This Is Your Life: Alec Stewart

Alec STEWART MBE (1963-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Alec Stewart, cricketer, was surprised by Michael Aspel on the 18th hole of the golf course at the Royal Automobile Club in Epsom.

Alec, who is the younger son of former English Test cricketer Micky Stewart and was educated at Tiffin School, joined Surrey County Cricket Club in 1981 and, in the latter half of the 1980s, would score more than 1000 first-class runs for his club in 5 successive seasons, going on to captain his county between 1992 and 1997.

He made his England debut in the first Test of the 1989/90 tour of the West Indies, and as a lynchpin in the England side for 14 years, he achieved an unmatched record as a batsman and wicketkeeper with over 125 Test appearances and 15 Test centuries, taking over the England captaincy in 1998, and leading the side to victory against South Africa in the first major series win in 12 years.

"You are a... I can't swear can I? Thank you very much. I don't know what to say really!"

programme details...

Edition No: 1124
Subject No: 1098
Broadcast date: Thu 19 Jun 2003
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 22 Apr 2003
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 43
Edition: 19
Code name: Catch

on the guest list...

members of the Surrey County Cricket team
Micky - father
Sheila - mother
Neil - brother
Julie - sister-in-law
Lynn - wife
Andrew - son
Emily - daughter
Graham Gooch
Angus Fraser
Mike Gatting
Graeme Hick
Ian Salisbury
Nick Knight
Ian Ward
Mark Butcher
Graham Thorpe
Alex Tudor
Mark Ramprakash
Adam Hollioake
Duncan Fletcher
Tim Rice
John Hollins
Mark Feltham
John Etheridge
Kevin Gartrell
June Gartrell
Geoffrey Boycott
Judy - sister
Martin Williams
Tim McCann
Bobby Robson
Ken Bates
Frank Lampard
Graeme Le Saux
Gianfranco Zola
Marcel Desailly
Alan Knott
Brian Lara

production team...

Researcher: Alex Renton
Writer: Joe Steeples
Director: John Gorman
Associate Producer: Helen Gordon-Smith
Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
Producer: Sue Green

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life Before Wicket

bowling up the cricketers

Graham Gooch

Screenshots of Alec Stewart This Is Your Life

Alec Stewart recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Playing For Keeps...

I was also surprised and delighted to be the subject of This Is Your Life, screened by the BBC in June. Michael Aspel and his production team had stitched me up well and truly, with the willing assistance of my family and friends and the main instigator, Richard Thompson, my testimonial committee chairman.

I had no suspicions about Richard's suggestion of a pleasant round of golf with him, Ali Brown and Graham Thorpe at the RAC Club in Epsom, followed by a quiet lunch. How wrong I was - as I left the eighteenth green I was greeted by TV cameras and Michael Aspel with the big red book. For once in my life I was almost lost for words!

On the way to the studios in Teddington, I wondered who the special guests would be, and I was hoping that Kevin and June Gartrell would have made it from Perth in Western Australia. They had indeed been flown over, and it meant a lot to me to have them there - they had done so much for me during my time playing club cricket in Australia in the eighties. Kevin's contribution lasted about twenty minutes - fortunately the editors did a skilful job and cut him down in the finished product! I was also very pleased that Geoffrey Boycott was able to come down from Barnsley to pay tribute. That was his first public appearance since contracting throat cancer the previous summer, and it was a fantastic effort by a man who has helped me so much with my cricket since my early days of playing for England. Many others who have helped shape my career were there too, as well as my Surrey team-mates and the likes of Graham Gooch, Nick Knight, Angus Fraser, Graeme Hick, Mike Gatting, Tom Moody, Duncan Fletcher and my first Surrey room-mate, Graham Monkhouse. John Hollins, my hero at Chelsea when I was a boy, was present, and current Chelsea players such as Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly, Graeme Le Saux and Frank Lampard paid tribute to me in a video from the training ground. Brian Lara and Sir Bobby Robson also sent video messages to help make the day a very special one for me and my family.

Series 43 subjects