Alison Hammond The TV That Made Me

TV, the magic box of delight.

As kids, it showed us a million different worlds,

all from out living room.

This takes me right back.

-That's so embarrassing!

-I am genuinely shocked.

Each day, I'm going to journey through the wonderful

world of telly with one of our favourite celebrities...

It's just so silly!

Ah! I love it! Is it Mr Benn?

Shut it!

..as they select the iconic TV moments...

-Oh, hello!

-Ha-ha!

..that tell us the stories of their lives.

-SHE GASPS

-Oh, my gosh!

-BOTH: Cheers.

-Some will make you laugh...

-Oh, no!

-Some will surprise...

-Quack!

-Oh!

Many will inspire...

-Ooh!

-Look at this.

Why wouldn't you want to watch this?

..and others will move us.

Seeing that there made a huge impact on me.

Got a handkerchief?

So, come watch with us as we rewind

to the classic telly

that shaped those wide-eyed youngsters

into the much-loved stars they are today.

Welcome to the TV That Made Me.

My guest today is a friend to the stars and one in her own right.

It can only be the lovely Alison Hammond!

-How are you?

-Hello! Are you all right, bud?

-I'm good.

-Little mark on you now.

-Have I?

-Oh. Right.

SHE LAUGHS

Bubbly Brummie Alison has been evicted

from the Big Brother house, strutted her stuff on Strictly,

and is a showbiz reporter who regularly

rubs shoulders with the famous.

But today, she's a welcome visitor to my humble abode.

The TV that made her includes a comedienne

who had her in stitches...

Connie, kick your own buttock.

A TV show with a very personal connection,

and a brain-busting games show.

-Oh, this is nice.

-Yeah, you like it?

-Yeah.

-You feel comfy?

-It's great. It's like my own home.

-Is it really?

No, it's not. It's nothing like it.

-It was similar to this when I was younger.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Well, that's good, because we're going to go back in time, aren't we?

-I can't wait.

This is a celebration of your TV, TV classic moments

that you've chosen, that have shaped you

-and probably made you the person you are today.

-Yeah, I know.

I can't believe how important TV was back then, to be honest with you...

-Yeah.

-Because, obviously, we only had one telly in our house

and, yeah, I loved TV when I was younger. I just absolutely loved it.

-Of course, no-one's got one telly in their house these days.

-No, we did.

-No, I've got one in every room.

-Yeah.

So, look, we're going to take a trip back, but we're going to

first rewind the clock and have a look at a very young Alison Hammond.

-Oh, I'm excited!

-Here we go.

Born in 1975, Alison grew up with her mum,

older brother and sister in Birmingham.

A love of stage and screen shone out from an early age.

After leaving school, Alison had a spell as a cinema usherette

and a holiday rep before finding fame

when she entered the Big Brother house in 2002.

She was evicted after just 15 days,

but nonetheless Alison's television career really took off.

Within weeks of leaving Big Brother, she was offered a three-month stint

on This Morning, and she's still there to this day.

So, Alison, normally we go into the first little TV clip,

but as a homage to your clip,

-I'm going to get changed.

-No!

-Yeah, I'm going to get changed.

-What are you going to wear?

-This is now a clue...

-I'm nervous.

LAUGHTER

-I love it! I absolutely love it!

-Do you know what the programme is?

-Yeah, I totally know what it is.

-Do I have to put that on?

-Is it Mr Benn?

-It is Mr Benn.

Oh, I love Mr Benn!

-Let's cue Mr Benn.

-That's brilliant!

This classic 1970s animation series

followed the adventures of Mr Benn

as he embarked on a different fantastical adventure

every time he tried on a costume at a fancy dress shop.

Although Mr Benn was never given an on-screen first name,

writer David McKee always thought William would suit him.

Oh, memories for me. I used to love this show.

As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.

So, he used to go into the shop, didn't he?

Yeah, he used to go into the shop and then get dressed up

and become that character.

-So, obviously, one day he would become a spaceman.

-A spaceman, yeah.

And I literally thought I was Mr Benn.

When I used to watch this show, I wanted to be Mr Benn,

believe it or not.

And I always wanted to be, like, a cave person, or something like that.

A caveman.

-Let's see what he is today.

-Could you imagine it?

I would like to try the space outfit.

Favouring camera moves across still drawings,

the animation was basic,

but that didn't stop children adoring Mr Benn.

Oh, my gosh, I can't believe it wasn't even moving at the time...

-No, I know.

-I remember that he was moving.

Mr Benn was soon in the changing room,

and quickly took off his clothes and put on the space outfit.

Ooh.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

Then he looked for the other door,

the door that always led to adventures.

-This was Ray Brooks who used to narrate this.

-Really?

Ray Brooks, who many people will remember from Ken Loach's

ground-breaking 1960s television drama Cathy Come Home,

also narrated another children's animated series, King Rollo.

At the controls was another...

I just wanted to go on these adventures.

Look, he's now going to be a spaceman.

He's going to actually literally become a spaceman.

-How amazing would that be?

-Yeah.

That you just went into a shop and just became what you wanted to be?

Yeah. It's not real. It's not a documentary.

No, but to me at the time, it was quite real.

THEY LAUGH

-Now, next bit of telly was a family favourite.

-Oh, gosh.

I think I know what it's going to be before you even put it on.

# Now the world don't move to the beat of just one drum... #

-Diff'rent Strokes, do you remember that?

-Diff'rent Strokes, yeah.

Following the misadventures of a wealthy Manhattan family

who adopted their dead housekeeper's children,

Diff'rent Strokes ran for an impressive eight series,

and the catchy theme tune was co-written

by Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke's parents.

# Everybody's got a special kind of story... #

Whenever there was a black person on the telly,

it was like, "There's a black person on the TV!"

Literally the whole family would run to the living room

to see who was on the TV. So, this is a big thing.

-There was no way we were going to miss this, because there was black people in it.

-Yeah.

So, we wanted to see, "What are these other black people doing?" Do you know what I mean?

It was the one thing that was, culturally, always happened.

They were huge child stars, weren't they?

They were huge, yeah.

A vehicle for the precocious Gary Coleman,

Diff'rent Strokes turned child actors Dana Plato as Kimberly,

Todd Bridges as Willis and, of course, Coleman as Arnold,

into international household names.

What a great bunch of guys.

You know, Willis, I really love that club.

How come you guys never come down there?

Well, Dad, there's a very good reason why

we've never been down there.

-What is it?

-You never invited us!

-Oh, I just thought he was the cutest little kid ever.

-Yeah.

-Did you just want to get his cheeks and go...?

-I did.

I think I actually wanted to marry him as a child,

to be honest with you.

I thought, "Oh, that's going to be my husband when I grow up."

Hey, I may never be lean and mean, but I can be spunky and chunky.

-Are they adopted by this family?

-Yeah.

-Is that the story?

Can you believe I didn't even know? The penny's only just dropped.

-He's a widow...

-I thought they were just one big family!

What, you thought that that was his boys?

-No, Alison.

-No but, obviously, you know,

-as a child, you just watch it, don't you? You don't think...

-Yeah.

It's only now, I'm watching it, I'm going,

-"Actually, I think they're adopted."

-Yeah.

-He's a widower and he adopts those two, yeah.

-Oh, right, OK.

And they come and live in the family.

You know when you don't connect when you're a child?

I was a little bit dim.

I'll have you guys there to root for me when I do that mile run.

Diff'rent Strokes didn't shy away from tackling tough subjects,

from bulimia to alcoholism, while still keeping it's comedy moments.

Well, even if you don't win that trophy, Dad,

we can always have Arnold bronzed.

Oh, that's lovely, that. What a lovely show.

-Yeah, it was a great show.

-What was his catchphrase?

He used to say something that really made me laugh.

-"What you talking about?"

-"What you talking about, Willis?"

"What are you talking about, Willis?"

-"What are you talking about?"

-Yeah.

-There you go.

-That was it, yeah.

That really reminds me of childhood, everyone gathered around the TV.

Especially my brother. My brother loved that.

-I mean, you were a child actress.

-I was, yeah.

Well, at the age of 11,

my mum said there's some auditions for this club

called The Central Television Workshop, and it was like

a drama school for kids who couldn't afford to go to drama school.

So, it kind of got you off the streets, and you'd go

and learn everything about TV and theatre and drama and stuff.

And you'd go every week. And I had to go and audition.

-There was, like, 25,000 kids auditioning for 25 places.

-Really?

And I said to my mum, "No, I don't want to do it,"

and she was like, "Come on." She drove me there.

I went for the audition. I had such a great time.

I got through three auditions, and then I got into

this Central Television Workshop, which was just brilliant.

And those guys who I worked with,

they're like some of my lifetime friends, from there.

-Really?

-Yeah. And I was in that from the age of 11 to 18.

-Oh, wow.

-And I was cast in a couple of children's programmes and stuff.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah. I was in Your Mother Wouldn't Like It, Palace Hill.

I think I did some extra work for Boon.

-Do you remember Boon with Neil Morrissey?

-Yeah, of course.

And my mum was really into TV as well,

so my mum would do extra work,

and she'd get us in certain things.

And I think we even did, when I was really young, I think

-we did a film together, a film called Artemis 81.

-Really?

And Sting was in it. And it was just great. I had to pretend to be dead.

It was great.

-Yeah.

-You played a dead body?

-I was a corpse.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-But I bet you were a good corpse.

-I was a good corpse.

I was a good actress at...

-I can't even remember how old I was. I was quite young.

-Yeah.

But that was really good.

-I did a couple of episodes of Doctors as well.

-Not as a dead body?

-Not as a dead body. I had a part in that.

-Oh, good for you, girl.

I was a prostitute's sister.

Yeah. And she was going... LAUGHTER

She was going through some issues,

and I was trying to advise her in the right way to go.

-So, what was your mum like?

-My mum was a lovely mum. She was a worker.

Single mum.

She's in our audience, your mum,

-so shall we ask her what she thinks of you?

-Yeah.

-Hi, Mum!

-Hello there, Maria. It's lovely to meet you.

-Thank you.

-So, what was Alison like as a young child?

-Oh, she was a lovely child.

-My mum's a big fan of yours, by the way. She does like you.

-Oh, really?

-Oh, thank you very much.

-Yes.

-I've seen you a few times in the Hippodrome in Birmingham.

Oh, right. Oh, lovely. Look, this is Alison's show, all right?

Just let's get on with it, shall we?

Alison, we're moving on to Mum's Choice now.

This is a programme that your mum used to love watching.

-Fancy going for a drink?

-It's not your birthday, is it?

-Is this Angels?

-Yes.

-Oh.

I know it's my turn on the rota. Maybe you're right, Jane.

-A very young Pauline Quirke.

-Oh, wow.

-Look at that.

-In that case, mine's a pint of Special.

-Brown Ale, please.

Dealing with the subject of student nurses,

British drama Angels received some criticism

for it's unglamorous depiction of the nursing profession,

while others declared it "grittily authentic".

-You're learning, then.

-It's been that kind of week.

-My mum did extra work on this.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

Cos sometimes she'd get us and she'd be like, "I'm on tonight's show."

-And we'd be sitting there. Literally, if you blinked, you'd miss it.

-Yeah.

-What, just a quick walk-by?

-Literally.

She's be like, "Come on, everyone."

-She'd gather the whole family, it'd be a real, massive event.

-Yeah.

Food, drink, everything.

And then she'd just go past and she'd be, like,

there for two seconds. "I didn't see it cos I blinked."

Yeah, cos you didn't have video in those days, so you can't rewind it.

No, no. But, yeah. So, my mum used to work on that.

Didn't you darling? Yeah.

Well, we can't not take a look at her in action.

Get ready, here she comes...

and there she goes. Worth another look, eh?

And there she is.

She always said she furnished our house through extra work.

Now, I was able to look after you

and give you all the little luxuries from my extra work.

That's the bike and the roller skates.

That was all from her "extra work".

LAUGHTER

-Oh, I know now.

-Yeah, you know now.

-"Extra work".

Yeah, that's what she called it.

So, Alison, I'm going to move on now

to what we call your Comfort Viewing.

-Ooh.

-There it is.

-Let's have a look.

Some very good performances.

Very good performances from the girls...

I mean, I'm getting all comfy already, just seeing it.

-Bob Holness.

-Look at Bob.

Based on an American game show of the same name,

the original run of Blockbusters was on our TV screens for 10 years.

With Bob Holness at the helm,

sixth-formers put their general knowledge to the test.

So, James, for the first time...

And what did you think of the great Bob Holness?

Oh, I loved him, I loved him.

The original James Bond on the radio, was Bob Holness.

-Stop it. Really?

-Yeah.

-I can see why.

-Did you always want to be on this show?

I did want to be on this show, but I know I'd be rubbish at it.

I know I wouldn't answer any of the questions. But I just liked it.

I just enjoyed watching this show.

You know, because they were always teenagers,

-the make-up girls used to call the show Spotbusters.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-I didn't know that.

-Yeah.

-I never even noticed.

I think because I was probably a teenager myself.

-I just loved this show.

-Yeah, no, it was...

Yeah, a bit of Blockbusters, a bit of Bob. "Can I have a P, Bob?"

Do you remember that, when he'd done that? He was so funny?

-Shall we see if we can play along?

-Yes, come on then.

Where do you want to start on the left?

-PO. He's going to go for PO.

-How do you know?

I used to try and predict it. PO.

PO.

-Cool.

-Fate or complete military training?

DAV. OAV, sorry.

Two ingredients which make French dressing?

Oil and vinegar.

-Oil and vinegar.

-That's it.

-Well done. FT.

-FT.

-Moralistic fantasy stories for children.

-Fairy tales.

-That's it.

-TW.

-Characters who open Shakespeare's Scottish play.

-The witches.

-Three witches.

-That's right.

-SM.

Its cocoon is unwound and then woven into a fine fabric.

-Silk moth.

-Silk moth.

Silkworm.

No, there's more to it.

BOTH: Moth!

Silk moth!

Silkworm...

Did you get frustrated watching it?

For me, it was all about if I could predict the path

of where it was going to go and I'm normally quite good at it.

Yeah, well you got the...

You went, "He's going to go PO, he's going to go PO," and he did.

-See what I mean?

-I mean, he did get it wrong...

-Oh, bless him.

Yeah, that reminds me of coming home.

Great games show hosts are something the UK excels at.

Just look at Sir Bruce Forsyth.

He has been on TV almost as long as television has existed,

making his first experience in 1939.

And as a game show host, he has given us many a famous catchphrase.

Who could forget, "Good game, good game!" and, "Didn't they do well?"

And, of course, "Nice to see you, to see you nice."

From nice to nasty, Queen of mean Anne Robinson often made

contestants quake in the quiz show The Weakest Link.

She even made ex Blue Peter presenter John Noakes cry

by teasing him about the death of Shep, the rotter!

And of course, who could forget the legendary Bob Monkhouse?

After carving out a career as a top comedian, Bob went on

to host a whole heap of popular game shows

from Family Fortunes to Bob's Full House.

Your next choice is your comedy hero

-so let's take a look at this fitness fanatic.

-Yeah.

There she is.

I love Victoria Wood. Victoria Wood is my favourite.

Now, I'll just launch into my usual preamble.

Bear down with me if you've heard it before. I'm Madge, obviously.

Oh, sorry, not obviously. I've usually got it written on, sorry.

Got a new leotard on tonight. Do you like it? It's flattering, isn't it?

I wasn't sure when I got it home. I thought, "Hmm, bit subtle."

SHE LAUGHS

It's just... Oh, she is just a funny, funny lady.

This is one of her best sketches I have ever seen.

You can do any diet you like, girls. If you don't do those exercises,

you are up that shopping centre without a credit card.

Actress, writer and producer,

Victoria Wood is one of Britain's top comediennes.

During the '80s and '90s, her character-driven sketches

kept the nation in stitches.

..kick in the buttock. Give it a nice stretch.

It's just that physical, like, comedy...

That's it, isn't it? I know.

-The words are so clever too.

-I know, she's hilarious.

This is the biggest muscle in the entire body

and it's actually directly connected to the brain.

So, when we're working it, we're actually improving our circulation

and our breathing and our ability to follow a knitting pattern.

So...

I go to, like, a Zumba class and the teacher is like that.

I'm not even joking. Hi, Lynne, are you all right?

She's literally like that.

When I go in, literally, I just chuckle to myself and I think of

Victoria Wood. She's got a real, gruff, loud voice.

And it's just hilarious. Yeah, that's how she carries on.

There is a point with skinny where it can tip over into scrawny.

And I should know because I am dangerously near it myself.

Absolute genius, as far as I'm concerned.

Really is funny, and that is one of my...

That sketch, I remember, and honestly, it cracks me up

every time I watch it. I love that sketch.

So, did you used to watch these as a child?

Yeah, probably a little bit older, yeah. Maybe as a teenager.

I used to watch Victoria Wood, but I used to just find her brilliant.

I thought she was a genius.

I just literally would laugh out loud and just think,

"Oh, my God, you are hilarious."

Is there anyone else you used to laugh out loud to?

Dawn French as well. Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders.

Those guys were just the best at their job.

-It's the physical comedy for me, I love physical comedy.

-Slapstick?

Slapstick, it just makes me laugh, I just love it and, I suppose,

I've kind of incorporated it a little bit.

When I do all my sketches on This Morning and stuff,

sometimes I get a little bit physical as well and

I would probably point towards Victoria Wood.

So, are you also a fan of silent comedy?

I love silent comedy because I just think

it's the most clever comedy going

because, obviously, you've got no words.

So are you referring to people like Buster Keaton and...

Yeah, do you remember Harold Lloyd? Harold Lloyd was a massive...

I was a massive fan of his and, I mean,

I have been telling people... what happened?

Why don't they repeat Harold Lloyd

and Charlie Chaplain and Laurel and Hardy?

Your dream has come true, Alison.

We will repeat a little bit of Harold Lloyd, here he is.

-Well, they should repeat it! Oh, he's brilliant.

-On the clock tower.

So, no words. It was black and white.

Arguably his most famous sketch.

-I mean, it's incredible.

-And he wore glasses as well.

And, apparently, he did all his own stunts as well.

I couldn't believe it. So funny.

-It looks absolutely terrifying, doesn't it?

-Yes, it is.

He was crazy, really, if you think about it.

It's just one of those programmes

that literally has you on the edge of your seat, doesn't it?

And you can't help but carry on watching.

-I think it was very cleverly shot.

-So funny, look!

I don't think he was actually up that high

but it is, still, of its time... Oh, my God.

Look, look, look! So dangerous.

-Oh, no.

-There's always a disaster in Harold Lloyd.

Legendary silent film star Harold Lloyd was one of the greatest

comic stars of his time.

His motion picture career spanned 34 years and over 200 comedies.

-Off he goes.

-Here we go. Oh, he just got it in time.

We have had two different...

completely different types of comedy there.

I mean, what is closest to your heart?

I don't know, I just like them both, to be honest with you.

I like that silent... Just purely because he has to work

so hard in order to... When the story just carries on,

you have to work so hard to keep people's attention.

-So, you are a big fan of Buster Keaton? Laurel and Hardy?

-Yeah.

-Obviously Charlie Chaplain.

-Yeah.

All those sort of things I used to watch and be mesmerised by,

-literally mesmerised by that sort of TV. Loved it.

-Yeah.

Where you don't have to really think,

it's all done for you. I like that.

THEY LAUGH

Sit back, relax. Yeah.

We first saw you on our screens on Big Brother.

How was that experience?

It just felt like a mini holiday, to be honest with you.

So, the first day we arrived, we got like a full luxury shopping list

so I had two weeks of luxury and then I got kicked out.

-Yeah.

-I was the second one to be kicked out

so I just had a really lovely holiday.

Then how long after that did you then work for This Morning?

Quite soon after, about a month or so afterwards,

they asked me, "We would love you to come on

"This Morning to do a three-month contract. Are you up for it?"

-I went, "Yeah." Been there 13 years now.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

Started off just on the three-month contract and...

It never went away.

We are going to have a look at you on one of your very first

interviews for This Morning. Do you know who it's with?

-Is it Mr Clooney?

-It is. George himself.

If you thought George Clooney was just another sex symbol

from Hollywood, well, think again because with his directing debut,

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, he has proved that he is

just as talented behind the camera as he is in front.

Well, that's the Paul Ross bit out of the way.

The reason I'm here is for George Clooney.

-What do you want? ALL:

-George!

-When do you want him? ALL:

-Now!

-Aw! I look so young.

-So does George.

-Your first directing role.

-Yes.

-Were you nervous?

-Yeah, I was nervous.

But, I had to carry Sam Rockwell around, so I was fine.

If you've got a good actor, you'll be OK.

I can't believe how confident I am on my first job.

I had an interview with him and then, like, he went away

and then I just thought, he's walking back,

"I'll get another interview." so I just shoved my mic in his face

and then thought, "Oh, that was a bit awkward."

SHE SNIGGERS

But, that's the thing, I never went to journalism school

so I didn't know what the etiquette was.

-I literally...

-Well, you got his attention, didn't you?

-I had an interview...

And some time goes by, maybe a few years,

-and he still remembers it.

-He remembered it, yeah.

I went and did a sit-down interview with him and I thought,

"Oh, I look a little bit different, my hair is a bit different.

"He ain't going to recognise me."

Literally, as I walked through the door,

he says, "Did you hit me in the face with a microphone?" I was like,

"Me? Really?" He remembered, literally, that moment.

But I think, what you have is a talent to spark up

an immediate rapport with someone and that's what you're good at,

and that's what you have to be good at,

and that's why you've been doing the show This Morning for 13 years now.

I have never even thought about what the secret is

but I think you've got it there, Brian. I think you have.

-I don't know.

-But when have you struggled to strike up a rapport?

Do you know what? It does happen, believe it or not.

You're not going to get on with everyone...,

-Well, someone's having a bad day, you know...

-I've had that,

I've had that, actually... I'll even name-drop here.

Um...I can't remember his name.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

Probably me. "I was working with this Brian..."

Cut that bit out, cut that bit out.

-Right, I was working with Colin Firth.

-Colin Firth.

And, the first time I met him,

I was on the red carpet and it was for Bridget Jones,

he was all over me, kissing me and everything, I was like,

"Oh, me and Colin are like that."

So, in my second interview, I was telling all the cameramen

and went, "Oh, you're going to love this interview because

"me and him get on like that. He was kissing me on the red carpet."

He came in and he went, "I've had a bad night, go easy on me."

I was like, "Oh, my God."

And the whole interview, he was just in a really...

-You wouldn't have noticed it, no-one else would have noticed it...

-In the edit or whatever.

..but, you know, when I could feel in my heart

that he just wasn't with me and that's just the way it is.

Some people have a good day, some people have a bad day,

unfortunately, I had both with Colin Firth.

I've had a bad day and a good day.

-So what sort of TV do you like watching now?

-I do like daytime TV.

Of course, you're on it.

Obviously, I like This Morning but I'm really into, like, box sets.

So I've just finished watching Breaking Bad, loved it. Brilliant.

And I'm now watching - can't believe I'm so behind -

-but I'm only now just watching Homeland.

-Homeland. Oh, yeah.

-Really into that.

-Do you... Can you switch off?

-Or, you know, you sort of binge on it?

-Binge.

I literally want to watch like six episodes at one time.

I can't turn it off.

So, I might watch it in the car, I won't be driving, like,

if I've got a driver, I'll watch it in the car,

I'll watch it on the train, I literally binge.

I want to watch them all now. But, yeah, I like box sets

-at the minute.

-All right.

And we give our guest the opportunity now to choose

a theme tune for us to play out on.

What's it going to be?

For me, what reminds me of family

and a Saturday night would have to be a Dallas theme tune.

-Because that was...

-Big Dallas fan?

-I just... I loved it

when JR got shot. Who did it? And all that sort of stuff?

Absolutely loved it

and the fact that we used to all sing it before it came on.

We would be like...

SHE SINGS DALLAS THEME

You know, we would literally be dancing round.

We would be so happy when that came on.

The whole family would just get so excited.

Well, you have made us happy today. You really have.

I genuinely say this that you are such a bright spark

and a lovely person.

Well, you've made me happy, I've loved this show.

-It's great.

-Oh, thank you very much, thank you very much. Give us a kiss.

So, my thanks to Alison

and my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.

-We'll see you next time. Bye-bye.

-Bye!

MUSIC: Dallas Theme Song

LAUGHTER