Episode 17 Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman

'Childhood holidays - oh, the anticipation seemed endless.

'The holiday itself? Well, it was over too quickly.

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

'with some much-loved famous faces.'

This is a memory I will treasure.

'Every day, I'll be arranging a few surprises

'to transport them back in time.'

I feel as though we're about to go over the edge.

Well, don't say that.

-'We'll relive the fun...' BOTH:

-Oh!

No! No!

'..the games...' HE GROANS

'..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.'

Wah! Ha, ha-ha!

'So, buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.'

Oh, yes. We're going to get the water-skis out in a moment.

HE LAUGHS

'On today's journey,

'I'll be transporting my mystery holiday-maker

'back in time in a 1980s Skoda 105.

'They don't make 'em like this any more...'

HE GRINDS GEARS Shut up!

'..and maybe it's just as well.

'So, who am I meeting today?

'Well, let's just say I think she's going to be a model guest.'

She was born in Mossley, Greater Manchester, back in 1970.

Here she is as a young whippersnapper.

Oh, bless!

Her big break came in TV commercials

where she became just as famous for her northern accent

as for her beautiful looks.

IN NORTHERN ACCENT: Aye, she's a reet good'un.

She went on to spend four years on daytime TV

with me old mate Des O'Connor.

And most recently, she's been cooking up a storm

with her chef buddy Gino D'Acampo.

Have you got it yet? I bet you have.

By 'eck, she's gorgeous!

It's northern girl Melanie Sykes.

Whoo!

And I'm on my way to meet her in this vintage Skoda,

just like the car she would have gone on holiday with

back in the day.

HE CHUCKLES Melanie.

Oh, she's gorgeous.

I'm pretty good-looking myself, you know.

Melanie Sykes, or Mel to her friends,

grew up in the northwest of England with Mum, Dad and two sisters.

Soon, the bright lights of London were beckoning

and after treading many a catwalk, her big break came

when she was picked up to star in a TV commercial

for Boddingtons Bitter.

Such was the success of that advert,

that Mel landed a number of TV roles,

including a four-year stint sitting alongside

one of my old showbiz muckers, good old Des.

Let's just hope she isn't all chatted out, though,

because I've got plenty to ask her about her childhood holiday.

SHE LAUGHS

-Oh, my God!

-HE LAUGHS

-Len!

-Do you recognise it?

I do!

I'm so sorry it wasn't a sexier vehicle, though...

-Well, there we are.

-..but that is it.

And now I've seen it, I haven't seen it for a very long time,

I think it's a cracking shape.

Now, where are we off to? That's what I want to know.

We are going to Llandudno, in North Wales.

Oh. And what's the year?

1980.

That was the year of the first-ever Children In Need.

-Was it?

-19... They raised £1 million.

-So, shall we get in and get off?

-Let's do it.

-Come on.

-Come on, then.

Oh, my goodness me! Look at the state of it inside!

-Right, OK.

-Get in and be bold.

-All right, thank you.

-OK.

SHE LAUGHS

It's a beautiful car, Melanie, for a beautiful trip,

as North Wales boasts over 200 miles of cracking coastline.

And it was Conwy, Deganwy and Llandudno

that kept Mel and her family entertained all those years ago.

It's hardly surprising Llandudno is such a popular holiday destination.

It's a quintessential seaside resort,

complete with pier and promenade

'and today, I'm taking Mel back

'to relive those heady days of sunshine...'

Oh, no! It's getting heavy, this rain! Oh, my God!

Let's go in. Come on!

'..and rain.'

'We'll scream for ice cream...'

That may be a little bit too much.

'..and prom in the park...

THEY PLAY A LIVELY TUNE

'..as we discover the things that made Mel's childhood holiday

'in Wales, so special.'

THEY CONTINUE TO PLAY A LIVELY TUNE

SINGS: Bah, ba-ba, ba!

Before any holiday truly begins,

you must first set out on the journey.

Regular trips to North Wales saw Mel and her family travel by train

or coach, but her most memorable holiday of all

started in one of these and isn't she a beauty?

A bright '80s beauty.

-There you are, back in the day, 1980.

-Yes.

-So, what was you about...

-I was ten.

-Ten years old?

I was ten years old, it would have been summer,

so it would have been around my birthday cos my birthday's August.

-Right.

-So, always hot and sunny.

Isn't that a funny thing cos as a child for me, the same,

it never seemed to rain during your school holidays.

-No, it was endlessly long and hot.

-Gorgeous.

-Yeah.

And how far...? Where did you live?

We were in a place called Mossley,

in fact, my family still live there,

which is on the outskirts of Greater Manchester.

-HE CRUNCHES GEARS

-Oh, my God! Crunch!

-We've done it now, we're all right.

-This car is so noisy!

Well, that's my driving more than the car, I think.

So, how long was the journey for you?

Oh, gosh. I actually don't know.

And me and my sisters are a bit carsick as well,

-so it wasn't always...

-Oh, right.

-..the most pleasant of journeys.

So, who was in the car? Your mum and dad...

Yeah, Dad driving, me mum sitting where I am now

and the three of us in the back.

Were you well-behaved or was it...?

-I was an angel.

-Of course, you were.

-Of course. But me and my sisters did bicker quite a bit.

-Yeah.

So, I'm sure we were constant buzzing in the back

with various arguments going on.

I'm sure Mum and Dad were going mad in the front.

-But all in all, I think I was a very good girl.

-Right.

-You all suffered from a bit of car sickness?

-Yeah.

So... And the problem was even if you weren't feeling sick,

-if somebody started to feel sick...

-Yeah.

..then you would and then we'd all be at it.

So, we'd have to pull over and sort things out.

-But I've outgrown it, you'll be pleased to hear!

-Oh, that's good.

Well, it wouldn't matter in this.

Well, it's a big old well there, isn't it?

SHE LAUGHS

In 1980, when Mel was making for North Wales,

the world was saying hello for the first time to Yes Minister,

a new sitcom that took a satirical sideswipe

at the peculiarities of politics.

The hugely popular series followed the antics of cabinet minister

The Rt Hon Jim Hacker,

who was assisted, and often hindered, by his right-hand men,

Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Woolley.

And if that wasn't funny enough for you,

in real life, our cousins from across the pond

elected a Hollywood actor as their president.

Together, we're going to do what has to be done.

We're going to put America back to work again.

Sadly, 1980 was also the year that the world said farewell

to supreme songwriter and member of the fab four John Lennon.

And while Mel was splashing about in the North Wales sea,

Martha And The Muffins were making waves of their own

with top ten hit Echo Beach.

# From nine to five I have to spend my time at work

# My job is very boring, I'm an office clerk

# The only thing that helps me pass the time away

# Is knowing I'll be back at Echo Beach some day. #

'Time to turn the music off now, though,

'because we've just arrived at the first port of call

'for Mel's holiday of her lifetime -

'the picturesque seaside village of Deganwy.

'And it's here that the family used to stay when visiting the area.'

This is where we'd get the papers in the morning...

-Oh, right.

-..along here.

-So, it was somewhere up here.

-And a level crossing, do you recall that?

Yes, I do. Oh, my gosh! I do, yeah.

'We're not even out of the car yet

'and those magic memories already flooding back.'

Yes!

And the sun's shining.

-And the sun's come out.

-This is exactly what it was like.

This is it. This is it.

This is where we...the beach, it's only a little beach

-cos it's only the estuary...

-Yeah.

-..where we'd hang out.

Yeah, these benches. I've sat on these benches many a time.

It's so nice.

-It's so nice.

-HE SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY

Yeah, this door...this door does not shut!

Don't worry, we got here.

-We did.

-We made it.

-Nice bit of parking, Len.

You look like you've abandoned it.

-Well, here it is.

-Wow!

-Innit lovely!

-Is it how it was?

-Yes.

I mean, it's exactly as it was, really.

-Yeah.

-It's exactly...

We didn't have bunting back then, it didn't look as glamorous as this

but this is where...

-Yeah.

-..I used to come year after year and we'd just spend hours...

-What, just playing on the beach?

-Frisbee, kite flying.

-You see how windy it is...

-Yeah.

-..good for kites.

It's a shame we haven't got a kite today because I'll tell you what...

-I know.

-..this is kite flying weather.

Yeah, it totally is. It totally is.

It's fabulous.

What was it called? Do you remember what it was called, the hotel?

-I think it was called Heath House Hotel.

-Oh, right.

Yeah. And I... Yeah, we used to go there yearly.

-Well, unfortunately, it was pulled down in '96, I found out.

-Oh, right.

-Oh, '96, was it?

-However...

-Yes?

-..I've got...

This is their leaflet.

"Holidays with freedom. Heath House Family Hotel."

Oh, my goodness me.

"Your inspection invited."

"Views of the river, sea, mountains..."

-Golf course.

-"..and golf course."

-"Public footpath to beach, two minutes."

-Yeah.

"Nappy buckets." SHE LAUGHS

What more could you want here?

"Baby bath, nappy buckets."

-It is a proper family-run hotel.

-Yeah.

'The hotel may be long gone,

'but I've got plenty of other things lined up

'that will remind Mel of her holiday of yesteryear.'

-Shall we have a look along?

-Yeah, come on.

-Come on.

-Let's go.

-Here.

-Oh, thanks, Len.

THEY LAUGH

'And first up is a visit to Conwy

'to see the smallest house in Britain.

'This tiny home was last lived in, in 1900

'by a local fisherman who was...6'3"? No!'

I recognise this.

Yeah, I've not been in it for a very long time.

-The smallest house in Great Britain.

-Yeah.

-Want to go in?

-Yeah.

Ho-ho!

-Watch your head, Len.

-Yeah.

Oh, this is co...

-Cosy is the word.

-Yeah.

Can you believe somebody actually lived here?

Yeah. Well, you know, you've got almost everything.

You've got the dining area here, the bed...

-I don't think there's a toilet.

-No.

I think if you were putting out the fire, you could do it there.

-Yeah. You've got the sea right outside.

-You have, yeah.

-I suppose you could...

-I'm sure it was bedpan central at that point.

Yeah, I think you're right.

-Well, that obviously must be the bedroom.

-Yeah.

-Do you want to go and look or shall I go?

-Go on.

-Shall I go and have a look?

-Go and have a look.

Gosh, I was considerably smaller last time I came in here.

Yeah, be careful.

-Wow!

-It must be tiny.

It's so small. That little fire, as well.

-Can you believe how dangerous that probably was?

-Yeah.

Unbelievable.

'I think this is what an estate agent might describe as bijou.

'Still, this seems like the perfect time to enjoy some SMALL talk

'about Melanie's childhood.'

-What was your house like where you lived?

-Erm...

-Obviously, bigger than this.

-Yes, it was bigger than this.

It was sort of a newish build, new estate, really

-and three-bedroomed...

-Yeah.

-..semidetached house.

-Yeah.

And I shared...me and my sisters shared a room for years,

-all of us in the same room.

-Yeah.

And how did your mum and dad meet?

Well, my dad was working in a shoe shop.

-He was mending shoes, he was a cobbler...

-Yeah.

-and my mum was selling the shoes.

-Ah.

-So, they met at the shoe shop.

-Right, lovely.

-Yeah.

And then he just... Yeah, he fell in love with her,

she's so exotic and gorgeous and they got married.

-Lovely.

-Yeah.

-In the shoe shop.

-In the shoe shop, yeah.

I would say let's get up and have a dance,

-but I don't think really we've got quite enough movement for that.

-No.

-Fascinating little place.

-Yeah, it's great, isn't it?

-Shall we get on?

-Yeah, let's do it.

Come on, look... Yeah, we're off.

-After you.

-Thank you.

'This place was certainly small, but it was perfectly formed.'

And if you want to know about some of the other biggest attractions

in the area, then you're in luck

because I've picked seven of the best to tell you about.

Now, did you know that during World War II,

Llandudno played home to the Inland Revenue?

No? Well, that's just one of the facts you can find out

at the Home Front Experience.

The man behind the museum is Adrian Hughes.

I started collecting in the 1980s and throughout the '90s

and then from '95 onwards, which was the 50th anniversary of VE Day,

there was a huge amount of interest and it was then that I decided

to try and do something with my collection.

And in 1999, I bought this old fire station

and opened to the public in 2000.

You can see all sorts here, from gas masks to groceries.

Oh-ho! That takes me back.

For many people, it's a nostalgic trip down memory lane,

whereas for others, younger people, it's a history lesson.

For something a bit more extreme, Llandudno Ski and Snowboard Centre

is home to the longest toboggan run in Britain.

That's 750m of pure exhilaration...or plain fear.

It might appeal to a sporty-looking lass like Mel.

'In fact, a little bird tells me that she was barmy about badminton,

'so I've arranged a bit of a treat on the beach for her.'

I've heard you're pretty sporty, is that true?

-Are you a sporty sort of...?

-I am, yeah.

I'm getting sportier as I get older, work that out.

-Are you competitive?

-Very.

-Yeah, so am I.

-Yeah, I am.

So, what I would like to do is have a badminton competition with you.

-Oh, no.

-And the loser buys the ice creams.

-OK, fine, deal.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, deal.

-The net is here.

-Oh, my God.

I need to change my shoes.

-Now, look...

-It's too windy to play badminton.

You're getting all competitive already.

You've got to have special shoes.

Well, I can't wear these on a beach.

'So, after a quick change of footwear, we're good to go.'

Are you ready for a thrashing?

-Don't say that. I'm very good with the old shuttlecock.

-Are you?

-Here we go.

-Come on, then.

Ooh! THEY LAUGH

Whayy!

A bit quick that, wasn't it? I don't know my own strength.

Oh, wind got it.

-I've got another one, leave that.

-Did you see that little move then?

What did you want to be when you grew up?

What was your ambition when you were a kid?

Did you have something you really wanted to do?

Do you know what I really wanted to do?

I wanted to be a professional ice skater

and I only went on skates about two years ago for the first time.

So, I used to glide round the living room as if I was on skates.

Here we go.

Oh, no!

Here, let me get this.

Go on, then. You have a serve.

Oh, God. Right, you'd better serve.

Oii.

'It's been 35 years since Mel played badminton

'on her childhood holiday in Wales.

'Plenty has changed since then, but some things remain the same.'

Oh, no! It's getting heavy, this rain. Oh, my God!

Let's go in, come on.

Typical, rain has stopped play.

So, let's find out more about the area's incredible history

as we wait for the clouds to pass.

Whatever the weather, the charm of this small town

has always pulled in the punters.

And never more so than in the reign of Queen Victoria,

when each summer swarms of holiday-makers

would descend on the area.

People were coming from Lancashire and even Yorkshire

for a holiday in Llandudno.

You would have a town would close down all the mills for a week

and everybody would go on holiday.

Well, a lot of people went to Blackpool,

but a lot came to Llandudno.

And with improvements to public transport,

the visitors just kept on coming.

The railways came in 1858

and quite rapidly they had to expand the railway station

and put in lots of sidings

because the amount of traffic was coming in.

People were pouring into Llandudno by train

and so it had to be expanded dramatically to cope with that.

And it was big business, it really was big business.

Today in Llandudno, hey-hey, the sun's back out.

Hey, this is gorgeous, it really is.

A great view, isn't it?

-Oh, look at that view.

-Unbelievable.

Now, I'll tell you what we haven't had, a selfie.

-Oh, are we having a selfie?

-Yeah.

-I'm very technical, as you can imagine.

-OK.

-Look at you go.

-Now I'm going to...

-You're so with it, Len.

-Now, take your glasses...

-OK.

-Come on.

-All right, yeah.

You're supposed to be a model.

-Wait a minute, let me...

-That's it.

-Oh.

-Oh, that's a winner.

Now, look, watch the boyish grin just come in.

THEY LAUGH

-That's nice, you need to send me that.

-I will send it to you.

-Yeah.

Now, could you give me a few tips?

I want you to imagine that you are the cameraman.

Right.

So, should I go for the sort of side on butch look?

OK, yeah, that's good. I'm liking that.

SHE LAUGHS That's Bruce's one,

you can't nick Bruce's!

-Oh, God. Flipping 'eck.

-No?

You don't like it?

SHE LAUGHS

I don't like that one.

-OK, go.

-Moody.

Moody.

Yeah, I like it, but you're all about the smile,

so you've got to do... That's it!

-I've just got to go with it, haven't I?

-You've got to go

-with what you've got.

-Yeah.

-And it's good, believe me.

Come on, we've got more to do.

No holiday experience is complete without sampling the local tucker

and when a young Melanie Sykes visited Llandudno back in 1980,

she scoffed ice cream.

So, to tantalise those taste buds once again,

I've arranged for her to sample some of the finest flavours in town.

I bet there are a few more on the menu today

than there were 35 years ago.

How many flavours do you have?

Over 24 at a time, but in the 18 months since we've been open,

we've done, like, 175, 200 maybe.

What's your favourite flavour?

I like just classic chocolate, to be honest,

but I do like a bit of choc and mint, as well.

I like vanilla, plain and simple,

but what I do like with it is a few hundreds and thousands.

-Oh, yeah. I like that.

-Do you know what I mean?

-I like that.

-And then that red stuff.

-Raspberry ripple.

-A bit of raspberry ripple.

-So, a classic ice cream?

-Yes.

'It doesn't matter what yours truly likes, though,

'because today's special is going to be lemon meringue flavour for Mel.

'She and I are going to learn how to prepare it

'under the watchful eye of ice cream entrepreneur Dave Page.'

OK. So, you just pull the handle to the left, slide it up

-and slide it back round. There you go.

-Oh, right.

Slide it back round. There you go.

Now, remember, you're in control,

so when you think you've got enough just slide it down.

-I'll slide it down.

-That's enough.

-Oh, yeah. There you go.

-Steady.

-It went a bit bonkers there.

OK, it's not the worst start, to be fair.

-A handful of meringue pieces in there for me.

-I'm taking notes.

Perfect. A good old squeeze of the lemon ripple.

'I feel like I'm on an episode of The Generation Game here.

'I hope you're watching, Brucey.'

-Do you know what?

-I...

-You have done this before, haven't you?

No, but when I do anything that I'm excited, I flatulate,

-so be very careful.

-I'm right behind you, so please don't.

-I was going to say...

-Well, that's me done.

-Lovely.

-May I hold that up to the camera?

It's a feastive fest.

Look at it here.

-Brilliant, Len, well done.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much for that, that was great.

'He's right, you know. Let's see if Mel is as cool as I am

'when it comes to whipping up her batch.'

-You're going to miss the pot.

-I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.

-That's all right.

-It'll be enough.

Brilliant.

'Well, it's not bad, I suppose.

'But it's not as luscious-looking as mine.'

-OK.

-Maybe a little bit too much.

'Oh, Mel! What are you doing, girl?'

-I'm making a mess.

-Quick as we can now.

-What an absolute mess.

-SHE LAUGHS

Right. Oh, my days.

That's it, lovely, wonderful.

All right, all right, not too much.

Artistically place three half-meringues in there...

-MOUTHS: It's not good.

-..anywhere you choose.

-Ta-da!

-Perfect. Excellent.

-Look at that beauty.

Now, wait a minute, we'll have a comparison.

'I think it's clear to see who's the winner here. Sorry, Mel.'

I'm not being funny, cos it's not in my nature,

but just take a butchers.

Mel's. Look, Eh?

Now, come across.

Look at the artistic way I've placed those.

Look, the crumble's just a hint.

This really, looks like a building site.

Mine...Taj Mahal.

Enough said.

'But the proof of the lemon meringue ice cream

'is surely in the eating.'

Oh, this is nice.

Isn't this nice? I must say...

-Oh, I'm dripping.

-I love it here, Llandudno.

-Yeah.

-Llandudno, fabulous.

It's nice, isn't it?

-Is this the one you made, yeah?

-This is me.

-And you want to...

-Which is your one, green spoon?

-Hm-hm.

I'm not getting any lemon in yours.

Has it got too much meringue?

-Over-meringued.

-Over-meringued.

You've really gone to town on the meringue.

-Yeah, but you know, you've got to have that crunch.

-Yeah, well...

I've got a bit of crunch and lemon.

You have, I suppose.

This reminds me a bit of that advert you did.

-Oh, yeah, for the bitter?

-Yeah.

-I know.

-I was in the ice cream van, wasn't I?

-Yeah.

-And I said to the guy, "Do you want a flake in that, love?"

-Yeah.

HE IMITATES MEL'S ACCENT: Do you want a flake in that, love?

And do you know the amount of times people say that to me?

I swear to God, it must be about four or five times a day

and it's a long time ago now.

-I think it's 15 years ago that advert come out.

-Really?

-Yeah.

When was it you realised

that you were well-known on the telly and so on?

Well, I'd done the advert and it had come out,

the first advert, which wasn't the ice cream one, but...

And within the space of a week,

-people were shouting me in the street and stuff.

-Yeah.

It was really weird cos it was very high profile.

-I knew it before I did it that it would make a bit of a splash.

-Yeah.

But I didn't know it was going to change my career completely

and make me known, I had no idea.

I thought, "Oh, I'll get more modelling work after this,"

and instead I just got more TV work. It was an extraordinary time

and a bit strange, but it was nice, you know.

-It was a total career change, really.

-It was

and I wasn't even looking for one, but I was at an age where

-I could have done with it.

-Yeah.

-I mean, I was about 26

and as a model, I suppose that's considered old.

They'd started telling me to lie about my age. Can you imagine?

-I was 26.

-Really?

-Yeah. "Lie about your height, lie about your age."

And I was like, "This is nonsense," you know.

The adverts came out and a lot of TV producers started to ask

to meet me and I started doing screen tests for things

and I kept getting everything.

And I just kept going and going and it eclipsed my modelling career

and that's been it for the past I don't know how many years.

What was weird is for my whole modelling career everybody was,

you know, and if I went in for a commercial,

-my accent was going against me, always.

-Yeah.

And then I, obviously, end up with a product

that was a northern product and that was it.

It was the first time I was allowed to speak on a commercial

-instead of just looking nice.

-Yeah.

-And then it just all went...

-Whoosh and away it went.

Whoosh and away it went.

-That was delicious.

-It was so good, yeah.

-Here we go, up the mountain.

-All right, let's go.

-Oh-ho!

While we head for the hills,

here's my next top tips guaranteed to make any trip to North Wales

SUMMIT to write home about.

One way to experience the fabulous headland known as the Great Orme

is on a vintage bus, complete with a live commentary.

The scenic tour runs all year round,

but whenever you choose to go,

there are stunning views in all directions -

from the flora and fauna in the summertime

to the crashing of the waves on a stormy winter's day.

Oi! Tickets, please.

No seaside resort is complete without a decent playhouse

and standing proudly on the seafront is the Llandudno theatre.

It only opened its doors for the first time in 2007,

but the area has always had a rich history of theatre.

This site was originally the Victoria theatre,

the Victoria Palace, which was built in 1894.

So, in those days, it was proper kind of seaside holidays,

so good family fun in the theatre,

lots of variety and that kind of thing.

The new auditorium that stands where the Victoria once was

is capable of accommodating the best shows around.

The biggest show, the biggest event in our calendar

is the annual pantomime.

So, that's with us for three weeks

and brings in almost 40,000 people to the area.

Oh, yes, it does!

The Great Orme Tramway is Britain's only cable-hauled

public road transportation system

and it's been delighting visitors to Llandudno

since it opened back in 1902.

Now, it's time for me and Mel to hop onboard.

-Look at it.

-Isn't it beautiful.

-There you are.

-After you.

-Thank you.

Here we go. So, did you used to go on this as a child?

Yeah, I've been on this as a child.

-I've also been on with my children, as well.

-Yeah?

Yeah, it's really nice up there.

The views are amazing and it's just a nice way to go up.

-I can't wait.

-Yeah, you'll enjoy it.

And what's lovely it's still as it was.

-Yeah, it's really old.

-You know, it's not...

I don't know how old it is, but, you know, it's just beautiful.

It's old.

It's older than me and that's old.

-Flipping ancient.

-Ancient, it is.

-Ooh!

-Here we go, here we go.

I'm going to have to keep remembering to look behind as well

cos you'll see all sorts of lovely things from out the back window.

-It's good, isn't it?

-I'll wait till we get up a bit.

-Yeah.

Would you all be coming on the tram?

Yeah, we'd all come on the tram - my mum, my dad and my sisters.

-And again, depending on the holiday, whoever we had with us.

-Yeah.

And we were always dead envious of the people that lived

-in these lovely houses...

-God, yes.

..because when it's your holiday place,

-you always want to live there, don't you?

-Yeah, yeah.

I mean, I think my parents had dreams of moving to Wales -

it never happened.

But you do, you think, "All these lucky people that live here."

-But look at that beauty there.

-It's fantastic.

So, yeah, we'd probably come on this every time we came here, yeah.

-Well, why wouldn't you?

-Yeah, it's gorgeous.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind doing two or three trips today,

reel it up and down.

Yeah, it is lovely.

'The tram car takes you on an awe-inspiring journey

'up the Great Orme Country Park and Nature Reserve.

'If the destination is half as good as the journey,

'we're in for a real treat.'

Oh, look, there's one coming down the other side.

Hey! Hey, come on!

OTHER TRAM RIDERS CHEER Come on! Hey! Cheer up!

Cheer up a bit! LEN AND MEL LAUGH

TRAM HORN SOUNDS Whay-hey!

Well, you see, they're miserable cos they're coming down.

-We've got all the thrill of the view.

-Exactly and getting up there.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-God, it absolutely rockets along, doesn't it(?)

'But what it lacks in speed, it more than makes up for with the views.'

Isn't that amazing?

You know, I had that as a screensaver on my phone

-for a long time.

-Really?

Cos for me, it's just one of the most beautiful coastlines

-I've ever seen.

-It's like a perfect bay.

-It's like a...

-It's a crescent.

-It is, like a sickle.

This is lovely. It is, really.

'To get to the top of the Great Orme,

'you need to swap trams halfway up.

'So, it's all change for Mel and I and it looks like they've laid on

'an extra special carriage for us.'

-Here we are.

-Oh, look out.

Oh, look at the number.

It's number SEVEN. MEL LAUGHS

-Oh, good.

-I love that.

-Oh, that'll be all right.

That's Brilliant.

-Here we go.

-Oh, my God.

-Now, we get a nice breeze.

THEY LAUGH

-Oh, come on.

-Oh, gosh!

'I didn't realise the seven stood for gale-force seven.

'I just hope we're going to be blown away by the views from the top

'and not the wind.'

-Let's get down a bit.

-Yeah, this is mad, isn't it?

-Oh, that's better.

-It is, actually.

I can honestly say I never even sat on the floor when I was a child

-in this.

-You don't get much of the view, but...

-Oh, God.

-Oh, my God.

-I've never known it to be this windy.

-No.

But honestly, the view is good.

-I think it's started to rain, as well.

-Oh, that'll be nice(!)

-But look back now down there.

-Gorgeous, isn't it?

-Gorgeous.

-Yeah.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah, lovely...

..but I need a hairbrush.

Well. what a lark.

-Well, I'll tell you what.

-Oh, my God!

-It was exciting.

-Do you feel alive? That's the main thing! Whoa!

Oh, yeah.

'We may be windswept, but it's worth it, the views are breathtaking.

'In fact, they say that on a clear day you can see as far

'as the Isle of Man, Blackpool and the Lake District.

'There's no wonder Victorian families used to flock up here

'to watch the spectacular sunset.'

Everywhere you turn in this part of the world,

you can feel a little piece of history coming to life

and that's certainly the case at Conwy Castle.

It was built at the end of the 13th century by Edward I

during his conquest of North Wales.

It is really quite unique. It's built on a natural rock

and so it...stands out there, really.

It took six years to build, but when you look at it,

the sheer scale of it,

you would think that they were expecting a vast foreign army

to come here, you know, like the Armada or something like that,

but there was no threat of that, at all.

What is quite unique about it as it is now,

is that it's very, very much unspoilt.

I suppose because it was in a little tricky place

for anybody to spoil it, really.

I mean, I know all of the rest of the castles in North Wales

and Conwy is just far and away ahead of everything.

Back in Llandudno, Mel and I have taken a walk

along the prom, prom, prom and arrived at one of the town's

most famous landmarks.

At 700m in length, this is the longest pier in Wales

and the fifth longest in Great Britain.

It's also the perfect place to find out a bit more

about Mel's marvellous career.

So, coming here as a girl, ten years old,

did you ever think in your wildest dreams your life would turn out

-as it did?

-Oh, gosh, nothing like how it's turned out.

I mean, I just didn't think for a second I'd end up being on telly

-and things like that, you know? I was quite shy.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I wasn't the most outgoing girl.

-Yeah.

I was, yeah, just quieter, I think. I mean, I'm a chatterbox now.

My family might say different, but what I remember of myself,

I used to just do a lot of reading and I was just thoughtful.

I certainly wasn't a jazz hands-type person.

So, yeah, I suppose when I think of myself then,

I just can't believe what I've ended up doing, really.

-And what about the jungle?

-I know.

-In the last three of the jungle.

-I know.

-What made you go for that?

-Well, I mean,

they've been asking me for years and years.

But I don't know, last year, I just thought, "I'm ready to do this.

"I'm ready for a challenge." I was feeling good and strong

and I went for it and I honestly thoroughly enjoyed it. It was good.

See, I couldn't do it cos I can't stand any sort of

-creepy crawlies or...

-Yeah, but I'm scared of...I'm scared of everything

and everybody says I couldn't do it. I'm telling you,

if I can do it, you could do it.

Cos the whole thing is mind over matter, really.

-Cos nothing's going to kill you out there...

-No, that's true.

..so you've got nothing to worry about.

But I'm quite logical and pragmatic about these things,

-so I suppose that's why I did well.

-Yeah.

Do you think coming here and being with your mum and dad and...

do you think that helped to make you who you became?

Well, I definitely think...

I'm definitely a product of my mum and dad in terms of my work ethic,

how I feel about life, how I appreciate everything.

I mean, I told you, we are a working-class family,

my mum and dad worked so hard to get us that one holiday a year

and I feel like I have all of that sense of, you know,

those ethics in my life and...

I'll just show you some pictures, actually.

This is me with my mum and my sisters right here, actually.

-You can see it's the same railings. Look.

-Yeah.

So, obviously, that's my mum.

That's Wendy, Wendy Sykes.

-Look how glamorous and fabulous she is.

-Oh, yes.

I can see where it all came from.

-No, I can. Look at her...

-I know, she's amazing.

-..artfully leaning.

-Look at her.

-look at her.

That's my older sister, Samantha, there's me in the middle

and my little sister, Stacey,

-right here on the pier.

-On the pier.

Lovely.

Talking of lovely, I think it's lovely on this pier

-with the sunshine... Isn't it? Isn't it gorgeous?

-Yeah.

I know you could say it's a tad breezy, but it's just lovely.

-Yeah, I'm glad you like it.

-I do.

-And I think what we should do is have a little stroll along...

-Yeah.

..and come to somewhere else that we like the look of

-and have another little sit-down.

-All right.

-Come on then. Hey-hey!

And while we take a stroll,

I'll walk you through the final instalment of my seven sites

to see in this part of North Wales.

If you want to kick off your flip-flops

and feel the sand between your toes,

then take a trip to Llandudno's West Shore Beach.

It's the perfect place to enjoy a picnic.

Oh, yum, yum, pig's bum!

Now, I bet you didn't know that Llandudno is home

to one of the most outstanding archaeological discoveries

of recent times. That's right, the Great Orme Copper Mines

date back over 4,000 years.

The mine was only actually rediscovered back in 1987.

So, it was mined very extensively in the Bronze Age

and then again in the 18th and 19th centuries.

And you get to see some of the Bronze Age tunnels,

you get to see some of the Bronze Age caverns

and you just get, you know, a little bit of an idea

for what life must have been like for people working here

thousands of years ago.

Top of the pile today is Conwy Valley Maze,

covering around two acres of land,

it's the largest garden maze in the world.

No wonder it's known locally as "The Big One."

And if that's not A-MAZE-ING enough for you,

you can also go for a lovely woodland walk.

Smashing!

'Now, I really want to finish Mel's day off with a fanfare

'and I think the next treat should hit all the right notes.'

-I love a brass band.

-I love a brass band.

And the Llandudno Brass Band

are going to put on a special performance just for you.

-Oh, wow!

-BAND STARTS TO PLAY

'Now, I don't want to blow my own trumpet,

'but it looks like Mel is really enjoying this

'and that's not just because it reminds her of her childhood trips

'to Wales.

'Brass means much more to her than that.

'Not only did her dad play the euphonium,

'he was also an accomplished conductor.

'In fact, he even taught our Mel to play the baritone horn.'

THEY BOTH CHEER

-Well done!

-Oh, well done!

Thank you so much.

So, how long has the band been formed?

-It's over 100 years old the band.

-Really?

-Yes.

And you've been... At the start?!

Most of it! Most of it!

LAUGHTER It's fabulous.

So, brass bands are massively important in my life.

I love the sound of them, they make me want to cry and it's just...

-Thank you.

-'Who knew she had so much music in her bones?

'But will she be able to join in today?

'Band leader John has brought along an extra horn.

'I just hope he doesn't come to regret it.'

I can't do it! Can't do it! Can't do it!

Well, shall we just try?

Yeah, go on, have a bash.

I should maybe go in my section.

Yes, go on.

Any time you hit a bum note, look at the lady next door and go...

LAUGHTER "What's going on here?"

-OK, go on, then, let's try.

-Ready?

-Yeah.

One, two... BAND STARTS TO PLAY

'I tell you what, for someone who has just been surprised

'with the horn, Mel is doing a cracking job.

'I'm sure her dad would be as proud as punch, too.'

BAND CONTINUES

SINGS: Bah, ba-ba, ba!

-Oi!

-Yeah, that'll do it!

-Hey, come on over there.

How about... Go on, standing ovation, get up!

'That was the perfect end to a perfect day.

'It's been an absolute delight spending time with Melanie Sykes

'in North Wales.

'We've banded around some childhood memories...'

-Oh, wind got it!

-I've got another one, leave that one.

Did you see that little move then?

'..and mixed it up with the best of them

'to get a real flavour of the area...'

I'm making a mess.

What an absolute mess!

'..and of course, we've been blown away by the beautiful scenery.'

Isn't that amazing?

Well, I tell you what, Mel.

I have never holidayed in North Wales or Wales,

-but I must say this is fantastic.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-I'm glad you like it.

-I really do.

You know, it's just so picturesque.

Isn't it? And peaceful, it's nice, isn't it? It's got nice energy.

-Yeah. It's the place to come for a family holiday...

-Yeah.

-It's absolutely lovely.

-Yeah, good.

Now, we never finish this show without... We give a little gift...

-Oh, yeah?

-..to our guests.

-Oh, that's nice. I didn't know that.

-Oh, yes.

Now, don't get overexcited.

First of all, we have a Holiday Of My Lifetime scrapbook...

-Oh!

-..with all the photographs and things of, you know,

-our little stay together...

-Oh, wow!

-..pictures and so on.

-That's so nice.

'For the lovely Mel, a picture book

'of memories of our time together

'in fabulous North Wales.

'And I've got one final surprise

'that will hopefully help her remember

'the holiday for many more years to come.

'A framed picture of Llandudno back in the day

'and the vintage advert for the hotel where she used to stay

'all those years ago.'

That's so fantastic.

That's so lovely. Thank you.

That is so going up at my home. Thank you so much.

It's been a pleasure.

'So, goodbye from North Wales,

'the perfect place for the British summer holiday

'and somewhere that will forever be close to Mel's heart.'