Surprise flies supersonic

Supersonic travel and a shrinking world could mean that no one is safe from Eamonn Andrews and his This Is Your Life red book. Concorde means you can be in America in less time than it takes to travel up the motorway from London to Leeds. Australia is earmarked for a Concorde trip and so is Singapore.

So when the programme starts another series this week, don't be surprised if Eamonn pops up on unsuspecting victims in the most unlikely places. As producer Jack Crawshaw says: "This Is Your Life has the world in its pocket."

Expect a wider range of subjects too, from this programme which bowed out earlier this year on a scoop which attracted 20 million viewers and went to the top of the TV viewing ratings.

Lord Mountbatten was the subject, and the fact that he was persuaded to take part could mean an icebreaker for the programme.

"Lord Mountbatten was a tremendous gamble which came off," says Crawshaw. "No one knows what a subject will say when he's confronted," Lord Mountbatten's reaction? A dumbfounded: "Well I'll be... " Then he laughed and the show started.

How have others reacted in similar circumstances? Judge for yourself with these shots of some of Eamonn's past "victims".

Lord Mountbatten: dumbfounded

Beryl Reid: astounded

Pam Ayres: ecstatic

Ted Ray: stunned

Arthur Askey: overjoyed

Petula Clark: staggered

Roy Dotrice: incredulous

Molly Weir: delighted

Wilfred Hyde-White: emotional

This Is Your Life - Article: Surprise flies supersonic