0:00:02 > 0:00:04TV - the magic box of delights.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06As kids, it showed us a million different worlds
0:00:06 > 0:00:08all from our living room.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12- So funny! - That was state of the art.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- Argh! - I loved this.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17'Each day, I'm going to journey through
0:00:17 > 0:00:19the wonderful world of telly...'
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- Cheers.- '..with one of our favourite celebrities.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24- We're going into space. - It's just so silly!
0:00:24 > 0:00:25Oh, no!
0:00:28 > 0:00:32- Yeah!- 'As they select the iconic TV moments...'
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- My God. This is the scene! - Oh, dear.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39'..that tell us the stories of their lives.'
0:00:39 > 0:00:40I absolutely adored this.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- 'Some will make you laugh...' - SHE LAUGHS
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Don't watch the telly, Esther - watch me.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47- '..some will surprise...' - HE LAUGHS
0:00:47 > 0:00:50No way! Where did you find this?
0:00:50 > 0:00:51'..many will inspire...'
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It used to transport us to places that we could only dream about.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'..and others will move us.'
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- I am emotional now. - Today we look even more deeply.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Why wouldn't you want to watch this?
0:01:02 > 0:01:06So, come watch with us as we rewind to the classic telly
0:01:06 > 0:01:09that helped shape those wide-eyed youngsters
0:01:09 > 0:01:11into the much-loved stars they are today.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Welcome to The TV That Made Me.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25My guest today is one of Britain's most cherished actors.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30It can only be the legend that is Anita Dobson.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- Welcome. Mwah.- Mwah.- Mwah.- Mwah.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40- European! Come and sit down. - Thank you.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- Hiya.- Ah, are you looking forward to this?- Yes, I am.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45- Yeah?- Very much so.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Anita stepped into the limelight on 19th February 1985
0:01:50 > 0:01:53on the first ever episode of EastEnders
0:01:53 > 0:01:55playing soap diva Angie Watts.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Since then, she's continued to be one of our best-loved actors
0:02:00 > 0:02:03on both stage and screen.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07She even shimmied her way through a nine-week run
0:02:07 > 0:02:10on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Amongst the TV that made her,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16a man who helped kick-start our obsession with ballroom dancing...
0:02:18 > 0:02:21..a much-loved kids TV show...
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Don't I know you from someplace?
0:02:23 > 0:02:27..and a Christmas present that shocked 30 million of us.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Happy Christmas, Ange.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35- Thank you for asking me.- Oh, it's a pleasure to have you here.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Well, I've got so many years now, that I'm so old
0:02:38 > 0:02:40that reminiscing is all you can do, isn't it, really?
0:02:40 > 0:02:41No, it's not.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45You've just...I mean, recently, you were at the RSC, isn't it?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- I was, yeah. Finally got there.- Yeah.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- How exciting was that? - It was amazing.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53To actually be on the stage at Stratford-upon-Avon,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and think, "Yeah, I'm here," was great, was fantastic, yeah.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59So, do have much chance to watch TV?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I watch it when I can, and, you know, if I'm home,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03but, really, I'm a film buff - that's me.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Oh, yeah, cos a lot of your choices today
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- are films that you watched on TV. - Yeah.- Yeah.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Yeah, cos I loved Sunday afternoon matinees
0:03:11 > 0:03:14with, you know, all those Hollywood movie stars,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and the thrillers, Hitchcock,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19all those black-and-white movies and science-fiction films -
0:03:19 > 0:03:20I loved all of that.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Well, today is a celebration of all those things you loved.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26But first up, we're going to rewind the clock
0:03:26 > 0:03:28and have a trip down memory lane
0:03:28 > 0:03:30and look at a very young Anita Dobson.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34A true East Ender,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Anita Dobson was brought up in Stepney, East London.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Dad and Mum both worked in the clothing industry
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and raised Anita and her younger sister, Jill,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46in a small but cosy council flat.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Despite the modest surroundings, Anita's closeness to her parents
0:03:50 > 0:03:53meant that she didn't leave home until she was 27.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58After drama school, she became a jobbing actor,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00starting out on children's telly.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04But then came an audition for a new soap opera at the BBC
0:04:04 > 0:04:06that changed everything.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Anita is married to rock god Brian May,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13but she's a legend in her own right too.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16So, how does it make you feel looking at that, you know?
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- It makes me realise that I've...I've been around an awful long time.- No!
0:04:20 > 0:04:24And it does seem amazing, because sometimes people say,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26"When did you do...?" a certain production's name,
0:04:26 > 0:04:28and I can't remember any of it.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29It's all become a blur.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And one day, I'd love to sit down and kind of go through, very gently,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37all the things that you've been in and the time you had doing them
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and all the people that you met.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43- Because, otherwise, it just becomes, you know...- A blur.- ..a blur.- Yeah.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- Are you one for looking back, though?- Not really.- No?
0:04:46 > 0:04:48I'm somebody who lives very much in the moment,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and I'm all for moving on. I think...
0:04:52 > 0:04:54I don't watch myself much on TV,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58unless it's something really important or very technical.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Generally speaking, if the director's happy
0:05:00 > 0:05:02and the people that did it are happy
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- and you feel you gave 100%, onto the next.- Yeah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08You won't be watching this?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- Of course I'll watch this. Yes. - Thank you.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13- I want to see you and all the clips all over again.- Good.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Yes. I'm definitely watching this. - I'm pleased.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Well, let's kick off with
0:05:22 > 0:05:26a little bit of your required childhood viewing.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- This is your must-see TV.- OK.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30And a classic film.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31Fred and Ginger.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35BALLROOM MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'Theirs was an iconic dance partnership
0:05:38 > 0:05:42'that initially lasted from 1933 to 1939,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'before they reunited in the late '40s.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'Swing Time is the sixth out of ten films
0:05:48 > 0:05:52'of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made together.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'It was typical of the films shown in the Sunday afternoon matinee slot
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'on TV during Anita's childhood.'
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- They make it look so easy, don't they?- It's beautiful.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I so wanted to just be Ginger Rogers.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- They're like one person, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13'The glamorous pair with
0:06:13 > 0:06:17'their incredible synchronised routines and extravagant sets
0:06:17 > 0:06:19'became box office gold,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22'with audiences looking for escapism
0:06:22 > 0:06:26'during The Great Depression of the 1930s.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29'Fred Astaire preferred the magic of their dance scenes
0:06:29 > 0:06:32'to be captured in one long continuous shot.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I mean, you just know that they've rehearsed for weeks
0:06:35 > 0:06:37to get these routines right.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Well, apparently, everyday of his life, he tapped.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- First thing in the morning. - Really?- Yeah.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44And for hours. Even when he wasn't working.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46That's why he's so good.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Did you think Ginger Rogers got the credit she deserved?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53You know, cos it was always, "Yeah, Fred Astaire," but...
0:06:53 > 0:06:55- Well, she wanted to act as well... - ..something...
0:06:55 > 0:06:57..where as he always was a dancer first and foremost.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59But she was a good little actress,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and I think she kind of diversified a bit - maybe that's why.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04But look how beautiful she is.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I know. And that dress.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Oh!
0:07:19 > 0:07:21BOTH CLAP Oh!
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- That was gorgeous!- Really? - Oh, my goodness.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- Yeah. Beautiful. Makes me cry. - Really? Why? Why is it so emotional?
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Because it's so exquisite to see
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- two people dance together in perfect sync...- Harmony, yeah.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36..that it just...
0:07:36 > 0:07:40And also the way they move, the beauty of it
0:07:40 > 0:07:42makes me feel very emotional, yeah.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- So, a huge Fred Astaire fan, Ginger Rogers?- Yeah, absolutely.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Every Sunday, without fail. As soon as you mention the names
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, I was there.
0:07:51 > 0:07:52He danced with a lot of other people,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56but I think that kind of...that duo was the best, really, ever.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59So, you would sit down on a Sunday with the whole family?
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Well...always me.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03I mean, irrespective of what was on,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05I would watch the Sunday afternoon matinee,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08and sometimes they did have them on Saturday afternoon.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11So, we'd have Sunday dinner and I'd be, plonk, in front of the box.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14And Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, whatever it was,
0:08:14 > 0:08:15you know, I would be there.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- Westerns, anything. - Oh, anything?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Anything. I just loved the movies.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And do you think that made you want to be an actor?
0:08:22 > 0:08:25What made me really want to become an actress, the clincher was
0:08:25 > 0:08:28when I was a young girl, I was taken to see Julius Caesar
0:08:28 > 0:08:31in which James Mason starred as Brutus.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34And I remember listening to the beautiful voice that he had,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and thinking, "I want to make people feel like that.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39"That's what I want to do.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44"I want to have that kind of ability to move people
0:08:44 > 0:08:48"and make them cry and make them feel something."
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Well, we have a clip of that particular film...
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- No!- ..with James Mason in.- Oh!- Yes.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- My goodness. I am going to cry now. - Shall I get the tissues out?
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- CROWD PROTEST - If there be any in this assembly,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03any dear friend of Caesar's,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07to him I say that Brutus' love to Caesar was no less than his.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10'James Mason starred as Brutus in this
0:09:10 > 0:09:15'1953 classic movie version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.'
0:09:15 > 0:09:19..not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20So, look at that scene.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23I mean, look at the amount of extras, and he did it all in a dress.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26LAUGHTER
0:09:26 > 0:09:29- I mean, to be that heroic, I mean, amazing.- Yeah.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30I just think he's awesome.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33'The film featured other big stars like Marlon Brando,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36'and its sets, like this one, were recycled from
0:09:36 > 0:09:41'the big epic Quo Vadis, made two years earlier.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45'However, the film still went on to win an Oscar for its art direction.'
0:09:45 > 0:09:48As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Look at the photography. It's awesome, isn't it?
0:09:50 > 0:09:53You know, the shadows, the detail, everything.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Yeah, I think it was a winner.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59'Brutus is seen here addressing an angry mob after murdering Caesar.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01'It's one of the last times this famous speech
0:10:01 > 0:10:03'was seen on the big screen.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05'Since then, the play has been adapted
0:10:05 > 0:10:08'at least nine times for television.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Who is here so vile that will not love his country?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15If any, speak, for him have I offended.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I pause for a reply.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24- Wow.- How does that make you feel? - APPLAUSE
0:10:24 > 0:10:26- Thank you so much. - Oh, no, it's an absolute pleasure.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's fantastic. I adored him. I am emotional now.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33And it really was that little spark needed
0:10:33 > 0:10:35for a young Anita to sort of fall in love with acting.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Well, I think I'd always displayed a sort of...a spark, if you like,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43of wanting to perform from a very, very young age.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45From about four, I think my grandad said,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- "She's got the sawdust in her blood."- Uh-huh?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51But I think that sort of thing, as I started to grow up
0:10:51 > 0:10:55and you start to become a little more informed -
0:10:55 > 0:10:57although I didn't really wake up till 37 -
0:10:57 > 0:10:58but as I kind of...
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And I remember going to see that and thinking
0:11:01 > 0:11:03the power he had and the command he had
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- and the clarity in his voice...- Yes.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07..I just thought...
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- I just fell in love with him a bit, I suppose.- Yeah.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11And I love Shakespeare,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and I fell in love with Shakespeare, with the written word,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and the eloquence of it and the way you could move people.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Mm-hm. Yeah.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- And, of course, he was an English actor.- Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24- Born in Huddersfield.- Bless him.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- Yeah.- One of us.- Yeah. - SHE CHUCKLES
0:11:27 > 0:11:30So, we're going to move on to your home life, Anita.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31What was that like?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- I was born in the East End... - You're a true Cockney, aren't you?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37- Born within the sound of Bow Bells. - My father was born within
0:11:37 > 0:11:39the sound of Bow Bells, so he was a true Cockney.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Stepney was a little further away from Bow.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43We couldn't actually hear the bells.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47But, yeah, I like to think of myself as a Cockney born and bred.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So, there was me, my dad, my mum and my younger sister,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and we were very, very close.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56We had a little council flat, and I felt very blessed.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57I was very loved as a child.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00So, you know, born right in the heart of London.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Where's that Cockney accent gone? - Well, it's still there.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06I mean, if I tell jokes, or get tiddly...
0:12:06 > 0:12:09HE LAUGHS ..or get cross, it's right there.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12You ask my husband. LAUGHTER
0:12:12 > 0:12:15As soon as I lose my temper, he goes, "Here she is."
0:12:15 > 0:12:18So, your mum and dad, what did they do?
0:12:18 > 0:12:20My father was a dress cutter,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- and my mother was a tailoress. - Oh, right.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27- So, sometimes...- Real rag trade... - A rag trade, yeah.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29So, you always enjoyed fashion?
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Well, I was the best dressed kid on the block.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33We didn't have much money, but I always looked great,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35cos my mum was fantastic.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37She'd find bits of material or dresses,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40and she'd cut them down and add little bits, you know?
0:12:40 > 0:12:41She made me a beautiful coat once,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and she found these really big shiny black buttons, you know,
0:12:45 > 0:12:46which really gave it a whoosh.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49And a lovely scarf, and she found some lovely black edging.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51And then she took me shopping, and she said,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53"We're going to find you a pair of shoes.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55"It's got to be the right shoes."
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And we schlepped all over the East End to all the markets,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and finally, very late on a Saturday, we stopped at this stall,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and she went, "Try those."
0:13:04 > 0:13:06And I popped them on. They were beautiful.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09They were black patent with a big black bow,
0:13:09 > 0:13:10and they had heels, high heels.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13And my mum said, "That's the ones."
0:13:13 > 0:13:15So, I looked a million dollars. SHE CHUCKLES
0:13:15 > 0:13:18They were very good, my mum and dad. They were very good at...
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- And they liked their ballroom. - They did.- Didn't they?- They did.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- Erm...I think they met at a dance. - Oh, right.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I think it was one of those dances where the music stops
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and you turn to the next person and you dance with them.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And they both had a different way of describing that meeting.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38My mum said, "The music stopped and I turned round and there he was."
0:13:38 > 0:13:43She said, "He had odd socks on, a really loud tie,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46"and a very loud jacket and lots of hair.
0:13:46 > 0:13:47"That was your dad."
0:13:47 > 0:13:50And then my father said, "Well, I was dancing
0:13:50 > 0:13:53"because that's what you had to do, otherwise you didn't meet girls.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56"And the music stopped and I turned around...
0:13:57 > 0:13:58"..and there she was."
0:13:59 > 0:14:01That's all he said.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- The love of his life.- Aw. - He knew in that second.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- I think he proposed to her about three days later.- Really?- Yeah.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08He knew immediately.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16So, your next clip is your parents' choice.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19It's a show that your mum and dad really enjoyed.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23I'd like to introduce the girl who usually dances with me.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Here she is, attractive Christine Norton.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- "Attractive."- "Attractive." - SHE LAUGHS
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Aw, bless her. She looks lovely.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34The basic step of the cha-cha-cha, you'll remember, goes...
0:14:34 > 0:14:37one, two, cha-cha-cha...
0:14:37 > 0:14:40'Victor Silvester, a former world ballroom dancing champion,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44'began his lessons on the radio in 1941.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47'His show brought a touch of glamour to the listeners' lives
0:14:47 > 0:14:49'during wartime Britain.'
0:14:49 > 0:14:52She's got my shoes on. She's been shopping down the market.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- Look.- Yeah! - LAUGHTER
0:14:55 > 0:14:58'He moved onto our screens in 1948,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'where he stayed on the BBC until the mid-'60s.'
0:15:03 > 0:15:05- Oh!- Oh! - Little open out.- Look at that.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Look at the dress. The skirt. I love it.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12- And so this is must-see viewing for your...- ..mum and dad, yeah.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Because they used to have, not arguments,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16but they used to have little moments when my dad would say,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19"What are you doing? That's not a fish tail."
0:15:19 > 0:15:21And I'd think, "What are they talking about?"
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- But, obviously, they all have special names.- Yeah. Oh, yeah.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28One, two, three, one, two, one, two, three.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Right, well, that's all it is,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36so now we'll give you a short demonstration of the cha-cha-cha.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- Shall we have a go, Anita? - SHE GASPS
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Shall we?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42- Are you serious? - Come and join me over here.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Oh, my goodness.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Right, are we ready for this?
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Oh, my button's undone. Hold on.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49He's getting undressed. LAUGHTER
0:15:49 > 0:15:53CHA-CHA-CHA MUSIC PLAYS
0:15:55 > 0:15:57And... What are we doing, then?
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- You're leading with the right. - Am I?- Yes.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Yes, there you go.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05- BOTH:- One, two, cha-cha-cha,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09one, two, cha-cha-cha.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12One, two, cha-cha-cha,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16one, two, cha-cha-cha.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- Woo! One, two...- Ooh, hello. - BOTH:- Cha-cha-cha,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25- one, two, cha-cha-cha. - SHE LAUGHS
0:16:28 > 0:16:31SHE LAUGHS
0:16:31 > 0:16:33- APPLAUSE We were wasted, weren't we?- I know.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Wasted.- I know.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Victor Silvester's televised dance lessons
0:16:39 > 0:16:43not only contributed to a boom in dance schools around the country,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46it also started an obsession with ballroom which
0:16:46 > 0:16:48is still in evidence to this day.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Come Dancing began
0:16:50 > 0:16:53in 1949,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56eventually evolving into a national competition
0:16:56 > 0:16:58with couples from all across the UK
0:16:58 > 0:17:00going head-to-head for the coveted trophy.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Hosts have included Judith Chalmers
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and the much missed Terry Wogan.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Not to mention high-kicking journalist Angela Rippon
0:17:11 > 0:17:14who hosted the show for three years from 1988.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17By 2004,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19we were missing the sequins and the big bands,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22so with Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly at the helm,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Strictly Come Dancing was born,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and ballroom was back on our screens with a bang.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And it hasn't left since.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34With around 40 versions of the show worldwide,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37the phenomena isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Your next choice is Comedy Heroes,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and let's have a look at these two old pros.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Two of my favourites - Flanagan and Allen.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- Oh!- Yeah.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- Here, help me load up, will you? - I certainly will.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Now, this coat will come in handy...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01'Seen here towards the end of their career
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'in the 1958 film Life Is A Circus,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06'the comedy duo Flanagan and Allen
0:18:06 > 0:18:10'started out in musicals during the '20s.'
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- BRIAN GASPS - They're underneath the arches.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16- I think there's a song in that. - You think(?)
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- Takes you back a bit, doesn't it, Ches?- Yeah.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- Who are we trying to kid, Bud? - Doing well.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26'Underneath The Arches was written by Flanagan in 1927
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'and became one of their most famous songs.'
0:18:29 > 0:18:30# ..the one place that we know
0:18:30 > 0:18:34# And that is where we sleep
0:18:34 > 0:18:40- OBJECTS DING - # Underneath the arches
0:18:40 > 0:18:44- # We dream our dreams away... # - SHE LAUGHS
0:18:46 > 0:18:50# Underneath the arches
0:18:50 > 0:18:53# On cobblestones, we lay... #
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- I do love Flanagan and Allen. - It's great.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- It's just...- Great lyrics too. - ..from a different era
0:18:59 > 0:19:03- and just from a more peaceful... - Gentle.- ..gentle time, wasn't it?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06# Every night you'll find us... #
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'The film showed the duo as down-on-their-luck entertainers
0:19:10 > 0:19:13'forced to sleep rough underneath a railway bridge.'
0:19:13 > 0:19:17# ..happy when the daylight comes creeping
0:19:19 > 0:19:21# Heralding the dawn... #
0:19:21 > 0:19:24There's a lot of effort gone into that set.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26And look at all the stuff in that place.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I know, I know. There's a lot there, isn't there?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Look, they've even got a donkey, I believe. Is it? Yeah.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34- And he kept quiet the whole time, bless him.- Yeah.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- Probably stuffed. - LAUGHTER
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Did you like the chemistry between Flanagan and Allen?
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Yeah. They were lovely, and so different, and yet, so together,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46you know, like a married couple, almost, yeah.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47So different, you know?
0:19:47 > 0:19:50But very good, yeah. Very good. Wonderful double act.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53# ..underneath the arches
0:19:53 > 0:19:59# We dream our dreams away. #
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Aw, fantastic.- Yeah? - APPLAUSE
0:20:02 > 0:20:03- A whole different era.- I know.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06But what was it about Flanagan and Allen?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Oh, I suppose it was about... It's gentle.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It was about an era that's gone now,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13where the world was much slower and gentler.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18I mean, even the rhythm section at the back, that's gentle, laid-back.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- Nothing's too much.- Yeah. - Don't take too much time, relax.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23I think it just brought traditions of the musical
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- to the big screen, didn't it, you know?- Yeah.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- And what lovely characters they were. - Mm-hm.- Yeah.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- Aw, bless.- My dad loved them. - Did he?- Yeah, he loved all that.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- He loved all of soft-shoe thing, you know?- Yeah.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36Loved all that, yeah.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Another iconic comedy duo
0:20:39 > 0:20:43that credited Flanagan and Allen as a huge influence on their work
0:20:43 > 0:20:45is Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49They began as a double act during the war, reaching their peak
0:20:49 > 0:20:51on TV in the '70s
0:20:51 > 0:20:54with their enormously successful partnership.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59During the '70s, another double act.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04The Two Ronnies became unmissable telly on a Saturday night.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker's comedy sketch show
0:21:07 > 0:21:11became the BBC's flagship light entertainment programme
0:21:11 > 0:21:15after Morecambe and Wise defected to ITV in 1978.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17By the mid-'80s,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones had begun entertaining us on BBC Two
0:21:21 > 0:21:23with their comedy series.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24After four years,
0:21:24 > 0:21:28they moved over to BBC One, where they stayed until 1998.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32By the end of the '80s, the comedians Hale and Pace
0:21:32 > 0:21:35had teamed up for their successful
0:21:35 > 0:21:37series that ran for ten years.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41And from 1987, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders
0:21:41 > 0:21:44became one of our best-loved double acts.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46The multi-award-winning pair
0:21:46 > 0:21:49received a BAFTA Fellowship award in 2009.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Who makes you laugh these days?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Erm...I tend to laugh a lot anyway.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- You have. You're very bubbly. - I'm a fairly optimistic person...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59- Which is lovely.- ..and I think you should never go through a day
0:21:59 > 0:22:03- without having laughed really loudly at least once.- Mm-hm.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- That's my advice to anyone. - Does your husband make you laugh?
0:22:06 > 0:22:08He's...well, he's a very serious man.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10We're very, very different, Brian and I.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12He's very serious. You know, he's an astronomer,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14he's a sort of absent-minded professor.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16I mean, when you say, "He's an astronomer,"
0:22:16 > 0:22:19you think, "Oh, bless," but he's a professor, isn't he?
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- He's Dr Brian May.- Dr Brian May.- Mm.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- Isn't that amazing?- Yeah.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I can get an examination whenever I want.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28LAUGHTER
0:22:28 > 0:22:30And he's a doctor of astronomy.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33He's a doctor of physics, I suppose, really, astrophysics.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Yeah, astrophysics.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39And he does 3-D photography, and he's an animal rights campaigner,
0:22:39 > 0:22:40and he's a rock god.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42I mean, you know, there's nothing...
0:22:42 > 0:22:45He's got four careers, where most of us - if we're lucky -
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- may be successful at one, you know?- Yeah.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48And his humour's quite dry.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Sometimes he'll catch me unaware and he'll really make me laugh.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53But generally speaking,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55he's not kind of, you know, a knock-about funny guy -
0:22:55 > 0:22:57that's not really his thing, no.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- Yeah. It's more me, I suppose. - Yeah, that's what makes you so...
0:23:00 > 0:23:02It's that yin and yang, isn't it?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Yeah, it is, isn't it? - That's what you need.- Yeah.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And I'm sort of the one that's kind of the one
0:23:06 > 0:23:09that will see to the running of the house, if you like,
0:23:09 > 0:23:10and the day-to-day things,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13whereas his head's creating stuff and splitting atoms
0:23:13 > 0:23:16and inventing things... LAUGHTER
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- ..so I just let him do that. - So, how did you meet?
0:23:18 > 0:23:19How did we meet?
0:23:19 > 0:23:23We met at a preview of Down And Out In Beverly Hills
0:23:23 > 0:23:27with Nina...with Bette Midler and Kris Kristofferson,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31and I would never have been invited had I not just got EastEnders,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and suddenly being catapulted into the position
0:23:33 > 0:23:37where you are invited to such, you know, nights.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39And that's how we met.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40And I sort of became...
0:23:40 > 0:23:42And then I went to see them play at Wembley,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46which I think was probably the last tour they did,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48and I went to the party afterwards,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and I got very friendly with Fred.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52We became really good mates,
0:23:52 > 0:23:53and really, it was through that
0:23:53 > 0:23:55that Brian and I got to know each other, yeah.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And you've been together quite some time now,
0:23:58 > 0:23:59- which is wonderful, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04Been married nearly 15 years, been together 29!
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- 29!- Oh, God.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Yeah, it does deserve a round... APPLAUSE
0:24:10 > 0:24:13It's not bad, is it? And they said it wouldn't last.
0:24:13 > 0:24:14Are you applauding because
0:24:14 > 0:24:16- she's managed to stick with Brian May for 29 years?- Yeah!
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- LAUGHTER - That's what it is, isn't it?
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Let's look at your next choice.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27It is a performer,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30but before we look at it,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34I would like to give you a very subtle, subtle clue...
0:24:35 > 0:24:37..as to who it is.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38Don't know what he's doing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41I hope he's not taking his clothes off and doing something naughty.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42OK.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Oh! Yes! LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:24:45 > 0:24:48# I, I, I, I, I I like you very much
0:24:48 > 0:24:50# I, I, I, I, I, I... #
0:24:50 > 0:24:55- Carmen Miranda.- Yes.- Yay! Woo! APPLAUSE
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- There you go.- Fantastic.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01We're going to...we'll watch a little clip now,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04and in it she plays a banana xylophone,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- so that's your big moment to shine within this.- Merci.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08So, here we are.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12Let's have a look, ladies and gentlemen, at Carmen Miranda.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Oh, my goodness.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18# I wonder why does everybody look at me... #
0:25:18 > 0:25:20'A Brazilian bombshell
0:25:20 > 0:25:24'who became one of the highest-paid female stars in 1940s Hollywood,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26'Carmen Miranda will always be remembered for
0:25:26 > 0:25:29'her outrageous fruit hats,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33'especially this one from the 1943 film The Gang's All Here.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38'It was director and choreographer Busby Berkeley's first colour film
0:25:38 > 0:25:41'and featured typically flamboyant dance numbers.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:44# ..the lady in the tutti-frutti hat
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- # Some people say... # - She was tiny.- Really?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Yeah. About four foot or something.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- They had to have little men to dance with her.- Oh, really?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- I bet they did.- I tease. LAUGHTER
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Oh, they're in a trench.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00# ..because I will not take it off to kiss a guy... #
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'With hundreds of dancing girls and thousands of bananas,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05'big spectacles like this made it
0:26:05 > 0:26:10'20th Century Fox's most expensive wartime musical.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:13# ..the lady in the tutti-frutti hat... #
0:26:13 > 0:26:15'The psychedelic masterpiece
0:26:15 > 0:26:18'was seen as a Second World War morale booster.'
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- Your xylophone solo's coming up... - Oh, is it?- ..any minute now, Anita.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25# ..and when you're gay you dress that way
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- # There's nothing wrong with that... #- Here we go.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30SHE PLAYS BANANA XYLOPHONE
0:26:36 > 0:26:38She's going all the way around, look.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- That was good.- Fantastic.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- My grandfather adored her.- Yeah?
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- And I actually got to play her. - Oh, really?- I did.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00I did a musical called Happy As A Sandbag,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and in it I played Carmen Miranda, and I sang the song,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06# I, I, I, I, I I like you very much. #
0:27:06 > 0:27:07And it was fantastic.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10And, also, I had to come down a huge flight of stairs
0:27:10 > 0:27:11and go straight into a conga.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13You know, dah-dah-dah, which she did in the film,
0:27:13 > 0:27:18and I remember the director was a lovely man called Philip Hedley,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20and he said...the first day we went into theatre, he said,
0:27:20 > 0:27:22"Anita, I want you to look at those stairs
0:27:22 > 0:27:27"and I want you to say to yourself, 'One day I'm going to go down them.'"
0:27:27 > 0:27:28- Meaning fall?- Yeah.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31So, every night, I used to start the song at the top of the stairs,
0:27:31 > 0:27:32and by the time I got to the bottom,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35I thought, "Phew, I'm on even ground."
0:27:35 > 0:27:37And the night I did go down in a show
0:27:37 > 0:27:41and I went straight up in the air and went smack onto my butt.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44But lucky for me, the gods were with me, cos the next line was,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46"And when I fall, I think I fall for you."
0:27:46 > 0:27:48And I was up!
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE - Oh, that's a lovely story.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55Mad, isn't it?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57The whole company were like... SHE CHUCKLES
0:27:57 > 0:27:59The lovely thing about Carmen Miranda,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01she just used to pop up in movies,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and make these sort of cameo appearances.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Which nobody could understand because the accent was so thick.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09But the energy of the woman was wonderful, wasn't it? Fantastic.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- And the eyes were going. I loved her.- Yeah.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14I mean, how did the hat, the big...?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16- To make her taller.- Oh, I see.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- She had very, very high wedge heels...- Yeah.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21..and she always had big headdresses and hats.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- So she was very petite. - Tiny. Yeah, tiny little thing.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27But, boy, what a bundle of energy. Yeah.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29And was she an inspiration to yourself?
0:28:29 > 0:28:31Well, I knew my grandfather loved her,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33and I loved my grandfather.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37And I must admit, I thought that she did have something special, yeah.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41I thought that kind of...you know, kind of pizzazz was wonderful,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43and that's what musical comedy's all about.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46So I think, yeah, I probably did learn a lot from her, yeah.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54- Now we're going to have a commercial break.- Oh, OK.- Mm-hm.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57This is a classic TV ad.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05- COCKEREL CROWS - This is from 1973.- Wow.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11'Set in an idyllic farm to emphasise the fresh wholesomeness of peas,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13'this Birds Eye advert starred
0:29:13 > 0:29:14'a four-year-old Patsy Kensit.'
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- PEAPOD POPS - ..so speed is needed now.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22Every pea will be picked and frozen in less than two and a half hours.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Birds Eye are the only ones who promise this.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26And by freezing within two and a half hours,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29every pea is tender, sweet perfection...
0:29:29 > 0:29:32'It included one of the most memorable tag lines
0:29:32 > 0:29:33'in advertising history.'
0:29:33 > 0:29:35We're all waiting for the moment.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38They know. You know, don't you?
0:29:39 > 0:29:43# Birds Eye peas sweet as the moment
0:29:43 > 0:29:45# Sweet as the moment
0:29:45 > 0:29:48- # When the pod went... # - SHE POPS LIP
0:29:48 > 0:29:49That's it! Yay!
0:29:49 > 0:29:52APPLAUSE
0:29:52 > 0:29:55- So, that was it? - That little pop. Yeah.
0:29:55 > 0:29:56Can you not do it?
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Not with lipstick on, no. I wouldn't dream of it.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01- Are you ready?- Yay! Very good. HE POPS LIPS
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05- Thank you for that...applaud. - LAUGHTER
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Who needs Patsy Kensit, hey, when you can...
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- HE POPS LIP - ..to your heart's content.
0:30:10 > 0:30:11You could do the new advert for them.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13- Do you think so?- I think so.- Yeah?
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Birds Eye gave us the very first colour ad
0:30:17 > 0:30:19from 1969 - did you know that?
0:30:19 > 0:30:21- I didn't know that. - Font of information.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23- What was it about that one? - Oh, it's adorable.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25It's the fact that it's the countryside,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27and it's gentle and rustic,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29and then that adorable little girl
0:30:29 > 0:30:31doing that lovely little thing at the end.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33It just shows you how powerful television is,
0:30:33 > 0:30:34how powerful adverts are,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36that how long ago was that ad,
0:30:36 > 0:30:38but you still remember that little hook.
0:30:38 > 0:30:39Yeah, that's right.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42The hook's the all-important thing, isn't it?
0:30:42 > 0:30:44It's like a riff, isn't it? Listen to me, the musician(!)
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's like the riff in a song, isn't it?
0:30:46 > 0:30:50- That beat, that little...that's what tells you that you love it.- Yeah.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58So, moving back to your television career.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00Can you remember your very first big break?
0:31:00 > 0:31:02- My big break?- Mm-hm.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Well, of course, the biggest break had to be EastEnders, yeah.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06That was the thing that changed everything.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08I'd kind of being knocking around for a while
0:31:08 > 0:31:11and done sort of things like Partners In Crime
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and, you know, sort of odd little bits.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15- Play Away.- Oh, really?
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- That was my first telly, really, Play Away.- Play Away?- Yeah.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20# P-L-A-Y, Play Away way, Play Away. #
0:31:20 > 0:31:23- You don't have to sing it, Anita. - That's all right. But I like it!
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Do you know why? Cos we've got it for you.
0:31:25 > 0:31:26Here we go.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29- This is Anita Dobson... - It's fantastic.- ..on Play Away.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Say, don't I know you from someplace?
0:31:35 > 0:31:38- HE HICCUPS - The name's Wild Bill Hiccup, ma'am.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41'Running for 13 years from 1971,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44'Play Away was the sister programme to Play School.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46'The format was aimed at older children
0:31:46 > 0:31:50'and was like a musical variety show with songs and sketches.'
0:31:50 > 0:31:52- One glass of water coming up.- Thanks.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55- So, how old would you have been?- Yay!- Oh.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- Hey! - HE CHUCKLES
0:31:57 > 0:31:58Oh, thank you, ma'am.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04- HE HICCUPS - No, ma'am, I'm afraid
0:32:04 > 0:32:06they haven't done the trick.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09Well, why don't you try drinking from the other side?
0:32:09 > 0:32:11They say that can cure hiccups.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14- Very good American accent there. - Thank you very much, sir.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18If that's what you say. Seems a stupid idea to me.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21LAUGHTER
0:32:21 > 0:32:22There you are.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24So in character. Look at her.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28- HE HICCUPS - No, ma'am, still there.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- Fantastic.- So, your time on Play Away, what was that like?
0:32:31 > 0:32:32Oh, I loved it. I loved...
0:32:32 > 0:32:34- Do you remember Brian Cant?- Yes.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35Oh, he was adorable.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37How did you get the job?
0:32:37 > 0:32:39I auditioned. Same as everybody else.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Yeah, went along, sang a bit, you know, chatted a bit,
0:32:42 > 0:32:43read some sketches and that was it.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46- Had you been to drama school?- Yes. Yeah, I went to drama school.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Webber Douglas, which is gone now -
0:32:48 > 0:32:50that's how old I am.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51The weird thing was that
0:32:51 > 0:32:54the drama school was in Gloucester Road, South Kensington,
0:32:54 > 0:32:57and I lived in Stepney.
0:32:57 > 0:32:58And when I got a grant,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01cos we didn't have any money, obviously, where I came from,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05so I had to apply for a grant cos I hadn't gone to university.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09So, I got one, erm...and they would pay for the fees,
0:33:09 > 0:33:11but I had to live at home,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14which meant I didn't lose any weight because Mum was still cooking.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17So, I would travel up to, you know, South Kensington...
0:33:17 > 0:33:19IN A POSH VOICE: ..where everybody spoke like that.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22And it was all a bit, "Yah. Oh, darling, how lovely."
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Then I'd go home, and everyone was like...
0:33:24 > 0:33:26IN A COCKNEY ACCENT: "How did it go, then? Was it all right, girl?
0:33:26 > 0:33:28"I bet you it was fantastic today."
0:33:28 > 0:33:31- And it was like being a sort of split personality.- Yeah.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33But I think it was good for me.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35- It kind of gave me two voices, if you like.- Yeah.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- Gave you your EastEnders voice. - Yeah, it did.- Yeah.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40And how did that come about?
0:33:40 > 0:33:42My agent said, "Oh, they want to see you.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47"The girl that's playing...that was playing Angie Watts has been sacked,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49"so they're looking for someone to play the part.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52"So, Julia Smith, the executive producer,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54"has asked to see about six..."
0:33:54 > 0:33:56I think it was six or eight actresses.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58"..of which you're one." So I said, "OK."
0:33:58 > 0:34:01So, I went along in a little '40s suit.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03I remember it was maroon. I've still got it.
0:34:03 > 0:34:04With a little waist and a little brooch...
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- I bet you can still fit into it as well.- I can! Bless you.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10And I had my hair gelled.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12And as I walked in, Julia Smith went,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14"Now, that's a look. That's a good look."
0:34:14 > 0:34:17And that's all she said. And I thought, "Sounds good."
0:34:17 > 0:34:20And then I read about six scripts,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23and I thought, "This is good."
0:34:23 > 0:34:27And she said, "Take them home, and we'll call you this afternoon
0:34:27 > 0:34:29"and let you know whether you've got it or not."
0:34:29 > 0:34:32I got into my beaten-up old Vauxhall Cavalier
0:34:32 > 0:34:33with the tartan seating
0:34:33 > 0:34:35and drove home.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38The heavens opened, the car broke down,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41I got soaked, I had to get a cab -
0:34:41 > 0:34:42I had no money in those days -
0:34:42 > 0:34:44had to get a cab, got home, drenched,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47walked through the door of my little council flat,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49dropped the scripts down, sat in the armchair.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51The phone went. My agent said, "You've got it."
0:34:52 > 0:34:56So, and I often find...yeah, when adversity strikes,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00- sometimes it's a good omen, strangely enough.- Yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02And it did go ballistic, didn't it?
0:35:02 > 0:35:06I mean, you would get, you know, 23 million people watching it.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Yeah. Who knew, though? Nobody knew.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I just thought I was lucky I'd landed this wonderful part,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14and I was going to be in work.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16So, I just thought, how lucky was I?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18"I'm earning money now. I'm really an actress," you know?
0:35:18 > 0:35:21- But I didn't dream it would change my life.- Yeah.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- I wouldn't have met Brian had it not been for EastEnders.- Yes, of course.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- So, how long was you in it for? - Only three and three-quarter years.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31- Really?- Yeah. - So you wasn't in it that long.- No.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34I suppose I felt I wanted to quit while I was ahead.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37There's only so many ways you can play a drunk scene -
0:35:37 > 0:35:38that's what I thought.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I thought, "You're going to have to go round and do them all again."
0:35:41 > 0:35:44And I thought, "No, you've gone as far as you can go."
0:35:44 > 0:35:46And then, of course, they divorced us,
0:35:46 > 0:35:49and, for me, that was the end of the line.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52I thought, "These two people work so well
0:35:52 > 0:35:54"because they stay in the same house."
0:35:54 > 0:35:59They war and they fight, but they stay under the same roof.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01The minute you separate them,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03something changes the chemistry in a way.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Shall we have a little look at a little moment from EastEnders?
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Oh, my God. Which one have you chosen?
0:36:09 > 0:36:11'Oh, there he is.'
0:36:11 > 0:36:13You don't regret staying with me, do you? Don't answer.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15BRIAN CHUCKLES
0:36:15 > 0:36:17I don't want to get morbid, today of all days.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21'Audience figures peaked on Christmas Day in 1986
0:36:21 > 0:36:24'when 30 million of us switched on
0:36:24 > 0:36:26'to watch Den end his marriage to Angie
0:36:26 > 0:36:29'in true Dirty Den style.'
0:36:29 > 0:36:31..like on the Orient Express,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33back in the bar,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35chatting up the barman.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39"Oh, I've told my husband this terrible lie.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41"Six little months to live."
0:36:41 > 0:36:42(Still got that top.)
0:36:44 > 0:36:48This, my sweet, is a letter from my solicitor
0:36:48 > 0:36:52telling you that your husband has filed a petition for divorce.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55Happy Christmas, Ange.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00DRUMS BEAT
0:37:00 > 0:37:02'God, I looked all right, didn't I?'
0:37:02 > 0:37:04- Wasn't bad, was I? - You still look good.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09APPLAUSE
0:37:09 > 0:37:10It's nice.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12You forget...cos you're so in it, you forget, you know,
0:37:12 > 0:37:16that when I left, and I watched some of the reruns,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18then you realise kind of the impact you had.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22But I suppose you have no idea, you know, at the time
0:37:22 > 0:37:26just...what you look like and kind of how you're affecting people.
0:37:26 > 0:37:27Well, it was one of the most iconic scenes
0:37:27 > 0:37:30in the whole of the history of EastEnders.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32It was a great part to play.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34Really fantastic part. I was very blessed.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38But, as I say, I never knew what it was going to do.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40- Yeah.- Never knew.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43What I loved as well was the blue eyeliner.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45You probably didn't appreciate that, but the ladies all...
0:37:45 > 0:37:49They had a Krylon stick which was bright turquoise blue,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- and Ange loved it.- Yeah.- Loved it.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54I like the fact you've still got that top.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55Yes! I've still got the top!
0:37:58 > 0:37:59Angie and Den's break-up may be
0:37:59 > 0:38:02one of the most watched Christmas shows of all time,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04but sitting down en masse in front of the TV
0:38:04 > 0:38:08has always been a tradition at this special time of year.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Of course, we can't look back at our festive favourites
0:38:12 > 0:38:15without mentioning Morecambe and Wise again.
0:38:15 > 0:38:16Many will remember the '70s
0:38:16 > 0:38:19as the heyday of their extravagant specials,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22the kings of Christmas Day entertainment
0:38:22 > 0:38:25regularly attracted 20 million viewers.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30And Mike Yarwood, in a slot before Eric and Ernie,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33gave them a run for their money in the ratings.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37In 1977, his Christmas special starring Paul McCartney
0:38:37 > 0:38:41attracted over 21 million viewers, placing it comfortably
0:38:41 > 0:38:45on the list of box-busting Christmas shows.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52When another soap queen, Hilda Ogden, left Coronation Street
0:38:52 > 0:38:54on Christmas Day in 1987,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57over 26 million people tuned in
0:38:57 > 0:39:00to watch the emotional farewell in the Rovers Return.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07And at the turn of the century,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Only Fools And Horses' Yuletide show
0:39:09 > 0:39:13attracted over 20 million viewers on Christmas Day.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21You're a star of the screen, but also a star of stage.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23You know, I mean, you really enjoy your stage work.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25Yeah, well, I was brought up on the stage,
0:39:25 > 0:39:26that's where I cut my teeth.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28That's where you have to go back to
0:39:28 > 0:39:30to kind of resharpen, I think,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33you know, your talent, if you have any.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35And, yeah, I do like...
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- And live audiences - there's nothing like it. You know that.- Oh, yeah.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- You can't beat a live crowd. - When you hear them laugh
0:39:41 > 0:39:43or when you hear them go... SHE GASPS
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- ..you know, it's lovely, isn't it?- Yeah. No, it is.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- I think it fuel...it fuels you.- Yeah.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50- You know they're with you. - The energy.- Yeah.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52And your job is done. You've done your job well.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54So, recently, what stage work have you done?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Well, I did She Stoops To Conquer in Bath quite recently.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02I've just done pantomime, which was exhausting at my age.
0:40:02 > 0:40:03I'd forgotten.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06I, of course, did a part that I'd done twice before
0:40:06 > 0:40:08and was particularly energetic
0:40:08 > 0:40:12because, you know, when you've got all that energy and stuff,
0:40:12 > 0:40:13you just throw everything in.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18And, of course, I didn't want to cut anything out, so...I did it again.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21And I must say, it was exhausting, but it was such fun.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23What part did you play in that?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25I did the... Well, she was psychotic, the way I played,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28but The Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, yeah.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31- So, I started off playing Girl Babe...- Oh, really?
0:40:31 > 0:40:33..in Babes In The Wood.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36And then I went on to playing principal boy, Aladdin,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39and that was the one I got cast as mostly.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41And then moved on to wicked queens,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43and now I'm on psychotic fairies.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47LAUGHTER
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Who knows where it will end?
0:40:49 > 0:40:53It is amazing that you still have this huge energy.
0:40:53 > 0:40:54You know, you're still...
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Right...right the way through your career
0:40:57 > 0:41:00have just kept this energy there, kept the ball up.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02You know, it's a real passion,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- and obviously a love affair with acting that you have.- Yes.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Thank you for putting it so nicely,
0:41:07 > 0:41:09but, yes, I think you're right - it is.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Basically, I eat, sleep and drink it.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13You know, if I'm not talking about it,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16I'm watching it or reading about it or discussing it or...yeah.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Or talking to youngsters and helping them, you know?
0:41:19 > 0:41:20- Oh, really?- Yeah.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24Yeah, if anybody...people ask you to go and chat to people, I love it.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26I love the fact that, you know, youngsters,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30you want to inspire that same passion and desire in them,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33you want to see their eyes light up and you want to see them fired up.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38So, what's the best advice you give to a budding actor?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40NEVER give up. Never give up.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43If you want it badly enough, it will come,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45but you have to give it everything,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48and you have to believe in it, and you have to not give up.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56So, I have to ask, what are you watching at the moment?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59What am I watching? I'm not really much of a one for watching TV.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02I believe you're...so, you're a fan of Midsomer Murders.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04I do like Midsomer Murders, yeah.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07- Does it worry you, all these murders happening?- It does seem odd.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Does seem a little odd that...
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I think, "Is there anybody left...in Midsomer?"
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Yeah, it's worrying, isn't it, that people go there and die, really.
0:42:15 > 0:42:16Yeah, yeah.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19So, Anita, I give my guests the opportunity now
0:42:19 > 0:42:21to pick a theme tune for us to play out on.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24My head's full of Flanagan and Allen at the moment,
0:42:24 > 0:42:25so I can't think of any.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27But I do remember a series that I loved
0:42:27 > 0:42:31and a policeman that I adored was Dixon Of Dock Green.
0:42:31 > 0:42:32Oh, wow. Yeah.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34- Do you remember Dixon Of Dock Green? - Yes, of course.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36- Was it Jack Warner? - Jack Warner, yes!
0:42:36 > 0:42:38And he was always so lovely, wasn't he?
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- With his hands around his back. - "Evening, all."
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Aw, lovely. Yeah.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44All right. Well, you've been lovely as well.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46- My thanks to you. - Thank you so much.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48- Can I have a little peck? Mwah. Mwah.- Mwah.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- Shall we do three?- Go on!- Damn it. LAUGHTER
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- So, my thanks to you, Anita... - It's a pleasure.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56..and my thanks to you for watching The TV That Made Me.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58- We'll see you next time. Bye-bye. - Thank you.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00APPLAUSE
0:43:00 > 0:43:03DIXON OF DOCK GREEN THEME MUSIC PLAYS
0:43:15 > 0:43:18- DIXON:- Hello, that boy with the mouth organ's back again.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Oh, well, he's...he's not a bad bloke.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25HE CONTINUES TO WHISTLE
0:43:25 > 0:43:28It's a bit lonely on the old beat sometimes, you know...?