0:00:01 > 0:00:04So, go on, where can you rub shoulders with royalty?
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Match muscles with a sporting legend?
0:00:09 > 0:00:13And give politicians a piece of your mind?
0:00:13 > 0:00:14PHONE RINGS
0:00:14 > 0:00:16It's for you, Barack.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Look at me, singing with Leona Lewis.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Where else but Madame Tussauds?
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Coming up - it's July, the summer holidays are approaching,
0:00:26 > 0:00:29and, like millions of tourists,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I'm here at the world-famous Madame Tussauds.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38There'll be some fantastic hymn singing from cathedrals and churches all over Britain,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40from Glasgow to Arundel.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51During the last year we've celebrated the lives of Christians
0:00:51 > 0:00:56who've used their skills and talents to shape our world.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Famous nurse Florence Nightingale.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Philanthropist Lord Lever of Port Sunlight.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04And prolific author Jane Austen.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Welcome to the world-famous Madame Tussauds in the heart of London.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15It's home to over 400 of the world's most famous faces
0:01:15 > 0:01:19so where better to come to celebrate some of the extraordinary people
0:01:19 > 0:01:21who've had an impact on our lives?
0:01:21 > 0:01:23Our first hymn is a fantastic one.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28It expresses the belief that, whoever we are, God is father to us all.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55With over two million visitors every year,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Madame Tussauds is one of the most popular places to visit in London.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05But who exactly was Madame Tussaud,
0:04:05 > 0:04:10and how did a Frenchwoman create such a famous British institution?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Judith, I can't get over how tiny she was.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Diminutive. About four foot eleven, I should think.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- Amazing.- But many people were in those days.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22What prompted you to find out more about this lady?
0:04:22 > 0:04:27Well...the curiosity. Everybody knows the name, Madame Tussaud.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- Everybody knows the attraction. - But who was she?
0:04:30 > 0:04:33What did she do? How did she begin and end? Why was she here?
0:04:36 > 0:04:41'Madame Tussaud was born Anna Maria Grosholtz to a Catholic family living in Strasbourg
0:04:41 > 0:04:45'and this year marks the 250th anniversary of her birth.'
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Why this fascination with working with wax back then?
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Wax was...religious.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59If you had a problem, you would ask a wax modeller to make the limb
0:04:59 > 0:05:02and then you would take it to the chapel,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- or the altar of the saint who looked after that part of the body.- Amazing.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11You would hang it up and, hopefully, God would...help you.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15How did she find out that she had a talent for working with wax?
0:05:15 > 0:05:19From a very early age she had a wonderful ability with her hands,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22to sketch, to make fruit and flowers,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26and by the time she was 12 she was making her own life masks.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29So she could sketch a face. She'd look at you and say...
0:05:29 > 0:05:32- your nose goes slightly to one side...- Thank you very much.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36..and your chin... Your face does that and then it does that.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39This is almost turning into a counselling session now.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- How did she end up in Britain? - It was after the revolution.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Her uncle died and left her with many properties
0:05:46 > 0:05:48and a huge debt,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52and so she thought she would come here to recoup it
0:05:52 > 0:05:56and she met an impresario, who brought her here to the Lyceum Theatre,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01and she toured here with a travelling wax show for 33 years.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Wow! Making her name.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- Until she was 75. 75.- What would she make of this, do you think?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10She'd love it. She would so love it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12She would love the excitement of the people.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16The idea is to get people out of the street and into her attractions.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21- Well, I think it's absolutely amazing. Shall we carry on our little tour?- Yes, let's.- Let's go.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So clearly Madame Tussaud was a remarkable person.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33She personified persistence, dedication and self-belief,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and these wax figures are her legacy.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41They've been entertaining and educating millions of people for over 200 years.
0:06:41 > 0:06:47Our next hymn celebrates another great woman. She's been hailed as the most perfect woman in the world.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Tell Out, My Soul is Mary's great song of praise.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Liz Edwards is part of the team working behind the scenes
0:09:16 > 0:09:21to make sure every wax model is as realistic as possible.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25They told me Liz would be mixing with royalty. How are you?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- I'm very well. How are you? - Good, thanks.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- So, Her Majesty, is she popular here? - The Queen is the most popular figure.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35There are some people that come and go,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39that perhaps younger audiences will like, but The Queen is a staple.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42The Royal Family, throughout our history,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45have always been the most popular figures here.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48How long would a model like Her Majesty take to make?
0:09:48 > 0:09:53It takes four months to make any wax figure and it starts with a sitting which takes three hours...
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- Wow.- ..where hundreds of measurements are taken from the face, body,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59so we can make sure every element is correct.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02I'm not fishing at all, but how do you get chosen?
0:10:02 > 0:10:04You have to have achieved greatness.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07- Someone like Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar.- Of course.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Something to show that you've achieved something great.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Thank you for joining us, Your Majesty!
0:10:14 > 0:10:20- One is very amused by this place and I think we should carry on looking. - Let's have a look.- Great. Come on.
0:10:23 > 0:10:29# May the road rise to meet you
0:10:29 > 0:10:35# May the wind be ever at your back
0:10:36 > 0:10:42# May the sun shine warm upon your face
0:10:42 > 0:10:45# And the rain fall soft
0:10:45 > 0:10:51# Upon your fields
0:10:51 > 0:11:03# And until we meet again
0:11:03 > 0:11:07# May God hold you
0:11:07 > 0:11:11# May God hold you
0:11:11 > 0:11:16# Ever in the palm
0:11:16 > 0:11:24# Of His hand
0:11:31 > 0:11:36# May the road rise to meet you
0:11:36 > 0:11:43# May the wind be ever at your back
0:11:43 > 0:11:50# May the sun shine warm upon your face
0:11:50 > 0:11:56# And the rain fall soft upon your fields
0:11:56 > 0:12:00# Your fields
0:12:00 > 0:12:12# And until we meet again
0:12:12 > 0:12:17# May God hold you
0:12:17 > 0:12:21# May God hold you
0:12:21 > 0:12:26# Ever in the palm
0:12:26 > 0:12:35# Of His hand
0:12:35 > 0:12:41# Ever in the palm
0:12:41 > 0:12:46# Of His hand
0:12:52 > 0:13:01# The palm of His hand. #
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Cor blimey, this is a powerful room. I feel I should be touching a forelock.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17It's actually our world leaders room, so here you will see the great and the good,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20like our current Prime Minister David Cameron
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- and prime ministers past as well. - It's amazing.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- So you've got all these people's vital statistics?- Yes we have,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30although they're very safe under lock and key.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35- We know inside leg, chest and height measurements of every celebrity you can imagine.- Wow.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40What's so important is it's not very often that people are going to be able to come and touch David Cameron.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43This is his height, this is the suit he wears.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Stand outside 10 Downing Street, there are no ropes here.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48This is the first thing that struck me
0:13:48 > 0:13:53cos I remember coming here as a small child and you could get so close but not this close.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Absolutely. Now you really can touch them
0:13:55 > 0:14:00and we encourage people to come and touch, whether it be their idols,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04their sporting idols, or their prime minister.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05MUSIC: "James Bond Theme" by John Barry
0:16:09 > 0:16:11The name's Bond, James Bond.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Almost had you fooled, didn't I?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Well, the Bond films are synonymous with Pinewood,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19the British studios where they were made.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Pinewood was the vision of a Methodist,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24who wanted to promote Christianity through films.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26His name was J Arthur Rank.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30I think in the 1930s,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34when film really appeared on the scene,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36he could see the potential
0:16:36 > 0:16:39of actually recording a good preacher,
0:16:39 > 0:16:43somebody who had a powerful message,
0:16:43 > 0:16:45and to be able to duplicate that and show it
0:16:45 > 0:16:47in churches around the country.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52And that was why he established the Religious Film Society.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Rank, actually, himself came up with the first idea,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59which was to tell the story of W H Lax
0:16:59 > 0:17:04who was a well-known and very charismatic Methodist preacher.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06The film was called Mastership,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08it was 22 minutes long
0:17:08 > 0:17:10and cost £2,700.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14It was a story, really, to present to people saying,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17"Either you choose Christ or alcohol. What are you going to do?"
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Well, now, I'm not going to talk religion to you,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25but common sense,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29though there's precious little difference between the two.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Now, do you want drink to be your master?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36No, sir.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Well, for your own sake,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44for the sake of your wife and child, cut it out.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46There's a story from South Yorkshire,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50where it was shown to a group of hardened, drinking, miners,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and the Methodist minister who had put it on in the church,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57had shown it to them and there was this huge silence afterwards.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And the minister said, to reinforce the message,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03"Do you choose Christ, or drink?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06"Those of you who choose Christ, please, stand up."
0:18:06 > 0:18:10And some 22 miners apparently stood up, with tears in their eyes
0:18:10 > 0:18:12and gave their lives to the Lord.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16As it turned out, he found it very hard
0:18:16 > 0:18:22to get his religious films shown anywhere other than in churches and church halls around the country.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So he did rather an extraordinary thing,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Rank, from then, effectively bought the British movie industry.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34He was going to make commercial films
0:18:34 > 0:18:37that were going to be big and successful and well made
0:18:37 > 0:18:42and they were going to make the country and the world a better place
0:18:42 > 0:18:46through the broad message of morality they were going to preach.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Pope John Paul II's visit to Britain,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51in the summer of 1982, was a memorable one.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I watched it on telly with my mum and dad
0:20:53 > 0:20:55and there were great scenes of celebration.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Well, his successor, Pope Benedict XVI,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59arrived on our shores last September
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and people travelled from far and wide to welcome him.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09An unforgettable moment from Pope Benedict's visit
0:21:09 > 0:21:14was the ceremony to honour one of the most distinguished English Catholics of the 19th century,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16John Henry Newman.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Pope Benedict pronounced Newman "blessed",
0:21:19 > 0:21:21just one step away from sainthood.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Sally travelled to Maryvale,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27a house on the outskirts of Birmingham,
0:21:27 > 0:21:31to find out about the life of this hugely-influential man and poet,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33author of two of our best-loved hymns,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Lead Kindly Light and Praise To The Holiest.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Caroline, hi.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45I'm told you're the person who can tell me all about the links between Newman and this place.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Oh, this was his first Catholic home, he came here in 1846.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52It was right out in the country, quite a few miles from Birmingham,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55beautiful countryside. Of course, he loved the poor,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57so he wanted, in fact, to move into Birmingham,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00which is why in the end he was only here for two years.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03But it was a very important time of his life. These are his rooms.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08- So I can show you a few lovely little corners if you like? - I'd love that.- Let's have a look.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11So, these were Newman's rooms.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16It's only a bedroom now, because this is the college that he really desired when he was here,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18but it didn't happen when he was here.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21However, in this corner - it looks like a cupboard -
0:22:21 > 0:22:24but this is really special for Cardinal Newman.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29- There's this little window down into the chapel.- Into the chapel!- Yeah.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31He must have loved this.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Oh, he did, because he wrote a letter to his friend, and this is what he said to him.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40"I am writing in the next room to the chapel.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43"It's such an incomprehensible blessing
0:22:43 > 0:22:48"to have Christ in bodily presence in one's house, within one's walls."
0:22:48 > 0:22:53- And you'll be at Cofton Park when the Pope performs, will you?- Oh, yes.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57The grace that's going to flood this country
0:22:57 > 0:22:59because of this beatification,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02because it's going to be a proclamation,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06that here is a lowly man who loved the poor, who loved education,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10who loved the faith, who loved the Church, who loves Christ.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13HE wants the country to be flooded again.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16So...that's what we're looking forward to!
0:25:54 > 0:25:58What happened to Madame Tussaud in the end, then?
0:25:58 > 0:26:02She nearly made it to her 90th birthday. She died in her 90th year.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05She died in April in 1850
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and she was given the last rites, she was a Catholic,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12and she was buried near Sloane Square, St Mary's Church.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16How would she feel about the world of celebrity and fame now?
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Of course, it wasn't pop stars in her time.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Oh, I don't know. There were famous politicians,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26there were philosophers, there were adventurers...
0:26:26 > 0:26:29She had Dr Benjamin Franklin,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Voltaire, Rousseau...
0:26:31 > 0:26:33And now it's James Bond and Beyonce
0:26:33 > 0:26:37- and I'm sure I saw Shirley Bassey somewhere there as well!- Yes!
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It's good to have a Welsh person in here. It's been fascinating.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43- Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.- Not at all.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47I know you've chosen a hymn. Tell us what it is and why you've chosen it.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- It's Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind. - Great.- I love that.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I love the second line - "forgive our foolish ways".
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I feel I have many foolish ways.
0:26:55 > 0:27:01- Don't we all!- And I love the last three lines of the last verse,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05which is, "Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08"Speaks through the earthquake, wind and fire,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11"Oh still small voice of calm."
0:27:11 > 0:27:13I think we all need a bit of that.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17This is going to take me back to choirboy days, this one!
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- Thank you.- Not at all.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55Father God, thank you for all those famous and not-so-famous
0:29:55 > 0:29:58who've influenced our lives for good,
0:29:58 > 0:30:03and so help us to have a positive impact
0:30:03 > 0:30:05on those you bring into our lives...
0:30:05 > 0:30:07for your glory...
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Amen.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15And that's almost it from Madame Tussauds.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19It really is an incredible collection - a celebration of human achievement.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22And you never know - one day, I may be in there myself!
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Who am I kidding?! I hope you've also enjoyed the music.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30We're going to end with a great hymn of thanksgiving - Now Thank We All Our God.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Until next time, goodbye!
0:33:25 > 0:33:29'Next week, Diane escapes to the country
0:33:29 > 0:33:31'to visit Pershore in Worcestershire.
0:33:31 > 0:33:35'She explores its monastic history with some keen young historians,
0:33:35 > 0:33:38'learns the secrets of the trade from a master tailor,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42'and introduces hymns from the spectacular abbey,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44'with special guests, the OperaBabes.'
0:33:57 > 0:34:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd 2011
0:34:02 > 0:34:06E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk