0:00:02 > 0:00:05Childhood holidays? Oh, 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
0:00:12 > 0:00:14times with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17THEY SCREAM
0:00:17 > 0:00:20'Every day, I'll be arranging a few surprises
0:00:20 > 0:00:22'to transport them back in time.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Oh, look!
0:00:24 > 0:00:27It's just as I remember!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30'We'll relive the fun...
0:00:30 > 0:00:32'the games...'
0:00:32 > 0:00:35THEY CHEER We got them!
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'..and the food of years gone by...'
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Yummy!
0:00:38 > 0:00:44- Welcome to 1959. - Total happiness.- Yes, perfect.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'..to find out how those holidays around the UK
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'helped shape the people we know so well today.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Bruce Forsyth.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54HE IMITATES BRUCE: Yes. Marvellous, Len, you're still my favourite.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'So buckle up for the 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 > 0:01:06On today's trip down memory lane,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10I'm all aboard a ferry on the Solent with the sun on my face
0:01:10 > 0:01:13and the wind through my, ahem, hair to meet our mystery holidaymaker.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The star I'm meeting today is someone who's been riding
0:01:19 > 0:01:22the crest of a celebrity wave for decades.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26And, I tell you what, she makes it look all so easy.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31This is her as a wee girl. Cute!
0:01:31 > 0:01:36She was born in 1940 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Aw, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41After reading English at Oxford,
0:01:41 > 0:01:47one of her first jobs was as a sound-effects assistant at the BBC.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50But she really began to make some noise as the face
0:01:50 > 0:01:53of a Sunday night programme
0:01:53 > 0:01:56where she unearthed curious-looking carrots
0:01:56 > 0:02:00and championed consumer rights.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01Are you getting it?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04And I even awarded her a few points
0:02:04 > 0:02:08when she skipped the light fantastic on Strictly.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Oh! She never got a seven, but I guess that's life.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Have you got it sussed?
0:02:14 > 0:02:17It's that tough-talking cookie with a heart of gold,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20it's the lovely Esther Rantzen.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And today I'm taking Esther back to one particular holiday
0:02:24 > 0:02:27in one very significant moment in time
0:02:27 > 0:02:30that holds a very special place for her.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33So I'll be dropping anchor,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38crying, "All aboard!" as we set sail on the same route
0:02:38 > 0:02:41that she took all those years ago.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Hello, sailor! Let's go! Whoo!
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Esther is a Home Counties girl, originally from Hertfordshire,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and later brought up alongside her younger sister, Priscilla,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56in Hampstead, North London.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01She was born in 1940 to Mum, Katherine, and Dad, Henry,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04who worked as an electrical engineer at the BBC -
0:03:04 > 0:03:09a place Esther would get to know well a few years later,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12but not before graduating from Oxford University,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14where she studied English.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Her on-screen career began when, as a researcher,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20she reported on consumer show Braden's Week,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25and in 1973 she became the main presenter on "That's Life!"
0:03:25 > 0:03:27attracting up to 20 million viewers.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Thank you very much indeed.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Good evening, I can't tell you how lovely it is to be back with
0:03:33 > 0:03:38a special addition of "That's Life!" to celebrate the passing of 1974.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44Her campaigning streak led her to launch children's charity ChildLine.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Most recently, we have seen her surviving in the jungle
0:03:48 > 0:03:49and tackling the tango
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and I can't wait to find out how she used to spend holidays
0:03:53 > 0:03:55as a young'un.
0:03:55 > 0:04:02- Esther?- Len!- I'm the captain. - Indeed.- Lovely to see you.- And you.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- Have you got your sea legs? - Well, I'm just enjoying the sunshine.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09- Isn't it gorgeous?- And the air. It's beautiful.- Isn't it just?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12So, tell me, where are we going?
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- The Isle Of Wight. - One of my favourites.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Oh, lovely jubbly.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I think there's something special about islands.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I agree 100%. Yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25However short the boat trip,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28you feel as though you're going abroad somehow.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- Yes, in a different world.- Yes. And what year is it?- It's 1946.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38- I am six years old. The war has just finished.- Yes.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42I think it was my first family holiday. I think it was a week.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44A week on the Isle Of Wight?
0:04:44 > 0:04:48- Nothing could be better. - You're right.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50And over two-and-a-half million tourists
0:04:50 > 0:04:54who visit the island every year agree.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56The Isle Of Wight sits just a few miles off
0:04:56 > 0:04:58the south coast of England,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01separated from the mainland by the Solent.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06Just 23 miles by 13 miles, there are plenty of ferries from Portsmouth,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Southampton and Lymington, to take you there in under an hour.
0:05:10 > 0:05:11But, if you're in a hurry,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15a hovercraft or a catamaran will get you there in half the time.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20And you'll get a warm welcome when you do arrive,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23as the island benefits from a temperate climate.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26Gently warmed by the Gulf Stream, which sees off harsh weathers,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30the warmer temperatures allow many unusual plants to grow
0:05:30 > 0:05:32in the island's microclimate.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36'Today, I'm taking Esther back almost 70 years
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'to try and relive those wonderful seaside memories.'
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Oh, look, there's crab in there.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45- I'm six years old again.- Yeah, you are. That's what I was hoping.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'Enjoying the sights...
0:05:48 > 0:05:49This is quite worrying.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51'..tastes...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'and smells of her first family holiday.'
0:05:54 > 0:05:55I don't remember her doing a poo.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'And we'll see how important those days spent
0:05:58 > 0:06:00'on the Isle Of Wight really were.'
0:06:00 > 0:06:02This was all the more precious,
0:06:02 > 0:06:04because it was all the family together.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Before any holiday truly begins, first you must set out on a journey.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Whether by plane, train or automobile,
0:06:16 > 0:06:21we've all experienced those hours of anticipation just waiting to
0:06:21 > 0:06:24get to the promised destination you've been dreaming of all year.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31For Esther, in 1946, it must have been especially exciting,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34leaving the mainland for the first time,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36having just lived through the Second World War.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43How many of you were there going on the adventure to the Isle Of Wight?
0:06:43 > 0:06:49My father, who was a very senior engineer, working at the BBC.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54My mother, Katherine, who was a bit mischievous.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56My younger sister, Priscilla,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00whom I absolutely adored then and adore still, and me.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04It must have been wonderful that the war was over.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I can remember air-raid sirens, I can remember a lot, you know,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10during those first five years of my life.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I remember my grandmother walking round the garden with
0:07:13 > 0:07:17a battery radio and the announcement that the war was over.
0:07:17 > 0:07:25Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight.
0:07:25 > 0:07:31We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37See, Len, I'm Jewish, and for us, this was a crucial war for survival.
0:07:37 > 0:07:43- Yeah.- I knew that the wonderful British pilots and soldiers
0:07:43 > 0:07:47were fighting for us. I've never stopped feeling grateful
0:07:47 > 0:07:49that Britain stood alone.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Well, it must have been a lovely release, you know?
0:07:51 > 0:07:53You've had all that time
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and your parents are fraught with worry and so on,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and then, suddenly, it's all over,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01"I tell you what, let's go down to the Isle Of Wight
0:08:01 > 0:08:03- "and have a nice week, yeah?" - Exactly.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Just an hour's ferry trip, and we're here on our adventure,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13about to relive that British holiday by the sea, 1946 style.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20When Esther arrived in 1946, Great Britain had something to celebrate.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23After six difficult years of conflict,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26the Second World War had ended the previous year,
0:08:26 > 0:08:32so 1946 saw a victory parade in the streets of London to celebrate.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35King George VI was on the throne,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and Labour's Clement Attlee now held the keys to Number Ten.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43London Heathrow - now the world's fourth-busiest airport -
0:08:43 > 0:08:44opened for business.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48It may have been the era of the big band, but change was afoot
0:08:48 > 0:08:51as the original teen idol, Frank Sinatra,
0:08:51 > 0:08:56was riding high in the music world, and recorded his first album.
0:08:57 > 0:09:05# ..over me. #
0:09:12 > 0:09:15We're going back in time to the coastal village of Bembridge,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19where Esther's family headed when they got off the ferry.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Located at the easternmost point of the island,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24and with a population of almost 4,000,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28it's home to many of the island's wealthiest residents.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Now, Esther, does this bring back memories?
0:09:32 > 0:09:33It certainly does.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35There was certainly a lifeboat,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and there was certainly a pebbly and sandy beach.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I seem to remember beach huts.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44There were beach huts along here.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Back in the day,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48this is where Esther's family came for a day out on the beach.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53Home to Bembridge Lifeboat Station and several beach huts.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- I just love beach huts. What a funny idea!- I knew it.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00- And they're so British. - They're so British.- Yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Who'd have thought of it? You know, putting a shed up...
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- They're so funny!- ..by the sea. But it's just lovely, I think.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Now, the other thing that's British, Len -
0:10:09 > 0:10:14and I'm a but worried about you - is the knotted handkerchief.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Oh, I can manage one of those.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Well, my father, you see, was a bit follicly challenged,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and he always had a knotted handkerchief.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Always.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I can't believe Esther remembers so much
0:10:29 > 0:10:32about her holiday 68 years ago.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35But to really make her feel like a kid again,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I'm going to take her further along the beach
0:10:37 > 0:10:40to relive those endless hours of crabbing
0:10:40 > 0:10:42she used to enjoy as a child.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- Oh, look, there's crab there! - Where?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48You're a very good crab-spotter.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Well, years of practice.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52'Well, that didn't take much time - she's there already.'
0:10:52 > 0:10:59- I remember walking through... - Rocky pools.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Little tiny pools and seeing the sun and the sand and the...
0:11:04 > 0:11:06- Ooh, look, big crab! - Oh, there's a beauty.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Now, you HAVE spotted a big crab.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Hello, crab!
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- There's a crab.- Ooh... - See? It's attracted to me.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13Yeah, they like you.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Hello! I'm not going to hurt you.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- Now, these - I used to love... - Ah, the seaweed.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- I used to love... - Popping it?- Popping it.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Do you want to pop one?
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Ooh!
0:11:28 > 0:11:29God...
0:11:29 > 0:11:31I'm six years old again.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Yeah, you are. That's what I was hoping.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36How did this happen?
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Esther was only six when she came here on her hols,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43so recalling the exact places she visited won't be easy.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48So I've invited former Lord Lieutenant Christopher Bland
0:11:48 > 0:11:49to help us out.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Now, Esther, I'm going to introduce you someone
0:11:54 > 0:11:56that I think might be of interest.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58- Ooh!- This is Christopher Bland. - How do you do?
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Former Lord Lieutenant of the Isle Of Wight.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04- Oh.- Now, Christopher, what is the Lord Lieutenant?
0:12:04 > 0:12:08Very simply, the Queen has a representative in each county,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- and that is the Lord Lieutenant. - Wow!- There's one for every county.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Esther was here when she was six years old,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17so obviously she has few memories.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19But I think you've got some pictures.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20- Let's have a look.- Here we go.
0:12:20 > 0:12:26- They're 1949, and that's me, looking pretty skinny...- Where?- ..aged 12.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27- Here, look.- Ahh.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- You're a fine figure of a lad. - Yeah, absolutely.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- The Needles - I remember the Needles. - You do?- I do.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36A row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise
0:12:36 > 0:12:39out of the sea off the western extremity of the island,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42the Needles would have certainly made an impression.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44And you've actually got a picture of the car ferry.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Bet it was the one I came over, when I was six.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Could be, yes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51You're so sweet aged 12, cos you called it "the car fairy".
0:12:51 > 0:12:53- There you go. - And that's quite appropriate,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56- cos it brought us over into a magic land.- You're letting me off lightly -
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I couldn't spell then and I can't spell now.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Well, I'm going to tell you, Christopher,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04I thought they were fascinating, because I love old pictures.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- Fascinating. Thank you. - Thank you so much.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- So long.- So long.- Cheers.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12'Esther has had a long and successful career,'
0:13:12 > 0:13:16and is best known for the Sunday night show "That's Life!",
0:13:16 > 0:13:18which made stars of four-legged animals
0:13:18 > 0:13:21before Simon Cowell had even left school.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25As well as its playful side, the show campaigned tirelessly,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28especially around subjects affecting children,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32and in 1988 Esther created Hearts Of Gold -
0:13:32 > 0:13:37a programme to commend those who had done good deeds for others.
0:13:37 > 0:13:43So I want to find out what she was influenced by as a young girl.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I noticed when we were looking in the rock pools
0:13:45 > 0:13:48that you are an inquisitive person.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Well, I suppose I was encouraged by my parents to ask questions,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53and to learn new facts.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55And my father used to walk me up
0:13:55 > 0:13:58and down this beach, telling all kinds of stories...
0:13:58 > 0:14:03- Yeah.- ..and Mum had a tremendous interest in people.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08Of all your investigating, what was the most bizarre?
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Most bizarre - well, I suppose you could call the talking dog unusual.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13"Sausages."
0:14:13 > 0:14:15I beg your pardon?
0:14:15 > 0:14:17"Sausages."
0:14:17 > 0:14:19"Sausages."
0:14:19 > 0:14:21"Sausages." Exactly right.
0:14:21 > 0:14:22- THEY BARK:- "Sausages."- "Sausages."
0:14:22 > 0:14:27But we also had dogs that could read, dogs that could count...
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- If they were still alive, I tell you...- Britain's Got Talent.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33..what a final for Britain's Got Talent we'd have there.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37I used to watch the programme religiously.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38And... Oh, yes.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- On Sunday nights. - Sunday nights, yeah.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And as I remember, every week there would be -
0:14:44 > 0:14:46obviously some humorous bits,
0:14:46 > 0:14:51but there was always something that could almost be life-changing.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- It's because viewers trusted us... - Yeah.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56..realised that we cared about their lives,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and they sent their stories to us, and we put them on the air.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01I'm going to have to do something
0:15:01 > 0:15:04that may remind you of your dad a little bit.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08- Go on.- The sun is now seriously warm.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10And I'm going to have to just put that on.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12I should imagine I look cute.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Utterly cute.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16You've got exactly the face for it.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Despite the Isle Of Wight being a small island,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23there are loads of things to see and do -
0:15:23 > 0:15:25and I've got ten of the best.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Perched high above the Needles at the extreme tip of the island
0:15:29 > 0:15:31is the Needles Old Battery,
0:15:31 > 0:15:37a Victorian fort built in 1862 and used throughout both world wars.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40There are two original guns on the parade ground
0:15:40 > 0:15:42and an underground tunnel
0:15:42 > 0:15:45which leads to a searchlight emplacement
0:15:45 > 0:15:48with dramatic views over the Needle rocks.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise!
0:15:53 > 0:15:55The five-acre pocket of ancient woodland
0:15:55 > 0:15:58at Robin Hill Adventure Park and Gardens
0:15:58 > 0:16:01is brought to life in Electric Woods -
0:16:01 > 0:16:04a series of stunning evening events
0:16:04 > 0:16:08featuring a spectacle of themed light, colour and sound displays.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Each of the season's Electric Woods events has a different twist,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15with themes from Oriental to Indian.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20The Isle Of Wight has some of the best surf in the UK,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23so where better to take up this exhilarating sport?
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Lessons start at £20 for a 90-minute group session,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31and the instructors claim they'll have you riding the wave of success
0:16:31 > 0:16:33in no time at all!
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Surf's up!
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Part of the magic of any childhood holiday
0:16:43 > 0:16:46is the excitement of staying somewhere different.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48The sights, the smells,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and the thrill of having a new bed to lie in!
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Esther stayed in a B&B in 1946,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and B&B stood for Big Business back then,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59as frugal post-war families
0:16:59 > 0:17:01were in need of somewhere cheap and cheerful.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07But now holidaymakers expect a bit more from their beachside lodgings.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Well, Esther, I appreciate that things have moved on,
0:17:13 > 0:17:14and this maybe isn't typical
0:17:14 > 0:17:17of the bed and breakfast that you stayed in.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19I'm going to guess that it's a little grander.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21WAY grander!
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Yeah. Back then, things were more rough and ready, weren't they?
0:17:25 > 0:17:27They were pretty basic.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29This is totally different.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31What, duvet? Yeah.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- There were no duvets... - No.- ..in 1946, at all.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36It was sheets and blankets.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38And we'd have twin beds for me and my sister,
0:17:38 > 0:17:43but we certainly didn't have an en-suite bathroom.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46At that age, you'd always only ever slept at home,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48or maybe at your nan's, or something.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51And so suddenly you're coming to a stranger's house.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Well, I was brought up in my grandmother's house,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57cos during the years of the war, we moved to the country...
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- Right.- ..in Hertfordshire,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03and my grandmother had a house which had space for us, so...
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- But my father was working in London during the war.- Right.
0:18:06 > 0:18:07And he was working with the BBC
0:18:07 > 0:18:10when the bomb fell on Broadcasting House - he often told me about it.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- Really? - And coming back to us at weekends.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16So I suppose, in a way, this was all the more precious,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- because it was all the family together.- Yeah.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Yeah. Oh, lovely.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25A holiday destination for us Brits since Victorian times,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28the island was given its own royal seal of approval
0:18:28 > 0:18:33when Queen Victoria spent her summers here with her family
0:18:33 > 0:18:37at her very own royal retreat - Osborne House.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41However, holidaymaking history was halted during the Second World War.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46Simon Dabell's family have been on the island since the 1820s.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49When his entrepreneurial great-grandfather
0:18:49 > 0:18:51witnessed people visiting a shipwreck,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55he decided to charge them to come and see the views,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and that's how Blackgang Chine -
0:18:57 > 0:19:00thought to be the first theme park in the UK - began.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Blackgang Chine opened to the public in 1843.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06My great-great-grandfather Alexander Dabell started the business.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10The main selling point was very much a curiosity -
0:19:10 > 0:19:12come along and see the weird skeleton of a whale,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14come along and hear all about the shipwrecks
0:19:14 > 0:19:17that occurred along this stretch of the coast.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19And, of course, the wonderful, wonderful views
0:19:19 > 0:19:22that you get along that stretch of coast as well.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23Now, during the war, of course,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25the Isle Of Wight closed for business,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and Blackgang closed for business.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The island became a closed-off destination.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33In fact, people felt they were in prison if they were staying here,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and so there was no visitors on holiday,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39so it became quite the norm for bombing raids,
0:19:39 > 0:19:40for planes flying overhead,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and of course the Battle of Britain took place over the South of England
0:19:43 > 0:19:45and over the Isle Of Wight.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48But it survived, and of course, once the war ended,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52people absolutely streamed to all UK resorts, such as Bembridge
0:19:52 > 0:19:53and Seaview.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56As Esther made her way from the Home Counties
0:19:56 > 0:19:58to Bembridge to holiday with her family,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Simon's family were looking to the future.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07It wasn't really until the 1960s, going on through to the '70s,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11that we began to actually create play areas, theme park rides
0:20:11 > 0:20:13and other attractions.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16My uncle, who was then running the business, Dick Dabell,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20he went to America and saw what Disney was doing and came back
0:20:20 > 0:20:24and said, "I think we can do one or two things at Blackgang like that."
0:20:24 > 0:20:26And of course now we've had to move further along
0:20:26 > 0:20:29because imaginative play is less popular than it was.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Imaginative play and a few board games formed the evening's
0:20:35 > 0:20:39entertainment for Esther and her family at the B&B,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42where they'd be snug as a bug in The Snug!
0:20:42 > 0:20:43See what I did there?
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I know that one of the ways you used to entertain yourselves
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- was a game of tiddlywinks. - Absolutely right, yeah.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- And this is a version from the '40s. - Is it?- Yes.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58'Tiddlywinks actually originated in England during the 1800s.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01'Tiddlywink is English slang for an unlicensed pub.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06'The game consists of a mat with a small round pot in its centre
0:21:06 > 0:21:10'and several little discs made of four colours - blue, green,'
0:21:10 > 0:21:13red and yellow.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17A British universities championship was established by none other
0:21:17 > 0:21:21than Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1961.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Called the Silver Wink, it's still held to this day.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- Well, obviously you need your wink. - Is that your wink?
0:21:30 > 0:21:35I think that's your wink. And then you get your tiddles. There we are.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38As I remember, you have to make them jump.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Yes, well, hold your horses!
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Whoa!
0:21:41 > 0:21:46- Just watch, because of course... - I will.- I was...- A master tiddler?
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- Or a winker?- Undefeated British champion for three years.- Really?
0:21:49 > 0:21:50Watch.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56- Were you aiming at me? - No, it was a ricochet.- Was it?
0:21:56 > 0:21:58THEY CHEER
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- Have a go yourself.- All right. But I can't get the sort of...
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- speed up.- There you go!
0:22:04 > 0:22:06That was quite good, wasn't it?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10'The other game Esther played with her family was charades.'
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Fourth word.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Indigestion. Being sick.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Stomach problems. Heartburn.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I just like you doing it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Something-something the belch?
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Bum!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Fart! Wind!
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- Wind! Gone With The Wind!- Yes!
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Gone With The Wind!
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Gone With The Fart, it doesn't sound the same.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47One thing is for sure, Esther's childhood was filled with love
0:22:47 > 0:22:49and laughter.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Coming from that environment,
0:22:52 > 0:22:57was that partly the inspiration for ChildLine, do you think -
0:22:57 > 0:23:03that you wanted all children to have the joy that you had as a child?
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Well, certainly, in my family children were the focus.
0:23:06 > 0:23:12Um...they always came first. And my mum was one of four sisters.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16They all had children. The children had absolute priority.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18And certainly, when I began to read stories,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21as I'm afraid happens from time to time,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25of children who died or have terrible pain
0:23:25 > 0:23:26because they've been abused...
0:23:26 > 0:23:31There's so much pain you can't avoid in life and, for me,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34ChildLine is the way that children
0:23:34 > 0:23:37and young people who have been hurt can actually ask for help.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41So, yes, I suppose it does come from that.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44A very loving, secure family that I was brought up in.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50It was in 1986 that Esther came up with the concept of ChildLine.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53It was the first helpline of its kind in the world
0:23:53 > 0:23:58and now answers more than 1.5 million calls per year.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02ESTHER: 'ChildLine, for children in trouble or danger.'
0:24:02 > 0:24:04But her charity work doesn't stop there.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07As well as being patron of several other charities,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10two years ago she founded The Silver Line,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14a befriending service set up after experiencing her own
0:24:14 > 0:24:19sense of isolation that struck after the loss of her beloved husband,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23the TV presenter and filmmaker Desmond Wilcox.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Her outstanding charitable works saw her being rewarded with a CBE for
0:24:27 > 0:24:29her services to children
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and an OBE for her contribution to broadcasting.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40No holiday experiences is complete without sampling
0:24:40 > 0:24:42a new kind of food.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46The memories of those tastes, smells and textures stay with us for ever!
0:24:48 > 0:24:50In 1946, for Esther and her family,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53it was a cooked meal every night of the week.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56And after years of rationing, I'm keen to find out what
0:24:56 > 0:25:00the post-war holiday diet would have been like.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Back in the B&B, what was the food like?
0:25:04 > 0:25:08I can't remember anything about the food, except one thing,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12which was the puddings, because every night at the B&B we had exactly
0:25:12 > 0:25:15the same pudding, regular as clockwork,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17out would come the spotted dick.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Spotted dick?
0:25:18 > 0:25:22- Spotted dick. With custard. - You can't beat it!
0:25:22 > 0:25:25I have not eaten it since.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Well, I've arranged for us to come into this little restaurant.
0:25:29 > 0:25:35To jog your memory we are going to have spotted dick and custard.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Bring on the spotted dick!
0:25:39 > 0:25:40- Oh, my goodness!- Oh, lovely!
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Oh, look at the presentation.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49You've got more custard but it doesn't matter.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51I don't think it looked like this.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55It was lumpier. It wasn't nearly as neat.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Try it.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Oh, spotted dick! I love it.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03That is delicious.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Wow!
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Mmmmm!
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- Oh, yummy.- Mmm!
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Spotted dick is a spongy steam pudding that contains
0:26:13 > 0:26:14suet instead of butter.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18It's only slightly sweet and flavoured delicately with lemon.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Ooh, delicious!
0:26:20 > 0:26:23The word "dick" seems to come from the old English
0:26:23 > 0:26:25name for pudding, a "puddick".
0:26:25 > 0:26:30- Yummo! Have you another dick back there? - ESTHER LAUGHS
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Have you got a spare dick?
0:26:37 > 0:26:42I think the point about this pudding is that it doesn't contain very much.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47- It's just suet and flour...- A couple of eggs and a few currants.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51And that's it, so it would have been very economical.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Well, that's what made me think, post-war...
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- The landlady was not pushing the boat out.- No.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Mmm!
0:27:03 > 0:27:08The fact is, victory in 1945 did not bring the end to rationing.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Around the time Esther was enjoying her first family holiday,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15bread, never rationed during the war, was put on the ration,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17where it remained for two years.
0:27:17 > 0:27:2014 years of food rationing in Britain
0:27:20 > 0:27:26ended at midnight on 4 July 1954, when restrictions on the sale
0:27:26 > 0:27:29and purchase of meat and bacon was lifted,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31nine years after the end of the war.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36One thing I'm discovering Esther's family was never short of
0:27:36 > 0:27:37was a sense of adventure.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Carisbrooke Castle, close to the centre of the island,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43is one of the main tourist attractions
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and the scene of one of many
0:27:45 > 0:27:49day excursions the young Esther and her family made
0:27:49 > 0:27:51in the summer of 1946.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55- Do you recognise any of this? Is it coming back?- Absolutely!
0:27:55 > 0:28:00I remember the courtyard and I remember the ramparts...
0:28:00 > 0:28:03I'll give you a couple of facts that may interest you -
0:28:03 > 0:28:08in 1377, the French invaded the castle.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11200 years later the Spanish Armada went close by,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16- so they refortified the whole place. Then...- Go on.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21- You ready for this one?- I am. - 164...SEVEN!
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Charles I was imprisoned in this very place
0:28:27 > 0:28:31after the English Civil War. He tried to escape through a window.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33He got stuck.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37He'd put on so much weight, he couldn't get through the bars.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- Too much spotted dick? - Exactly my thoughts.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44One of the fascinating things is to watch the donkeys,
0:28:44 > 0:28:48who for hundreds of years have walked in a circle.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51- Pulling water up!- Pulling water up from a well.- Which I remember.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56- I was astonished, fascinated.- Shall we go and have a look?- Please let's.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57Let's move on.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01What Esther recalls from 1946 are the donkeys,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04who for centuries were used to draw up water
0:29:04 > 0:29:09from the 16th-century wellhouse by means of a wheel.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Come on, sweetie!
0:29:11 > 0:29:14Nowadays, with daily demonstrations,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17the tradition lives on, and today is Jigsaw's turn.
0:29:17 > 0:29:18How deep is that?
0:29:18 > 0:29:23The well is 49 metres deep, or 161 feet.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Gosh, it's a long way down!
0:29:30 > 0:29:32WATER SPLASHES A SECOND LATER
0:29:35 > 0:29:37- That's a long way, that! - That is a long way!
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Jigsaw is going to turn the wheel a couple of turns
0:29:40 > 0:29:42just to demonstrate how the donkeys used to bring
0:29:42 > 0:29:44water up from the bottom of this well.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47We take a long time to train them and train them using lots of treats.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49OK!
0:29:49 > 0:29:51So this becomes just part of their working routine
0:29:51 > 0:29:53and they are very happy to do it.
0:29:53 > 0:29:54She is our best worker.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Oh, wow!
0:29:56 > 0:30:00- Oh, that's great! - That's what I recall.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05In 1946, when the donkey work was done for real,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08by the time the bucket reached the surface the donkey would have walked
0:30:08 > 0:30:12the equivalent of 5.5 lengths of an Olympic swimming pool.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Wow, look at that! Up it comes.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Whoa! Jigsaw!
0:30:25 > 0:30:27I had to stop cos she's gone to the toilet.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30This is a Blue Peter moment.
0:30:30 > 0:30:31Well, that's all right.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I don't remember her doing a poo when I was here before.
0:30:34 > 0:30:35No. Donkeys often do that.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39It's marvellous. Claire, thank you so much for showing us.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41And thank you, Jigsaw.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44Very well behaved. A little bit naughty at the end,
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- doing a whoopsie. - Yes. A bit of clearing up to do.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51- I have a broom. - Is that an offer?
0:30:55 > 0:30:57With over two-and-a-half million tourists,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00the Isle Of Wight has something for everyone.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Dimbola Lodge is the former home and workplace of pioneering
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron,
0:31:10 > 0:31:14and now home to the Mad Hatter at Julia's Tearoom,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18as well as a museum about her work and life.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22There are also vintage cameras and a permanent exhibition about
0:31:22 > 0:31:26the infamous 1970 Isle Of Wight music festival.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30All aboard the Isle Of Wight Steam Railway.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Take a ride behind one of the vintage steam locomotives
0:31:34 > 0:31:36for a special journey back in time
0:31:36 > 0:31:39through some of the island's unspoilt countryside.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44The restored railway was reopened to the public in 1971
0:31:44 > 0:31:49and has accumulated numerous awards over the last 35 years.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53For the best view, head to Tennyson Down - originally called
0:31:53 > 0:31:57East High Down but renamed in Alfred Lord Tennyson's honour,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59who loved the Isle Of Wight
0:31:59 > 0:32:01and wrote some of his most famous work here.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05He would often take in the views as he crossed
0:32:05 > 0:32:09the downs in a black coat and black-brimmed hat.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14After his death in 1892, the imposing monument was erected on
0:32:14 > 0:32:16the highest point of Tennyson Down.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22For my final surprise, I'm whisking Esther away on an adventure
0:32:22 > 0:32:25not built until 1971.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Young Esther and her family would have had to climb down to
0:32:28 > 0:32:32the beach we're visiting today and wouldn't have had the opportunity
0:32:32 > 0:32:36to view this stunning coastline in quite the same way.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37Take a seat for me.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- There we are. Oh, comfortable. - Whoa.- Arms in.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44- Feet on the bar. Enjoy the ride. Thank you.- Oh, I like this.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46This is lovely.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50I don't think the chair lift was here when you came.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52No. I'm sure I would have remembered this.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56However, you definitely went down to Alum Bay...
0:32:56 > 0:32:59- Definitely.- ..looked at the sands... - Yes!
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- Absolutely.- I'll tell you what, it's going to be great.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05Alum Bay sits near the westernmost point of the island,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08with views of the Needles rock formation.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Of geological interest, and a tourist attraction,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15the bay is best known for its multicoloured sand cliffs.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17You think this thing is gathering speed?
0:33:17 > 0:33:21- I don't know. - It's getting a bit faster here.
0:33:21 > 0:33:22You're not scared, are you?
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Well, um... I've got you here with me.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28- Yeah, I'm here to protect you. - You are here. This is quite worrying.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30- Oh, it's The Needles. - The Needles!
0:33:30 > 0:33:32- Look at them.- They're lovely.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36- You see the colours there?- Beautiful. Look.- Oh, look to your left!
0:33:37 > 0:33:42Orange and red and purple, it's fantastic.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47The sands are made of three minerals -
0:33:47 > 0:33:49quartz, feldspar and mica,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53and in their pure state are white, with other colours being produced
0:33:53 > 0:33:56through contamination by other minerals.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01They might have been here for 35 billion years
0:34:01 > 0:34:04but would have changed even since Esther was first here!
0:34:04 > 0:34:06But as I don't know my iron ore from my Eeyore,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09I think it's best I leave it to the expert.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Here we go. Come on.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16- Esther, this is Mike.- Hello.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18- Pleasure to meet you.- And you.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20- Mike.- Pleasure to see you.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23You are the expert on the sands.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25- So people tell me.- Right.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27And it's a pleasure to meet you here after all
0:34:27 > 0:34:30the years of your last visit, I believe.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Well, this looks exactly the way I remembered it.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Today, and probably even 50 or 100 years' time,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37there won't be a great deal of change.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40You can still see all the fantastic colours we have around us.
0:34:40 > 0:34:4221 different shades of colours, world famous for that.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45And how come they are this way up?
0:34:45 > 0:34:48- Cos usually you think of them as being horizontal.- Absolutely.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50There was something like a tectonic event
0:34:50 > 0:34:53- which turned the cliffs upright. - What does that mean?
0:34:53 > 0:34:56- An explosion?- A bit like an earthquake, really.- Oh, I see.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00How old are these? Are they all about the same age or do they vary?
0:35:00 > 0:35:02No, the chair lift where you got off from,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06that's around 35 million years in time of mineral deposits.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09The oldest incidentally is right along the end there,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11that's the white chalk cliffs here at Alum Bay.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14And the very further side of those white chalk cliffs
0:35:14 > 0:35:17takes you to around 66 million years.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19- Really? - Do you ever find fossils or any kind?
0:35:19 > 0:35:22The only fossils you will find in this area more so
0:35:22 > 0:35:23would be like small sea urchins.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25Further along the coast on the island,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29- it will date back to the dinosaur era.- Wow.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31We do have big finds here on the island.
0:35:31 > 0:35:32What's amazing,
0:35:32 > 0:35:37when you think of the world, you think of the Isle Of Wight,
0:35:37 > 0:35:42little tiny speck, and yet you're the only people that have got this.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Well, it's fantastic, and thank you so much for your time.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46You're welcome.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51The Isle Of Wight certainly punches above its weight
0:35:51 > 0:35:54when it comes to things to do.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Cowes Week has played a key part in the British sporting summer calendar
0:35:58 > 0:36:02since 1826, and it's one of the UK's longest running
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and most successful sporting events.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09It's the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world
0:36:09 > 0:36:14and stages some 40 races each day for 1,000 boats.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Earlier we heard about Blackgang Chine fantasy park,
0:36:17 > 0:36:20the UK's oldest theme park.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24Set on the south of the island in over 40 acres of spectacular
0:36:24 > 0:36:27clifftop gardens, there's something for everyone.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30From water slides, to life-size moving dinosaurs,
0:36:30 > 0:36:33stay all day and bring out the kid in you.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36For a different view of the island,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39holidaymakers can take a sea safari.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43Cruise past the impressive coastline and head to the secluded bays
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and coves of Ventnor and help haul the lobster pots
0:36:46 > 0:36:51and fishing nets, then eat locally caught seafood on the quay.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54And finally, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
0:36:54 > 0:36:58spent many enjoyable hours on their very own private beach,
0:36:58 > 0:37:0020 minutes stroll from Osborne House.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05It opened to the public in 2012 and has already had almost
0:37:05 > 0:37:07half a million visitors.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10See the fully restored bathing machine
0:37:10 > 0:37:13which was used to conceal the queen's modesty
0:37:13 > 0:37:16and be the king of your own sandcastle
0:37:16 > 0:37:20as you get to work on building your own regal apartment.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29It's time for tea, and I've arranged a picnic like Esther and her family
0:37:29 > 0:37:31would have enjoyed back in 1946.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36And I want to find out a little more about her amazing 45-year career
0:37:36 > 0:37:38before the sun sets.
0:37:39 > 0:37:46How did you come to being behind the camera as a researcher
0:37:46 > 0:37:50to being in front of the camera as a presenter?
0:37:50 > 0:37:54- Well, there was a man called Bernard Braden...- I remember him.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57..who more or less invented consumer programmes.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, and good evening.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04And they decided that the researchers on the programme
0:38:04 > 0:38:06should actually go into the studio
0:38:06 > 0:38:09and talk to Bernie about what they had discovered
0:38:09 > 0:38:12when they were investigating the wickedness of conmen and so on.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14I never took it very seriously.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17I never thought for a moment that we would be kept on.
0:38:17 > 0:38:22I thought that they'd sack us and replace us with proper presenters.
0:38:22 > 0:38:23And somehow they forgot to.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27- Do you know what a nomad is? - French for oasis.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31Nomad should be allowed to say that.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33And that was the start.
0:38:33 > 0:38:351968, that was.
0:38:35 > 0:38:40And then, skipping on a little while,
0:38:40 > 0:38:44- you got into the wonderful That's Life!- Ah.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Bernie went to Canada to do the same show there.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51That meant that someone had to carry on
0:38:51 > 0:38:54doing consumer programmes for the BBC.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55And the someone was me.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58I never took this presenting lark at all seriously.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00I thought I was a producer.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04Right. It goes to show how wrong you were because
0:39:04 > 0:39:08you were made for it. You were like a duck to water.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Well, listen, you've said a lot of things about me in my time,
0:39:12 > 0:39:15being as how I appeared on Strictly,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17and I think that's probably one of the nicest.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35And that's the thing with Esther,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39one minute she is a broadcaster, 100% professional,
0:39:39 > 0:39:43the next she's hotstepping in sequins like a game old bird!
0:39:43 > 0:39:47And guess what - even the Queen's a fan.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52I've met people with OBEs and CBEs, but you, you got the double.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54How would you like to be remembered?
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Well, sitting here on this lovely,
0:40:00 > 0:40:05gorgeous day on the Isle Of Wight and thinking about my own
0:40:05 > 0:40:09wonderfully happy childhood, and this one of the happiest memories of it,
0:40:09 > 0:40:15I want my children to remember me as someone who put them first
0:40:15 > 0:40:19and created memories for them the way my parents did for me.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21That's what I would most like.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Everything else, you know, I was extremely lucky,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26I had the opportunities, I had the chances,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29I was in the right place at the right time.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33But providing for one's children the love and happiness
0:40:33 > 0:40:37that all children deserve, that's the most important thing.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41I think you've got it dead on. Perfect.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45And may I say, I hope you've enjoyed our little trip down memory lane
0:40:45 > 0:40:49here on the lovely Isle Of Wight as much as I have.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51Len, it's been absolutely lovely.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55I don't like to do this, but may I give you a kiss?
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It will only be a peck. Don't get overexcited.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00I got very excited already.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03- Thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09I've had a marvellous time with Esther
0:41:09 > 0:41:13'and have been amazed how many memories we have brought back.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16'From the ferry ride...'
0:41:16 > 0:41:18I think it was my first family holiday.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23- A week on the Isle Of Wight, nothing could be better.- You're right.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26'..to the low tide...'
0:41:26 > 0:41:29- Oh, look!- There's a beauty. - Hello!
0:41:31 > 0:41:33'..to losing my pride...'
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The sun is now seriously warm.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39And I'm just going to have to put that on.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Do you think I look cute?
0:41:41 > 0:41:42Utterly cute.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Esther, may I first say,
0:41:49 > 0:41:54it's been such a joy to share your childhood on the Isle Of Wight.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56It's been absolutely great.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00And I'd like to give you a little gift, a little thing...
0:42:00 > 0:42:05A scrapbook of our time together.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09Oh, look at this. How lovely.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11And do you know what I'm going to try and do?
0:42:11 > 0:42:14I'm going to try and recreate this for my own grandson.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- Are you? - Because I've had such fun with you.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19Thank you so much, Len, that's lovely.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22A little scrapbook of memories
0:42:22 > 0:42:24of Esther's time spent here on
0:42:24 > 0:42:26the Isle Of Wight.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28And bearing in mind how this beach
0:42:28 > 0:42:30holiday has rekindled those memories,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33I have one more little surprise.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36I have one other little thing for you.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- You can get excited now. - It's Christmas.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- You can get quite excited.- Oh, wow!
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Look at that!
0:42:47 > 0:42:50A little thing for you from Alum Bay.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54And it took me hours to collect...
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Well, if you believe that, you'd believe anything.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59It's been so much fun.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Our trip to the Isle Of Wight may have been short
0:43:04 > 0:43:09but it was certainly sweet, and in many ways encapsulates
0:43:09 > 0:43:12the experiences that have since shaped Esther's life.