0:00:02 > 0:00:05Childhood holidays - oh, the anticipation seemed endless!
0:00:05 > 0:00:09The holiday itself - well, it was over too quickly.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13So, in this series, I'm going to be reliving those wonderful times
0:00:13 > 0:00:15with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18This is a memory I will treasure.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Every day, I'll be arranging a few surprises
0:00:21 > 0:00:23to transport them back in time.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I feel as though we're about to go over the edge.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Don't say that!
0:00:27 > 0:00:28We'll relive the fun...
0:00:28 > 0:00:31HE LAUGHS Whoa!
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Oh, no.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35..the games... THEY LAUGH
0:00:35 > 0:00:37..and the food of years gone by...
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Oh, I'm so excited.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Oh, the taste - the taste of your childhood.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43SHE LAUGHS
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..to find out how those holidays around the UK
0:00:45 > 0:00:49helped shape the people we know so well today.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Wah! Ha, ha, ha!
0:00:53 > 0:00:56So buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58- Oh, yes! - Can you come on all my holidays?
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I'll come on them - yeah, of course I will.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05MUSIC: In The Mood by Glenn Miller
0:01:05 > 0:01:07On today's jaunt, I'm all dressed up
0:01:07 > 0:01:11and most definitely have a place to go.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Eee! I am excited.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19Ladies and gentlemen, today's guest is a trademark national treasure.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21HE CHUCKLES
0:01:22 > 0:01:28He was born in Grantham, in 1923.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Here he is on his holibobs with his mum and brother and sister.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Oh, what a bright spark!
0:01:35 > 0:01:39One of his first breaks came in 1954
0:01:39 > 0:01:42on the radio show Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45# Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh... #
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I used to love that show.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51He then went on to appear with comedian Arthur Haynes in the '60s.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53HE CHUCKLES
0:01:53 > 0:01:56He's been successful for so long, you could say
0:01:56 > 0:01:59he's the Sale Of The Century.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02We love him!
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Don't worry, you'll find out who it is really soon.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Just a minute!
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Time's up.
0:02:09 > 0:02:15I'd like to announce without hesitation, deviation or repetition,
0:02:15 > 0:02:20we're off to meet legendary broadcaster Nicholas Parsons
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and I'm off to pick him up in this 1930 Wolseley,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28similar to the one that he would've gone off on his holidays in
0:02:28 > 0:02:30back in the day.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Oh, Nicholas Parsons. He's one of my heroes.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Oh, Nicholas!
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Nicholas Parsons grew up in the Lincolnshire town of Grantham.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52He lived with his brother, sister, mum Nell, a nurse,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and dad, a doctor, Paul Parsons,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59who counted among his patients Margaret Thatcher's parents.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05After leaving school, Nicholas spent the next five years in Glasgow,
0:03:05 > 0:03:06training to be an engineer -
0:03:06 > 0:03:08but after World War II,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11he decided to become an actor instead,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14appearing in the West End, radio and movies.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18In the late '50s, he entered the world of TV comedy,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21then came the much-loved radio show Just A Minute,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25a show Nicholas has been presenting for the last 48 years.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Welcome to Just A Minute.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Add to that 12 years as the suave host of the Sale Of The Century
0:03:32 > 0:03:36and countless appearances on just about everything
0:03:36 > 0:03:39from Blankety Blank and Have I Got News For You
0:03:39 > 0:03:41to Doctor Who.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49Can you believe he's now 91 years old and still working?!
0:03:49 > 0:03:52So, if you ask me, he's well overdue for a holiday.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Gosh, what is he driving? An old Wolseley!
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Good Lord.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59- Nicholas.- Len!
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I feel I should go into my dance routine now!
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- How lovely to see you. - Lovely to see you.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Gosh, you're looking well.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Well, I've been touring the country.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I know you have. Wonderful.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- Do you recognise this little beauty? - That's a Wolseley.- Yes.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15My father used to drive one of those
0:04:15 > 0:04:19and I think he used to...he towed the caravan down in one like that.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20- Really?- Yes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Well, they are tough enough to drive just as a car
0:04:24 > 0:04:25but towing it must have been...
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Oh, yes, it was quite an art. It was quite an art.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Now, let me ask you - what year are we holidaying?
0:04:33 > 0:04:351939.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Oh, so where are we off to today?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Well, we're going to cross the ferry here at Sandbanks,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45along to a place called Greenlands, which was a camping site.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49It was run by an impoverished farmer and it was all...
0:04:49 > 0:04:53He gave it all over, there were tents and caravans and things there.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55It's called Studland. It's part of Studlands.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Studland, the village, is just a little way beyond.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Well, I'm looking forward to it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I haven't seen it since 1939.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Well, it's 1939, I know it's the year war broke out, but...
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- I know.- But we're on holiday, so let's enjoy ourselves.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- Right.- Here we go.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Cruising the highways and byways of Dorset,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26our first stop will be the town of Poole, on England's south coast.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We'll catch the ferry to Sandbanks and then onto Studland,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35which sits on the Isle of Purbeck, though technically speaking,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38it's not really an island, it's a peninsula.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Oh, yes. Just a minute, here I come.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42No deviation from Lenny!
0:05:42 > 0:05:45GEARS CRUNCH
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Oh, no, don't!
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I was all right until then.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Today, we're going to relive the happy days Nicholas spent
0:05:52 > 0:05:56with his family, way back in July 1939.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Every holiday begins with a journey, and for the Parsons family,
0:06:06 > 0:06:10that would mean hitching up the caravan to the Wolseley Hornet
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and escaping the rat race. Oh, lovely!
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Though even without a caravan,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I doubt I could ever reach its top speed of 63 miles an hour.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So it's 1939.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I suppose there wasn't a lot of traffic on the road.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25No, no. There wasn't.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So there's you and your dad towing the caravan, coming down.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I loved being with him,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33because he was a very busy general practitioner.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37And it was a lovely opportunity to be with him. We got on very well.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40And I went off and we towed the caravan.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And my mother had a little Austin run-around
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and she came down a little later
0:06:45 > 0:06:47with my older brother and younger sister.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50So you were a two-car family even back then?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55Yes, but you see, cars were not always...
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- He needed one professionally anyway. - Yes.- ..as he was doing his rounds,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01visiting his patients and so, yes,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04it does seem a little bit, um...
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- extravagant or rich...- Yes. - ..to have two cars.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13But we had quite a modest lifestyle, actually.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17And so with Nicholas and his old dad forming the advance party,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20the first leg of their journey was getting the Wolseley,
0:07:20 > 0:07:25the caravan and themselves to Poole Harbour to catch the ferry.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Now this is real nostalgia for me.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29It hasn't changed very much.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- Do you recall this?- Oh, yes. Coming down here slowly.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Well, Nicholas, I'm not saying I'm Stirling Moss,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38but I didn't do bad.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41There was only one crunch of the gears.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44- I think you did brilliantly. - And we're here.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47And now I've got us here in one piece,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50we can sit back and enjoy the ride.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Well, this is lovely. And what a lovely view.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Len, I can tell you, this is not only lovely
0:07:56 > 0:07:59but incredibly nostalgic.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01It takes me right back.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Nothing much has changed.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07We'd get out of the car, we'd stay here and look at it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12I'd be terribly excited as a 15-year-old I was in '39,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16see the sea, knowing your holiday was about to begin.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It's one of those holidays that the excitement mounts.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- Oh, yes.- You know, because OK, you're in the car
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and you're on your way and you get down here,
0:08:24 > 0:08:25now you're getting on the ferry.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- And you're on the way.- Yes.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31And then we'd have the thing, if we were all together,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- saying, "First to see the sea, first to see the sea!"- Yeah!
0:08:36 > 0:08:38By the summer of 1939,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42the Sandbank ferry had only been running for about 13 years.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46In fact, at the very beginning, it was steam-driven
0:08:46 > 0:08:48and only carried 15 cars.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Even so, in its first summer, it transported around 12,000 cars
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and 100,000 passengers.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01There couldn't have been many people towing caravans, I'm sure.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03- No, no.- That must have been a real rarity.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05I was told that my father
0:09:05 > 0:09:07was one of the first people to have a caravan.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- Really?- Yes. It was very unusual.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12- I suppose people went camping. - Oh, yes.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- Which was a different kettle of fish.- Oh, yes.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16A lot of camping. A lot of tents.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- You see, they didn't have all this foreign travel.- No.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- People didn't go abroad.- No.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24- And a lot of people just stayed at home.- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Yeah, Windowsill Bay, we used to call it. Yeah.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Oh, an oldie but a goodie -
0:09:30 > 0:09:33though it's not just my jokes that haven't changed in decades.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37This ferry ride has also stood the test of time.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- This must be just how you would remember it.- Absolutely.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42- Absolutely.- Yeah.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Takes me right back to my youth.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48It is lovely, I must say.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52I've also been told, by my son, who knows a bit more than I do,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55that there was a nudist beach here at Sandbanks.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- A nudist beach!- Yeah, and I wondered if we were going to visit it.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I'm more than happy to take my clothes off with you,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Nicholas, I promise you.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Yes, we could strut down on the sand, naked and proud.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Yeah.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13And while I give the wisdom of that statement a little more thought,
0:10:13 > 0:10:18here's what the world was like when Nicholas was just 15 years old.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Needless to say, 1939 was a dark year in British history
0:10:22 > 0:10:23and on September the 3rd,
0:10:23 > 0:10:28Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced we were at war.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30'I have to tell you now
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'that no such undertaking has been received.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40'And that consequently, this country is at war with Germany.'
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Within days, Chamberlain created a War Cabinet
0:10:43 > 0:10:48that included Winston Churchill, national service for all men
0:10:48 > 0:10:53aged 18 to 41 was passed into law and a blackout was imposed.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Meanwhile, BBC television stopped broadcasting with immediate effect
0:10:58 > 0:11:01as it was feared the transmission signal
0:11:01 > 0:11:03could act as a beacon to enemy aircraft.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07But given the outbreak of war,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10us Brits were more in need of entertainment than ever.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14One of the biggest films that year was Goodbye Mr Chips,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18the story of a man who dedicated his entire life to teaching
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and nominated for seven Oscars.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24It also earned Robert Donat the award for best actor.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Meanwhile, the song that really captured our mood
0:11:27 > 0:11:32as our soldiers were been shipped out was We'll Meet Again,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35as sung by the incomparable Dame Vera Lynn.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39# We'll meet again
0:11:39 > 0:11:46# Don't know where don't know when... #
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Oh, yes! Go on, Vera.
0:11:48 > 0:11:56- BOTH:- # But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. #
0:11:56 > 0:11:59You know, we could have done a duet.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Part of the thrill of any holiday
0:12:01 > 0:12:03is the excitement of staying somewhere new.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07And while the Parsons family brought their accommodation with them,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09I'm going to take Nicholas back to the very spot
0:12:09 > 0:12:12they originally hitched the caravan.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- We're talking 76 years ago.- I know.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19But I'm going to say something now that's the first I've ever said -
0:12:19 > 0:12:21that was before I was born.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23THEY LAUGH
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I didn't realise I was so old!
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- I don't say that often.- No.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Today, Greenlands is owned by the National Trust,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37but in 1939, as the Parsons family camped out there,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39it was also a working farm.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We haven't just found the spot his family camped in,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46we've gone the whole nine yards.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Would that have been something like your caravan?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- That is a 1939...- Yes. That's right.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's exactly what our caravan was like -
0:12:56 > 0:13:00- and you've even put the lavatory tent up beside it.- Oh, yes.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03For you, Nicholas, money is no object.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08This rather stylish 1933 Car Cruiser Type III is just like the one
0:13:08 > 0:13:12the Parsons family stayed in all those years ago.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- That is something we didn't have. - Yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16We didn't have a gramophone.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17I wondered if you wanted us to go
0:13:17 > 0:13:20and just do a little number together.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Well, maybe we could do a Charleston or a rumba!
0:13:29 > 0:13:32And while there's not quite enough room inside for a dance number,
0:13:32 > 0:13:35you will find a generous lounge with dining table,
0:13:35 > 0:13:39the crockery within easy reach and a full kitchen.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Perfection!
0:13:45 > 0:13:46Look at this.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- The old sink. - Oh, yes. Little tiny sink.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- Trying to do the washing up in that. - Yeah.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55And having to dry everything up as well.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58- And the cooker. I love...- Cooker. - I love this oven.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02My mother must have been amazing to have prepared a whole meal
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- on that little tiny cooker like that.- Yeah.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07And even more impressive,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11there's still enough room to offer sleeping arrangements for four.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I tell you what, it's magic.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- So this is how...this is how it was? - Exactly as it was.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18You've been very clever,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21because you've obviously found exactly the same model.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Two beds either side here, and there's a double bunk at the back.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28You can pull it out and that's where my sister would sleep
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- and we'd put up another tent outside...- Yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34..and which my brother and I slept on, on camp beds...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- Perfect.- ..which we'd put up.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40As old as this is, it's quite civilised, isn't it?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43- Absolutely.- So once you were here,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45and you'd got yourselves in and erected the tent
0:14:45 > 0:14:46and this, that and the other,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49would you be off, you know, into the country?
0:14:49 > 0:14:50Oh, yes. Yes.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52We brought our bikes with us
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and we used to cycle around here and we'd go exploring.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00My memory was, the weather was more consistently sunny in those days.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Whether that's my imagination or not, I don't know.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04I'm...I'm the same.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07I can never remember it raining on holiday.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09We had some wet days but...
0:15:09 > 0:15:11- there didn't seem to be as much rain as we get today.- No.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Well, my grandmother put it down to the Russians!
0:15:14 > 0:15:16THEY LAUGH
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Don't ask me why!
0:15:20 > 0:15:23You couldn't ask for a better backdrop.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27And I'm told there's only one way to take it all in - by bicycle.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31And that's just how Nicholas and his siblings did it in 1939.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33OK, have a go!
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Ho, ho! Thank you.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Come on, Nicholas. Don't be a sissy!
0:15:37 > 0:15:40# Bicycle, bicycle... #
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Do you want me to try and do that?
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Well, all right, then, Nicholas, seeing as it's you - we can walk!
0:15:48 > 0:15:52So, once you got down here and you'd settled into your caravan...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- Yeah. We got the bikes out of the caravan.- Yeah.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57We couldn't wait to get on the bikes.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- And off you go.- And off we'd go.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02We cycled all the way around Greenlands there, which you could.
0:16:02 > 0:16:03You know, we'd fall off occasionally,
0:16:03 > 0:16:08- cos it was pretty rough but it was all part of the fun.- Yeah.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09I must say, bikes have advanced,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- when you think about what we used to ride.- Yeah.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14And, you know, they change gears now with the handle.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- We didn't even have gears. - No, no - no gears.- No gears.- No.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Was there any other sort of pursuits that you got up to?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Well, we used to put up the cricket stumps.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- And have a little bit of cricket. - Yeah.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- Most of the time, we went down to the beach.- Yeah.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31And jumped in the sand dunes and went swimming, of course, naturally.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33- Of course.- In the sea.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And with his dad being a keen photographer,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40many of those special moments were captured forever.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44What's more, it was a skill he was proud to pass on.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46My father taught us how to take photographs.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- I've still got the little box Brownie.- Box Brownie?- That I had.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53The same camera then. And I've still got some of the photographs I took.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I've just thought of something - and it's such a lovely backdrop.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- Mm-hm.- Would you mind if I took a selfie of the two of us?
0:16:59 > 0:17:01No, no. With our bikes?
0:17:01 > 0:17:06With our bikes, you know sporty couple of young lads!
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- I take it your dad's camera was nothing like this.- No, no.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12- And nothing...- And it's certainly not a box Brownie.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13And nothing else is like that,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15because I think selfies are awful, cos...
0:17:15 > 0:17:17You've got to get them well away.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19OK, so I'm not Lord Lichfield,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23but if at first you don't succeed... Well, you get the picture.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26How does that look? I like it.
0:17:26 > 0:17:27- It's a bit... Do you think...- Not bad!
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Nicholas's big break came in the form of Carroll Levis,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35impresario, radio personality and talent scout.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I went along and asked for an audition.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41It was pretty tough because my parents were still saying,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45"Don't get any idea of getting into that awful profession."
0:17:45 > 0:17:49But I asked for the audition, and though I stammered my way through it
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Caroll saw, and gave me my first professional job.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55And this was the beginning.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Indeed, it was, because the next thing you know,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01young Nicholas was taking part in Carroll Levis' new radio show
0:18:01 > 0:18:03called The Happy-Go-Lucky Hour.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06The only catch - it was live!
0:18:06 > 0:18:12What was rather delightful is that they found a theatre in Bangor,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16in North Wales, a disused cinema and they decided to take that,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19I suppose on the premise that if Bangor is there,
0:18:19 > 0:18:20Germany is down there
0:18:20 > 0:18:24and they are not going to overfly whole of England to bomb Bangor.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- Yeah.- But the trouble is they'd overlooked the fact
0:18:26 > 0:18:29that the people they engaged had to get on trains,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32which were bombed occasionally, to get to Bangor.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Some people didn't arrive.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And during the war, all of the signposts,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40everywhere in the country were taken down.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42All of the station signs were taken down,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44all the signs on fronts of buses
0:18:44 > 0:18:47on the premise that if the Germans ever landed
0:18:47 > 0:18:49they wouldn't know where they were,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52the trouble is no-one else in the country had a clue where they were!
0:18:52 > 0:18:53They had no clue either!
0:18:53 > 0:18:55You'd say to somebody on a platform,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58because the train had stopped at a station,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00"Excuse me, excuse me, can you help me?"
0:19:00 > 0:19:04"Where are we? What is this place?" And he'd disappear
0:19:04 > 0:19:06because he's seen all the other signs up,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10- "Careless talk costs lives." - Yes.- You remember that?- Yeah.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Fortunately, Nicholas made the broadcast
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and so began his career in show business -
0:19:16 > 0:19:19something his parents eventually warmed to.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- I thought we could have a little game.- Mmm.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27Of draughts.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30All the things we used to play as a child.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37- Draughts, snakes and ladders, dominoes.- Ludo.- Ludo
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Let's get them out.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Adding to the nostalgia,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44we are playing on an original set from the 1930s.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- Then I take that.- You take that.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51And then I take that.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52Correct.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Can I ask you, while we're playing,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58in the hope that it puts you off a bit,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01when did you get your real first television break?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05The most important professional spell in my life was obviously
0:20:05 > 0:20:06with Arthur Haynes.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10And yet, it started very modestly, it wasn't very successful
0:20:10 > 0:20:13and slowly it built into a huge success
0:20:13 > 0:20:15and was a top comedy show on ITV.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18And so you could say that was my big break, really.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20It lasted for ten years, mind.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24- And that's when you became a household name?- That's exactly.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So I was known then, from that show.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31After a decade of playing straight man to Arthur Haynes,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34their partnership came to an end in 1966.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Soon after, Nicholas embarked on a three-year stint
0:20:38 > 0:20:42with another legendary comedian, Mr Benny Hill.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44He was also asked to host a regional show
0:20:44 > 0:20:48that would go on to become something of a legend itself.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Now what about Sale Of The Century? How did that come along?
0:20:51 > 0:20:54I'm a great one for doing different things.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00The press at the time, you know, they were very anti-quiz shows.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05They used to condemn them, and if you were the one fronting it,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- you were the one they had a go at. - Yeah.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10And so I got to the most terrible press from that -
0:21:10 > 0:21:14they used to say, "Spitting out the questions at the contestants."
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Well, I used to go and chat to them beforehand to get to know them.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20If towards the end I put the pressure on them,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I said, "I'm actually working for you."
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Because, look at it logically - the more questions I can get in
0:21:26 > 0:21:27in the time available, win or lose,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29the more money you're likely to make.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34- Yeah.- And, er, it worked. I never realised how successful it was.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38At one time we had 21 million viewers.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I just took it as a nice job I had.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44In fact, I'll show you how naive I was,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I used to write all the questions to begin with.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49And I didn't realise they actually employed somebody to do that.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51I didn't get any money for it!
0:21:51 > 0:21:55It has to be said, the crowning glory of this region
0:21:55 > 0:21:57is Studland's beaches.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00In fact, there's a four-mile stretch of them.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03And I'm guessing it really hasn't changed that much
0:22:03 > 0:22:07since Nicholas was playing on the sand dunes as a nipper.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- But it's so gorgeous, isn't it? - It is absolutely gorgeous.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11It is beautiful.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14But what is so wonderful, it's not spoiled,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- as so many places have become, and crowded beyond all recognition.- No.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Do you know, I'm going to say something now
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- that's going to shock you.- Why?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27It's not only going to shock you, it's going to shock a lot of people.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29This is what I'm going to do.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30Paddle.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31You don't have to.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34I've got to.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35I can't help it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Excuse me for a moment.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Oh, what legs!
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- What legs, indeed.- Look at those!
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Now, Len, I always knew you were a dancer,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48but I didn't know you had such shapely legs.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50And look at the muscles, as well.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Can you notice that I've played a lot of golf
0:22:52 > 0:22:55while I was in America with short socks on?
0:22:55 > 0:22:57NICHOLAS LAUGHS
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Because... Right.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I've got to say this now, you've got the most elegant feet.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06So many people, especially dancers, their toes get misshapen.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Yours are very shapely.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10- Well...- And very even.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I'm going to put that, when I do my memoirs, that's going in.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17And, by the way, so am I!
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Oh, what a wonderful sight!
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Oh, Len, this is a memory I will treasure.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Len Goodman having a paddle.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- Oh!- Oh, yes!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Obviously, it's not warm.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35But it's very refreshing, I feel so free,
0:23:35 > 0:23:37I'm going to take all my clothes off...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39MUSIC: The Stripper
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Oh, Len!
0:23:41 > 0:23:44..and dive in. I know, I don't care!
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Oh gosh!
0:23:46 > 0:23:48I'm going in!
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Head first.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Wait... No, I'd better not, you're right. I don't want...
0:23:54 > 0:23:55THEY LAUGH
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I don't want to scare the natives!
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Fortunately, I haven't scared Nicholas, either,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02and this walk along the beach
0:24:02 > 0:24:05has transported him back to the summer of '39,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08playing on the beach, picnics with his mum
0:24:08 > 0:24:10and quality time with his dad.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Certainly, those journeys with my dear dad
0:24:13 > 0:24:17- was a great bonding experience. - Yeah.- And I remember them vividly.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22- Yes.- I mean, it must have taken three or four hours to get here,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24- because you couldn't go very fast in a caravan.- No.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27And yet it didn't seem very long.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29And they were no motorways, of course.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Oh, no, they hadn't even been dreamed of.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32But there wasn't much traffic
0:24:32 > 0:24:35so you could keep moving at a gentle speed all the time.
0:24:35 > 0:24:41But I am really delighted and surprised, it hasn't altered much.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43No.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46What is lovely, is when you do this Holiday Of My Lifetime,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and you come to a certain spot and you get the reaction
0:24:49 > 0:24:53that I got from you when we came onto this beach,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58- because here we are, and we're back in 1939...- 1939.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00..and you're running around with your brother and sister.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- And it's a wonderful day, it's a perfect day.- Perfect day.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05How lucky we've been.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08- Yeah. - And Len Goodman went for a paddle.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10I went for a paddle in your honour.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13- And there you are. - Displaying his elegant feet.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Well, I wouldn't go that far!
0:25:17 > 0:25:22I'm thrilled Nicholas has enjoyed our holiday, and my shapely pins,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24but there's one more thing we have to do,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26eating ice cream by the beach.
0:25:26 > 0:25:27Oi! Where's my flake?
0:25:27 > 0:25:32What do you think is the secret to your longevity in show business?
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Well...
0:25:34 > 0:25:39I don't know. And if I did know, I'd be happy to pass it on.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42But I'm a great believer that the more you use your brain,
0:25:42 > 0:25:47your memory, the younger you remain.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Which is why, even after 48 years,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Nicolas still loves hosting Just A Minute.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Well, aren't I lucky? I've got a job that I enjoy.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- And it helps to keep me young. - That is lovely.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03I remember listening to one not long ago.
0:26:03 > 0:26:09I think, God, that would be a hard subject for me, Eiffel Tower.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Do you want to try?
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Go on, then.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Well, you think of a subject to make it a bit easier for you.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20I'm going to talk about holidaying with Nicholas Parsons.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22THEY CHUCKLE
0:26:22 > 0:26:26- Well, Len, you have 60 seconds, as usual.- Yes.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28And your time starts now.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33One of the joys about going on holiday with Nicholas Parsons
0:26:33 > 0:26:37is the various activities that you pursue.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40- Driving...- Hesitation, but carry on.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46Driving along in a 1932 little car, Wolseley Hornet,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48along the highways and byways.
0:26:48 > 0:26:54Beautiful. Then pulling up in front of the most gorgeous caravan.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57With the lovely a.. aw...awning and the tables, and the chairs.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I think we'd call that hesitation.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Oh! It's tough. But he's fair.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- I think you did very well. - Not bad, considering.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07First go.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09It is a marvellous, marvellous programme,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12and the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
0:27:12 > 0:27:13It's gone on for 48 years.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18- Absolutely.- You know, things that don't work don't last 48 years.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21We've done over 900 shows, and I haven't missed a single one.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- It's amazing, isn't it? - That is amazing, yes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30They say never meet your heroes, but meeting one of mine
0:27:30 > 0:27:35has been a total pleasure, as has reliving his holiday of a lifetime.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40The sun shines on the righteous and it's been absolutely beautiful.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43As a little thank you to you
0:27:43 > 0:27:47is a little scrapbook of Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Yes, in keeping with that time-honoured Parsons family
0:27:51 > 0:27:53tradition, our holiday has been
0:27:53 > 0:27:55captured for posterity -
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and I've got one last surprise
0:27:57 > 0:27:58for Nicholas -
0:27:58 > 0:28:00a little something
0:28:00 > 0:28:02to encourage his competitive streak.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06This is a 1930s draughts set.
0:28:06 > 0:28:091930s. I will treasure that.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11What a joy.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12So, it's bye-bye from Studland
0:28:12 > 0:28:15and time for me and Nicholas to get the ferry home.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Cheerio!