Episode 8 Holiday of My Lifetime with Len Goodman

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

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

can't beat them.

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

with some much-loved famous faces.

Everyone a winner.

Come on, hook-a-duck.

And some of the most surprising guests

have the most fascinating holidays.

LAUGHTER

-There she comes.

-It's a tug-of-war!

We'll relive the fun...

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

No! No!

..the games

and the food of years gone by...

That is a little taste of childhood, right there.

..to find out how those holidays around the UK

helped shape the people we know so well today.

I'm giving you a standing ovation.

So, buckle up for Holiday Of My Lifetime.

Can you come on all my holidays?

My guest today is truly a force to be reckoned with.

She was born in Cardiff in 1969.

Look at her!

That's a winning smile if ever you saw one.

She was a sporty little one from the outset

and eventually took to the world stage

representing Great Britain in the Paralympics, in Seoul, in 1988.

The person I'm meeting today, you could say,

has spent her career in the fast lane.

Oh, that's a good clue.

During her career, she broke 30 world records

and won a whopping 11 Paralympic gold medals.

Woohoo!

11 gold medals? They must be heavy to carry about.

She was made a dame in 2005

and a baroness in 2010.

Oh, I wish I'd have smartened myself up.

It's like meeting royalty.

Ooh, milady.

Oh, yes. Curtsy, curtsy.

On your marks, get set...

Do you know who it is yet?

Of course you do.

It's the fantastic Tanni Grey-Thompson.

And I'm off to meet her in this fabulous SD1 Rover,

just like the car she would've come on her holidays in

with her family back in the day.

Oh-ho! Tanni, Tanni.

It's Lenny, Lenny.

I don't know whether to bow or curtsy.

Or just, you know, "Hello."

Tanni was born in Cardiff and grew up with her older sister, Sian,

and parents, Sulwen and Peter,

who always encouraged her independent streak.

Little Tanni was into her sports from an early age

and it wasn't long before she found her love for racing.

After winning bronze in her first Paralympic Games in 1988,

she has gone on to become one of our most successful athletes,

racking up 11 Paralympic golds

and six marathon wins over her sporting career.

Since then, she's switched tack

and started picking up awards from Queen and country.

And today, she is a member of the House of Lords. What a woman!

I'm sure the baroness and I will get on together like old chums

as we relive her holiday memories,

starting with the very bright old car her family used to drive.

SHE LAUGHS

-Tanni.

-Hello!

Hey! Hey!

-Look at that.

-That's amazing.

-Hello.

-Lovely to see you.

Oh, wow.

-That was the height of fashion when my dad...

-Of course it was.

-It was just amazing.

-Look at it. SHE GASPS

It's the dream machine.

And do you know what?

My trousers match the upholstery, so it's absolutely perfect.

Now, where are we off to?

We're off to Cameley Lakes.

So, it's where we spent our family holidays for about ten or 11 years.

There's some trout fish in the lakes.

-My dad used to love fishing.

-Yeah.

And, yeah, we first went there in 1980.

-Right, so that's the year?

-That's the year, 1980.

-1980.

Wow. Now, let me think, 1980...

..Dolly Parton, Nine To Five.

Right?

Well, we're not going to be working nine to five, we're on a holiday.

So, your carriage awaits.

Come on!

-We're going to go in this?

-Yeah, we're going to go in this.

Wow!

I don't think I was allowed to sit in the front in 1980.

MUSIC: Nine To Five by Dolly Parton

-SHE GASPS Oh, my goodness!

-Look at that.

# Use your mind And you never get the credit

-# It's enough to drive you... #

-Right here we go.

# Crazy if you let it. #

Approximately 12 miles southwest of Bath,

Cameley sits snugly in the valley of the River Cam

by the Mendip Hills, in the beautiful county of Somerset.

Boasting a number of fishing lakes,

Cameley mainly draws people who want a taste of the peaceful countryside.

And being close to the Somerset and Wiltshire border,

it is surrounded by tourist hotspots.

From places of natural beauty such as Cheddar Gorge,

to cities dripping in history, like the fabulous Wells.

Today, I'm taking Tanni down Memory Lane

to relive some of her childhood holiday antics.

We'll try out some speed fishing...

-I want to catch fish and then leave.

-Yeah.

-Then I'm done.

-Yeah.

..have lunch hijacked by some hungry giraffes...

THEY LAUGH

-Oh, God. Yeah, take it.

-Have the lot.

..and get competitive in a cathedral of all places.

-Can we go?

-Ready, steady, go.

Together, we'll find out how the holiday of yesteryear

formed the record-breaking hero we know and love today.

Well, before any holiday can begin, you have to get their first

and for a young Tanni,

getting there was in this bright yellow Rover motor

with the rest of her family.

So, it was 1980.

So, I guess, you know, you were about ten or so, just a little girl?

Yeah, I was, yeah.

There'd have been you and Sian and your mum and dad.

And we had two labradors.

-They're big dogs, aren't they?

-Yeah.

And I used to remember sitting in the footwell because...

-Oh, did you?

-..because the dogs wanted the backseat

-and the dogs would just push us off.

-Yeah.

And my dad said, "Oh, yes, just keep the dogs happy."

-And you can't imagine doing that any more, can you?

-No.

-It was just being crumpled up in the footwell.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

And where were you coming from?

Well, we lived in Cardiff...

-Right.

-..and my mum didn't like travelling that far from home,

so actually, was it only about an hour and a quarter,

-hour and a half from where we lived.

-Oh.

Were you well-behaved, the two of you?

-LAUGHING:

-Not really.

-I think we used to bicker in the backseat and argue.

-Yeah.

-And as soon as I was told off, my sister would defend me.

-Yeah.

-Even though we'd probably been arguing a minute earlier.

-Yes.

What did your dad do?

-My dad was an architect...

-Oh, right.

..and he worked really, sort of, quite long hours.

-Bit of a workaholic, but he loved his job.

-Yeah.

So, for us, the family holidays were quite important.

And was your mum... Did your mum work? Or...

-No, she was... Well, she was a stay-at-home mum.

-Yeah.

-So...

Well, they do work hard.

I think they work harder than if you go to work, really.

Why did you come to this area?

Was it just because you liked it, basically?

Yeah. And Dad could fish. There were lots of things around.

You know, Bristol, Bath, Wells, Shepton Mallet.

-Lots of places around that you could go for day trips.

-Yeah.

Again, not too far to have to travel.

It's not the traditional holiday, is it?

-It's not like the beach holiday-type experience?

-No.

-I mean, for me, beaches aren't very good.

-Yeah.

So, I think Dad was always kind of conscious that

-we had to go to places that were sort of accessible.

-Yeah.

So, not massive...

Cos back then, there was a lot that wasn't accessible

but doing stuff that we could do together as a family...

-Yeah.

-..not doing things that I couldn't do.

Tanni's holiday wasn't the only thing to be happening in 1980.

That summer, unemployment hit a 44-year high

of around 1.8 million.

Not far off what it is now.

Good to see things have improved, eh?

With the opening of a new rollercoaster at Alton Towers,

we said hello to one thrill maker, before we said goodbye to another.

Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense,

passed away in April of that year.

And things were getting serious on the telly.

Good evening and welcome, at last, to Newsnight.

Yes, BBC's Newsnight debuted on our screen with Peter Snow at the helm.

And in the background to all this, played David Bowie's Ashes To Ashes.

# Ashes to ashes, funk to funky... #

This iconic video was, at the time,

reported to have been the most expensive music video made,

costing a whopping 250,000.

But today, we've arrived at Cameley Lakes,

where Tanni's holiday-of-a-lifetime, with her fishing-mad dad, began.

Well, I tell you what, this is the most beautiful spot, I must say.

-And has it changed much, would you say?

-Massive changes.

-Here used to be cow sheds.

-Oh, right.

So, when we first came,

you used to be able to come and get milk in the mornings.

So you'd bring a jug down and you'd get fresh milk.

-What, straight off the...?

-Straight off the cows, yeah.

-Yeah.

-And then just gradually over time,

there's been a few more extensions and more accommodation built.

-But the lakes are essentially what we used to...

-Yeah.

-And we used to fish in the bottom corner.

-What, down there?

Just right down in that corner.

I didn't get too much further round than that,

-that's where I caught all my fish.

-And what about your dad?

I suppose he got to the best spots, did he?

He used to be out of bed at the crack of dawn.

As soon as he could get out fishing, he would be out.

-I was a bit later in the mornings.

-Yeah.

And he tried the different lakes,

the sort of three different lakes that he'd be fishing in.

So, would you use this as your base

and then drive off to, you know, Wells or wherever?

My dad was very organised,

so we knew on the Monday that we'd go to Shepton Mallet,

on the Tuesday we'd go to Wells... It'd all have to be planned.

-It'd be planned out.

-But that was nice,

knowing a little bit about what you were going to be doing

and some a bit further afield than others.

And then you'd come back here for late afternoon,

cos you had to be back in time for the rise, for the fishing again...

-Yeah.

-..cos that was the best time.

And then just used to sit outside on the summer evenings.

Well, if you're good, I might show you my flies later.

Now, crack open the history books,

this picturesque village is sitting pretty

among some of the oldest sites in the country.

Cameley may be tiny,

but you can trace it back to 1086's bestseller

the Domesday Book.

There's also the lovely little church of St James,

which has been standing there since the 12th century.

That's just a little bit older than me.

If you look into the history of the village, Cameley,

it's thought that it was on Knights Templar land.

And there's a wonderful little church in Cameley,

which has gone largely untouched by a lot of the Victorian restoration

that took place in other churches, so it's really beautiful to visit.

Part of the magic of any childhood holiday

is the excitement of staying somewhere new.

For Tanni's family, somewhere new was a bungalow by the lakes,

so off we trot to have a gander at the old place.

Hold on, that looks a bit posh.

So, this is the bungalow where you used to stay?

-Yeah, it's changed quite a bit, actually.

-Oh, has it?

It was all quite open and there weren't, sort of, all the flowerbeds

and the porch is different.

I think all the windows have changed quite a lot,

so it's really pretty now.

But it's the first time I'd ever been in a bungalow

cos I lived in a house,

so I used to crawl up and down the stairs.

So, I remember being completely amazed

-that everything was on the ground floor.

-Yeah.

It was like, "Wow! This is really cool."

And did you share a room with your sister?

Do you know what?

There would have been piles of bedrooms,

but we still shared a room because we shared a room until I was 13.

Well, I wonder how much the inside has changed over the years?

-Oh, wow! This is quite a lot different.

-Is it?

This is a marvellous room.

I...

I think the kitchen used to be more there.

Maybe, yeah...

I don't remember it being this open.

I'm sure it was...

There was kind of a big room, but the kitchen was slightly different.

-Maybe that's an extension?

-Yeah.

So, let's have a... I'm going to check out this.

-That looks nice, doesn't it.

-Yeah.

Oh, that's nice.

Now, I have to ask you regarding...

-You had spina bifida? Yeah?

-Hm.

Cos I don't really know what spina bifida is.

Basically, I'm missing the bones at the back of my spine,

and so my spinal cord sticks out.

And I was born with this little lump on my back.

So, that's how it was identified.

And at that point, they didn't know

whether I was going to be able to walk or not. So, I could walk...

I never really walked that well, but I sort of walked OK

till I was about five.

And then between the ages of five and seven,

as I grew, just very gradually got paralysed.

-So, by the age of seven, I couldn't walk any more.

-Yeah.

But I can't remember it to be honest, it wasn't really a big deal.

My parents didn't make a big deal of it,

Sian didn't make a big deal of it.

-It was just, you know, it was what it was.

-Yeah.

And Dad fought quite hard, Mum, you know, for me to get a chair

cos they recognised that the only way for me to be independent

was to be in a chair, not to be trying to walk.

Cos I had callipers and crutches,

-but I couldn't really move around with those.

-Yeah.

So, the chair for me was kind of a bit of a lifeline.

-So, really, the chair gave you independence?

-Completely.

And for me, and it's not like this for everybody, but for me,

the chair was brilliant because I was so much more mobile.

And it let me do the things that I wanted to do,

which was mostly annoy my sister and run away from her.

-Ah.

-So, when I was walking and couldn't walk very well,

I'd only get three steps before she got me.

-So, in a chair, I could get a lot further.

-You were gone! Yeah.

-Happy memories.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I've got a lot to be thankful to Mum and Dad for

-because of just they brought me up the same as my sister.

-Yeah.

And it didn't matter that she could walk and I couldn't,

-we were treated the same.

-Wow.

-I tell you what, there's lots of surprises in store.

-OK.

So, shall we go on?

-Yes, please.

-Come on. Huh-ho!

As Tanni's parents cleverly figured out when they came here,

Cameley was the perfect jumping-off point

to venture further afield.

And I've picked SEVEN of the best local attractions

that you could jump into if you came here today.

Look to the heavens and you might just discover something new.

In 1781, astronomers William and Caroline Herschel's

Bath home was the site of the discovery of the planet -

now, I have to get this right - Uranus.

A visit to the Herschel Museum

allows you to have a good old nosy around their home

and even stand on the same spot where they discovered,

wait for it, Uranus.

Well, Caroline Herschel was one of the first

professionally-paid female astronomers,

certainly in European history

and she was known as The Comet Hunteress.

She discovered about eight, possibly nine comets,

as well as 14 nebulae.

And she was actually the assistant to her brother, William Herschel.

And together they were one of the great partnerships of astronomy

and they actually were the father and mother

of what we call modern stellar astronomy.

After you've learnt everything you need to know about Uranus,

you may want to take a seat... on a canal boat - the Lady Lena.

Built in 1890,

the Lady Lena is thought to be the oldest electric launch in existence.

This Victorian canal boat is the perfect place

on which to while away a lazy sunny afternoon.

Half an hour or so in the Rover

from where Tanni and her family were staying

is one of the countries original safari parks.

She would often go with her parents and sister,

so I thought this was a perfect place to kick off our adventure.

Tanni, it's safari time.

-So, look, I've got some binoculars for you.

-OK, thank you.

-Yeah.

-Right.

And I thought for myself...

..I thought this might do the trick.

-Have a look at me.

-Oh, wrong way.

-Have a look, what do you reckon?

-Fabulous.

OK, here we go.

Well, you've got to dress the part.

For over 60 years, safari parks have been a popular way

for parents to entertain their little monkeys.

Was there one part that was your favourite?

It was the monkeys because they were jumping all over the car.

And then I remember one of the monkeys sat on the windscreen

-and you saw his bottom squashed.

-Oh.

-And we thought that was...

-Oh, yeah.

-That's very childish!

-No. No.

Who doesn't like to see a monkey's bottom?

I'm slightly jealous that you've got the hat and I haven't, actually.

Well, would you like to have a go with the hat?

-You're more than welcome.

-No. Do you know what? It really suits you.

Yeah, leave it with me.

So, what were you like as a kid? You know, were you adventurous?

Were you...

..were you always competitive?

Always competitive over anything.

So, I would have a race putting my socks on,

if I thought I had a chance of winning.

And was it at school that you first got into sport?

Yeah, it was.

So I'd already been at, sort of, junior school was swimming,

which I hated.

My mum used to tell me I looked like a drowned rat.

I wasn't very good at swimming. And I did a bit of horse riding

and was doing bits and pieces.

But it was at comprehensive that I started doing wheelchair racing.

-Oh, look! I never noticed.

-Oh, wow!

-And your dad fought for you to go to a mainstream school?

-Yeah.

-Was that a battle?

-It was a huge battle,

and it was all around the time that we first came to Cameley.

My dad took on the local education authority

and he, you know, he basically wrote these really stroppy letters

saying that I had the right to be educated

in the best environment for me.

Because without mainstream education,

I don't think I would have done sport,

I wouldn't have done O levels, A levels,

I wouldn't have gone to university.

For me, being a university was a big part of my sporting career.

So, without doubt, I'd have missed out on so much in my life.

Oh, look.

-You wouldn't want that running after you, would you?

-No, thank you!

Well, you'd be all right cos you can get a lick on.

How was it when you got, you know,

your first real, sort of, racing machine?

Oh, I remember going to a competition at Stoke Mandeville

and it was tipping down with rain and it was freezing cold,

and my mum's sitting on the side.. And, you know,

we'd have packed the chair in the car to get there.

And then her saying to me,

"Are you really sure this is what you want to do?"

And me going, "Yeah, this is amazing!"

-And she was like, "Oh, OK. Right." And that's it.

-Yeah.

And it was only years later she said to me, you know,

she saw me going round and round the track and I wasn't very quick

and I was a very scrawny little girl and her just saying, you know,

-"Oh, OK. Right."

-Yeah.

-You know.

-Her thinking at the time, "This is never going to go anywhere."

-Yeah.

"This will be something she does for a couple of years, but it's not..."

-Yeah, a little bit of a holiday and...

-Yeah.

"She's not going to take it seriously."

But seriously she did take it and soon showed her old mum.

Before we leave, we swing by my old mate, Thorn.

Now, I'm going to stick my neck out here

and say I think he liked what Tanni's got to offer.

-God, he doesn't mess about, does he?

-I know.

And twigs as well, it's not just the leaves.

THEY LAUGH

Right, I'm not sure I'm brave enough to go much higher.

No, there you are.

-I'll take over.

-Yeah, go on. You take over, there we go.

Come on. Oh, God!

THEY LAUGH I nearly got chucked into the...

-They don't mess about, do they?

-Go on.

How much do they eat a day? Loads?

'Quite a lot. He's a bit of a bottomless pit,

'so he tends to eat throughout the day.

'And the girls fill up pretty quickly.'

But we give them hay and grains, as well.

Oh, you'd have loved this back in the '80s, wouldn't you?

Do you know... Yeah.

LEN LAUGHS

-Just to be this close to the animals is amazing.

-Oh, look.

Come on.

THEY LAUGH

-Well, Bev.

-Yes.

-Thanks so much for your time.

-Thank you very much.

-We've enjoyed it. Thank you, girls.

-KEEPERS:

-That's all right.

-We've had a good time. Bye-bye.

Bye-bye, Thorn. Yeah, don't look at me like that, Thorn.

No holiday experience is complete without sampling the local food.

For Tanni, it was all about Mum's deep-fried new potatoes.

So, it's back to the bungalow for Chef Goodman to cook up a storm.

I hope they're going to be as good as she remembers.

Look at those little beauties. HE CHUCKLES EXCITEDLY

So, what's the really important bit is who's going to divide them

and who's going to choose?

Well, obviously, I'll do the initial divide.

So, I get to pick?

-And then you can pick which one you want.

-OK.

-Do you like the big ones or the little ones?

-Little ones.

-Yeah.

-But then you get more, if you've got the little ones.

-What I'm going to do, I'm going to chuck them all into one...

-Yeah.

..like that.

Hey, they look good.

Just, I just want you to see them first of all.

-Is that anything like your mum's?

-Yeah, they're good.

And this is where you have to watch to how many you're divvying it up.

Well, there's five there.

I think you should have the same amount as gold medals, 11.

SHE LAUGHS That'll do me, 11's good.

Two, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11.

I've got 14, which is two SEVENS, which I think is fair.

-I'm fine with that, that's a good deal. Yeah.

-OK.

-Here you are.

-Oh, wow! This is lovely.

-Right.

-What do you reckon?

-Oh, they smell good.

-Now, I have got a couple more than you,

but you're more than welcome to...

I'll see how quickly I can eat these.

Now, I know they're not going to be as good as your mums but...

Hold on.

Go on then, go!

Oh, yeah.

They're good.

-I think I'm going to get a deep-fat fryer.

-Yeah.

-It's worth it for these.

-Yeah.

Hm. You see, beautiful weather.

Cos it used to be about nine o'clock at night we'd sit out

and we'd have a bowl of these.

Yeah, it's great.

So, do you remember your first race?

You know, pre-race, was there plenty of heart fluttering

-and butterflies and stuff?

-Oh, it was bad.

I mean, I got worse as I got older.

-So, I used to actually be sick before I competed.

-Yeah.

So, I talk a lot, and when I'd go quiet about two hours before a race,

all the guys in the team would know, move away from her

cos it's not going to be pleasant.

And it never got any better.

All the way through my career, it never got better.

Do you think the better you got,

the more expectations there were for you to do well?

Did that put more pressure on you?

I think I put quite a lot of pressure on myself.

And then people did expect you to win

and people didn't always understand about training

or the fact you can't control everything.

You know, sometimes there are people that are better than you.

You know, it was a lot of expectation.

Well, you know, this is not Strictly Come Dancing.

This is Strictly Spud Cooking.

What score are you going to give me?

Do you know what, they're crispy, they're light, they're fluffy -

9.5.

That's a good score.

I was hoping for the ten for Len but I'll take it.

-9.5.

-9.5.

She really is a perfectionist!

If you're feeling raring to go after a hearty lunch,

then you can go and walk it off around Cheddar Gorge.

Cheddar doesn't only boast stunning walks and underground caves

but also The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company.

The difference in our cheese is that it's made by hand,

which means that all the time in making,

the cheesemaker is actually feeling the curd, watching what's happening.

We mature in cloth,

so you get a rind forming and you get the right sort of texture.

This is the last remaining traditional cheesemaker in Cheddar,

and they have a specific way to make sure their cheese matures

just the way they like it.

We mature the Cheddar either in our own stores or in the Cheddar caves.

So, something from here is pretty special or pretty unique.

Lesser-known than their famous counterparts

at Avebury and Stonehenge, the Stanton Drew stone circles

are situated around six miles north of Cameley

and are the third largest collection of standing stones in England.

Having remained in more or less obscurity

since their identification over 300 years ago

means these fine upstanding stones have remained largely unchanged,

and they truly rock.

It was the fishing that drew Tanni's family to this area,

so I can't come all this way without trying my hand at it.

Now, if I have any chance of hooking that prize fish,

I'll need a few pointers to get me started.

-How's that? Is that the spot?

-Getting better.

No. TANNI LAUGHS

It's like a big girl's blouse.

Do you want to let Tanni have a go first of all?

-Yeah, I'm coming this side.

-Yeah, you come this side.

-That's it, not far off.

-Not very straight, though.

Dad would've been there saying, "It's not very straight."

-Oh, it's got to be straight as well?

-And not splash the water,

-cos it scares the fish away.

-Ah.

Well, I'm going to sit here and watch now

and see if you get a nibble.

Just I'm going to tease it through the water.

There's nothing happening at the minute.

When was the first time that you got invited

to represent Great Britain somewhere foreign?

-Foreign.

-I was 17.

-Yeah, where?

-Austria.

Yeah. And then I did Seoul the year after.

-Seoul?

-Seoul. So, the '88 Paralympics.

So, that was a massive step up for me.

Seoul. So, you're now, you know... This is exotic, right?

-Yeah.

-And what did you get there?

I remember winning the bronze there and - you know,

there was like a 12-hour time difference -

ringing Mum and Dad at home and saying, "I've won a bronze,"

-and it just been so exciting.

-Yeah.

So, a bronze in Seoul and then, now, I might get this wrong cos...

-Was it Atlanta next?

-Barcelona next.

-# Barcelona! #

-'92, yeah.

-'92. Now, what happened there?

-Four golds and a silver.

Shut up!

-Four golds and a silver?

-Yeah.

So, silver in the relay, 4 x 100 relay.

And I won the 100, 200, 400, 800.

-So...

-Shut up!

-..that was pretty cool.

-No, that is...

-Yeah.

And then, you know, there was lots of TV coverage around Barcelona.

I mean, I think it helped that we'd had a good Olympics.

And really Barcelona put the Paralympics on the map.

You got all those medals, how many Olympic golds, 11?

-11 golds.

-Yeah.

-Umpteen silvers.

-Four silvers and a bronze.

Where do you...?

You know, you don't keep them round your neck at night, do you?

They're in a rucksack.

-Just stuck in a rucksack?

-Yeah, pretty much.

I mean, if you came to our house,

you wouldn't know that I was an athlete.

There's very little that's on display.

And six London Marathon wins?

That's right. Yeah, six over ten years.

How was that first one, going across the line?

Oh, and there's all of London there.

You're exhausted but exhilarated and hungry,

that's mostly what you feel cos...

And just a brilliant, brilliant feeling,

knowing that you've gone all that way

-and then you've beaten everyone in a sprint finish.

-Yeah.

Well, Tanni might be world-class on the track,

but we're frankly a bit rubbish when it comes to fly-fishing.

So, I don't think they're biting today, so what do you think?

Shall we go off and about and do a bit more exploring?

-I think we might have more luck than catching fish today.

-OK.

Oh, yes. I've just got to get my explorer's outfit out.

The nearby city of Wells is classed as the smallest city in England

and dates back to Roman times.

It has the highest concentration of listed buildings in the country,

including Vicars' Close,

the oldest continually-inhabited street in Europe.

This year it's 652 years old.

It was originally built for the vicars' choral.

There were 42 of them who sang and worked in the cathedral.

And it's still inhabited now by people who work in the cathedral

one way or another, some of whom still sing in the choir.

Tanni...

..Wells Cathedral.

-Now, was that here in 1980?

-Just, I think!

Just about.

Yeah, we used to come here. It was a day trip out.

-So, every time we came...

-Yeah.

..and my dad would explain how it was all built,

and I never really listened to him.

And, yeah, it was just like a really important...

We'd always have a picnic here as well.

You didn't take notice back in the '80s,

so I'm going to take you on a bit of a tour in there

and I know plenty of facts.

And afterwards, I'm going to be asking you questions.

-Oh, dear. I'll listen.

-So, let's head in.

As Tanni's dad was an architect,

the design at Wells was always on the list of things to see

for the family.

Wow. There, does this bring it back?

I remember the first time I came in here

and I don't think I'd ever been in a space that was quite like this.

Yeah.

And I think, as a child, you don't particularly appreciate it, do you?

You want to get out and have an ice cream, you know.

That's far more important.

Or go round the visitors...probably the shop or something else,

rather than actually spending time in here.

Just around this corner is something that I'm sure

would have put a big smile on little Tanni's face.

Look at that.

That is just...

-It's just incredible, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Built in 1390, the Wells Clock, as it's known,

is thought to be the second-oldest clock mechanism in Britain

that's still in use.

Now, it doesn't look like any clock that hangs on my wall,

so Dr Paul Richards is on hand

to give me the lowdown on the old dickory dock.

The hours are marked by the sun on the outside.

You've got the minutes by the little star

and then in the middle, you see the phase of the moon.

And around that inner circle is the date in the lunar calendar

rather than the actual normal calendar that we use.

-So, you can see it's just a new moon.

-Yeah.

-It's amazing, that.

-Yeah.

-Does it make a noise when it goes off?

-Yeah.

At quarter past, you'll see it'll strike...

-The Jack Blandiver up there...

-Oh.

-..will strike the quarter.

And you'll then see the knights going round

-and one poor chap gets knocked off.

-Oh, really?

-Brilliant.

-Brilliant.

When Tanni used to come here in 1980,

they'd have a bit of educational fun.

Well, we all know that's something I'm good at.

And an old friend of mine has graciously offered to help.

John Harewell.

Now, I thought what we'd do...

..cos I do like...

-I know you're competitive and...

-Yeah.

-..I'm competitive, right?

Did you used to do brass rubbing as a child?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we did it here and we were kind of brought around

and you got a piece of paper and crayons

and then you got to frame it and take it home.

-So, you got a piece of paper like that...

-Yes.

-Thank you.

-..and then you've got your crayon.

I'm going to give you a choice.

I'm going to go for black.

You're going for the black crayon.

Well, as I'm a ballroom dancer, I'm going for the pink. Ooh!

There's no brass at hand, but John's surface will do nicely.

-Right, can we go?

-Ready, steady, go!

SHE CHUCKLES

I don't think I'm going to win any medals doing this.

This is like covered in graffiti.

I thought it was part of it originally but, yeah,

there's all kind of initials that are carved in.

"Bruce Forsyth was here," I've got.

-Is that 16...

-Yeah, 1615.

THEY LAUGH

Look, there is a 1680 down here.

1680. I'm going to rub it to show you.

So, what you got?

SHE LAUGHS Oh, this is quite good.

That's my best one, but that's the third attempt, you see.

-So, that's my best.

-Well, I'm a bit the same, you know.

The pink one's not much...

-Yeah.

-Is it?

There's a bit more on the...

But then what about that one that I rubbed at...?

SHE LAUGHS

-I got the hang of it eventually.

-Yeah, that looks really good.

-I think you win.

-Look at that.

Well, I've figured it out.

The only way to win against Tanni is to cheat.

Enough messing about,

I want to find out what Tanni did after her last games.

When you decided to give up racing, was that, you know,

did you um and ah and keep thinking, "Oh, I'll just do one more..."

..or did you just say, "Oh, I've had enough now."

-I wanted to be home.

-Yeah.

My daughter was growing up, she was in school.

So, when she was little,

it was really easy to take her travelling with me.

And I think I was just conscious

-that I was missing out on lots of things.

-Yeah.

So, it was never a sacrifice, it was always what I wanted to do.

And did you have a, sort of, a cunning plan

what you were going to do?

"OK, I'm going to stop now, but I'm going to do..."?

I'd spent a lot of time thinking about what I'd do afterwards

because there's nothing that's the same

as competing in front of 100,000 people.

-Yeah.

-And then you don't want it to be either.

So, I had different options.

We had the 2012 Games coming up, so I knew I was involved with that.

What about the television presenting?

How did that come along?

Well, I did some of it when I was competing...

..you know, in the winter when I was training and not travelling so much.

It was kind of... It just sort of grew.

And it's fun and it's interesting and now I get to sit trackside...

-Yeah.

-..and watch the GB team.

And actually, still quite a lot of my friends compete.

It's a huge privilege cos, you know,

-you get quite a good spot when you're commentating.

-Yeah.

So, you get to see it all.

What else can you see in this part of Britain?

The swans at Wells.

Over 140 years ago, the bishop's daughter taught them

to ring a bell on the palace gatehouse when they were hungry.

Generations later, they're still ringing for...SERVICE!

If you want to delve even further back in history,

by about 45,000 years or so, then take a look at Wookey Hole -

a series of underground caves

where evidence of prehistoric man has been found.

Just watch out for the witch of Wookey Hole,

a human-shaped stalagmite thought to be a witch

turned to stone by a Glastonbury monk.

Spooky!

Come back above ground for a tour

around the SS Great Britain, in Bristol.

Designed by the engineering giant Isambard Kingdom Brunel,

this ship was launched in 1843

and harnessed both sail and steam power.

Well, she was a steamer initially,

with the sail

assisting the engine, basically.

And then from the 1850s onwards, that was reversed,

so she became a sailing ship with assistance from the engine

to do the Australia run.

You could say it was the world's first hybrid vehicle.

Well, it would have been quite an experience

to be on the Great Britain.

Certainly as a transatlantic vessel to New York,

she was the most luxurious vessel.

The cabins were much larger and much more luxurious for the time.

I want to find out what Tanni's up to now.

So, what better place to bring a baroness

than the Bishop's Palace Gardens?

-You got the OBE in 2000...

-Yeah.

-..right?

And then 2005,

-you were made a dame.

-Dame.

-And then 2010...

-Yeah.

-..you were made a baroness.

So, it's 2015... SHE LAUGHS

..and what they've done, they've said,

"Right, what can we have as a wonderful five-year moment?"

And unfortunately, it's me.

That's very special, thank you.

I've got to ask you about the House of Lords.

Every year, they look at who's working

and what areas of special interest are needed.

A whole pile of people are nominated,

they interview a few people and then in March 2010

was my formal introduction ceremony,

and then you're just in and doing it and it's super.

You always imagine - well, I do - that it's full of old fogeys.

-But is it quite a vibrant atmosphere?

-It is.

-Well, the average age is 69.

-Oh, right.

But that's because you have to have finished your career

to kind of get there cos there is no promotion

from the House of Lords, that's kind of it.

I think if you look at the Commons

where there's lots of shouting and bickering, we're not like that.

You know, we're very calm and quite peaceful.

But there are moments where it's really, really exciting.

And if you're working on legislation

that can affect tens of thousands of people's lives,

you've got to take it seriously.

Do you think your time coming here to this part of England

with your family,

do you think that helped to shape who you became

and your future life?

A huge amount because, you know,

time with my parents was really important to me

and Dad was working and Mum was busy

and, actually, it was the time that the four of us could be together.

And I think a lot of the family values they instilled into us,

like the work ethic, that came from time that we spent together.

It's obvious that family was really important to Tanni

and I'm happy she shared her memories with me.

It's been a fantastic day reliving Tanni's holiday in Somerset.

We survived the big cats...

-You wouldn't want that running after you, would you?

-No, thank you!

Well, you'd be all right cos you can get a lick on.

..discovered Dad's favourite spots...

Dad would have been there saying, "It's not very straight."

..and dined out on Mum's mouthwatering spuds.

Go on then, go!

-Hm.

-Oh, yeah.

Tanni and mine's little jaunt through the Somerset countryside

has really brought home to me

just how much these holidays meant to her.

And to remember the day,

I've got a few little treats in store for her.

-Tanni, it's just been wonderful.

-Thank you.

Now...

..I've got here for you a scrapbook of memories of our day together.

-Thank you.

-Eh?

-I love the picture on the front, that is beautiful.

-Look at me, eh.

Fabulous.

Brilliant.

-Thank you very much.

-That's quite all right.

-I'll just take that away for a moment...

-OK.

..because there is more for you.

Now, one of the highlights for me

was going to the safari park, Longleat.

You can only have it if you're going to love it.

I will look after it, I will cherish it. Oh, thank you.

That is beautiful.

-Aww.

-Aww.

-Thank you.

-I forget what its name was now that...

-Thorn.

-Thorn. Big Thorn.

-That is Thorn, that is pretty impressive.

-That is pretty much like Thorn, isn't it?

-Yeah, it is.

I'll put that down as well.

-Now...

-I'm not sure you can top the giraffe.

Well, I think this might.

SHE LAUGHS

This is a framed...

Your framed brass rubbings.

-That's really special, isn't it?

-It is special, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

It's...

I think I might have to put a note to say that it's a brass rubbing

cos you can't really tell, can you?

Well, you know, just so that you've got a chance to compare,

my one as well.

-Oh, do I get both?

-You get mine as well, yeah.

-Thank you. Will you sign it for me?

-I will sign it.

That will be worth a fortune.

You've probably got to wait till I'm dead

and then you've got to get on Flog It! or something.

That is absolutely...

Thank you.

They are just... They're unique, aren't they?

They really are unique.

Thank you.

SHE LAUGHS AND SNIFFLES

-OK, off you go.

-Thank you very much.

-It's been great.

-Thank you.

-Such a good time.

It's been a lovely day, and I've now lost all my mascara.

I've laughed and laughed, I really have. It's been so much fun.

-I don't think you can top this.

-No, this won't be topped.

No.

Wow! I don't think a picture of mine

has ever brought a tear to anyone's eye before.

But it's goodbye to Cameley. For Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson,

it will always hold a special place in her heart.