Joe Swash The TV That Made Me


Joe Swash

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Transcript


LineFromTo

TV - the magic box of delights.

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As kids, it showed us a million different worlds

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all from our living room.

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-So funny!

-That was state-of-the-art.

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-HE SCREAMS

-I loved this.

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'Each day, I'm going to journey through

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'the wonderful world of telly...'

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-Cheers.

-'..with one of our favourite celebrities...'

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-We're going into space.

-It's just so silly.

-Oh, no!

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-Yeah!

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

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-My God, this is the scene.

-Oh, dear.

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'..that tell us the stories of their lives.'

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I absolutely adored this.

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-'Some will make you laugh...'

-SHE LAUGHS

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Don't watch the telly, Esther. Watch me.

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-'..some will surprise...'

-HE LAUGHS

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No way! Where did you find this?

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'..many will inspire...'

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It used to transport us to places that we could only dream about.

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'..and others will move us.'

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I am emotional now.

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Today, we look even more deeply.

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Why wouldn't you want to watch this?

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So, come watch with us as we rewind to the classic telly

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that helped shape those wide-eyed youngsters

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into the much-loved stars they are today.

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-APPLAUSE

-Welcome to The TV That Made Me.

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My guest today has been the King of the Jungle,

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the star of the Square.

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It can only be the one and only Joe Swash.

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-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Welcome, Joe.

-Hello, mate.

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-You all right?

-Sit yourself down there.

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Thank you very much.

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-Joe Swash!

-Hello. CHEERING

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Look at that cheer. They love you, Joe.

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A gentleman who is humble, shy, modest, tough, deadly, resourceful,

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at the peak of his physical fitness and mental alertness,

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-handsome, debonair...

-Oh, stop it.

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..devastatingly beautiful young lady.

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Here, let me give you that.

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Thanks for that, mate. THEY LAUGH

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-Oh, thank you very much indeed.

-Don't spend it at once.

-I won't.

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Joe Swash began his career as a child actor

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before graduating to Albert Square.

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His character, Mickey Miller,

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was a wide boy with an eye for the ladies,

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a part that fitted Joe like a glove.

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We all loved Mickey, but after five glorious years in Walford,

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Joe surprised us all when he turned up down under

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as King of the Jungle.

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The TV that made him includes

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the show that made a drama out of an emergency,

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the comedy of a catchphrase king...

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-I am turning the television off.

-What? Why?

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..and the soap that made him a star.

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It's burning a hole in my pocket.

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-Are you excited about the day, looking back?

-I am.

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When they asked me to do this

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and started speaking about the programmes that I'd done,

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all these memories come flying back that you forgot about.

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So, it was like kind of walking through your history a little bit.

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It was nice.

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Yeah. So, we're going to go back to your childhood.

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-Yeah, my childhood cos they're my most vivid memories of TV.

-Really?

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I think TV is everywhere these days,

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so, as a kid, it really does shape your view

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on what you like and what you don't like.

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So, yeah, it'll be nice to show you my childhood programmes.

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-Oh, I'm looking forward to it, mate.

-Yeah.

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And there's so many I forgot about as well.

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All these other programmes come flying back.

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-We'll do another show with you.

-I've got loads for you.

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-We'll do a series just on Joe.

-You don't need any more guests.

-No.

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-Just me and you, innit?

-Just me and you.

-Yeah.

-Give me that.

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First up, we're going to rewind the clock

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and have a look at a very young Joe Swash.

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Oh, right. OK, this is interesting.

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Joe Swash is a Londoner through and through.

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He was born in Islington in 1982

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to doting parents Ricky and Catherine.

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Sadly, Ricky died of a heart condition

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when Joe was just 12,

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which made the bond between him and his two younger sisters,

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Caisie and Shana, even stronger.

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Joe went to the famous Anna Scher Theatre School in Islington

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where he studied alongside young talents like Natalie Cassidy.

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They both went on to join the cast of EastEnders

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where Joe was joined by his real-life sister Shana,

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who played his on-screen sister Demi.

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What was the young Joe Swash like?

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Oh, you know what? I reckon the young Joe Swash...

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-I reckon I was probably very hard to live with.

-Really?

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Yeah, cos I had a lot of energy and I needed to do stuff

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and touch stuff, and I broke a lot of stuff as a kid.

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I think I tested my mum's patience.

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So, TV, for my mum, was like a blessing

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cos that was the only time I'd sit down and not do nothing for a while.

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Have you got trouble with haemorrhoids at the moment?

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LAUGHTER I think they're all right.

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Then why are you sitting on my pillow?

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It makes me feel slightly taller. LAUGHTER

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-It's like a booster seat.

-Do you feel inferior?

-No.

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You're a big man, aren't you? You've got a good frame on you, Bri.

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HE LAUGHS

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So, that's what made you sit on my pillow.

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-Yeah, I've got a habit of sitting on pillows.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

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So, you know, this sort of frantic person, as a child,

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you know, breaking stuff and everything else,

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was there anything wrong with you?

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Well, if you ask my mum, she'll probably say there was.

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HE LAUGHS I think I just had a lot of energy

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-as a kid, so, you know...

-But you always have.

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-You're always full of life, full of energy.

-Yeah.

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-Does Joe Swash ever sort of go...?

-HE EXHALES

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Is it when you're watching the telly? Do you relax then?

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I think that is my time of relaxation, is watching the telly.

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I know I should be doing other stuff, like, you know,

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going for a run, you know, doing some sort of paperwork,

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but when I'm in front of the TV,

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I can really just turn off and kind of just do nothing.

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My brain's got...my brain don't stop working.

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It's always thinking about something else.

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So, when the TV's on, me and the TV, we've got a great relationship.

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-Do you find it difficult to sleep? Are you a bit of an insomniac?

-I do.

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I have the TV on in the background when I sleep. I put it on a timer.

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So, I need to have that sort of talking in the background.

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-Oh, really?

-Yeah, yeah.

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So, the TV, not only do I watch it,

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I use it to go to bed, it wakes me up in the...

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It's like having a girlfriend, my TV.

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LAUGHTER Yeah.

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Now it's time for your first TV choice.

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-This is your earliest TV memory.

-OK.

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-Well, let's just take a look, shall we?

-All right.

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-Yes. You see, furry face...

-'Oh, Grotbag.'

-..it means

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-you'd make a lot of money.

-CASH REGISTER CHIMES

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-Do you remember this?

-Grotbags? Yeah, I do vaguely remember it.

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There's a lot of cash to be made from an improved mouse restrainer.

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'The programme revolved around the everyday lives

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'of Carol Lee Scott's pantomime witch Grotbags

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'and her puppet minions.'

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Dodos hardly constitute a mass market.

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'The show owed much of its broad humour,

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'filming style and puppets to the great Rod Hull.'

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Boo! Ha-ha!

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'That's because Grotbags first appeared

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'as a character on Emu's World.'

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Shut up, furry ears.

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'Well, I think, if my son was watching this,'

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-he would've been scared of this.

-He would? Why?

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He's scared of everything on TV, my little boy.

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He's a bit of a wimp when it comes to TV,

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and I think this would have sent him over the edge, the green lady.

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So, were you scared watching this as a young child?

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I think I might have been slightly scared.

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-And I had a thing for witches as a kid.

-Yeah.

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Not that I liked them, but I always thought that witches were around.

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Do you know what I mean?

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So, I'd walk past my bathroom door at my mum's house,

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but every time I'd walk past the door and the lights were off,

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I'd have to do that cos I'd think

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that there would be a witch in there or under my bed.

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So, yeah, this was a little bit like sadomasochistic.

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-And this all stemmed from Grotbags.

-From Grotbags, yeah.

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And then Roald Dahl, he did The Witches, the film, remember?

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-Yeah.

-The Witches.

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-That done me in for a couple of years.

-Really?

-Yeah.

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-Witches played a big part in my life.

-Really?

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LAUGHTER Talking of my mum...

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-They've guided you?

-HE LAUGHS

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-You'll take that bit out, won't you?

-No.

-Yeah. She'll kill me.

-We won't.

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Brats! We're knee deep in brats at the moment.

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'So, she used to refer to children as brats.'

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-Were you ever a brat?

-Yeah, I think people would have called me...

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-But not a brat. I mean, a likeable brat, I think.

-Yeah.

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You know, I wasn't malicious or rude.

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-I just was, like, a real hyperactive...

-Cheeky?

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-Yeah. ..boy. Hyperactive boy.

-Cheeky lad.

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Did you get into any scrapes? Were you accident-prone?

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Yeah, I've broken my legs, I've broken my arm,

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I've broken my fingers, my toes.

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So, bringing it back to Grotbags,

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what did you think of her costume, you know?

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I wouldn't say it was a great costume.

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Look, I think the wig's quite a teller.

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-I think you can tell it's a wig, can't you?

-I can tell that's a wig.

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-I don't think that mole's real.

-No, I don't think it...

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And I don't think she's green.

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-But she's got crazy-looking eyes, doesn't she?

-Yeah.

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I'm surprised that she didn't go on to do other stuff.

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What, Shakespeare or...?

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Yeah, a little bit of stage work. LAUGHTER

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-She's a good character actress, isn't she?

-Yeah.

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I could see her on Baywatch. They could call it Baywitch.

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Children's TV has had its fair share of witches

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and ghouls over the years.

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In the '70s and '80s,

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you could find most of them

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hiring themselves out on Rentaghost,

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and characters like

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Molly Weir's Hazel McWitch

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were more likely to give you a hug

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than turn you into a frog.

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But in recent times, there has been an explosion

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of properly scary monsters.

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After making Doctor Who

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a worldwide hit,

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writing genius Russell T Davies

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launched Wizards Vs Aliens

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on unsuspecting children in 2012.

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Reflecting the wide popularity of vampire movies for teens,

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Young Dracula featured

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horror star Keith-Lee Castle,

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fresh from the set

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of the diabolical Seed Of Chucky.

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And the Twilight effect is still hitting kids TV.

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Children are currently watching

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werewolf drama Wolfblood,

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probably from behind the sofa.

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EVIL LAUGH

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-So, you worry about witches.

-Worried about witches.

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Is there anything else that spook you?

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Um, yeah, I didn't like...

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-I don't like clowns.

-Don't like clans?

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Yeah, from an early age, clowns were a massive no-no for me.

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-Do you mean clowns?

-Clowns.

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You went, "Claaans."

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Just look behind you. Look, there's one.

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Yeah, see, look at that. Look.

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Why have you pulled that in here? That geezer does not look like...

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He looks like he's had half a bottle of whisky

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and is about go out and do something he's going to regret in the morning.

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This is very interesting.

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You think on a totally different level, don't you?

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-LAUGHTER

-What was your living room like, Joe?

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-What was, you know, growing up....?

-So, my house...

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Yeah, the house that I grew up in, it was...

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My mum still lives in that house.

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My sisters still live there and stuff,

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so it's nice to go back. It was a nice house.

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The front room wasn't massive. Similar sort of size to this.

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Maybe smaller than this.

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So, we'd all have...like, my mum and dad used to have the sofa.

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-Remember beanbags?

-Yeah.

-We used to have beanbags.

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So, you used to sit on a beanbag to watch the telly?

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Me and my sister used to have a beanbag until I broke the beanbag

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and the beans went everywhere.

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-You know when the beans get, like, static electricity?

-Yeah.

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They were stuck on the walls, on the ceilings.

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LAUGHTER My mum had the Hoover out.

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HE IMITATES HOOVER Yeah. So, the beanbags had to go,

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so we just had to sit on a cushion in the end, yeah.

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But, no, it was lovely because, as a family,

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we'd all sit around together.

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My dad was a London taxi driver, so...

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-My dad was a taxi driver.

-Oh, was he?

-Yeah.

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-See, there you go.

-There you go.

-He used to come back on Fridays -

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that was his day - and he wouldn't work the weekends,

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so we'd get, like, a takeaway and all sit and watch TV.

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It's lovely. Really lovely memories of being in the front room.

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-Close family?

-Really close family. Still really, really close.

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Unfortunately, my dad passed away when we were younger,

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but as a family, we're really close, and we still watch TV together.

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Your next choice is Family Favourite,

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a show you all used to watch together.

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-Yeah.

-Let's take a little look.

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Here, lads, look what I've found.

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Fantastic.

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No way this is on the inventory.

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'Soldier Soldier applied the storytelling style of a soap

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'to the sometimes hard-hitting

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'and always adult military subject matter.'

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We're supposed to chuck out all the old stuff.

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-There's a young Robson Green there, isn't it?

-Robson Green, yeah.

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Did you watch this, Bri? Cos this was your sort of era, wasn't it?

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Yeah, no, I used to enjoy this.

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And, of course, wasn't it weird that they had a singing career?

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Yeah. Well, I think only one of them could sing, couldn't they?

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Right, you lot! Come on. Hurry up.

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Nice and relaxed, are we?

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'With a peak of over 16 million viewers,

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'Soldier Soldier became a huge hit,

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'making stars of the dynamic duo Robson and Jerome.'

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-I'd done an episode of Soldier Soldier.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah.

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When my grandad was chaperoning me, when we were filming this,

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we gave Jerome a lift home to Islington

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cos he was playing football, so he was in my grandad's car.

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It was brilliant.

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Do you think this was true to life of what life was like in the army?

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-I've never been in the army.

-No, so you couldn't comment.

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I couldn't comment on that, but I could imagine it being like this.

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-Have you ever been in the army?

-No.

-You look like a soldier.

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Oh, I look like a soldier, don't I? Yeah, I'm trained to kill(!)

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Even though it was about the army,

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they were never at war in this programme, were they?

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No, you're right.

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So, it must have been at a peaceful time in the world

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-where there was no war.

-Yeah.

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-That made it cheaper to make, didn't it?

-Yeah.

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Yeah. LAUGHTER

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It's how your mind works, Joe.

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-I love it. I love it, yeah.

-HE LAUGHS

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"There's no war, so it'd be cheaper to make."

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You know, it all makes sense, mate.

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-It almost sounds boring, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

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An army programme with no war. LAUGHTER

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-It's like...

-Well, you loved it. You chose it.

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It's like watching The Bill, but with no criminals.

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TV has examined war from every conceivable angle

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and in every possible genre.

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Sir Michael Caine made one of his first TV appearances

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in the early war drama Escape in 1957.

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And in 1964, Sir Michael Redgrave

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narrated one of television's greatest war documentaries,

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The Great War.

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In the late '60s, the powers that be in the BBC

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almost didn't green light a new comedy

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called The Fighting Tigers,

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worrying that it was too soon to laugh at the war.

0:14:210:14:24

But the show was eventually commissioned with a new name -

0:14:240:14:27

Dad's Army -

0:14:270:14:29

and the rest is history.

0:14:290:14:31

On a much grander scale,

0:14:330:14:35

the '70s brought us War And Peace.

0:14:350:14:38

Sir Anthony Hopkins braved freezing winter conditions

0:14:380:14:42

and put in a brilliant performance

0:14:420:14:43

as Pierre Bezukhov

0:14:430:14:45

in Tolstoy's epic.

0:14:450:14:47

Running at 14 hours and 40 minutes,

0:14:490:14:52

the series outran

0:14:520:14:53

the latest star-studded BBC version

0:14:530:14:57

by over eight hours,

0:14:570:14:58

which just goes to show that actors these days can't stand the cold.

0:14:580:15:03

-So, Joe, we're moving on to your Must See TV now.

-Mm-hm.

0:15:130:15:16

An absolute classic from down under. Let's have a little look at this.

0:15:160:15:20

-Oh! Do you remember this?

-I...

0:15:230:15:25

-Go on. Tell me about it.

-I know the theme tune.

0:15:250:15:28

# ..when strange things happening Are you going round the twist? #

0:15:280:15:31

Yeah. See, that little kid looked like me when I was a kid,

0:15:310:15:34

my mum used to say.

0:15:340:15:36

-This was a great programme.

-So, what was it about?

0:15:360:15:39

Well, what I can remember is,

0:15:390:15:42

is that just magical,

0:15:420:15:44

weird things would happen to them.

0:15:440:15:46

-Yeah.

-And they'd have to explain why they happened.

0:15:460:15:48

It was like a family of young kids and the mum and dad,

0:15:480:15:51

and just how they kind of coped with them and stuff like that.

0:15:510:15:54

None of it really made sense.

0:15:540:15:55

The TV, when I was a kid, didn't make sense...

0:15:550:15:58

HE LAUGHS ..as it does today.

0:15:580:16:00

I'm hoping they'll be faster than this in the frog race.

0:16:000:16:02

Come on, Libby. Show them what you're made of. Go!

0:16:020:16:05

'Actually, this comedy drama was about a widowed dad

0:16:050:16:08

'and his three kids

0:16:080:16:09

'who lived in a mysterious and ghostly lighthouse in Australia.'

0:16:090:16:13

Got all these little hairs on them.

0:16:130:16:15

-This must have been the dad. Look. See, it was a lighthouse.

-Yeah.

0:16:150:16:19

-Come on, let's have it.

-I used it to brush my mouse.

0:16:190:16:23

-Use your own toothbrush, Bronson.

-Not my mouth. My mouse.

0:16:230:16:27

'It was sold all over the world,

0:16:270:16:29

'winning awards in Canada, America and in Australia.

0:16:290:16:33

'And 15 years after the last series was broadcast,

0:16:330:16:36

'it's still watched down under.'

0:16:360:16:38

Right.

0:16:400:16:41

I used to fancy that girl as well a little bit.

0:16:420:16:45

-She might have been my first sort of crush.

-Oh, first crush.

-Yeah.

0:16:450:16:48

Mice are disgusting creatures.

0:16:480:16:50

-I could get some terrible disease.

-SHE SCREAMS

0:16:500:16:53

It's in his pants. That'd have had me in stitches.

0:16:530:16:55

LAUGHTER He's got a frog in his pants.

0:16:550:16:57

I'd have been rolling around on the floor. It's amazing.

0:16:570:17:00

Did it inspire you to be an actor?

0:17:020:17:03

-I mean, cos you started at a really young age, didn't you?

-Yeah.

0:17:030:17:07

Yeah, well, I started off doing, like, baby modelling

0:17:070:17:10

-when I was about eight to six, six to seven or something.

-Right.

0:17:100:17:13

Cos I had curly, long hair and it was bright red,

0:17:130:17:17

and, like, at parties, my mum and dad used to say,

0:17:170:17:19

"Joe, Joe, who's your dad?"

0:17:190:17:21

And they trained me to say Mick Hucknall.

0:17:210:17:23

LAUGHTER

0:17:230:17:25

Which I think's a bit cruel, you know what I mean?

0:17:250:17:27

But, yeah, I'd done a little bit of modelling,

0:17:270:17:30

and then my mum is good friends with Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke,

0:17:300:17:33

who my mum's known for years. They're like family.

0:17:330:17:36

And they went to a place called Anna Scher's.

0:17:360:17:39

And cos I had a lot of energy, they was like...

0:17:390:17:42

-"We know where to stick him."

-.."We'll stick him in there."

0:17:420:17:44

And it was nice then because my energy was kind of

0:17:440:17:48

-aimed towards something.

-Yeah, you had something to focus on.

-Yeah.

0:17:480:17:51

And it kept me out of a lot of trouble as well

0:17:510:17:53

because I really fell in love with being on TV and working.

0:17:530:17:56

-Yeah.

-So, I knew then...

0:17:560:17:59

My mum and dad, they used to blackmail me, basically,

0:17:590:18:01

say, "If you're naughty, you can't go to work."

0:18:010:18:04

So it kind of kept me out of trouble.

0:18:040:18:06

-Kept me out of trouble for a long time.

-Kept you focused.

0:18:060:18:08

Kept me focused as a young kid. To have a passion as a young kid,

0:18:080:18:11

I think is really important

0:18:110:18:13

cos it does keep you on the straight and narrow

0:18:130:18:15

and it kind of keeps you kind of focused on something.

0:18:150:18:17

-Did you do any adverts or anything like that?

-Yeah, I did an advert.

0:18:170:18:21

I'm sure you know about it. I'm sure you've got it.

0:18:210:18:23

-You've got it, haven't you?

-I might have.

0:18:230:18:25

-Shall we have a look at Joe Swash?

-Let's have a look.

0:18:250:18:28

-Let's see Mick Hucknall live.

-HE LAUGHS

0:18:280:18:31

'Andrex's toilet tissue ads have always been, well, comforting.'

0:18:310:18:37

There's a new kind of tissue...

0:18:370:18:38

'Joe's ad appeared in 1989,

0:18:380:18:41

'and features all the Andrex hallmarks.'

0:18:410:18:44

-Is that you?

-That's me.

0:18:440:18:46

-Aw, weren't you sweet?

-Stop it.

0:18:460:18:49

'The soft lighting, the domestic setting,

0:18:490:18:52

'and all importantly, the cute puppy and even cuter kid.'

0:18:520:18:57

Bleurgh! APPLAUSE

0:18:570:18:59

That was, um... HE LAUGHS

0:18:590:19:01

You've got to kiss me first.

0:19:010:19:03

-No, I ain't going to kiss you.

-You've got to kiss me, Bri.

0:19:030:19:05

-Come on. If we're going to do it, do it properly.

-All right.

0:19:050:19:08

Mwah! Hold on.

0:19:080:19:11

Bleurgh! LAUGHTER

0:19:110:19:13

You know I love you. I wouldn't do that.

0:19:130:19:15

-I'll have your kisses all day long.

-Do you remember that day?

-I do.

0:19:150:19:18

I remember this day really, really clearly as well.

0:19:180:19:21

There was an advert on TV at the time for...

0:19:210:19:24

-Do you remember Breakaway biscuits?

-Yeah.

0:19:240:19:26

And they had the Breakaway kid who used to sit on top of a wall

0:19:260:19:29

and eat the Breakaway biscuit.

0:19:290:19:31

And then, at the same time, they used to have the Milky Way kid.

0:19:310:19:34

-The Milkybar Kid.

-The Milkybar Kid. That's it.

0:19:340:19:36

-So, there was always, like, a kid that was kind of...

-All right.

0:19:360:19:39

-And you were the Andrex kid.

-Yeah.

0:19:390:19:41

But in the same studios, they had the Breakaway kid's set,

0:19:410:19:44

and I remember thinking, "Oh, this is amazing.

0:19:440:19:46

"This is incredible."

0:19:460:19:48

And while we were filming, like, we sat on the sofa

0:19:480:19:51

and they'd just bring in a big bucket of dogs.

0:19:510:19:53

-Literally a bucket of dogs.

-Oh, really?

0:19:530:19:55

And they'd just chuck loads of puppies on you,

0:19:550:19:58

these little Andrex puppies,

0:19:580:19:59

and whichever puppy stayed on you was the puppy that got to work.

0:19:590:20:02

-Oh, right.

-Yeah, it was brilliant. It was really good.

0:20:020:20:05

What did they do with those puppies afterwards?

0:20:050:20:07

-LAUGHTER

-I'm going to need the tissues now.

0:20:070:20:10

Yeah, what did they do with them puppies afterwards?

0:20:100:20:12

-Yeah, I know. Poor puppies.

-LAUGHTER

0:20:120:20:14

-Do you reckon they put them down?

-Yeah, probably. Who knows?

0:20:140:20:18

-The ones you didn't like.

-HE LAUGHS

0:20:180:20:20

-No, that was...

-Did you do any other adverts?

0:20:200:20:23

I think that was my first advert, and then, from that,

0:20:230:20:26

I kind of stopped and did more acting.

0:20:260:20:28

I started doing things like The Bill and some plays and stuff.

0:20:280:20:31

But, yeah, that was my first sort of experience of filming,

0:20:310:20:36

so that was what gave me the bug -

0:20:360:20:37

after doing that day on the Andrex advert.

0:20:370:20:40

Joe Swash comes from a long line of actors

0:20:420:20:44

who tried to sell us something long before we knew them

0:20:440:20:47

as celebrities or even superstars.

0:20:470:20:50

Olivia Colman was selling

0:20:520:20:54

car loans as Bev,

0:20:540:20:55

wife of Kev, in the AA ads.

0:20:550:20:58

Now he's Hollywood's Ant-Man,

0:21:010:21:02

but Paul Rudd once appeared

0:21:020:21:04

selling Nintendos.

0:21:040:21:06

And Paul Rudd's pal from Friends

0:21:060:21:08

Matt LeBlanc once sold

0:21:080:21:10

Heinz Ketchup and Cherry 7 Up.

0:21:100:21:13

He might have battled evil as Neo in The Matrix,

0:21:140:21:17

but Keanu Reeves has also sold Corn Flakes.

0:21:170:21:20

Even the titanic Leonardo DiCaprio used to flog Kraft cheese.

0:21:220:21:26

Joe, we're going to move on now to Parents' Choice.

0:21:360:21:38

So, this is what my mum and dad would have chosen, yeah?

0:21:380:21:40

Yeah. Let's see what it was.

0:21:400:21:43

MUSIC: 999 Theme Tune

0:21:430:21:45

HE SINGS 999 THEME TUNE

0:21:450:21:47

You know it's a serious programme with...

0:21:470:21:49

HE SINGS 999 THEME TUNE

0:21:490:21:51

-It's either 999 or the news, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:21:510:21:54

'The life-savers in leather on the streets of Bristol...'

0:21:540:21:56

Yes, it's 999, created

0:21:560:21:58

after the runaway success of Crimewatch UK.

0:21:580:22:02

It was a reconstruction show featuring every emergency service

0:22:020:22:06

from firefighters to coastguards.

0:22:060:22:08

It proved that dramatising reality was hugely popular.

0:22:080:22:11

It was an instant hit,

0:22:110:22:13

with over 12 million of us watching every week.

0:22:130:22:16

But watching it now, none of it looks particularly scary,

0:22:190:22:22

-but at the time...

-Yeah.

-..I loved this programme.

-Yeah.

0:22:220:22:25

It was like watching a real episode of Casualty or something.

0:22:250:22:28

-You know what I mean?

-Yeah.

-Do you remember this?

-Yeah, 999.

0:22:280:22:31

I loved it. I watched it religiously.

0:22:310:22:34

Your own house should feel the safest place in the world,

0:22:340:22:38

but more accidents...

0:22:380:22:39

-Oh, Buerky. Look at Buerky!

-Yeah.

0:22:390:22:41

-Yeah, he's changed.

-Look at those chinos, mate.

0:22:410:22:44

Ooh, and he ain't got any socks on. Very cutting edge.

0:22:440:22:46

That'd have taken ages to iron that crease in them trousers.

0:22:460:22:49

That's not his kitchen, is it?

0:22:490:22:51

Now, if a freshly made cup of tea hits you,

0:22:510:22:53

then the heat burns deeper and deeper.

0:22:530:22:55

Didn't think skin reacted in the same way

0:22:550:22:57

as tissue when it got burned.

0:22:570:22:59

LAUGHTER

0:22:590:23:03

Look, you know that kid's in trouble. Look. Straight away.

0:23:030:23:06

Oh, no. Don't. Oh, no.

0:23:060:23:08

You know when you watch Casualty and you see the actor in the beginning?

0:23:080:23:11

You're like, "They're going to die in a minute."

0:23:110:23:13

LAUGHTER I hope that baby doesn't.

0:23:130:23:15

-Oh, look. Don't do it.

-No, he'll be all right. Don't.

0:23:160:23:18

'I turned to get the milk...'

0:23:180:23:20

-JOE GASPS

-No!

0:23:200:23:22

HE SCREAMS Is he going to do it?

0:23:220:23:24

HE SCREAMS

0:23:240:23:26

Chucked him in the sink. LAUGHTER

0:23:260:23:29

Um, but, no, I like this programme. This was really, really good.

0:23:290:23:32

-And there's all different sorts of 999 emergencies.

-Yeah.

0:23:320:23:35

You had, like, a plane crash in one of them,

0:23:350:23:37

then you would have, like, a snow one.

0:23:370:23:38

What we're going to do now is to push your acting skills, Joe.

0:23:380:23:42

-Oh, stop it.

-Yeah. I'm going to give you various scenarios,

0:23:420:23:46

and we want to see how well

0:23:460:23:49

and what a great actor you are at those 999 scenarios.

0:23:490:23:53

I ain't done acting in ages. HE LAUGHS

0:23:530:23:55

I ain't done it in ages.

0:23:550:23:57

You should just be able to turn it on. It's like a light switch.

0:23:570:24:00

I'm not like you, am I? We're not all born to do it, Bri.

0:24:000:24:03

This is me. You read out Me.

0:24:030:24:05

"Brian making a cuppa, scolded by the kettle."

0:24:050:24:08

OK, I'm making a cuppa.

0:24:080:24:09

-Ooh.

-Wait, wait, wait. What are you doing? You've got a kettle here.

0:24:090:24:13

-Oh, yeah. All right. All right.

-LAUGHTER

0:24:130:24:15

Just making that...

0:24:150:24:16

HE SCREAMS

0:24:160:24:20

He's burnt himself right in the crotch.

0:24:200:24:22

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

0:24:220:24:24

-All right, then.

-Right.

-I'll read out your one.

0:24:260:24:28

"Joe, a boy who got stuck down a well, and he is from Halifax."

0:24:280:24:33

All right. LAUGHTER

0:24:330:24:35

-So, you've got to do the accent.

-So, this is the well, right?

-OK.

0:24:350:24:39

What's a Halifax accent? LAUGHTER

0:24:400:24:43

-How do they talk in Halifax?

-Yorkshire. Yorkshire, Joe.

0:24:430:24:46

Yorkshire. Give me... I need a little...

0:24:460:24:48

-YORKSHIRE ACCENT:

-'Ey up, me duck. Help! Help!'

0:24:480:24:50

YORKSHIRE ACCENT: 'Help me! Ey up!

0:24:500:24:52

'Hey up, duck. Help me.' LAUGHTER

0:24:520:24:55

'Give me your hand, love. Give me your hand. I've got you.

0:24:550:24:58

'I've got you. Pull yourself up now.

0:24:580:25:00

-'Help me!

-Come on. Come on. I've got you. I've got you.'

0:25:000:25:04

THEY GROAN

0:25:040:25:06

-APPLAUSE It was all right.

-All right.

0:25:060:25:09

I'm knackered, mate.

0:25:110:25:12

Ladies and gentlemen, by applause, um, Joe Swash.

0:25:120:25:17

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

0:25:170:25:19

Oh. You're going to struggle there, Bri.

0:25:190:25:22

Me.

0:25:220:25:23

RIPPLE OF APPLAUSE

0:25:230:25:25

LAUGHTER I'd say, Bri, that was a draw.

0:25:250:25:28

All right. Thanks, love. Thanks.

0:25:280:25:30

Tell you what, mate, for that,

0:25:300:25:32

-you can have your tenner back.

-Nice one.

0:25:320:25:34

-LAUGHTER

-Yeah.

-Sweet.

0:25:340:25:37

-So, Joe, your next choice is Comfort Viewing.

-Right.

0:25:410:25:45

And considering people watched this show in bed,

0:25:450:25:48

it couldn't get any comfier.

0:25:480:25:50

Oh, Big Breakfast!

0:25:500:25:52

Set in a house in East London

0:25:520:25:54

with the cameras flying all over the place,

0:25:540:25:57

Channel 4's alternative breakfast show

0:25:570:25:59

was truly revolutionary.

0:25:590:26:01

-What a legendary show this was.

-Really? Did you ever appear on it?

0:26:020:26:06

No, I didn't really do any TV work at the time,

0:26:060:26:09

but I do remember thinking it's the only programme in the mornings

0:26:090:26:12

that didn't bore the life out of me.

0:26:120:26:14

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-It's Gordon the Gopher.

0:26:140:26:18

-Gordon the Gopher's in the bathroom.

-You wouldn't believe the stories.

0:26:180:26:23

Zig and Zag are interviewing Gordon the Gopher.

0:26:230:26:25

This is brilliant. It's what you need in the morning.

0:26:250:26:28

-That's a young Chris Evans there.

-That is, isn't it?

0:26:280:26:31

He's brilliant as well, isn't he, Chris Evans?

0:26:310:26:34

So, what set this show apart from GMTV?

0:26:340:26:37

Well, I mean, you had Paula Yates in the bed with people...

0:26:370:26:40

-That's right, yeah.

-..doing her interviewing.

0:26:400:26:42

-Um, you had Denise van Outen first thing in the morning.

-Yeah.

0:26:420:26:46

As a young boy, that was definitely going to get you up in the mornings.

0:26:460:26:50

LAUGHTER

0:26:500:26:52

-You've got Zig and Zag, you know.

-Zig and Zag.

0:26:520:26:55

It's almost like it's kids' TV

0:26:550:26:59

that your parents are watching as well.

0:26:590:27:01

So, is it the type of show that would make you want to skip school?

0:27:010:27:03

-You know, would you sort of...?

-I couldn't skip school as a kid.

-No?

0:27:030:27:07

You couldn't get a day off school out of my mum for love nor money.

0:27:070:27:11

-No?

-I tried every trick. LAUGHTER

0:27:110:27:13

I've stuck my head on a radiator to try and warm it up.

0:27:130:27:16

LAUGHTER I remember chopping up...

0:27:160:27:18

I chopped up little carrots and made, like, a weird soup,

0:27:180:27:21

put that down the toilet, made out like I'd been sick.

0:27:210:27:24

I did everything. You couldn't get a day off school off my mum

0:27:240:27:27

unless your finger was hanging off. LAUGHTER

0:27:270:27:29

-Honestly. "Have an aspirin, go to school."

-Yeah.

0:27:290:27:32

But on the odd occasion that I'd have, like, a sick day

0:27:320:27:35

and you could just lay in bed and you could watch that,

0:27:350:27:38

you know, brilliant morning TV.

0:27:380:27:40

Did you think it was very anarchic? You know, really...?

0:27:400:27:43

It was very of its time, and I don't think...

0:27:430:27:45

There's nothing like that at the moment.

0:27:450:27:47

I don't think anything replaced Big Breakfast

0:27:470:27:49

-as that sort of like high...

-Energy.

-..energy sort of morning show.

-Yeah.

0:27:490:27:53

Do you remember, at the end of the series,

0:27:530:27:55

when they stopped the whole thing,

0:27:550:27:56

they did a competition where you could win the house?

0:27:560:27:59

-That's right, yeah.

-You could win the house.

0:27:590:28:01

I thought, "What an amazing present."

0:28:010:28:03

-It's house, Joe.

-House, sorry.

-Not "haarse."

0:28:030:28:05

-LAUGHTER

-That sounds disgusting.

0:28:050:28:08

"You could win the haarse."

0:28:080:28:10

-House.

-House, yeah.

-You could win that lovely home.

0:28:100:28:13

LAUGHTER

0:28:130:28:16

APPLAUSE

0:28:160:28:18

It was good, though, wasn't it? It was a good programme.

0:28:180:28:20

-It was brilliant, yeah.

-Good programme.

0:28:200:28:22

-Joe, we're moving on to Comedy Heroes now.

-Yeah, lovely.

0:28:290:28:32

Your next choice is... Well, it's a classic, really.

0:28:320:28:35

-It would have been you...

-I know.

0:28:350:28:36

..but they told me I couldn't pick you.

0:28:360:28:38

-Oh, well, that's very kind of you.

-Yeah.

-Two people in our next clip.

0:28:380:28:42

Did you...did you love them?

0:28:420:28:45

-Oh, see these two...

-There they are.

-Yeah.

0:28:450:28:47

I mean, I love Harry Enfield,

0:28:470:28:49

but I love Kathy Burke more.

0:28:490:28:51

-I am turning the television off.

-What? Why?

0:28:510:28:55

Because every night since we've got married,

0:28:550:28:57

all we've done is watch television.

0:28:570:28:59

Yeah. So what?

0:28:590:29:01

So, tonight, for a change, I thought we'd have it off.

0:29:010:29:04

LAUGHTER

0:29:040:29:07

I don't want to have it off with you, Waynetta. You stink.

0:29:120:29:16

-Kathy Burke went to my drama school.

-Oh, right.

0:29:160:29:19

She went to Anna Scher. So, she wasn't a comedian.

0:29:190:29:22

She's really an actress that's just so good at what she does,

0:29:220:29:26

she can be funny.

0:29:260:29:27

-Why?!

-Cos I thought, for a change,

0:29:270:29:30

-we might have a cond-versation.

-A what?

0:29:300:29:34

-A cond-versation.

-LAUGHTER

0:29:340:29:38

-All right, then. You start.

-Right. Um...

0:29:380:29:42

-Um...

-LAUGHTER

0:29:440:29:47

-IN POSH VOICE:

-I wonder what the weather will be like tomorrow.

0:29:490:29:52

LAUGHTER

0:29:520:29:54

So do I. Let's turn the telly on and find out.

0:29:540:29:56

-No way!

-LAUGHTER

0:29:560:29:59

And, again, this was of its time.

0:29:590:30:01

This was, like, so unique,

0:30:010:30:03

the Harry Enfield show, the sketch show.

0:30:030:30:06

Harry was doing it.

0:30:060:30:07

His characters were all so strong as well.

0:30:070:30:09

-They were all standout characters.

-And very real.

0:30:090:30:12

I mean, they were all real people.

0:30:120:30:13

-And you'd always relate to someone, you know.

-Yeah.

0:30:130:30:16

-Tim Nice But Dim.

-Yeah.

-Remember?

0:30:160:30:18

-I do.

-Know what I'm saying? HE LAUGHS

0:30:200:30:23

Thought, seeing as it was a school reunion,

0:30:240:30:27

I ought to wear the old school tie.

0:30:270:30:29

Perhaps I should have left it at that.

0:30:290:30:31

LAUGHTER

0:30:310:30:34

Would you like a glass of sherry?

0:30:340:30:37

Oo-er!

0:30:370:30:38

Oh, what the hell. Why not? Cheers.

0:30:380:30:41

LAUGHTER

0:30:430:30:45

Oh, here comes the headmaster.

0:30:450:30:47

-Oh, now I'm going to get busted.

-LAUGHTER

0:30:470:30:51

-HE LAUGHS

-Thank you.

0:30:510:30:53

We've got a little game for you to see if you can,

0:30:530:30:57

-well, tell us their catchphrases...

-OK.

-..from the Harry Enfield show.

0:30:570:31:01

So, these are obviously characters Harry Enfield used to do.

0:31:010:31:04

Name the catchphrase. Here's the first.

0:31:040:31:06

LIVERPOOL ACCENT: 'Calm down. Calm down.'

0:31:060:31:08

-Is that that one?

-Absolutely correct. Spot-on.

0:31:080:31:11

-The Scousers.

-You're on a roll. Here's the next one.

0:31:110:31:13

-Oh, he's the know-it-all geezer, isn't he?

-Yeah.

0:31:180:31:20

-I don't know it.

-"Only me."

-"Only me!"

0:31:200:31:23

"You don't want to do it like that."

0:31:230:31:25

-That's it.

-"You want to do it like that."

-Yeah.

0:31:250:31:28

We won't give you that one. I'll have that one.

0:31:280:31:31

-These are the Brummies.

-Yeah, I didn't know these ones.

0:31:310:31:34

I don't even remember these two.

0:31:340:31:36

"I am considerably richer than you."

0:31:360:31:38

-No, I don't remember that.

-That was a waste of time, then, wasn't it?

0:31:380:31:42

LAUGHTER

0:31:420:31:44

"Oi! Shut it!

0:31:450:31:48

"Got loads of money!"

0:31:480:31:49

No, but if I hear Joe Swash

0:31:490:31:52

-in my bathroom washing himself down, using my soap...

-Yeah.

0:31:520:31:57

-..I would say, "No!"

-No!

0:31:570:31:59

"No, Joe Swash, international superstar babe magnet,

0:31:590:32:03

"you are not allowed to wash yourself in my bathroom."

0:32:030:32:07

HE LAUGHS Nice one. Yes!

0:32:070:32:09

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you.

0:32:090:32:11

Do you think it's a good idea,

0:32:110:32:13

if kids want to be an actor or an actress,

0:32:130:32:15

to go to a stage school? I mean, I went to stage school.

0:32:150:32:18

Yeah, I never went to a stage school as such.

0:32:180:32:20

I'd go on a Friday and a Saturday.

0:32:200:32:22

-So, I went to normal school.

-Right.

-I think it...

0:32:220:32:25

With the kids, you have to keep reminding them

0:32:250:32:27

and make sure they know that it's quite a precarious game.

0:32:270:32:30

-Go to school, get your education, use it as, like, a hobby.

-Yeah.

0:32:300:32:33

I think kids get so much from it as well.

0:32:330:32:36

You know, just communicational skills,

0:32:360:32:38

talking to adults, confidence.

0:32:380:32:41

-So, Joe, your first day on EastEnders.

-Yeah.

0:32:470:32:49

-What was that like?

-Yeah, well, I nearly got sacked on my first day.

0:32:490:32:53

-Yeah. I mean, I always wanted to be in EastEnders.

-Right.

0:32:530:32:56

I mean, when we were at Anna Scher's, my drama class,

0:32:560:32:59

we'd talk about it cos we knew Natalie Cassidy

0:32:590:33:01

and James Alexandrou that were in it already.

0:33:010:33:03

Everyone wanted to be in films, but I just wanted to be in EastEnders.

0:33:030:33:06

It was, like, my passion, EastEnders,

0:33:060:33:08

so to get it was amazing.

0:33:080:33:09

But then I wanted to share it with my mates cos, like...

0:33:090:33:12

So, I invited my mate along.

0:33:120:33:14

I sneaked him in the studio for my first day.

0:33:140:33:16

And I said to him, "Don't leave the dressing room.

0:33:160:33:19

"Stay in the dressing room." And he didn't.

0:33:190:33:21

He went wandering around, and we were filming,

0:33:210:33:23

and he walked round the back of the camera right through the scene.

0:33:230:33:26

They had to stop. They all went mad. "Who's this geezer?"

0:33:260:33:30

-"It's my mate Nick the Greek."

-Nick the Greek!

0:33:300:33:33

Nick the Greek, yeah, we called him. And, yeah, so, I nearly got sacked.

0:33:330:33:36

-They had to escort him out, and I got told off.

-Oh, right.

0:33:360:33:39

But I think I set the tone. They knew what they were handling,

0:33:390:33:41

-what they were dealing with.

-Yeah.

-You know?

0:33:410:33:43

So nothing else would surprise them.

0:33:430:33:46

-You're a great actor. There's no denying it.

-Thank you.

0:33:460:33:48

-But did you find it hard to get the accent for EastEnders?

-Yeah.

0:33:480:33:52

LAUGHTER Yeah, I did.

0:33:520:33:54

-It was something you had to work on?

-I think that was one of

0:33:540:33:57

the good things about EastEnders, and my character Mickey -

0:33:570:34:00

he was just like me, so I wasn't even acting.

0:34:000:34:02

I was just saying the lines like I'd have said them in real life.

0:34:020:34:05

-You know what I mean?

-Yeah.

0:34:050:34:06

-So, it was a pleasure to play him.

-Yeah.

0:34:060:34:08

-You played him for six years.

-Played him for six years.

0:34:080:34:11

They brought a family in around him, which had my little sister in it,

0:34:110:34:15

playing my sister.

0:34:150:34:17

And we all still know each other really well from the family.

0:34:170:34:20

But it was just an amazing place to grow up in.

0:34:200:34:22

And I was 21, so, like, before that, I was just a ginger kid.

0:34:220:34:27

And then, I get in EastEnders, I was like...

0:34:270:34:30

I was like a big kid in a sweet shop.

0:34:300:34:32

I could eat everything, like.

0:34:320:34:33

I could get into clubs for nothing. HE LAUGHS

0:34:330:34:36

I went to town for about two years. I got in so much trouble.

0:34:360:34:40

But thank God I grew out of it and I got it out of my system.

0:34:400:34:43

So, here is you, Joe, on EastEnders.

0:34:430:34:46

I ain't seen any of this. I never watch my old stuff back.

0:34:460:34:49

Once I've done it, I've done it.

0:34:490:34:51

-Is Spencer around, please?

-Yeah. Why? Who's asking?

-Oh, it's Mickey.

0:34:510:34:55

I'm Spencer's mate.

0:34:550:34:56

-'Look at the shirts as well.

-Yeah.'

0:34:560:34:59

-He looks young, doesn't he? Old Richie?

-Yeah, bless him.

0:35:000:35:03

Hey! Oh! All right, Spencer. You back there, mate?

0:35:030:35:05

-I wasn't gone.

-That's not what Nana just said.

0:35:050:35:08

-Nana's not in.

-Come on, mate. We've got work to do.

0:35:080:35:10

We ain't got time to chat all day. Come on, pal.

0:35:100:35:13

-See, I auditioned for his part, for Spencer...

-Right.

0:35:130:35:16

..and I got down to the last two to play Shane's brother.

0:35:160:35:19

-Listen, Spence, you still got that cash?

-Yeah.

0:35:190:35:21

-It's burning a hole in my pocket.

-Why don't we have a little chat?

0:35:210:35:25

-Still got that denim jacket?

-Yeah, still got that.

0:35:260:35:29

But it was really weird because when I auditioned for EastEnders,

0:35:290:35:33

you know when you audition for a small part,

0:35:330:35:35

you don't really want to do it

0:35:350:35:37

because there's less chance of you getting a bigger part later on.

0:35:370:35:40

-Mm-hm.

-And they kept saying to me, "Do this part."

0:35:400:35:43

Cos I went for the audition for Spencer,

0:35:430:35:45

and Shane wrote a book about his experience,

0:35:450:35:47

and I was in his book cos he said, like,

0:35:470:35:49

"Met this boy called Joe Swash who auditioned for Spencer.

0:35:490:35:52

"He didn't get the part, but we knew he would get a part eventually."

0:35:520:35:55

And I was really reluctant to do it

0:35:550:35:57

because it was only for a couple of episodes.

0:35:570:35:59

So, I was working at the BBC doing fire protection

0:35:590:36:03

-cos I wanted to be a fireman.

-Oh.

-So, I was doing fire protection.

0:36:030:36:06

So, I was going into a room and making sure,

0:36:060:36:08

if there was a fire in it, it wouldn't spread.

0:36:080:36:10

So, I'd be on EastEnders.

0:36:100:36:12

I'd go in and do maybe two weeks' work on EastEnders,

0:36:120:36:14

and then go back to my normal job.

0:36:140:36:16

So, I was on TV while I was doing my normal job,

0:36:160:36:19

and everyone was like, "Are you not that dude from EastEnders? Mickey?"

0:36:190:36:22

while I was working at the BBC doing a bit of building.

0:36:220:36:25

And that went on for about three or four months to maybe a year

0:36:250:36:28

of going in and out, in and out.

0:36:280:36:30

It took them that long until they offered me my contract.

0:36:300:36:33

What was it like when you got that phone call?

0:36:330:36:36

It was amazing cos it was all I ever wanted,

0:36:360:36:38

was to be in EastEnders.

0:36:380:36:40

And I'd already got a taste of it from being Mickey,

0:36:400:36:43

so when they said they wanted to keep my character,

0:36:430:36:45

it was like winning the lottery. I was so excited.

0:36:450:36:48

Um, it's an amazing place. I've got some great memories.

0:36:480:36:51

-Would you like to go back?

-I think, you know, the door's always open.

0:36:510:36:55

People are always asking me.

0:36:550:36:57

So, I think, one day, I would like to go back just because...

0:36:570:37:01

Because when I was on EastEnders, I got ill.

0:37:010:37:03

I got a thing called viral meningoencephalitis,

0:37:030:37:06

so I was off work for about a year, in hospital, then rehab and stuff.

0:37:060:37:10

So, I feel like, where my character was just about to go off

0:37:100:37:13

and do his own little storylines,

0:37:130:37:15

-it sort of got cut short a bit.

-Yeah.

0:37:150:37:17

So, I'd like to go back and do it properly one day.

0:37:170:37:19

We'd like to see you back there.

0:37:190:37:21

Oh, thanks. But then I like what I'm doing.

0:37:210:37:23

I like doing presenting and I like doing the Jungle

0:37:230:37:25

and TV and doing stuff like that,

0:37:250:37:27

so, you know, it's a balancing thing, isn't it?

0:37:270:37:29

One day. One day. But they might not even want me back.

0:37:290:37:32

-I caused them so much trouble when I was on there.

-Why?

0:37:320:37:34

Oh, I was always late, I'd have parties.

0:37:340:37:37

My biggest pulling thing at the weekend...

0:37:370:37:39

If I wanted to pull someone, like, if I had my eye on someone,

0:37:390:37:42

I'd take them to EastEnders on a Sunday

0:37:420:37:44

cos I knew the geezer at the gate.

0:37:440:37:46

So, I'd take them for a walk around the square, yeah?

0:37:460:37:48

I did that for about a year until I got caught.

0:37:480:37:51

Because they had a camera that was doing an internet live feed.

0:37:510:37:54

-Oh, right.

-After a while,

0:37:540:37:55

it was just every Sunday going round with different people.

0:37:550:37:58

HE LAUGHS And then there's other times...

0:37:580:38:00

Is that why you're not in a relationship now -

0:38:000:38:02

-because you can't go round EastEnders?

-Yeah.

0:38:020:38:04

I mean, I've got nothing to offer them no more.

0:38:040:38:07

With a history spanning over 31 years,

0:38:080:38:11

it's no wonder that some of the EastEnders' extras

0:38:110:38:14

and bit-part actors came from or have gone on to other things.

0:38:140:38:18

First up, it's market regular Winston,

0:38:200:38:22

who not only got his own CD stall on the square,

0:38:220:38:25

but also some of his own storylines,

0:38:250:38:28

like having his head shaved for charity in The Vic.

0:38:280:38:31

Oh, look, they've missed a bit.

0:38:310:38:33

Next is a member of a real-life showbiz dynasty.

0:38:340:38:38

It's Martha Ross, mother of Jonathan and Paul Ross,

0:38:380:38:41

and a regular extra on the Square for over 20 years.

0:38:410:38:45

The next extra only racked up one appearance as man on phone

0:38:470:38:51

at the back of The Vic.

0:38:510:38:53

He made a huge impact, though,

0:38:530:38:54

as he is none other than Take That's Robbie Williams.

0:38:540:38:58

Lastly, it's the late, great Big Ron Tarr,

0:38:590:39:03

one of the best-loved background artists in the business,

0:39:030:39:06

appearing on the show right up until his death in 1997,

0:39:060:39:09

when his character was written out of the show

0:39:090:39:12

by having Big Ron win the lottery and move to Spain.

0:39:120:39:16

It was what he would have wanted.

0:39:160:39:18

Touched on the Jungle. What was that like?

0:39:190:39:22

That was good, the Jungle, because I'd just left EastEnders.

0:39:220:39:24

-You became King of the Jungle.

-Yeah.

0:39:240:39:26

It was weird because I'd just left EastEnders,

0:39:260:39:28

and it was their decision for me to leave EastEnders,

0:39:280:39:31

so I was slightly heartbroken by it.

0:39:310:39:33

And I knew I was going to be typecast

0:39:330:39:35

and I'd struggle doing other acting work.

0:39:350:39:37

And then the Jungle came in, and I was really nervous.

0:39:370:39:40

You know, I just didn't know what was going to happen.

0:39:400:39:43

But I bit the bullet and did it,

0:39:430:39:44

and it was one of the best things I've done. Really enjoyed it.

0:39:440:39:46

From that, I've been going back for the last eight years, you know.

0:39:460:39:50

So, I've got my money's worth out of it.

0:39:500:39:52

Yeah, I've really enjoyed it. It's an amazing place.

0:39:520:39:54

Was it nice to be voted King of the Jungle by the public?

0:39:540:39:57

Yeah. Yeah, I think that was the best thing

0:39:570:39:59

because it's such a...it's such a weird feeling being in there

0:39:590:40:05

because you don't know no-one in there.

0:40:050:40:07

There's no-one in there to say to you, "You're not being yourself.

0:40:070:40:10

"What are you doing? Cheer up."

0:40:100:40:12

So, you're constantly kind of questioning yourself.

0:40:120:40:14

"Am I being myself? Am I being myself?"

0:40:140:40:17

But no, it was just an amazing place.

0:40:170:40:19

And again, like, EastEnders and the Jungle,

0:40:190:40:21

I just have two of the most amazing, incredible memories of them.

0:40:210:40:25

So, yeah, I'd say them two hold big places in my heart.

0:40:250:40:29

-Joe, I want to talk about the TV you love watching now.

-Yeah.

0:40:350:40:38

Bring it full circle. What do you enjoy watching?

0:40:380:40:41

-I love documentaries.

-Yeah?

-I'm really into documentaries.

0:40:410:40:44

I love Louis Theroux and stuff like that.

0:40:440:40:47

I like stuff like Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity, Strictly.

0:40:470:40:52

I like my reality stuff.

0:40:520:40:53

Cos I grew up in a house full of women for most of it,

0:40:530:40:56

cos my dad died I was 12,

0:40:560:40:57

so that's got a big effect on my taste in TV.

0:40:570:41:00

So, I like my soaps, you know, I like my antiques shows,

0:41:000:41:05

like Antiques Roadshow and all of that.

0:41:050:41:08

Yeah, so, I think my taste in TV probably reflects

0:41:080:41:11

my mum and my sisters' taste.

0:41:110:41:13

I had no control over the telly dial.

0:41:130:41:15

That was up to them. I just had to watch what they watched.

0:41:150:41:18

-Match Of The Day, I like. Sport.

-Yeah.

-As I'm getting older...

0:41:180:41:21

My dad used to do it. As I'm getting older,

0:41:210:41:23

I'm watching the most obscure sports.

0:41:230:41:26

Like, I'm watching a bit of racing.

0:41:260:41:28

I was watching a bit of the dogs the other day. I don't even bet.

0:41:280:41:31

-I was just watching dogs running round.

-Yeah.

-A bit of golf.

0:41:310:41:33

What a boring sport that is to watch.

0:41:330:41:35

-LAUGHTER

-You're not into bowls, are you?

0:41:350:41:38

-I'm watching indoor bowls at the moment.

-Really?

0:41:380:41:40

-The World Championships, yeah.

-Really?

0:41:400:41:42

And that is my age.

0:41:420:41:43

Like, when I was younger, I wouldn't have given that two minutes.

0:41:430:41:46

Now I can watch bowls for a good hour and get into it.

0:41:460:41:49

-LAUGHTER

-That's brilliant.

0:41:490:41:52

They do it at a place called Potters. I was going to go.

0:41:520:41:54

Bit of darts. I love darts.

0:41:540:41:56

-Lakeside.

-Yeah, bit of Lakeside. I went to that once.

0:41:560:41:58

Yeah, so, as I'm getting older, I'm liking my sports.

0:41:580:42:02

Well, I want to thank you for brightening up my sofa today.

0:42:020:42:05

-Thank you, mate.

-It's been an absolute joy.

-Is that it?

0:42:050:42:07

-Yeah.

-Aw!

-Aw! Well, I've enjoyed it.

0:42:070:42:10

It really has. The time's gone so quickly.

0:42:100:42:12

But we give our guests the opportunity

0:42:120:42:14

to pick a theme tune for us to play out on.

0:42:140:42:16

-So, what's it going to be, Joe?

-All right.

0:42:160:42:18

-Do you want me to sing it?

-No.

-LAUGHTER

0:42:180:42:22

No, we play it.

0:42:220:42:24

-It's the actual theme tune.

-Yeah, so...

0:42:240:42:26

But you can sing it as well. You can sing along to it.

0:42:260:42:28

-Shall we see if they get it, yeah?

-Well, all right. Go on, then.

0:42:280:42:31

# Dah-dah-dah! #

0:42:310:42:34

No? LAUGHTER

0:42:340:42:36

# Dah-dah-dah! #

0:42:360:42:38

-We Will Rock You?

-No! LAUGHTER

0:42:380:42:40

-We watched it. It was on there. AUDIENCE MEMBER:

-999.

0:42:400:42:43

-999.

-999.

0:42:430:42:44

# Dah-dah-dah! #

0:42:440:42:46

That's my theme song. HE HUMS 999 THEME SONG

0:42:460:42:48

-It's either the news or 999 coming up, yeah.

-All right, then.

0:42:480:42:51

So, we play out with 999. Have you enjoyed it?

0:42:510:42:53

-I've loved it, yeah.

-And we've loved you.

0:42:530:42:55

Let me come back because I've got all these other programmes.

0:42:550:42:58

All right, I know you're struggling. You're out of work at the moment.

0:42:580:43:01

-We'll let you back.

-Get me back.

0:43:010:43:02

-We'll let him back, won't we?

-AUDIENCE:

-Yeah!

-Yeah?

0:43:020:43:05

-My thanks to Joe.

-Aw. Cheers, mate.

-Mate, thank you.

0:43:050:43:09

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

0:43:090:43:12

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

0:43:120:43:14

MUSIC: 999 Theme Tune

0:43:140:43:17

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