0:00:02 > 0:00:04TV, the magic box of delight.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06As kids, it showed us a million different worlds,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09all from out living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11This takes me right back.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14- That's so embarrassing! - I am genuinely shocked.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Each day, I'm going to journey through the wonderful
0:00:17 > 0:00:20world of telly with one of our favourite celebrities...
0:00:20 > 0:00:22It's just so silly!
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Ah! I love it! Is it Mr Benn?
0:00:27 > 0:00:28Shut it!
0:00:28 > 0:00:31..as they select the iconic TV moments...
0:00:31 > 0:00:34- Oh, hello!- Ha-ha!
0:00:34 > 0:00:37..that tell us the stories of their lives.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39- SHE GASPS - Oh, my gosh!
0:00:39 > 0:00:43- BOTH: Cheers.- Some will make you laugh...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46- Oh, no!- Some will surprise...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48- Quack!- Oh!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Many will inspire...
0:00:50 > 0:00:51- Ooh!- Look at this.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Why 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 > 0:01:01Got a handkerchief?
0:01:01 > 0:01:04So, come watch with us as we rewind
0:01:04 > 0:01:06to the classic telly
0:01:06 > 0:01:08that shaped those wide-eyed youngsters
0:01:08 > 0:01:11into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Welcome to the TV That Made Me.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26My guest today is a friend to the stars and one in her own right.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29It can only be the lovely Alison Hammond!
0:01:31 > 0:01:34- How are you?- Hello! Are you all right, bud?- I'm good.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- Little mark on you now.- Have I? - Oh. Right.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38SHE LAUGHS
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Bubbly Brummie Alison has been evicted
0:01:40 > 0:01:44from the Big Brother house, strutted her stuff on Strictly,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and is a showbiz reporter who regularly
0:01:46 > 0:01:49rubs shoulders with the famous.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53But today, she's a welcome visitor to my humble abode.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56The TV that made her includes a comedienne
0:01:56 > 0:01:58who had her in stitches...
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Connie, kick your own buttock.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04A TV show with a very personal connection,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06and a brain-busting games show.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10- Oh, this is nice.- Yeah, you like it?
0:02:10 > 0:02:14- Yeah.- You feel comfy?- It's great. It's like my own home.- Is it really?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16No, it's not. It's nothing like it.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19- It was similar to this when I was younger.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- Well, that's good, because we're going to go back in time, aren't we? - I can't wait.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26This is a celebration of your TV, TV classic moments
0:02:26 > 0:02:28that you've chosen, that have shaped you
0:02:28 > 0:02:32- and probably made you the person you are today.- Yeah, I know.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35I can't believe how important TV was back then, to be honest with you...
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- Yeah.- Because, obviously, we only had one telly in our house
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and, yeah, I loved TV when I was younger. I just absolutely loved it.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- Of course, no-one's got one telly in their house these days.- No, we did.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47- No, I've got one in every room.- Yeah.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49So, look, we're going to take a trip back, but we're going to
0:02:49 > 0:02:52first rewind the clock and have a look at a very young Alison Hammond.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55- Oh, I'm excited!- Here we go.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Born in 1975, Alison grew up with her mum,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03older brother and sister in Birmingham.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07A love of stage and screen shone out from an early age.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12After leaving school, Alison had a spell as a cinema usherette
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and a holiday rep before finding fame
0:03:15 > 0:03:18when she entered the Big Brother house in 2002.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21She was evicted after just 15 days,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25but nonetheless Alison's television career really took off.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Within weeks of leaving Big Brother, she was offered a three-month stint
0:03:29 > 0:03:32on This Morning, and she's still there to this day.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43So, Alison, normally we go into the first little TV clip,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46but as a homage to your clip,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- I'm going to get changed.- No!
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- Yeah, I'm going to get changed. - What are you going to wear?
0:03:50 > 0:03:53- This is now a clue...- I'm nervous.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57LAUGHTER
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- I love it! I absolutely love it! - Do you know what the programme is?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- Yeah, I totally know what it is. - Do I have to put that on?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- Is it Mr Benn?- It is Mr Benn.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Oh, I love Mr Benn!
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Let's cue Mr Benn.- That's brilliant!
0:04:19 > 0:04:23This classic 1970s animation series
0:04:23 > 0:04:25followed the adventures of Mr Benn
0:04:25 > 0:04:28as he embarked on a different fantastical adventure
0:04:28 > 0:04:31every time he tried on a costume at a fancy dress shop.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Although Mr Benn was never given an on-screen first name,
0:04:37 > 0:04:41writer David McKee always thought William would suit him.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Oh, memories for me. I used to love this show.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51So, he used to go into the shop, didn't he?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Yeah, he used to go into the shop and then get dressed up
0:04:54 > 0:04:55and become that character.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- So, obviously, one day he would become a spaceman.- A spaceman, yeah.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01And I literally thought I was Mr Benn.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03When I used to watch this show, I wanted to be Mr Benn,
0:05:03 > 0:05:04believe it or not.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09And I always wanted to be, like, a cave person, or something like that.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10A caveman.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12- Let's see what he is today. - Could you imagine it?
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I would like to try the space outfit.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Favouring camera moves across still drawings,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19the animation was basic,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22but that didn't stop children adoring Mr Benn.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Oh, my gosh, I can't believe it wasn't even moving at the time...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- No, I know.- I remember that he was moving.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Mr Benn was soon in the changing room,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and quickly took off his clothes and put on the space outfit.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Ooh.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42He looked at himself in the mirror.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Then he looked for the other door,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47the door that always led to adventures.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- This was Ray Brooks who used to narrate this.- Really?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Ray Brooks, who many people will remember from Ken Loach's
0:05:55 > 0:05:59ground-breaking 1960s television drama Cathy Come Home,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03also narrated another children's animated series, King Rollo.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05At the controls was another...
0:06:05 > 0:06:07I just wanted to go on these adventures.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Look, he's now going to be a spaceman.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11He's going to actually literally become a spaceman.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12- How amazing would that be?- Yeah.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15That you just went into a shop and just became what you wanted to be?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Yeah. It's not real. It's not a documentary.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21No, but to me at the time, it was quite real.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23THEY LAUGH
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- Now, next bit of telly was a family favourite.- Oh, gosh.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I think I know what it's going to be before you even put it on.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36# Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum... #
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- Diff'rent Strokes, do you remember that?- Diff'rent Strokes, yeah.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Following the misadventures of a wealthy Manhattan family
0:06:45 > 0:06:48who adopted their dead housekeeper's children,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Diff'rent Strokes ran for an impressive eight series,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53and the catchy theme tune was co-written
0:06:53 > 0:06:57by Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke's parents.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01# Everybody's got a special kind of story... #
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Whenever there was a black person on the telly,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07it was like, "There's a black person on the TV!"
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Literally the whole family would run to the living room
0:07:09 > 0:07:13to see who was on the TV. So, this is a big thing.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17- There was no way we were going to miss this, because there was black people in it.- Yeah.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20So, we wanted to see, "What are these other black people doing?" Do you know what I mean?
0:07:20 > 0:07:23It was the one thing that was, culturally, always happened.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26They were huge child stars, weren't they?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28They were huge, yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31A vehicle for the precocious Gary Coleman,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Diff'rent Strokes turned child actors Dana Plato as Kimberly,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Todd Bridges as Willis and, of course, Coleman as Arnold,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41into international household names.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42What a great bunch of guys.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44You know, Willis, I really love that club.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46How come you guys never come down there?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Well, Dad, there's a very good reason why
0:07:49 > 0:07:50we've never been down there.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- What is it?- You never invited us!
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- Oh, I just thought he was the cutest little kid ever.- Yeah.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58- Did you just want to get his cheeks and go...?- I did.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00I think I actually wanted to marry him as a child,
0:08:00 > 0:08:01to be honest with you.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I thought, "Oh, that's going to be my husband when I grow up."
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Hey, I may never be lean and mean, but I can be spunky and chunky.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- Are they adopted by this family? - Yeah.- Is that the story?
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Can you believe I didn't even know? The penny's only just dropped.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- He's a widow...- I thought they were just one big family!
0:08:17 > 0:08:19What, you thought that that was his boys?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- No, Alison. - No but, obviously, you know,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- as a child, you just watch it, don't you? You don't think...- Yeah.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28It's only now, I'm watching it, I'm going,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- "Actually, I think they're adopted."- Yeah.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35- He's a widower and he adopts those two, yeah.- Oh, right, OK.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37And they come and live in the family.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40You know when you don't connect when you're a child?
0:08:40 > 0:08:42I was a little bit dim.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I'll have you guys there to root for me when I do that mile run.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Diff'rent Strokes didn't shy away from tackling tough subjects,
0:08:49 > 0:08:53from bulimia to alcoholism, while still keeping it's comedy moments.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Well, even if you don't win that trophy, Dad,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59we can always have Arnold bronzed.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Oh, that's lovely, that. What a lovely show.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05- Yeah, it was a great show. - What was his catchphrase?
0:09:05 > 0:09:08He used to say something that really made me laugh.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- "What you talking about?" - "What you talking about, Willis?"
0:09:11 > 0:09:12"What are you talking about, Willis?"
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- "What are you talking about?"- Yeah. - There you go.- That was it, yeah.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18That really reminds me of childhood, everyone gathered around the TV.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Especially my brother. My brother loved that.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- I mean, you were a child actress. - I was, yeah.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Well, at the age of 11,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29my mum said there's some auditions for this club
0:09:29 > 0:09:31called The Central Television Workshop, and it was like
0:09:31 > 0:09:34a drama school for kids who couldn't afford to go to drama school.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36So, it kind of got you off the streets, and you'd go
0:09:36 > 0:09:40and learn everything about TV and theatre and drama and stuff.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43And you'd go every week. And I had to go and audition.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- There was, like, 25,000 kids auditioning for 25 places.- Really?
0:09:47 > 0:09:48And I said to my mum, "No, I don't want to do it,"
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and she was like, "Come on." She drove me there.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53I went for the audition. I had such a great time.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55I got through three auditions, and then I got into
0:09:55 > 0:09:58this Central Television Workshop, which was just brilliant.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00And those guys who I worked with,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03they're like some of my lifetime friends, from there.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- Really?- Yeah. And I was in that from the age of 11 to 18.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- Oh, wow.- And I was cast in a couple of children's programmes and stuff.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13- Oh, really?- Yeah. I was in Your Mother Wouldn't Like It, Palace Hill.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I think I did some extra work for Boon.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Do you remember Boon with Neil Morrissey?- Yeah, of course.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21And my mum was really into TV as well,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23so my mum would do extra work,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and she'd get us in certain things.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27And I think we even did, when I was really young, I think
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- we did a film together, a film called Artemis 81.- Really?
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And Sting was in it. And it was just great. I had to pretend to be dead.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37It was great.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- Yeah.- You played a dead body? - I was a corpse.- Yeah?
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- Yeah.- But I bet you were a good corpse.- I was a good corpse.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44I was a good actress at...
0:10:44 > 0:10:47- I can't even remember how old I was. I was quite young.- Yeah.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48But that was really good.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- I did a couple of episodes of Doctors as well.- Not as a dead body?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- Not as a dead body. I had a part in that.- Oh, good for you, girl.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57I was a prostitute's sister.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Yeah. And she was going... LAUGHTER
0:11:00 > 0:11:02She was going through some issues,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and I was trying to advise her in the right way to go.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09- So, what was your mum like?- My mum was a lovely mum. She was a worker.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Single mum.
0:11:11 > 0:11:12She's in our audience, your mum,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16- so shall we ask her what she thinks of you?- Yeah.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- Hi, Mum!- Hello there, Maria. It's lovely to meet you.- Thank you.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- So, what was Alison like as a young child?- Oh, she was a lovely child.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- My mum's a big fan of yours, by the way. She does like you.- Oh, really?
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- Oh, thank you very much.- Yes. - I've seen you a few times in the Hippodrome in Birmingham.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Oh, right. Oh, lovely. Look, this is Alison's show, all right?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Just let's get on with it, shall we?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Alison, we're moving on to Mum's Choice now.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47This is a programme that your mum used to love watching.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52- Fancy going for a drink? - It's not your birthday, is it?
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- Is this Angels?- Yes.- Oh.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I know it's my turn on the rota. Maybe you're right, Jane.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01- A very young Pauline Quirke. - Oh, wow.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- Look at that.- In that case, mine's a pint of Special.- Brown Ale, please.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Dealing with the subject of student nurses,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11British drama Angels received some criticism
0:12:11 > 0:12:15for it's unglamorous depiction of the nursing profession,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18while others declared it "grittily authentic".
0:12:18 > 0:12:21- You're learning, then. - It's been that kind of week.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- My mum did extra work on this. - Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Cos sometimes she'd get us and she'd be like, "I'm on tonight's show."
0:12:27 > 0:12:32- And we'd be sitting there. Literally, if you blinked, you'd miss it.- Yeah.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34- What, just a quick walk-by? - Literally.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36She's be like, "Come on, everyone."
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- She'd gather the whole family, it'd be a real, massive event.- Yeah.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Food, drink, everything.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And then she'd just go past and she'd be, like,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47there for two seconds. "I didn't see it cos I blinked."
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Yeah, cos you didn't have video in those days, so you can't rewind it.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53No, no. But, yeah. So, my mum used to work on that.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54Didn't you darling? Yeah.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Well, we can't not take a look at her in action.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Get ready, here she comes...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02and there she goes. Worth another look, eh?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And there she is.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11She always said she furnished our house through extra work.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Now, I was able to look after you
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and give you all the little luxuries from my extra work.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20That's the bike and the roller skates.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23That was all from her "extra work".
0:13:23 > 0:13:25LAUGHTER
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- Oh, I know now.- Yeah, you know now. - "Extra work".
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Yeah, that's what she called it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50So, Alison, I'm going to move on now
0:13:50 > 0:13:52to what we call your Comfort Viewing.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- Ooh.- There it is.- Let's have a look.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Some very good performances.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Very good performances from the girls...
0:14:00 > 0:14:02I mean, I'm getting all comfy already, just seeing it.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- Bob Holness.- Look at Bob.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Based on an American game show of the same name,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12the original run of Blockbusters was on our TV screens for 10 years.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14With Bob Holness at the helm,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17sixth-formers put their general knowledge to the test.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19So, James, for the first time...
0:14:19 > 0:14:21And what did you think of the great Bob Holness?
0:14:21 > 0:14:22Oh, I loved him, I loved him.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26The original James Bond on the radio, was Bob Holness.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27- Stop it. Really?- Yeah.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- I can see why.- Did you always want to be on this show?
0:14:30 > 0:14:33I did want to be on this show, but I know I'd be rubbish at it.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36I know I wouldn't answer any of the questions. But I just liked it.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I just enjoyed watching this show.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41You know, because they were always teenagers,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- the make-up girls used to call the show Spotbusters.- Really?- Yeah.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- I didn't know that.- Yeah. - I never even noticed.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I think because I was probably a teenager myself.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52- I just loved this show. - Yeah, no, it was...
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Yeah, a bit of Blockbusters, a bit of Bob. "Can I have a P, Bob?"
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Do you remember that, when he'd done that? He was so funny?
0:14:57 > 0:14:59- Shall we see if we can play along? - Yes, come on then.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Where do you want to start on the left?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- PO. He's going to go for PO. - How do you know?
0:15:03 > 0:15:05I used to try and predict it. PO.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07PO.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- Cool.- Fate or complete military training?
0:15:10 > 0:15:13DAV. OAV, sorry.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Two ingredients which make French dressing?
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Oil and vinegar.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20- Oil and vinegar.- That's it. - Well done. FT.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- FT.- Moralistic fantasy stories for children.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25- Fairy tales.- That's it.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- TW.- Characters who open Shakespeare's Scottish play.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31- The witches.- Three witches. - That's right.- SM.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Its cocoon is unwound and then woven into a fine fabric.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37- Silk moth.- Silk moth.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38Silkworm.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40No, there's more to it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41BOTH: Moth!
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Silk moth!
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Silkworm...
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Did you get frustrated watching it?
0:15:47 > 0:15:50For me, it was all about if I could predict the path
0:15:50 > 0:15:53of where it was going to go and I'm normally quite good at it.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Yeah, well you got the...
0:15:55 > 0:15:59You went, "He's going to go PO, he's going to go PO," and he did.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- See what I mean?- I mean, he did get it wrong...- Oh, bless him.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Yeah, that reminds me of coming home.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Great games show hosts are something the UK excels at.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Just look at Sir Bruce Forsyth.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15He has been on TV almost as long as television has existed,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19making his first experience in 1939.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23And as a game show host, he has given us many a famous catchphrase.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Who could forget, "Good game, good game!" and, "Didn't they do well?"
0:16:27 > 0:16:31And, of course, "Nice to see you, to see you nice."
0:16:34 > 0:16:37From nice to nasty, Queen of mean Anne Robinson often made
0:16:37 > 0:16:40contestants quake in the quiz show The Weakest Link.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44She even made ex Blue Peter presenter John Noakes cry
0:16:44 > 0:16:48by teasing him about the death of Shep, the rotter!
0:16:53 > 0:16:57And of course, who could forget the legendary Bob Monkhouse?
0:16:57 > 0:17:01After carving out a career as a top comedian, Bob went on
0:17:01 > 0:17:04to host a whole heap of popular game shows
0:17:04 > 0:17:07from Family Fortunes to Bob's Full House.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Your next choice is your comedy hero
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- so let's take a look at this fitness fanatic.- Yeah.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23There she is.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I love Victoria Wood. Victoria Wood is my favourite.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Now, I'll just launch into my usual preamble.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Bear down with me if you've heard it before. I'm Madge, obviously.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Oh, sorry, not obviously. I've usually got it written on, sorry.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Got a new leotard on tonight. Do you like it? It's flattering, isn't it?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43I wasn't sure when I got it home. I thought, "Hmm, bit subtle."
0:17:43 > 0:17:46SHE LAUGHS
0:17:46 > 0:17:49It's just... Oh, she is just a funny, funny lady.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51This is one of her best sketches I have ever seen.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55You can do any diet you like, girls. If you don't do those exercises,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58you are up that shopping centre without a credit card.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Actress, writer and producer,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Victoria Wood is one of Britain's top comediennes.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07During the '80s and '90s, her character-driven sketches
0:18:07 > 0:18:09kept the nation in stitches.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11..kick in the buttock. Give it a nice stretch.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13It's just that physical, like, comedy...
0:18:13 > 0:18:15That's it, isn't it? I know.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- The words are so clever too. - I know, she's hilarious.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21This is the biggest muscle in the entire body
0:18:21 > 0:18:24and it's actually directly connected to the brain.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27So, when we're working it, we're actually improving our circulation
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and our breathing and our ability to follow a knitting pattern.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32So...
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I go to, like, a Zumba class and the teacher is like that.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38I'm not even joking. Hi, Lynne, are you all right?
0:18:38 > 0:18:40She's literally like that.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43When I go in, literally, I just chuckle to myself and I think of
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Victoria Wood. She's got a real, gruff, loud voice.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And it's just hilarious. Yeah, that's how she carries on.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53There is a point with skinny where it can tip over into scrawny.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57And I should know because I am dangerously near it myself.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Absolute genius, as far as I'm concerned.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Really is funny, and that is one of my...
0:19:01 > 0:19:05That sketch, I remember, and honestly, it cracks me up
0:19:05 > 0:19:07every time I watch it. I love that sketch.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11So, did you used to watch these as a child?
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Yeah, probably a little bit older, yeah. Maybe as a teenager.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19I used to watch Victoria Wood, but I used to just find her brilliant.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21I thought she was a genius.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I just literally would laugh out loud and just think,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26"Oh, my God, you are hilarious."
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Is there anyone else you used to laugh out loud to?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Dawn French as well. Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Those guys were just the best at their job.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38- It's the physical comedy for me, I love physical comedy.- Slapstick?
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Slapstick, it just makes me laugh, I just love it and, I suppose,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I've kind of incorporated it a little bit.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47When I do all my sketches on This Morning and stuff,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49sometimes I get a little bit physical as well and
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I would probably point towards Victoria Wood.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54So, are you also a fan of silent comedy?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56I love silent comedy because I just think
0:19:56 > 0:19:58it's the most clever comedy going
0:19:58 > 0:20:00because, obviously, you've got no words.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04So are you referring to people like Buster Keaton and...
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Yeah, do you remember Harold Lloyd? Harold Lloyd was a massive...
0:20:08 > 0:20:11I was a massive fan of his and, I mean,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13I have been telling people... what happened?
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Why don't they repeat Harold Lloyd
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and Charlie Chaplain and Laurel and Hardy?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Your dream has come true, Alison.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22We will repeat a little bit of Harold Lloyd, here he is.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- Well, they should repeat it! Oh, he's brilliant.- On the clock tower.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31So, no words. It was black and white.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Arguably his most famous sketch.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- I mean, it's incredible. - And he wore glasses as well.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41And, apparently, he did all his own stunts as well.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43I couldn't believe it. So funny.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- It looks absolutely terrifying, doesn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50He was crazy, really, if you think about it.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51It's just one of those programmes
0:20:51 > 0:20:54that literally has you on the edge of your seat, doesn't it?
0:20:54 > 0:20:57And you can't help but carry on watching.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- I think it was very cleverly shot. - So funny, look!
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I don't think he was actually up that high
0:21:01 > 0:21:05but it is, still, of its time... Oh, my God.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Look, look, look! So dangerous.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16- Oh, no.- There's always a disaster in Harold Lloyd.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Legendary silent film star Harold Lloyd was one of the greatest
0:21:20 > 0:21:22comic stars of his time.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27His motion picture career spanned 34 years and over 200 comedies.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34- Off he goes.- Here we go. Oh, he just got it in time.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36We have had two different...
0:21:36 > 0:21:38completely different types of comedy there.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39I mean, what is closest to your heart?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I don't know, I just like them both, to be honest with you.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45I like that silent... Just purely because he has to work
0:21:45 > 0:21:47so hard in order to... When the story just carries on,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49you have to work so hard to keep people's attention.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- So, you are a big fan of Buster Keaton? Laurel and Hardy?- Yeah.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55- Obviously Charlie Chaplain. - Yeah.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58All those sort of things I used to watch and be mesmerised by,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- literally mesmerised by that sort of TV. Loved it.- Yeah.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Where you don't have to really think,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08it's all done for you. I like that.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10THEY LAUGH
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Sit back, relax. Yeah.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20We first saw you on our screens on Big Brother.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22How was that experience?
0:22:22 > 0:22:25It just felt like a mini holiday, to be honest with you.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30So, the first day we arrived, we got like a full luxury shopping list
0:22:30 > 0:22:33so I had two weeks of luxury and then I got kicked out.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- Yeah.- I was the second one to be kicked out
0:22:36 > 0:22:38so I just had a really lovely holiday.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Then how long after that did you then work for This Morning?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Quite soon after, about a month or so afterwards,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48they asked me, "We would love you to come on
0:22:48 > 0:22:51"This Morning to do a three-month contract. Are you up for it?"
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- I went, "Yeah." Been there 13 years now.- Wow.- Yeah.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Started off just on the three-month contract and...
0:22:57 > 0:22:59It never went away.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01We are going to have a look at you on one of your very first
0:23:01 > 0:23:05interviews for This Morning. Do you know who it's with?
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- Is it Mr Clooney?- It is. George himself.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13If you thought George Clooney was just another sex symbol
0:23:13 > 0:23:17from Hollywood, well, think again because with his directing debut,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, he has proved that he is
0:23:19 > 0:23:22just as talented behind the camera as he is in front.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Well, that's the Paul Ross bit out of the way.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27The reason I'm here is for George Clooney.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- What do you want? ALL:- George!
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- When do you want him? ALL:- Now!
0:23:31 > 0:23:33- Aw! I look so young. - So does George.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35- Your first directing role.- Yes.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37- Were you nervous? - Yeah, I was nervous.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40But, I had to carry Sam Rockwell around, so I was fine.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42If you've got a good actor, you'll be OK.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I can't believe how confident I am on my first job.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48I had an interview with him and then, like, he went away
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and then I just thought, he's walking back,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54"I'll get another interview." so I just shoved my mic in his face
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and then thought, "Oh, that was a bit awkward."
0:23:57 > 0:23:58SHE SNIGGERS
0:24:00 > 0:24:03But, that's the thing, I never went to journalism school
0:24:03 > 0:24:05so I didn't know what the etiquette was.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- I literally...- Well, you got his attention, didn't you? - I had an interview...
0:24:08 > 0:24:10And some time goes by, maybe a few years,
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- and he still remembers it. - He remembered it, yeah.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I went and did a sit-down interview with him and I thought,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18"Oh, I look a little bit different, my hair is a bit different.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19"He ain't going to recognise me."
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Literally, as I walked through the door,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24he says, "Did you hit me in the face with a microphone?" I was like,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28"Me? Really?" He remembered, literally, that moment.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30But I think, what you have is a talent to spark up
0:24:30 > 0:24:35an immediate rapport with someone and that's what you're good at,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37and that's what you have to be good at,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40and that's why you've been doing the show This Morning for 13 years now.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I have never even thought about what the secret is
0:24:42 > 0:24:45but I think you've got it there, Brian. I think you have.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- I don't know.- But when have you struggled to strike up a rapport?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Do you know what? It does happen, believe it or not.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52You're not going to get on with everyone...,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55- Well, someone's having a bad day, you know...- I've had that,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58I've had that, actually... I'll even name-drop here.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Um...I can't remember his name.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03LAUGHTER
0:25:04 > 0:25:07APPLAUSE
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Probably me. "I was working with this Brian..."
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Cut that bit out, cut that bit out.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16- Right, I was working with Colin Firth.- Colin Firth.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18And, the first time I met him,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20I was on the red carpet and it was for Bridget Jones,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23he was all over me, kissing me and everything, I was like,
0:25:23 > 0:25:24"Oh, me and Colin are like that."
0:25:24 > 0:25:27So, in my second interview, I was telling all the cameramen
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and went, "Oh, you're going to love this interview because
0:25:29 > 0:25:32"me and him get on like that. He was kissing me on the red carpet."
0:25:32 > 0:25:35He came in and he went, "I've had a bad night, go easy on me."
0:25:35 > 0:25:36I was like, "Oh, my God."
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And the whole interview, he was just in a really...
0:25:39 > 0:25:44- You wouldn't have noticed it, no-one else would have noticed it... - In the edit or whatever.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46..but, you know, when I could feel in my heart
0:25:46 > 0:25:48that he just wasn't with me and that's just the way it is.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Some people have a good day, some people have a bad day,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55unfortunately, I had both with Colin Firth.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56I've had a bad day and a good day.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- So what sort of TV do you like watching now?- I do like daytime TV.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Of course, you're on it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Obviously, I like This Morning but I'm really into, like, box sets.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17So I've just finished watching Breaking Bad, loved it. Brilliant.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20And I'm now watching - can't believe I'm so behind -
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- but I'm only now just watching Homeland.- Homeland. Oh, yeah.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- Really into that. - Do you... Can you switch off?
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- Or, you know, you sort of binge on it?- Binge.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32I literally want to watch like six episodes at one time.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I can't turn it off.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37So, I might watch it in the car, I won't be driving, like,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39if I've got a driver, I'll watch it in the car,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41I'll watch it on the train, I literally binge.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46I want to watch them all now. But, yeah, I like box sets
0:26:46 > 0:26:47- at the minute.- All right.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51And we give our guest the opportunity now to choose
0:26:51 > 0:26:53a theme tune for us to play out on.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55What's it going to be?
0:26:55 > 0:26:58For me, what reminds me of family
0:26:58 > 0:27:03and a Saturday night would have to be a Dallas theme tune.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- Because that was...- Big Dallas fan? - I just... I loved it
0:27:07 > 0:27:10when JR got shot. Who did it? And all that sort of stuff?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Absolutely loved it
0:27:12 > 0:27:15and the fact that we used to all sing it before it came on.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16We would be like...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18SHE SINGS DALLAS THEME
0:27:18 > 0:27:21You know, we would literally be dancing round.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23We would be so happy when that came on.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25The whole family would just get so excited.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Well, you have made us happy today. You really have.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I genuinely say this that you are such a bright spark
0:27:31 > 0:27:33and a lovely person.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Well, you've made me happy, I've loved this show.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- It's great.- Oh, thank you very much, thank you very much. Give us a kiss.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40So, my thanks to Alison
0:27:40 > 0:27:42and my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.- Bye!
0:27:45 > 0:27:48MUSIC: Dallas Theme Song
0:27:53 > 0:27:55LAUGHTER