Myleene Klass The TV That Made Me

TV - the magic box of delights.

As kids, it showed us a million different worlds

all from our living room.

This takes me right back.

That's so embarrassing.

I am genuinely shocked.

'Each day, I'm going to journey through

'the wonderful world of telly

'with one of our favourite celebrities...'

It's just so silly.

Oh, I love it!

Is it Mr Benn?

SHE HUMS TUNE Shut it!

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

-Ooh, hello.

-HE LAUGHS

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

-WOMAN GASPS

-Oh, my gosh!

-BOTH:

-Cheers.

-'Some will make you laugh...'

-HE GRUNTS

SHE LAUGHS Oh, no!

-'..some will surprise...'

-SQUAWKING

Oh!

'..many will inspire...'

Ooh!

Look at this. Why wouldn't you want to watch this?

'..and others will move us.'

Seeing that there made a huge impact on me.

'You're not having my kid.'

Got a handkerchief?

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

that shaped those wide-eyed youngsters

into the much-loved stars they are today.

-APPLAUSE

-Welcome to The TV That Made Me.

My guest today has many strings to her bow.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to my flat Myleene Klass.

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Hello.

-How are you?

-Good. How are you?

-I am very well.

-Thanks for having me.

-Welcome to my humble abode.

Very nice.

-Do you like it?

-I like that I match the sofa.

-Oh, yeah.

-I look like a cushion.

-Was that intentional?

-No, but yes, it was.

-Yeah?

A classical musician, chart-topping pop star,

fashion designer and TV presenter,

Myleene is no stranger to the small screen.

The TV that made her

includes a legendary all-round entertainer,

a cult '90s game show that had us all on the edge of our seats...

Two minutes left.

Whoa!

..and a famous talk show that was one of her first steps

on the path to stardom.

-So, are you excited about today?

-I am.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, yeah.

Do you think TV has played a big part in your growing up?

Oh, hugely.

I think even just the little sort of titbits

you remember or things you come out and say.

I said to my girls the older day,

I said, "Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?"

And they just looked at me completely blankly.

-You just think, you know, it just identifies an era.

-Yeah.

Well, today is a celebration of your TV,

classic moments that you have chosen.

-You can see why I am the way I am.

-Yes, we will find out by the end.

Are we a similar age, though?

Will I find out why you're the way you are?

-Do you think we're a similar age? No.

-Well, I'm 21, so...

-Yeah.

But first up we're going to take a look

at a very young Myleene growing up.

-OK.

-Have a little look at this.

Born in Norfolk in 1978

to a British-Austrian father and a Filipino mother,

Myleene fell in love with music from a young age,

picking up her grandfather's violin at just four years old.

Her obsession with music continued to grow as a teenager

and she won a scholarship to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music.

Myleene went on to work as a session singer to the stars.

But in 2000, her life changed forever

when she was catapulted to stardom as part of the pop group Hear'Say,

and the rest, as they say, is history.

Isn't that lovely? Was it nice looking back?

-I haven't changed the hair very much.

-No.

Yeah, good memories. It's nice, actually. I...

Music, it was all about music for me all the time.

Very arty, very creative. And if it wasn't that, it was science.

Cos I think people forget that you are

a classically-trained musician.

Yes. It's my little surprise card.

-Mm-hm.

-They just think white bikini, right?

Yeah, they do.

White bikini, that was from I'm A Celebrity...

-Get Me Out Of Here!

-That's right.

It was that moment, which I believe you auctioned off...

I did. I don't know where it's gone.

I don't want to think about who's got it.

I auctioned it off for charity.

-Yeah.

-So, that was it.

A lot came from it, however I think it was an accident, actually,

that I even had that bikini cos I went to go into the jungle,

and we're talking a couple of hours before I went in,

one of the producers said,

"You can't wear that. It's going to strobe."

You know if you wear a pattern, too tight a pattern on TV

-then it kind of...

-They strobe up.

Yeah, it has a sort of strobing effect.

So, I ran into just a local store and I went,

"Give me the plainest, plainest bikini you have,"

and I kind of... I owe it all to that girl that went,

-"We've got this for 20."

-Yeah.

Myleene, I'm so pleased you're with us.

We're going to take a trip down memory lane

and look at your very first TV memory.

It's Fraggle Rock.

'Created by legendary puppeteer Jim Henson,

'Fraggle Rock first bounced onto our British TV screens

'in January 1984.'

# Dance your cares away Worry's for another day

-# Let... #

-# The music play

# Down at Fraggle Rock. #

'The show followed the adventures

'of a fun-loving group of furry subterranean creatures.'

-We're Gobo!

-Wembley!

-Red!

Oh, my gosh. This is so funny.

Oh, my gosh.

Did you know this song reached number 33

in the British music charts?

-Did it really?

-Yeah.

-I probably bought every copy.

-And I used to love the way the Fraggles moved.

-Yeah.

-Shall we play a little bit more of the clip?

-Yeah.

It's very kind of you, Doris. No, no. I'm flattered.

Nothing would give me greater pleasure. And thank you.

'While UK viewers fondly remember the captain

'and his dog Sprocket who lived in the lighthouse,

'this wasn't the case for everyone

'as, cleverly, the human segment of the show changed

'with the programme's location.'

I'm the ideal man for the job.

'So, in America, the man was an inventor named Doc,

'while in France he was a chef with a dog called Croquette.'

Why not?

Fraggle Rock is a haven for some of the most beautiful birds

in the entire British Isles.

I suppose it was something about

having a real person in it that made it, do you think?

And also that when you're a kid, when you're in on the joke,

when the adults don't know, you just love that, don't you?

Yeah, yeah.

He never saw the Fraggles.

-No, the dog...

-Sprocket always found the Fraggles.

-Yeah.

-When you're a kid, you love that.

# One and one and one are three

# Can you sing as high as me?

# One and one are only two

# I can sing as high... #

'Music played a key role in the show's success,

'featuring a unique mix of 100 original, quirky songs.'

# I'm the one that won! #

'In 1989, Fraggle Rock became the first American TV programme

'to be shown in the Soviet Union.'

# One and one are only two I can hop as high as you

-# Higher

-Higher... #

Look, that's how they move. That's...

HE LAUGHS

-What did you think of the hair?

-I loved the hair.

-I think I fashioned a lot of my hair on them.

-Really?

-Totally.

-Really?

-Yeah. Getting the body in.

-Tried to get that Fraggle look.

-Of course. Have I succeeded?

-Um...you're not doing bad.

-Thank you.

It's very light.

I mean, it's real comedy, isn't it, you know?

I think when you look at what

programmes are like now for children,

which I see a lot with my own children,

-it's all so fast-paced and it's so quickly cut.

-Mm-hm.

Whereas with this, it's sort of presented on a plate

-and you're just in there.

-Yeah.

It's different. It's a different way of viewing now.

They've got such an identifiable look,

-and they don't make them like that anymore.

-No. No.

How about playing a nice quiet game of Paint A Song?

-Oh, that's a good idea, Gobo.

-Yeah. I could use a little therapy.

-Oh!

-Oh!

So, does it just take you back?

It totally has just transported me to sitting in my living room.

What was your sort of TV snack?

Well, because it was just before we were going to have our dinner,

my mum would get the special trays, these little plastic trays

with little compartments and she'd chop up carrots

and cucumbers and all sorts of...

-Like crudites.

-Yes.

And then we'd have these chocolate dips

-that were around at the time.

-Chocolate dips.

-Just bits.

-Carrots, cucumbers, chocolate dips.

-Carrots, cucumbers, chocolate dips.

-Are you going to the kitchen?

OK. Carrots, cucumbers, chocolate dips.

# And a partridge in a pear tree. #

-Oh!

-Carrots, cucumbers, chocolate dips.

So, you wouldn't dip your cucumber in...

I probably would do, actually.

-Would you?

-Yeah. SHE GASPS

-Do you want one?

-Yes.

-Go on, then.

-Are you having one?

What, carrot and chocolate?

Carrot and chocolate. I'll give it a go.

If it's good enough for Myleene, it's good enough for me.

If you're doing it, I'll do it too.

That's what happens, cos they never give you enough little sticks.

Oh, do you know what?

-It's all right.

-Are we back there now, Fraggle Rock, with your dips?

That's not bad, is it?

-It's actually really good.

-LAUGHTER

Yeah. I'd recommend this to anyone.

-A bit of chocolate and carrot.

-Chocolate-dipped carrot.

-Yeah.

We might have just invented something there.

-This is amazing.

-Yeah?

I can't believe you've done this for me.

Oh, we like to make an effort, you know.

Being at my little flat with my lodgers.

-LAUGHTER

-You know...

So, set the scene for us, you know. You'd be in your lounge.

Sitting in the lounge.

Shoes off, obviously. Not on the couch.

And then just all snuggled up with my tray

with my sliced carrots.

-Watching Fraggle Rock.

-Yeah.

So, we've already touched on your mum.

Tell us a little bit more about your home life.

Well, my dad used to be in the navy, so he's...

Maybe that's something to do with the lighthouse keeper.

He doesn't not look like that.

-My dad looks a bit like Captain Birdseye.

-Oh, really?

Proper navy seadog.

My mum was quite strict with a lot of the TV,

so there were certain things I wasn't allowed to watch.

-Oh, really?

-Yeah, that she thought would scare me or...

-Oh, right.

-..that it would have a bad influence.

-Yeah.

But one thing I know everyone at school was watching,

cos they used to talk about it

and I used to miss it all the time, Grange Hill.

I hear the music and I get a bit anxious.

-You get...

-Cos I know I have to turn the telly off.

-Really?

-Mm.

-So, should we have a little look at Grange Hill?

You're being very naughty.

Eh? Are you going to get all anxious when you hear the music?

I'll hear the music and I'm going to want to turn it off.

I've been programmed to do so. SHE HUMS GRANGE HILL THEME

-Do you want to hide behind the sofa?

-I've got my cushion.

Get the cushion. Here we go. There it is. Grange Hill.

MUSIC: Grange Hill theme tune

Making its debut the same year as Myleene was born,

Grange Hill followed the lives of the students

and teachers at Grange Hill Comprehensive.

Famed for tackling the tough storylines,

from bullying to drug addiction,

the show ran for three decades, finally closing the school gates

after 601 episodes in 2008.

-THEY HUM GRANGE HILL INTRO

-I've got to press pause.

Off.

Are you ready for this?

Yeah. I don't know what I'm going to see. It's going to be a revelation.

Do you want to hold my hand? OK. This could scar you for life.

Oh, exciting.

What do they want these for?

-Where are you going with those?

-Out of the way.

-I used to be in this.

-Did you?

I used to be an extra in Grange Hill.

You touch these, I'll tell Mr Bronson.

What would I want to touch them for? I've something much better in mind.

Looks a bit long, that tie of yours.

You dare, I'm telling you, Davis.

-Ooh!

-This is the kind of thing she's talking about, you see.

Davis!

Why do you need a tie that long?

Oh, I can see why your mum didn't want you to watch it.

-I mean, it is...

-I'm quite shocked.

-It's a bit full-on.

He's lost his tie.

I just bought this tie. Three quid I paid.

Criminal, isn't it?

Now you'll have to save for another one.

Do you feel as though you might have missed out not watching Grange Hill?

Um, I don't feel like I've missed out,

now I've seen what I was missing.

-There was a lot of bullying, wasn't there?

-Do you know what?

In fairness, though, I think for my mum to let us watch that,

I think...

How do you explain that if that's not happening to you? Or...

I don't know.

-Cutting ties, ripping off blazer pockets is not acceptable.

-No.

-But eating carrots with chocolate is.

-That's completely fine.

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

This is your next choice. This is your must-see TV.

This is something you'd run home from school to watch.

# Neighbours... #

Oh, yes!

# Everybody needs good neighbours... #

Set in the fictional Aussie suburb of Erinsborough,

Neighbours has followed the trials and tribulations of residents

of Ramsay Street for over 30 years.

Its instantly recognisable theme tune was composed

by Tony Hatch, who was also responsible for

Petula Clark's number one hit Downtown.

# That's when good neighbours become... #

Guy Pearce. He's, like, a Hollywood star now.

Yeah. Yeah.

What if she doesn't turn up, eh?

You're never playing the wedding.

'Over 7,000 episodes of Neighbours

'have been aired in the UK since 1986.

'One of the highest-rated was of course

'Scott and Charlene's wedding.'

Expect a few more people than this

for a wedding like this, wouldn't you?

'On the 8th of November 1988 over 19 million viewers

'across the UK tuned in to watch a young Kylie Minogue

'marry heart-throb Jason Donovan.'

Here she comes, backlit.

# The only dream that I... #

-Does it take you back?

-This is insane.

I used to...

I mean, you're leaving school, you dawdle,

you get home when you get home, but this, I broke a sweat.

# A chance to talk, a chance to grow... #

'And the tune that got them down the aisle

'was Angry Anderson's Suddenly.

'It reached number three in the UK charts,

'and who was in the number two spot?

'Only Kylie and Jason with Especially For You.'

# Suddenly you're seeing me

# Just the way I am

# Suddenly you're hearing me

# Cos I'm running just as fast as I can to you

# She's running just as fast as she can... #

LAUGHTER

# Suddenly... #

-I've watched that quite a few times.

-Really?

I mean, let's be honest. This is your specialist subject.

If you were on Mastermind, it'd be Neighbours.

-Possibly, yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yes. LAUGHTER

And what did you love so much about it?

You know, I don't know.

Something just swept the nation. Everybody loved Neighbours.

I think they used to have the most...

-What, 15 million viewers at one point?

-Yeah, it was.

-So...

-The wedding was watched by over 19 million Brits.

-There you go.

-You see?

-I know.

-You see.

And then was in...you know, that's daytime television.

-Yeah, that's right.

-You know.

-Yeah.

-Colossal.

Nearly as much as us.

There you go. LAUGHTER

So, I mean, it meant a lot you, Neighbours.

Yeah. I had posters. I had the sticker books.

You had the sticker book.

-Oh! You are good.

-Oh, yes.

You are good! I had this!

-There's your sticker book.

-No! SHE GASPS

-And there's all the...

-Look at this!

-Oh, you're kidding.

-Yeah. There's all the...

-You've got the whole collection?

-Yes, we have indeed.

-Yeah.

-Do you know what this is...?

Not even monetary value.

Do you know what this is to, like, my 11-year-old self?

-Yeah.

-SHE GASPS

Natalie Imbruglia.

I mean, do you think kids today just won't ever experience

that sort of excitement?

Stickers and...

I mean, I'm excited even now, and I can genuinely say I don't know

if my children would be this excited about a sticker book.

-Let me just put that together.

-This is unbelievable.

Put all that... Look. They're all in there, every one of them.

Crickey. I can't believe you have this.

-And that's your book.

-You'd have been my hero in school.

It's in mint condition.

And it's yours.

-You're joking.

-Yeah. It's yours.

-APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Aw. God bless you.

Yeah.

Give me another album.

Give me another album. I got one kiss.

-Yeah. Let me put that away.

-Oh, my gosh.

-You'll get that at the end.

That's yours to take with you.

I can't believe that. Thank you.

So, how...

I want to go ring my sister now and tell her I have that.

-LAUGHTER

-Aw.

-You're not filling up a bit, are you?

-I am a little bit.

-Aw!

I'm all emotional. You're taking me back to my childhood.

Now, you got to meet Jason, didn't you?

-I did.

-You went into the jungle with him.

-I did. Yes, yes.

What was that like, meeting one of your childhood heroes?

It was really good fun cos

I'd sort of seen him from afar,

you know, at work sort of bumping into each other,

but there we were in a contained environment,

and we got to chat.

He couldn't believe I knew all the characters.

-Like, I was asking about Madge and Harold all the time.

-Yeah, yeah.

And then he did the unthinkable for, like, my 11, 12-year-old self.

We got to sing Especially For You, to do the Kylie lift.

Oh, lovely. So you done that.

I used to watch it on Top Of The Pops,

and she'd do the run to him and he'd pick her up

and twirl her around,

and I even bought a velvet waistcoat to look like Kylie.

Kylie and Jason are up there with the top TV couples,

but there are few who've had as many ups and downs as Frank

and Pat Butcher in EastEnders.

Pat and her hundreds of earrings

worked their way through many a man in East London,

but the love of her life

was always cockney wheeler-dealer Frank,

who she loved until the day he died in 2008.

A much less volatile couple but who were just as in love

were Denise and Dave from The Royle Family.

Viewers never got to see their wedding,

maybe because the writer and star of the show, Caroline Aherne,

was always reluctant for filming to take place

outside the Royles' house.

And who could forget Terry and June?

The middle class, middle-aged suburban couple

whose happiness was forever being thwarted by Terry's terrible luck.

Well, I'm going to take you back now to Sundays, family favourites,

and this is the...

-The Wonder Years.

-It was, in one.

-Yes!

# What would you do

# If I sang out of tune... #

An American TV show set in the late '60s and '70s,

it made a generation of kids nostalgic for a decade

they'd never set foot in.

The Wonder Years ran for six series,

first airing in the UK on the 20th of August 1989.

# Oh, baby... #

This iconic teen comedy drama is instantly recognisable

by its home-video style title sequence,

featuring Joe Cocker's With A Little Help From My Friends,

which was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

# Whoa, yeah... #

I can't even tell you how much I loved this,

cos it was the one time the whole family would be there.

-Yeah.

-Even my dad, cos he'd watch this.

-Really?

'At least Paul was happy to hear of my rejection. It meant...'

Over an impressive 115 episodes,

viewers tuned in to Channel 4 at tea-time to follow Kevin Arnold,

played by Fred Savage,

as he fumbled his way through suburban adolescence.

It tastes all right to me.

The series set itself apart from other shows of its time,

with its use of single camera, lack of canned laughter

and a narration by an adult Kevin.

'All right, that did it.

'There was only so much one guy could take.'

-Did you enjoy the adult voice commentary?

-Loved it. Loved it.

And actually, there were so many really nice little lessons in there.

There was one particular show

where I remember he just didn't bother with his maths.

He'd just had enough and he thought the teacher

was pushing him too hard. Then he realised...

Later on, the teacher died and he had seen something in him

-and was trying to help him.

-Oh, right.

And I remember his line was,

"You don't even need to mark it. It's an A."

-Aw.

-And to remember those lines when you're a child,

it just shows what an impact it had.

That, and I always wanted

to be able to grow my hair as long as Winnie.

THEY LAUGH

Let's say it did get caught under the bun but didn't suffocate,

it probably would've flown away when...

-BOTH:

-Eddie put the ketchup on.

'Winnie and I always saw eye-to-eye on stuff like that.

'It was like we were born under the same sign or something.'

But what about the relationship between Kevin and Winnie?

-I loved that.

-Yeah.

After watching it, I'd try and find as much information as I could.

Again, that side of me always wanted to know.

And I remember hearing that when they filmed their first kiss,

both their mums clapped at the end and just feeling the pain

and embarrassment of what that must've been like for them.

I think it was a coming-of-age for them

and a coming-of-age for, you know, where I was at as well.

-Yeah.

-Starting to look at boys. Um...

Trying to hide when they are having their first kiss.

And I think for me, when you're little,

-just even one or two years can seem so much older than you.

-Mm-hm.

And watching this now, they're like little teenies.

Yeah, yeah.

But I remember Kevin just seemed so much older.

-And Winnie was untouchable. She was like a goddess to me.

-Yeah.

-Oh, is that the new lunch menu?

-Yeah.

Pizza boats, chilled pears and carrot sticks on Wednesday.

'Maybe it was the buzz of the cafeteria.

'Maybe it was the sting from Lisa Berlini,

'but sitting there across from Winnie,

'I felt a hunger burning within me.'

I always remember my dad laughing,

and not necessarily getting the joke.

-And he'd say, "You'll understand when you're older."

-Yeah.

And he's absolutely right, because the way they played this,

as a child you liked it,

but I think every age group could enjoy this.

Yeah, yeah.

Winnie, will you go to the dance with me?

Dance?

I can't.

I'm already going with Kirk McCray.

-Damn you, Kirk McCray.

-Mm-hm.

-Everyone had a Kirk McCray.

-Yeah. There's always a Kirk.

I think that's what it was as well.

You were sort of experiencing those things at the same time.

-But your whole family used to watch?

-The whole family.

My mum, dad, brother, sister and myself, yeah.

All around the telly on a Sunday. Loved The Wonder Years.

And did your mum have a fondness for the show?

My mum really loved it.

She really loved it, and I was allowed to watch that.

There was no cushions.

But I think looking back now,

what does strike me about it is that

my dad would always say, "One day you'll understand."

-Yeah.

-Any day now.

-Yeah, yeah. So, you get it now.

-I think I get more of it, yes.

-Yeah.

-He'd been through all of those situations.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Whereas I was still about to.

-Yeah.

Your next choice is comfort TV,

and pardon the pun, but this is AMAZING.

'Presented by Richard O'Brien, cult game show The Crystal Maze

'was one of Channel 4's most-watched shows during the '90s.

'Viewers tuned in to see the contestants tackle

'tough challenges in four different zones.'

This was my first experience of, like, really shouting at the telly.

-Really?

-"Behind you!" You know.

Fill it up with water from the magic spring.

-Did you always want to be part of the show?

-Oh, for sure.

-Yeah?

My auntie, you know those crystal collections that people have?

-Does anyone here collect crystals? Those.

-Yeah.

She used to have one that looked like the Crystal Maze.

I used to always go in the cupboard and take it out

and try and re-enact this.

If they cast somebody as Mumsie, they need someone beautiful.

Someone like Elizabeth Taylor. Someone of that nature.

Oh. Ow!

Glenn Close would be better. Two minutes left.

I don't think anyone had done TV like him either.

-You know, the sort of asides to the viewers at home.

-Yeah.

Ah!

Ooh!

SHE LAUGHS

Oh, I forgot how good this was!

Is it me or is that person really rubbish?

LAUGHTER

Argh!

She's not SAS, is she?

So, what did you find comforting about The Crystal Maze?

Do you know, I liked how flamboyant

and just out-there Richard O'Brien was.

Never seen anybody like him.

I think he's possibly my spirit animal.

I wear as much leopard, if not more, than him now,

so somewhere in my psyche I'm still channelling him.

Like Crystal Maze, many shows over the years

have challenged contestants to remain on their feet.

Back in the '60s, It's A Knockout hit our screens.

Over the course of 35 years,

viewers watched teams go up against each other in often ridiculous

and sometimes downright dangerous games.

Gordon Burns pushed people to the limit

during The Krypton Factor,

which he nicknamed TV's toughest quiz.

Best pals Ant and Dec launched Friends Like These in 1999,

pitting a team of male mates against a group of female friends

in nerve-jangling challenges.

And more recently,

we took great pleasure in watching contestants and many celebrities

like the lovely Kate Adams here,

slip, slide and get generally soaked in Total Wipeout.

I suppose, weirdly, maybe my love for that kind of thing

made me go and do things like I'm A Celebrity,

which isn't unlike it now.

-Yeah.

-But these were the predecessors.

-So, are you a big fan of reality TV?

-I'm a huge fan, yeah.

-Yeah?

Well, I was kind of born from the fire of it, so before that,

-I took part in Popstars.

-Of course, Popstars, yeah.

-Which somebody told me was, like, 12, 13 years old now.

-Oh.

-Ooh!

-Don't.

-It goes so quick, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

But was that a big leap of faith for you?

Were you confident in going into it or were you...?

-Nobody knew what it was at the time.

-Yes.

-So...

-It was a pre-runner for X Factor...

-Yeah.

-..and Britain's Got Talent and...

-Yeah, and at the same time...

At the same time that Popstars was running,

we also had another programme that had just started

which was called Big Brother,

so it really was the birth of reality,

and, you know, to be sitting in a house and chatting away

and you go to make a cup of tea and then inside the teapot

would be a microphone, it really was like a new era for us,

cos we weren't familiar with that kind of environment at all.

And now I think people are so familiar and used to it

they can even spot the cameras,

but for us at the time, it was so new and it was so exciting.

-Myleene, we're moving on to comedy hero now.

-Yes.

-And we've got Mr Bean.

-Oh, yes.

Rowan Atkinson proving that actions speak louder than words.

-His facial expressions are second to none.

-I know.

'Mr Bean first emerged in Rowan Atkinson's stage show

'during the '80s.

'After collaborating with Richard Curtis -

'the man behind smash hits like Bridget Jones's Diary

'and Love Actually - and writer Robin Driscoll,

'Mr Bean was developed into a hugely popular TV series during the '90s.'

Myleene, do you ever get in a state like this?

-Only this morning.

-Really?

-Only this morning.

Did you do your make-up in the car on the way over?

-I did my make-up in the car today.

-Did you really? Really?

-Can you tell? Yeah, I did.

-You look gorgeous.

Oh. No, I really did. I genuinely did it.

The gentleman who got me here had to help me unzip

because, look...

THEY LAUGH I couldn't reach.

There's got to be something in the highway code about this.

'So successful was Rowan's oddball character Bean

'that an animated series and two feature films followed.'

I still love this and my little ones now love this,

a new generation, which just shows you it speaks to everybody.

But also he's...this show is massive internationally,

but in some really random countries.

I've been in some really random countries and they're like,

"You know the queen and you know Mr Bean."

-That's brilliant.

-It is, isn't it?

-He's so good.

-He is.

-Oh, that's so clever.

-Have you ever met him?

I have met him, and actually it's one of those situations

where you do believe, "I can't speak cos it's Mr Bean."

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

How would you describe your own sense of humour?

I would never have initially have said slapstick,

and then I've just been, like, guffawing with you

all the way through.

I do like a bit of the wit.

That's why I think I do like him on Blackadder as well.

Yeah.

And him and Stephen Fry were just genius together.

I think what's clever about Rowan is he can move from slapstick

and then move into, you know, comedy acting with Blackadder

and things like that.

You know, he really is one of our all-time greats.

-Timeless, isn't he?

-Yeah.

Yeah, he's a great, great comedian, and I hate him.

Britain's produced many stars of slapstick,

like the physical comedy skills

of Michael Crawford's character Frank Spencer.

Originally, the BBC had earmarked Ronnie Barker or Norman Wisdom

for the role.

Less dangerous stunts,

but just as funny was John Cleese's Basil Fawlty.

Inspired by a rude hotel manager Cleese encountered while filming

with the Monty Python team, Basil was born.

So successful was the series that the British Film Institute

voted it the number one TV show of the 20th century.

And let's not forget more recent greats

like the marvellous Miranda Hart.

The 6'1" former lacrosse champ started writing comedy

in her early 20s and rose to fame as the accident-prone singleton

in the sitcom Miranda.

Such fun.

Your next choice is your biggest influence,

and like you, she seems to be good at everything she did.

A lady who will always be in our hearts.

Aw.

# Step inside love

# Let me find... #

'The late, great Cilla Black is a prime example

'of an all-round entertainer and a main staple

'on our TVs throughout her career.'

She really sells it, doesn't she?

Incredible.

-Effortless.

-Yeah.

Totally effortless.

# Step inside love

# And stay, step inside love... #

-Nobody was like her.

-Mm-hm.

I thought she was the coolest person ever as well

-cos she used to hang out with the Beatles.

-Mm-hm.

Love that.

# Step inside love

# And stay, step inside love

# I want you to

# Step inside love

# You know I need to

# Step inside love

# I want you to... #

So, what made you choose Cilla Black?

To me, I think that...

When you ask what a consummate performer is all about, it's Cilla.

-Mm.

-Like you said, she can do everything.

-Yeah.

And she's got this way.

I mean, I actually was really lucky and I got to meet her,

and you feel like...

You feel like she genuinely, you know,

-wants to sit and talk with you.

-Yeah.

And she gives that time to you and she's just so...

-Well, she was so down-to-earth.

-Yeah.

But she was an incredible performer.

Incredible performer.

I loved her as a musician. Then I loved all the shows that she did.

-Yeah.

-So, Blind Date, that was huge when I was a kid.

-Mm-hm.

-Everyone was sitting on their three stools

and her sort of gearing them up, and her genuine shock

if they were just appalling

or if they were genuinely going to get married.

When she said that thing about her hat,

my mum would be on the floor.

-Yeah.

-Oh, I just thought she was just fantastic.

Did it inspire you? Did it make you think, "Do you know what?

"I'd like to do that."

I don't know if there was one key moment

when I thought, "That's what I'm going to do,"

but now the more I sit here and I think of all the shows that

I watched and what I was consuming, even subliminally, it's all there.

-They're all very entertainment-based.

-Hugely.

Hugely, and I think if, you know,

someone's going to do some armchair psychology,

it's what I do - it's all there.

-Yeah.

-It's all there -

all those influences and the people that I really respected.

I like how she carried herself.

I thought she was just a lady, through and through.

You were a regular on our screens before you ever became a huge star.

Yeah. I was a jobbing muso, yeah. Yeah, I was.

So, when I was at college, music college,

I'd teach on a Saturday,

and then in the evenings I'd work as a session musician.

So, I was performing with Michael Ball and Michael Crawford...

-Oh, really?

-..as well. And...

Cos I always think of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em,

but he was also a proper muso.

-Phantom Of The Opera, yeah.

-Yeah, of course.

And then I'd be...

I'd do jobs on Parky.

-Well, it's funny you should say that...

-Oh!

..because this is you on Parkinson with the legend that is KD Lang.

KD Lang!

# Consequences of falling

# Consequences of falling... #

-And I believe you're a backing vocalist.

-A backing vocalist.

# Consequences of falling

# Consequences of falling... #

No way!

Oh, my God. I've not seen this.

HE LAUGHS

# Consequences of falling

# Consequences... #

I've got that move down, haven't I?

-All backing vocalists have to do that move.

-Look at this!

SHE GASPS

-I can't believe you have this.

-It's great, isn't it?

# Consequences of falling

# Consequences of falling

# Consequences... #

You're getting me all emotional again.

I must have been, like, 20, 21.

-You were very young. I mean, this was quite some time ago now.

-Yeah.

I remember I had to save up to get that tux jacket.

I was told we had to all look sort of the same, uniform.

And I was, like, you know, a poor muso, a poor student.

-So they didn't supply you?

-And I was so proud...

-No, no.

-Just go buy something in black?

Go and get a black tux, and, you know, black suit jacket.

I think KD Lang has made an effort, hasn't she?

-SHE LAUGHS She's KD Lang.

-Yeah.

But I was second mezzo. "Go and get yourself a jacket."

And I remember saving up my money to go and get that jacket.

-So, you were a backing vocalist.

-Yeah.

Did you do that for many other artists?

Yeah, I did... Oh, gosh. Who else did I do?

-I did a lot on the Paul O'Grady show when he was Lily Savage.

-Right.

-When she was fabulous.

-Yeah.

-So, I did a lot of that.

There was one job that came up that was quite a decider for me,

or quite a tricky one, because I was asked to be a backing vocalist

for Robbie Williams for the Brits.

Mm-hm.

And in the interim of getting the booking,

I got into the band that became Hear'Say.

So, I then had to turn down the job as the backing vocalist

because I was there on my own right.

Oh, right. Oh, right.

And that was an incredible feeling,

but the jobbing muso in me was still thinking,

"Could I do both?"

-Cos we didn't know what was going to happen there...

-Yeah.

..at the time, and, "I think I should do both,"

but when I first did start Popstars,

I didn't know what I was walking into,

so I was promised by Nigel Lythgoe...

-Do you remember Nasty Nigel?

-Yes, Nasty Nige.

I was promised about six weeks work at Christmas,

which for a jobbing muso, I was like, "Hallelujah.

"Thank the gods. That's going to be perfect."

And it went on for two years, which was amazing.

And then later on I think what it did is it gave me

sort of a grounding in how that side of entertainment works,

and I went back into my classical music

and then my presenting.

I loved it. I'm really grateful for that time.

Myleene's promotion from backing singer to the front line

of pop sensation Hear'Say set her on a path

to becoming the star she is today.

# Wherever you go

# I want to be there

# Whatever you do

# You know I'm going to be there

# It's pure and simple... #

As well as being a key moment in her career,

joining Hear'Say also helped to buy her own piano.

# Whatever it takes... #

That was what I spent my Hear'Say money on,

my student loans and a piano,

-and I didn't even have enough for the stool.

-No.

I didn't have enough for the stool. I used to sit on a cardboard box...

..and invite people to my house, and next-door there was, like,

a takeaway and I'd go and ask them for all the cutlery from there.

So, I'd have plastic cutlery and these little paper serviettes

and a cardboard box and this amazing piano.

That's what...

People always ask, "What did you spend your first paycheque on?"

That was it. Student loan and my piano.

And then now, as a result of my job now,

I'm still an uber-fan of these artists that I grew up with.

I had to perform...

"I had to."

-I got the chance to play the piano for Chaka Khan.

-Oh, wow.

And I nearly...

I don't know how she didn't ask me

to be removed from the building, to be honest.

Cos I played,

but I stared at her the whole way through with the biggest grin

because to be playing with your idols, to be working in TV,

playing the piano, wearing all my big froufrou frocks

and playing with Chaka Khan and that's my job...

-Yeah.

-..it's the best feeling in the world.

I know I'm the luckiest person in the world, cos...

But then at the same time, conversely, I do think...

You know what?

Those eight hours every day sitting at the piano

while everyone else is going out having a gay old time

and I was trying to get my scales down

and get my pieces down, it has paid off.

So, what do you enjoy watching now? What is it...?

I... What do I like? I love trash TV.

I like things where I can feel my brain...

What do you class as trash TV?

Anything with the Kardashians.

Oh, the Kardashians. You love the Kardashians.

-Only cos it's on.

-Yeah.

SHE LAUGHS

No, I love Location, Location...

-BOTH:

-Location.

-Yeah.

I think, you know, when you start to do up your house

and suddenly you feel like,

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure I could do this."

Then when you watch that programme,

you realise the talent that they have.

Kirstie is incredible. Absolutely love it.

So, I'm quite addicted to that.

-Bit of Grand Designs.

-Oh, I enjoy that, yeah.

-Yeah.

-I adore that.

-I like to see the guy that's like, "See that tree?

-"I'm going to make it into a house."

-Mm.

-And they do.

-Yeah.

-I love things like that.

I love things that, you know, are sort of transformative.

Yeah. So, how old are your children?

-My eldest is eight.

-Yeah.

-And my youngest is four.

-Aw.

-Yeah.

-So...

-What sort of TV do you encourage them to watch?

Actually, something we've been watching recently that they enjoy

-is The Secret Life Of 4 Year Olds.

-Yeah.

It's so funny. Have you seen this?

-Yeah. It's on Channel 4, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-They really love that.

-Yeah, I've enjoyed watching them. Yeah.

Just those little asides and the way they see the world.

-You couldn't write it.

-No, you couldn't.

You genuinely couldn't. And I just think...

He says, "I'm not crying. I'm just washing my eyes."

LAUGHTER Aw!

-That's what he said. I love that line.

-Aw!

You see?

Yeah, and often they don't see the world as a whole.

It's just what's going on at the time.

-They just live in the moment, yeah.

-They really do.

-And we should take a tip from that, shouldn't we?

-Yeah, 100%.

-Yeah.

-So, they love that.

We all love to snuggle up on the sofa

and we all have our little blankets, our set blankets, and that's it.

-That's our Saturday.

-And do they have...

-You know what?

-..a bit of a dip?

We haven't done carrot sticks. We usually do a bowl of popcorn.

-Yeah.

-So, I'm definitely going to introduce carrot sticks.

That's going to go down really well. LAUGHTER

-Well, I want to thank you for being here and being my guest.

-Thank you.

You've been an absolute joy,

and I just don't know what to say, really.

You are hugely talented. There's no denying it.

-That's very kind, but you...

-We are very lucky to have you here.

At this point, I give my guest the chance to pick a theme tune.

We know what you're going to pick.

-We know it's The Crystal Maze.

-Yep.

So, what we thought we would create in my flat today

is The Crystal Dome.

-Ooh, nice.

-Yes.

It's that moment where the contestants at the end of the show

had to grab gold bits of paper, so if you'd like to stand there...

And, Myleene, I would like you now to say the world-famous phrase.

OK.

Start the fans, please!

MUSIC: The Crystal Maze theme tune

-Hey!

-Whoa! Whoa!

-APPLAUSE Oh!

We will see you next time on The TV That Made Me.

Thank you very much. Bye-bye.

-Hey!

-Watch those silvers.