Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Alberto REMEDIOS (1935-2016)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Alberto Remedios, operatic tenor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews outside the London Coliseum, having been led to believe he was heading to a press interview.
Alberto, who was born in Liverpool, studied singing while working as a shipyard welder and, following his National Service, was invited to study at London's Royal College of Music, where he won the Queen's Prize in 1957. He sang various small parts with the Sadler's Wells Opera - the forerunner of the English National Opera - including Alfredo in La Traviata, Samson in Saint-Saëns' Samson and Delilah and Max in Der Freischütz.
He is best known for his performances in Wagner, especially as Siegfried in the production of The Ring – and was about to debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
"Not me, no! It can't be!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 426
- Subject No: 423
- Broadcast date: Wed 28 Jan 1976
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Wed 10 Dec 1975
- Venue: Euston Road Studios
- Series: 16
- Edition: 12
- Code name: Quaver
on the guest list...
- Judy - wife
- Tonina - daughter
- Richard - son
- Antony - son
- Ida - mother
- Albert - father
- Antonia - sister
- Ramon - brother
- Henrico - cousin
- Jimmy Bell
- Edwin Francis
- Ava June
- James Johnston
- Eva Turner
- chorus members of the English National Opera company Filmed tributes:
- Joan Sutherland
- Claudina - aunt
- Rita Hunter
- Bill Shankly
- Emlyn Hughes
- Kevin Keegan
production team...
- Researcher: Maurice Leonard
- Writer: John Sandilands
- Director: Mike Dormer
- Producer: Jack Crawshaw
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
Screenshots of Alberto Remedios This Is Your Life
So what I can remember is Mum kept it a secret for around six months (hard for her!). She told my brother, sister and me about a week before. I was a young lad, so it was hard for me too.
We were collected in a flash motor in the early afternoon and went to the studio for rehearsals. My main takeout from that was Dad's singing teacher, Edwin, not being able to pronounce the word dungarees, kept on saying 'gangereeens'! It cracked me up, and that's why, during the show, he pointed at Eamon when he said it correctly.
And talking of mistakes, Grandad got a bit of a scolding off Nana later in the evening for saying 75s, not 78s!
I remember the shirt I was wearing vividly - it had small pictures of Bruce Lee on it, but overall, it was like a dream. Most of my childhood was being the 'Son of my Dad', such a humble power from hard knocks.
They put on a big spread after the show, and I remember experiencing the first effects of alcohol by pinching a sip or two of some white wine off someone!
Needless to say, I fell asleep quickly that night and woke thinking what the hell! Walking into school the next morning felt like being a Rock Star, with my mates and teachers making a fuss. They knew Dad was a singer but not of that calibre.
The rest of the year was amazing as we all travelled to New York with Dad for his American debut - the rest is history, as they say...
Series 16 subjects
Ronnie Dukes | Ray Milland | Mike Hailwood | Frank Windsor | Magnus Pyke | Bill Tidy | Gladys Mills | Andy StewartWindsor Davies | Ray Reardon | Patrick Mower | Alberto Remedios | Susan Masham | Betty Driver | Henry Davies
Gwen Berryman | Vince Hill | Arnold Ridley | Beryl Reid | Alan Mullery | Percy Thrower | Gareth Edwards
June Whitfield | Terry Fincher | Richard Dunn | Norman Croucher