Episode 2 Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman

Childhood holidays? Oh, the anticipation seemed endless.

The holiday itself? Well, it was over too quickly,

so in this series I'm going to be reliving those wonderful

times with some much-loved famous faces.

THEY SCREAM

'Every day, I'll be arranging a few surprises

'to transport them back in time.'

Oh, look!

It's just as I remember!

'We'll relive the fun...

'the games...'

THEY CHEER We got them!

'..and the food of years gone by...'

Yummy!

-Welcome to 1959.

-Total happiness.

-Yes, perfect.

'..to find out how those holidays around the UK

'helped shape the people we know so well today.'

Bruce Forsyth.

HE IMITATES BRUCE: Yes. Marvellous, Len, you're still my favourite.

'So buckle up for the Holiday Of My Lifetime.'

You know, Len, I'm quite enjoying being on my holidays with you.

On today's trip down memory lane,

I'm all aboard a ferry on the Solent with the sun on my face

and the wind through my, ahem, hair to meet our mystery holidaymaker.

The star I'm meeting today is someone who's been riding

the crest of a celebrity wave for decades.

And, I tell you what, she makes it look all so easy.

This is her as a wee girl. Cute!

She was born in 1940 in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

Aw, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

After reading English at Oxford,

one of her first jobs was as a sound-effects assistant at the BBC.

But she really began to make some noise as the face

of a Sunday night programme

where she unearthed curious-looking carrots

and championed consumer rights.

Are you getting it?

And I even awarded her a few points

when she skipped the light fantastic on Strictly.

Oh! She never got a seven, but I guess that's life.

Have you got it sussed?

It's that tough-talking cookie with a heart of gold,

it's the lovely Esther Rantzen.

And today I'm taking Esther back to one particular holiday

in one very significant moment in time

that holds a very special place for her.

So I'll be dropping anchor,

crying, "All aboard!" as we set sail on the same route

that she took all those years ago.

Hello, sailor! Let's go! Whoo!

Esther is a Home Counties girl, originally from Hertfordshire,

and later brought up alongside her younger sister, Priscilla,

in Hampstead, North London.

She was born in 1940 to Mum, Katherine, and Dad, Henry,

who worked as an electrical engineer at the BBC -

a place Esther would get to know well a few years later,

but not before graduating from Oxford University,

where she studied English.

Her on-screen career began when, as a researcher,

she reported on consumer show Braden's Week,

and in 1973 she became the main presenter on "That's Life!"

attracting up to 20 million viewers.

Thank you very much indeed.

Good evening, I can't tell you how lovely it is to be back with

a special addition of "That's Life!" to celebrate the passing of 1974.

Her campaigning streak led her to launch children's charity ChildLine.

Most recently, we have seen her surviving in the jungle

and tackling the tango

and I can't wait to find out how she used to spend holidays

as a young'un.

-Esther?

-Len!

-I'm the captain.

-Indeed.

-Lovely to see you.

-And you.

-Have you got your sea legs?

-Well, I'm just enjoying the sunshine.

-Isn't it gorgeous?

-And the air. It's beautiful.

-Isn't it just?

So, tell me, where are we going?

-The Isle Of Wight.

-One of my favourites.

Oh, lovely jubbly.

I think there's something special about islands.

I agree 100%. Yes.

However short the boat trip,

you feel as though you're going abroad somehow.

-Yes, in a different world.

-Yes. And what year is it?

-It's 1946.

-I am six years old. The war has just finished.

-Yes.

I think it was my first family holiday. I think it was a week.

A week on the Isle Of Wight?

-Nothing could be better.

-You're right.

And over two-and-a-half million tourists

who visit the island every year agree.

The Isle Of Wight sits just a few miles off

the south coast of England,

separated from the mainland by the Solent.

Just 23 miles by 13 miles, there are plenty of ferries from Portsmouth,

Southampton and Lymington, to take you there in under an hour.

But, if you're in a hurry,

a hovercraft or a catamaran will get you there in half the time.

And you'll get a warm welcome when you do arrive,

as the island benefits from a temperate climate.

Gently warmed by the Gulf Stream, which sees off harsh weathers,

the warmer temperatures allow many unusual plants to grow

in the island's microclimate.

'Today, I'm taking Esther back almost 70 years

'to try and relive those wonderful seaside memories.'

Oh, look, there's crab in there.

-I'm six years old again.

-Yeah, you are. That's what I was hoping.

'Enjoying the sights...

This is quite worrying.

'..tastes...

'and smells of her first family holiday.'

I don't remember her doing a poo.

'And we'll see how important those days spent

'on the Isle Of Wight really were.'

This was all the more precious,

because it was all the family together.

Before any holiday truly begins, first you must set out on a journey.

Whether by plane, train or automobile,

we've all experienced those hours of anticipation just waiting to

get to the promised destination you've been dreaming of all year.

For Esther, in 1946, it must have been especially exciting,

leaving the mainland for the first time,

having just lived through the Second World War.

How many of you were there going on the adventure to the Isle Of Wight?

My father, who was a very senior engineer, working at the BBC.

My mother, Katherine, who was a bit mischievous.

My younger sister, Priscilla,

whom I absolutely adored then and adore still, and me.

It must have been wonderful that the war was over.

I can remember air-raid sirens, I can remember a lot, you know,

during those first five years of my life.

I remember my grandmother walking round the garden with

a battery radio and the announcement that the war was over.

Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight tonight.

We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing.

See, Len, I'm Jewish, and for us, this was a crucial war for survival.

-Yeah.

-I knew that the wonderful British pilots and soldiers

were fighting for us. I've never stopped feeling grateful

that Britain stood alone.

Well, it must have been a lovely release, you know?

You've had all that time

and your parents are fraught with worry and so on,

and then, suddenly, it's all over,

"I tell you what, let's go down to the Isle Of Wight

-"and have a nice week, yeah?"

-Exactly.

Just an hour's ferry trip, and we're here on our adventure,

about to relive that British holiday by the sea, 1946 style.

When Esther arrived in 1946, Great Britain had something to celebrate.

After six difficult years of conflict,

the Second World War had ended the previous year,

so 1946 saw a victory parade in the streets of London to celebrate.

King George VI was on the throne,

and Labour's Clement Attlee now held the keys to Number Ten.

London Heathrow - now the world's fourth-busiest airport -

opened for business.

It may have been the era of the big band, but change was afoot

as the original teen idol, Frank Sinatra,

was riding high in the music world, and recorded his first album.

# ..over me. #

We're going back in time to the coastal village of Bembridge,

where Esther's family headed when they got off the ferry.

Located at the easternmost point of the island,

and with a population of almost 4,000,

it's home to many of the island's wealthiest residents.

Now, Esther, does this bring back memories?

It certainly does.

There was certainly a lifeboat,

and there was certainly a pebbly and sandy beach.

I seem to remember beach huts.

There were beach huts along here.

Back in the day,

this is where Esther's family came for a day out on the beach.

Home to Bembridge Lifeboat Station and several beach huts.

-I just love beach huts. What a funny idea!

-I knew it.

-And they're so British.

-They're so British.

-Yeah.

Who'd have thought of it? You know, putting a shed up...

-They're so funny!

-..by the sea. But it's just lovely, I think.

Now, the other thing that's British, Len -

and I'm a but worried about you - is the knotted handkerchief.

Oh, I can manage one of those.

Well, my father, you see, was a bit follicly challenged,

and he always had a knotted handkerchief.

Always.

I can't believe Esther remembers so much

about her holiday 68 years ago.

But to really make her feel like a kid again,

I'm going to take her further along the beach

to relive those endless hours of crabbing

she used to enjoy as a child.

-Oh, look, there's crab there!

-Where?

You're a very good crab-spotter.

Well, years of practice.

'Well, that didn't take much time - she's there already.'

-I remember walking through...

-Rocky pools.

Little tiny pools and seeing the sun and the sand and the...

-Ooh, look, big crab!

-Oh, there's a beauty.

Now, you HAVE spotted a big crab.

Hello, crab!

-There's a crab.

-Ooh...

-See? It's attracted to me.

Yeah, they like you.

Hello! I'm not going to hurt you.

-Now, these - I used to love...

-Ah, the seaweed.

-I used to love...

-Popping it?

-Popping it.

Do you want to pop one?

Ooh!

God...

I'm six years old again.

Yeah, you are. That's what I was hoping.

How did this happen?

Esther was only six when she came here on her hols,

so recalling the exact places she visited won't be easy.

So I've invited former Lord Lieutenant Christopher Bland

to help us out.

Now, Esther, I'm going to introduce you someone

that I think might be of interest.

-Ooh!

-This is Christopher Bland.

-How do you do?

Former Lord Lieutenant of the Isle Of Wight.

-Oh.

-Now, Christopher, what is the Lord Lieutenant?

Very simply, the Queen has a representative in each county,

-and that is the Lord Lieutenant.

-Wow!

-There's one for every county.

Esther was here when she was six years old,

so obviously she has few memories.

But I think you've got some pictures.

-Let's have a look.

-Here we go.

-They're 1949, and that's me, looking pretty skinny...

-Where?

-..aged 12.

-Here, look.

-Ahh.

-You're a fine figure of a lad.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-The Needles - I remember the Needles.

-You do?

-I do.

A row of three distinctive stacks of chalk that rise

out of the sea off the western extremity of the island,

the Needles would have certainly made an impression.

And you've actually got a picture of the car ferry.

Bet it was the one I came over, when I was six.

Could be, yes.

You're so sweet aged 12, cos you called it "the car fairy".

-There you go.

-And that's quite appropriate,

-cos it brought us over into a magic land.

-You're letting me off lightly -

I couldn't spell then and I can't spell now.

Well, I'm going to tell you, Christopher,

I thought they were fascinating, because I love old pictures.

-Fascinating. Thank you.

-Thank you so much.

-So long.

-So long.

-Cheers.

'Esther has had a long and successful career,'

and is best known for the Sunday night show "That's Life!",

which made stars of four-legged animals

before Simon Cowell had even left school.

As well as its playful side, the show campaigned tirelessly,

especially around subjects affecting children,

and in 1988 Esther created Hearts Of Gold -

a programme to commend those who had done good deeds for others.

So I want to find out what she was influenced by as a young girl.

I noticed when we were looking in the rock pools

that you are an inquisitive person.

Well, I suppose I was encouraged by my parents to ask questions,

and to learn new facts.

And my father used to walk me up

and down this beach, telling all kinds of stories...

-Yeah.

-..and Mum had a tremendous interest in people.

Of all your investigating, what was the most bizarre?

Most bizarre - well, I suppose you could call the talking dog unusual.

"Sausages."

I beg your pardon?

"Sausages."

"Sausages."

"Sausages." Exactly right.

-THEY BARK:

-"Sausages."

-"Sausages."

But we also had dogs that could read, dogs that could count...

-If they were still alive, I tell you...

-Britain's Got Talent.

..what a final for Britain's Got Talent we'd have there.

I used to watch the programme religiously.

And... Oh, yes.

-On Sunday nights.

-Sunday nights, yeah.

And as I remember, every week there would be -

obviously some humorous bits,

but there was always something that could almost be life-changing.

-It's because viewers trusted us...

-Yeah.

..realised that we cared about their lives,

and they sent their stories to us, and we put them on the air.

I'm going to have to do something

that may remind you of your dad a little bit.

-Go on.

-The sun is now seriously warm.

And I'm going to have to just put that on.

I should imagine I look cute.

Utterly cute.

You've got exactly the face for it.

Despite the Isle Of Wight being a small island,

there are loads of things to see and do -

and I've got ten of the best.

Perched high above the Needles at the extreme tip of the island

is the Needles Old Battery,

a Victorian fort built in 1862 and used throughout both world wars.

There are two original guns on the parade ground

and an underground tunnel

which leads to a searchlight emplacement

with dramatic views over the Needle rocks.

If you go down in the woods today you're sure of a big surprise!

The five-acre pocket of ancient woodland

at Robin Hill Adventure Park and Gardens

is brought to life in Electric Woods -

a series of stunning evening events

featuring a spectacle of themed light, colour and sound displays.

Each of the season's Electric Woods events has a different twist,

with themes from Oriental to Indian.

The Isle Of Wight has some of the best surf in the UK,

so where better to take up this exhilarating sport?

Lessons start at £20 for a 90-minute group session,

and the instructors claim they'll have you riding the wave of success

in no time at all!

Surf's up!

Part of the magic of any childhood holiday

is the excitement of staying somewhere different.

The sights, the smells,

and the thrill of having a new bed to lie in!

Esther stayed in a B&B in 1946,

and B&B stood for Big Business back then,

as frugal post-war families

were in need of somewhere cheap and cheerful.

But now holidaymakers expect a bit more from their beachside lodgings.

Well, Esther, I appreciate that things have moved on,

and this maybe isn't typical

of the bed and breakfast that you stayed in.

I'm going to guess that it's a little grander.

WAY grander!

Yeah. Back then, things were more rough and ready, weren't they?

They were pretty basic.

This is totally different.

What, duvet? Yeah.

-There were no duvets...

-No.

-..in 1946, at all.

It was sheets and blankets.

And we'd have twin beds for me and my sister,

but we certainly didn't have an en-suite bathroom.

At that age, you'd always only ever slept at home,

or maybe at your nan's, or something.

And so suddenly you're coming to a stranger's house.

Well, I was brought up in my grandmother's house,

cos during the years of the war, we moved to the country...

-Right.

-..in Hertfordshire,

and my grandmother had a house which had space for us, so...

-But my father was working in London during the war.

-Right.

And he was working with the BBC

when the bomb fell on Broadcasting House - he often told me about it.

-Really?

-And coming back to us at weekends.

So I suppose, in a way, this was all the more precious,

-because it was all the family together.

-Yeah.

Yeah. Oh, lovely.

A holiday destination for us Brits since Victorian times,

the island was given its own royal seal of approval

when Queen Victoria spent her summers here with her family

at her very own royal retreat - Osborne House.

However, holidaymaking history was halted during the Second World War.

Simon Dabell's family have been on the island since the 1820s.

When his entrepreneurial great-grandfather

witnessed people visiting a shipwreck,

he decided to charge them to come and see the views,

and that's how Blackgang Chine -

thought to be the first theme park in the UK - began.

Blackgang Chine opened to the public in 1843.

My great-great-grandfather Alexander Dabell started the business.

The main selling point was very much a curiosity -

come along and see the weird skeleton of a whale,

come along and hear all about the shipwrecks

that occurred along this stretch of the coast.

And, of course, the wonderful, wonderful views

that you get along that stretch of coast as well.

Now, during the war, of course,

the Isle Of Wight closed for business,

and Blackgang closed for business.

The island became a closed-off destination.

In fact, people felt they were in prison if they were staying here,

and so there was no visitors on holiday,

so it became quite the norm for bombing raids,

for planes flying overhead,

and of course the Battle of Britain took place over the South of England

and over the Isle Of Wight.

But it survived, and of course, once the war ended,

people absolutely streamed to all UK resorts, such as Bembridge

and Seaview.

As Esther made her way from the Home Counties

to Bembridge to holiday with her family,

Simon's family were looking to the future.

It wasn't really until the 1960s, going on through to the '70s,

that we began to actually create play areas, theme park rides

and other attractions.

My uncle, who was then running the business, Dick Dabell,

he went to America and saw what Disney was doing and came back

and said, "I think we can do one or two things at Blackgang like that."

And of course now we've had to move further along

because imaginative play is less popular than it was.

Imaginative play and a few board games formed the evening's

entertainment for Esther and her family at the B&B,

where they'd be snug as a bug in The Snug!

See what I did there?

I know that one of the ways you used to entertain yourselves

-was a game of tiddlywinks.

-Absolutely right, yeah.

-And this is a version from the '40s.

-Is it?

-Yes.

'Tiddlywinks actually originated in England during the 1800s.

'Tiddlywink is English slang for an unlicensed pub.

'The game consists of a mat with a small round pot in its centre

'and several little discs made of four colours - blue, green,'

red and yellow.

A British universities championship was established by none other

than Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1961.

Called the Silver Wink, it's still held to this day.

-Well, obviously you need your wink.

-Is that your wink?

I think that's your wink. And then you get your tiddles. There we are.

As I remember, you have to make them jump.

Yes, well, hold your horses!

Whoa!

-Just watch, because of course...

-I will.

-I was...

-A master tiddler?

-Or a winker?

-Undefeated British champion for three years.

-Really?

Watch.

-Were you aiming at me?

-No, it was a ricochet.

-Was it?

THEY CHEER

-Have a go yourself.

-All right. But I can't get the sort of...

-speed up.

-There you go!

That was quite good, wasn't it?

'The other game Esther played with her family was charades.'

Fourth word.

Indigestion. Being sick.

Stomach problems. Heartburn.

I just like you doing it.

Something-something the belch?

Bum!

Fart! Wind!

-Wind! Gone With The Wind!

-Yes!

Gone With The Wind!

Gone With The Fart, it doesn't sound the same.

One thing is for sure, Esther's childhood was filled with love

and laughter.

Coming from that environment,

was that partly the inspiration for ChildLine, do you think -

that you wanted all children to have the joy that you had as a child?

Well, certainly, in my family children were the focus.

Um...they always came first. And my mum was one of four sisters.

They all had children. The children had absolute priority.

And certainly, when I began to read stories,

as I'm afraid happens from time to time,

of children who died or have terrible pain

because they've been abused...

There's so much pain you can't avoid in life and, for me,

ChildLine is the way that children

and young people who have been hurt can actually ask for help.

So, yes, I suppose it does come from that.

A very loving, secure family that I was brought up in.

It was in 1986 that Esther came up with the concept of ChildLine.

It was the first helpline of its kind in the world

and now answers more than 1.5 million calls per year.

ESTHER: 'ChildLine, for children in trouble or danger.'

But her charity work doesn't stop there.

As well as being patron of several other charities,

two years ago she founded The Silver Line,

a befriending service set up after experiencing her own

sense of isolation that struck after the loss of her beloved husband,

the TV presenter and filmmaker Desmond Wilcox.

Her outstanding charitable works saw her being rewarded with a CBE for

her services to children

and an OBE for her contribution to broadcasting.

No holiday experiences is complete without sampling

a new kind of food.

The memories of those tastes, smells and textures stay with us for ever!

In 1946, for Esther and her family,

it was a cooked meal every night of the week.

And after years of rationing, I'm keen to find out what

the post-war holiday diet would have been like.

Back in the B&B, what was the food like?

I can't remember anything about the food, except one thing,

which was the puddings, because every night at the B&B we had exactly

the same pudding, regular as clockwork,

out would come the spotted dick.

Spotted dick?

-Spotted dick. With custard.

-You can't beat it!

I have not eaten it since.

Well, I've arranged for us to come into this little restaurant.

To jog your memory we are going to have spotted dick and custard.

Bring on the spotted dick!

-Oh, my goodness!

-Oh, lovely!

Oh, look at the presentation.

You've got more custard but it doesn't matter.

I don't think it looked like this.

It was lumpier. It wasn't nearly as neat.

Try it.

Oh, spotted dick! I love it.

That is delicious.

Wow!

Mmmmm!

-Oh, yummy.

-Mmm!

Spotted dick is a spongy steam pudding that contains

suet instead of butter.

It's only slightly sweet and flavoured delicately with lemon.

Ooh, delicious!

The word "dick" seems to come from the old English

name for pudding, a "puddick".

-Yummo! Have you another dick back there?

-ESTHER LAUGHS

Have you got a spare dick?

I think the point about this pudding is that it doesn't contain very much.

-It's just suet and flour...

-A couple of eggs and a few currants.

And that's it, so it would have been very economical.

Well, that's what made me think, post-war...

-The landlady was not pushing the boat out.

-No.

Mmm!

The fact is, victory in 1945 did not bring the end to rationing.

Around the time Esther was enjoying her first family holiday,

bread, never rationed during the war, was put on the ration,

where it remained for two years.

14 years of food rationing in Britain

ended at midnight on 4 July 1954, when restrictions on the sale

and purchase of meat and bacon was lifted,

nine years after the end of the war.

One thing I'm discovering Esther's family was never short of

was a sense of adventure.

Carisbrooke Castle, close to the centre of the island,

is one of the main tourist attractions

and the scene of one of many

day excursions the young Esther and her family made

in the summer of 1946.

-Do you recognise any of this? Is it coming back?

-Absolutely!

I remember the courtyard and I remember the ramparts...

I'll give you a couple of facts that may interest you -

in 1377, the French invaded the castle.

200 years later the Spanish Armada went close by,

-so they refortified the whole place. Then...

-Go on.

-You ready for this one?

-I am.

-164...SEVEN!

Charles I was imprisoned in this very place

after the English Civil War. He tried to escape through a window.

He got stuck.

He'd put on so much weight, he couldn't get through the bars.

-Too much spotted dick?

-Exactly my thoughts.

One of the fascinating things is to watch the donkeys,

who for hundreds of years have walked in a circle.

-Pulling water up!

-Pulling water up from a well.

-Which I remember.

-I was astonished, fascinated.

-Shall we go and have a look?

-Please let's.

Let's move on.

What Esther recalls from 1946 are the donkeys,

who for centuries were used to draw up water

from the 16th-century wellhouse by means of a wheel.

Come on, sweetie!

Nowadays, with daily demonstrations,

the tradition lives on, and today is Jigsaw's turn.

How deep is that?

The well is 49 metres deep, or 161 feet.

Gosh, it's a long way down!

WATER SPLASHES A SECOND LATER

-That's a long way, that!

-That is a long way!

Jigsaw is going to turn the wheel a couple of turns

just to demonstrate how the donkeys used to bring

water up from the bottom of this well.

We take a long time to train them and train them using lots of treats.

OK!

So this becomes just part of their working routine

and they are very happy to do it.

She is our best worker.

Oh, wow!

-Oh, that's great!

-That's what I recall.

In 1946, when the donkey work was done for real,

by the time the bucket reached the surface the donkey would have walked

the equivalent of 5.5 lengths of an Olympic swimming pool.

Wow, look at that! Up it comes.

Whoa! Jigsaw!

I had to stop cos she's gone to the toilet.

This is a Blue Peter moment.

Well, that's all right.

I don't remember her doing a poo when I was here before.

No. Donkeys often do that.

It's marvellous. Claire, thank you so much for showing us.

And thank you, Jigsaw.

Very well behaved. A little bit naughty at the end,

-doing a whoopsie.

-Yes. A bit of clearing up to do.

-I have a broom.

-Is that an offer?

With over two-and-a-half million tourists,

the Isle Of Wight has something for everyone.

Dimbola Lodge is the former home and workplace of pioneering

Victorian photographer Julia Margaret Cameron,

and now home to the Mad Hatter at Julia's Tearoom,

as well as a museum about her work and life.

There are also vintage cameras and a permanent exhibition about

the infamous 1970 Isle Of Wight music festival.

All aboard the Isle Of Wight Steam Railway.

Take a ride behind one of the vintage steam locomotives

for a special journey back in time

through some of the island's unspoilt countryside.

The restored railway was reopened to the public in 1971

and has accumulated numerous awards over the last 35 years.

For the best view, head to Tennyson Down - originally called

East High Down but renamed in Alfred Lord Tennyson's honour,

who loved the Isle Of Wight

and wrote some of his most famous work here.

He would often take in the views as he crossed

the downs in a black coat and black-brimmed hat.

After his death in 1892, the imposing monument was erected on

the highest point of Tennyson Down.

For my final surprise, I'm whisking Esther away on an adventure

not built until 1971.

Young Esther and her family would have had to climb down to

the beach we're visiting today and wouldn't have had the opportunity

to view this stunning coastline in quite the same way.

Take a seat for me.

-There we are. Oh, comfortable.

-Whoa.

-Arms in.

-Feet on the bar. Enjoy the ride. Thank you.

-Oh, I like this.

This is lovely.

I don't think the chair lift was here when you came.

No. I'm sure I would have remembered this.

However, you definitely went down to Alum Bay...

-Definitely.

-..looked at the sands...

-Yes!

-Absolutely.

-I'll tell you what, it's going to be great.

Alum Bay sits near the westernmost point of the island,

with views of the Needles rock formation.

Of geological interest, and a tourist attraction,

the bay is best known for its multicoloured sand cliffs.

You think this thing is gathering speed?

-I don't know.

-It's getting a bit faster here.

You're not scared, are you?

Well, um... I've got you here with me.

-Yeah, I'm here to protect you.

-You are here. This is quite worrying.

-Oh, it's The Needles.

-The Needles!

-Look at them.

-They're lovely.

-You see the colours there?

-Beautiful. Look.

-Oh, look to your left!

Orange and red and purple, it's fantastic.

The sands are made of three minerals -

quartz, feldspar and mica,

and in their pure state are white, with other colours being produced

through contamination by other minerals.

They might have been here for 35 billion years

but would have changed even since Esther was first here!

But as I don't know my iron ore from my Eeyore,

I think it's best I leave it to the expert.

Here we go. Come on.

-Esther, this is Mike.

-Hello.

-Pleasure to meet you.

-And you.

-Mike.

-Pleasure to see you.

You are the expert on the sands.

-So people tell me.

-Right.

And it's a pleasure to meet you here after all

the years of your last visit, I believe.

Well, this looks exactly the way I remembered it.

Today, and probably even 50 or 100 years' time,

there won't be a great deal of change.

You can still see all the fantastic colours we have around us.

21 different shades of colours, world famous for that.

And how come they are this way up?

-Cos usually you think of them as being horizontal.

-Absolutely.

There was something like a tectonic event

-which turned the cliffs upright.

-What does that mean?

-An explosion?

-A bit like an earthquake, really.

-Oh, I see.

How old are these? Are they all about the same age or do they vary?

No, the chair lift where you got off from,

that's around 35 million years in time of mineral deposits.

The oldest incidentally is right along the end there,

that's the white chalk cliffs here at Alum Bay.

And the very further side of those white chalk cliffs

takes you to around 66 million years.

-Really?

-Do you ever find fossils or any kind?

The only fossils you will find in this area more so

would be like small sea urchins.

Further along the coast on the island,

-it will date back to the dinosaur era.

-Wow.

We do have big finds here on the island.

What's amazing,

when you think of the world, you think of the Isle Of Wight,

little tiny speck, and yet you're the only people that have got this.

Well, it's fantastic, and thank you so much for your time.

You're welcome.

The Isle Of Wight certainly punches above its weight

when it comes to things to do.

Cowes Week has played a key part in the British sporting summer calendar

since 1826, and it's one of the UK's longest running

and most successful sporting events.

It's the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world

and stages some 40 races each day for 1,000 boats.

Earlier we heard about Blackgang Chine fantasy park,

the UK's oldest theme park.

Set on the south of the island in over 40 acres of spectacular

clifftop gardens, there's something for everyone.

From water slides, to life-size moving dinosaurs,

stay all day and bring out the kid in you.

For a different view of the island,

holidaymakers can take a sea safari.

Cruise past the impressive coastline and head to the secluded bays

and coves of Ventnor and help haul the lobster pots

and fishing nets, then eat locally caught seafood on the quay.

And finally, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

spent many enjoyable hours on their very own private beach,

20 minutes stroll from Osborne House.

It opened to the public in 2012 and has already had almost

half a million visitors.

See the fully restored bathing machine

which was used to conceal the queen's modesty

and be the king of your own sandcastle

as you get to work on building your own regal apartment.

It's time for tea, and I've arranged a picnic like Esther and her family

would have enjoyed back in 1946.

And I want to find out a little more about her amazing 45-year career

before the sun sets.

How did you come to being behind the camera as a researcher

to being in front of the camera as a presenter?

-Well, there was a man called Bernard Braden...

-I remember him.

..who more or less invented consumer programmes.

Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, and good evening.

And they decided that the researchers on the programme

should actually go into the studio

and talk to Bernie about what they had discovered

when they were investigating the wickedness of conmen and so on.

I never took it very seriously.

I never thought for a moment that we would be kept on.

I thought that they'd sack us and replace us with proper presenters.

And somehow they forgot to.

-Do you know what a nomad is?

-French for oasis.

Nomad should be allowed to say that.

And that was the start.

1968, that was.

And then, skipping on a little while,

-you got into the wonderful That's Life!

-Ah.

Bernie went to Canada to do the same show there.

That meant that someone had to carry on

doing consumer programmes for the BBC.

And the someone was me.

I never took this presenting lark at all seriously.

I thought I was a producer.

Right. It goes to show how wrong you were because

you were made for it. You were like a duck to water.

Well, listen, you've said a lot of things about me in my time,

being as how I appeared on Strictly,

and I think that's probably one of the nicest.

And that's the thing with Esther,

one minute she is a broadcaster, 100% professional,

the next she's hotstepping in sequins like a game old bird!

And guess what - even the Queen's a fan.

I've met people with OBEs and CBEs, but you, you got the double.

How would you like to be remembered?

Well, sitting here on this lovely,

gorgeous day on the Isle Of Wight and thinking about my own

wonderfully happy childhood, and this one of the happiest memories of it,

I want my children to remember me as someone who put them first

and created memories for them the way my parents did for me.

That's what I would most like.

Everything else, you know, I was extremely lucky,

I had the opportunities, I had the chances,

I was in the right place at the right time.

But providing for one's children the love and happiness

that all children deserve, that's the most important thing.

I think you've got it dead on. Perfect.

And may I say, I hope you've enjoyed our little trip down memory lane

here on the lovely Isle Of Wight as much as I have.

Len, it's been absolutely lovely.

I don't like to do this, but may I give you a kiss?

It will only be a peck. Don't get overexcited.

I got very excited already.

-Thank you very much indeed.

-Thank you.

I've had a marvellous time with Esther

'and have been amazed how many memories we have brought back.

'From the ferry ride...'

I think it was my first family holiday.

-A week on the Isle Of Wight, nothing could be better.

-You're right.

'..to the low tide...'

-Oh, look!

-There's a beauty.

-Hello!

'..to losing my pride...'

The sun is now seriously warm.

And I'm just going to have to put that on.

Do you think I look cute?

Utterly cute.

Esther, may I first say,

it's been such a joy to share your childhood on the Isle Of Wight.

It's been absolutely great.

And I'd like to give you a little gift, a little thing...

A scrapbook of our time together.

Oh, look at this. How lovely.

And do you know what I'm going to try and do?

I'm going to try and recreate this for my own grandson.

-Are you?

-Because I've had such fun with you.

Thank you so much, Len, that's lovely.

A little scrapbook of memories

of Esther's time spent here on

the Isle Of Wight.

And bearing in mind how this beach

holiday has rekindled those memories,

I have one more little surprise.

I have one other little thing for you.

-You can get excited now.

-It's Christmas.

-You can get quite excited.

-Oh, wow!

Look at that!

A little thing for you from Alum Bay.

And it took me hours to collect...

Well, if you believe that, you'd believe anything.

It's been so much fun.

Our trip to the Isle Of Wight may have been short

but it was certainly sweet, and in many ways encapsulates

the experiences that have since shaped Esther's life.