0:00:02 > 0:00:05Childhood holidays... Oh, ho! The anticipation seemed endless.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08The holiday itself...well, it was over too quickly.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12So, in this series, I'm going to be reliving those wonderful times
0:00:12 > 0:00:14with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17THEY SCREAM
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Every day, I'll be arranging a few surprises
0:00:20 > 0:00:22to transport them back in time.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Oh, look! Ha-ha! It's just as I remember! Ha-ha!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29We'll relive the fun...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31THEY LAUGH
0:00:31 > 0:00:32..the games...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34- BOTH: Yes!- We got them!
0:00:34 > 0:00:37..and the food of years gone by.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Yummy!
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Welcome to 1959.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44- Total happiness.- Yes. Perfect.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47..to find out how those holidays around the UK
0:00:47 > 0:00:50helped shape the people we know so well today.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Bruce Forsyth.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54IMITATING BRUCE FORSYTH: "Len, you're still my favourite."
0:00:54 > 0:00:57So, buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00You know, Len, I'm quite enjoying being on my holidays with you.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Today's holiday has brought me across the Irish Sea
0:01:06 > 0:01:07to Northern Ireland,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11where I'm steaming towards my special mystery guest.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15The holidaymaker who I'm meeting today is a woman of many words.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18She's a real smooth talker.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Here she is before she got the gift of the gab.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26She was born in Northern Ireland in 1940 and as a small girl, she
0:01:26 > 0:01:30had aspirations to set the stage alight as a professional singer.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37This little pocket rocket released a single in 1969,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39which got to number SEVEN
0:01:39 > 0:01:41in the Ulster charts.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Ho-ho!
0:01:42 > 0:01:46And this set the wheels turning on a glorious career
0:01:46 > 0:01:48in broadcasting.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51In 1992,
0:01:51 > 0:01:56she became the first woman to have a daily show on Radio 2.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00But you will also know her as a busy TV presenter,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03working on a Sunday Sunday,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07inviting guests to her Open House.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Come on, you must know it by now.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12She's been on Loose Women,
0:02:12 > 0:02:13she's been on Strictly,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and now she's stopping us from getting ripped off.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Oh, yes, it's that Irish lass with plenty of class...
0:02:22 > 0:02:24It's Gloria Hunniford!
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Born Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford
0:02:31 > 0:02:33in a small terraced house in Portadown,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Gloria was raised by her mother, May,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and her advertising manager father, Charlie,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41who was also a part-time magician.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Growing up alongside her older sister, Lena,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46and younger brother Charles,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Gloria remembers her strict religious upbringing as a happy one,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54where she loved nothing more than performing for whoever would watch.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57All good training for the long career in broadcasting
0:02:57 > 0:02:59that lay in front of her.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03At last you have come to God's own country, you see? How are you?
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- Lovely.- You're looking splendid. - And yourself.- Obviously that tan
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- is from the Irish sunshine, don't you think?- Of course it is.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11It's like a scene from Brief Encounter here.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I'm absolutely gobsmacked at the steam train. This is fabulous,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- isn't it?- Isn't it gorgeous?- Lovely, really lovely.- Now, where were we
0:03:19 > 0:03:21- off to?- We are off to a place called Newcastle.- Right.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea, literally,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27- so you're going to love it. - Oh, gorgeous.- Lovely.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28And what's the year?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I hate to say it - it's late '40s.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33- Ah!- Don't say it!
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- No, you're supposed to say, "You're too young..."- Well, you are!
0:03:36 > 0:03:38- I can't believe it.- Well, I like to kid myself, but it's the late '40s.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Right.- But exciting for me.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- Oh, well, look, your carriage awaits.- And my man awaits, as
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- well, so off we go!- Off we go. Lovely.- Into this one?- Yes.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51I'll tell you what, this is nothing the 8:30 from Sevenoaks.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55So it's back to 1948 we go.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Less than an hour's drive from Belfast,
0:03:57 > 0:04:02on the coast of the Irish Sea, is the pretty town of Newcastle.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Known for its sandy beach and stunning scenery,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Newcastle lies at the base of the Slieve Donard,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11the highest of the majestic Mourne Mountains.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Newcastle was anciently called Ballaghbeg -
0:04:15 > 0:04:19the word ballagh is generally accepted to mean mountain pass
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and beg is small.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Today, I'm taking Gloria back to re-live those happy days
0:04:25 > 0:04:26she had in Newcastle...
0:04:26 > 0:04:29You know what? I'm going to start with the jelly.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31I know that's not the way you should start, but I love jelly.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- I'll go with you.- I love jelly. Mm!
0:04:34 > 0:04:36..enjoying the sights,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40tastes and smells of her favourite vacation destination...
0:04:40 > 0:04:43- Could be the Grand Canyon, for all you know.- Yeah.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- Well, yeah, it's better than the Grand Canyon.- It's lovely.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Now, Len, come on, we've got that mountain to climb.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52..and remembering what made Gloria's holidays glorious.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54# A, you're adorable
0:04:54 > 0:04:56# B, you're so beautiful
0:04:56 > 0:04:59# C, you're a cutie full of charm! #
0:05:01 > 0:05:06Before any holiday truly begins, first you must set out on a journey.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10We all remember that rush of excitement as you head
0:05:10 > 0:05:13towards your dream destination.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17For Gloria in 1948, the journey would have started in Portadown
0:05:17 > 0:05:19where she boarded the train
0:05:19 > 0:05:22for around an hour's journey to Newcastle.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24So, who would've been with you on your journey?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27On my holiday journeys, it would have been my mum, of course.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Strange enough, my dad didn't come on a lot of these holidays.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34I was the middle child, so my sister was seven years older than me
0:05:34 > 0:05:35and my brother, seven years younger.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38And was you well behaved or were you running up and down?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Oh, I was probably running up and down, never well behaved.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And she would've been saying, "Gloria, come back here!"
0:05:43 > 0:05:45But anyway, it was so exciting
0:05:45 > 0:05:49because really we were kind of localised, we never went very far.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- I mean, I didn't know one person who went abroad on a holiday.- No.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57So the excitement, you know, coming on a train like this to go to
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Newcastle for one week only was just marvellous.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- Did you take all your best clothes? - Well, my mum, she was great.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06You always had your new sandals.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And my aunt made a lot of clothes,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10so you would have had a lot of summer clothes made.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14My mum's suitcase, funnily enough, instead of her packing all her
0:06:14 > 0:06:16clothes, her suitcase would've been mostly full of food.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Talking of that, I've got something here,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21while we're stationary,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25that might bring back happy memories.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27That's a brilliant case, isn't it?
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- Isn't it gorgeous?- Oh, my goodness. - Let me just turn it so you can see.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Not family treasures, are they?
0:06:32 > 0:06:34It is full of family treasures.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- Oh, my goodness!- Now, is this the sort of thing your...?- Totally!
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Absolutely correct, because potato farls, which I lo... I still love.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43This is my treat
0:06:43 > 0:06:45sometimes on a Sunday - fried, with egg and bacon.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47And she would have made that on the griddle.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Then, you have, of course, a scone,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51which either would have been plain or currant.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54This is wheaten bread, because you have the lovely wheaten meal.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57And this is...a soda farl.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I might have a little go at something.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01The scone is lovely.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03I like the currant scones.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- Go on, then.- Are you going to have one?- I'll have half of yours.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Yeah, exactly. You need a bit of butter, ideally.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Yeah, but let's just try it, see if it's up to...
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Well, it won't be up to your mum's standard.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Nothing is up to my mum's standard.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18On a Saturday, she would have made 14 different kinds of bread.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- Never!- 14.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22That's a whole lot of bread!
0:07:22 > 0:07:26It was back in the year 1948 that saw the end to post-war flour
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and bread rationing.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31And it was also the year the UK's first supermarket
0:07:31 > 0:07:35opened in Manor Park, London, by the Co-operative Society.
0:07:36 > 0:07:421948 was a big year for the Royal Family, as Princess Elizabeth,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44gave birth to her first son.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Prince Charles was born at Buckingham palace
0:07:47 > 0:07:50at 9:14 on the 14th of November,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54weighing in at a healthy 7lb 6oz.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57The proclamation was posted on the palace railings
0:07:57 > 0:08:00just before midnight and the Prince went on to be christened
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Charles Philip Arthur George.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08A huge hit that year was Nat King Cole's Nature Boy.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11It went on to sell a million copies.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Billboard DJ's listed it as the greatest record of that year.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20# The greatest thing
0:08:20 > 0:08:24# You'll ever learn
0:08:25 > 0:08:29# Is just to love
0:08:29 > 0:08:31# And be loved. #
0:08:31 > 0:08:36Our Gloria would have been just eight years old in 1948,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39so her trip to Newcastle would have come during her school holidays.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42So, education. Was you a good student?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Well, I went to school when I was four, which was pretty unusual then.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48And I think the reason being that my sister,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53who was seven years older, she had great dreams of being a teacher.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54So this is true.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Every Saturday morning from when I was like this size,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59she would put up the easel and the board and she would give me
0:08:59 > 0:09:03my homework to do and teach me X, Y and Z.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06And I had to know it by the next Saturday. She had a little cane.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08She used to wallop me if I didn't get it right.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10She did! So therefore, I learned fast.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12So by the time I actually went to school,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16I pretty well knew how to write and I knew a couple of my sums.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18So as I went through my school years...
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Of course, we had in Portadown a very good college.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And I suppose, you see, my mum and dad would have said,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26"We don't have the money for you to go to college."
0:09:26 > 0:09:28In fact, they did say that.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32And so when I got my 11+, as it was then, and I wanted to go to that
0:09:32 > 0:09:35college, they said, no, they didn't have the money for books,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37didn't have the money for the uniforms.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Now, because I was a bit of a singer from when I was eight
0:09:39 > 0:09:41and making my own money,
0:09:41 > 0:09:42I remember saying to them...
0:09:42 > 0:09:46I don't know why, I fought for the right to go to that grammar school.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49And I said to my mum, "I will buy my uniform."
0:09:49 > 0:09:50- Wow.- So I did.
0:09:50 > 0:09:51My grandchildren are amused
0:09:51 > 0:09:54when I say that I had to fight for the right to go to school.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Yeah. Well, you know, to quote an old song,
0:09:57 > 0:09:59"Things ain't what they used to be."
0:09:59 > 0:10:00And unfortunately,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03this train no longer goes all the way to Newcastle.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06You're going to tell me we're going to walk the rest?
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- No, we're going to magic our way from here to there.- Marvellous.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- Shall I lead the way?- Sure.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- Absolutely.- "Things ain't what they used to be."
0:10:13 > 0:10:16# There's Teds in drainpipe trousers
0:10:16 > 0:10:19# And Debs in coffee houses
0:10:19 > 0:10:23# Oh, things ain't what they used to be. #
0:10:23 > 0:10:25They certainly aren't!
0:10:25 > 0:10:30Trains stopped running to Newcastle in the 1960s in favour of buses,
0:10:30 > 0:10:31and the track was taken up.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36This beautiful train is now run by volunteers from the Downpatrick
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and County Down Railway.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40They've put back most of the track,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43but sadly, it hasn't quite yet reached Newcastle.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47The old train station is now a supermarket, but there's
0:10:47 > 0:10:51still lots of other things to tickle Gloria's memory banks,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53from the many years of happy holidays
0:10:53 > 0:10:56she had at a caravan park nearby here.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- Ho-ho-ho!- What about this, eh?- Eh?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Does this bring back some memories?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04I have to tell you, this is a sight that I never ever get tired of.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07As a child, of course, this is where we came every year for our holidays.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It was just wonderful when we arrived.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12And the excitement, I could hardly contain it.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- Has much changed since you came? - Well...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- I know the railway station is now a supermarket.- That was changed.- Yeah.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21This view, as I stand here, is just the same.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Where would you have stayed?
0:11:23 > 0:11:24Well, this is the strange thing
0:11:24 > 0:11:27because although we always went to the caravan,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29my dad must have had a particularly good year
0:11:29 > 0:11:32because one year he said to us, "We're going to go to a B&B."
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Well, I couldn't believe it.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37It was fab.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40So I don't know what he did to earn the extra cash, but anyway, we went.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43So, you didn't stay in this lovely hotel back then?
0:11:43 > 0:11:44You see, here's the point.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46My mum and I, we'd be down here every day
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and we'd walk along the beach.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And I'd say to Mum, "Look at that marvellous hotel.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54"Could we not just go in there, you know, just for a cup of tea?"
0:11:54 > 0:11:57And she'd say, "No, darling, that's only for posh people,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- "so we'll never be in there."- Ha-ha!
0:11:59 > 0:12:02So coming here now, does this bring back all the memories?
0:12:02 > 0:12:05All the memories, and they are glorious memories.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07There is not a bad memory amongst them.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Do you know what I mean? It just whisks you right back.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Newcastle is one of the most magically positioned seaside
0:12:15 > 0:12:21resorts in the British Isles, with its great mountains and sandy beach,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24but it hasn't always been known for its tourism.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26In the mid-19th century,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30heavy gales caused several boats to be lost at sea,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33killing many of Newcastle's residents and wiping
0:12:33 > 0:12:37out its fishing industry. The town then began to make a living through
0:12:37 > 0:12:42mining granite, and then tourism became a bit of a money maker.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Which local lad Tom Walsh knows all about.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Newcastle became popular in the 1800s
0:12:48 > 0:12:51because it has seawater baths, it had
0:12:51 > 0:12:53spa water and this was the practice
0:12:53 > 0:12:56of the time, encouraged by possibly the medical people
0:12:56 > 0:13:00to indulge in seawater bathing and drink spa water.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06In 1869, the Belfast and County Down Railway arrived in Newcastle. And
0:13:06 > 0:13:10we're told that on the first day from Belfast,
0:13:10 > 0:13:15there were 30 carriages and 800 people were left behind in Belfast.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19I'd have been well cheesed off if I hadn't managed to squeeze onto
0:13:19 > 0:13:20the train, I can tell you!
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Now, someone that did manage to get here on holiday
0:13:23 > 0:13:26back in 1948 was Bernard Davey,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30who was just five years old at the time, but he remembers it well.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31We'd come down onto the shore
0:13:31 > 0:13:33every day and, as long as
0:13:33 > 0:13:35it wasn't blowing a gale, we'd be in.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38And quite often the summers here
0:13:38 > 0:13:39are pretty good.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42There's no reason why you shouldn't get into the water at some stage.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44And, yes, basically on a daily basis.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48So that was probably 14 good baths before we headed back to the city.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Part of the magic of any childhood holiday is
0:13:53 > 0:13:57the excitement of staying somewhere different - the sights,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01the smells and the thrill of having a new bed to lie in.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Most years that Gloria came to Newcastle, they holidayed
0:14:04 > 0:14:07in a caravan, but in 1948,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11her father treated them to a week in a B&B.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The Avoca Lodge has changed a bit since then,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16but it's still in business,
0:14:16 > 0:14:21so I'm taking Gloria to what is now known as the Avoca Hotel.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Gosh, this definitely feels like the original hall.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31With the stained glass window at the top.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34As a kid of eight, to arrive here with our suitcases, even that,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- like, that was posh to me.- Yeah? - And I just couldn't wait to get here.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- It was amazing. - Well, I've spoken to the manageress
0:14:40 > 0:14:43and we're going to have a look, see if we can find the bedroom.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45I don't remember too much about the bedroom, I have to be honest.
0:14:45 > 0:14:51I've been told on good authority that this is the room, 18.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56- I know it was on the front.- Well... - I know that.- Let's go in...
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Wow.- ..and have a look.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Oh, my goodness.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05- Oh, look at the view and everything. - Isn't that perfect?- Wow.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09- Let's have a sit down.- First time being on the bed with you.- Oh, yes!
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- Up until now, you'd stayed in the caravan.- Yes.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18And now, the thing is you've now come to,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- as a kid is a posh hotel. - This is like a palace.- Yeah.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Cos our house was two-up, two-down, small, obviously.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27So, did you all stay in this one room?
0:15:27 > 0:15:28That's what I'm trying to remember.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Because I don't think all five of us could have stayed here.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33My brother would've only been a year old at this point.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36So he would have obviously stayed in here with my parents, who...
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Or maybe my sister and I.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40We certainly shared a double bed anyway at home,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42so we definitely would have shared the double bed.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And do you think it was here, you know, staring out maybe at that
0:15:46 > 0:15:50wonderful view, was that when, you know, as a little girl...
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Did you know what you wanted to do when you grew up?
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Oh, I was going to be a singer.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Because down at the pier, I would've been down there,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02entering the competitions, strutting my stuff.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04And with my dad being that amateur magician -
0:16:04 > 0:16:08he was good but he had a daytime job, so he did that in his spare time -
0:16:08 > 0:16:10so that showbiz thing was in my blood.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12And although I didn't realise it then,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14but from a broadcasting point of view, of course,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19it got you used to the sound of your own voice introducing your songs.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22- Yeah.- And the songs I would've sung would've been...
0:16:22 > 0:16:24# A, you're adorable
0:16:24 > 0:16:25# B, you're so beautiful
0:16:25 > 0:16:29# C, you're a cutie full of charm
0:16:29 > 0:16:31# D, you're a darling
0:16:31 > 0:16:33# And E, you're exciting
0:16:33 > 0:16:36# And F You're a feather in my arms
0:16:36 > 0:16:39# It's fun to wander through the alphabet with you
0:16:39 > 0:16:42# And tell you what you mean to mean to me, ah-ah! #
0:16:46 > 0:16:50No holiday is complete without sampling the local food,
0:16:50 > 0:16:55those new tastes and textures transform our palette forever.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58For Gloria and her family in 1948,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03they would have started their day by tucking into a famous Ulster fry.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Do you know how many calories it is?
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- I'm sure it's not many. - 1,700 calories.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- Look out, here it comes.- Wow!
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Look at this. Look at that!
0:17:15 > 0:17:19- Oh! You can see why it's 1,700 calories, can't you?- Yeah, I can.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Well, as we used to say as kids, "Yum, yum, pig's bum!"
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Every Ulster fry would obviously have to have the bacon,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28egg and sausage and the tomato.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32But then it is the bread that makes the difference.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Because you would always have the fried soda bread.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36You would have the potato bread.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40- But it's delicious.- Yes, it is.- It's worth the 1,700 calories, isn't it?
0:17:40 > 0:17:44My mum would never have let us go off to school without a cooked breakfast.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- Really?- Not as much as this, of course.- No.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48We'd always have to have a hot breakfast.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- Well, even in the summer? - It was always cooked breakfast.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56You're marvellous and trim, are you a careful eater nowadays?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59I am more nowadays. I mean...
0:17:59 > 0:18:02I was thinking back, I was seven-stone-two when I was
0:18:02 > 0:18:06living at my mum's house, eating the equivalent of five meals a day.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09But what I forget, or did forget until recently,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12is the fact that we were on the bicycles all the time,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15so two miles to school in the morning, two back at lunchtime,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17two back to school, two home in the afternoon, there's eight.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Then our life was on bikes.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23So maybe each day, we were doing 15, 20 miles on a bike every day.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- So no wonder I was seven-stone-two. - Yeah.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- So now I spin forward. No way could you eat all of this.- No.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Everything just tastes gorgeous.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Fabulous. Lovely.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38It really is very tasty and is definitely on my list
0:18:38 > 0:18:41of things you must see and do when in Newcastle -
0:18:41 > 0:18:44in my Top Ten From Len.
0:18:44 > 0:18:50The Ulster fry is famous for setting up millions for a day of hard
0:18:50 > 0:18:51work, or play.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And while it may be pretty calorific, thankfully,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59there are plenty of outdoor pursuits to work off the excesses!
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Oh, yes!
0:19:01 > 0:19:05The Silent Valley Reservoir was built to gather
0:19:05 > 0:19:07water from the Mourne Mountains
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and is the main water supply source for most of County Down.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15It's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18with glorious parkland, lakes and a pond.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Around 50,000 visitors flock here every year.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24And who can blame them?
0:19:27 > 0:19:31As we all know, British weather can be a tad temperamental,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35but a rainy day can still be a holiday highlight
0:19:35 > 0:19:38thanks to the Newcastle Community Cinema.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Based in the beautiful Annesley Hall, overlooking Dundrum Bay
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and run by six volunteers with a passion for film,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49the cinema shows movies for all age groups.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55In a relaxed atmosphere, the cinema puts old fashioned excitement
0:19:55 > 0:19:58back into "Saturday night at the movies".
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Now back on her trips here as a young girl,
0:20:02 > 0:20:07Gloria spent most of her days playing on the sand by the sea.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Well, here we are, we're on the beach.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12I'm not really prepared for going on the beach, but still I'll be fine.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14But you see, for a child living in the middle,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16right in the middle of Northern Ireland, to come to the
0:20:16 > 0:20:18beach and see the sea,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21while I have lots of memories of the weather being atrocious...
0:20:21 > 0:20:24I mean, today, we're blessed with gorgeous weather.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- But sometimes it wasn't so good. But we'd still dig and play anyway.- Yeah.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30"We've come to Newcastle, you're going to enjoy the beach,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32"so get on with it!"
0:20:32 > 0:20:37So, what would you have done? Would you have played some games or...?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40We would have played things like rounders.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43You would have teamed up with other people on the beach.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46That was all part of your holiday, meeting new friends
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and things like that. So it was lovely.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52It's a lovely day, we're on the beach,
0:20:52 > 0:20:56- do you fancy a game of rounders? - With you?- Yeah, just...- I'm useless.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59I'd be useless, but I'll do it. Yeah, why not?
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Right, time to work off some of that Ulster fry!
0:21:03 > 0:21:06I've even managed to round up some local kids to give us a game.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- I'll try batting, but I'll probably miss it.- Come on.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10- Don't laugh!- No, but...
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Watch out, Hunniford, I don't like to lose!
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Rounders has been played since Tudor times
0:21:20 > 0:21:23and the first formal rules were drawn up
0:21:23 > 0:21:26on the Emerald Isle in 1884.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Hey! Ha!
0:21:42 > 0:21:45THEY LAUGH
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Very good!
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Ready?
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Catch it!
0:21:55 > 0:21:57- Ah-ha-ha!- Out, out.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- Do you know what? I'm kind of glad. - I'll bet you are!
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Somebody else can take over now.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Surely that worked off most of the calories -
0:22:07 > 0:22:09at least that's what I'm going to tell myself.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The central promenade here in Newcastle has been
0:22:12 > 0:22:14modernised in recent years,
0:22:14 > 0:22:19so the sea front would have looked a little different back in 1948.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Then again, so did I.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Here we are, this is the promenade. But I guess it's not as it was.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26No. It is and it isn't
0:22:26 > 0:22:29because the basic format's the same.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Obviously this big globe behind us, that wasn't there.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36A bit more sort of sculpture and things around.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40But this, I think, is where the main bandstand was.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42And what was lovely was that
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- there would be deckchairs all out the front.- Yeah.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47You paid a very small amount of money to go in
0:22:47 > 0:22:49and then, everybody would sort of sit at the front.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52And then the big bandstand... It was a very
0:22:52 > 0:22:54luxurious bandstand really. It was lovely.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58The bandstand, which dated back to the early 1900s,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02was removed from the seafront when it fell into disrepair.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04It's since been restored and relocated
0:23:04 > 0:23:07at a National Trust property 20 miles away
0:23:07 > 0:23:10but Gloria still remembers all the joy it brought.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13And, although they had set entertainers to come
0:23:13 > 0:23:14and you'd pay to see the entertainment,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17but always, they had that talent competition.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Yeah.- And, of course, with so many tourists coming into the town,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22the talent competition changed all the time.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Even if you were here for a week,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25you'd still get different people entering.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- Of course, muggins here would always be entering.- Yeah.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- SHE LAUGHS - You must have been a very confident young lady,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- I've got to say.- Well. - To stand up there
0:23:32 > 0:23:35with all these people and sing your heart out.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39I suppose because there was entertainment in my family
0:23:39 > 0:23:44and, in a way, in Irish households, you have to do your piece
0:23:44 > 0:23:47inasmuch that you've got a gathering, they'll say, "You have to do a bit now."
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- Yeah.- You always had to sing, or do a dance, or something.- Yeah.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52You had to do your bit, in other words.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54So you kind of got used to performing.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And I guess I must have been reasonably confident, yeah.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00But then, at that point, I was just about to go
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and do semi-professional entertaining all around the country
0:24:03 > 0:24:05- with my dad.- Yeah.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07So, of course, I wanted to do it, didn't I?
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I've got a bit of sheet music here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10SHE LAUGHS
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Did you used to go out and buy sheet music? Because...
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Well, I wish you'd told me about that
0:24:15 > 0:24:19because at home I have got drawers full of sheet music.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23And what used to happen is... It seems crazy. ..we had a music shop
0:24:23 > 0:24:26in our town of Portadown, and every Saturday morning
0:24:26 > 0:24:30I would queue up - queue up - to get the sheet music of the day.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Whatever was in the charts.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36You know, it would be... What was it? Donald Peers with Shady Nook
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- and Jimmy Young singing Too Young.- Yeah.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- But you went to get the sheet music cos that's all you had.- Yeah.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- We didn't have record players and things like that.- Yeah.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45We didn't at that time.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49Gloria clearly had a love of performing from a young age,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52so it seems she was destined to go on to become a star.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57How did you go from being this little girl who was singing
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and dreaming of being on the stage?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03How did that go into broadcasting?
0:25:03 > 0:25:08I made a record in Northern Ireland that went to like number seven
0:25:08 > 0:25:09in the Ulster charts.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- HE ANNOUNCES:- Number SEVEN! - Number SEVEN!
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Yeah, seven, lucky number for me.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17So I was brought in on the equivalent of the Today programme
0:25:17 > 0:25:19to be interviewed about Lisburn.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22By this stage I had two children. Lisburn housewife, two kids.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24How are you going to manage being in the charts?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26You know, singing, housework.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29And the producer... And you've got to remember, at that point
0:25:29 > 0:25:32there were virtually no women up front in television or radio,
0:25:32 > 0:25:33certainly in Northern Ireland.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36And the producer of this programme thought
0:25:36 > 0:25:37I wasn't short of a word or two,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40rang me up and said, "Have you thought about broadcasting?"
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Which I never had. And so, he offered me a job. How lucky was I?
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- Yeah.- And he said, "When can you start?" I went, "How about tomorrow?"
0:25:47 > 0:25:48And that was it.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49- And off you went?- And off I went.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53In the end, I, of course, broadcast in Northern Ireland
0:25:53 > 0:25:56for quite a number of years before I went to England.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58During the '70s and early '80s,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Gloria presented Good Evening Ulster.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04This was Ulster TV's main weekday news programme.
0:26:04 > 0:26:05At this time of the year,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07children everywhere are busy collecting conkers.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10But, here in Atkinson Avenue in Portadown,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13the children may not be able to collect conkers for very much longer.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15- And then you went to Radio 2.- I did.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18It's a funny story about that really because I went to London
0:26:18 > 0:26:22with my LPs under my arm to try and get airplay in Radio 2.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And the controller, whom I'd just phoned up out of the blue and said,
0:26:25 > 0:26:26"Can I come and see you?"
0:26:26 > 0:26:28He said to me, "Do you listen to Radio 2?"
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I said, "I do, all the time." And I did.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32He said, "What do you think is wrong with it?"
0:26:32 > 0:26:35The first thing I said to him, cos when you're not looking for a job
0:26:35 > 0:26:37you'll say a lot more than you might ordinarily.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I said, "Well, for a start, you don't have any women on Radio 2."
0:26:40 > 0:26:42So I really dealt it out what was wrong with Radio 2.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46And, three years later, he came looking for me and offered me a job.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49In 1982, Gloria became the first woman
0:26:49 > 0:26:53to host her own daily radio show on BBC Radio 2.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And she hosted for 13 years.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57While I was doing Radio 2,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00along came the offer to do Sunday Sunday, my own chat show.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06Gloria hosted the ITV talk show Sunday Sunday from 1982 until 1990.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13APPLAUSE Well, a very good afternoon to you.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Welcome along to this week's programme.
0:27:15 > 0:27:16And I can tell you that it really is a show
0:27:16 > 0:27:19which is top-heavy with star names.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20How they did it, I'll never know,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24but they got every wonderful Hollywood name
0:27:24 > 0:27:25that you could imagine.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Ranging from Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- Charlton Heston...- Yeah. - ..and Jimmy Stewart.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I mean... And I had... In our town, in Portadown,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36there was nothing to do but go to the movies.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40So I had watched all these old Hollywood icons on the films.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Little did I think that I'd be sitting there one day.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47If I could relive a broadcasting period, that would be the period.
0:27:50 > 0:27:55Over 55,000 visitors come to Newcastle every year,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57enjoying what this part of the world has to offer.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02A wander along the prom is a must.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05And what seaside stroll could be complete
0:28:05 > 0:28:06without sampling some ice cream?
0:28:08 > 0:28:10At The Strand cafe,
0:28:10 > 0:28:13the Nugent family have been making vanilla ice cream
0:28:13 > 0:28:17since 1930, and have not changed the recipe since.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20The ice cream here has won national awards
0:28:20 > 0:28:23with vanilla the most popular flavour.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Ooh, yum yum, pig's bum.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27I love a lick of an ice cream.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33If you're after a bit of culture, then just down the road
0:28:33 > 0:28:35is the Annalong Corn Mill and harbour.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Built in the 1800s and operated until the 1960s,
0:28:39 > 0:28:43it was one of the last working water mills in Northern Ireland.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48The building contains many of the original components,
0:28:48 > 0:28:52and is open to the public to view the fascinating inner workings.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54It has a grain-drying kiln,
0:28:54 > 0:28:59three pairs of millstones and a 15ft water wheel,
0:28:59 > 0:29:03a form of technology that's over 2,000 years old.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06And, if it is old things you're after,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09the Down County Museum has plenty of them.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Located within the historic buildings of the 18th century
0:29:13 > 0:29:17county jail, it has artefacts from the earliest times
0:29:17 > 0:29:19right up to the present day.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21The jail was opened in 1796
0:29:21 > 0:29:26and housed thousands of prisoners up until its closure in 1830.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28The museum restored the buildings,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32and you can now see the conditions in which the prisoners were kept.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37You can't come to Newcastle, particularly the promenade,
0:29:37 > 0:29:39without talking about Percy French. And obviously,
0:29:39 > 0:29:41this was not here in my day.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45The memorial statue was erected in 2008
0:29:45 > 0:29:48in memory of Irish entertainer Percy French,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51who was famous in the late 19th century
0:29:51 > 0:29:54for composing and singing humorous Irish songs.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58One of his most famous songs was The Mountains Of Mourne.
0:29:58 > 0:30:04# In the place where the dark Mourne sweeps down to the sea. #
0:30:04 > 0:30:06He wrote this song about Newcastle itself.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09You know, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11- And really, it's known worldwide. - Yeah.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14They've actually, luckily for us, put the words on the sign.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15Yeah, shall we have a go?
0:30:15 > 0:30:18- BOTH:- # Oh, Mary, this London's a wonderful sight
0:30:18 > 0:30:22# With the people all working by day and by night
0:30:22 > 0:30:25# They don't sow potatoes, or barley, or wheat
0:30:25 > 0:30:29# But there's gangs of them digging for gold in the street
0:30:29 > 0:30:33# At least when I asked them that's what I was told
0:30:33 > 0:30:37# So I just took a hand at this digging for gold
0:30:37 > 0:30:42# But for all that I've found sure I might as well be
0:30:42 > 0:30:48# Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea. #
0:30:48 > 0:30:49Yay! Lovely.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51# There's beautiful girls... #
0:30:51 > 0:30:53CROWD APPLAUDS Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56You can put the pennies in the tin.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Even 66 years on,
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Gloria's singing still entertains the crowds in Newcastle.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Now, the famous Mourne Mountains that Percy sang about
0:31:07 > 0:31:10are the most dramatic mountain range in Northern Ireland,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13with the highest peak being the Slieve Donard.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Crisscrossed with paths and treks, they're a walker's paradise
0:31:17 > 0:31:19and a firm favourite with Gloria.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Now then, here's the test.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24After that Ulster fry, will we get through or not?
0:31:24 > 0:31:26- Oh, yes. - SHE LAUGHS
0:31:26 > 0:31:29- That is what is called a true test. - Yeah.
0:31:29 > 0:31:30I'd only do it sideways.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33Ooh. Oh-hoo.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Do you know, I'm not convinced I burnt off all that fry up earlier.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42I think a brisk walk should do the trick.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Now, as I understand it,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47this is the main pathway to climbing Slieve Donard.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52You can't stay on the beach all the time.
0:31:52 > 0:31:57- No.- So, obviously we used to love coming on walks, and climbing trees,
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and playing hide and seek, all the things that kids like to do.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Look at that. Do you know, I love also the sound of the water
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- over the rocks.- Yeah. - It's great, isn't it?- Isn't it?
0:32:06 > 0:32:09- Could be the Grand Canyon for all you know.- Yeah, yeah.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12- Well, yeah, it's better than the Grand Canyon...- It's beautiful.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14- ..cos we're in Ireland.- It's lovely.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- Len, come on, we've got that mountain to climb.- No, no, wait a minute.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Look, I've come a good hundred yards. Let's have a...
0:32:20 > 0:32:23- Let's take a selfie.- OK. Good.- Yeah?
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Yes. And pretend that we did the mountains.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27And I'm going to make out... Yeah.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28Now. Uh-oh.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Uh-oh, here we go.
0:32:31 > 0:32:32Let me get it well away.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34It's a bit close, Len.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Look, I'm not a Harlem Globetrotter.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38That's about as far as I can get.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- There you go!- Hey, we did it. We did it. We did it.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46Lovely.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48So, is it true then, you're giving up at this point?
0:32:50 > 0:32:53- Well, yeah, but I'm going to look like the big wimp.- No, you won't.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55- No, you won't.- Come on. - I'm going down this way.
0:32:55 > 0:32:56- Come on, we'll go down.- OK.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59But I'm thanking heaven you've said that
0:32:59 > 0:33:01- cos it was quite a hike. - Saved your bacon.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Not only did Gloria holiday here as a young girl
0:33:04 > 0:33:08but she took her three children on trips to Newcastle too.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Her daughter Caron Keating followed in her mum's showbiz footsteps
0:33:12 > 0:33:15and was a presenter on Blue Peter for four years.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19Sadly, after a seven-year battle with breast cancer,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Caron passed away in 2004.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25What is wonderful about your career and your life,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28you know, there's been plenty of ups but, of course,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32- there's been some downs and some tragic downs...- Yes...
0:33:32 > 0:33:33- ..with your daughter Caron.- Yes.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Was it your faith that helped you to get through that?
0:33:39 > 0:33:43I'll be honest with you, I don't know. Because the worst thing,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47singularly for any parent, is the prospect of losing your child.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50And so, when your child is ill,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52you're so used to doing, "There, there, there,"
0:33:52 > 0:33:55and putting the sticking plaster on and, "It'll be fine,"
0:33:55 > 0:33:58that when something hits you like cancer with Caron,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01as a parent you're lost because you don't know what to do.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04You want to do something but you know you can't really go beyond
0:34:04 > 0:34:07what medically is being done, except you can be there for support
0:34:07 > 0:34:09and all of that.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Caron's battle against cancer went on for seven years.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15And it's not that it was all gloom and doom because there were times
0:34:15 > 0:34:19during the seven years that she was allegedly fine.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22They would cut the cancer out and you're fine.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24And then, one day I woke up and I thought, do you know,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27I could be under a bus long before anything might happen to Caron.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30So I've got to, you know, man up as it were...
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Woman up, in this case.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36..and be as supportive as I can, as positive as I can.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39And because Caron herself was so...
0:34:39 > 0:34:42She was so strong that, in the end, she became a teacher.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- Yeah.- And she taught us all to be strong.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47And I don't know where that strength comes from.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50And to answer your question about faith -
0:34:50 > 0:34:51yes, you cling onto your faith.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54My faith was very strong here in Northern Ireland.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58And some people lose their faith when they lose their loved one,
0:34:58 > 0:34:59lose their child,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01but I found I really wanted to hold on to that
0:35:01 > 0:35:03because I needed to hold on to that,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and cos I have to believe that I'll see Caron again.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08- Yes.- So I hold on to my faith very strongly.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13- And of course you then started your wonderful charity.- Yes, I did
0:35:13 > 0:35:15because that's my healing.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17And I think she's looking down now.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19She'll say, "Well done, Mum."
0:35:19 > 0:35:21If she's looking down, she'll be looking down
0:35:21 > 0:35:22in this part of the world because,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25as a child, just as my mum brought me here,
0:35:25 > 0:35:27I brought my children here all the time.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32It's a magical area, and it's easy to see
0:35:32 > 0:35:35it holds a very special place in Gloria's heart.
0:35:38 > 0:35:39Rain, hail or shine,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42hordes of people make their way to County Down
0:35:42 > 0:35:45to spend some time in the Mourne Mountains.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49With dozens of granite peaks squeezed into an area
0:35:49 > 0:35:51only 15 miles by 5,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54there are so many different paths and treks
0:35:54 > 0:35:57it would take years to explore them all.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01The 1,300 acres of mountains are said to have influenced
0:36:01 > 0:36:05CS Lewis to write The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07and have provided the backdrop for films
0:36:07 > 0:36:11including Dame Judi Dench's Philomena.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14After a ramble, you're likely to need some refreshment.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16And you're in luck
0:36:16 > 0:36:20because hospitality is something that the people of Northern Ireland
0:36:20 > 0:36:21are good at.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Located at the foot of the mountains,
0:36:23 > 0:36:27O'Hares offers the perfect mix of food, music
0:36:27 > 0:36:29and, of course, a wee tipple.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Make mine a sherry. Hmm, lovely.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35This area is full of history.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39And just north of Newcastle and overlooking the town of Dundrum
0:36:39 > 0:36:42are the ruins of Dundrum Castle.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Built at the end of the 12th century,
0:36:44 > 0:36:48it's considered one of the finest Norman castles in Northern Ireland.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52It's had a colourful history
0:36:52 > 0:36:56that culminated in its sacking by Cromwell's army in the 1650s.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58The circular keep is still intact
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and offers stunning views out to sea.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07There's a century-old tradition around these parts
0:37:07 > 0:37:09of seaweed bathing.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14Seaweed was, and still is, used as a soil conditioner.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18And farmers found calluses on their hands got better when using it,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22so it wasn't long before the tradition of seaweed bathing began.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26Soak is the only seaweed bathhouse in the UK,
0:37:26 > 0:37:30and is the perfect place to detoxify your body.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Back in 1948, Gloria longed to go for tea
0:37:36 > 0:37:39in the neo-Gothic Slieve Donard Hotel.
0:37:39 > 0:37:45It was built in the 1890s to cater for the middle class of Belfast.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49The hotel has opened its doors to guests as varied as Charlie Chaplin,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53Desmond Tutu and Daniel O'Donnell.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57A cream tea would have cost around six shillings in 1948,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00too much for Gloria's family to afford.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03So I couldn't bring her here without treating her.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05Oh, my goodness.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09It's going to be jelly and ice cream, and I love it!
0:38:09 > 0:38:10THEY LAUGH
0:38:10 > 0:38:11- Thank you very much.- And...
0:38:11 > 0:38:12SHE GASPS
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- The works. Thank you so much. - The full works.- Thank you.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Look at that.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Oh, my goodness, that's gorgeous.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21- That is brilliant. - Isn't this incred...
0:38:21 > 0:38:26- Between Ulster fry for lunch...- Yeah. - ..and a cream tea before we go home.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29This is beautiful. You know what, though, I'll start with the jelly.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31I know that's not the way you should start but I love jelly.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35- I'll go with you.- I love jelly. Mmm.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38- As a girl, I'm not looking for caviar and champagne.- No.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41I'm just looking for a cream tea and jelly and ice cream.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43- So I'm a reasonably cheap date, aren't I?- You are.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46- SHE LAUGHS - What about the shows you've done recently?
0:38:46 > 0:38:48You know, Cash In The Attic and Rip-Off Britain.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Well, of course, the wonderful thing is
0:38:50 > 0:38:54that for Rip-Off Britain, you know, if you gave that programme
0:38:54 > 0:38:56to three 19-year-olds, it wouldn't have the same gravitas.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00So it's a perfect thing for Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and myself to do. We're doing 50 of those this year.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05So, when you ever get involved in ageism,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08we go, "Hey, we're still working. We're still busy."
0:39:08 > 0:39:11- Yeah.- Also, I'm a Loose Woman these days as well.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13- Yeah.- You may have thought I was a loose woman for years
0:39:13 > 0:39:14but I'm an official one now.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Then, of course, another series that I'm doing, which is called
0:39:17 > 0:39:18Home Away From Home.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It's about people swapping homes within Britain.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23So it might be somebody from...Newcastle
0:39:23 > 0:39:26going across to Cornwall, or something like that.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28So, lots of things. Lots of exciting things.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31And so, in a way, whatever programme you're doing at the time
0:39:31 > 0:39:33- is the best, isn't it? - Yeah. Yeah, of course.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37And what I admire with you, you have so much energy still
0:39:37 > 0:39:39and so much enthusiasm. How do you keep that up?
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Do you know, that's all to do with the Northern Ireland work ethic.
0:39:43 > 0:39:44We're taught to work.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46I started to work when I was so young.
0:39:46 > 0:39:47I still expect to work.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I never expect anybody else to work for me.
0:39:50 > 0:39:51I still love my work.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55And I always put that down to Northern Ireland
0:39:55 > 0:39:57and parental upbringing really.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00My mother had a saying... If she saw me sitting in a chair reading,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02for example, she'd say, "What are you doing?"
0:40:02 > 0:40:04I'd go, "Just reading a book." And she'll go,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07"Years ahead of you to sit in a chair and read.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08"Go off and do something."
0:40:08 > 0:40:12With a result that, these days, if I even have time off
0:40:12 > 0:40:14that I'm sort of doing nothing, in my head I think,
0:40:14 > 0:40:15I'd better go and do something.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18- How did you enjoy doing the old Strictly?- Well.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Remember that I did it when it was very innocent,
0:40:20 > 0:40:23when you could put one foot past the other and you were on.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It was about a year and a half, I think, after Caron died.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29And I thought I'd never find anything to laugh about
0:40:29 > 0:40:30or smile about ever again
0:40:30 > 0:40:34cos I was so much in the depths of despair really.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And my family thought it'd be a very joyful thing for me to do,
0:40:37 > 0:40:38and so it was.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41So, for that reason alone, I'll always be grateful to Strictly.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44- Yeah.- Not for the dancing but for the joy of it.- Yeah.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47How do you think your holiday in Newcastle back then
0:40:47 > 0:40:50has helped to shape your life?
0:40:50 > 0:40:53Well, first of all, it gave me that opportunity very early on
0:40:53 > 0:40:56to go up in the bandstand and introduce my song
0:40:56 > 0:40:57and perform in front of an audience,
0:40:57 > 0:41:01so, I suppose if you want to go back that far,
0:41:01 > 0:41:03it kind of helped me on the path of performance.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05That's certainly one thing because that was a big impression,
0:41:05 > 0:41:08- you know, to win the talent competition...- Yes.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10..at Newcastle, at the pier as well.
0:41:10 > 0:41:11That was wonderful.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13What a glorious girl.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16And what a tremendous trip we've had.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- Oh, my goodness.- I might have a little go at something.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21Scone is lovely.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26Remembering the precious times Gloria had here as a child
0:41:26 > 0:41:31and reliving some of those special moments from happy holidays.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- After that Ulster fry, will we get through or not?- Oh, yes.
0:41:34 > 0:41:35SHE LAUGHS
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- That is what I call a true test. - Yeah. I'd only do it sideways.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45I tell you what, this is incredible. It doesn't get better.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47It doesn't. I do bring you to the best parts, don't I?
0:41:47 > 0:41:51- You have brought me, truly, to one of the best parts.- Yeah, lovely.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53And, of course, I want you to have memories,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55not only from when you were a little girl
0:41:55 > 0:41:57but I want you to have memories of our day together.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00I'll never forget this day, actually. It's been so lovely to relive it.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03- What have you got hidden away? - This is a little scrapbook...
0:42:03 > 0:42:05- Ooh.- ..of our time together.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07- Holiday Of My Lifetime. - Isn't that gorgeous?
0:42:07 > 0:42:09As long as there's a photograph of you and me together
0:42:09 > 0:42:11and Newcastle in sight, I'll be happy.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13There'll be loads of those.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15A special scrapbook of memories
0:42:15 > 0:42:17from our terrific time
0:42:17 > 0:42:19here in Newcastle, County Down.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21But the surprises don't stop there,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23as I've tracked down
0:42:23 > 0:42:26some special sheet music for Gloria.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Look at that.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Oh, that's fantastic!
0:42:30 > 0:42:33"The Mountains O'Mourne Simplified Piano Solo
0:42:33 > 0:42:35"by Percy French."
0:42:35 > 0:42:37- That is fantastic.- One and sixpence.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41THEY LAUGH Pity it wasn't one and "seven!"
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Oh, that's lovely. Thank you so much.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- I know exactly where I'm going to hang that.- Yeah?- Or sit it.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- Or you can sit it.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51- Brilliant. Thank you very much. - I've noticed as well
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- that it matches your...- Well, now.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- Matches your outfit. - Talk about the accident.- Yeah.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58That's lovely. I'll really treasure that. Thank you.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- You're welcome.- Do you know what, I give you ten out of ten.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Well, I'd always give you a ten from Len, I promise you.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11And so, we say goodbye to the stunning shores of Northern Ireland
0:43:11 > 0:43:16and the fond holiday memories of the wonderful Gloria Hunniford.