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