0:00:02 > 0:00:04Childhood holidays. We all love them, don't we?
0:00:04 > 0:00:07Fun in the sun, sand castles, swimming in the sea.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09Can't beat them.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13So in this series, I'm going to be reliving those wonderful
0:00:13 > 0:00:16times with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Everyone a winner! Come on! Hook a duck!
0:00:20 > 0:00:22And some of the most surprising guests
0:00:22 > 0:00:25have the most fascinating holidays.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28- You could do a night here. - You could.- Yeah.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31However, I think that's long enough for me!
0:00:31 > 0:00:33THEY LAUGH
0:00:33 > 0:00:35We'll relive the fun...
0:00:35 > 0:00:36TRAIN WHISTLE TOOTS Oh! No! No!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38The games...
0:00:38 > 0:00:42and the food of years gone by.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45That is a little taste of childhood right there.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49To find out how those holidays around the UK helped shape
0:00:49 > 0:00:51the people we know so well today.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55I'm giving you a standing ovation.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58So, buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Can you come on all my holidays?
0:01:02 > 0:01:07Today I am meeting someone who I watch on the television
0:01:07 > 0:01:08all the time.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Oh, yes.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13She's a lady who, like me,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17loves having a good old nosy around people's houses.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22She was born in London in 1971.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Oh, look at her angelic little face!
0:01:26 > 0:01:28An early TV appearance of hers
0:01:28 > 0:01:32was in the Chesney Hawkes video The One And Only.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35# I am the one and only
0:01:37 > 0:01:39# Nobody I'd rather be. #
0:01:39 > 0:01:43She must have had a lot of hairspray on that up-do!
0:01:43 > 0:01:48After entertaining the kiddiewinks on children's TV,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51she became a firm fixture on morning television
0:01:51 > 0:01:56and has been going in and out of houses all over the UK with who?
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Martin Roberts.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Have I got a bid on today's guest?
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Going once, going twice. It's gone.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06It's Homes Under The Hammer's
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Lucy Alexander.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13And I'm on my way to pick her up in this beautiful Bentley,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15just like the one her dad would have driven
0:02:15 > 0:02:18when she was just a little girl in pigtails.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Oh, so posh!
0:02:21 > 0:02:22Ooh, here I come.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Look, here she is back then in the actual car.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Lucy was born in East Dulwich
0:02:29 > 0:02:31and grew up with her older sister, Sally,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35mum, Kay, who worked in a children's nursery,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39and dad, Fred, who had a driving school and sold cars on the side.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Lucy started singing and dancing from a very early age
0:02:42 > 0:02:48and adored performing so much, she set out for a career in theatre.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50But with an eye for a good buy
0:02:50 > 0:02:52combined with a winning personality,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56she became instead one of our favourite TV presenters,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59hosting Homes Under The Hammer for over a decade.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05This property could be an imaginative country retreat,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09so let's see what happens to it when it goes under the hammer.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12I'm hoping we're going to get on like a house on fire
0:03:12 > 0:03:15as we relive her holiday memories,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18starting with the classy car she came here in.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Oh, I love it!
0:03:21 > 0:03:22My goodness.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I'm so excited to meet this man.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Whoa! Look, a silver Bentley!
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Len! Oh, my goodness!
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- I'm going to slide across.- Wow!
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Wow, can I have a kiss?
0:03:36 > 0:03:37- Course you can.- Hello, darling.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39I'm so excited.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Does this bring back memories? - Completely.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- The mahogany dash. Look at it. - Look at it!
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- Wow! - HE LAUGHS
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Do you know, it seems smaller.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50It seemed so much bigger when I was a kid.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Well, I tell you what, it's not so much smaller when you drive it.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- It is massive!- How is it to drive? Beautiful.- It's beautiful.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- Smooth.- Smooth, automatic.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Where are we off to?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03So, Herne Bay is where I spent a lot of my childhood holidays.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- So did I.- Did you?- Yes!
0:04:05 > 0:04:08- And what's the year?- 1979.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- Oh! I know all the words. - Of course you would!
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- Shall we have a sing-along? - Now, no seat belts.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- I can cope with that. That's all right.- But just sit in.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- Just drive safely.- Herne Bay. Here we come!
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Whoohoo!
0:04:25 > 0:04:30For a bit of traditional seaside magic, you can't beat Herne Bay.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34It has been welcoming visitors with its lovely beaches
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and fresh air since the late 1700s.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43At the end of the Thames estuary, it's eight miles north
0:04:43 > 0:04:48of Canterbury and a few miles east of its posher neighbour, Whitstable.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53With two miles of splendid seafront, it's
0:04:53 > 0:04:58proud home to a pleasure pier, beach huts and a bandstand.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03As well as gardens, arcades and all the usual seaside favourites.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Today I'm taking Lucy back to relive these glorious days when
0:05:07 > 0:05:12she came here as a little girl down from London in a big fancy motor.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Well, before any holiday begins, you have to get there first.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25For nine-year-old Lucy, leaving East Dulwich back in '79,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29it was all about keeping mucky fingers off Dad's posh car.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35My grandmother bought a bungalow, which was our holiday home,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39- and we used to come down for weekends, long weekends.- Perfect.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42And I remember coming down in this car, not every weekend,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45because this wasn't the car that my dad always had.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47We used to literally have this car
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and then the week later, my dad would have a different car
0:05:49 > 0:05:50and the doors would fly open.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52So we'd go from complete luxury
0:05:52 > 0:05:54to complete where we'd be holding on for dear life.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Cos he'd go, "Careful, Luce. That door opens sometimes."
0:05:57 > 0:05:59- "What?!" You know.- Yeah.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01And who was in the car with you?
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Dad would be there driving, Mum would be sitting here,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and I would be in the back with my sister Sally.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Was she older or younger?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10She was an older sister.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- And invariably, we would be arguing. - That's what I was going to ask you.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- Was there a bit of squabbling going on?- Oh, yeah, completely.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18And I remember sitting in the car and Dad said,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20"Right, kids, don't spill anything, don't drop anything.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22"I'm going to have to sell this car."
0:06:22 > 0:06:25And we had a box of chocolates in the back and he said,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27"You be careful with those chocolates!"
0:06:27 > 0:06:28And what happened?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Sally wanted that one, I wanted that one,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32and the whole thing went up in the air.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35He went absolutely crazy and he leaned back like this, got the box
0:06:35 > 0:06:38of chocolates, unwound the window and just threw them out.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Oh, God. Heartbreaker.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42We were crying. "Oh, my God, Dad! Our chocolates!"
0:06:42 > 0:06:45But, yeah, obviously we got the chocolate everywhere.
0:06:45 > 0:06:46All over the seats and he went mad.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Well, so he should.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Did you play any games on the journey?
0:06:51 > 0:06:53We used to play a really funny game
0:06:53 > 0:06:57because my dad was a car dealer, and he'd go, "Luce, what car's that?
0:06:57 > 0:06:59"What car's that?" And I'd have to play this game with him.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- But I was the best one at it. - Was you?
0:07:01 > 0:07:02- I was really good. - Better than your dad?
0:07:02 > 0:07:06No, not better than my dad, but better than my sister and my mum.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Because I took quite an interest in cars, as well.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- So, yeah. We used to play that game. - What's that car parked over there?
0:07:11 > 0:07:12- That grey one?- Is that a Seat?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Is that a Seat?
0:07:15 > 0:07:17- No, it's a Skoda.- Oh, no!- Oh!
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- First one.- Boo!
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Nissan.- Oh, well done. Bedford.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23Yeah, well done.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Volkswagen. That's easy because it's got the great big VW on it.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- Ford.- Ford. THEY LAUGH
0:07:29 > 0:07:31And so, that's a good game.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I suppose, it wasn't that long a journey, really,
0:07:33 > 0:07:35from Dulwich down to Herne Bay.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- What is it, an hour and a half? - Yeah, about an hour and a half.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40It was just enough time to get all excited
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and we'd pack all the car up with all of our stuff.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46And then sometimes my dad used to tow a boat
0:07:46 > 0:07:48because he had a speedboat, as well.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52So he used to take the speedboat down and we would put all the bikes,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55prams, all bits and pieces, all in the boat
0:07:55 > 0:07:57and we'd tow that and we'd take that down.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- God knows what we must have looked like on the motorway.- Right.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05Just as Lucy was arriving at her gran's house in 1979,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09another lady was stepping over the threshold at Number Ten.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Yes, Margaret Thatcher had just become our first female
0:08:13 > 0:08:14Prime Minister.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Another pioneer was the Walkman, the world's first low-cost,
0:08:19 > 0:08:24portable stereo, which went on sale in Japan that July.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27And debuting on our television
0:08:27 > 0:08:31screens was the hit BBC series To The Manor Born,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Nearly 24 million tuned in for the final episode that year
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and the soundtrack to it all?
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Well, it was Gloria Gaynor's year
0:08:43 > 0:08:48and she belted out one of the best break-up ballads of all time.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50# Did you think I'd crumble?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53LEN: # Would I lay down and die?
0:08:53 > 0:08:54# Oh, no, not I
0:08:54 > 0:08:56# I will survive... #
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- Go on, Gloria. - # As long as I know how to love
0:08:59 > 0:09:00# I know I'll stay alive
0:09:00 > 0:09:02# I've got all my life to live... #
0:09:02 > 0:09:06This timeless disco classic remained Gloria's biggest hit.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10It reached number one in America, and here in the UK
0:09:10 > 0:09:13it was number one for four glorious weeks.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15# Go on, now, go
0:09:15 > 0:09:17# Walk out the door... #
0:09:17 > 0:09:21This is the start of Lucy's holiday of her lifetime.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24After being cooped up in the car, there was
0:09:24 > 0:09:28nothing like the fresh Herne Bay air.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Oh, it's bracing.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32It is bracing, and it smells of Herne Bay.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- Of course it does.- Doesn't it?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I know your dad threw the chocolates out of the window,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40but you did get to here and survive the journey, right?
0:09:40 > 0:09:41- Yeah, with no chocolates!- Yeah.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Is this how you remember it?
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Yeah, I can really remember it.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47This is a place called Hampton.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50It's just before you actually get into Herne Bay
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and, obviously, the pier used to go right the way along to there.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- So that's the end of the pier? - That's the end of the pier.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58And all the little beach huts,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00they just line along the side of the coast.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- It's fantastic, I must say.- Yeah.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Whether lovely jubbly or chilly willy, Herne Bay's shallow
0:10:12 > 0:10:16waters have been loved by visitors for centuries.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21It was the creation of a kilometre-long pier in 1832
0:10:21 > 0:10:25that really put the little town on the map.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30Steam boats carrying Victorian passengers heading to the
0:10:30 > 0:10:34coast, for all the benefits of sea bathing and fresh air,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37could now stop off with ease at Herne Bay.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40The pier brought holiday-makers here in droves.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45In fact, in 1842, over 40,000 visitors arrived
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and even more came later after a report in 1883
0:10:49 > 0:10:51described Herne Bay
0:10:51 > 0:10:54as the healthiest watering place in England.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59The registrar general recorded
0:10:59 > 0:11:03twice that Herne Bay had the lowest death rate
0:11:03 > 0:11:05for seven infectious diseases,
0:11:05 > 0:11:10so, therefore, making us one of the healthiest places in England.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12I think we traded on that for a lot of years.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18To accommodate the influx, hotels sprung up and a promenade was built
0:11:18 > 0:11:23and much of the town's 19th-century charm is still retained today.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26But behind all this Victorian respectability
0:11:26 > 0:11:29hid a much shadier past.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Smuggling in Herne Bay was one of the staple industries
0:11:33 > 0:11:37in the late 18th-19th century and they would have
0:11:37 > 0:11:43been smuggling tea, tobacco, spirits, lots of spirits.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And, in fact, at one time,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49they were smuggling so much gin into Herne Bay
0:11:49 > 0:11:52that it said that some of the villagers
0:11:52 > 0:11:54used it to wash their windows with.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56What a liberty!
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Just like the Victorians before them, young Lucy
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and her family came to Herne Bay to escape the city and enjoy
0:12:06 > 0:12:10the fabulous location of Grandma's bungalow right on the seafront.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16This is incredible. I've not been here for so many years.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The beautiful thing about this was that it was right...
0:12:19 > 0:12:22- Well, it IS right on the corner here.- Yeah.- Old corner plot.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24And you can see right across to the sea
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and you've got all this expanse of lovely greenery outside.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29And we used to park our boat.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Dad used to put his boat just along here and we would
0:12:33 > 0:12:35literally all run to the boat,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37get our bikes out and we'd bomb it off down the road.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39And look at this little thing here.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42We would tie our bikes up on that and pretend they were horses!
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Do you know, when I was a kid,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I used to go everywhere on a horse.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Did you?!
0:12:48 > 0:12:49Giddy-up!
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Off to school. "Come on! Let's get on." Whey-hey!
0:12:52 > 0:12:54THEY LAUGH
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But it's all the childhood memories of doing all
0:12:57 > 0:12:58the make-believe play.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Look, I want to show you over here, because there's loads of beaches
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and we used to sort of try and have our own little beach
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and if ever we saw anybody else on the beach
0:13:06 > 0:13:08we used to get quite cross.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09- We'd be like...- Liberty! "Oi!"
0:13:09 > 0:13:11- "Get off our beach!" - Let's have a look.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13There's so many lovely little beaches
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and we used to do roly-polies down here in the summer.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17- Course you would.- My sister and I, my cousin Fiona,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20we'd just bomb it down here and that was our beach there.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24- Right.- And my dad used to take his boat down there and off we'd go.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Fantastic. I tell you what, it's absolutely great.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33No holiday experience is complete without sampling the local food.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37But not being a fan of fish when she was a kid,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42the young Lucy turned her nose up at the traditional seafood fare
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and preferred something different - very different.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48What do you remember about this place?
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I remember coming here with all my family and my cousins
0:13:51 > 0:13:52and we would have the biggest ice cream
0:13:52 > 0:13:55that my mum and dad would let us have.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Obviously, I went for the Knickerbocker Glory. It was massive.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Why wouldn't you?
0:13:58 > 0:14:02And we'd just drink loads of fizzy drinks and we'd just...
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Yeah, it would be part of our summer holiday to come here.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08We've got something in common.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10You and I like faggots.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12I know! That...
0:14:12 > 0:14:14That's so random that you actually like faggots.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- Yes, I do. - The only reason I had faggots,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19on a Friday night only, I hasten to add,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22was because I didn't like fish as a kid - the bones in fish -
0:14:22 > 0:14:25so I would always have faggots in gravy.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- Faggots and chips.- And I loved it! - Right.- I haven't had them for years.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Well, we've been given full permission to go backstage...
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Backstage! Da da-da!
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- And do a bit of...- Da-da
0:14:35 > 0:14:40Do a bit of faggot cooking. Heh heh! Here we go, through the door.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41Oh, yes!
0:14:41 > 0:14:45'Moulded into balls and traditionally made from pigs heart,
0:14:45 > 0:14:50'liver and fatty belly meat, faggots aren't to everyone's taste.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53'Of course, you can throw in a bit of sausage meat, stuffing
0:14:53 > 0:14:56'and seasoning for extra scrumptiousness.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58'Oh, yes! Yum, yum, pig's bum!'
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- So, let's make... No, you have to put it in first.- Stick it in there.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- Does that feel nice?- No! - Oh, that feels a bit funny.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- Put your hand in that, that would feel even... Oh!- Ugh!
0:15:07 > 0:15:12- Put a bit of... No more.- Is that too much?- No, one more. That will do.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- Not much of that. Now, this, paprika or whatever.- Turmeric. What is it?
0:15:16 > 0:15:18I don't know what it is.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- It doesn't say, but it's something special. Look...- OK.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- Give it a smidge around. - What about these?
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Oh, that's like a bit of stuffing, isn't it?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Go on, put the whole bag in.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30No fear! I'll give you a little bit more.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- How much?- Go on, a bit more. Because I think that's what gives it the...
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- Binds it.- Binds it all together and...
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- It can't be more than that, surely!- Here we go.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- Oh, it smells nice. - They were in balls.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- Yeah, they're balls. They're like meatballs.- Balls of fun.- Balls of...
0:15:48 > 0:15:49Great balls of fun!
0:15:49 > 0:15:52- Don't! It's not a pizza! - Go on, let's have a juggle.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- No, I'm not! I've only got... - Catch, catch!
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- No, I'm not going to.- Catch it!
0:15:56 > 0:15:58LEN LAUGHS
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Look, there's one. There we go. Small balls.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Small balls coming up! Yeah, let's make them quite small.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- We have to put them... - In the deep fat fryer?- Follow me.
0:16:08 > 0:16:14So, it's over to chef Hussan. Right, this is the moment of truth.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16- Now, in the basket? - In the basket.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19- Now, which one is your ball of choice?- Mine is that one.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Do you want to put a couple more in for safety?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Yes, let's do it because if they do fall apart,
0:16:23 > 0:16:24some of the others might not.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- Four is enough. - That's enough, isn't it? Yeah?
0:16:27 > 0:16:28- Yeah.- Ready? - Go on, put it in.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Yeah, go on. - Fingers crossed.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Oh, ho-ho!
0:16:34 > 0:16:37A few more minutes in the fryer and Hussan has them plated up
0:16:37 > 0:16:38with some chips.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Oh, lovely!
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- What do you call them? - Faggots!- Oh, look out!- Oh, look!
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- Oh, you've got four!- And my little tomato ketchup.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- That looks great.- Look out!
0:16:49 > 0:16:51- Thank you so much. - Thank you so much.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53I'm just going to try a chip.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- Forget those, let's get straight into the faggots.- OK.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- Come on!- Ready? - Yep.- This is the big test.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I like that. Crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the in.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- I tell you what...- Good, eh?
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Jamie Oliver couldn't have done these better.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12As a nine-year-old taking into her faggots,
0:17:12 > 0:17:18Lucy already had big dreams. You went off to stage school.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- I thought you were never going to ask.- Yes.- I did actually, yes.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- What was that like?- Fantastic.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25My mum and dad were a little bit,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27"Shall we send her? Shall we not send her?"
0:17:27 > 0:17:31And I left a note next to my bed begging them, please, send me off.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I did all the things I wanted to do.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Singing, dancing, tap, ballet, jazz, everything all under one roof.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40- Not so much maths and English. - No, no.- But who cares?
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- Yeah, very, very happy time in my life.- What was your favourite?
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Was it the dancing, the singing, the acting? What was your favourite?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I loved drama, so I loved acting.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- I didn't ever think I'd end up being a presenter, which is weird.- No.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56But I loved jazz dance and tap dance. Can we just do something?
0:17:56 > 0:17:57Can we have the faggot challenge?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Can you get a whole faggot in your mouth?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Come on, the faggot challenge! I want a whole faggot in your mouth.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- Yeah, well... - Ready? Three, two, one, go!
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Oh! Oh, ho-ho! Ooh!
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Yeah, I've eaten it. Gone!
0:18:19 > 0:18:20- No!- Gone!
0:18:23 > 0:18:25LEN MUMBLES
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I think we need some water. He can't swallow it.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Talk among yourselves.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37- It's half-past five now. - Don't start!- I've got to go home.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I've got two kids to feed. Can we stop?
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Well, I might take two of these home. Put them in my pocket.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53Now, because faggots were originally made from offal and offcuts,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57they were top of the menu during the rationing years of World War II.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00It was a time when Herne Bay looked very different.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Its gently shelving beaches were thought to be
0:19:04 > 0:19:07a danger for invading German tanks.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11And the long pier was immediately cut in two,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13to stop it being used by enemy boats.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17The old end of the pier is still visible today, out at sea.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Where I'm sitting now was in fact
0:19:21 > 0:19:25of steel-pipe scaffolding as we now know it.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30It was designed as defence against attack,
0:19:30 > 0:19:31so the whole of this seafront
0:19:31 > 0:19:36was virtually walkable but you really couldn't get on the beach unless you were young,
0:19:36 > 0:19:41like I was, and my friends, who could wriggle under the bottom of it and get down to the sea.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45After the war, of course, all of this was stripped away,
0:19:45 > 0:19:51so the pier was not rebuilt because steel was only allowed
0:19:51 > 0:19:53for places like factories and major works,
0:19:53 > 0:19:58and £100 was the limit you could spend on any one property for its maintenance.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03'Another traditional past time in a beach resort like this, and one
0:20:03 > 0:20:07'that Lucy's family loved back on their 1979 holiday,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09'was bingo.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11'Popular since the '60s,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15'more than three million people still wait for legs 11 today!'
0:20:15 > 0:20:17WOLF WHISTLE
0:20:17 > 0:20:18- Did you used to play bingo?- Yes!
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- Come on, of course we used to play bingo!- Of course you did!
0:20:22 > 0:20:24I LOVED playing bingo, I wasn't very good at it.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Was you ever lucky?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Do you know what, I can remember coming home with this big,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32oversized, fluffy, massive pink teddy bear, and my mum used to keep
0:20:32 > 0:20:35putting it in the loft and I'd want it back down again!
0:20:35 > 0:20:38So I think I did win, once, but I could never concentrate enough.
0:20:38 > 0:20:44The thing is, nowadays, it's not just on the pier and a fluffy teddy.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46- It's like big bucks! - Serious business.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47So shall we have a go?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Hundreds of thousands of pounds, apparently, you can win now.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52- Shall we have a go? - Shall we try our luck?- Come on.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Right, eyes down and dabbers at the ready!
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- Your first number... - Right, concentrate! Shhh!
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Four and seven, 47.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Four and six, 46.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- Four and one, 41.- Oh, I can't see!
0:21:08 > 0:21:10On its own, the number seven.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- Yes!- Eight and two, 82.
0:21:14 > 0:21:15Slow down a bit(!)
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Seven and four, 74.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- One and two, number 12. We have a claim, number 12.- Never!
0:21:23 > 0:21:25What? A whole line?
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Oh, my God, it's quite stressful!
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I can't do any more, I've got a headache. Oh, my God!
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- I've had it.- Let's go.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Looks like we may have to pass on the cash prizes this time(!)
0:21:39 > 0:21:43- That is, that's quite hard work. - Hard work? I've got a headache.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- You were rotten at it.- I'm rubbish, you know what, I can't focus.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47That's my problem.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Well, I thought I would be a bit slow, but it's so quick.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53After singing, dancing and acting,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58Lucy moved from the theatre to presenting children's TV.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01But while we have a cheeky sit-down, I want to know how
0:22:01 > 0:22:04she ended up moving into property.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07So, have you always been a bit savvy when it comes to money?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Um... I do try.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11I'm not so great with the numbers,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14but I know what will make money and what will do well.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16When did you buy your first property?
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- You were quite young, weren't you?- Yes.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20I was very young when I bought my first property.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I was about 17 or 18.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24I bought a little flat in Clapham,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27and I was quite entrepreneurial even at that age,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31because my mum and dad used to buy property and invest,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33so I wanted my own place to live in, so, yeah.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Saved all my pennies from a couple of TV commercials
0:22:36 > 0:22:38I'd done as a kid, and yeah, bought my own flat.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And then it went from there. Did you live in that?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44I lived in it, I sold it, I then bought two,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I then got married and invested with my husband,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49and then I got the property bug,
0:22:49 > 0:22:52hence I've ended up doing the show I now do,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54which is all about property!
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- It's the perfect show, then, if you love it.- I know. I love it.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01I wish I'd have got some properties. I could've been a tycoon!
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- You were too busy dancing around the world.- I was.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07- I was - I was too busy dancing. - But Len, it's never too late.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08Get in there, save your money.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11If you can buy something, now is a good time.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- There's an estate agents up here. Come on.- There's always a good time!
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Well, there was another old pub that
0:23:21 > 0:23:25Lucy and her family loved to come to right down on the shore.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Do you remember this place? - Do I remember this place?!
0:23:28 > 0:23:31We used to sit outside here with a lemonade and a straw
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and a bag of crisps, on that wall.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35- I love it.- Really? Shall we go in?
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Yes!- Come on!- Come on!
0:23:38 > 0:23:44'The perfect place to have a final chinwag with Lucy about her career.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:46How did Homes Under The Hammer come along?
0:23:46 > 0:23:50It was really weird because I knew the executive producer
0:23:50 > 0:23:52who was thinking about putting the show together,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56and she knew that I loved property, so we did a little small series.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I'd just had a baby, and she said, "Well, what do you think?"
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And I said, "Yeah, let's give it a go," and here I am,
0:24:02 > 0:24:0613 years later, still doing the same programme
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- and still loving it as much.- How many episodes must you have done?
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Hundreds and hundreds.
0:24:11 > 0:24:1513 years' worth, and it's still on every single day of the week.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17What is it about Homes Under The Hammer?
0:24:17 > 0:24:20OK, for me, personally, I love the properties,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23but I love meeting the people, just like I've met you today.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27I love hearing the stories, and I love seeing what the people do
0:24:27 > 0:24:29to the properties and then the end result,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and the journey that you go on with them, with them and the property.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34So that is the thing that's kept me
0:24:34 > 0:24:37signing those contracts all those years.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Well, this is the front reception room
0:24:39 > 0:24:41and the wonderful proportions continue.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44You've even got your own chandelier to get you started!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47But putting my developer's head on, I think it's a shame
0:24:47 > 0:24:51the original windows have been replaced with UPVC.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Have you ever walked into a place and you've thought, "No! This is...
0:24:55 > 0:24:57"They must have been off their trolleys.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- "It's an absolute... you know...disaster!"- Yes!
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Yes, yes, like...like, almost every week.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07The places I go in, you wouldn't believe.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Well, you would believe if you see it.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12There are no floors, there are rats, there are spiders,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16there are no roofs, you can't even put the kit down and your bag down.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- My feet stick to the carpet, and they stink.- Yeah.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23- You know, it's not a glamorous job doing a Homes Under The Hammer first look.- No. I can imagine.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28But you have to see beyond that, and sometimes the way they turn these places around,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30it's incredible, and I still get inspired.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34I still watch it and go, "Oh, my God! I'm so glad I do this!"
0:25:34 > 0:25:35Because it's inspirational.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39I still myself watch it, love it, I've got the property bug and after
0:25:39 > 0:25:42all these years, I'm still investing and wanting to buy at auction.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46Do you know, that comes across. Have you got any burning desires...
0:25:46 > 0:25:48There's something else you'd really love to do?
0:25:48 > 0:25:53I'd love to present a morning magazine show or something.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55- Like a chat show? - Like a chat show or...you know,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58co-hosting it with somebody bubbly and chatty, like yourself.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02- A bit like Des and Mel.- Yeah. Like a Good Morning, Lucy And Len!- Yeah.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- Lucy and Len.- Lucy and Len with a couple of coffee cups.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- It'd have to be Len and Lucy, I'm afraid.- Oh, really? Oh, right, OK!
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Hey-hey, I'm looking forward to that.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Lucy's got exciting things ahead, I'm sure,
0:26:15 > 0:26:20but there's no doubt her past here still means so much to her.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25So, coming down here to Herne Bay with your mum and dad,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27seeing your nan and so on,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30do you think that has helped to shape you into who you are?
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Definitely it's helped shape who I am,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I think because it grounds me,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38I still come down here now with my own family, and I've got really
0:26:38 > 0:26:42happy memories, and I'm very lucky because I had an amazing childhood,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- and it all stems from coming here as a little girl.- Right.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49- And it's been amazing. - It's been great.- I've loved it.
0:26:49 > 0:26:54- Thank you.- No - thank you!- Let's have another clonky clonky cheers.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55Cheers.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Well, Lucy, let me tell you, I will never forget today,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05because it has been great. I've done things I never thought I'd ever do.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- I know!- And I want to make sure you never forget it,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13so because of that, there's a little scrapbook
0:27:13 > 0:27:15of memories
0:27:15 > 0:27:17- from the Holiday Of My Lifetime. - That is a good photo of you.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21- Look at me, saluting! - Look at you! That is amazing.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26I'm really.... That's so lovely. I'm honoured. Thank you, my darling.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31And to remember one of her most favourite spots,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I've got another souvenir for her.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Now, for your new home that you're building,
0:27:37 > 0:27:43we thought what could be nicer than... Oh, my God!
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Oh! That...is fantastic!
0:27:47 > 0:27:51- I love it. I'd like it myself! - That is amazing!
0:27:51 > 0:27:53What a beautiful photo.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- Thank you. Can I have a hug? - Of course you can.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Well, it's the end of our lovely day together,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and it's goodbye to the beaches of Herne Bay.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06For Lucy Alexander,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10this town will always be the home of some very special memories.