0:00:02 > 0:00:04TV - the magic box of delights.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07As kids, it showed us a million different worlds,
0:00:07 > 0:00:09all from our living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- This takes me right back.- That's embarrassing!
0:00:12 > 0:00:14I 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 > 0:00:24- It is just so silly.- Ah! I love it!
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- Is it Mr Ben?- Shut it!
0:00:28 > 0:00:33- ..as they select the iconic TV moments...- Oh, hello.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36..that tell us the stories of their lives.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Oh!
0:00:38 > 0:00:40- Oh, my gosh.- Cheers.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- Some will make you laugh...- Wah!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44SHE LAUGHS
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..some will surprise...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48HE QUACKS
0:00:48 > 0:00:53- ..many will inspire...- Oh!- Look at this. Why wouldn't you what to watch this?
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- ..and others will move us.- Seeing that there made a huge impact on me.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Got a handkerchief?
0:01:01 > 0:01:02So, come and watch with us,
0:01:02 > 0:01:08as we rewind to the classic telly that shaped those wide-eyed
0:01:08 > 0:01:11youngsters into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21APPLAUSE
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26My guest today is a gifted comedian and actor, Mr John Thomson.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- Hello.- How are you?- I'm all right.- Give me a cuddle.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Come and sit down. Welcome to my flat.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39From The Fast Show to Men Behaving Badly...
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Playing The Field to Cold Feet, if there's a good comedy
0:01:43 > 0:01:48drama show on telly, there's a good chance this man is in it.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Amongst the TV that made him, a show where a bear,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54a hippo and an alien all lived happily together.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Oh, yes, Geoffrey, oh, that's a good idea.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01And a magician who kept us amazed for over 15 years.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06I keep a different tassel in here, and it makes my problems disappear.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10- How are you, mate?- I'm very well. - Are you excited about looking back on your past?
0:02:10 > 0:02:16- Yes, I am. Yes.- So, what was TV like as a child, you know, growing up?
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I was all over the place as a child, and I couldn't settle,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24but THAT would settle me. That was my baby-sitter, that was my nanny.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- So you would plonk me in front of that and I would just...- Zone out.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Zone out. I would even watch the test card.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34LAUGHTER
0:02:34 > 0:02:36With the girl with the Alice band and the clown and the noughts
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and crosses and the balloon. Yes.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42So, John, today is a celebration of your favourite highlights,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44TV highlights, that have shaped you,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47probably even made you the person you are today.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50And before all that, we are going to rewind the clock now
0:02:50 > 0:02:55and have a look at what it was like being a very young John Thomson.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56There's my clicker.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Born and bred in Lancashire, John was a boy of the '70s,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05growing up near Preston with his dad, a local businessman, Mum,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08a bookseller, and his younger brother, Ben.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13While still a student at Manchester Poly, he got his first TV
0:03:13 > 0:03:16break doing voice impressions for Spitting Image.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Before long, we got to see him on our screens in comedy
0:03:19 > 0:03:21hits like Coogan's Run...
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and as Len the barman in Men Behaving Badly.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Later, starring as the hapless Pete Gifford in the long-running comedy
0:03:28 > 0:03:33drama series Cold Feet firmly established him as a household name.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37But for many, he truly made his mark as the legendary jazz critic
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Louis Balfour in The Fast Show.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Which was nice, or should I say,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44AS LOUIS BALFOUR: nice!
0:03:46 > 0:03:48So, John, do you remember watching TV as a kid?
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Like we said, they used to just plonk you there.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I had a lot of favourite as a child.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56There was Watch With Mother, which was
0:03:56 > 0:04:00kind of an offshoot from the radio, which was Listen With Mother.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04So we didn't really do the wireless thing, because it was the '70s, so...
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Do you know why it was called Watch With Mother?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It was, you know, so that the mums would be there,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14so they wouldn't dump them. As they did with you.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16So you didn't actually watch with Mother.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It should have been called Watch On Your Own.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Mine should have been, should have been called
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Watch And Call Social Services.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25LAUGHTER
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- I remember Andy Pandy...- Yeah.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- ..the Flower Pot Men. Woodentops. - Yeah, Woodentops.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43- And then, over the other side, Rainbow.- Ah.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46And, er, Pipkins I absolutely loved.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- So, your first choice is actually Rainbow.- Yes.- Why?
0:04:50 > 0:04:54There is an apocryphal story that goes with Rainbow, where my mum
0:04:54 > 0:04:57caught me, because she wasn't watching with me, obviously.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01My mum saw me, and I looked round with a very angry
0:05:01 > 0:05:04look on my face, and my mum said to me, "What on earth is the matter?"
0:05:04 > 0:05:07And I said, "I want Bungle to die."
0:05:07 > 0:05:08LAUGHTER
0:05:08 > 0:05:11And the reason was, he was kind of a bit mamby-pamby
0:05:11 > 0:05:14and very sensible, whereas I was always a Zippy fan.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Because he was a bit naughty.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And I was always a bit naughty, you know, attention-seeking
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and kind of, you know, troublesome.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26And I kind of identified with... Out of all the Rainbow cast,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Zippy was my man. Whereas Bungle, no...
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Should we have a little look? Should we see if Bungle,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Bungle the bear, see if he is irritating in this one?
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- There is a letter for you. - A letter for me, Geoffrey?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- Is there one for me, Geoffrey?- No, sorry, Zippy.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Bungle and his mates, George and Zippy,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47with presenter Geoffrey Hayes, made up the Rainbow house.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52This preschool kids' show first appeared in 1972...
0:05:52 > 0:05:56as Britain's answer to the American hit series Sesame Street.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00With over 1,000 episodes, it ran for two decades.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I don't think I like sharing a bed any more.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I think I should have a bed of my own.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Is he irritating you here, John? - Yes, slightly, yes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12- A bed of your own?- Yes. And a room of my own as well.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- And a room, he is getting very big-headed.- Well, he's 18.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16LAUGHTER
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- And he is in bed with a cow and an alien.- It is a hippopotamus.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Oh, is it a hippopotamus?- Yeah.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25But we've only got two bedrooms, Bungle.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Ours and Geoffrey's.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31I only ever saw one episode where it explained what Zippy was.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35- And he is, apparently, a dwarf from outer space. Honestly.- Really?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- Yeah, I bet you didn't know that. - Can you do Zippy?- Oh, yes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- AS ZIPPY: - It was one of those voices that everybody could do, you see.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44But everybody did that, because he only had one hand. Because the guy is doing this.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47So everybody did this, you see. So everybody...
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- AS GEORGE: - And George, he talked like that, didn't he?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Might I have your room, and you share with Zippy and George?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- Well, is that what you want? - Yes, Geoffrey, it is.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00Oh, all right, Bungle, you have my bedroom tonight.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- So, he really upset you, Bungle. - Bungle, I had no time for him. No.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09- Did you... You really...- I'm over it now.- Are you?- I'm over it.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- Are you really over it, John?- Yeah.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14I am. As bears go...
0:07:14 > 0:07:18You haven't seen Bungle for 35 years.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19LAUGHTER
0:07:19 > 0:07:23We have flown him 25 miles to be here.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28Would you please welcome the original Bungle bear?
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Ho, ho, ho!
0:07:29 > 0:07:31CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:07:31 > 0:07:36- Hello.- Hello, Bungle. Come and join us on the sofa.- It is John Thomson.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41- Hello, Bungle.- Hello.- No hard feelings. I was only five.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42- Were you?- Yes.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47- I was five once.- Were you? - Do you feel better now?
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- I'm dealing rather well with it. - Yeah. You haven't actually...
0:07:50 > 0:07:52You haven't been affectionate to it, though, John.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- Do you know what, he's a lot more cuddly upfront.- Ho, ho!
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Yeah. Do you know what, yeah, I can see the appeal now.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03So, Bungle, it is honestly, truly a great honour to be here, because
0:08:03 > 0:08:06when they said, "We've got Bungle,"
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I didn't think it was THE real Bungle, but you were...
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Oh, yes, I was. When you were little.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Underneath the famous fuzzy suit is Malcolm Lord.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19He took over the role in 1989 for three years.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24He was the third actor to play the iconic brown bear during
0:08:24 > 0:08:29its original run on Thames Television.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- Are you wearing shoes now?- I am.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38- Zippy told me you've got cold feet. - Oh, yes, I have.- Oh, dear.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39GROANS
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- Bungle, it's been lovely to meet you.- I am genuinely shocked.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47LAUGHTER
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Oh, Bungle, thank you so much for coming on the show.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56- John, do you think you have buried the hatchet?- Totally. Friends.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- Friends, forever.- Forever. Aw. - AUDIENCE:- Aw!
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, from Rainbow,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04the original Bungle bear.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05APPLAUSE
0:09:05 > 0:09:09- Bye-bye, everybody. - Bye-bye. See you now.- Ho, ho!
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Bungle's not the first bear on TV to have captured
0:09:13 > 0:09:15the imagination of generations of children.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Sooty, the small hand puppet bear created by Harry Corbett,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23debuted on our TVs in the early 1950s.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28In fact, a show bearing Sooty's name has continued ever since, making
0:09:28 > 0:09:32it one of the most enduring characters in children's TV.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Since then, we've had Big Ted and Little Ted,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38stalwarts of the Play School house.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Later, in '76, and fresh from Peru, Paddington Bear arrived
0:09:44 > 0:09:48with 59 episodes of his antics on our screens.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53And today, what would the annual BBC Children in Need appeal be
0:09:53 > 0:09:57without this cheeky mascot? The lovable Pudsey.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02John, tell us about your living room growing up.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06TV, when we were kids, was a very much more family affair.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10As opposed to... There wasn't that much choice.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Obviously, people couldn't afford to have TVs in every
0:10:13 > 0:10:16room like they do, you know, with all the channels.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19So there were certain times of the week,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22particularly Saturday nights, where TV was a family affair
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and we would all sit down and watch it together.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- Would you sort out treats, would there be treats for you? - Yes, there used to be...
0:10:28 > 0:10:32My dad would go and get a Chinese takeaway on a Saturday night.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36And he would... We would put the order in for sweets for afterwards.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- Oh, you would have sweets.- Yeah.- Oh, right.- My order, quite often,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- was a Milky Way.- A Milky Way.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Well, just sit there, John... In the kitchen here...
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- I've made a special effort.- Like Heston.- I only got you two, love.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53- We couldn't push...- Oh, you have one.- But there you go.- Fantastic.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- Milky Way.- Yes, the sweet that you could eat between meals without
0:10:57 > 0:10:58ruining your appetite.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00GROANS
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Oh, f... Honestly, really?
0:11:02 > 0:11:06How many? How many could you have? You look back on those tag lines.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08A Mars a day...
0:11:08 > 0:11:10makes you fat.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12LAUGHTER
0:11:12 > 0:11:17Really, doesn't it? It doesn't make you work, re... Rest?!
0:11:17 > 0:11:22Oh, I'll have a Mars bar. Oh, that's better. Do you know what I mean?
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I mean, advertisers are getting away with murder. A Milky Way.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I think it is because...
0:11:27 > 0:11:31The fondant inside is, it is whipped, isn't it?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I presume it is a lighter thing. So...
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Hopefully this won't ruin my appetite.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- Does it take you back to those early days?- Mm.- Watching the box.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- Now, another programme you used to like watching.- The Tomorrow People. - Yeah.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53- Yeah.- The Tomorrow People.- Yeah, yeah.- Should we just have a little look?- Yeah.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56- A bit before it's time, this.- This was your must-see TV.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03This futuristic children's science-fiction series
0:12:03 > 0:12:06ran for six years and 68 episodes,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09on ITV, starting in 1973.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17We have forgiven your gross impertinence in teleporting in here.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20He looks like an explosion of a knickerbocker glory, doesn't he?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23It is a cross between the Honey Monster
0:12:23 > 0:12:25and a broken ice cream machine.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27BRIAN LAUGHS
0:12:27 > 0:12:30The Tomorrow People were teenagers who battled the bad
0:12:30 > 0:12:32people of Earth and space,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35after developing superhuman powers, including telepathy
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and the ability to teleport.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Take him away!
0:12:41 > 0:12:44What they had was belts, that meant they could jaunt,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- it was called, jaunting.- Right.- And you kind of do that and you could...
0:12:48 > 0:12:50- Like teleport.- Yeah.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53And the idea of teleporting when you were a kid is just the best.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Like Star Trek, you know, to be able to disappear
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and appear in another place, especially when you're at school.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Appealing to a young adult audience with its
0:13:02 > 0:13:06narrative of teenagers ruling over adult, the compelling storyline
0:13:06 > 0:13:11made up for the clearly limited prop and costume budget.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14You see, that costume there, the silver one,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17looks a bit like a Time Lord from Gallifrey, Doctor Who.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- I think that has been nicked. - Were you a big fan of sci-fi?
0:13:20 > 0:13:25Yes, because I always loved horror and sci-fi and ghosts
0:13:25 > 0:13:28and monsters and all that kind of, you know, comics and...
0:13:28 > 0:13:33All those kind of things... I relished pure escapism.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36So, Doctor Who and Star Trek, Blake's 7,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40all those kind of things just were so up my street.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Was your younger brother into these sort of things as well?
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Me and my brother, Ben, we bonded on Star Wars.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- And...- As a kid?- Yes. And, um,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53we used to do a kind of thing with...
0:13:53 > 0:13:57It was the figures, you know, the Star Wars figures, where we
0:13:57 > 0:13:59kind of like show it and you had to name it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Some of the more obscure ones.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04We would see if we could catch each other out.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08- Did you ever fantasise about being in Tomorrow People?- Oh, God, yes.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10I always wanted to be an actor, really,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13because I was class clown, and it was kind of like...
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Mum and Dad wondered why I was so disruptive and everything,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20so they tested me, er, my...my...
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- IQ, and it was very, very high.- I like the way you have to struggle with remembering the word IQ.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27LAUGHTER
0:14:27 > 0:14:32- Would it surprise you that I was one of Tomorrow's People?- No.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Yes, I was. I did an episode.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37I did an episode where they had frozen all these young German
0:14:37 > 0:14:40soldiers, and they defrosted them,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43and then these soldiers were going to take over the world.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- Do you want to have a little look at it?- I would love to.- There is...
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Surprise number two!- ..a very young Nicholas Lyndhurst.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- But Wolfgang Crass was a fool.- Can you see where I am?
0:14:53 > 0:14:58- That's me, next to the projector. - There. Blimey. How old were you?
0:14:58 > 0:15:02I was about, I don't know, about 16, 17, yes.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07- So, yeah. And I loved the programme. I mean, for me...- You must have been so excited.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- Oh, yeah.- Was that one of the first things you did?- Yes, I think so, yes.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12And Nicholas Lyndhurst.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- I don't think he'd have done that much up until that point.- No.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23John, your next choice is Parents' Choice, specifically your dad.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- Should we just have a little look? - Yeah.- Yeah, why not?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Appointment With Fear introduced a regular late-night horror
0:15:34 > 0:15:37slot on the ITV network.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41The broadcast times and opening credits varied across the regions.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46To see those opening credits, with those faces morph,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- that was, like, a top effect.- Oh, yeah.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It was like, "Whoa, that was state-of-the-art that, really."
0:15:51 > 0:15:54But, yes, that has really brought back memories.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58The Abominable Dr Phibes, made in 1971,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02was typical of the nightmarish films showcased in this slot.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06What have we got here? Oh, needing some help, Miss?
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Do you remember this one?
0:16:07 > 0:16:11I've seen it a few times, I'm a great fan of Vincent Price,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13yes. I love the Phibes films.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Everyone meets a very untimely and rather cruel death.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21In this kitsch British horror, the evil Dr Phibes seeks
0:16:21 > 0:16:24revenge for a group of incompetent doctors that he
0:16:24 > 0:16:30believes killed his wife, and it starred the iconic Vincent Price.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Clearly with some sort of death grip. Look at that wig.- Yeah.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35And that's his assistant. Do you know what her name is?
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- No, go on.- Vulnavia.- Really?- Yeah.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41SLOW VIOLIN MUSIC
0:16:43 > 0:16:46That, beneath that, he's deteriorated massively
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and that's kind of like make up.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49GENTLE MUSIC
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I like all this, you know, automata, kind of...this weird horror.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03It's right up my street. Something's going to go horribly wrong now.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09I was obsessed with horror films
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and my mum and dad were all right with it,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13but they were very, very shrewd,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15cos I said to my dad, this is really sweet, this story,
0:17:15 > 0:17:20I used to say, "Dad, will you wake me up for Appointment With Fear?"
0:17:20 > 0:17:22My dad went, "Yeah, all right, I will."
0:17:22 > 0:17:26He used to wake me up and say, "Come downstairs",
0:17:26 > 0:17:30put the TV on and every time...
0:17:30 > 0:17:31HE SNORES AND LAUGHTER
0:17:31 > 0:17:35..just fall fast asleep, then he'd carry me back to bed,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38but the next day, he'd have watched it, and he would tell me
0:17:38 > 0:17:41from the beginning to the end
0:17:41 > 0:17:44the story, and I'd listen with bated breath.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49- So, do you think it made you feel - grown-up? Yeah, I think so.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Late-night horror strands were all the rage during the 1970s.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57The Exorcism was typical of the creepy films
0:17:57 > 0:18:01played during the Dead of Night slot in 1972.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Other forays into terror included the strand
0:18:07 > 0:18:10A Ghost Story For Christmas, which ran for seven years
0:18:10 > 0:18:15from 1971, filled with spooky supernatural tales.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19But as early as 1955 the master of suspense himself
0:18:19 > 0:18:23chilled audiences with Alfred Hitchcock Presents,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26an anthology series showcasing short, offbeat
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and often unsettling films.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37We're moving onto Sneaky Peak.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39This is a Sneaky Peak with a difference,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- because this is something you used to watch...- Yeah.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47..but only because, because of your aerial.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48Oh, yes.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51- This was Batman and Robin.- Mm.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54And...do you want us to play...?
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- Or just tell us the story...- Do you want the background?- Yeah, so...
0:18:57 > 0:19:01- OK. There were a few things in my house that was banned.- Mm-hm.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Benny Hill wasn't allowed.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06- He was too blue. - GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I don't know if anyone else suffered at the hands of this,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13but we were told that Swap Shop on a Saturday morning
0:19:13 > 0:19:16was a sensible programme to watch, but the truth be told,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19- everyone wanted to watch Tiswas. - Yeah, yeah...
0:19:19 > 0:19:21But that WASN'T a sensible programme.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25We weren't far from Winter Hill, which is the mast
0:19:25 > 0:19:28that broadcast all the TV, so we got a good reception where we were.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32The beauty of it was I could turn off Swap Shop, sneak upstairs,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37watch the end of Tiswas, but then with the dial tune to HTV,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41which was the Welsh version of ITV, and watch Batman.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- Ah-ha...- No-one else, that wasn't on ITV for us northerners.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Fortunately...it wasn't in Welsh.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50LAUGHTER
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- WELSH ACCENT:- "Ker-clow".
0:19:52 > 0:19:53You know what I mean? Um...
0:19:53 > 0:19:55- Can you imagine? - It's not the same, is it?
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- WELSH ACCENT:- The Riddler. Joker.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- Shall we have a look? - Yeah, let's have a look.- Here we go.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03That title music, it's brilliant, isn't it? Here we go.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07With its bombastic and camp style,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09this 1960s depiction
0:20:09 > 0:20:12of the famous comic book hero Batman,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14originally ran for three series.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- It's not quite The Dark Knight, is it?- No, it's not, really.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- But this is where it all came from? BOTH:- This is where it started.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24They call it the cowl, don't they, the Batman mask?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- But he had pencilled-on eyebrows on top.- Let's have a look.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Strange. No answer.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- I wonder...- What is it, Batman? - Something that...
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- Oh, you're right.- There.- There, look at that.- Constant surprise.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41He looks like he's had too much Botox, doesn't he, really, look?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43- Holy stuffy.- Exactly, Robin.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Do you know what? For crime-fighters,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48- terrible peripheral vision. - LAUGHTER
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Do you know what I mean?
0:20:49 > 0:20:52You're constantly...
0:20:52 > 0:20:53Ow! What?
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Cos he couldn't see him coming.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Not the greatest idea, is it, really?
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Its cartoony characters and dialogue played for laughs
0:21:02 > 0:21:07made it a timeless favourite amongst young and not-so-young viewers.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08THE JOKER LAUGHS
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- Cesar Romero...- Mm-hm. - ..who played the Joker here,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14but I could always see the tache underneath. It kind of bugged me a bit.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16He must've been a bit of a diva, they'd go,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19"Shave the tache off", and he'd go, "No. Not doing it."
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Destroy them!
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- Here we go, here comes the fight sequence.- Oh, it's coming.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29- Not bad though, you know. Crraack!- Yeah.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31- The sound effect. Oooff!- Oooff!
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- This make 'em...- Yeah.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Thwapp! You can imagine it in Welsh, can't you?
0:21:35 > 0:21:39HE SPEAKS IN WELSH
0:21:39 > 0:21:43- It's still good choreography, isn't it?- That there looked real.
0:21:43 > 0:21:44Yeah.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Watch out, Batman.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Batman!
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- If I was directing this...- Mm? - ..I'd say, "Could we go again?"
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Cos it just sort of went on his shoulder
0:21:53 > 0:21:55and it wouldn't have done much, would it?
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Batman and Robin, the dashing diamonds of derring-do!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01THE JOKER LAUGHS
0:22:01 > 0:22:05It's like that thing with Captain Kirk, he was always doing this.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- You're all right, aren't you? - That actually hurt, that did. LAUGHTER
0:22:08 > 0:22:09Or this one,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13the double-handed on the back of here between the shoulder blades.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- People would just go, "What did you do that for?"- Mm.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20They go down, don't they? They go, "Ah!"
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Actually they go like that and they go, "What was that?"
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- We spoke about the sound effects. - Yes.- We've got some.- Oh, OK.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- We've got some here for you. - It's a test, is it?- It's a test.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Let's see how well you are,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36see how much you are up on the old sound effects.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39We want you to decide whether they actually came from the show or not.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- True or false?- OK.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- I'm definitely having "Kapow!"- "Kapow!"?
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- What do we reckon?- Yeah. AUDIENCE:- Yes.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- What do we think? Right book?- Maybe a cross.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- Oof!- After three. One, two, three.- Oof!- See?
0:22:54 > 0:22:56- BOTH: Kapow.- Stunt school as well.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- Well, you're right.- Yeah, that's in. - It was.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01"Sock!"
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Do you know, it's that kitsch, the show, it wouldn't surprise me.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07So you're saying true?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09- Yes, or no? FROM AUDIENCE:- No.- No.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12You're being swayed by my flatmates, aren't you?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- I think it's an amusing concept... - Yeah.- ..but I'm saying no.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Well, you're wrong. It was... - Should've gone with my instinct!
0:23:20 > 0:23:25- Yeah.- "Rakkk!!"? A rakkk is a rakkk, rakk-k-k-k-k-k...
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- No.- No.- That's more of a gun. - You're wrong. It is. Incorrect.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Oh, that's the Welsh one...
0:23:31 > 0:23:32LAUGHTER
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Oh, I've got it the wrong way round!
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- "Zgruppp!"?- "Zgruppp!".
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- I don't know. I'm not buying that. - No? OK, then. So, you're saying no?
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- No.- It is a yes. GENTLE LAUGHTER
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- Zgruppp?- Yeah.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- And it's the final one. - "Flrbbbbb!".- "Flrbbbbb!".
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Flrbbbbb?
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- It could be breaking wind underwater.- Yeah, I thought that.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- BOTH:- Flrrbbb...
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- I'll say yes.- Well, you're absolutely right in saying yes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02- They ALL were?- They all were.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04LAUGHTER
0:24:04 > 0:24:07- Going to have to go through every episode now, to look for flrbbb. - Yeah.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Holy-moley, Batman.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15With seven other actors, like Val Kilmer in 1995,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19this caped crusader has been portrayed by more actors
0:24:19 > 0:24:23than any other superhero in movie history...
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Val Kilmer, then George Clooney two years later,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27only lasting one film.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32But Christian Bale, with the sequels Dark Knight
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and The Dark Knight Rises became
0:24:34 > 0:24:35the first to play Bruce Wayne
0:24:35 > 0:24:37and his alter ego three times
0:24:37 > 0:24:39on the big screen.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Entering the Batcave next
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and joining the legion of actors before him,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Ben Affleck is the latest to don
0:24:45 > 0:24:47the cape and cowl, taking on another
0:24:47 > 0:24:51classic superhero in Batman Versus Superman,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Dawn Of Justice.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01John, we're going to take a little break now.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04- We're going to have an advert. - Right.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- It's one of your favourites, the finger of Fudge.- Oh, yes!
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Before I play it, do you think you can remember the theme tune?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15I can... # A finger of Fudge is just enough to give your kids treat... #
0:25:15 > 0:25:20# A finger of Fudge is just enough until it's time to eat... #
0:25:20 > 0:25:24The advert for Cadbury's Fudge bar ran from the late 1970s.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Its catchy tune was actually a traditional folk song,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31"The Lincolnshire Poacher" and the slogan, "a finger of fudge
0:25:31 > 0:25:35"is just enough" was popular enough to continue well into the 1990s.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40I've got a theory on this and I meet the odd person and go, "You, too!"
0:25:41 > 0:25:45# A finger a Fudge is just enough, it's very small and neat
0:25:45 > 0:25:47# It's full of... # This is what I thought they said...
0:25:47 > 0:25:51# PEPPERY goodness until it's time to eat
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- # A finger a Fudge is just enough... - You thought...
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- Peppery.- Peppery goodness?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58I thought they were like that...
0:25:58 > 0:25:59In the factory...
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Like that. And they'd go, "Giuseppe!"
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- And he'd have his big... - IMITATES PEPPER GRINDING
0:26:05 > 0:26:08..thing, like that, cos it sounds exactly like,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10"it's full of peppery goodness..."
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- Because the words are Cadbury's goodness...- Cadbury, yeah.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Please agree with me, it's "peppery" to me.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22- # A finger of Fudge is just enough... #- Here we go.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24# It's full of Cadbury goodness... #
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- I'll give you that.- Peppery?
0:26:27 > 0:26:28- AUDIENCE MEMBERS:- Yeah.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- Yeah.- I don't feel a fool now.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33So was you cheated when you bought a finger of Fudge
0:26:33 > 0:26:34and it didn't taste of pepper?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Do you know, in this day and age,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41to add pepper to Fudge, it would probably work.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Heston, if you're watching...
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Let me know. Give it a go.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Where there any other adverts that used to catch your eye?
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Oh, God - so many. I used to love the Milk Tray.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54It's coming back! They're looking for the new Milk Tray man.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57I was a huge Bond fan as well, as a child,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59since I was a very, very small...
0:26:59 > 0:27:01And James Bond films were...
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I still am a huge James Bond fan and it was like James Bond,
0:27:04 > 0:27:05but delivering chocolate.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08THEY HUM THEME TUNE
0:27:08 > 0:27:11But you know, he'd jump off a cliff, swim through shark-infested waters,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14get up, climb up the same cliff...
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Then...
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- Open up a manky box, because they were all wet.- Yeah!
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- One of your heroes I believe is Paul Daniels.- Well, yeah.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30That was one of my favourite TV shows.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33I would never miss it.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35- Shall we have a little look? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38This is what you've all come to see, isn't it?
0:27:38 > 0:27:42This trick, that you're about to see, it's one that even baffles me.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Running for an incredible 15 years from 1979,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48The Paul Daniels Magic Show regularly pulled in
0:27:48 > 0:27:52around 15 million viewers, who must have liked it, maybe
0:27:52 > 0:27:54not a lot, but they liked it.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56To some of you, it may appear to be one string -
0:27:56 > 0:27:58un string - that goes through here.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Lovely, so simple.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I keep a different tassel in here...
0:28:02 > 0:28:04And it makes my problems disappear.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Because moving this one to the right
0:28:06 > 0:28:09makes the other two disappear from sight.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12I mean that, that's a really basic trick, that...
0:28:12 > 0:28:16That he's brought to life, really. Oh, Debbie McGee, there she is.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18In a bathrobe!
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Magic has had us gasping at the screens ever since the birth of TV.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28David Nixon first performed magic from Alexandra Palace
0:28:28 > 0:28:29from the early '50s.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35And just like that, not like that, but "just like that," the iconic
0:28:35 > 0:28:40entertainer Tommy Cooper was given his own magic show in 1952.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Later, magician David Blaine revolutionised magic
0:28:45 > 0:28:48with his high-profile illusions and feats of endurance.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Whilst today, new talent like Dynamo
0:28:53 > 0:28:54is paving the way for a new
0:28:54 > 0:28:56generation of street magicians.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01So performing a trick in front of a live audience,
0:29:01 > 0:29:03John - have you ever done that?
0:29:03 > 0:29:07- Brian, it's funny you should ask me that.- Really? Go on.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10When I was a kid, my first-ever live performance was...
0:29:10 > 0:29:12We had a village hall in the little village
0:29:12 > 0:29:15I grew up in called New Longton, near Preston.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Everyone would do a turn, we'd have, like, a variety show
0:29:17 > 0:29:19and they asked me to do...
0:29:19 > 0:29:21I was only about five, six...
0:29:21 > 0:29:23I can't remember, I was really, really young,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27and at the time, I did a very good Frank Spencer.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30Anyone who does impersonations, it's where you start.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33I was a fan of Tommy Cooper's, I could do Frank Spencer,
0:29:33 > 0:29:37- so I thought I'll do Frank Spencer...- (AS FRANK)- ..doing some magic, you see.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41- Mm-hmmm!- I fell through the window, I'll fix in the morning...
0:29:41 > 0:29:43So... God!
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- Still gets laughs, though! - I know!
0:29:48 > 0:29:51But it's like EVERYONE does him, everyone DID him,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53do you know what I mean?
0:29:53 > 0:29:58So I asked for a volunteer in the audience to give me
0:29:58 > 0:29:59a £5 note.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02I put it in a wallet, I shut the wallet,
0:30:02 > 0:30:03said abracadabra...
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- AS FRANK:- "Abracadabra!",
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Open it, and the fiver's gone.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Then I said, "Thanks very much," and sent the guy back to his seat,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12but I never gave him his fiver back.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Listen, in 1976,
0:30:14 > 0:30:19five quid... That, for a six-year-old - serious coin!
0:30:19 > 0:30:22So that was my first paid gig.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25- You're not bringing him on for his fiver, are you?- No!
0:30:25 > 0:30:28- But I believe you've still got that prop.- I have...
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- A wallet, here...- Yes.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32I know what you want, and I've got one here.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35I've got a 20, but I'm going to let you have a fiver.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39You can see there's nothing untoward about that, there's no wire.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Fiver, that's real.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45We'll just slip that neatly in there. Like that.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- And that's that. I'll look after that for you.- So...
0:30:49 > 0:30:51it's not much of a trick, really.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Well, it is when it goes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Oh, that is good. That's good.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57- Well done.- There you go.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Yeah, but now I've lost my fiver, haven't I?
0:31:03 > 0:31:04You're not having it back.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07- Right. It's disappeared. - It's somewhere in the ether.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10- So, a major passion of yours, magic?- I love magic.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12You talk about voices,
0:31:12 > 0:31:14you're well renowned for being the king of voice-overs.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Yes, I do quite a few.
0:31:16 > 0:31:21You do documentary series and things like that, so voices and impressions,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25did that sort of ease you into the sort of world we know as showbiz?
0:31:25 > 0:31:26My first job...
0:31:26 > 0:31:29When I went to drama school,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Steve Coogan was in the third year.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34I was a first year.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Steve got wind of the fact there was a guy who could do impressions and
0:31:38 > 0:31:42Steve said, "I work for a show called Spitting Image and I went, "Oh, do you?"
0:31:42 > 0:31:43He went, "Yeah, I work at weekends,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46"I do the voices for these puppets - it's a satirical show."
0:31:46 > 0:31:50He said, "You should send a tape off". So I put down...
0:31:50 > 0:31:54I did it properly, I spent time to put music behind it and did little
0:31:54 > 0:31:59sketches with my voices, and I sent it off and lo and behold, I got
0:31:59 > 0:32:02the job and that was my first kind of break into the business.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04So when I was a student, my Saturday job...
0:32:04 > 0:32:08Working as a student was just... My Saturday job was Spitting Image.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11- So what characters would you play? - I started off...
0:32:11 > 0:32:13With Gazza.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16- GAZZA VOICE:- I was just like, crying all the time, like, you know?
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Remember he used to... Like Sweep!
0:32:19 > 0:32:22He was like a Geordie Sweep that played football.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25HE GIBBERS AND CRIES
0:32:26 > 0:32:28..and he'd cry...
0:32:28 > 0:32:32And then what you had to do, you'd work your way up the ranks...
0:32:32 > 0:32:36And then I ended up doing Bill Clinton, President of the United States in the end.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39So I got to be a president in the end,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42but it was great fun...in its day, it was a great,
0:32:42 > 0:32:46hugely popular show and a great break, really,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48even though you didn't see me, it didn't bother me,
0:32:48 > 0:32:50I was working and I was doing something I loved
0:32:50 > 0:32:54and that's why I'm so grateful every day that I do a job I love.
0:32:54 > 0:32:55Yeah.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03John, we've reached the odd category, a moment where you get to
0:33:03 > 0:33:07choose a programme that you like just for the hell of it.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Let's have a look at what you chose.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13- To you, it's just...- Oh, yes.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15But to a child,
0:33:15 > 0:33:17it's a caravan, a ship...
0:33:17 > 0:33:20It may seem like an innocent kids' cartoon,
0:33:20 > 0:33:24but short films like this were actually terrifying and doom-laden
0:33:24 > 0:33:25public information films
0:33:25 > 0:33:28shown on TV from 1945
0:33:28 > 0:33:30to the present day....
0:33:30 > 0:33:33..or smash the lock, or better still, ask your local council
0:33:33 > 0:33:36to take it away or tell you how to dispose of it.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Before it kills a child.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42I mean, obviously they're saying good things here,
0:33:42 > 0:33:45everyone should look out for, you know... Fridges are dangerous.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49Old fridges CAN kill, Brian - we've got to take this very seriously...
0:33:51 > 0:33:53What fridge has a lock on it?!
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Like, the house of greedy children.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00"Right, I'll put a lock on that!" Know what I mean?
0:34:00 > 0:34:02The thing is though,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05where would you come across an old fridge to play in, really?
0:34:05 > 0:34:10I mean, as a child, did you ever come across a random fridge?
0:34:10 > 0:34:12No, and not a pink one. No.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15So you've chosen public information films...
0:34:15 > 0:34:16- I adore them.- Yeah?
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Yeah, they kind of worked for my spectrum kind of mind.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22But the thing is, one thing about them was, you know
0:34:22 > 0:34:26my love of horror... Some of them are absolutely terrifying.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- But they had to be, to work. - Shall I show you this one, then?
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Because I find this quite terrifying. I must say...
0:34:33 > 0:34:35But they had to be frightening,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38to put the kids off and there should be more of these.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40This one is another public information film.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42I remember it. I remember it well!
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Looks like she's doing the Shake'n' Vac advert at the moment.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46You just watch.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54There's the mum, she's polished the floor and put the rug down.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57That rug will soon change into something else. There you go.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59- The mantrap.- Look!
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Brand-new baby, straight back from the hospital...
0:35:02 > 0:35:05The mum's polished the floor, thinking everything's lovely...
0:35:05 > 0:35:07MAN SCREAMS
0:35:07 > 0:35:10And to think, he'd only just come FROM the hospital.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14- BUT, it could have been HER through the door first.- It could have.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19Double casualty. A fragile baby... I can't imagine that scene of horror.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21And you know, all the blame lies at the mum,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- just trying to keep a tidy home. - Yeah.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Polish the floor, you may as well leave a mantrap.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30- That's full-on, isn't it? - It is!
0:35:30 > 0:35:32It is, isn't it?
0:35:34 > 0:35:35But that stayed with me.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38What, you don't clean?
0:35:38 > 0:35:40No.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- It's filthy, my house, squalor. - But no-one's falling over.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46I do have...two runners in my hall,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48but they're rubberised underneath.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50- Mm-hm.- See? But that is down to the manufacturer.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54I can't believe we're talking about this!
0:35:56 > 0:36:00- I can't believe we're talking about...- Rubberised matting.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02But the thing is though, if you look at the back story of that,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05it's not the first time she's cleaned that floor.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Maybe she doesn't like the son-in-law.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10There's a subtext to it.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13She stalled her, with the baby, did you see that?
0:36:13 > 0:36:16At the door, she went... "He's gone, yeah!"
0:36:20 > 0:36:24John, we're going to move on to your first big break, the first
0:36:24 > 0:36:27time you were propelled into the limelight
0:36:27 > 0:36:30and it's The Fast Show.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32OK.
0:36:32 > 0:36:33Oh, I love this character.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36This is Chip Cobb, I'll explain where I got the name in a minute.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39- He's the deaf stuntman.- So, Chip...
0:36:39 > 0:36:42You run to the edge of the roof,
0:36:42 > 0:36:43there's a shot,
0:36:43 > 0:36:45you clutch your chest
0:36:45 > 0:36:46and then you fall.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Who do I shoot?
0:36:48 > 0:36:50No, YOU get shot!
0:36:50 > 0:36:51OK, right - yeah.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53It all comes from...
0:36:53 > 0:36:58The expense and time it takes to set up a stunt, you know,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01they want to get it in one, don't they? Every time.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04I thought, make the stuntman deaf
0:37:04 > 0:37:06and he messes it up every time,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08so they have to keep doing it again.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10No, I'm not happy about this, Peter.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The stunt's higher than we arranged.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15I've asked my bloke to deflate that bag, it's way too small.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Need a larger bag in there, it's going to cost more money,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20but I've got to think about the safety.
0:37:20 > 0:37:21Can you stand down,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24we need to replace the bag with a bigger bag and, er...
0:37:24 > 0:37:27- Go and check your make-up with Ruth. - Chuck myself off the roof?
0:37:27 > 0:37:29All right.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33Aaargh!
0:37:40 > 0:37:42You said you had a story about his name.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Yeah, I was looking at the menu... It was...
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Because we have teacakes and barm cakes,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53depends where you come from and when we were filming at the time,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57cos a lot of this was shot in the north-east and they have cobs.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01And one of the things on offer in the cafe was a chip cob
0:38:01 > 0:38:03and I thought stuntman, Chip, sounds about right,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06surname Cobb, Chip Cobb.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08So he's Chip Butty.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Was he one of your favourite characters on The Fast Show?
0:38:10 > 0:38:11Yeah, I loved doing him.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14He's one of my creations, I wrote him,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17but the most popular one's the Jazz Club,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19which Paul and Charlie created, but I fleshed out.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Welcome to Jazz Club,
0:38:21 > 0:38:22great.
0:38:23 > 0:38:24REALLY great.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27On paper, it's not very interesting,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30so all that, "great, nice", stuff
0:38:30 > 0:38:35was my lovely director's idea to make it more interesting.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38On the show today, Jackson Geoffrey Jackson,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42surely the most innovative force in modern jazz trumpet styling.
0:38:42 > 0:38:43Nice!
0:38:43 > 0:38:47One extra dimension to make that character funnier was to
0:38:47 > 0:38:49look at the Tube map...
0:38:50 > 0:38:54It's an endless source of names for jazz players.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58"Featuring Leicester Square on sax, Ongar on bass
0:38:58 > 0:39:01"and Parsons Green on keyboards."
0:39:01 > 0:39:04So you just pick them out and they work brilliantly.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09The Fast Show was one of the most popular sketch shows of the 1990s.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12The re-occurring gags,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15characters and the catchy one-liners were the brainchild of
0:39:15 > 0:39:19Paul Whitehouse and his friend, writing partner Charlie Higson.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24What was it like working with Paul and Charlie?
0:39:24 > 0:39:26It was as much fun as it looks.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29But it was gruelling, because we'd do...
0:39:29 > 0:39:32We'd be literally, "What am I now?
0:39:32 > 0:39:34"Oh, I'm a caveman"..."Are you?"
0:39:34 > 0:39:38"Oh, yeah - I'm a mad scientist..." But it was just...
0:39:38 > 0:39:40It was such great fun, I love doing sketches.
0:39:40 > 0:39:45- Who in your opinion was the greatest Fast Show character?- My favourite?
0:39:45 > 0:39:48Course, not including yours, which we all know and love...
0:39:48 > 0:39:50It's Rowley Birkin,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53the judge that Paul does.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Yeah. You can't understand what he says...
0:39:56 > 0:39:58It's the drunk judge...
0:39:58 > 0:39:59Who...
0:39:59 > 0:40:01HE SLURS
0:40:01 > 0:40:04..I said Christmas cracker...
0:40:04 > 0:40:06HE SLURS
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Terrible jokes...
0:40:10 > 0:40:12And a hat! Ha-ha-ha!
0:40:12 > 0:40:13That kind of thing.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15So, I just...
0:40:15 > 0:40:19But it was based on a real guy that Paul used to go fishing with.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20- Really?- So you often...
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Paul would go, "What?" And he'd go...
0:40:22 > 0:40:25- SLURS WORDS - ..the wife's terrible breath!
0:40:25 > 0:40:28And Paul kind of...
0:40:28 > 0:40:31You often find that characters lifted from people that really
0:40:31 > 0:40:36exist are so much stronger, the basis for them.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38But it was just a joy to do.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41I'd like to do a reunion.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Something you are doing a reunion for is...
0:40:45 > 0:40:47- Cold Feet.- That's right, yeah.
0:40:47 > 0:40:53It's 12 years, nearly 13 years since it finished and it is 20 years
0:40:53 > 0:40:54since it started.
0:40:54 > 0:40:55No!
0:40:55 > 0:40:58I was 28 when I started that show.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00I'm a bit nervous, because the pressure is on.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04But the demand for it is huge because over the years,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07the last 12 years, the public have...
0:41:07 > 0:41:10And the same goes for the rest of the cast,
0:41:10 > 0:41:11people stop me in the shops
0:41:11 > 0:41:14and in the street
0:41:14 > 0:41:16and say, "When is it coming back?"
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- The demand for the show is there. - It's because they love it.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Yeah. We hit the mark the first time round,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24so I just hope we can do it again.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32- So what do you enjoy watching now? - I like a good box set.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35Obviously, I did Breaking Bad, that took me a year to finish.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38On terrestrial TV, I won't miss Luther.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- Oh, right.- I like that, cos that's dark.
0:41:41 > 0:41:42I really like that.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46John Thompson, have you enjoyed it, this trip down memory lane?
0:41:46 > 0:41:48- Very much, I've loved it. - You've been a wonderful guest.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52- It's been a pleasure.- I've really enjoyed my time with you.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Now, we give our guests the opportunity to pick a theme tune
0:41:56 > 0:41:58for us to play out on. What's yours today?
0:41:58 > 0:42:02Well, as a drummer, I've always been a fan of the bass, so the rhythm
0:42:02 > 0:42:06section is the backbone to music and the bass line on this is fantastic.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- It's the New Avengers theme.- Ah!
0:42:09 > 0:42:11So if you listen to the bassline on this,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13it's really quite something special.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Well, it wouldn't be complete without our special guest,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18we'd like to welcome him back from Rainbow, the lovely Bungle...
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Come on in, Bungle.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24Thanks to Bungle, my thanks to John and my thanks to you
0:42:24 > 0:42:29for watching the TV that made me, we'll see you next time, bye-bye!
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- Come on, you guys.- Whoa!
0:42:31 > 0:42:32Zippy and George!
0:42:32 > 0:42:38NEW AVENGERS THEME TUNE PLAYS
0:42:51 > 0:42:52# Da-ba-da-ba-dah!
0:43:05 > 0:43:06# Da-na-na
0:43:06 > 0:43:08# Da-da da-da-da...
0:43:08 > 0:43:11# Da-da da-da-da... #