bad leg,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38it's not a bad leg now, is it? But we mustn't let her sit, Nicola.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40- It's a him, is it?- Yeah.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Barbara Woodhouse became a household name in the '80s
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and a ten-part series training dogs the Woodhouse way
0:15:46 > 0:15:49coined a couple of catchphrases we still use today.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52If you're going to jerk him, the hand comes on... Show me how.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Like that... And jerk! No, much harder than that. And let go.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Do you remember, it comes right up here? Righto. Good boy.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02You see, these days, somebody would give her a stylist
0:16:02 > 0:16:05and they'd do something about her hair.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- And they'd do something about that kilt.- Mm-hm.- Bless her.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11There's nothing wrong with a bit of tartan.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13I think I'm wearing the same as her in this...
0:16:13 > 0:16:15- I think you may be.- Yeah. - I think you certainly are.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Tap your hand and really encourage him! Let's go, shall we?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Come on, Skipper, walkies! Jerk him back now.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22No, that's across you, try and jerk
0:16:22 > 0:16:25back if he's ahead. That's right. That'll stop him.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27As iconic as Barbara was, these days,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30dog training techniques have evolved.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Wait!- Now, you did it wrong. You did it over his face.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Wait! Just by your hip.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38"Stupid girl, come on!"
0:16:38 > 0:16:39BOTH: Wait!
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Spit! I want to feel something.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Wai-t!- Wai-T!- Oh, splendid.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45LAUGHTER
0:16:49 > 0:16:52So, what was it about Barbara that you liked?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I mean, she IS magnetic, isn't she? You're just drawn to her.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- She's expert, she knows what she's talking about.- And formidable.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- AS BARBARA MOORHOUSE:- "Jerk it a bit harder! Jerk it across!"
0:17:02 > 0:17:03I mean, oh, gosh!
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- I mean, the RSPCA, everybody... - Yeah.- ..would be up in arms.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12What she proves is that bossy older women make television magic.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14LAUGHTER
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Somebody needs to tell the bosses at broadcasting.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- Because... I mean, Fanny Cradock! - Yes, she was another legend.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21Absolutely extraordinary!
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Mary Berry is much gentler.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I don't think she'd ever ask anyone to "spi-T", would she?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28- LAUGHTER It's brilliant.- It's brilliant.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31I mean, the show was just a huge phenomenon, really, in its time.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Well, it was. Well, who would want to miss that?
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Your next choice is your biggest influence,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and here is a clip of you working alongside him.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55And who was it?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Bernard Braden. Wonderful Canadian actor
0:17:58 > 0:18:02who became the inventor of consumer television.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03- Really?- Oh, yeah.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- This is where it all started, really?- It is.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08That was really our office.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10This is 1968.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I was 28.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Canadian Bernard Braden first worked in the UK
0:18:15 > 0:18:18in the late '40s, but it was almost 20 years later
0:18:18 > 0:18:20that Braden's Week hit our screens
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and championed the brand-new format -
0:18:22 > 0:18:24consumer television.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Thank you very much and good evening.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32Bernie was just a genius, really, when it came to broadcasting.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37He was creative. He sort of invented the genre.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40And the theory was that this is what happened in the office,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44that the researcher would come back with a story
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and explain to the producer what had happened.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49And so we were re-enacting, if you like,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51in the studio, what had happened in the office.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Esther Rantzen has a story for us now. Esther?
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Well, it's not so much a story, more a monologue.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57SHE LAUGHS
0:18:57 > 0:18:59One day a phone rang in the office, and a lovely voice said,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02"Here, there was a loud bang in my kitchen,
0:19:02 > 0:19:03"and it was my fridge.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06"So I rang Electrolux in London and they said,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09"'Oh, we can't do anything before February 4th.'
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- "Well, I exploded." - Just like the fridge.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Brilliant, Esther.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Well, we did call Electrolux,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18and they said a mechanic would visit Ms Carlin on Friday.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20What made Electrolux change their mind?
0:19:20 > 0:19:22She made a lot of fuss and a lot of noise.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25So we said, "So that's the way to do it."
0:19:25 > 0:19:27APPLAUSE Oh, well done.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Now, that was a monologue.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31No autocue. HE LAUGHS
0:19:31 > 0:19:33So that's John Pitman sitting next to me.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35We're still very close friends.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Behind the desk, we used to grab each other's knees
0:19:38 > 0:19:41to reassure each other, because we were nervous, terribly nervous.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45We were both obviously in the pilot of Braden's Week,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48but we both thought proper presenters would be put in the role.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51And consumer programmes, as I say, Bernie invented them.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55And then he went to Canada, to do that show in Canada,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58using obviously a Canadian team, and left behind in England...
0:19:58 > 0:20:02We still were getting letters from people with consumer complaints.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- So that's how That's Life! came about.- Oh, right.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13That's Life! was absolutely just an incredible show.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15You know, it really was.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18It was ground-breaking, innovative,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20informative, it was just...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22And funny.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26That's Life! hit our screens in 1973,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30with Esther being the only presenter to appear in every episode.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Regularly gaining audiences of up to 18 million,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37it really was the ultimate British consumer entertainment programme
0:20:37 > 0:20:39for over 20 years.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43For me, it's when you got arrested.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46I'm sorry. HE LAUGHS
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Well, there were a series of challenges that day.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52We were handing out bat stew.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55We were testing to see what it would taste like.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- It's made of bat, what you've just eaten.- Oh, you dirty monkey.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59LAUGHTER
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Constable A Herbert suddenly emerged, and he said,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04"You can't do that there, cos it's obstruction.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06"You're going to have to move along."
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- You're blocking the pavement. - But we've filmed here every week
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- for the last eight years. - I don't care
0:21:11 > 0:21:13whether you've filmed here for the last ten years.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15If you don't move, I shall arrest you.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I said, "Very well, officer," and I moved along
0:21:17 > 0:21:19to the opposite corner, where there was nobody.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22But the thing is, if you're handing out bat stew
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and there's nobody to eat it, it's not quite so good.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- It's not going to work.- So I came back to the original corner.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31And Constable A Herbert,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33suitably named,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36had been hiding in a doorway,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and he shimmered out, and he said,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40"That's it, my girl, you're nicked."
0:21:40 > 0:21:43You're arrested. Sorry.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I've just been arrested for handing out bat stew.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46Come on, please.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Now, I had not been arrested before,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and I wasn't quite sure of the etiquette. And I said,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57"If anyone thinks I'm not guilty, would you mind speaking up for me?"
0:21:57 > 0:22:00And the whole crowd shouted, as one, "Guilty!"
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- Guilty!- It was the bat! - Guilty!- Guilty!- Guilty!
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- Do you miss That's Life!? - Well, what do I miss?
0:22:10 > 0:22:13There are lots of things about it I miss.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I miss the fantastic rapport with the viewers.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19So we would say,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22"Funny-shaped vegetables these days,"
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and by the next post, we would be inundated
0:22:25 > 0:22:28with parsnips and carrots of the most disgraceful nature.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30BRIAN LAUGHS
0:22:30 > 0:22:32And people always blamed me, and I blame the viewers.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36And I miss our wonderful dog that said sausages.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38- Oh, yes.- Who is still remembered.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42I saw a commercial the other day for beans
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and a dog was looking lovingly in the frying pan
0:22:45 > 0:22:47and said, "Sausages."
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Tell us what you have on a Thursday, Prince.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51What does George give you, Prince?
0:22:51 > 0:22:52- HE GROWLS - What?
0:22:52 > 0:22:53- DOG:- 'Sau-sa-ges.'
0:22:53 > 0:22:55LAUGHTER
0:22:56 > 0:23:02I miss having that fantastic capacity to change things, you know?
0:23:02 > 0:23:05A consultant anaesthetist met me at some do
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and told me the story of a toddler
0:23:08 > 0:23:10who'd been standing up in the back of a car,
0:23:10 > 0:23:15Mum had been driving at 5mph in a traffic jam, stopped.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17The toddler had fallen forward,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20fractured her skull on the handbrake.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22And the anaesthetist said to me,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26"You wouldn't put fine china loose on the back seat.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31"Why would you leave your children where they can be hurt and killed?"
0:23:31 > 0:23:33We put that story on the show.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37The next morning, the Minister for Transport, Peter Bottomley,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41was in our office. I remember he was carrying his red box.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43- And he said, "How can I help your campaign?"- Oh, wow.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47And I said, "We've got no film showing what happens
0:23:47 > 0:23:50"to children in the back of a car.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54"Could the road laboratory, road research laboratory, do one?"
0:23:54 > 0:23:55So they did.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58They put models of children in the back of the car.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00The car stopped.
0:24:00 > 0:24:0225mph.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The children went straight through the windscreen.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10And we showed that eight or nine times.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13As we got more stories from the viewers, we showed it again.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16And a private member's bill was put through,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18and now it's illegal
0:24:18 > 0:24:21to leave your children without seat belts on.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26So that's what I miss. I miss the capacity to take a single story,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28one brave person comes forward,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32sometimes someone who's experienced terrible tragedy, loss of a child.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Where you've got a caring nation like Britain,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39and all they need is to be given the information,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41"This is what's going wrong.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43"We think this might be the answer."
0:24:43 > 0:24:46And they come forward in droves.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And television is a way to hold out your hand
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and know that someone's going to take it.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55You know, that's why I love this medium.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58So what was it like to have all your hard work recognised,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00you know, and become a Dame?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03What I have to say is, it was a huge honour,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07but it was for services to children and older people.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13And it was really to recognise the fantastic work done by ChildLine
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and the fantastic work, in two short years -
0:25:16 > 0:25:19only been going two years - done by the Silver Line.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23So I say thank you to them,
0:25:23 > 0:25:28because without the achievements of those two charities,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31I wouldn't have been given this honour.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33I'm not giving it back.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34LAUGHTER
0:25:34 > 0:25:38And it is quite funny, because wherever I go,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40people say to me,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42"How nice to meet you, Dame Edna."
0:25:42 > 0:25:45LAUGHTER
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- So I've got myself a gladioli thing...- Oh, right.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50..and a pair of stunning glasses,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52cos I don't want to disappoint people.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Esther, what do you enjoy watching now,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02at the moment?
0:26:02 > 0:26:03Erm...
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I love Gogglebox.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10- Yes!- Cos here we sit on the sofa -
0:26:10 > 0:26:12in fact, we're being Gogglebox, aren't we?
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Watching television,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16seeing all the artifice,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19seeing the bits of insincerity if it's a politician.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Seeing through all that,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23but also caring.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25You watch them being moved,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- you watch them roaring with laughter.- Yeah.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29I adore Gogglebox.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32I'm addicted to the news. I watch the news all the time.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- Rolling news. - And anything about antiques,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37which is why I love your decor so much.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38LAUGHTER
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Anything about antiques, I love those.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44It's been a real honour to have you sitting on my sofa.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45It really has.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50You're an inspiration to a whole nation. You really are...
0:26:50 > 0:26:52what is the right word?
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Could tell you what Rantzen means in German.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- Go on, what does Rantzen mean in German, then?- Old bag.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59LAUGHTER
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Maybe that's what you were looking for in that moment.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I was thinking of illuminating and charming.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- Oh, well.- You get a choice now of the theme tune.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Any theme tune for us to play out on.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- Is there anything that springs to mind?- Well, thank you for that.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19I would like the theme tune to a programme called Man Alive,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22which was written by Tony Hatch, very famous composer.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24- Who wrote Neighbours?- He did.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- And Downtown.- Oh, yeah. - Very clever composer.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30He wrote this signature tune, and my late husband,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Desmond Wilcox, created Man Alive.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And he always told me that when you hear the...
0:27:36 > 0:27:38CLICKING
0:27:38 > 0:27:39He did those.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41So it's a memory of Dessie.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- All right, well... - And I'd love to hear it again.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47We've had some great memories today. Thank you for making them.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Esther Rantzen, Dame Esther Rantzen,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53APPLAUSE Been a wonderful honour.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55My thanks to Esther and my thanks to you
0:27:55 > 0:27:57for watching The TV That Made Me.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03MUSIC: Man Alive Theme by Tony Hatch