Episode 1 Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman

Childhood holidays? We all love them, don't we?

Fun in the sun, sandcastles, swimming in the sea...

Can't beat them.

So in this series, I'm going to be reliving those wonderful times

with some much-loved famous faces.

Everyone a winner! Come on! Hook a duck!

And some of the most surprising guests had the most fascinating holidays.

THEY LAUGH

-Hey!

-It's a tug-of-war!

We'll relive the fun... TRAIN WHISTLES

Oh, no, no!

'..the games...'

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

That is a little taste of childhood, right there.

..to find out how those holidays around the UK helped shape

the people we know so well today.

I'm giving you a standing ovation.

So buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.

Can you come on all my holidays?

In today's journey through time, I'm not only driving a classic

piece of British engineering, I'm doing it on an island.

Oh, it's not the Isle of Wight, it's not the Isle of Man

and it's not the Isle of Skye!

But it's an island. And do you know what?

I'm not going to tell you which one.

Although I WILL tell you my the next stop's the airport.

I can't wait to meet my famous friend.

She's been bringing sunshine

and occasional showers into our living rooms for years.

She was born in Morar, Scotland in 1962.

After university, she got a job as a secretary at the Beeb.

But, I tell you what, ha-ha!

The sky was the limit!

She must have been on cloud nine

when she got a job at the weather channel

before moving back to the BBC.

Since then, come rain or shine, she's been telling us

"whether" we should take our brollies or stick on our sunglasses.

She's won the hearts of the nation and she's won awards, too!

And that's your last cabbie clue.

Because she's about to clear customs!

I bet you know exactly who we're meeting.

It's that weather girl we all love to wake up to, Carol Kirkwood.

And I'm waiting to pick her up in a taxi.

Just like the way she would have travelled all those years ago.

Morar, where Carol Kirkwood grew up,

is a small village on the west coast of Scotland.

She lived there with her seven brothers and sisters,

her mum Nancy and her dad Calum, who ran Morar's one and only hotel.

After leaving school, Carol went to Napier University in Edinburgh

and got herself a BA in commerce.

Then she joined the Beeb, working behind the scenes.

But her destiny was to become a television presenter,

something she finally realised in the early '90s.

And after training with the Met Office,

she went on to become Britain's favourite weather girl,

giving us those daily highs and lows on BBC News, World News

and News At Six and of course, Breakfast.

No surprise then,

she's won Best TV Weather Presenter a staggering seven times.

With all those hours she puts in, I bet she's keen on a holiday

and what better island to come to than, drumroll please,

Jersey!

Home of the gorgeous Jersey Royal Potato. I can't wait!

Hooray! Hello!

It's good to see you.

Good to see you.

-You're looking well tanned.

-Look at you though...

-Please give me that.

-Thank you, thank you.

-Welcome to Jersey.

-Oh, it's lovely to be back.

-It's been so long!

-Is it exciting?

It's very exciting, yes, it is.

Now, when you came here on your holidays, who were you with?

I was with my mum and my dad, my little sister and my little brother.

The flight to Jersey was like going abroad, we'd never been abroad.

-Yeah.

-So I remember it so well... We couldn't sleep the night before.

Yeah, I bet it was so exciting.

Now, where exactly are we heading for?

Oh, well, I think St Helier, because that's where I stayed.

-Oh, St Helier!

-Yes.

-Beautiful.

-And what was the year?

-1973.

James Bond, Live And Let Die, 1973.

-You know what the big pop song was?

-No.

Long-Haired Lover From Liverpool.

-Jimmy Osmond!

-Jimmy Osmond... Well, I'm not long-haired and I'm not

much of a lover, but your taxi awaits.

-Thank you, Len.

-Here we go.

Ironically, the weather isn't the best today.

But that's not going to dampen our spirits. Oh, no!

This is your carriage.

Oh, but it's lovely.

Do you know, we used to bagsy seats? So I'm "bagsying" my seat now.

I'm going in the front.

Well, it's normal that you would sit in the back as I drove the taxi,

but on this occasion, special occasion, you're more than welcome.

Let me get rid of this bag and then we'll get you in and off we go.

Brilliant.

With a population shy of 100,000, Jersey isn't a big place.

In fact, the island is only 45 square miles,

just off the coast of Normandy.

But now the meter's running, we're heading for the capital, St Helier,

so Carol can relive her summer of '73 when she was 11 years old.

We'll discover Jersey's unique and colourful history,

from their version of a Royal Gala...

I'm just going to say, "Your Majesty."

..to its World War II underground fortress.

-As long as you hold my hand...

-I'll look after you, Len.

I'm going to go in.

We'll go head-to-head on the race track...

Len! Get out of the way!

..we'll discover yet another of my many, many hidden talents...

There is some sunny intervals, but you have got some damp patches.

THEY LAUGH

..and we'll even attend feeding time at the zoo.

Even Dagu is shocked. Look at the look he's giving you, Len!

Oh, yes! This little island really does have it all.

Every holiday begins with a journey and for Carol, the excitement

levels reached fever pitch before she even left the house.

My brother was coming up for his sixth birthday,

that's what we were celebrating in Jersey.

This was an adventure.

We would leave early in the morning.

Dad would drive, Mum would prepare a picnic.

She would have cooked sausages before, wrapped them in silver foil

cooked eggs before, shelled them, wrapped them in silver foil,

she'd have a flask of tea, we would drive to Loch Laggan and we would stop there.

Oh, but it was brilliant! And that was part of the charm.

Then we carried on to Glasgow, and it's like, "Glasgow?!

-"Goodness me, we're in the city!"

-Yeah, yeah.

You know? It was amazing.

And then going on a plane, we'd never been on a plane!

And coming to Jersey, you know, if I put it into today's terms,

-it was probably like flying to Sydney.

-Yeah.

-It was so exciting.

And while Mum and Dad

and the eight siblings could probably have filled a plane

on their own, this holiday was just for the three youngest children.

It was Trish and Alexander and myself that came with Mum and Dad to Jersey.

And we stayed in a hotel called the Continental Hotel in St Helier.

Oh, right.

And was your dad, because he was a hotelier, was he very hyper critical?

-"Oh, we wouldn't have put up with this!"

-No, no.

He just enjoyed it.

My dad was just a darling.

He was a very gentle man with a really good sense of humour.

As does Mum.

And you know, I think he - and Mum, as well - they just enjoyed that

somebody else was taking the strain and you know,

-having to ensure that everything was tickety-boo.

-Yeah.

And fair enough, too. After all, Carol's mum and dad

had a birthday party to organise for young Alexander on the holiday.

But here's what else was going on in the world in 1973.

It was the year we finally joined the EU after being rejected,

thanks to the French president, in both 1963 and '67.

We also saw the debut of not one, but two classic British comedies,

The Last Of The Summer Wine and Some Mothers Do Have 'Em,

with Michael Crawford giving us a bit of "Oooh, Betty!"

And speaking of the telly,

500 million people tuned in to watch Princess Anne tie the knot with

Captain Mark Phillips, which, by the way, was only the second time

in 200 years a British Royal had married a commoner.

And as for music, we were all banging our heads to this one...

# So come on feel the noise... #

LEN SINGS ALONG

# Girls grab the boys

# We get wild, wild, wild... #

Oh, I've got a headache.

# Wild, wild... #

Slade's classic Cum On Feel The Noize

not only entered the UK charts at number one,

but in the first three weeks, it sold half a million copies.

Oh, what a year!

Especially for 11-year-old Carol Kirkwood,

who found everything about Jersey, from its locals

to its beautiful beaches,

nothing short of thrilling.

Well, Carol. Eh?

This is a lovely view.

-Oh! Do you know what, Len? I remember that castle.

-Yeah?

I think, and I could be wrong, it's Elizabeth Castle.

But we went to it and Mum was so concerned

that the tide would come in and we would get stuck,

-but we walked across and we walked right back again as well.

-Yeah?

Which was amazing.

Obviously, that's the same, but has the place changed much since?

Do you remember?

The beach is the same, more scenic than I remember, but still stunning.

Look how beautiful... All that beauty.

Well, when I came here, it was the first time

I'd ever stayed in a hotel and so I've never forgotten,

-it was called the Hotel De La Plage.

-Ooh! Next to the sea?

-No.

Well, it might have been, I can't remember!

I guess it must've been, yeah!

Now, one of Carol's most vivid memories is Jersey's

Battle Of The Flowers, the island's famous parade where thousands

line the streets in order to see the colourful floats

and of course, the newly crowned Miss Battle.

So get me, I've only gone and tracked down Miss Battle 1973.

-This is Sian.

-Hello, Sian, lovely to meet you.

-Carol.

-You too.

Now, you've got something in common, because Sian was here in 1973.

It was during the Battle Of The Flowers.

-Oh, yes!

-And you had a special role!

I did! I was chosen to be Miss Jersey Battle Of The Flowers,

-and my...

-I'm just going to say "Your Majesty".

THEY LAUGH

And I was... We always have a host, somebody that's going to

look after us for the day, Mr Battle,

-and my Mr Battle was Henry Cooper.

-Aw.

And he was perfect.

And look at you, Sian!

And I say, you're still in gorgeous condition,

-but there, look. How old were you then?

-I was just 20.

Did you feel nervous doing that?

-Because you're in front of crowds of people.

-No, I loved it.

No, I was... My parents are in the background, waving at me

and it was just... It was a wonderful day.

-So, Carol, you must have been waving away?

-Yeah, I would've been.

I'd have been, "Oh, I want to be Sian!" except I didn't know your name then!

Well, Carol, you're probably in the background there somewhere.

Coming from the Highlands, we'd never seen anything like this.

-Yes.

-These huge displays and big trucks going past. It was amazing.

-It was sunny and it was lovely and warm.

-Yes.

Well, I've been to many of the Battles since,

and it's always sunny. Always sunny. So, there you go.

If you want to come to Jersey, come when The Battle Of Flowers is on!

-That's it, because you know you're going to get good weather.

-Right.

-Sian, let me say it has been a pleasure.

-Lovely meeting you.

-Thank you so much.

-Lovely.

-And me too, a pleasure, Sian. Thank you.

-Super.

Now, August is of course a great time to visit Jersey,

but there's plenty to do the rest of the year as well.

And just to prove my point, here's seven of the best attractions,

hand-picked by yours truly.

Starting with Faulkner Fisheries, where the seafood's so fresh,

well, it's still alive! They'll even slap it on the barbecue

so you can enjoy lobster, oysters and the like

while taking in the great views and a glass of vino. Cheers!

And speaking of booze, just down the road

is the La Mare Wine Estate,

where, set in the grounds of this 18th-century farmhouse,

they're producing up to 20,000 bottles of plonk a year

and there's a visitor centre where you can sample the goods!

The philosophy is about making something that's genuine Jersey,

that you can't get anywhere else.

And if you can see it being made by the people who are making it

and we impart our passion across, then I really think that's value added.

But it's not just for wine lovers, they're also making cider,

brandy and even chocolate as well. Oh, heaven.

As for Carol's holiday in '73, there was one place

her dad practically insisted they visited.

The War Tunnels, a chilling reminder that during World War II,

Jersey endured five long years of German occupation.

Well, do you remember this, the Jersey War Tunnels?

Yes, and do you know what I remember most?

It was chilly inside and I think there was the sound of picks

and it felt... You could smell it, it was quite dank

and there were hospital beds and mannequins...

It was quite scary, actually, when we were kids.

-Scary.

-Yeah.

-I don't do scary. I don't honestly do scary.

But because I'm with you, and I feel protected,

as long as you hold my hand...

-I'll look after you, Len.

-..I'm going to go in.

-Ohhhh!

-Look, it's all dark!

LEN GASPS CAROL LAUGHS

Today, the tunnels form a spooky museum that tells the story

of the prisoners of war who were forced to excavate rock

in order to create a defensive structure

135 feet below the surface.

-This is what I remember.

-Yeah?

-How cold it was and the noises.

-Cold...

-Yeah, and this was the scary bit, Len.

Well, I'm a bit scared, if I'm honest.

Thousands of labourers, many thought to be slaves, were brought over.

Some literally worked to death

and one exhibit attempts to recreate the conditions they endured.

How long would it have taken?

Because you're just chipping into rock, aren't you?

Well, it beggars belief, really, the length of time it must've taken.

GERMAN VOICES PLAY THROUGH SPEAKERS

-Those are German voices?

-Yes.

-I guess shouting the commands to the prisoners of war.

-Yeah.

"Get on with it."

-Well, when we were kids, hearing that, it really would be scary.

-Yeah.

It would have been, and I remember running back to Mum and Dad

trying to find them, because we WERE scared.

It was 40 years since you've been here, or so,

-and it's 50 years since... But I do remember coming here...

-Me too.

-..and this place.

Yeah. Even the smell is familiar.

BOOM

Don't be scared, Carol.

Be a brave little...

INDISTINCT VOICE Stand by?

After taking Normandy,

the Germans decided to bomb Jersey, as they assumed, quite wrongly,

that the island would have a large military presence.

When the planes arrived over Jersey,

they flew low over the harbour and they saw lots of lorries,

which they took to be Army lorries.

In actual fact, they were potato lorries.

Thinking they were military,

they dropped their bombs and they machine gunned the harbour.

Realising Jersey was defenceless,

the first Germans arrived a few days later.

Hitler thought the island was of huge significance during the war.

What Hitler had was called "insel wahn",

which means "island madness".

He was delighted he had them and, my God,

he was going to hang onto them if he could, hence this stuff.

In Jersey we have over 300 bunkers, shelters, gun placements...

He was serious about this.

In fact, Hitler was so serious about retaining control of the island,

here on Jersey alone, it's claimed there was one German soldier

for every four civilians.

The War Tunnels were essential to his plans and were eventually

turned into an emergency hospital for German troops.

It had an operating theatre, a recovery room,

a pharmacy, a telephone exchange...

There was about 400 beds in it and the whole lot was centrally heated.

Fortunately, the hospital was never finished,

or even used, and today,

its fascinating story attracts visitors from near and wide,

like Carol and her family back in '73,

who despite the odd fright, loved coming here.

I had the best upbringing because it was so free.

I grew up in an era where we didn't lock doors at night

and where you jumped on your bike and off you went.

Coming from a large family,

how do you think that affected your adult life?

I think, initially, I was always quite shy

because it was he who shouted the loudest that was heard,

so I didn't ever shout the loudest,

but it made me share things more readily,

it made me more concerned about my siblings' feelings and therefore,

that became apparent in my adult life. I always considered

my actions, I don't want to hurt anybody deliberately or otherwise.

When you was a little girl,

did you have ambitions as to what you wanted to be when you grew up?

Yes, I first of all wanted to work for the BBC and secondly,

wanted to be a Blue Peter presenter, so I wrote to the BBC when I was

about 12, saying, "I want to come and work for you, what do I have to do?"

They wrote back, personnel wrote back, saying, "Get a degree."

So I said, "In what?" And they said, "Anything."

So I did that and then I went

and joined what was called the secretarial reserve.

That was very much like having an in house temporary

secretarial agency. I don't think it exists any more.

But I did that and that was great

because I worked in so many different departments,

and programmes like Doctor Who, Beat The Teacher, Newsnight,

-and of course, Breakfast.

-Yeah.

'Even though Carol never did present her favourite children's show,

'she did end up borrowing their garden on a regular basis.'

I spent years in the Blue Peter garden,

-probably more than the Blue Peter presenters!

-Yeah.

So, there was that little connection with Blue Peter, even though

-you didn't get on the main show.

-Yes.

'For Carol, that was just the beginning, and while I'm

'dying to know what happened next, right now there's much more to see in Jersey.

'Starting with a few more of my seven top tips.

'At five, a pastime they invented in

'New Zealand. It's called blow-carting.

'Like go-karting, but with a sail and on the beach,

'giving you a top speed of up to 55mph. Oh. No!

'That's no good for my pacemaker!

'Or for a slightly gentler ride, how about going on a seafari,

'in order to explore the amazing views

'and wildlife around Jersey and the surrounding islands.'

You're going in caves along the north coast, you're going

to offshore sandbanks in the middle of nowhere,

surrounded by turquoise waters.

We're so close to the sea, so close to the wildlife,

the dolphins splash you sometimes, the seals are very inquisitive,

come right up to the boat, so you're almost within touching distance.

'You can even enjoy a picnic, or zip across to France for dinner.

'Now, that really is a bon voyage!

'Or then again, you could always head here,

'to Durrell Wildlife Park, created by author Gerald Durrell in the late '50s,

'so he could help protect some of the planet's rarest species.

'It's also where Carol celebrated

'her little brother's birthday in '73.'

-So, what do you remember of coming here to the zoo?

-Oh, gosh!

I remember the orang-utans, we were fascinated by the orang-utans.

-We'd never seen them. And the monkeys!

-Yeah.

Oh, the monkeys were so naughty and they were running everywhere.

We thought they were hilarious, as well as being uber cute.

Yeah. And wasn't there a bit of an incident with the...?

The orang-utans, yes.

My wee sister, my brother and myself thought this was hilarious.

Mum and Dad didn't find it quite so funny.

We were just walking past

and one of the orang-utans decided to relieve himself. He was dangling...

He was hanging like this and then suddenly,

-everything was just coming out of him.

-Well, you would!

We thought that was so funny!

As I say, Mum and Dad didn't see the funny side of it at all.

'And while that's an experience that's hard to top, I think

'Carol's really going to enjoy my next surprise.'

Carol, this is Chris.

-Oh!

-Not that.

Hiya, Chris. Very nice to meet you.

-And you.

-Chris, good to meet you.

-Hi there.

-Now, Carol remembers vividly the orang-utans and...

-Yes.

Carol, control yourself.

-I think Chris is going to let us feed...

-Oh, my goodness!

-Yes, I am.

-Really?

-Yeah.

We've got a nice mixture of pellet and nuts and raisins for them.

One of their favourites.

So, I'll just grab the bucket and we'll try and get him

to come back outside.

-Wow!

-Wow! Ha-ha!

-Oh, my goodness! That is so cool!

Joy of joys!

'I thought she'd be pleased.

'Let's hope there's not a toilet incident this time!'

How do you feed them then, Chris? What do you do?

Well, this is scatter feed, so what we do is just lots of little

bits, put it in the scoop and just throw it over.

-And you can see he knows exactly what's going on.

-Look at the...

-What's his name?

-His name is Dagu.

-Dagu.

-He's our dominant male.

-He's enormous!

-He is. Have you got more than one orang-utan?

Yep, we've got six in total, so we've got the big daddy,

Dagu, we've got two mums with two babies

and then we've got another juvenile male.

-Look at Dagu's great big sideburns.

-What are those big jollopy things?

-Yeah.

-They are what's known as cheek flaps.

No-one's entirely sure what they're for.

But what we think is it makes him look bigger and also,

-if you want to shout loud, you cup your hands over your mouth...

-True.

..and then it goes further. That's what we think that's for.

# Now, I'm the king of the swingers, oh... #

And right now,

I wouldn't mind betting Dagu's trying to tell us he's Hank Marvin!

Though feeding him is something best done from a safe distance.

-Go on, Carol. Give him a...

-OK. What if I hit him?

-He really doesn't mind.

-OK.

Stand back, everybody.

OK, Dagu, are you ready?

-Oh, I'm so sorry!

-Oh, Dagu.

Oh, no. you deliberately went for him, Carol.

This is how it should be done.

-Oh...

-That wasn't a bad fling cos it had a bit of height to it.

What are you talking about? He's wearing them all now.

OK, wee man. I'll try not to fling this at you.

Look at his face!

-Like, what was this?!

-You've scattered them hither and thither.

He moves a little bit like Anton Du Beke.

LAUGHTER

'I don't know if it's my aim or my one liners,

'but it looks as though old Dagu has had about enough.'

-And he never did his toilet.

-He didn't.

-Oh.

-He's had enough.

He's said - I'm fed up of being pelted by monkey nuts!

'Wouldn't you be?'

Well, do you know what, Chris?

Truly, I could stand here watching them come out and go in and be...

It's fascinating. It really is.

And thank you so much for spending the time with Carol and I.

Hear, hear. Thank you very much, Chris.

Carol, just see what I've got in store for you up here.

'I've said it before and I'll say it again,

'a big part of any holiday is the food, and for Carol, the menu

'she's most nostalgic about

'is the one at her brother's birthday party.'

It was brilliant because mum had brought his favourite,

which was a chocolate Swiss roll.

I think we had a few candles on it as well,

and we had a little picnic party.

It was a lovely day.

'Well, Carol, get ready to eat your way down memory lane!'

SHE GASPS

You've got a Swiss roll!

Oh, my giddy aunt!

Look at that! That's what it was like!

-That's just what it was like.

-I've not got one Swiss roll...

-I've got another one.

-You've got two.

'Oh, yes! No expense spared!'

We want to go one step further really.

So I thought, what we could do is decorate them.

Yes!

As I know, you're very competitive,

so we'll just see who can create the nicest decorated Swiss roll.

Oh, look at that baby go!

-What are you drawing? Squiggles?

-Yeah.

'Now, at this point, I really wish I could say, "And here's one I made earlier!"

'But still, at least it's better than Carol's!'

That's all right, but it's just a pretty pattern.

What I've done here, I've created

the Swiss Alps here, and here, I've done the orang-utan.

-That's a...

-CAROL LAUGHS

-I thought that was a cat.

-Don't be so vulgar!

-What do you mean that's a cat?!

-It looks like...

Look, it's got those big gollopy things on the sides of its head...

You're right. Now that you describe it...

It just took a bit... Obviously, you have to have imagination.

'I tell you what, let's just call it a draw

'and get down to the important part.'

Are these these magic candles that don't blow out?

Well, that one's blown out. Oh, it came back to life.

'Blimey! Cake baking - it's a roller-coaster, I tell you!'

-Happy birthday, Alexander.

-Yes! Happy birthday!

'And finally, we get to eat!'

Fill your boots.

Yeah.

My objective is that we both eat the whole cake.

-It's not going to happen, is it?

-It's not going to happen at all. No.

Even when we were here, all those years ago, Mum brought along...

My mum's brilliant at organising things

and we shared one between us and oh, it was yummy as well.

I think she bought it in a local baker. It was very lovely.

-So, what sort of bloke was your dad?

-Oh, my dad was a darling.

He was a very gentle man and he had a brilliant sense of humour.

He'd be telling us a joke, Len, and usually a shaggy dog story,

and before he got to the end, he'd be killing himself laughing,

so that we'd be laughing AT him, or with him,

-rather than at the joke cos the joke was usually rubbish.

-Yeah.

Now, I know that your father died when you were only 21.

-That must have been, you know...

-It was.

-..traumatic and a tragic time.

-It was. I adored my dad. Still do.

-He was a gentle, kind, lovely man, and he just died too young.

-Yeah.

'Well, you know what?

'I'm sure he'd be pretty proud of what Carol's gone on to achieve,

'even if her cake decorating isn't quite as good as mine.'

-Swiss roll.

-Mm.

-Mm.

-Nice, isn't it?

-Mm.

In the early '70s,

Jersey was practically overrun with tourists, especially in August,

and it is thought most of them came from Britain.

Don't forget, '50s, '60s, '70s, it wasn't that long ago,

there'd been a war.

So they would come somewhere that was typically British,

we spoke the language.

To use a cliche, you can get Watneys Red Barrel, chips,

fags that you smoke back home... It was safe.

What's more, Jersey has always been proud of being

one of the warmest places in the British Isles.

Back then, it's rumoured the island had twice as many hotels as it

does now. And most hotels had their own cabaret.

People who are household names today started in Jersey.

Now, just around the corner from where we are, here at Gorey,

there was a hotel called Les Arches.

On the bill was a guy called Gerry Dorsey. Who's Gerry Dorsey?

Well, if I told you his name was now Englebert Humperdinck,

you'll have heard of him.

So what you find is a lot of people on their way up,

Mike and Bernie Winters, Cannon and Ball,

Chuckle Brothers, started in Jersey.

Today, Jersey's more about quality than quantity, boasting everything

from adventure tourism to its great nosh, with four Michelin star chefs.

But back in the day, well,

all us Brits really wanted was the comforts of home, plus sunshine.

Once upon a time, the tourism bureau used to use the slogan,

"Closer to France, nearer to home," so that sums it up.

Doesn't it just?

Mind you, I do know for a fact that back in '73, Jersey had one

other tourist draw that Carol absolutely adored, go-karting,

something I'm not too shabby at myself.

I'm going to tell you the honest truth.

Lewis Hamilton, I don't know if you know this,

started out before Formula 1, in go-karting.

-I didn't.

-Oh, yes. 100%. And I was his instructor.

THEY LAUGH

-So I am, you know, pretty red hot on the old go-karting.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-So, I thought maybe a few laps, a little wager, maybe...

-OK.

-Who pays for the coffee.

-Done.

Done. Come on!

'Now, to succeed in this game, you need to have the right equipment.'

-We're going to look like we're members of the Ferrari team.

-Yes.

'You need stamina.'

Just hold my elbow, George. Help the old people.

'And patience!'

I'll have to take my shoes off. This could take hours.

'But most of all, you need to know how to rattle your opponent.'

Carol, there's a side of me you don't know.

I'm extremely competitive.

-Are you?

-Oh, yes. Most sports I've done and I'm not used to losing.

Oh, gosh!

Well, Len, I'll be driving like Miss Daisy round here.

Well, I'll be driving like Stirling Moss with knobs on.

'And now that Carol's well and truly rattled, it's time,

'as they say, to bring it on!'

-Now, Carol, I'm going to let you go in the front.

-Thanks, Len.

Because obviously, you're only an amateur. I'm semi-pro.

So you jump in that one and I'll get in just behind you.

'All that remains to be said - drivers, start your engines!

'Hang on a minute, no. I'm not ready.'

Now, that's the brake, and that's the goer.

'OK, I'm ready. And we're off!

CAROL LAUGHS

-This is cool!

-Oi!

Lewis Hamilton will be shaking in his shoes now at this speed.

'Oh, yes! I can already feel the G forces.'

Ha-ha!

'Right then, three laps should separate the men from the boys.'

Go on, Carol!

Go on, girl!

Chop chop!

Wahey!

'Well, I'm not breaking any land speed records,

'but I am in first place.'

Ha-ha!

Come on, Carol!

Come on, girl!

'Going in to the second lap now, and Goodman's firmly in the lead.'

Oh, yes!

Oh, yes!

I was built for speed!

Get out of the way!

'Not on your Nelly!'

Get out of the way!

'Hang on, what's this?

'Carol's a bit sharper behind the wheel than I thought.

'She's only gone and moved into first place.'

Carol crept up on the inside. It's a liberty! Absolute liberty!

'And just like that, she's snatched victory

'out of me clutches!'

I'm not having this. That was cheating.

'And even though this action replay shows no such thing, I'm going

'to have to say...'

It's a liberty! I want another lap because... No, it's not fair.

'Still, I think Carol enjoyed herself.'

That was brilliant fun! And I overtook Len! Yes!

Carol, I'm not having this. CAROL GIGGLES

I was just enjoying myself, looking at the view,

and I thought, "Oh, look, I've just seen a cuckoo." There was

a small cuckoo there and a chiff-chaff, and while my head

was turned, you sneaked up on the outside, like that.

Very, very upset and disappointed.

'It also means I'll have to go and pay for the teas,

'if I can walk to the cafe!

'Though at least it's a chance to find out how a young Carol

'ended up with a career on screen.'

I used to work at the BBC as a production

assistant behind the scenes

and one of my friends worked for television training

and they phoned me one day and said, "We're looking for presenters, as

stooges, so we can train directors, floor managers, and everybody else."

And then, on the back of that,

I applied for a job with the local cable company and got it.

So I had to do all my own production and research and then presenting.

'Finally, Carol had realised her dream

'and soon even had an agent, though she wasn't properly impressed

'when they suggested auditioning for the Weather Channel.'

I thought, "Oh, I don't want to do the weather."

So I went along anyway because he was basically saying, "Oh, get you!

"What makes you think they're going to give it to you anyway?"

So I went along and it was love at first sight. I just adored it.

Well, I know the Weather Channel from going to America

and it's huge there.

-So, were you based in England?

-Eventually, I was.

-I'd had training in Atlanta...

-Oh, in America?

-In America.

Yes, and then came back to London, which is

where it was based in the UK

and presented from there, and it was a fabulous organisation to work for.

'But then came a slightly more familiar broadcasting

'corporation and once again, Carol got the job.'

-I must say, I love working at the BBC now. It's great.

-Yeah.

You're a real go getter, you know?

-If there's something there that you want, you...

-Go and get it.

Do you know what, Len?

Probably the most common complaint that I get is,

"Why are you so happy in the mornings?"

And the answer to that is very easy.

I love my job with a passion and I work with my friends every day,

-so what's not to be happy about?

-Yeah.

Well, listen, it's lovely to have a cup of tea,

-but I think we'll move on.

-Brilliant.

-Come on.

Time now for the final instalment of my seven must see attractions.

Starting with the Mansell Collection,

a museum dedicated to the career of one of Jersey's most famous

residents, Formula 1 driver Nigel Mansell,

who had an unbelievable 31 wins.

Here you can not only see his trophies,

but those beautiful cars as well.

And then, there's the imposing Mont Orgueil Castle, built to protect

Jersey from French invasions, something it did for 600 years.

The French have always wanted the Channel Islands back

and King John had to defend them, hence the reason for the castle.

And as castles go, this one seems pretty hard to breach.

Built on granite, you couldn't tunnel underneath it,

and with walls this high, a ladder wouldn't be much help either.

The other thing about the castle is it's surrounded on three

sides by water.

So you couldn't attack from the water side of the castle.

Having said all that, the castle was captured by the French.

My number one spot has to go to, what else,

the humble Jersey Royal potato, something that's worth nearly

£30 million to the local economy and is often sold here by honesty box.

Oh, get in there!

Though before we think about dinner, I'm hoping Carol will give me

a bit of career advice.

As you get older, you need a bit of an insurance policy

and I know Strictly's not going to last forever,

so I've always fancied myself as doing a bit of the weather,

so it just so happens that we've got a thing over here...

Perhaps we could go through it and you can see how I do

-and give me a score.

-I'll give you a score.

-Come on then.

'You never know, with a bit of guidance,

'I could be the next Michael Fish!'

Well, do you want to put the weather that we've got in Jersey

-on the map first?

-No!

-OK, then.

-I'm going to start up and work down.

-Got an unruly pupil here!

And of course, we have, as always up in Scotland, we've got

a deep depression, with thunder and lightning.

Very, very frightening, viewers.

And now, of course,

-we come over to the west coast, to where you live, Morar...

-Yes.

And there we are, it's slightly cloudy,

but we have got quite a bit of sunshine.

Yeah, that's what we would call sunny intervals.

-Sunny intervals, it is indeed.

-Beautiful.

You're doing well so far, Len.

Thank you so much.

I'll go down to Newcastle and Sunderland and unfortunately,

they've got a bit of a mixed bag because there is some sunny

intervals, but you have got some damp patches.

THEY LAUGH

So, sunshine and showers.

Yes!

'Oh, yes! I'm a natural!'

And we come now to where I live, Kent, with this.

I think it's an anticyclone. Whatever that is.

I don't know quite what an anticyclone is,

but I would imagine it's something like that.

-That's actually a hurricane!

-THEY LAUGH

OK. And now, here we are...

We're down in Jersey.

-And Len...

-Aw!

..is peeping from a cloud.

That's my favourite, Len. We should have them on all of our maps.

That's brilliant!

I must say, you did really, really well. I give you...a ten.

Ten from Len.

-A ten for Len.

-It's a ten for Len. I knew it. I knew it.

I'm a natural at the weather.

'For the time being at least, I'm going to let Carol keep her job.'

Carol, you must know you're everybody's favourite weather

girl and you've presented the weather in so many different places.

What would you say was your favourite place?

Oh, that's really hard, Len, because there's so many.

Recently, Wimbledon,

but to go inside Buckingham Palace as well, that was pretty special.

Yeah. I can well imagine.

You've won Weather Person of the Year.

-How many times have you won that?

-Seven.

Seven! LAUGHTER

Oh, perfect!

-Really?

-Yes.

-Oh, that's incredible.

-That was such an accolade.

I didn't expect it because I always think there's

so many brilliant weather presenters around who are much better than

me, by a country mile, so it was lovely to win it again this year.

Do you know, I think people's childhood reflects on who they are and what they become?

And I must say, you must have had the most happy

and wonderful childhood because you've become such a happy

and wonderful person, you really have.

Thank you.

And to share your little holiday just for a day has been

-absolutely fantastic.

-Len, the pleasure has been mine.

-Give us a cuddle.

-Thank you.

I'm not putting you down now.

THEY LAUGH

'You know what?

'Rain or shine, I'd go on holiday with our Carol any day of the week.

'And Jersey? What an absolute cracker!

'We've walked hand in hand along the beach and down memory lane.'

I've never forgotten. It was called The Hotel de la Plage.

-Oh, next to the sea?

-No.

'We've been at one with nature, even though nature wasn't too impressed.'

Scattered them hither and thither.

'We've tasted victory on the racetrack,

'or a very close second place.'

I'm not having this. That was cheating.

'And we've even discovered why the producers of MasterChef won't

'return my call.'

I've done the orang-utan.

That's a...

'Oh, yes! What a holiday it's been!'

I've got a little thing here.

A little scrapbook of memories of our time here in Jersey.

Thank you so much! That is lovely!

Thank you, Len.

'After all, what's a holiday without a photo?

'Which is why I've made sure our

'special moments have been captured.

'Aw! But I'm not done yet, oh, no.'

I've got one other thing for you. Here's a print from the zoo.

Thank you!

Oh, that is brilliant!

-Oh, that was so kind.

-No.

-Thank you.

-I had such a good time.

-I don't want it to end.

-No. Well... Shall we stay a couple of days?

-Yes.

-No, people will talk!

No, mustn't! THEY LAUGH

'In that case, taxi for Miss Kirkwood.

'We'll be sorry to leave, but it's ta-ta from Jersey.'