This is your life

[dvdman]

this was quite a good when eamon andrews did it ? does anybody hav a fav episode

[Arfur Teacake]

I thought it was quite exciting and very confusing when Eamonn went after author Richard Gordon (Dr at Large books)- and he said no thanks and walked off- the screen went blank and suddenly the picture returned with Eamonn saying TIYL to Sam Kydd

[dvdman]

this is your life doris hare

[Bendigo]

Does anybody know of a more complete episode list for the 1950s series' (particularly the first three, 1955-58) than that which is available at IMDB? Have already tried lostshows.com and they have even less info than IMDB. They pretty much err on the side of saying most of them are missing (granted most of them probably are) but don't name episodes where the subject has already been identified and list it as missing when at the very least clips do survive as I have seen them on TV!



I appreciate it would probably be a hard thing to put together as (obviously) there'll be no Radio Times listings and if the episode is missing it's missing and no-one now will know who the subject was But if someone does know of a miraculous list somewhere I'd appreciate the info!





Kenneth More and friend, This Is Your Life, 2nd March 1959

[Dadwasinflame]

Have the one where Gary Glitter went mad and refused to do it, whats more intresting his the "Guest list " that they might not want to see again, among others Andew lloyd webber, Paul Nicholas, david Essex & Sophie Dal, who he was linked with at the Time

it was first shown in 1991

[Gerald Lovell]

I would have liked to have seen the one when they "did" Eamonn Andrews himself for the second time. This would have been in the mid-70s I think and I missed the edition as I was playing cricket that evening! I believe David Nixon took over as compere for that one.

[flynn]

i have about 14 episodes some with Eamond Andrews.Michael Aspel.

and a couple of of the american version.Bette Davis.was a good one.

and i liked the Reg Varney.Doris Hare.ones

[Ray]

name='Arfur Teacake']I thought it was quite exciting and very confusing when Eamonn went after author Richard Gordon (Dr at Large books)- and he said no thanks and walked off- the screen went blank and suddenly the picture returned with Eamonn saying TIYL to Sam Kydd

Eamonn did persuade Gordon to return, because they did go ahead with his life, I remember seeing it, and they brought on all the actors from the TV series of Doctor in the House.

[Gerald Lovell]

name='Ray']Eamonn did persuade Gordon to return, because they did go ahead with his life, I remember seeing it, and they brought on all the actors from the TV series of Doctor in the House.

Yes, I think they showed it a week or two later. That'll teach them to try and do a live programme!

[Rowdon]

name='Dadwasinflame']Have the one where Gary Glitter went mad and refused to do it, whats more intresting his the "Guest list " that they might not want to see again, among others Andew lloyd webber, Paul Nicholas, david Essex & Sophie Dal, who he was linked with at the Time

it was first shown in 1991

It's on Youtube in full - just look at this first bit; so much love from and to the man. It's amazing how quickly things can collapse...



[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2aJFCVZ19Q&feature=related]YouTube - Gary Glitter - This is Your Life[/ame]

[Mr Cosmo]

Yes, I think they showed it a week or two later. That'll teach them to try and do a live programme!



They actually sprang it on him on Wednesday 20th February, but of course he wasn't for doing it and walked off. It wasn't quite live. (The clip used to be on You Tube but I can't see it now. He relented and they taped the show the same night and it went out on Thursday 28th February just before the General Election special at 10. Gordon was unhappy even after, saying it was embarrassing because they brought on people who he had served with when he was a navy doctor and he had treated one of them for - in his words - the sailor's complaint.



Thames hastily substituted Sam Kydd's show which was to have been shown the following week and according to an interview, he had already told several of his friends and some of them missed it as it was shown a week early. Thames had contacted him earlier in the day when they told him they would have to lose a few minutes out of the show and Sam happily told them to cut someone who claimed to have been at school with him whom he didn't recognize and thinks he had never met before.

[Brief Encounter]

name='Mr Cosmo']

Thames hastily substituted Sam Kydd's show which was to have been shown the following week and according to an interview, he had already told several of his friends and some of them missed it as it was shown a week early. Thames had contacted him earlier in the day when they told him they would have to lose a few minutes out of the show and Sam happily told them to cut someone who claimed to have been at school with him whom he didn't recognize and thinks he had never met before.

Brilliant stuff! The shows make fascinating watching (I have a few of them) as you can often tell someone isn't enthralled to see a certain person.



Stewart Granger is greeted by Jean Kent, Margaret Lockwood and Moira Lister. Jean didn't like him, but she does a good job of hiding it!



Jessie Matthews looks truly horrified when she is 'sprung'.



Bendigo, TV.com has another list, but again, incomplete. A friend of mine is creating a website about the show. I'll keep Britmovians posted

[Brief Encounter]

There was a great send-up of the show in Are You Being Served - when they did a 'Life' for Mr Grace!



I think even now more people remember Eamonn Andrews rather than Michael Aspel as the host.



The book is interesting, but I'd like to read one with all the scandal included!

[ghughesarch]

name='Dadwasinflame']Have the one where Gary Glitter went mad and refused to do it, whats more intresting his the "Guest list " that they might not want to see again, among others Andew lloyd webber, Paul Nicholas, david Essex & Sophie Dal, who he was linked with at the Time

it was first shown in 1991

I hope you mean Tessa Dahl, as Sophie was 14 at the time (if it was Sophie that might explain Glitter's reluctance to do the programme - bit of an elephant in the room)

[Bendigo]

name='Brief Encounter']Bendigo, TV.com has another list, but again, incomplete. A friend of mine is creating a website about the show. I'll keep Britmovians posted

Thanks - I look forward to perusing the site!



Was re-watching a brilliant compilation of 'This is Your Life' clips featuring Kenneth More, John Mills, Richard Todd, Richard Attenborough (with a great tongue-in-cheek tribute from Bryan Forbes!), Harry Secombe etc the other night. It would be interesting to find out who other 'victims' were just to second guess who the guests might have been - and then curse my luck at having been born too late to see any of them!



Here's a ropey pic of KM again with new canine friend and Kay Kendall in the background.





Great picture of The Brothers Attenborough looking very pleased to see each other!

[Rick C]

name='Brief Encounter']There was a great send-up of the show in Are You Being Served - when they did a 'Life' for Mr Grace!



I think even now more people remember Eamonn Andrews rather than Michael Aspel as the host.



The book is interesting, but I'd like to read one with all the scandal included!

I think Eammon Andrews is more likely to be remembered by older viewers in particular simply because he was the original presenter and associated with what we older ppl regard affectionately as the 'golden age' of television viewing, and traditional BBC values (evening dress and so forth) that went hand in hand with other programmes such as What's My Line (also with Mr.Andrews!).



This is Your Life will, I think, be always remembered as a black-and-white 'light entertainment' show whereas anything on ITV isn't nowadays, regardless of 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium" for instance. Maybe had ITV made the broadcasts in black and white also then perhaps the affection would have transferred more subtantially. The irony is, of course, that Michael Aspel was originally a BBC newsreader in the black-and-white days.



I can see this thread lasting as long as This is Your Life did in all its many incarnations, with forumers reaching for all the various memoirs that referred to it. As far as I am concerned, I'm just happy to be part of the collective memory nowadays that lived through its transmissions.

[CaptainWaggett]

Surely most people memories of This is Your Life are based around the terrible disappointment when you realised that this week wasn't Peter Ustinov or Hermione Gingold but the nice lady who had worked tirelessly in a Uganda orphanage for 40 years - in other words a Worthy rather than a Proper Celeb

[Ray]

I taped many of the later shows and have Diana Dors, Harry Andrews, Cathleen Nesbit, Jean Anderson, Stephanie Cole, Ellen Pollock, Chilli Bouchier, Patrick Macnee, Ann Miller, Debbie Reynolds, Howard Keel, Charlton Heston, and an hour long special with Alice Faye. The great thing about them was some of the guests who turned up who we hadn't seen in years. Pat Roc was on Chilli Bouchier's life, and Arthur Marshall was thrilled when Alice Faye turned up at the end of his life tribute.

[Gerald Lovell]

I do remember the one with Patrick Macnee when Honor Blackman turned up (in leathers) on a motorbike and Patrick's (lesbian) mother, aged about 100, appeared at the end.

[Brief Encounter]

name='Gerald Lovell']I do remember the one with Patrick Macnee when Honor Blackman turned up (in leathers) on a motorbike and Patrick's (lesbian) mother, aged about 100, appeared at the end.

Interesting...



Yes Captain, my actual memories from childhood, are of tuning in and thinking 'who?' every week!