This Is Your Life article

Jack Crawshaw is sure everybody has a story to tell, but that it's not always possible to tell it in his terms. His terms embrace the fact that he has recently become producer of This Is Your Life, now launching on the 26 episodes of its sixth series, starting Wednesday.

Crawshaw, awesomely, has been with 'Life' since its inception five years ago. Beginning as a researcher, he rose through research writing and programme editing to his present eminence.

He reflects he would be out of his mind to tamper with so successful a formula. About the question he gets asked more often than you might think – why This Is Your Life never injects a certain invigorating mischief into the programme by bringing on people the subjects might not be too pleased to see – he replies: "If we decided on a surprise party and invite the guests it wouldn't be courteous to have along someone who might embarrass the person the party is given for."

"Remember, we're there to pay tribute to the achievements of someone without their prior consent." Crawshaw says he knows this is limiting but, in the end, he and Eamonn Andrews are gentlemen, which solves many problems.