0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome to A Taste Of My Life - a culinary trip back in time,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07serving up famous lives on a plate.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31In the next half an hour, we'll be telling the life story of a famous guest
0:00:31 > 0:00:37by remembering, cooking and tasting the food that has gone into making them who they are.
0:00:37 > 0:00:43Through the lens of food, you can find yourself on a surprisingly intimate, revealing journey.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Which is precisely why we're going to be feasting on the smells,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50tastes and flavours of yet another famous life.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Great singer and all-round entertainer.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55He's done time as a children's TV presenter.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Welcome to the second edition of Live and Kicking.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02We're with you for three-and-a-quarter hours. Glad you could join us.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04He's recently smashed his way on to our TV screens
0:01:04 > 0:01:10as the intergalactic rogue and flirtatious time traveller, Captain Jack Harkness.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14You want a little rough and tumble, huh?
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Well, let's make it a fair fight.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22And he's found himself the judge of a group of musical wannabes.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25You won me over. You totally have won me over.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I want to see you take more of a risk each time you do something.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31That was just safe. And you can't be safe as a leading lady.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33You've got to push that limit, push the edge.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Yes, today's special guest is, of course, John Barrowman.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42And, so long as he doesn't rope me into singing a duet from the Sound Of Music,
0:01:42 > 0:01:43coming up in today's show...
0:01:43 > 0:01:49Over in the US, John's family reduce him to tears as they remember the food of his youth.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52It's John's favourite banana bread.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58He talks about how HE solved A Problem Like Maria.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00And I said, "That's your Maria."
0:02:00 > 0:02:07- And ex-Corrie star and friend, Suranne Jones, issues him with a cooking challenge.- Love you.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08Love you, too.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15John Barrowman, welcome to A Taste Of My Life.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20- Thank you.- You were born in... I was going to say America. But you're not, you're Scottish?
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Yeah, I'm Scottish by birth. Born in Glasgow.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I think I screamed the place down when I was born, but, yeah.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29- Do you remember much of Scotland? - I do, actually.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I have a lot of fond memories of Scotland, of growing up there.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37Specifically, Sundays when we would go to my gran's house.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40I can remember my brothers and sisters and thinking, "Oh, we don't want to go."
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Because it was the grandparents.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48But as soon as we walked in, it would be full of cream cakes and scotch pancakes and Victoria sponges.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50And that was always the incentive.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52My mother loves to bake.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57She'd either bake, there was is a zucchini bread and banana bread.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59- And that was my favourite. - I mean, tell me about that.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Zucchini is made with courgettes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03What you do is, if I'm correct,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07it's basically the same kind of thing like the banana bread.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10But instead of putting in bananas, you put courgettes.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12And you put in the skin,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16I'm not sure if you put in the pulp of it because the pulp would be too watery.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18A classic American dessert,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22it's no surprise John ate this growing up in the United States.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25But don't worry, it's absolutely fine to use the whole courgette.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28This is something that you eat, you don't eat as a cake, do you?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Yeah, it's a cake, it's sweet.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It's not like a bread roll.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37It's not like that. Although we call it bread and they call that banana bread, it's still like a cake.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Although I'm using walnuts and raisins, for that extra moistness
0:03:41 > 0:03:45you can also throw in crushed pineapple. Sounds like carrot cake.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47- Green carrot cake.- It is.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52But depending on how much of the shavings of the skin you put in, that's how green it will be.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56You get some flecks of green going through it, but you still get that lovely brown.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- I mean, it's really good. - You sold me.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03People go, "Ew, courgettes in bread?"
0:04:03 > 0:04:05But it's really, really delicious.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07But that's not all his mum was good at.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09My mother was casserole queen.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14She made this casserole and it had...
0:04:14 > 0:04:20I remember it vividly. Chicken, it had broccoli, it had water chestnuts.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24It had a cream sauce. And it had...
0:04:24 > 0:04:29onions that were crunchy, like toasted onions put on top.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30And then it was all baked.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- OK.- Right?
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Having pre-cooked your chicken for 30 minutes,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40make your sauce by adding stock and double cream.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44The reason I remember it so vividly is because we said we'd liked it.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And we ate it, like, every other night.
0:04:47 > 0:04:53Although this casserole has broccoli, you could actually throw in pak choi or baby spinach.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But remember, add them at the last minute to avoid soggy veg.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02She left my dad and I with a freezer full of stuff to cook.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05We pulled out one night, it was the chicken casserole. Fine.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Next night, chicken casserole! Chicken casserole!
0:05:08 > 0:05:10We just got sick of the casserole.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12You can have too much of a good thing.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17Sprinkle the caramelised onions and it's time for John to remember growing up in the USA.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Yeah. This was the casserole that we just didn't want any more of.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26But I'm intrigued, cos it's been years since I've had it.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Tell me, were you bullied for being Scottish?
0:05:30 > 0:05:31Yes. Absolutely.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36American kids, if you're different in any way, they'll make fun of you.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41Right? So here I show up, being this kid who has a funny accent.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43This one kid, I hated his guts.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47And he sat on top of me and wouldn't let me get up to go to the swimming lesson.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50And I stayed on the bus for an hour.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54This was all because I spoke differently and was a bit different from the rest.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Maybe the bullying, in a sense, and being made fun of
0:05:58 > 0:06:03is what made me a little more... pushy and out there.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- Could have sent you the other way though?- It could have.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08But my parents, and my brothers and sisters never let me.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11If my brother heard anything said badly about me,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- he would have punched them.- That's what big brothers are for.- Yeah.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So, how come the family ended up in the States?
0:06:21 > 0:06:27My father, in 1970 and '71, first off we were sent to the US for a year.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Then we went back to Glasgow.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34And I came back to Glasgow and had this American accent.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39And my mother said the first thing I did when I walked into the kitchen,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I said, "Gee, Mom. What a cute little fridge you got."
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Because I was used to all these massive, huge, great fridges.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47In '76, my dad packed all of us up.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- Talking of America, I've got a little surprise for you.- Right.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02My mother's Wedgwood house!
0:07:05 > 0:07:10It's John's favourite banana bread. With nothing in it, John.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Pure bananas.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15He was a typical boy when he was growing up.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17But he loved the theatre.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22When we had parties, I would say to John, "Come on over. Come on and sing, John."
0:07:22 > 0:07:26And you'd sing and I'd give him a wooden spoon, the baking spoon.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28And that would be his microphone.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Oh, this was John's favourite. This had to be made every week.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36Now, I haven't made this for years.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38He got all his talent from his mother.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42In the early days, my contribution was a credit card.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Now, he gives me a credit card.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49When he's in a show,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51every night is first night.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54A third of a cup of the buttermilk.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58It has to be buttermilk. John, don't faint.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- I'm in the kitchen. - Your dad is in the kitchen!
0:08:02 > 0:08:06- Pretending to help. - Pour a little at a time.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10He certainly has the talent. And he's been a very good son.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I love him dearly.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15There's some things I need to tell you. I don't need any more shoes.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18I don't need any more pants.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20I don't need any more shirts.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I'd like a Rolex.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25So would I!
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Oh, John.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35This takes me back years, John.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39When we used to do this.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40And then you would get the spoon.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45And then I would smack your hand.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52So, it's a pleasure to be making this for you, son.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02- Ta-dah!- Da-dah da-dah!- Perfect. - Success, John.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05There you go, lovely banana bread.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Banana bread, courtesy of John's mum.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14It's the banana bread.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And it's been microwaved just slightly.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21You pour double cream over the top of it.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Isn't that delicious? - That takes me back.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26I'm sort of picturing you as a little boy...
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Fat!
0:09:29 > 0:09:32No, I'm picturing you wondering when you knew that,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36whatever happened, you were going to end up doing what you're doing now.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42As a really little boy, about four or five years old, before we first went to the States, I remember Peter Pan.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45And I remember sitting in the balcony.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50And whoever was playing Peter Pan, they came up and they flew right in front of me and back.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52And I just remember that, "Wow!"
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Halfway through the show, my mum turned and said, "This is what you want to do, isn't it?"
0:09:57 > 0:10:00I said, "Yeah!" I can't tell you how much I wanted it.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06So, you're the youngest of three, is that right?
0:10:06 > 0:10:12Yes. I'm the baby. I'm not going to give ages because my sister, who's the oldest, will kill me.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Her name's Carol. And my brother is in the middle, Andrew.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19My mum and dad, they've nurtured each one of us.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21I am the artsy one.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24My brother was the sportsman, my sister was the academic.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Your sister is actually going to take you on a little trip down memory lane.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Oh dear.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Milwaukee!
0:10:36 > 0:10:40This was the first dish that
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Kevin made for my family.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48We made wheat pizza crust and the thing that everybody remembered was broccoli.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- This is our lovely son, Turner.- Hi.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55John, believe it or not, he has a knife in his hands. So we're staying over here.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00John, is this enough broccoli for you? He's a bit of a loony.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03John doesn't really do anything halfway.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05He does everything in a big way.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09- Oh, yeah.- And he's genuine. I think that's one of the things about John.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11What you see is real.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14When Clare was born, our daughter was a twin.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16And the other twin was stillborn.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19And he was one of the first family members who showed up
0:11:19 > 0:11:23at the hospital when Ann died, and was right there.
0:11:23 > 0:11:29And, ever since then, has been a really, really important figure in Clare, our daughter's life.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34He always knows that, no matter what happens, he can always call us.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36We'll always be here for him.
0:11:36 > 0:11:42John, I hope you enjoy this. We've had a lot of fun thinking about all these old memories doing this.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- And we love you, sweetie. - John, here's a piece for you.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Of course, now there is an action figure.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51Hey!
0:11:51 > 0:11:55He sent us and he had to send it back to the people who made it.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Didn't look enough like him.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01If you have an action figure, it had better look exactly like you.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Yeah, the jaw wasn't strong enough on the first one.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07You are in such big trouble now, both of you.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11God, it makes me miss them.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Food for us as a family is a family affair.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20It's like food and love, man.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Food is love.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26When you said you are putting broccoli on pizza, I got cross. But this is lovely.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29I almost threw up I heard the idea the first time. Broccoli on pizza?
0:12:29 > 0:12:35There's one dish in particular that you ate as a family, this steak pie. It's like a tradition?
0:12:35 > 0:12:41Whoever's hosting for Christmas doesn't do any cooking New Year's Day. Every year, it's steak pie.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45No matter what. You can ask for anything else, you ain't gonna get it.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46It's steak pie.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52And that goes back to when I was a kid in Scotland and we used to go to my father's mother's house.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54She'd always have steak pie.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Using stewing steak,
0:12:56 > 0:13:01chop into bite-sized cubes and dust with pre-seasoned flour.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's made with, you use the fresh meat.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Braise the meat in the morning.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Bring together the meat
0:13:10 > 0:13:13with the onions, stock, parsley and thyme.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16But watch the amount of liquid.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Too much will make your pastry soggy.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22And then put the gravy and then the pastry fresh.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23And put it all together.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And they put it in the oven, I'm guessing,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26cos I have never cooked it.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31I'm usually the one that stands back and goes, "That's your deal."
0:13:31 > 0:13:33And it's ready, piping hot.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36A good tip is to line the rim of your dish with pastry trimmings.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40This way, your pie's lid is sure not to slip off.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It's a fantastic meal.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44It's like, steak pie is that kind of...
0:13:45 > 0:13:48..solid kind of food that brings everybody together.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53It says, "Pie!".
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- That looks delicious.- Does that look right?- That looks delicious.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00The whole family thing, it is very, very important to you.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Isn't it?- Yes, absolutely.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03Your family are who you turn to.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Your family are who,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09family is unconditional. It should be unconditional. Do you know what I mean?
0:14:09 > 0:14:12I've got a mound of the stuff here.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15And a bit of the peas.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16And you just...
0:14:20 > 0:14:23When you want to shut me up, give me a steak pie.
0:14:24 > 0:14:31Still to come on A Taste Of My Life, John reveals ex-Corrie star Suranne Jones' strange eating habits.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Suranne Jones, eating chicken out of a bin.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39He talks about the huge success of cult sci-fi hit, Torchwood.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Honestly, I was very nervous.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49And John remembers eating a lot of caviar with Shirley Bassey.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53She said, "They throw the caviar away. Go tell them you want it."
0:14:58 > 0:15:04- Tell me about John Barrowman, the cook.- I love to cook. I don't know if I'm very good at it.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07I love cooking big kind of family-style meals.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10I love doing a roast. Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
0:15:10 > 0:15:16Well, on that note, I have got a little surprise for you from somebody very special.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17Right, here we go.
0:15:19 > 0:15:26I fancied John when he was a presenter a few years ago and always thought he is a bit of a sort.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30And then my West End debut was last year,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33and John Barrowman walks into the room in rehearsals.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35I was doing A Few Good Men with him.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37John Barrowman!
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Hi Pooky! How are you?
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Now listen, I have got a little bit of a challenge for you.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47D'you remember, in between shows, we would go around the corner and we would get bin chicken.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And chips and we would smother them in mayonnaise
0:15:50 > 0:15:54and I'd dip them in the gravy and then we would lie on your dressing room floor
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and pass out for about an hour before the next show.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I challenge you to make a healthy version of bin chicken.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02How about that?
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- I'll do it.- Love yer.- Love you, too.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- Bin chicken.- Are you up for that? - I'm totally up for bin chicken.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14- Do you know the story behind bin chicken?- No, tell me.
0:16:14 > 0:16:19We would sneak off and get this fried chicken strips or whatever.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25One day after we were finished with it, I wrapped it up in its wrapper and put it in the bin.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29So Suranne comes into my room and she says, "Pooky, I'm hungry."
0:16:29 > 0:16:34I said, "Well, there is some chicken left." And she went, "Yeah, but it's in the bin."
0:16:34 > 0:16:38And I went, "Well, pretend it is bin chicken and have bin chicken."
0:16:38 > 0:16:40She will kill me for telling you that.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Suranne Jones eating chicken out of a bin!
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Time for some Bin Chicken, courtesy of Colonel Barrowman.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52- So, Suranne's challenge.- Yes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57Bin chicken. It is chicken in a seasoned batter.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Yes, chicken in a seasoned batter, that's eaten over a dustbin.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Sounds lovely. What's going in there?
0:17:05 > 0:17:10I think we put some paprika in to add some spice to it.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Break that up.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Salt and pepper.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- A dash of each? - Yeah, and I guess eggs.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Just break them in.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I'm rubbish at this.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25I'm all right.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- You beat, I'll pour.- OK.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31Tell me about Maria.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Because when I switched on, I have to say,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37I think I knew who was going to win. Did you?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40I had it set in my mind from day one that I wanted Connie to win,
0:17:40 > 0:17:46because she was the one who had the complete package.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47I said, that's your Maria.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53For me, she was always Maria.
0:17:53 > 0:17:54- How you doing?- All right.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01- Everybody watched it.- Everybody watched it, it was a huge success.
0:18:01 > 0:18:07I was there as the representative of the West End, because I feel I know what people looking for in
0:18:07 > 0:18:11the West End, and what I as a leading man would look for in a leading lady.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19What other TV show has brought the West End into the living rooms?
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- Not like this.- In how many years?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25They did a phenomenal job and the public felt
0:18:25 > 0:18:30like they had a part of it in making Connie who she is.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- It was huge fun.- I had a ball.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Suranne, girl, I'm gonna have you over and we're gonna eat bin chicken.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- Do you call her Suranne? - I call her Pooky Noo-Noo.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- Dare I ask?- You don't want to know!
0:18:43 > 0:18:48It's a term of endearment. If you were to hug somebody, and you go, "Are you OK, Pooky Noo-Noo?"
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Can I turn my chicken?- Yes.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Just touch it to hold it in place. Bake those, yeah?
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Because that will then bake off...
0:19:01 > 0:19:05I'm talking load of rubbish, I have no clue!
0:19:05 > 0:19:10It will bake off excess grease and fat and make it fluffy and light,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13at gas mark 3, or at 160 - perfect.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- How was that?- Perfect.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Bin chicken.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Now, I know there is a plate there, but we have to do this.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26And this is for...
0:19:26 > 0:19:31We get some chips, we get some chicken, and a bin, and you go.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Mmm. Bin chicken.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41And this is the best way to eat chicken and chips.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Fantastic. That is really good.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Your first big success was Anything Goes.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56That's right, in 1989, opposite Elaine Paige.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Yeah, what a leading lady to walk in opposite.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- And still so young. - I was in my early twenties.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Then on to Matador.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Then on to Matador.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10That was with Stefanie Powers, who...
0:20:10 > 0:20:14I laugh, because in this picture, Stephanie taught me how to smile.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I am blessed with good teeth and Stefanie said,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20"When you smile, you have to bite an apple."
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Think about it, it is really good. You have to go...
0:20:29 > 0:20:32It explains every smile I have seen for a long time.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37She said, that's what you do. "John, that is what you do. You just got to go..."
0:20:37 > 0:20:40So every time I smile now, I bite an apple.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's a good thing. Try it once. Go on!
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- I will try it.- Not now, though!
0:20:46 > 0:20:52Having this success and having it fairly early on, have you got your own little indulgences?
0:20:52 > 0:20:56- Are you a caviar boy?- Things that I like? Oh, I love caviar.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- I adore caviar.- It's good, isn't it?
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Oh, man. Some people hate it, and I can understand that,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04because it is an acquired taste.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05It is fishy and it is salty.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09But there is nothing better than having caviar with toast points and
0:21:09 > 0:21:13chopped red onion and some egg whites and some creme fraiche.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18Shirley Bassey was the one who put me on to this, if I can drop a name.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I was flying from London to the States and Shirley Bassey and I were on a flight together.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28And I'm sitting up in first class, and it was probably one of the first times I'd been up in first class.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31I'm sitting gripping the seat, and she leaned over and said,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34"Darling, don't worry, when you are Shirley nothing can happen."
0:21:34 > 0:21:39And we are pummelling down the runway and she started going, "Goldfinger!"
0:21:39 > 0:21:40In the middle of the plane!
0:21:40 > 0:21:44# Goldfinger... #
0:21:44 > 0:21:51And we get up in the air, and they put it out on the tray, a little dollop, and a little dollop.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53And I had all the trimmings.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Shirley's having a bit and a bit.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I took all the trimmings and piled it all together and mixed it all up.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Shirley said, "Darling, I know something you don't know."
0:22:02 > 0:22:05I said, "What?" She said,
0:22:05 > 0:22:06"They throw the caviar away.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08"Go tell them you want it."
0:22:09 > 0:22:13So I went up and I said, "I understand you throw the caviar away
0:22:13 > 0:22:15"cos you not allowed to bring it into the US.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18"Do you mind if Ms Bassey and I just devoured the rest of it?"
0:22:18 > 0:22:23So they gave us the whole tub and she and I just sat and ate it. Fantastic.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29And don't forget, you'll need to take out a bank loan to eat this much!
0:22:30 > 0:22:32# Goldfinger! #
0:22:33 > 0:22:37How beautiful is that?
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Oooh! You're supposed to only do a tiny little bit.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- That is indulgence. - You've done your time as...
0:22:49 > 0:22:52as a kid's TV presenter, haven't you?
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Yes, children's television was very good to me.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I did two years of Live & Kicking.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04I love kids, I'm a kid myself.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I'm a big kid in a man's body.
0:23:07 > 0:23:15Were you surprised at the whole Torchwood thing, because it has been a huge success?
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Honestly, I was very nervous.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27That was just a kiss.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Spin-offs usually don't do very well.
0:23:31 > 0:23:37With Dr Who, it is an iconic TV series, that is part of British television history.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43To try and do something like Torchwood, and we thought, "We have to create our own world,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47"we have to create our own stuff, and just hope that the viewers will go with it."
0:23:47 > 0:23:53The first five minutes, I thought, what have I tuned in to? What is this?
0:23:53 > 0:23:57- About 15 minutes later, I was sort of...- You're hooked?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- I was hooked. Completely.- Yep.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Come on, I'm on top of the world
0:24:02 > 0:24:07and enjoying every second of the success that Torchwood brought to me.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I was on the side of a bus, for goodness sake!
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Let's find out how John Barrowman would celebrate his life through food.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- So, your final feast.- Yes.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19You've got gorgeous steak.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21What is this?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23This would be a crispy duck salad.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- Your favourite foie gras? - Yes, sauteed foie gras.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30And vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce.
0:24:30 > 0:24:37That is what I call super, super, super, super moist carrot cake.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42If you're gonna have a last feast, you've gotta get every piece of indulgent food in there.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48- Would you like to make some hot fudge sauce?- Yes.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55This is like the wooden spoon my mother would give me to sing with.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Is there anything that you
0:24:57 > 0:25:02haven't done? I've heard that there's the odd part that you might have got and didn't.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04That was in Will And Grace.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08I was up for the role of Will,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and down to what they call producer's call in America,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15where you go and have a specific meeting with the producers.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17I never heard back from them after that.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21They rang up my agent and he said, "Why didn't he get it?"
0:25:21 > 0:25:23And they said,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25"Well, he was too straight."
0:25:25 > 0:25:27It will do. It'll do.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29All of it? All this sugar?
0:25:29 > 0:25:31I'm afraid so. It is your final feast.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- This smells really good.- Can I turn your steak?- Yes, go ahead.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42If anything goes wrong, I have a tardis out front. We can just pop in it, go back in time, re-do it.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- Can you frost that?- I'll frost it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49This stuff is delicious.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54You need Barry White music on, "Oh yeah!
0:25:56 > 0:25:59"Baby, spread my frosting!"
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Get this. This is the nice sound.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08You like your foie gras very simply fried.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Yes, slightly sauteed.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13So bing, bada bing. Brioche.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20John Barrowman's final feast -
0:26:21 > 0:26:25foie gras, crispy duck...
0:26:28 > 0:26:30..good old-fashioned steak and mash.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Moist carrot cake.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39And ice-cream with hot fudge sauce.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Dare I say it, are there any regrets?
0:26:41 > 0:26:47No. I can firmly say to you that I am one person, I may make mistakes,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I may do things that are wrong, but I will never regret.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54If an opportunity comes my way I will grasp that opportunity
0:26:54 > 0:26:57so that later on in life I will never say I wish I had.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Mistakes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02No, I don't see anything as being a big mistake
0:27:02 > 0:27:04or things that have gone wrong.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06It's all happened for a reason.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09You can have some guests. Who would you have?
0:27:09 > 0:27:12The first person that pops into my head is
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- Lana Turner.- Lana Turner?
0:27:15 > 0:27:21I think Lana Turner is probably of that era, one of the fabulous actresses of that time.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Number two would be Gene Kelly.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28I have a couple of others, and this might sound strange, but I would like to invite my grandparents.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32I just love to sit down with them and see if there is that image of
0:27:32 > 0:27:35people who are past, who are watching over you,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38just to sit down and go, "Do you think it's going OK?
0:27:38 > 0:27:41"Are you enjoying watching?"
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I'm going to let you have one wish with your final feast.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49The obvious thing that comes to mind, and I know people will go that's really boring -
0:27:49 > 0:27:52I'm not going to say world peace, because that is...
0:27:54 > 0:27:57..that's perfection almost. But if I had a wish,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01I would wish that people
0:28:01 > 0:28:06would accept people for who they are,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11not be judgmental, allow people to live their lives
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and enjoy themselves.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15And that would be my wish
0:28:15 > 0:28:19for...people.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23That sounded very Barbra Streisand, didn't it?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26People who need people!
0:28:27 > 0:28:31John, thank you so much for being a guest on Taste Of My Life.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Thank you. I really appreciate it. I've had such, such a great day.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd, 2007
0:28:55 > 0:28:58E-mail: subtitling@bbc.co.uk