0:00:02 > 0:00:05Childhood holidays. Oh the anticipation seemed endless.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09The holiday itself, well it was over too quickly.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13So in this series I'm going to be reliving those wonderful times
0:00:13 > 0:00:15with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17This is a memory I will treasure!
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Everyday I'll be arranging a few surprises
0:00:20 > 0:00:23to transport them back in time.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I feel as though we're about to go over the edge.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Don't say that.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29We'll relive the fun...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34..the games,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37and the food of years gone by.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40That is a little taste of childhood right there.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43To find out how those holidays around the UK
0:00:43 > 0:00:47helped shape the people we know so well today.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50HE SCREAMS
0:00:50 > 0:00:54So buckle up for Holiday of My Lifetime.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56We're going to get the water skis out in a moment.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58LAUGHTER
0:01:03 > 0:01:06On today's show I'm in the beautiful Southwest
0:01:06 > 0:01:09to take my mystery guest on a trip down memory lane.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12He's a star of stage and screen
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and best known for playing the ultimate TV hippy.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I'm on my way to meet a man
0:01:17 > 0:01:21whose been entertaining us since the early 1980s.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25He was born in London in 1953.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30Here he is as a little boy, what a handsome lad.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32A bit like myself.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34He was one of those cheeky little whippersnappers
0:01:34 > 0:01:38who started British alternative comedy.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Oh, they were naughty.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42And he enjoyed early success
0:01:42 > 0:01:46with the definitive British comedy about students.
0:01:46 > 0:01:47Which one is he?
0:01:47 > 0:01:51He's the "Young One."
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And he's still wowing us on-screen and off to this day,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57with his writing and his acting.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Oh, he's posh!
0:02:00 > 0:02:02If you haven't got it by now you never will.
0:02:02 > 0:02:08Today's guest is the amazingly talented and funny Nigel Planer.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And I'm on my way to pick him up in this vintage Ford.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Almost like the one he would have come down on holiday with all those years ago.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Hold on to your seats.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Nigel Planer was born in 1953,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and grew up in West London with his two brothers.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29His dad ran a medical technology company
0:02:29 > 0:02:32whilst mum was a speech therapist.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34It was mum who gave him his acting bug
0:02:34 > 0:02:39when she took him to see his first theatre show when he was just eight.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42He became a founding member of The Comic Strip.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46They were pioneers of the alternative comedy movement,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49but he's best known for his role as Neil the hippy housemate
0:02:49 > 0:02:53in the 1980s BBC sitcom, The Young Ones.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Since then, he's appeared in countless shows
0:02:56 > 0:02:59including Blackadder and Filthy Rich & Catflap
0:02:59 > 0:03:03with his Young Ones buddies Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Recently he appeared on our screens in Boomers
0:03:06 > 0:03:09and in crime drama Jonathan Creek.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14Today I'm taking him back to a memorable summer holiday of his childhood
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and I'll tell you what, I can't wait to meet him.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19I hope he's not going to ask me to dance.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Oh, look at that.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24A Ford Anglia, brilliant.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27How fantastic, with the slanty back on it.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- Hello, Mr Goodman.- Hello!
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- Do you recognise it?- Hello, yes I certainly do. Look at that.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- It must be very similar to the car you...- Yeah.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- How are you?- Nice to see you.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46- Good to meet you.- Good to meet you.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The Ford Anglia, in fact I went on to...
0:03:48 > 0:03:51My first car I ever owned was one of these.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52It was pale blue.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I understand the one you actually came down in was black.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Black, that's right.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- But we couldn't find a black one anywhere.- Right, there we are.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Back in the '60s, police forces snapped these up
0:04:03 > 0:04:06to become panda cars, and the public loved them too!
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Even Vyvyan in The Young Ones had one.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Ford Anglia, how's it driving?
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Like a dream.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15So where are we off to?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17We're off to Ottery St Mary in Devon.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Lovely, I've never been there so I'm hoping you're going to show me all around.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- And what's the year?- 1960.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- A little fact for you.- Yes?
0:04:26 > 0:04:32- Big movie, won all the Oscars in 1960...- Was?- Ben-Hur.- Ben-Hur.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- Well, here you are, your chariot awaits.- Perfect, Perfect.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38- Should we get going,?- Yeah.- Come on then, here we go.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48Ottery St Mary is steeped in centuries of history.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Sitting just 12 miles east of Exeter and six miles from the coast,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56the town is set in the beautiful Devon countryside.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01The picturesque valley is home to the River Otter, which flows by the town.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Nigel's grandparents lived here in 1960,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09and Nigel and his brothers would spend their long summers with them.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Ottery St Mary dates back over 1,000 years as a market town.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Thankfully we're not going back that far.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21I'm taking Nigel back to his childhood in 1960,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24when as a seven-year-old he dreamed
0:05:24 > 0:05:27of Boy's Own adventures like den building.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- Are you the Sheriff?- I'm going to be the Sheriff.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- I'm going to shoot you. - No, no!
0:05:31 > 0:05:33'Dirt digging.' Down there, drop it down!
0:05:35 > 0:05:37I think Len has done this before.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40And deckchairs by the sea.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42What a lovely bay.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- It's beautiful isn't it?- Yeah.- What a beautiful spot.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53But before any holiday begins, you must set out on a journey.
0:05:53 > 0:06:00For Nigel, that meant a drive in the car with his mum or dad and his two brothers.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02So 1960...
0:06:02 > 0:06:031960.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05You must have been just a toddler.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Seven, seven years old.- I would have been. Right.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- And where were you...- We came all the way down from London.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- We lived in London.- Blimey, that's the journey, aye?
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It's a journey. My mum, I had two brothers.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18So there was the three boys and mum?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Three boys, my dad would come down on the weekends to join us.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- Oh, right.- He would stay working, he used to work very hard.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29- Right.- And we used to have those little I-Spy books.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33- Oh, yeah, I was in the I-Spy tribe. - Were you?- Yes, I was.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37We had the little pamphlet, I spy with my little eye.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42Now, funnily enough, if you take that top book from there.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Oh, yeah. What have we got?
0:06:45 > 0:06:49- I-Spy On A Car Journey. Two and sixpence.- There you are.
0:06:49 > 0:06:55What was great, you had to look for the different things in the book.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Yeah.- I think they were great.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59What else did we do to shut us up?
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Sing songs, play games.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- Was there any sort of...- Fighting? Yes there was.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06Oh, yes I was going to say...
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I was going to say was your mum like "behave yourselves back there!"
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Yes, an awful lot of that.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15So, there you are, there's your mum, you had the three boys coming down.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But your mum I understand wasn't going to stay...
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Did your mum stay with you?
0:07:19 > 0:07:25She did stay sometimes, but often she'd go back again.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28She would leave me there with my gran and grandpa.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Oh, right.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33It was like a magic land is what I remember it.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37It was a completely different world down here in Devon.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- It's very, very beautiful Devon. I love it.- Yeah.
0:07:44 > 0:07:481960 was a big year for the Royal Family.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52The nation welcomed the arrival of the Queen's second son,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Prince Andrew, into the world.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Second in line of succession,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00the safe arrival of Andrew Albert Christian Edward
0:08:00 > 0:08:01was given a royal salute.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Then, just over two months later, the Queen's sister,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Princess Margaret, married Antony Armstrong Jones,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15the 1st Earl of Snowden.
0:08:15 > 0:08:22Across the pond, American citizens were welcoming their newly elected president on a wave of optimism.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26John Kennedy has accepted a great deal more than a father's responsibility
0:08:26 > 0:08:28in the coming year and those which follow,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31if 1960s problems of race, creed and colour
0:08:31 > 0:08:34are not to remain with us throughout the '60s.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43Back home, a new type of official was taking to our streets for the first time.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45The traffic warden.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Have you had to give many tickets out this morning?
0:08:47 > 0:08:48I've only given one up to now.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And the soundtrack to the summer came from The Shadows
0:08:52 > 0:08:54as Apache topped the charts.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58HE HUMS The Shadows by Apache
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But for Nigel, that summer was all about Devon.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14And after six hours on the road he was almost there.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15What a journey.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Listen, I'm not fishing for compliments
0:09:18 > 0:09:19because it's not in my nature.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I think I've handled the drive quite well.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Quite good. There was a bit where you...
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Ah yes, I did a swerve, I know. Yeah, you're right.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I was hoping you hadn't noticed that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Now look, there it is, Ottery St Mary.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Oh, lovely.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40- Are we nearly there yet?- We're nearly there, you just wait.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47It's certainly worth the wait as Ottery St Mary is lovely.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52But is it ringing any nostalgic bells for our Nigel?
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Nice.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- Well, great day for it, isn't it? - No, it is.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Is there anything you remember or recognise?
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I don't think that church was there.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08No, it looks like a new build.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10- Oh yeah, totally.- Yeah.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15But this actual square, I can't say sparks anything off.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- But I suppose you... - I mean apart from it's lovely.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Yeah, I suppose you must have come here probably
0:10:20 > 0:10:24with your grandparents or something. Going into town.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25I must have said "Oh, no, not there."
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- Maybe you played in the garden or whatever.- Yeah.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33Now talking of your grandparents, was their home near here?
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- It was in a place called West Hill. - West Hill.
0:10:36 > 0:10:43West Hill, which I think is on the outskirts of town. I'm not sure.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46It was more countrified, it wasn't in the centre of the town.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50What about if we now mosey on into that area...
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- And see if we can find it.- See if we can find it.- Yes, why not?- Why not?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- Over here somewhere.- Right. - Here we go.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It may not look like much, but this church
0:11:07 > 0:11:12was instrumental in putting Ottery St Mary on the map.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17Transforming it from a small hamlet to a place visited by royalty.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Rob Neal's our man in the know.
0:11:19 > 0:11:25In 1337, John De Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter, decided to build
0:11:25 > 0:11:27here in Ottery, his College of Canons,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30or his ecclesiastical college.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35And the first thing he did was to enlarge the old Mormon church
0:11:35 > 0:11:36which was already on the site.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40In addition to the beautiful church, there were cloisters
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and from the cloisters we have the chapter house
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and a large library which stretched right to the gatehouse.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The college was famous throughout the land.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50It brought royalty to the town.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Along came Henry VIII, with his dissolution of the monasteries
0:11:53 > 0:11:59in 1545, and of course a lot of the college was demolished
0:11:59 > 0:12:02and some of it just fell into disuse.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06But the church was spared because it was a parish church and it
0:12:06 > 0:12:10remains even to this day one of the most beautiful churches in the country.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17Nigel's grandparents' bungalow was just a short walk from the town centre.
0:12:17 > 0:12:22Here's gran in the front with dog Bowson keeping her company.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26And that cheeky young scamp back is our Nigel.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30But that was 55 years ago and I've managed to sneak us in today.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32I wonder how much it's changed.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Pennyfield.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Yes, Pennyfield, it's still called Pennyfield anyway.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40This looks very grand.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- Do you recall it as being...- Yes.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- We are talking 55 years ago. - We are, yes.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51- Things have probably moved on a bit. - Yeah, this is very exciting.
0:12:51 > 0:12:57- Isn't it?- A long drive. I do remember it was a very long drive.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Blimey, look at that. Oh now I definitely remember this.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Do you remember all these rhododendrons and things?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I remember this tribe yes, and the way it splits into two like that.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09There was a dog called Bowson who would have come running out
0:13:09 > 0:13:12to join, you know, to greet us.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Oh blimey, yes now I definitely recall all of this.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18This is fabulous.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22This very grand garden, what an amazing garden.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23Huge isn't it?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Nowadays...blimey look at this.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31In a way the opposite of what... memory normally makes everything
0:13:31 > 0:13:35bigger in your memory but this is bigger than I remember it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37So what were your grandparents like?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Well, my gran was almost like a
0:13:40 > 0:13:45stereotypical "silver-haired with a bun" granny, in there.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Always cooking, she had an old stove and sort of always puttering about.
0:13:50 > 0:13:57Very good natured and my grandpa was again quite stereotypically,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01quite stiff backed, strict, quite grumpy.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03- You had to be careful when you went...- Yeah not to...
0:14:03 > 0:14:05You know when you did and you didn't.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09They were almost from sort of rent-a-grandparent.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10You know what I mean?
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Typical.- Yeah, they seemed to be.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16This amazing garden is one thing,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18but is the house still as Nigel remembers?
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Well, I've pulled a few strings and have a big treat in store.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Want to knock?
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- You have the key?- I've got the key. Should we go?
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Go on, let's have a look inside, yeah. How amazing is this?
0:14:35 > 0:14:36Blimey. Look at this.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43- Well obviously it's been updated,. - It has a bit, yes.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- But is this how you... - This is, yeah.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I remember the whole shape of it, everything.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- That would have been where the cooker was.- Right.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52And there was a larder.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- There it is. A larder.- Oh, yeah.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00- Something you don't get often these days.- No, you never see a larder.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- Cool and covered and it's being used as a larder here.- Good.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Look at that.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Should we have a look where you used to sleep?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08- Come on, let's go on through, yes. - Come on then.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16- Careful, Nigel. I don't want you tripping over.- Or banging my head.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18No, I'm very good at banging my head.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26- Oh, yes.- Oh, yes, look at this.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29So, this would have been one bed, the other bed.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31That would have been my one.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33There was an attic in there.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36You could go through into the rafters
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and find all my aunt's toys and my mum's toys.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44- Oh Really? - Old stuff from before the war.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48There was a game called Buccaneer which was in a tube,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50and you unrolled it and played pirates,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54but as with all the things in the attic half the pieces were missing.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Yeah, you know.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57But you have to go straight up there
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and get all the things out of the attic and see what was there.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Yeah, have a little rummage.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05How did your time spent here with your grandparents
0:16:05 > 0:16:09differ from when you were with your mum and dad back in London?
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Well, just much less stressed, isn't it?
0:16:12 > 0:16:17I mean, I just remember my dad having to work very hard,
0:16:17 > 0:16:22my mum being stressed looking after three boys
0:16:22 > 0:16:26and my dad coming in late, working always.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And here you could just...
0:16:28 > 0:16:31And plus of course when you were back home you were going to school everyday.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36- There is that, yes.- And here, total freedom.- That's right.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38So how does it feel to be back?
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Well it's fantastic.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43What's great is to realise it is as beautiful as I remembered it.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47You know, you remember all sunny days and beautiful trees
0:16:47 > 0:16:50and the forest there and all of that, but it is actually that beautiful.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53And even as an adult it really is lovely.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01There's so much more to see and do around Ottery St Mary,
0:17:01 > 0:17:06so I've picked seven bobby-dazzlers to enjoy.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11The Escot Country Park is set in 220 acres of stunning parkland.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Get up close to the red squirrels that call this place home
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and see peacocks roaming wild.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Plus, there's a camp here where kiddies can spend a few days
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and nights enjoying the great outdoors.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28It's not too far from the River Otter.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Home to England's first wild beaver trial,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35these creatures were thought to be hunted to extinction in Britain
0:17:35 > 0:17:40until two years ago when eco-man, Tom Buckley, filmed one.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44It was about two years ago now and I noticed a tree had been gnawed.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48So I thought let's find out who or what has been actually doing this
0:17:48 > 0:17:51and so I set up a wildlife camera.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54And overnight, when I came back and looked at the footage,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56you couldn't believe your eyes. There was a beaver!
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Although you are very lucky if you see one,
0:17:59 > 0:18:04what you're more likely to see is the beaver signs.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08The evidence that they leave behind that they are in the vicinity.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11So the sorts of beaver signs that you might see
0:18:11 > 0:18:18are the typical pencil-shaped tree stump that's left behind
0:18:18 > 0:18:20when the beavers fell the tree
0:18:20 > 0:18:24to get at the nice juicy bark and the leaves at the top.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27And if you look very closely at this, you can
0:18:27 > 0:18:30see the individual teeth marks
0:18:30 > 0:18:32on the actual cut itself.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39Back in 1960, Nigel spent a lot of his time beavering away
0:18:39 > 0:18:42in this idyllic garden at his grandparents' house.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Look at this.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46You must have had a whale of a time.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Fantastic isn't it?
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Now, what sort of games did you get up to?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Well, I'd be in a sort of fantasy world,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58making a treehouse or a den or something like that.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Let's do it. What like a den?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Yeah. Finding all the branches and making it.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- Let's relive it, right?.- Why not? - Why not?
0:19:06 > 0:19:10When Nigel was a nipper, he'd make short work of den building,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13but luckily someone's been here already.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17There's one we built earlier. It's the perfect den, isn't it?
0:19:17 > 0:19:19I mean the rainwater would get in, it needs more.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It does need some...a bit of tarpaulin.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- You need something. - Or some of these here, look.
0:19:25 > 0:19:32- That's it.- There, I think this, maybe in case it rained.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- Oh, that's good, a roof.- A roof.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36We could build a second story.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38We could do, yeah, because it's very firm. Yeah.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40I'm going to give it a go.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Hey, that's pretty cosy.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51You won't get... No, I couldn't do it.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- Well...- I couldn't do it and I've got to wear these trousers tomorrow.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- Yeah. - LAUGHTER
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Back in 1960, Westerns were all the rage.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02I loved them.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And after watching the cowboy films at the old cinema,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09kids would re-enact their own Wild West.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12With this amazing garden at his disposal,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16it wasn't long before Nigel's imagination ran wild.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I want to totally set the scene for you.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22What about...stay there.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Would that make you feel at home?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- Oh, right, a cowboy hat.- Cowboy hat.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Let's try that. It's about the size
0:20:30 > 0:20:33for a seven-year-old as well actually.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37- Let's have a look at you now. Oh, yes.- Yeah?- Oh yeah, it's perfect.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39- Are you the sheriff?- I'm going to be the sheriff.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I'm going to shoot you.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42LAUGHTER
0:20:42 > 0:20:44NATIVE AMERICAN WAR CRIES
0:20:45 > 0:20:48See when I was a kid, my noise for the gun...
0:20:48 > 0:20:51I didn't have a gun, most of the time I didn't have a gun, was...
0:20:51 > 0:20:54GUNSHOT IMITATIONS
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Yeah, that was the noise wasn't it? - That's what you did, yeah.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59It was never "bang, bang".
0:20:59 > 0:21:01And you didn't have a gun really.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- No, you had your fingers, but they were lethal.- Yeah.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Yeah mine were, and I could do, you know, two out.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09GUNFIRE IMITATIONS
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Now, while you're sitting there and sort of in character...
0:21:14 > 0:21:18In this, in my den.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20In your den.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Was it always going to be acting or the stage growing up?
0:21:24 > 0:21:25Was that your...
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Pretty much, yeah.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32I mean I was always playacting,
0:21:32 > 0:21:38making my younger brother be the person who got killed
0:21:38 > 0:21:41in little plays that I made.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43That's all I wanted to do, really.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45What did your parents think of that?
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Initially, my mum was behind it.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54- My dad was initially worried as he should have been.- Yes.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58But as soon as I started earning some money he was right behind it.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- Right.- As soon as he could see it was possible to earn some money out of it.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06May I say, I have done quite a few of these holiday programmes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And you've never seen someone looking as ridiculous as this?
0:22:09 > 0:22:11LAUGHTER
0:22:11 > 0:22:13This is a bizarre setting of you in your den
0:22:13 > 0:22:14with your cowboy hat on.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- Me with a sheriff's badge.- And shooting you.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Yeah. LAUGHTER
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Oh, no!
0:22:27 > 0:22:31I'm sorry I wasn't nimble enough to get in there with you, really.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- I'm not sure there would have been room.- There wasn't room.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Also I'm not sure I would have let you.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Now, get out, go build your own den. Of course.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44"Build your own den, get off, Goodman."
0:22:44 > 0:22:48No holiday is complete without sampling the local grub.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51And when a young Nigel Planer visited here in 1960,
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Gran always had some hearty home-made food on the old stove.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00But can we create a dish that will bring back some tasty memories?
0:23:00 > 0:23:01You know what that is?
0:23:01 > 0:23:06- That is 1960s food, that is. - It is indeed.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09We've got this and we've got that.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And if you put them together you get a shepherd's pie.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- This is a joint effort. - Mmhmm.
0:23:16 > 0:23:23I will layer the meat and vegetables into the receptacle.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- Layer?- You will layer it?
0:23:25 > 0:23:26LAUGHTER
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- I'm a bricklayer.- Oh right, nicely.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33- Whilst you...- Mash the potatoes? - Mash the potatoes.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Should you put some butter into that?
0:23:36 > 0:23:38That's what I was just going to say,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40you should put some butter in really.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42I'm going to give you a bit of that.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I'm going to put the lot in, I'm not messing about.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- I think milk should go in there. - Milk in there too.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55- I think so.- A touch. No that's plenty. I think I've done it.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- Well I'm cooking...- It's not enough. - Go on, you.- Well it ain't.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59It's too lumpy.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Now, how did you get started...
0:24:03 > 0:24:06..in the entertainment business? What was your first gig?
0:24:06 > 0:24:11My first major gig I suppose was understudying David Essex
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- in the original production of Evita?- Right.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17And then as soon as that was over
0:24:17 > 0:24:20there were advertisements for The Comedy Store,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23people to join this new club that was going to start,
0:24:23 > 0:24:24The Comedy Store.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- That was in Soho? - That's right.- Right.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29And I went down there with Peter Richardson,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33who's also from down here in Devon as it happens.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37And we started a double act which we called The Outer Limits.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40- Right.- And my character, Neil the hippy,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43came from that double act at The Comedy Store.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Oh, right. Alexei Sayle was the compere.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49That's where we met Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and then a bunch of us went to another club in Soho
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and started our own club, The Comic Strip.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58And that's when it started to take off for us.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00This doesn't look right at all, we're making a...
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- You're making a pig's ear.- What they call a pig's ear, yeah of this.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Yeah, because you know it's supposed to cover it.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07I know, it's kind of what we've got is dollops
0:25:07 > 0:25:09in the middle of this.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It's like a Caribbean island, isn't it? You know.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14What we need is my gran, that's what we need.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Yeah, that who we need.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18While all this was going on I would have just been outside playing
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and then come in and said, "I'm hungry, what's for supper?"
0:25:21 > 0:25:23And she would have said "shepherd's pie".
0:25:23 > 0:25:25She would have said shepherd's pie and produced a perfect one.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28I don't think we're going on MasterChef any time soon.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32No, that's ridiculous. Not with Mount Vesuvius in the middle.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34LAUGHTER
0:25:34 > 0:25:36That is pretty bad.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Well, I don't mind it to be honest, I think it's got character.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- It's got potential.- Yeah.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43- Just open the oven.- Open the oven.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45LAUGHTER
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Oh no, it's a dishwasher.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48LAUGHTER
0:25:48 > 0:25:52- Oh it's over there!- Here we go. - That's it.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59While we wait for that to cook,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03here's my next instalment of my seven wonders of this part of the world.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07The quaint town of Gittisham
0:26:07 > 0:26:10is known for its beautiful thatched cottages.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15Situated in rolling farmland, it feels like a journey back in time.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Yet it's only a short hop from road or rail links.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Head to the Land of Canaan Park to find out about
0:26:23 > 0:26:29Ottery St Mary's acclaimed romantic poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
0:26:29 > 0:26:30He loved this part of Devon
0:26:30 > 0:26:35and a river featured in one of his most famous works, Kubla Khan.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, a stately pleasure-dome decree:
0:26:40 > 0:26:45"Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48"Down to a sunless sea."
0:26:48 > 0:26:50And if you like your poetry on the go,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52there's now a new way to enjoy it.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56They've recently formed a path in the local park
0:26:56 > 0:27:00and there are stones running all the way along that path
0:27:00 > 0:27:03with the whole of Kubla Khan printed on it.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12I'm bringing back some family memories of 1960 for Nigel Planer.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15When he spent the summer at his grandparents' home
0:27:15 > 0:27:19and I've got a special visitor for him to meet.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Nigel, I want you to meet Pamela who remembers your grandparents.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26- Oh, hello Pamela, I'm Nigel. - Yes, how do you do?
0:27:26 > 0:27:30- I knew your grandparents.- Wow.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35And I watched the coronation here with them in this room.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Crikey!
0:27:36 > 0:27:40My mum bought a television in 1953
0:27:40 > 0:27:45- just because the coronation was on. - Yes.- And we were the only
0:27:45 > 0:27:48family in our street that had a telly.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50I guess, was it the same here?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Were they the only ones with a television?
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Yes, and I lived just across the road
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and my mother used to come every
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Saturday evening to see your grandmother.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01Mmhmm.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03What were they like, Nigel's grandparents?
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Oh, they were lovely, and his grandmother in particular was a lovely cook.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Yes, wasn't she?
0:28:09 > 0:28:15- Yes, and she was lovely, with lovely white hair.- Yes.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19So you would have only been a bit of a girl back then?
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Yes, I was in my teens, early teens, yes.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Well I'll tell you what, if you pass me that remote control, Nigel...
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Yeah?- I'm going to...
0:28:29 > 0:28:31You can actually work those things can't you?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Well I've been told what button to press.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37As I'm well in with the Royals, I've managed to wrangle a copy,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40to recreate that very special moment.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Nigel was a baby when this was on,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and while he might not be able to remember it,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48the estimated 27 million viewers certainly would.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Oh here we are, look. We should be standing really, I think.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57But I remember, as well you may have done, it was marvellous to watch.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58Oh, yes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:04Our room was about as big as this and I reckon we had 30 people.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09- All the kids were on the floor. - We were on the floor, yes.
0:29:09 > 0:29:16This was wonderful because every head of state, every king, prince
0:29:16 > 0:29:20from every corner of the world came to this
0:29:20 > 0:29:22and it was wonderful to watch.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27I would imagine that more people bought a television during the '50s
0:29:27 > 0:29:31for the coronation than any other period.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35So, back then, when you first were watching TV,
0:29:35 > 0:29:40did you ever have an inkling that, "Oh maybe I could be on television,"
0:29:40 > 0:29:41or did that never enter your head?
0:29:41 > 0:29:45From an early age I liked doing theatre shows and dressing up
0:29:45 > 0:29:48and putting on theatre shows.
0:29:48 > 0:29:56But it didn't occur to me until much later that I might be able to work in television.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Well, Pamela, thank you so much for your time.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00- That's all right. - It was lovely to meet you.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Nice to meet you, especially as I've seen you on television.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04Well there you are.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06You'll be able to say, "Oh, I know him."
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- Thank you. - Thank you very much.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17People from these parts are known as Ottregians.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21Back in 1898, a group of the great and the good
0:30:21 > 0:30:26from this area decided to get together and form an association.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27At one of these meetings,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Lord Coleridge announced that he'd composed a song.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32And this song became very popular,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35and children still sing it to this day.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36So I've got a copy of the song here
0:30:36 > 0:30:39and I'm just going to read some of it to you.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44# There is a place, dear native place! Amid the meadows fair,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47# Between the hills, beside the stream,
0:30:47 > 0:30:49# Where blows the soft light air.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54# O! Ottery dear! O! Ottery fair! My heart goes out to thee,
0:30:54 > 0:31:00# Thou art my home wher'er I roam, The West! The West for me! #
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Not only that, the Ottery Song is actually played on a carillon
0:31:04 > 0:31:08every four hours on the hour from the church tower.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09It's like a giant musical box.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17It's tea time at last, and we're about to find out
0:31:17 > 0:31:20if we are master chefs or disaster chefs.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23This looks nice, just the right amount of shepherd.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31- Yeah, that taste genuinely like 1960 to me.- Yeah.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Cottage pie is lamb isn't it?
0:31:34 > 0:31:37Cottage pie is lamb, no, shepherd's pie is lamb.
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Shepherd's pie is lamb.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Shepherd's pie is lamb because of shepherds and sheep.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44And cottage pie is beef. Yeah, I did know that.
0:31:44 > 0:31:49Now, from that, the comedy shows you did,
0:31:49 > 0:31:52is that where The Young Ones came from?
0:31:52 > 0:31:57Yeah. We were performing in what was the Raymond Revue Bar.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58We had most of the characters
0:31:58 > 0:32:01and there was a lot of people that came down there,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03sort of flash people.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07We had Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson coming into the audience.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12We were sort of the flavour of that year and we were desperately trying
0:32:12 > 0:32:13to think of the right format.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16How can we get this on telly?
0:32:16 > 0:32:19And then Rik and Ben and Lisa,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Lise Mayer, came up with the idea of calling it The Young Ones,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and we're students and that's how it kind of...
0:32:24 > 0:32:26So it came out of that.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28So the characters already existed in our act.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30And then it ran.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Only 12 episodes.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Was it only 12 episodes?
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- No way.- Yeah.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Only 12 episodes, like Fawlty Towers and The Office.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Only 12 episodes. I was working with Henry Winkler last year,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48- The Fonz.- The Fonz, yeah.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50And I said, "How many episodes did you do?"
0:32:50 > 0:32:53He said, "Oh, you know, 367.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56"And how many did you do?" I said, "12".
0:32:56 > 0:32:57LAUGHTER
0:32:57 > 0:33:00If you want to hear shouting matey, this is it!
0:33:00 > 0:33:02HE SHOUTS
0:33:02 > 0:33:03LAUGHTER
0:33:03 > 0:33:08It's funny, but being ill makes me lose my usual tolerant
0:33:08 > 0:33:10and easy-going approach to communal living.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15LAUGHTER
0:33:18 > 0:33:22Now, how ruddy considerate, Vyvyan, thank you very much!
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Yeah thanks, Vyv, that petrol bomb's really cleared my sinuses.
0:33:25 > 0:33:26LAUGHTER
0:33:26 > 0:33:30When you've devised a character that comes from yourself,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32you know, that's been your act,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34it's bound to be a bit, it's not like an acting job where
0:33:34 > 0:33:37they send you the script and you think how can I be that?
0:33:37 > 0:33:39These were our own acts, so we were...
0:33:39 > 0:33:42they were versions of ourselves.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47I must say it was the most fantastic programme.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52I loved it and my son still watches them.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55After the timeless and peerless Young Ones,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Nigel also starred in the wonderful Blackadder,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02and was reunited with Rik and Ade in Filthy Rich & Catflap.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05And even today he's been on Jonathan Creek and Episodes.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10It's a long way from his days here in Devon
0:34:10 > 0:34:13where he loved nothing more than making dens
0:34:13 > 0:34:15and digging in the garden.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19But today we're getting to play with the big boys toys.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Well, I know that back in 1960 this wasn't here,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25but would this have been the sort of thing...
0:34:25 > 0:34:27This is just the ticket, yeah.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29This would have been exactly the sort of thing.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31Well now, let me ask you this,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34are you a competitive sort of person?
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Yes and no, but...
0:34:37 > 0:34:41What I'm going to suggest is that we get in one each...
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Right, and see who can...
0:34:43 > 0:34:46And we have a little competition about who can...
0:34:46 > 0:34:48and the loser buys the tea
0:34:48 > 0:34:50- All right.- So let's go up there.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Learn the controls and get on with it. Here we go.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Three! Two! Hey!
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Woah!
0:35:10 > 0:35:11Oops!
0:35:11 > 0:35:14This is gorgeous, now what do I do?
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Forget what...oh I've got it now!
0:35:16 > 0:35:17That's that.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Oh that's a lovely lot.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Now come up! Comp up! Come on!
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Down there, drop it! Drop it down!
0:35:27 > 0:35:29I think Len has done this before.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Oh, that's a really good one.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36No, no, look at him!
0:35:36 > 0:35:37Oh, no, Len.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39You can't do a thing!
0:35:39 > 0:35:42I wish I'd had one of these when I was a grave-digger.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44I forgot how to tip it over.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Go on!
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Woah!
0:36:02 > 0:36:03I think I did brilliant.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09That was brilliant fun, but how well did we do?
0:36:09 > 0:36:14We need an expert to judge and young Matt here is just the man to do it.
0:36:14 > 0:36:15Whose is the deepest?
0:36:18 > 0:36:19I'm going to have to...
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Len, I think it's yours actually.
0:36:22 > 0:36:23- I'm the deeper?- Deeper, yeah.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Who is the bigger?
0:36:26 > 0:36:27It's quite wide, but...
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Scruffy isn't it really?
0:36:29 > 0:36:30It's scruffy, I know.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32It is a little scruffy.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35OK, so mark it now out of 10.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Don't let him bully you on this.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Out of 10, Nigel I'd give you a 6.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43For that, a 6. It's good effort for the first time.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45What did you give him?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Goodman gets a...? - And it was your first time?- Yes.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50I'm going with a 7.5.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Seven!
0:36:53 > 0:36:54Seven and a half, Len.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- I'm afraid so.- Come closer and hug me.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Well done, Len, well done.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02The tea is on you. Here we go.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Here we go.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13But before that, there's just time for my final seven wonders.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Harris' Hawks are the only birds of prey that hunt in groups.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23A bit like wolves, and the dancers on Strictly.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26You can meet Kitch and dozens of his friends
0:37:26 > 0:37:29at the Yarak Birds of Prey Centre.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Cadhay Elizabethan manor house was built in 1550.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Its courtyard is known as the Court Of The Sovereigns.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41With its statues of Henry VIII and his monarch offspring,
0:37:41 > 0:37:46Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, standing majestically above the doors.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48All of whom would have had access
0:37:48 > 0:37:51to the finest lace materials of the day.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56The Allhallows Museum is home to the most comprehensive
0:37:56 > 0:37:59collection of Honiton Lace in the world.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Pat Perryman is a lady of the lace.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05It was a fashion accessory, and in the 1700s,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08if a husband was treating his wife to a gift
0:38:08 > 0:38:09he wouldn't buy her a diamond ring
0:38:09 > 0:38:11he would buy her lace, because you showed your wealth
0:38:11 > 0:38:14by the quality and quantity of your lace.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Made popular by Queen Victoria as well,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18of course you mustn't forget her.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21She had a wedding dress and a veil made of Honiton Lace
0:38:21 > 0:38:23and that kept the industry going,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27the cottage industry of course, until really the Second World War
0:38:27 > 0:38:30and then it became a hobby which is what it is today.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37Back in 1960, Nigel and his grandparents often took a short trip
0:38:37 > 0:38:40to the nearby Budleigh Beach at Salterton.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43So I've brought him back to rekindle those memories
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and I've even found a couple of deck chairs
0:38:46 > 0:38:49in a prime spot to soak up the rays.
0:38:49 > 0:38:54- Oh, yes, the odd seagull. Isn't this beautiful?- Lovely, lovely.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- And this is where you would come? - Yeah, Budleigh Salterton.
0:38:57 > 0:38:58But what a lovely bay.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01It's beautiful isn't it? What a beautiful spot.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04Still very, very quiet on this beach. Gorgeous.
0:39:04 > 0:39:10As a child, my drink of choice was cream soda.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14- What was your drink?- Corona, brand. - The brand, yeah.
0:39:14 > 0:39:15They specialised in orange.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- Orange, Corona orange, very nice. - Fizzy orange.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22Just to bring back the 1960s, I have got...
0:39:22 > 0:39:24Oh...
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Be careful, it's a little bit sort of oiky.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33- Oh, look, the proper old...- Fizzy orange.- Proper old gob stopper.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37- Fizzy orange.- Fizzy orange.- Fizzy orange on Budleigh Salterton beach.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39- Cheers.- Cheers to you.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48- It's lovely.- It's lovely.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52'It's clear that Nigel is a man of many talents
0:39:52 > 0:39:55'and can turn his hands to all aspects of performing.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58'But in his heart of hearts, what does he prefer?'
0:39:59 > 0:40:03Actor, performer, comedian...
0:40:03 > 0:40:06..author, poet, songwriter.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Which of those if you could...
0:40:08 > 0:40:12if somebody said you can only do one... You have to give up,
0:40:12 > 0:40:13it's too much you're doing.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16You can only do one of those, what would the one be?
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Well, it would have to be actor,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22because that's the only one that earns any money.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24It's quite simple.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Simple answer.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26The excitement though,
0:40:26 > 0:40:30if I had to put the real top of it, is hearing laughter.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34It's getting the laughs, that's the thing.
0:40:34 > 0:40:35Yeah. Of course.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39If I had to choose, that's if I had to choose one thing ever to do ever again.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41It would be something where I could hear them.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44I speak, they laugh. I mean, that's really it.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Do you think coming down here into Devon,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52and staying with your grandparents, and playing in that lovely garden
0:40:52 > 0:40:56and coming here to the beach, do you think in any way that sort of helped
0:40:56 > 0:41:00to shape who you became later?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02It's funny, you know, going there today
0:41:02 > 0:41:06has made me realise that yes, it must have.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09And I would have answered yes before today,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11but having seen it again now
0:41:11 > 0:41:14I think, you know, even more so, yeah.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17- It has been great.- Thank you.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19I promise you it has been great to talk with you.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22And thank you so much for coming with me and showing me around.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27- Thank you. Fantastic day as far as I'm concerned.- I enjoyed it.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29Absolute treat.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32It's been wonderful to spend the day with Nigel
0:41:32 > 0:41:37and rekindle those early childhood memories from 55 years ago.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39We embarked on a Boy's Own adventure.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Cooked up a storm.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47I don't think we are going on MasterChef any time soon.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50And dug up some timeless memories.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Well Nigel...- Yeah?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Obviously this has been a lovely day
0:42:01 > 0:42:03- and I want you to remember it. - Yes, I will.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05And if you forget about it,
0:42:05 > 0:42:10I'd like to give you this Holiday of My Lifetime little book.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12- To remind you. - And who's that on the front there?
0:42:12 > 0:42:14Oh that's a good-looking boy, aye?
0:42:15 > 0:42:18A memento of our trip to Ottery St Mary.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22A scrapbook of memories to help him remember our adventures.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24But I couldn't leave him
0:42:24 > 0:42:27without something for the long journey back home.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30In case you endure another long car journey.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32The I-Spy book.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34- And one last thing...- Yeah?
0:42:36 > 0:42:40I know this is going to bring up terrible memories for you,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42because you were thrashed.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Thrashed? I wasn't thrashed.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Well 6 to 7.5 is hardly thrashed.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50- Oh, look.- Isn't that great?- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Well, I hope you've have had a good day.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55I've had a fantastic day thank you so much.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57- Thank you.- Absolutely brilliant.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01It's goodbye from Devon and the summer of 1960.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03It was here that Nigel found a playground
0:43:03 > 0:43:06where he could let his imagination run wild.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10And it helped make him the true star he is today.