0:00:03 > 0:00:05TV, the magic box of delights.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08As kids, it showed us a million different worlds,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11all from our living room.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12This takes me right back.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14That's so embarrassing!
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I am genuinely shocked.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18Each day, I'm going to journey through the wonderful
0:00:18 > 0:00:22world of telly with one of our favourite celebrities...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It is just so silly.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Oh, I love it!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Is it Mr Benn?
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Shut it!
0:00:30 > 0:00:35..as they select the iconic TV moments... Oh, hello.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38..that tell us the stories of their lives.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Oh! Oh, my gosh.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41BOTH: Cheers.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Some will make you laugh... Wah!
0:00:44 > 0:00:45SHE LAUGHS
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..some will surprise...
0:00:47 > 0:00:48EDD QUACKS
0:00:48 > 0:00:50SHE LAUGHS
0:00:50 > 0:00:52..many will inspire... Oh!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Look at this. Why wouldn't you want to watch this?
0:00:55 > 0:00:56..and others will move us.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Seeing that there made a huge impact on me.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Got a handkerchief?
0:01:02 > 0:01:04So, come watch with us,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09as we rewind to the classic telly that shaped those wide-eyed
0:01:09 > 0:01:13youngsters into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29My guest today is one of the most recognisable faces on our screens.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31She's made us laugh, she's made us cry,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34and it's a real pleasure to have her here today.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Please welcome the wonderful Nina Wadia!
0:01:38 > 0:01:40CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:40 > 0:01:42How are you? Oh, welcome. Thank you.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Nina Wadia burst onto our screens in 1998 in the award-winning
0:01:49 > 0:01:52comedy sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57In 2007, she joined the cast of EastEnders as tough-talking Zainab Masood,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01before joining David Jason in Still Open All Hours
0:02:01 > 0:02:04as local gossip Mrs Hussein.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10The TV that made her includes a calamitous comedy sitcom,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12a frustrated housewife...
0:02:12 > 0:02:14..my custard is unpredictable.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19..and the show that made her a star.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22..when you can make it at home for nothing!
0:02:22 > 0:02:25So, are you excited about this trip down memory lane? Terrified.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Why? Because I feel old.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29SHE LAUGHS
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Oh, you don't look old.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34You look absolutely radiant. Thank you, but, yeah, no...
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Just actually having to think about all the stuff I used to watch.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40We're looking forward to today.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Today is a celebration of TV classic moments that you have chosen,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47but first up, we're going to rewind the clock now, Nina,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and have a look at a very young Nina Wadia.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52Oh, no.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Nina was born in Mumbai, in India, in 1968.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01She and her family moved to Hong Kong when she was nine,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06after her airline purser dad landed a new job running a restaurant there.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11After heading to the UK to finish off her education,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14she decided to pursue a career as an actor,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18attending drama school in Wandsworth, in London.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Her big break came on the award-winning sketch show
0:03:21 > 0:03:22Goodness Gracious Me,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26where she played a whole variety of characters.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Nina broke away from comedy to join EastEnders,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32where she was at the centre of some explosive storylines.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37What's it like looking back? Strange, really strange.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Brings back a lot of fond memories.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Because, sadly, both my parents have passed,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43so it's nice to see them again.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47We had very few pictures of the five of us. Very few pictures.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Because, you know, cameras weren't that easily available,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and all that stuff, at the time. And we weren't particularly well off, so...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55What sort of telly did you have in Mumbai or Hong Kong?
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Well, in... We... It was Bombay at the time. Oh, right.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04We had... It was a big thing when we actually had a telly come in,
0:04:04 > 0:04:05it was a huge thing.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09And I remember as a child being very confused at this box arriving.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12I didn't know how they made people that small.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13LAUGHTER
0:04:13 > 0:04:18They could move and walk in them. That was really surprising to me.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And then we moved to Hong Kong. Yeah, how exciting was that?
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And what age would you have been? Gosh.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27That would have been sort of coming up to nine, now,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and there was the opportunity for Dad to go to Hong Kong,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32and run a restaurant.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35And Mum wanted him to stop flying, because, you know,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39he missed a lot of birthdays and things, mostly mine,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42cos he'd get overtime at Christmas, and I'm born around Christmas time,
0:04:42 > 0:04:43so it would be like, "Here we go,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45"Dad's not going to be there for my birthday."
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But he always made sure that there was some parcel or present
0:04:48 > 0:04:52that arrived with one of the other guys from the flight crew,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54so I really used to look forward to that as well.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56So it was a very exciting time.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So we're going to have a look at your first choice, now, Nina.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07This is the first sort of TV programme that you came to love.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11It's The A-Team. Oh, yes!
0:05:11 > 0:05:13I love it!
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'These men promptly escaped from maximum-security stockade
0:05:17 > 0:05:19'to the Los Angeles underground...'
0:05:19 > 0:05:21With its iconic theme tune,
0:05:21 > 0:05:251980s action adventure series The A-Team was one of the first shows
0:05:25 > 0:05:28that young Nina watched after moving to Hong Kong.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33THEME TUNE PLAYS
0:05:33 > 0:05:35..dun-dun, dunnn!
0:05:35 > 0:05:37THEY SING THEME TUNE
0:05:39 > 0:05:41NINA LAUGHS
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Love it!
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Breakfast At Tiffany's star George Peppard
0:05:44 > 0:05:46played group leader Hannibal,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48whose plans always saved the day.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51This is when men were men!
0:05:51 > 0:05:53LAUGHTER
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Dirk Benedict was the smooth-talking Faceman,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59the team's second-in-command.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Look at him, his blue eyes. Look at that!
0:06:02 > 0:06:03SHE GIGGLES
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Dwight Schultz was the insane and unpredictable pilot
0:06:07 > 0:06:09"Howling Mad" Murdoch.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Oh, Murdoch used to make me laugh.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14He was definitely off the wall, wasn't he, that guy? Definitely.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16I kind of liked all of them in different ways,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18but I actually really liked Mr T.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I just... I loved him! He was so...
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I loved that he hated to fly so much. This really big, strong...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Like, "I'm not getting on a plane!"
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Appearing, too, was Rocky III star Mr T,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33who played BA "Bad Attitude" Baracas.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34AS MR T: I pity the fool.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Yeah, wonderful stunts, wasn't there? Oh, superb stunts.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I mean, for a television programme as well, yes.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Cars just flipping over like nobody's business.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Look at that, look at that!
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Can I watch the whole episode, or do I have... Oh, no!
0:06:54 > 0:06:56SHE CHUCKLES
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Fasten your seatbelts. Keep the nose down.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00In this hair-raising clip,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02pilot Murdoch has been
0:07:02 > 0:07:05temporarily blinded but, as always,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Hannibal has it all under control.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09Yeah, we're definitely out of fuel.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12You see, this is my favourite combination.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13It's humour and action. Mm-hm.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Two things I love.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17OK, when you think you're going to hit the runway,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20you pull back on that yoke as hard as you can.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Hang on, you're not allowed to smoke on a plane.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23SHE CHUCKLES
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It's The A-Team, you can do anything you like! And it's fine.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Get on the brakes, Smith. Hit the brakes!
0:07:30 > 0:07:32HANNIBAL: Where are they? I got 'em!
0:07:32 > 0:07:35BRIAN: One of the running themes was BA's aversion to flying.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37This was his worst nightmare.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46See, there's a stunt, isn't there? Wow!
0:07:46 > 0:07:47See, BA, flying isn't so bad.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51THEY CHUCKLE
0:07:53 > 0:07:55I love it when a plan comes together.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59"I love it when a plan comes together." There we go.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02There you go. Oh, so good! Yeah. So good.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04It bring backs happy memories.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05It really does. We're just...
0:08:05 > 0:08:09It was one of those where I, of course, got to sit on the floor,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11in our house, because the sofa wasn't big enough for all of us.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Of course, being youngest... Being the youngest,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16but then also my brother, so my brother and me down there,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Mum and Dad and my sister on the sofa, and that's it,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21we used to just... I used to LOVE watching this.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Now, for your next choice, Nina,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32let's see what show you cancelled everything to see.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33SHE GASPS
0:08:33 > 0:08:35This is, of course, your must-see TV.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36That rhymes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Moonlighting. Oh!
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Best show ever.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Cybill Shepherd starred as Maddie
0:08:46 > 0:08:48in one of the biggest series of the 1980s.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52# Some walk by night... #
0:08:52 > 0:08:56The show introduced us to a wisecracking future megastar,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01Bruce Willis, as cheeky chappie investigator David.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02It was a classy comedy drama,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04focused on tension between
0:09:04 > 0:09:06the two lead characters.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09# ..cos we met on the way... #
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Would you still watch it? I would still watch it again
0:09:12 > 0:09:13if it were on now.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Yeah. But it's got the ultimate man in it for me.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18SHE LAUGHS
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Still, even now, Bruce?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Still, even now. Still, even now.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Nothing.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Not during the whole thing, David,
0:09:26 > 0:09:27you haven't said a word.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I don't have to say anything.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32This was now slightly older.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I was kind of maybe 16 or 17...
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Oh, my God, this is the scene!
0:09:35 > 0:09:39They finally, after how many series, get together. Right.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40What do you mean, not worth it?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Not worth it, not worth it. No woman is worth this, all right?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Season three promised a culmination of David and Maddie's
0:09:46 > 0:09:48will-they-or-won't-they relationship.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52But in this scene, it looked like yet again it wouldn't happen.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54I'm not worth it? I'm not worth it?
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Look who's talking about worth, Mr Bargain Basement.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59If there was a close-out sale on human beings,
0:09:59 > 0:10:00you'd be the last one to sell!
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Yeah, you ought to know, honey!
0:10:02 > 0:10:06See, I left Hong Kong before this aired...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10..and I begged a friend of mine there to tape it on VHS, and said,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13"I will miss the episode, they get together!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16"I've been waiting for six years," or however long it was.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19And she did, she sent it to me, and I watched it about 100 times.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21This one scene,
0:10:21 > 0:10:22cos I just thought it was so sexy.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I was only 16, I was like...
0:10:24 > 0:10:25"This is so sexy."
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Did you wear the tape out?
0:10:27 > 0:10:28I did! Really?
0:10:29 > 0:10:31Fine. Fine.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Good. Good.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Here comes the slap.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Boom! Get out.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38And she'll do it again. Watch! Ooh, that had to hurt.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40One more. Ooh! Get out.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41Third one coming.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46MUSIC: Be My Baby by The Ronettes
0:10:55 > 0:10:56And smash!
0:11:00 > 0:11:02NINA GIGGLES
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Ooh, there goes the table! There was no need for that.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06That was a good table, that. LAUGHTER
0:11:06 > 0:11:09OK, we can stop now, this is embarrassing. No, I'm enjoying it.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Stop it! LAUGHTER
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Oh, my!
0:11:16 > 0:11:19He's so gorgeous, isn't he? Yeah.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23You think she's gorgeous, I'm sure, but... Yeah, no.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26And then that was it. After... I then became this big Die Hard fan.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29When he then decided to go into action movies, forget it!
0:11:29 > 0:11:32That was it for me. But...
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Yeah, he's just... He has that...
0:11:34 > 0:11:35It's the humour.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37It's the humour along with the fact that, you know,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40he looked the way he looked, as well. It's just kind of...
0:11:40 > 0:11:43And then he went into action. Finished, I'm done.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46So did you watch this, Moonlighting, with your family?
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Never in a million years.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49No? No chance!
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I couldn't watch this show with them.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54What sort of programmes were your parents strict about you watching?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Anything that involved a kiss.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Well...up until about 15... So Moonlighting was definitely out.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Moonlighting was out! Moonlighting was, you know,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06going to my friend's house after school, watching what she'd taped.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Going, "I'm studying, Mum, I'm doing my physics."
0:12:08 > 0:12:10"Oh, my God!" You know.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Now, let's look at a show that has a very big influence on you.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23And I think you're not alone in that.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26It is, of course, Blackadder.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31This period sitcom
0:12:31 > 0:12:33followed the ill-fated exploits
0:12:33 > 0:12:34of the ruthless and cynical
0:12:34 > 0:12:36opportunist Edmund Blackadder,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and his hapless sidekick Baldrick.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43The second series is set during the Elizabethan era.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45It started in 1983.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Did it? Would you believe? Yeah. Gosh.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Right, Baldrick...
0:12:49 > 0:12:50Baldrick is loyal, but very dim,
0:12:50 > 0:12:52much to Blackadder's frustration.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55If I have two beans,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and then I add two more beans...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00..what do I have?
0:13:00 > 0:13:01Some beans.
0:13:02 > 0:13:03NINA GIGGLES
0:13:05 > 0:13:08This scene is typical of the comedic relationship between the two.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Let's try again, shall we?
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I have two beans.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Then I add two more beans.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14What does that make?
0:13:14 > 0:13:16A very small casserole.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Baldrick's declarations that he had hatched a "cunning plan"
0:13:23 > 0:13:26were almost always the exact opposite.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29One, two, three, four!
0:13:29 > 0:13:31So, how many are there?
0:13:31 > 0:13:32Three. What?
0:13:32 > 0:13:34And that one. LAUGHTER
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Three... And that one.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38So if I add that one to the three,
0:13:38 > 0:13:40what will I have? Oh!
0:13:40 > 0:13:41Some beans.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Isn't it great? Love it! Just so clever. Yeah. It's just so clever.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Towards the end of my teens
0:13:52 > 0:13:55that was when a lot of British shows started coming over,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and I think one of the first ones I saw out there was Blackadder.
0:14:00 > 0:14:06And I was just fascinated by this incredibly cruel man,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09but he was so funny. I loved that he was cruel with it, and it...
0:14:09 > 0:14:11This, of course, is Rowan Atkinson. This is Rowan Atkinson.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And it just started to shape my sense of humour,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17when I realised that...
0:14:17 > 0:14:20the British sense of humour's more mine, which is slightly cruel.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21But...
0:14:21 > 0:14:25But it's very witty, and very funny, and I love the use of sarcasm,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and irony, which I think I had anyway,
0:14:28 > 0:14:29but I didn't know how to express it,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31or I didn't think it was OK to express.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34So, did you like the way they set the series in a different era?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I think that was... That was so clever. Clever.
0:14:36 > 0:14:37That was really clever.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43In fact, to be honest, everything about that show was just genius.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45It was absolutely spot on.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Obviously, Richard Curtis was part of the whole thing,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51and I mean, Ben Elton's a huge part of that, isn't he?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Oh, wonderful writer. Yeah. Incredible writer.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58So, that whole team of people, you know, so incredibly clever.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02The equivalent, I guess, of Saturday Night Live in the States, you know.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03They have these groups of people that just...
0:15:03 > 0:15:05They just work. Yeah.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07And that was them.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08Would you like to have been in it?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I would have loved to have been in it!
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Who would you have liked to have played?
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Ah... It would have to be Queenie.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15It would just have to be.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18I mean, Miranda Richardson is just incredible. Yeah.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20No.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I'm completely bored with explorers.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23And if you haven't brought me
0:15:23 > 0:15:24any presents,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I'm going to have you executed!
0:15:26 > 0:15:27Ma'am?
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Miranda Richardson's portrayal
0:15:29 > 0:15:32of a cruel, immature Queen Elizabeth
0:15:32 > 0:15:33was comedy gold.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Anyone who failed to keep the every petulant Queenie happy
0:15:37 > 0:15:38faced certain execution.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Good. A most extraordinary gift from the island paradise we visited.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Hurry up!
0:15:45 > 0:15:46Ah.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47LAUGHTER
0:15:49 > 0:15:51What is it? A stick.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56By her side was Stephen Fry as grovelling advisor Lord Melchett,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59one of Blackadder's biggest rivals.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00If you throw it away...
0:16:00 > 0:16:01it comes back!
0:16:01 > 0:16:04LAUGHING: Oh, well!
0:16:04 > 0:16:06That's no good, is it?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Because when I throw things away,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I don't want them to come back!
0:16:16 > 0:16:21Well, here's a programme that you chose as your sneaky peek. OK.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25It's Benny Hill.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30Benny Hill is one of the great success stories of TV comedy.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33For over 35 years, his mix of slapstick
0:16:33 > 0:16:35and suggestive humour was a huge hit.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44I think the music was so...well, brilliant, iconic, wasn't it?
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Absolutely. Absolutely.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52At its peak, his show was pulling in audiences of up to 20 million
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and celebrities including Charlie Chaplin
0:16:54 > 0:16:59and Clint Eastwood were said to be amongst his biggest fans.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Strangely, my parents would let me watch this with them
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and I would always pretend I needed some water and run to
0:17:06 > 0:17:08the kitchen when the girls took their clothes off
0:17:08 > 0:17:10and ran round the field.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Why are three girls hiding behind a tree?
0:17:19 > 0:17:22It is quite ridiculous, isn't it? So camp. I love it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26The most common running gag was the chase scene,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29where Benny got himself into silly predicaments.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Was it the innuendoes that used to make you laugh? Oh, yeah.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37To be honest, his comic timing was brilliant.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It was just, he's such a clever man.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Let's have a look at your next choice. OK.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. Brilliant.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Accident-prone Frank Spencer, played by Michael Crawford,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00spends his life going from one calamity to the next.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Started in 1973 and ran till 1978. Wow.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09And this sequence, wasn't this all...? He did all of this himself.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Did his own stunts, yeah.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15He's such a brave man. Oh, my gosh.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26What a genius. Absolute genius. Here we go, here we go, here we go.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31This incredible roller-skating scene is typical
0:18:31 > 0:18:34of the sheer bad luck that Frank experiences in every episode.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39That took some doing, didn't it? Unbelievable.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43I can't bear it!
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Betty! Betty, I've been articulated!
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Look at that!
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Now, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, it was very physical humour, wasn't it?
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Yeah. And I love that.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11Was this a show that you all watched as a family? Yes. Yeah. Loved it.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Absolutely loved it. And, just, it made us laugh.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18The put-upon character of the wife, Betty,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21"Oh, he's going to do this again."
0:19:21 > 0:19:24It's the quality of - I can't stop saying that enough -
0:19:24 > 0:19:28it's the quality of the actor, their training,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32and every single moment is made important. For me, it's details.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35What do you think is required of a good comedy actor?
0:19:35 > 0:19:41Detail. It's the detail. The littlest thing, the littlest look,
0:19:41 > 0:19:46the littlest moment that you can find in anything that you do,
0:19:46 > 0:19:47that's the genius.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49That's the bit that's genius.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Now, Nina, we're moving on to a show that made you feel
0:19:58 > 0:19:59just a little bit sad.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Behold, the dreaded sponge.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08There's a young Nicholas Lyndhurst there.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And, of course, the lovely Wendy Craig.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Butterflies, penned by The Liver Birds writer Carla Lane, was about
0:20:15 > 0:20:19a woman trying to escape the boredom and monotony of family life.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Slight problem with her meals, didn't she?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Could not cook to save her life.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39It would appear that Adam has got all the custard.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Sorry! Thought it might pour.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Not my custard, Adam.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48You should know by now that my custard is unpredictable.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53She is the ultimate character to play. Really?
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Cos she's funny, but deep inside she's sad.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02I mean, you're laughing now, but at the time, this was TV tears. It was!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04It was.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Because I felt for her, especially when she meets the other guy.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Nothing really happens with them,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14but she meets him and she really wants that other life too.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18That's the thing with women generally - we want it all.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22We want the love, but we want the excitement of the affair,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25but we want our career, but we want children.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31We want it all and that lady there, that's who she was playing.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35So she has this family unit, she loves them,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38but she thinks something's missing.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40She wants that excitement of another romance
0:21:40 > 0:21:43or the excitement of something else.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48I look in the mirror, and I think... I think...
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Go on, tear those to pieces while you tell me what you think.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55A lot of these things that I've seen,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I've always been interested in watching how the women play it,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01because there were never that many women doing the kind of comedy
0:22:01 > 0:22:03that I would aspire to,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06so when you had people like Wendy Craig come along,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08or you had Miranda Richardson creating her character,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11you got, "Oh, yeah, there is a possibility. I can do it."
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Now, Nina, it's time to move on to your big break -
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Goodness Gracious Me.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Get some tea. Oh, no, no, no. No need.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31I made this at home, for nothing!
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Now, about the wedding... Yes. Do you have any thoughts on the venue?
0:22:39 > 0:22:43Yes. I thought...we'll make it at home for nothing.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46One of Nina's most memorable characters
0:22:46 > 0:22:48was the embarrassingly frugal mother,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Mrs "I can make it at home for nothing!"
0:22:51 > 0:22:55You think weddings are all free booze and fancy gifts and...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57# Come on, Eileen. # Hm?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Are you sure that this is going to be...? Yes, of course.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Why waste money, when you can make it at home for nothing?
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Now, I thought, as a bridal outfit, I would give your daughter
0:23:12 > 0:23:16this sari, which my mother gave to me on her death bed.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21She's insane! Well done.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Oh, dear. So who inspired that one?
0:23:25 > 0:23:27My mum, obviously!
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Great time, though? Yeah. Best time.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33We laughed, from morning to night, just laughed, making this,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36because it's our experiences.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40It's our experiences of being an immigrant in this country
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and what it's like. That was my first proper TV.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I'd been a theatre girl up till that point.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51I was doing loads of Shakespeare and that was my kind of thing.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Then we made a one-off series, on radio, and the next thing
0:23:56 > 0:23:59we knew, they said, "It's not just radio, we're going on TV."
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And I went, "I don't have any TV experience."
0:24:02 > 0:24:07So what you see there is my first foray properly on TV.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Was you surprised at how huge it became?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13I'm still surprised how huge it became.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16I was just happy that, kind of, Indian people laughed at this show.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18I thought that's what it was going to be,
0:24:18 > 0:24:19was something for the Indian community.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23It didn't even occur to me that people understood what
0:24:23 > 0:24:28we were trying to do, you know, and then it went worldwide after that.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Just, it went crazy and people... I think people just related
0:24:32 > 0:24:34to the characters themselves,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37not necessarily the fact that they were Indian characters.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40There was an event we were invited to with the Greek community
0:24:40 > 0:24:44in North London and they said, "You're an honorary Greek."
0:24:44 > 0:24:46The same thing happened, we went to a Jewish event,
0:24:46 > 0:24:47"You're an honorary Jew.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49"We have Jewish mums who are like the competitive mums."
0:24:49 > 0:24:53So every community felt like they knew someone there
0:24:53 > 0:24:59and it was humour that kids could watch, right up to grandparents.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04And so it worked. So, obviously, you then moved on to EastEnders. Yes.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06They told me what THEY wanted.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08The brief was "Pauline Fowler, but funny."
0:25:08 > 0:25:12So, I thought, "She's really grumpy. Grumpy old woman. How do I do that?"
0:25:12 > 0:25:14So, of course, I asked my husband,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16"How do I create a character who's a grumpy old woman, but funny?"
0:25:16 > 0:25:17He went, "Just be yourself."
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I said, "All right, then!" We're going to take a little look. OK.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24Here we are.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Oh, dear. EastEnders.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31I'm glad for the good times, Zee. Oh, there were good times?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I'm joking.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41That was very funny. Ha, ha.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45I'm glad for them too, Mas.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49This is the moment that Nina's character Zainab
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and husband Masood finalise their divorce.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58So, should we...shake hands, or...? I don't know. Do we?
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Gosh. Oh. Eurgh. Yuck.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I mean, I've known Nitin for so...
0:26:13 > 0:26:15I've known him longer than my own husband.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17He's played my husband in so many other things,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21so we kind of knew each other a lot before we worked together,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23so it was very easy working with him
0:26:23 > 0:26:28and it was very easy to find that couple and that family.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30It was very, very good.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31And on Enders, they made fun of us,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33cos we actually hung out together as a family.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37So you were there for six years. How difficult was it to say goodbye?
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Very hard. Was it your decision? My decision. And very hard.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Why did you make that decision? I was missing my kids.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49It's very long hours, long days.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I was really missing them and I thought, "No, I need to go away.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55"I need to freshen up."
0:26:55 > 0:26:58And if they ever want her back, I would go back but with force.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02I'd go in and just be funny again and stick to that side,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05because I enjoyed that side of her. Mm-hm.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14So, Nina, what sort of TV do you like watching these days?
0:27:14 > 0:27:16What do you enjoy?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Um, again, sticking with the comedy theme, but slightly different,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22I was saying Modern Family is one of the ones that we can watch.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25We tend to kind of, for evening telly viewing or a Saturday night
0:27:25 > 0:27:28or something, we tend to watch something
0:27:28 > 0:27:31that the kids will enjoy too, but that's funny.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I'm doing a lot more documentary watching.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37You know, the kind of biopics of rock stars
0:27:37 > 0:27:40and a bit more grown-up stuff, grown-up TV.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43My guest obviously gets a chance to pick a theme tune for us
0:27:43 > 0:27:47to play out on. Yes. What's it going to be? Oh, it's a tough choice.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I'm going to go with Dukes Of Hazzard.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52OK, so it's going to be The Dukes Of Hazzard. Yes.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55My thanks to you, Nina. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Aw.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57You're brilliant. You've been an absolute joy
0:27:57 > 0:27:59to have a little chat with today. So, my thanks to Nina
0:27:59 > 0:28:03and my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05We'll see you next time, bye-bye.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12MUSIC: Theme from The Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)