0:00:02 > 0:00:04Childhood holidays - we all love them, don't we?
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Fun in the sun, sandcastles, swimming in the sea...
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Can't beat them.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13So in this series, I'm going to be reliving those wonderful times
0:00:13 > 0:00:16with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Everyone a winner! Come on! Hook a duck!
0:00:20 > 0:00:24And some of the most surprising guests had the most fascinating holidays.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27THEY LAUGH
0:00:27 > 0:00:30- Hey!- It's a tug-of-war!
0:00:32 > 0:00:35We'll relive the fun... TRAIN WHISTLES
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Oh, no, no!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'..the games...'
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..and the food of years gone by...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43That is a little taste of childhood, right there.
0:00:43 > 0:00:48..to find out how those holidays around the UK helped shape
0:00:48 > 0:00:51the people we know so well today.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53I'm giving you a standing ovation.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56So buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Can you come on all my holidays?
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Hey, here we go!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09I'm off to meet a lady who's brought all kinds of drama
0:01:09 > 0:01:11into our living rooms.
0:01:11 > 0:01:17She was born in Harrow on the Hill in north-west London in 1942.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Oh, look at that face!
0:01:20 > 0:01:23She started her working life as a drama teacher
0:01:23 > 0:01:25before getting the call of the stage.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32And in the '80s she was gracing our screens on Emmerdale Farm
0:01:32 > 0:01:33and Minder.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38And it was in the '80s she took on her most famous role -
0:01:38 > 0:01:39a Butcher.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Oh, I do love a bit of unsmoked back.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45For 26 years, we followed the tears
0:01:45 > 0:01:49and the laughter that she brought to a certain square
0:01:49 > 0:01:51in east London.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54There was marriages, murders
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and how can we forget those earrings?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59You must have got it by now.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00Of course you have!
0:02:00 > 0:02:03It's the one and only Pam St Clement!
0:02:03 > 0:02:04Oh, ho, ho!
0:02:04 > 0:02:08So, I'm on my way to pick her up in this vintage Morris,
0:02:08 > 0:02:13almost the same as the one she would have been in all those years ago.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Pamela! Hoo, hoo, hoo!
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Lenny Boy's on his way!
0:02:18 > 0:02:24Pam St Clement was born in 1942 to Irene-Ann and Reginald Clement,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28but sadly her mum passed away while she was still a very young girl.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33Her screen acting career began with a minor role in the TV drama
0:02:33 > 0:02:34Onedin Line.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38But her first big break came when she was cast in prison drama
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Within These Walls.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42She then appeared in Play For Today
0:02:42 > 0:02:44as a nude model!
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Oh, naughty!
0:02:46 > 0:02:50But it was when she joined EastEnders in 1986
0:02:50 > 0:02:53that she became a true household name
0:02:53 > 0:02:55as the tough-talking troublemaker Pat.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Her on-screen marriage to wheeler-dealer Frank Butcher
0:02:58 > 0:03:02made them one of the most iconic soap couples of all time.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Over the years, her character has survived a heart attack,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10faced time in prison and become the landlady of The Queen Vic.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13In 2012, she left the square for the last time
0:03:13 > 0:03:16'and after all that drama, I'm not surprised!
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'Our Pam definitely deserves a break,'
0:03:19 > 0:03:22'so I'm taking her back to a special holiday of her lifetime'
0:03:22 > 0:03:24HORN TOOTS '..in a very special car.'
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Pam!
0:03:29 > 0:03:31THEY LAUGH
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Oh, my favourite hoofer!
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- How lovely to meet you. - Oh, it's lovely to see you.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Hello, my dear.
0:03:38 > 0:03:39Oh!
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Where have you been? Did you do a dance on the way?
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Well, it's just... You know, it's not the fastest of vehicles.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- No, this is very true. - So, do you recognise the car?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49- Absolutely, yep.- Yep.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50- That's the one.- That's the one, eh?
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- Mm-hm.- Morris Eight.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53- Beauty.- Lovely, isn't it?
0:03:53 > 0:03:54Where we off to?
0:03:56 > 0:03:58We're off to the beautiful moors.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- Dartmoor?- Dartmoor!
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- Not the prison, though. No, no, no. - No, no, I don't think...
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Not today.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05And what's the year?
0:04:05 > 0:04:071953.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Queen's coronation.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- Yeah.- Was it the coronation?- Yeah, I remember watching it on the telly.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Course it was, yes, yes.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16And I tell you what the number one was.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- Frankie Laine...- Yeah?
0:04:18 > 0:04:20..I Believe.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- BOTH:- # I believe for every drop of rain that falls
0:04:25 > 0:04:27# A flower grows. #
0:04:28 > 0:04:30This is going to be a great holiday!
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- Now, let me warn you.- What?
0:04:32 > 0:04:33No seatbelts.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- Oh, are we allowed? - Yeah, this vehicle is exempt...- OK.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- ..cos it's over, whatever, 70 years old.- Fine, fine.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42So, do you trust me?
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Oh, implicitly, with my life.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- But will I get into it? - Yes, it's a bit of a struggle,
0:04:48 > 0:04:49but we'll get in.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51So, here we go! Off we go!
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- All right, my dear. - Dartmoor awaits!- Yep!
0:04:57 > 0:04:59LEN LAUGHS
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Situated in the south-west of England
0:05:03 > 0:05:05between Exeter and Plymouth,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Dartmoor National Park is
0:05:07 > 0:05:09right at the very heart of Devon.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13With 368 square miles of dramatic landscapes
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and breathtaking views set against high open moorland,
0:05:17 > 0:05:23it's easy to see why 2.4 million visitors flock here each year.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28But it's not all moorland, it's also home to around 34,000 people.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34As I always say, before any holiday begins,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36you must start with a journey
0:05:36 > 0:05:41and for Pam, it was one she'd be taking all on her own.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44After losing her mum so soon in life, her dad sent her
0:05:44 > 0:05:46to boarding school during termtime
0:05:46 > 0:05:49and out to the country during the holidays.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'And for an 11-year-old Pam, this was the holiday that would
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'change her life for ever.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:59It was a point at which my life changed, Len.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It had been...
0:06:01 > 0:06:03I had been...
0:06:03 > 0:06:08knocked from pillar to post for absolutely years
0:06:08 > 0:06:10staying with all sorts of people.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- Oh, really?- Oh, yes. Father married many times.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Wasn't really the sort of man who should have been a parent.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Right.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24He couldn't take that sort of responsibility
0:06:24 > 0:06:29and, so, I didn't really have any stability at all.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Right, so, you came down on your own?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I came down on my own. I was put onto the train
0:06:34 > 0:06:38at Paddington station in the care of the guard in those days!
0:06:38 > 0:06:39That's right! SHE LAUGHS
0:06:39 > 0:06:41And then you got picked up?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- Then I got picked up. - In a car like this.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- In a car exactly like this. - And who did the picking up?
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Oh, it was what I thought was an elderly lady,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- but she wouldn't have been an elderly lady...- Yeah.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- ..but to me she was...- Yeah.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56..as I'd just gone 11.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01And she was one of the women
0:07:01 > 0:07:03who eventually became
0:07:03 > 0:07:05an adopted aunt.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- Aunt Sylvia. - Oh, how lovely.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Sylvia took Pam to her home -
0:07:10 > 0:07:13a place that would live with her for ever.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14It was a farm, wasn't it?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16A farm, yes.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19It was two women - one who ran the farm
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and one who ran the household,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- in other words...- Right. - ..for PGs, for paying guests.- Yeah.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Of which I was, obviously... Started out as one of them.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34So, these two lovely ladies really became
0:07:34 > 0:07:36almost like surrogate mothers.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- They were, they were my parents to all intents and purposes.- Yeah.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42- And I owe them so much for that... - Yeah.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47..because they invested so much affection and trust
0:07:47 > 0:07:48- and faith in me as a person.- Yeah.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- This was the first taste I had... - Of a proper family.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55- ..of anything like a family, yes. - Yeah.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59'It sounds like today will be extra-special for Pam.'
0:08:03 > 0:08:061953 was an eventful year
0:08:06 > 0:08:10and there was big news for children across the land.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Kids like the then 11-year-old Pam
0:08:12 > 0:08:16rejoiced as Second World War rationing on sweets
0:08:16 > 0:08:19finally came to an end. Ho, ho!
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Also in that year, I'm sure all those sweet-filled kids
0:08:23 > 0:08:25were looking towards the skies
0:08:25 > 0:08:29as RAF pilots spotted a white ball-shaped UFO
0:08:29 > 0:08:31hovering over Kent. Whoa!
0:08:31 > 0:08:34What did it look like and what were your final conclusions?
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Well, it actually looked a completely circular
0:08:37 > 0:08:40white object, very similar to a ping pong ball.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42It was moving, bobbing about, was it?
0:08:42 > 0:08:45No, it was absolutely motionless for the first 15 minutes,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47but it moved off very, very slowly afterwards.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48Left no trail?
0:08:48 > 0:08:50No trail. No, no, no trail at all.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54And the world of country music
0:08:54 > 0:08:58marked the passing of the legendary Hank Williams
0:08:58 > 0:09:00with the posthumous release of his classic hit,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Your Cheatin' Heart.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04# The time will come
0:09:06 > 0:09:09# When you'll be blue
0:09:09 > 0:09:13# Your cheating heart
0:09:13 > 0:09:15# Will tell on you. #
0:09:16 > 0:09:22'But for Pam, that summer was all about her solo trip to Dartmoor
0:09:22 > 0:09:26'and we're about to rekindle those memories as she hasn't been back
0:09:26 > 0:09:29'to Southcott Farm in decades.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32'But how much has it changed over the years?'
0:09:32 > 0:09:33Hey, hey!
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Wow.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Wow, wow, wow!
0:09:40 > 0:09:42That's it.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- Gosh.- Pam, does this bring back a few memories?- Oh, yes.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- Oh, yes.- Yeah?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- That hasn't changed much.- Really?
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Nothing about the yard. Nope, nothing's changed.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54It's exactly the same.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56So, how long is it since you've been here?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Well, we moved from here
0:09:59 > 0:10:01in about '54,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- so I only had a couple of years in this house...- Right.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- ..and then we moved to another farm, a larger farm...- Oh, right.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09..further towards Widecombe.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11But this was the first impression.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12Yeah.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Well, shall we have a little look in?
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Are we allowed to?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Don't know. Take my arm.- Go on. You'll protect me, won't you, Len?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21We'll make out we're lost.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24This is going to take Pam right back to 1953.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27Gosh.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30Well.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Oh, this is...
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- Do you remember this?- I'm remembering this very differently.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40- Oh, yeah?- I don't remember these doors off the hall.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43Oh, here we are.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49- Can you smell burning?- No, no.- Good.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51- Look at the old fireplace.- Mmm.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Was the fire like that, Pam? Was that the sort of thing?
0:10:55 > 0:10:57No, there wasn't a wood burner.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00That was an open fire.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03They were big in those days because you used to
0:11:03 > 0:11:06not just have the wood there, but you'd have a seat there.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09- Yeah.- People would sit round and also you could have
0:11:09 > 0:11:10- a hot water facility as well.- Yeah.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Tell me, you know, the two ladies that you...
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Mmm. It was Molly...- Yeah.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- ..who I knew as Cortie.- Right.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- And Sylvia who became Aunt Sylvia. - Yeah.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Sylvia did all the farming. She was a good livestock woman.- Yeah.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27And Molly, she did everything inside.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- She looked after all the guests, paying guests...- Yeah.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32- ..and the house in general.- Right.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36- They sound like a really, you know, smashing couple.- Oh, they were.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38As we've said, they were like parents.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Do you have any recollections of your mum?
0:11:41 > 0:11:43I know she died when you were really young.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Do you have any memories of her, really?
0:11:46 > 0:11:48No, no, I don't, Len. I don't.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I had...
0:11:50 > 0:11:52a photograph of her
0:11:52 > 0:11:55which unfortunately got lost in a flood
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and that was the only part of her that I had.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- That was a pity.- Yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04- But I could see the similarity though, between us.- Yeah, yeah.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07- And she had Irish green eyes and... - Yeah.- ..brunette.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- Which I was when I was younger! - Yeah, yeah.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And, yeah, but no memories. Nothing in the heart.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15No.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- That's a shame, isn't it?- Yes.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21'I want to explore more of Pam's holiday farmhouse
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'and find the room she stayed in all those years ago.'
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Yeah, come in.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- Oh, well.- This is my wee cubbyhole.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- So, this is where you slept? - Yeah, yeah,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36and that window looked out over the meadow and that's where
0:12:36 > 0:12:41- I had my first glimpse of the cows the next morning...- Right.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44..with the mist rising and their warm breath on the...
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- Aww.- Oh, it was absolutely beautiful.- Yeah.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- You can see the cows. - Yes, yes.- Yeah.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53There they are, the Red Devons.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- Yeah.- Beautiful Red Devon cows. Hmm.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58What have we got over here on this old dresser?
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Oh, well, of course,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01we didn't have electricity.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- Oh, so it was...- Oh, yeah, it was...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- Oh, it was the... - Candle and matches.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- Really?- Didn't even have oil lamps
0:13:08 > 0:13:10- at this juncture.- It was a candle?
0:13:10 > 0:13:11It was a candle, yeah.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Can you imagine coming up those stairs with a candle?
0:13:14 > 0:13:15No! Little girl...
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- There.- There we are.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23So, we've got a...
0:13:25 > 0:13:26Do you know anything?
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Yes, that's a Widecombe Fair jug.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- I had no history of the area... - Yeah.- ..so I didn't know
0:13:34 > 0:13:35- what this jug meant when I...- Yeah.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37..saw it sitting on
0:13:37 > 0:13:38- my dressing table.- Yeah.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40But that's what it is.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43HE CHUCKLES
0:13:43 > 0:13:45So, what's it like being back in your old bedroom?
0:13:45 > 0:13:46- Strange.- Yeah?
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- Yes, it is.- Yeah.- It's very strange.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52It's funny, I get the same feeling that I had
0:13:52 > 0:13:56of the warmth and the welcome and everything else.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- Happy memories, really. - Oh, gosh, yes.- Just happy?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01- Oh, I should say.- Yeah. - Absolutely happy.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06No holiday is complete without sampling the local food
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and when a young Pam St Clement came here back in 1953,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Cortie always had something good for her to eat.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Can you remember the first meal you had when you came here?
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Oh, yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25- Yes, I got here at tea-time. - Right.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And so it was a typical Devon tea
0:14:29 > 0:14:33with scones and jam and cream and flapjacks.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37That was Cortie's big thing - flapjacks.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Cortie was a... Was she a good cook?
0:14:39 > 0:14:40A fantastic cook.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43So, what we're going to do, I'm going to try and
0:14:43 > 0:14:44knock up some flapjacks.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45SHE GASPS
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Right, let's have a...
0:14:47 > 0:14:48120... Oh, I'm no good on grams.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- Oh, no, I don't do grams.- No.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- See, we're the same generation, really!- Yeah.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56125g of butter.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59'Jamie Oliver's got nothing on me!
0:14:59 > 0:15:03'Now the ingredients just need a mix. Oh, pukka!'
0:15:03 > 0:15:06So, you know, as a little girl, 11 years old and so on,
0:15:06 > 0:15:11were you naughty or were you a very well-behaved and demure...?
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Funnily enough, I was quite demure at this juncture.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16Not at school.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17Oh, it was at school that I was a...
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Oh, I was wicked.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- Was you?- I was really naughty, yes.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- Cos I used to get encouraged by other kids.- Others, yeah.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Was it a mixed boarding school, or just...?
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- No, no, no.- All girls? - It was girls.- Right.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The only contact we had with boys is when we broke bounds to meet them.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- Oh, yeah.- Which we did.- Course.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37And also when we went dancing.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Was it ballroomy sort of dancing or was it country dancing?
0:15:41 > 0:15:42No, darling, it was ballroom.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- It was...- Oh!- Oh, yes, absolutely.
0:15:45 > 0:15:46- Oh!- Yep.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So I was having all sorts of different dance influences
0:15:49 > 0:15:53in those days because rock and roll was the big thing.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- Course it was!- Oh, I loved it!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- Absolutely loved it.- Yeah, and me.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Did you have any favourites?
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Well, Tommy Steele, Elvis...- Yeah.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08..Little Richard. But that was the sort of music I liked at school.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09- Yeah.- Loved it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12It's a shame Cortie didn't have a food mixer.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18'This looks lovely and it will be even better
0:16:18 > 0:16:20'when it comes out the oven.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Now, you're allowed to lick the spoon if you want to, young man.
0:16:23 > 0:16:24OK.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30What do you think?
0:16:30 > 0:16:32THEY LAUGH
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Yes, I think it's cracking.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39'If it tastes half as good as the spoon, we'll be quids in.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'I can't wait until this is ready, come on!
0:16:42 > 0:16:45'It's too sunny to be cooped up indoors,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48'so I've set a little spread alfresco, oh, yes!
0:16:48 > 0:16:53'And it's the perfect place to find out more about Pam's eating habits
0:16:53 > 0:16:55'all those years ago.'
0:16:55 > 0:16:56What was mealtime like?
0:16:56 > 0:17:01You know, were there other people staying and so on? Did you all sit together?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04No, actually, because most of the people that stayed here
0:17:04 > 0:17:06were bird-watchers,
0:17:06 > 0:17:11moorland enthusiasts who were walking the moors for the day
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- and they would tend to take their lunches with them.- Yeah.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19At... They'd probably come back at about suppertime,
0:17:19 > 0:17:20so they'd have an early supper.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25We would have supper when it suited the work schedule, really.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26Now...
0:17:27 > 0:17:30I've left this for a bit, because I don't want you getting over-excited
0:17:30 > 0:17:31and running off to the toilet.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- I'm already overexcited being with you, so...- Just wait a second.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- You know, the heart rate is...pumping.- I've left this on the lower level.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39PAM LAUGHS
0:17:40 > 0:17:42- It worked.- Didn't we do well?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Thank you, my dear.- You're welcome.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49- Do I have to be a lady and eat it with my pastry fork?- No, just...
0:17:49 > 0:17:53- I'm going to pick mine up and have a go at it.- Oh, good, I'm glad about that.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58Here's to the cook.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00- Yes.- The current cook, Len.- Yes.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- Here's to the past cook, Molly. - Yeah, Molly.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Oh, that's outrageous.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- That's brilliant.- That is so sweet.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15'With our bellies full, it's time to get out and explore.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21'Towards the north-east of Dartmoor, you'll find the exquisite Bovey Castle.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25'We're here to try something that Pam will remember from her
0:18:25 > 0:18:27'days on the farm - target practice.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30'Though today it's clay pigeons we're after.'
0:18:30 > 0:18:32GUNSHOT
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- Hi.- Pam, this is Ian.- Hi, Ian, nice to meet you.- How are you?
0:18:35 > 0:18:39- Are you all right?- Yeah. - Len, all right?- Good, yeah.- Good.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I've got two guns with us. I've got a 12-gauge for you, Len,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- and I got a 20-gauge for you, a bit of a smaller...- Right.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46I've got a trap set up, all the electronics,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50so I'll press the button and we'll go through the motions and I'll show you how to shoot.
0:18:50 > 0:18:51- Shall we give it a go, then?- Yeah.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55'As soon as Ian gives us a quick lesson, we'll be good to go.
0:18:55 > 0:18:56'I'm excited about this.'
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- OK. Say "pull."- Pull! - There's the clay, point at it.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Three, two, one - squeeze the trigger.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04- Pull.- There's the clay.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Point directly at it, lock on, three, two, one, squeeze.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10'Pam has more experience of this kind of thing than me,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13'but I'm feeling competitive.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14'Focus, Len.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:15- Gun's loaded.- Right.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Safety's off, ready to fire.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- Happy?- Yeah. - Say "pull" when you're ready.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- Pull!- And three, two, one.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25GUNSHOT
0:19:25 > 0:19:26- Nice shot.- I got it! You did get it!
0:19:26 > 0:19:31- Wow.- I got it! I got it! LAUGHTER
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- I'm not doing it any more, I got it! - Brilliant!- It's the best of one.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38THEY LAUGH I got it!
0:19:38 > 0:19:39- Brilliant.- You can't win with him.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Oh! Oh, slap my bum and call me Donald.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44THEY LAUGH
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- That was it.- Brilliant.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49- Well, Pam, you ready?- Yeah. - My work is done.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51- Beat that.- Beat that, indeed.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52LEN LAUGHS
0:19:55 > 0:19:56Just lift it away.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Now, don't forget, it's your dominant eye and pull slowly.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Just pull slowly and don't get panic...
0:20:03 > 0:20:06I know you've only got one chance, but don't panic.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- He's master of the sport already. - Very impressed, I am.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12So, say "pull" when you're ready.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13Pull!
0:20:13 > 0:20:15- In three, two, one, fire. - GUNSHOT
0:20:17 > 0:20:18- That was close.- Miles away.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- No, it wasn't miles away, it was just down the left.- Oh, that was a pity.- It was unfortunate.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26- Does that mean I'm the winner?- Yes. - Yes, it does. Congratulations.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29'Well, I'm thoroughly chuffed with myself after that,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31'but Pam shouldn't feel too downhearted.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36'After all, she's been involved with some explosive scenes of her own in EastEnders,
0:20:36 > 0:20:41'but I want to find out what she did before moving into Albert Square.'
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Did you start off in sort of repertory companies and stuff?
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Yeah, I started off in children's theatre, rep, a lot of theatre,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52because that's where most of the work was in those days.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56And then I started to get little bits in television
0:20:56 > 0:20:59and it went from there.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04- And how did EastEnders come along? - Yeah, well, I was...
0:21:04 > 0:21:07I was sitting at home one day and the phone went
0:21:07 > 0:21:10and a friend of mine was on the other end who was the director.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And he said, "Do you ever watch EastEnders?
0:21:13 > 0:21:17And I said, "Yeah, I think it's great, you know, it's good, I like it, it's gritty."
0:21:17 > 0:21:21And this was in the early days, when it very first started and he said, "Oh, thank goodness for that,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24"because I've been directing quite a bit and I just want to send
0:21:24 > 0:21:27"you a script to have a look at for a particular part."
0:21:27 > 0:21:29And I said, "Great."
0:21:29 > 0:21:32And that was just three weeks try-out
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and then thereafter they wanted me to go back as a regular.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Now, look, 26 years EastEnders, what was your favourite moment?
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Well... It'd be hard to beat the bowtie, wouldn't it, really?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49KNOCKS AT DOOR
0:22:07 > 0:22:09HE LAUGHS
0:22:10 > 0:22:12SHE LAUGHS
0:22:12 > 0:22:17Most of the stories around Mike, our marriage,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21our affair when he was married to Peggy and later on,
0:22:21 > 0:22:25the stuff I had with Barbara when Pat and Peggy
0:22:25 > 0:22:29sort of put Frank aside once he'd gone
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and started to become mates, then, you know, all that stuff...
0:22:33 > 0:22:36- Yeah, it was all good.- Terrific.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39'Pam is a true soap legend and there are still more memories
0:22:39 > 0:22:40'and surprises to come.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47'We've popped along to the Widecombe Village Hall,
0:22:47 > 0:22:52'which was a very special place when she first came here back in 1953.'
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Eh? PAM LAUGHS
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Does this bring back a few memories?
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Well, do you know, it brings back two very different memories.
0:23:01 > 0:23:07The first is my Aunt Sylvia's 80th birthday party, which was full of
0:23:07 > 0:23:12people in here and lots of food and eats and lots of people downstairs.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14But as far as my youth's concerned,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- this is where we used to have the dances.- Oh, my.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22- The village dance, the hop.- Yes. With the farmer boys.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Yes, I'm afraid so, yeah.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Come over here.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30The village record player in working order.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33Got a fabulous record here.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35One of my favourites.
0:23:35 > 0:23:42Now, so, Pam, I was wondering if you could just pin my bowtie in.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- Surely, sure.- Can you do that?- Yeah.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48It's quite tricky. TIE MOTOR RUNS
0:23:48 > 0:23:49PAM LAUGHS
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- Do you recall anything? - You naughty man!
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Except you've got your clothes on.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Well, I was going to take my shirt off, but I couldn't be bothered.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01'But if I'm to be Frank Butcher, we must bring Pat back
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'and that means some special earrings.'
0:24:06 > 0:24:08NEEDLE DROPS
0:24:09 > 0:24:13MUSIC: She Wears Red Feathers by Guy Mitchell
0:24:13 > 0:24:17# She wears red feathers and a hooly-hooly skirt... #
0:24:19 > 0:24:20PAM LAUGHS
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Me dickie going.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26# She lives on just coconuts and fish from the sea... #
0:24:26 > 0:24:31# A rose in her hair A gleam in her eyes And love in her heart for me... #
0:24:36 > 0:24:38- Wasn't this silly music? - Weren't it great?
0:24:38 > 0:24:43Well, do you know what? I think it's time for pastures green.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- Oh, and there's more to do. - Oh, is there?- Oh, yes!
0:24:46 > 0:24:48I'm not going out with you dressed like that.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52- I'm going to keep my dickie on as long as I can.- All right, all right.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57'I'm having a sit-down with Pam to find out what it
0:24:57 > 0:25:01'was like playing one of EastEnders' most formidable characters.'
0:25:02 > 0:25:04You must feel sorry for old...
0:25:05 > 0:25:08..Pat, really. She went through a few ups and downs and...
0:25:08 > 0:25:11- She did, didn't she? - ..traumas during her...- She was...
0:25:11 > 0:25:15A useful tool in terms of being able to take the story out
0:25:15 > 0:25:19and wheel it round, even if she wasn't carrying the story herself.
0:25:19 > 0:25:24And the fun days of course with Mike and then when
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Mike and Barbara, you know, had the Peggy and Frank marriage
0:25:29 > 0:25:34- and then the affair with Pat and all those days, I loved all that.- Yeah.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37So, did you know what was coming up or did you, you know,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41did you suddenly find, "This is what's going to happen?"
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Well, to be honest, Len, you could've known.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45I could've gone up to the office at any time and said to them,
0:25:45 > 0:25:47"What's going to happen to my character?"
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Just occasionally I wanted to have an idea of a direction.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53But by and large I found it easier...
0:25:53 > 0:25:56To do what you do in life, which is you don't
0:25:56 > 0:25:58- know what's around the next corner. - Yeah.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01- PEGGY:- So, don't you think my Frank knows he's better off out of it?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- No, I don't.- Well, he is. - I know my Frank.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06He's not your Frank, he's mine!
0:26:06 > 0:26:07Only cos I don't want him.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Oh, yeah?
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Is there anything that you really wish you'd done
0:26:12 > 0:26:14and you didn't get round to it?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- What, in the acting field, what parts?- Yes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20No, I don't have a hankering to, you know, I don't think,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22"Oh, my! I should have played Lady Macbeth!"
0:26:22 > 0:26:24LEN LAUGHS
0:26:24 > 0:26:29- But I'd like to come back in my next life as a vet.- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Do you feel that coming down here was a holiday of your lifetime?
0:26:35 > 0:26:39Well, I think it's quite important to actually point out
0:26:39 > 0:26:43the fact that this wasn't just a holiday of a lifetime,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47but it's a holiday which became my lifetime.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Yeah. Yeah.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55This has been a wonderful, wonderful day for me. I've enjoyed it so much.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59We've laughed and it's a little tinged with a little sadness,
0:26:59 > 0:27:00but it has been fantastic.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02It's been great, Len.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07- I really, really am so thrilled to meet you.- Well...
0:27:07 > 0:27:08And, you know, it's been wonderful.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10- Thank you so much.- Well, likewise, thank you.
0:27:11 > 0:27:17I have with me a complete record of our day together.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- Really?- Yes, in the form... of this little scrapbook,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Look! You on the front.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- Isn't that beautiful?- Look at that.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35'A scrapbook of memories of our time in the delightful Dartmoor
0:27:35 > 0:27:38'that will help Pam remember our rural adventure,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42'but still, I've got one final surprise that will surely
0:27:42 > 0:27:44'bring back those memories.'
0:27:44 > 0:27:48So, here it is, a little Widecombe Fair jug.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52- No, of course, because that's the whole memory, isn't it?- Course it is. There it is.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56- Oh, lovely. Thank you. - It's been great.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00- Thank you very much, Len.- No... - It's been super.- It's been my joy.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'It's goodbye from Dartmoor and the summer of 1953,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09'when two generous ladies took Pam under their wing
0:28:09 > 0:28:12'and helped shape a true acting legend.'