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 > 0:00:10So, in this series, I'm going to be
0:00:10 > 0:00:15reliving those wonderful times with some much-loved famous faces.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18This is a memorable treasure.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Every day, I will 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 are about to go over the edge.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Don't say that!
0:00:27 > 0:00:30We will relive the fun...
0:00:30 > 0:00:31Whoa!
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Oh! No!
0:00:32 > 0:00:33..the games...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Oh!
0:00:35 > 0:00:37..and the food of years gone by...
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Oh, I'm so excited.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Oh, the taste, the taste of your childhood.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46..to find out how those holidays around the UK helped shape
0:00:46 > 0:00:49the people we know so well today.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Ah!
0:00:53 > 0:00:55So, buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Oh, yes. We're going to get the water skis out in a moment.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07All aboard! No kissing in the back seats.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Today, Goodman's Tours are taking a trip down memory lane
0:01:10 > 0:01:13in a classic Leyland Leopard.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Tickets, please!
0:01:15 > 0:01:19I'm on my way to meet a bloke who has a lot in common with myself.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21You could say he's a bit footloose.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26He's a bit of a mover and he got into dancing at the age of 14
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and made a career of it.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Since then, he's gone from strength to strength as a dancer,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34TV presenter and a celebrity.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38His physique must have impressed somebody,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42because in 2011, he won Rear of the Year -
0:01:42 > 0:01:44not that I'd be a judge of that.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46But I've had to judge him
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and his many partners on Strictly Come Dancing.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54He's been on all 12 series and famously threw my old mate
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Ann Widdecombe around like an umbrella on a windy day.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00You know who this is!
0:02:00 > 0:02:05It's a great friend and accomplished dancer.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Oh, yeah, Anton du Beke.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09I'll tell you what, I can't wait.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And I'm on my way to pick him up in this vintage coach,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18much like the one he would've travelled in on his hols.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I'll tell you what, they don't make them like this any more.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28Anton du Beke was born in 1966, in Sevenoaks in Kent.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33He left school at just 16 to follow a career in amateur dancing.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36He met his dance partner Erin in 1997
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and the pair have been sweeping the boards at international
0:02:39 > 0:02:44competitions ever since, some of which were judged by yours truly.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49But his big break came in 2004, when he was catapulted
0:02:49 > 0:02:53from the dance circuit directly into the nation's living rooms
0:02:53 > 0:02:57with the launch of a little show called Strictly Come Dancing.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58I wonder what happened to that?
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Since then, he's become a much-loved TV personality
0:03:02 > 0:03:06on Hole In The Wall and food show Step Up To The Plate,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10where he appeared alongside Loyd Grossman.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Today, I'm taking him back to an early dance holiday
0:03:13 > 0:03:17he went on, starting with a surprise coach trip.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Ha-ha! Oh, what a beauty!
0:03:22 > 0:03:24ANTON LAUGHS
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Oh...
0:03:30 > 0:03:31Tickets, please.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Come on, my old son!
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- Lord of Lendon.- What do you reckon? - That's a beauty.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Look at it - this must be similar to what you came up in.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- It would've been. - And where are we heading for?
0:03:44 > 0:03:48We're heading for the ballroom in Blackpool.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Oh, the Mecca.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- The Mecca of ballroom dancing. - Is there anywhere else?
0:03:52 > 0:03:54So, what is the year?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Well, it's about... I think it's 1981.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58- Now, '81...- Yeah.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Little fact for you, was the year Bucks Fizz won
0:04:03 > 0:04:06the Eurovision Song contest.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- Skirt off moment.- Make Your Mind Up. - Making Your Mind Up.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12And talking of making your mind up, shall we get on and get off?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14- Shall we go?- Yeah, come on!
0:04:14 > 0:04:17- That is brilliant!- Lead on.- Ha-hey!
0:04:17 > 0:04:22- Oh, it has got that smell of old coach about it.- Yeah.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Well, I think that might be the driver.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28'Only joking, Mike! Drive on, sir.'
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Blackpool is one of Britain's most loved seaside resorts,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34just 15 miles west of Preston
0:04:34 > 0:04:38and between the smaller towns of Morecambe and Lytham St Annes.
0:04:38 > 0:04:44It's here Anton came, back in 1981, to compete in one of his first
0:04:44 > 0:04:45big dance competitions.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49With its stunning coastline, piers and iconic tower,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54it's no wonder 13 million people flock here every year.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55Oh, now!
0:04:55 > 0:05:00I'm taking Anton back to relive those early ballroom delights...
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- How am I going to get down there? - Repeat, repeat, repeat.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06So we go like that...
0:05:06 > 0:05:08..to enjoy the dizzy heights...
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Tap dance, Len.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13No, I can't do it. Me corn.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16..and bright lights of this glorious town.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Whoa!
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Over there!- There! Ha-hey!
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But before any holiday truly begins,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29first you must set out on a journey.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34For Anton and his fellow dance school competitors in 1981,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37that meant travelling to Blackpool in a coach
0:05:37 > 0:05:41and it's not long before the memories of that come flooding back.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48I can't even tell you, this makes me feel exactly like I was there,
0:05:48 > 0:05:53the sun beating through the window on a coach with velour seats.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57So, where are you coming from on this mammoth trip to Blackpool?
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Our school of dancing was in Sevenoaks in Kent.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04So you could've only been a bit of a lad when you came up there.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I must have been about 15, I think.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10And, of course, it was the first time
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I'd ever gone anywhere without my parents.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17- Right.- First time also I'd ever stayed in a hotel.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Because both my parents are foreign - my mum is Spanish,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22my dad is Hungarian, as you know - during the summer holidays, we would
0:06:22 > 0:06:26go away to see their families, so my aunts, my uncles,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- my grandmother, grandfather.- Yeah.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31- So we would stay in their houses, so we never stayed in hotels.- No.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33So this was a bit of a double whammy.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35One, I was going away without my parents
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and I was staying in a hotel?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42- Oh, like Millionaires' Row! - Of course it is, yeah.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45You know, you go up for these competitions as a school,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48back in those days. These were the finals,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50so you would've had to have qualified somewhere.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54And I remember I qualified at an old ballroom called the Rivoli
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and you were judging. You were actually judging it.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01And it's because of you that I got on this bleeding coach.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06So that journey from Sevenoaks in Kent to Blackpool,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08that was a few hours.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12In one of these, it took about six... It was half a day.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15So how did you pass the time on this six or seven-hour...?
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Oh, well, you know, you try and read, so you might have a book,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24or something like that, or do some sort of crossword-type affair.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Of course, then you get travel sick.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30We didn't have, like, Walkmans.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- We didn't have iPods and stuff like that.- Of course not.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34We didn't have phones, all the things now.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36So you literally had to do it old-school.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- You had to talk to people.- Yeah.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Imagine!
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Nowadays, people are usually nose down in their electronic devices,
0:07:45 > 0:07:50but back in 1981, the TV was still king.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And making its debut this year, a wonderful show,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Arthur Dent, a perfectly ordinary Earth man,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04was rather surprised when his friend Ford Prefect
0:08:04 > 0:08:07suddenly revealed himself to be from a small planet
0:08:07 > 0:08:09somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and not from Guildford after all.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16He was even more surprised when a few minutes later, the Earth
0:08:16 > 0:08:21was unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26The nation was gripped by the royal wedding fever as millions
0:08:26 > 0:08:29watched Prince Charles marry Lady Diana Spencer.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And what an extraordinary moment for the new Princess of Wales,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37to look out at this sea of human beings...
0:08:39 > 0:08:42..who now feel that they, in some way, own her.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44What a marvellous moment.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51More than 7,000 runners signed up to run the first ever London Marathon.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Oh, nice weather!
0:08:54 > 0:08:57And who could forget this belter from The Human League?
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Don't You Want Me. Ho-ho!
0:08:59 > 0:09:02It went on to be one of the biggest hits of the decade.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- # Don't you want me, baby? - LEN SINGS ALONG
0:09:06 > 0:09:11# Don't you want me? Oh
0:09:11 > 0:09:14# Don't you want me, baby?
0:09:15 > 0:09:19# Don't you want me? Oh. #
0:09:19 > 0:09:22But it's time to turn the music down as the familiar
0:09:22 > 0:09:26sights of Blackpool are beginning to come into view,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30which for young Anton meant the mammoth journey was almost over.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35So, I suppose, once you got to somewhere like this on the coach,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38you know, the excitement is at fever pitch.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39Oh, we are...
0:09:39 > 0:09:41You've got the tower, look, the...
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Do you know, the biggest excitement for me,
0:09:44 > 0:09:49- the biggest excitement for me was always the amusements.- Yeah.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- I love the arcades.- Oh, do you?
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Oh, because, of course, I'm from a time when it was...
0:09:55 > 0:09:59I remember the first Atari home...
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- Yeah, the ping-pong thing. - The ping-pong.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Well, now, there's the pier.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I don't know what it is about Blackpool...
0:10:07 > 0:10:10I guess it's because it holds so many wonderful memories
0:10:10 > 0:10:14- for me and I guess for you. - Yeah, you're right.- You know, and...
0:10:14 > 0:10:16It changes but doesn't really change.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20At last we've made it and where better to make our first stop
0:10:20 > 0:10:23than right on Blackpool's world-famous promenade?
0:10:23 > 0:10:25I know it won't be long before we're feeling like
0:10:25 > 0:10:27two teenage boys in 1981.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Wa-hey, bring it on!
0:10:29 > 0:10:31TOGETHER: Thank you, driver.
0:10:31 > 0:10:32THEY LAUGH
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Oh!
0:10:33 > 0:10:37- Oh, yes. - A little bit of heaven right there.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Look, eh?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41- What do you reckon?- Calm sea.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Calm sea, sandy beach.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46This is perfection, isn't it?
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Do you know what I think about these tramlines?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Yeah.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53- Never seen a tram. - You've never seen a tram?
0:10:53 > 0:10:55- Never seen one. - There's one coming now.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Shut up!- So there. - You are an...
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- Look what you've done. - I'd organised this.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02- You'd organised it special.- Yeah.
0:11:02 > 0:11:08So, I suppose, as soon as you got off the coach, you're at the hotel.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09Straight to the hotel.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- Chuck all your stuff in... - Down to the amusements.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Straight down to the amusements!
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Go on!
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- Straight in!- Even in the Winter Gardens there's...
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- Amusements.- They're everywhere. - Everywhere you go.- Come on.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- Look at that!- Look at that, nothing. What a load of...
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Isn't that lovely? That's the first one I've ever seen.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31That's the new posh ones.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- Shall we have a little look at the beach?- Come on, let's go down.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39# Underneath the arches. #
0:11:39 > 0:11:41ANTON LAUGHS
0:11:43 > 0:11:47There is so much more to Blackpool than the promenade and tower.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49In fact, it's hard to know where to begin.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54That's why I've picked "seven!" of the best to tell you about.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00Animal Magic's Johnny Morris opened the Blackpool Zoo in 1972.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02With lots of activities and monkeying around,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05it is im-PAWS-sible to miss.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07And if you're feeling really brave,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10get up close to some of the biggest cats in the world.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Look at them! Whoa! I wouldn't mess with them, would you?
0:12:15 > 0:12:16If that's not scary enough,
0:12:16 > 0:12:21why not try a guided tour through the town's most haunted locations,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24hearing terrifying tales of murder and mystery
0:12:24 > 0:12:27on the Blackpool Ghost Walks?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Spooky story man Stephen Mercer knows all about
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Blackpool's grisly past.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35We start outside the front of North Pier
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and we make our way along in front of the tower.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41The tower has a rich history, it's Blackpool's iconic image.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45But there are things that do go bump in the night.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Most people don't expect Blackpool to have a haunted heritage
0:12:48 > 0:12:49or a haunted history.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52With so many people coming to Blackpool,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56many people have experienced many strange things.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00There is a Victorian lady who is often seen sitting towards
0:13:00 > 0:13:03the land end on one of the benches and she'll get up
0:13:03 > 0:13:06and she will walk just past us here
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and she will actually disappear pretty much just behind me.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Whoo! Here, ghosty, ghosty!
0:13:15 > 0:13:19It has been 34 years since Anton came to Blackpool to take part
0:13:19 > 0:13:23in one of his first dancing competitions and I've got him back
0:13:23 > 0:13:28on the bus to find out what he got up to inside his digs for the trip.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33- Oh, there you go, the Metropole! - Oh, look at it!
0:13:33 > 0:13:37It's great because it's the only hotel on that side of the road.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Oh, yes, you're right, yeah.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Oh, I remember that! Look at it.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- Looks quite grand, doesn't it, from the outside?- It is beautiful.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50It is a beautiful building. So there you were.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52There we were, at the Metropole.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54- Running up and down the corridors. - Of course, yeah.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Knocking on the girls' doors. "Let us in, let us in!"
0:13:57 > 0:14:00- Did you share a room? - "I've got a stick of rock."
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Of course you have.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Well, I'll tell you what, there's plenty to see
0:14:05 > 0:14:07and there's plenty to do,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09so, Mike, time to park up.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17Back in 1981, the bright lights of Blackpool's seaside entertainment
0:14:17 > 0:14:19were huge attractions to the young Anton.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25You know what amazed me is you said as much as you enjoyed coming
0:14:25 > 0:14:28here for the dancing, it was the arcade games...
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Oh, I loved the arcades!
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Fabulous. Do your money in the first half hour.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- Well, it just so happens, here we go.- Get in!
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- The arcade is waiting! - Have you got any pound coins on you?
0:14:40 > 0:14:41We'll get them.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45- Oi, oi.- Oh, hello.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47That's a bit of you.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- Go on.- Shall I have a go? - Yeah, you're an excellent driver.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Start. Lenny, we're in.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- Start your engines. - Start your engine.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Here we go.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02- Here we go. - Look at you go now. Go on, then.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- Come on, you've got to get past someone, surely.- There we go.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- Give him a nudge.- Go on!
0:15:09 > 0:15:11Yay! Go on, my son.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12- Do a bit of that.- Get in.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Oh, no!
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Yes, you're getting there.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Straight between the two, watch this.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20No, no, no! Oh!
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Go on, Anton, you're a natural.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27191mph, you're doing.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32- Oh, it's slightly after six on a Friday night.- You wish!
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- Come on.- Go!
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Go on, then, just pass these three.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Love it. Love it, love it, love it.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40- Seventh.- Seventh.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44It was a gallant effort.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47What's his name, Lionel Hampton? No.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49What's his name? Lewis Hamilton!
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Not Lionel Hampton. Lewis Hamilton has nothing on you!
0:15:56 > 0:15:59'Oh, he does love his arcade games, doesn't he?
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'I prefer the old-fashioned ones where
0:16:01 > 0:16:04'I can give Anton a run for his money.'
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Get in! Three, number three.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- Oh! One was there!- It was there!
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I like this.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18This is my sort of game.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I'll tell you what, I can tell what sort of a child you were -
0:16:21 > 0:16:23you were competitive.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- No!- Not much! Screaming and jumping, "I won, I won!"
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But I think that's the nature of, you know, being a dancer.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We all want to get into the final, we all want to win. Of course we do.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- That would be nice. - Let's stroll down the pier.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- The final.- Yeah.- What's that like?
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- You want to do the freestyle, don't you?- Free dance.- Yes.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45It's time to go back to the final Anton faced in 1981
0:16:45 > 0:16:50when he took part in one of his earliest big dance competitions
0:16:50 > 0:16:53at the wonderful Winter Gardens Empress Ballroom.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56And the sight of this place would've surely
0:16:56 > 0:16:58taken his breath away.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Here it is.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Isn't it lovely? It's such a lovely...
0:17:04 > 0:17:05Look at that. Look up.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08- As soon as I get to here...- Yeah.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- ..it's like coming home a bit, you know?- Yeah.- Here we go.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16And, of course, when the dancing's on,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20there's dancers everywhere, people sitting having coffee.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22It's just the atmosphere of the place.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24It must be the same if you're a tennis player
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and you walk through the gates of Wimbledon,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30or you're a soccer player and you walk into Wembley.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34- Wembley, yeah. - And for dancers, I think this...
0:17:34 > 0:17:36As soon as you get in, you start seeing all the band...
0:17:36 > 0:17:40And do you know what? I'm twitchy to move on and get in there.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Come on, then, let's do it. Come on.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47It was in the Empress Ballroom that Anton competed
0:17:47 > 0:17:49with his school from Sevenoaks.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53He was just a young boy hoping for a medal.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56But then, so were hundreds of others.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- This is the stair, this is the moment.- This is the stairs.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02This is the moment I used to go, "Oh..."
0:18:02 > 0:18:05And you're standing here and you can hear the band, right?
0:18:05 > 0:18:09And there's people all milling about and there's some competition
0:18:09 > 0:18:11going on and you...
0:18:11 > 0:18:13And then, on the microphone,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16"We will continue now with heat two
0:18:16 > 0:18:19"of the Professional Ballroom Championships,"
0:18:19 > 0:18:21and it just gives you a tingle.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24- "Stand by your partners, please." - Yeah.- "Stand together, please."
0:18:24 > 0:18:29- Oh...- Oh, hold my hand because I've gone weak at the knees.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- This is the place. - Isn't it a beauty? Look at it.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Look at it. And when you look at the size of the ballroom
0:18:34 > 0:18:37and you're dancing a quickstep or whatever, or a waltz,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40- you think, "I'll never get around." - "I'm never going to get down there.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42"I've never learnt enough choreography in my life to
0:18:42 > 0:18:44- "get down the floor."- Yeah.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46What was it that made you decide you wanted
0:18:46 > 0:18:48to take up ballroom dancing?
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Well, the first time, I wandered into an old church hall
0:18:52 > 0:18:55in Sevenoaks, really, and it was just a room full of girls.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59And, of course, when I was growing up, I was really sporty and it was
0:18:59 > 0:19:02all about sport, but we used to play football
0:19:02 > 0:19:04- and we used to play cricket and... - Yeah.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05So, it was all about sport, always out.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08And the thing I loved about ballroom dancing,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11after I gathered myself in the roomful of girls,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15was the fact it was competitive and I loved the competition.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19- It just...- I was the same. I didn't take it up till I was 21.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21There you are, you see.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And, you know, there was four boys and 40 girls in a dance class
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- and you're 21 - what else do you want to do?- Exactly!
0:19:27 > 0:19:29But I used to get the mickey taken out of me,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33cos I was working on the docks, right? So I've got all these dock...
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- "Ballroom dance?!" I said, "Yes!" I said, "It's fantastic."- Fantastic.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40And you were important in my,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42sort of, early life as well,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46because you were there judging and I'd see you there
0:19:46 > 0:19:50and, you know, you were already legendary within the industry
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and I thought, "Fabulous Len. I'd love to be like Len one day."
0:19:53 > 0:19:58And so, so much about life I learnt through the dancing world.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Yeah, you do. So, there you are, it's 1981 or whatever,
0:20:02 > 0:20:07you're coming up here, you're excited, you've walked in - ah!
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- How did you do in the...?- Terrible.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13No! No, don't say that!
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'Thankfully, he's got a lot better since then.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19'And since we've got this ballroom to ourselves,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21'I think we should enjoy it.'
0:20:21 > 0:20:23And off we go.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Hey?
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Reverse turn. Now we're going to do a three-step into the corner.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30- Oh, come on.- I have it. - There you are.- Look at that.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- You're moving well, Len. - Round we go.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34THEY LAUGH
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- Oh!- Hello, Len. - And then you think...
0:20:36 > 0:20:39I don't know any more!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41How am I going to get down there?
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Repeat, repeat, repeat! So off we go.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55The ballroom dance scene in Blackpool is a tradition that
0:20:55 > 0:20:59goes back more than 100 years.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03The biggest competitions took place in the glorious Tower Ballroom
0:21:03 > 0:21:07and, of course, the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10But why did the town need more than one ballroom?
0:21:10 > 0:21:14The man with the answers is Blackpool's ballroom boffin
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Barry Band.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It's very popular with visitors.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24Now, the Empress Ballroom was always favoured by the locals.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29I'm afraid it was because we wanted to get away from the visitors.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Now, my memories of going into the Empress Ballroom
0:21:33 > 0:21:38are 1950s memories when the place was thronged several times a week
0:21:38 > 0:21:42to watch the big bands of that era.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47They were so popular in the 1950s that we could go in at 7.30
0:21:47 > 0:21:52and pay to go dancing and then, they'd empty the building
0:21:52 > 0:21:58and we'd have to pay to go in again for a late dance three times a week.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03That's how popular ballroom dancing was with the general public.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06You're bringing a tear to my eye, Barry.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07Now, we can't come to the Empress
0:22:07 > 0:22:12and not have a proper ballroom dance, no way!
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Anton, look, here we are, the home of ballroom dancing...
0:22:15 > 0:22:17I feel good, emotional.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22..and it would be remiss of us not to dance.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- What, am I being a girl, then? - No, no, no, we couldn't do that.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Ladies, would you like to come along?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Oh, hello, girls!- This is Enid.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36I'm Len, and Anton. Janet.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Janet, nice to see you. Lovely to see you, Enid.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41- I have first choice. - Naturally, of course.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- I'm the oldest, right?- Of course.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Come on. Janet is yours.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Janet is mine, Janet.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51So, Janet, did you compete here?
0:22:51 > 0:22:55I have done competitions at a low level here as a child, yes.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Anton, she could've been dancing against...
0:22:58 > 0:23:01She could've been the winner of the first time...
0:23:01 > 0:23:03It definitely wasn't me, so it could've been you.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- I don't think it was me. - We're about the same age, aren't we?
0:23:06 > 0:23:08- Yeah.- 29.- Yeah. Of course.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Could we have the music, please? Thank you.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13GENTLE JAZZ PLAYS
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Oh! Now, you can come as close as you want.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Now, then, we'll have a moment together. That's lovely.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Oh, Len, you're getting all, sort of, intimate there, I can see.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22We are.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Oh, Janet, you're a natural.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38My word! What are you doing in October, November?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Could you get yourself famous, by any chance?
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Little hesitation. Whoa! Round we go.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50How about that? Oh, look at us go.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53And I think a little spin under the arm.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57And thank you very much.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Under she goes, and I thank you.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02- Well done.- Beautiful!
0:24:02 > 0:24:03- What a natural.- Eh?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07What score are you going to give me?
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- I think you need...- A ten.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10..a ten.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- What, a ten for Len?- A ten for Len!
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Oh, yes, thank you!
0:24:16 > 0:24:18- Janet.- I can't really go any lower.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Come on, I've never had one. Could you be my first?
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- Can't really go any lower, so it'll have to be a ten.- Hey!
0:24:28 > 0:24:32No trip away is complete without sampling the local tucker.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Those new tastes and textures
0:24:34 > 0:24:38so different to home can transform your palate forever.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42And no doubt after putting on a show in 1981, Anton
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and his chums would've gone straight down the promenade
0:24:45 > 0:24:48to find something good to eat.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50What did you think when you came here for the first time,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and the food?
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Do you know, it was... It was different.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57The thing you must have here...
0:24:57 > 0:24:59There's two things you must have staple in your diet.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- One is chips, naturally. - I like a chip.- The other one, gravy.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04But I have it with everything.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Ham, egg and chips - gravy. Scampi and chips - gravy.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11- Talking of gravy...- Yes. - ..there's a cafe here
0:25:11 > 0:25:15and we're going to go in, and we'll just see what happens.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16What shall we have?
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Guess what?- Gravy?- Gravy!
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Come on!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- I think I'll have gravy and chips. - Yeah, why not?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- This is the stuff.- Oh!- Oh-ho-ho!
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- Go on, give it a bit of a... - Come on, shall we have a whizz?
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- Yeah, now, I think... - Now, you've got to add...
0:25:34 > 0:25:36I know, got to add a bit of plain flour.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39- Bit of plain flour.- Little bit of thickening.- That's it, yeah.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Go on, whizz it in.- You were on that Step Up To The Plate.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44I tell you, best cookery show they've ever made!
0:25:44 > 0:25:47You should know all about this.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50That's not bad. A little pinch of the gravy salt.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52It looks like it's been around a while, doesn't it?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Well, it probably has, it's from '81!
0:25:55 > 0:26:00You need gravy thick. You can't have runny gravy, otherwise, it's a jus.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- To be honest with you... - We don't have jus in Blackpool.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04- No, of course not.- No!
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Let's get the expert over. Come and have a look. Are you Mark?
0:26:08 > 0:26:12- No, I'm Len.- Len?- You're Len?! - Oh-ho-ho, Len!
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- Have a look, Len. What do you reckon?- What do you reckon, Len?
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- Definitely needs a bit more thickening.- Thickening up?- Yeah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- Bit more Homepride? - Yeah, plenty of that.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22- That's it.- Plenty of that. Whack it in.- Yeah, whack it in.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Oh, now, now you're getting thick!
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- Look at me, I'm like a chef. - I wouldn't go that far.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I wouldn't charge anyone for it, I've got to be honest with you.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- I'll give it one more... Just a bit.- Just a...
0:26:33 > 0:26:36- That's... Right, OK.- Now...
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- That's good, innit?- Yeah.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42- Look at that, Len, I've got a lovely wrist action.- He has, yeah.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46- Are we going to pour it into the bowl?- Go on.- There you are, you see.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48- Look at that, eh?- Oh, look at that!
0:26:48 > 0:26:53- It looks like a volcanic eruption in a lava flow.- Isn't that a beauty?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Now, that...
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- ..is gravy.- That's beautiful.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00I wouldn't say it's three Michelin stars,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03but it could be three Michelin tyres.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05LAUGHTER
0:27:06 > 0:27:10You know, what I loved was your action, your movement.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12You know, it had a rhythm, like a samba.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14# Doo-bah-bah Da-da, ba-da
0:27:14 > 0:27:16- # Here we go... # - Get the shoulders going...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18A little bit of...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- A bit of shoulder, just to go for extras.- Yeah, yeah!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Nice. Beautiful.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'Of course, it's not proper '80s Anton tucker
0:27:25 > 0:27:28'until it's served with chips... and lasagne.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29'I hope he likes it!'
0:27:29 > 0:27:32- Dip away and let's have a look. - Are you going to have a go?
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Really?
0:27:37 > 0:27:41- I've not seen you pull that face since...- I had to lift...
0:27:41 > 0:27:43..since you had to lift up Ann Widdecombe!
0:27:46 > 0:27:47That's joyous.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55And while we let that digest, here's the next instalment
0:27:55 > 0:27:57of my seven top tips
0:27:57 > 0:28:00that are guaranteed to light up any trip to Blackpool.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Lytham Windmill was built in 1805.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09Farmers from far and wide trundled their pony and carts
0:28:09 > 0:28:12of wheat and oats here for generations.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15The building is Grade II listed and is now a museum, where you can
0:28:15 > 0:28:20find out all about the history of mills and milling in the area.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23If you see any exotic birds in the sky,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27they're probably on their way to the Ribble Discovery Centre.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30It's the gateway to the north side of the Ribble Estuary.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Keeping her eye on the sky is RSPB bird-watcher Julie Vale.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39It's an amazing habitat, and an amazing home for nature
0:28:39 > 0:28:42in that we are one of the top estuaries in the UK
0:28:42 > 0:28:43for wintering birds.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47We attract over a quarter of a million every year that come to us.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Most of them like to come in the winter rather than the summer,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53so they're our opposite tourists.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57And they come because we have really rich mud that is absolutely
0:28:57 > 0:29:00full to the brim of food for them.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08All aboard for the next leg of our journey.
0:29:08 > 0:29:13I'm rekindling Anton's memories of when he first came to Blackpool in 1981.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17But there was one thing he completely missed back then.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22Now, I couldn't believe it, that you said you had never seen a tram
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- and never been on a tram.- Never seen a tram, never been on a tram.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27I couldn't believe...
0:29:27 > 0:29:30All the years when I came up here, with the tracks here,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32I've never seen one go by. I thought they were sort of extinct!
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Well, I've got a special treat.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36- Look at this beauty!- Beauty!
0:29:36 > 0:29:40- 81 years old...- Really?- Yes.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42My next partner for Strictly Come Dancing!
0:29:42 > 0:29:47And we're going to join it and have a little trip along the promenade.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49- Oh, Len, you spoil me.- I know.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- Captain.- Thank you.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57In 1885, Blackpool unveiled the first electric trams
0:29:57 > 0:30:00in Great Britain, and when other parts of the country
0:30:00 > 0:30:04were abandoning their trams, Blackpool was buying more.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09And I'm glad they did. This is one of the original iconic trams.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13And while we take in the glorious scenery,
0:30:13 > 0:30:18I'm going to get Anton to dish the dirt on his Strictly partners.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Bye! Cheerio, fans!
0:30:22 > 0:30:24- Look at this. - Eh? What do you reckon?
0:30:24 > 0:30:26- I've never seen it looking so lovely.- It's gorgeous!
0:30:26 > 0:30:28- There's a sign there somewhere. - Yeah.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Listen, I know what you're going to...
0:30:30 > 0:30:32You're going to try and skirt round this a little bit.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35You've been on every series of Strictly.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38You've had 12 different partners.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Was there any one of them that you would say, "Well, you know what?
0:30:41 > 0:30:46"Bit more coaching, a bit longer, she could become a bit of a dancer"?
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Well, do you know,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50it's always been the thing about Strictly Come Dancing.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54It's never the fact that they can or can't dance, it's always the time.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56- Yeah.- I think they could all have done with a bit more time.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Maybe, I don't know, four or five years.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02And I think they'd have been all right. I think they'd be quite good.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05But I've had a great time with all of them, really.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07I mean, take, for example, Judy, from the last series.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09The wonderful thing about her was her personality.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13She came out of herself and we got to see her in a new light.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15- Ann Widdecombe was a classic example.- Yes!
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Ann just wanted to perform. She was hilarious.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21- She wanted to go out and be crowd-pleasing.- And she was.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22And she was. She pleased me no end.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27But you eventually, after a few series,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29got to know the technique -
0:31:29 > 0:31:31get 'em up in the air!
0:31:31 > 0:31:33- LAUGHING:- Get 'em up early!
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Get 'em up, either spin them on the floor or lift them up!
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- The chuck and slide.- Chuck and... - Grab 'em, slide 'em.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44When you're a celebrity on Strictly, you're not thinking about the step
0:31:44 > 0:31:47you're doing now, you're thinking, "What's coming next?"
0:31:47 > 0:31:49"What's coming next?"
0:31:49 > 0:31:52For everybody on the show, certainly everyone I've danced with,
0:31:52 > 0:31:58the biggest anxiety about the whole process is trying not to forget the routine.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00- Of course!- That's the thing that kills them every time.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02"I'm going to forget the routine."
0:32:02 > 0:32:06- Just to change the subject... - Go on.- Isn't this lovely?- Beautiful.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Sitting on the top deck of a tram
0:32:10 > 0:32:13really is the nicest way to see Blackpool.
0:32:20 > 0:32:244 million people climb aboard the trams each year these days,
0:32:24 > 0:32:28but what I want to know is why did Blackpool become so attached
0:32:28 > 0:32:32to its trams when other towns and cities were ripping theirs out?
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Tram man Bryan has the inside track.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38I think from day one,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Blackpool developed a love affair with its tramway.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43There was something quite special and magic about them.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46Because we were one of the very first in the country to actually use
0:32:46 > 0:32:49electric traction, I think people particularly valued
0:32:49 > 0:32:51the importance of that historical link.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54But not only that, the tramway actually helped the town to
0:32:54 > 0:32:57develop and grow, so from the very earliest days, they started to
0:32:57 > 0:33:01put inland routes in all over the place, in areas that hadn't at that time been developed,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and the town basically grew up around the tramway.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Tramways around the country gradually closed down in favour of motor buses.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Blackpool's love affair with the tramway continued,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14because we had this wonderful seafront tramway which still
0:33:14 > 0:33:17carried thousands of passengers across the coast,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20particularly during the Illuminations period.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23So when the traffic was stationary on the promenade, the best way
0:33:23 > 0:33:26to see the Illuminations and enjoy the seafront was actually by tram.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29So it became an attraction in its own right.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32In order to meet rail vehicle accessibility regulations,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35so that tram cars have to be accessible for everyone,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39then we had to completely renew our entire infrastructure
0:33:39 > 0:33:42and replace our ageing fleet of vintage tram cars with new,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46all-singing, all-dancing vehicles that can do everything.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Now, obviously, the history of the town and the tramway is
0:33:50 > 0:33:54extremely important to Blackpool as an attraction in its own right,
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and so we have our own Act of Parliament which enables us
0:33:57 > 0:34:00to continue to operate the historic vehicles intertwined amongst
0:34:00 > 0:34:02the brand-new ones.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14I've got a special treat lined up for Anton at our final location,
0:34:14 > 0:34:16and he certainly won't forget it.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18While we head here,
0:34:18 > 0:34:21there's just time for the final instalment of my SEVEN!
0:34:23 > 0:34:27We tee off with the 18-hole Stanley Park Golf Course.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31It was designed by Alister MacKenzie, famed for creating
0:34:31 > 0:34:35the Augusta National, home of the Masters tournament.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Adrenaline junkies will love the Blackpool Wake Park,
0:34:39 > 0:34:45which boasts an obstacle course that would test the best of wakeboarders.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Try kayaking, paddle boarding
0:34:47 > 0:34:51or an open swim in the ten-acre lake created from a natural spring.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Wahey-hey-hey-hey!
0:34:54 > 0:34:56A regular on the touring circuit,
0:34:56 > 0:35:01Blackpool's Grand Theatre has played host to a galaxy of stars,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05from Shakespearean actors like Donald Wolfit to modern comics
0:35:05 > 0:35:07like Michael McIntyre.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Theatre buff Linda Tolson has the lowdown.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13The theatre was built in 1894
0:35:13 > 0:35:18by the very prolific Victorian architect Frank Matcham.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20And, for a long, long time,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24it became known as Matcham's Masterpiece.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29Frank Matcham, of course, was the man who designed 150 theatres in his lifetime.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31The London Palladium is one of his,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33the Coliseum is one of his,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36but I have to say that very few of those theatres remain.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39In the 1970s, it was close to demolition,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42until local residents clubbed together
0:35:42 > 0:35:44and formed a trust to save it.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48The Grand is a great survivor.
0:35:48 > 0:35:54A beautiful Victorian theatre at the heart of iconic Blackpool.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04No trip to Blackpool would be complete without visiting
0:36:04 > 0:36:06the world-famous tower.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11It was opened in 1894, was inspired by the Eiffel Tower
0:36:11 > 0:36:15and offers breathtaking views of the Irish Sea and all of Blackpool.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19'I'm taking Anton on a trip 380 feet into the sky,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21'through a unique view of the town.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25'It's not for the faint-hearted. Hey-hey, oh, no!'
0:36:26 > 0:36:28Hold my hand. ANTON GIGGLES
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- Have a look at that.- Oh, no, don't!
0:36:30 > 0:36:32THEY LAUGH
0:36:32 > 0:36:33- Shut up!- Ho-ho-ho!
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Oh, my God!
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Ain't it a beauty? Look at that!
0:36:39 > 0:36:43This glass skywalk is just five centimetres thick
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and can apparently hold the weight of two elephants.
0:36:46 > 0:36:47And hopefully two dancers!
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Tap dance, Len?
0:36:49 > 0:36:52No, I can't. It hurts me corns!
0:36:52 > 0:36:54The sea is beautiful.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Public access to the very top is restricted,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03'but I've managed to pull a few strings to get Anton up there.'
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Three flights of stairs,
0:37:06 > 0:37:1015 on each flight, 45 stairs up...
0:37:10 > 0:37:13- To the top.- ..to the very top.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16- I've never been to the top. - We're doing it now.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Would you like me to lead on, or would you like to...?
0:37:20 > 0:37:23No, I'll let you lead. You've always been my leader, Len.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25I know that. Come on.
0:37:26 > 0:37:32We're about to get an open-air view of Blackpool few get to enjoy.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34- Ooh!- Anton, you still there?
0:37:34 > 0:37:36We should've roped ourselves together.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38ANTON LAUGHS Honestly, this is...
0:37:38 > 0:37:41'Ere, there's no bloomin' safety nets and...
0:37:41 > 0:37:43Ooh, Mummy!
0:37:43 > 0:37:45- One more?- No.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48I'm not going up that as well, thank you! This'll do me.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Look what we've got this side - the Winter Gardens.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56- Look at that, the perfect turn. The Winter Gardens.- Yeah, there we are.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58I do love that place, you know. It is...
0:37:58 > 0:38:00HE SIGHS
0:38:00 > 0:38:05It just makes me sort of have a big sigh and think... Yeah.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07You go through those doors,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10then through those double doors at the top of the stairs and you...
0:38:10 > 0:38:14you are, literally, walking through to another world.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15It is another world.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19- And it is...- Yes. - And it's quite a world.- Yeah.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22- There will come a time...- Yes.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26..when, you know, you won't be able to perform to the level that you
0:38:26 > 0:38:30- would wish to.- Really? - I promise you, that will happen.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33- Now, you've got 30 years to go, if you like...- Thank you.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35..but that's going to happen.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39Now, where would you like your career to go?
0:38:39 > 0:38:41From dancing, performing,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45would you prefer to go into more presenting shows?
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Would you like to be one of the... take over from me as a judge?
0:38:50 > 0:38:54Presenting is a form of performing, as you know.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- So, I really enjoy that enormously. - Yeah.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59I know it's a bit old-school, it's a bit like Brucie, really.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01That's the sort of thing I really love.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05That old feel of variety and stuff. I love that.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08You're a product of your life, really.
0:39:08 > 0:39:13And, you know, coming here in 1981 and subsequently,
0:39:13 > 0:39:18- did that help to shape who you've become?- Oh, completely and utterly.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21It's given me everything in life...
0:39:21 > 0:39:23that's carried me forward, really.
0:39:23 > 0:39:30Through direction and, as I said before, role models
0:39:30 > 0:39:33and a commitment to something
0:39:33 > 0:39:37and a determination to try and succeed in whatever I'm doing,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39and those things are invaluable in life.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- And to be able to accept disappointment.- Yeah.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46- Because you know what it's like as a dancer, you lose more often than you win.- Course you do.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49So...and how to deal with that and how to move forward from it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:55So, really, it's been the biggest life lesson ever and it's sort of shaped me as a person, really.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56Yeah, yeah.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59If there came a time, for whatever reason, you weren't
0:39:59 > 0:40:02part of Strictly, I don't think Strictly would be the same.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- Aww!- I really don't, because what I love with you,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07you have a naturalness about you.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09You know? And that's wonderful.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12My favourite thing still is dancing with somebody you don't
0:40:12 > 0:40:14normally dance with or you haven't danced with before,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17and the music goes on and you dance together, perfectly.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19- Yeah.- In perfect harmony.- Yeah.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22- That's still my favourite thing. - Great.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24You know, you probably told me this years ago.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27If you're having a nice time, then your audience is having a nice time.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29That's right.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31I don't care who the celebrity is,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34I look forward to seeing you dance the most.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37And that's all I can tell you. And you're great. I mean it.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40- Lenny...- Great.- ..you're my hero.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45'It's been wonderful to spend the day with Anton
0:40:45 > 0:40:49'and learn more about how his early love for dance at a young age
0:40:49 > 0:40:53'allowed him to compete at the highest level here in Blackpool.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57'We've tripped the light fantastic...'
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Under she goes, and I thank you.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02'..relived some fast-paced excitement...'
0:41:02 > 0:41:06- 191mph...- Oh, it's like the M6 on a Friday night.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09'..and taken a tram trip down memory lane.'
0:41:09 > 0:41:12- Isn't this lovely?- Beautiful.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Let me tell you, I've known you, I don't know,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- since probably you were 14, you know?- Yeah.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26I've judged you in competition, and right back then when you did those,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29you know, pre-champ and that, at the Rivoli,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32I knew you were destined to be a terrific dancer.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34And so you proved!
0:41:34 > 0:41:38So, I've got this little scrapbook - Holiday Of My Lifetime.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Little photographs and things of your day with me.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47For Anton, a scrapbook of memories of our time in sunny Blackpool
0:41:47 > 0:41:50that will help him remember our seaside adventure.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53But, knowing how much of a gaming fan he is,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56I have one final surprise for him.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58It's a digital tennis game,
0:41:58 > 0:42:03which Anton would only have dreamed of back in 1981.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05No TV set needed.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It's yours to play with.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- In those moments of... - That is...just...wonderful.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Look at that!
0:42:15 > 0:42:18This is possibly...
0:42:18 > 0:42:24the most bestest day of my whole life.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28- It's actually better than the original 1981.- Really?
0:42:28 > 0:42:32This is like 1981 all over again. Only better!
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Just put that... I'm just going to put it down.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40And I think we should finish in the traditional way of...
0:42:40 > 0:42:43BOTH: Keep dancing!
0:42:43 > 0:42:46- Am I the girl in this again? - You are the girl.- Thanks(!)
0:42:48 > 0:42:50So, it's goodbye from Blackpool.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54It was here Anton found his sparkle and began his journey
0:42:54 > 0:43:00from a young amateur dancer to one of the nation's favourite all-round entertainers.