Tonight once again EAMONN ANDREWS says

THIS IS YOUR LIFE

The controversial and compelling show which starts its ninth season tonight seldom fails to bring its millions of followers at least a half-hour of warm entertainment; often, as letters show, it brings renewed hope to viewers who find their own problems mirrored in the stories.

But even more far-reaching are the consequences for those who actually appear in the programme. Should a 'lifer' be concerned with any charity, that cause is naturally almost certain to benefit; but there are less predictable results.

Singer Georgia Brown is an example. Never the subject of the programme herself, she was flown in from New York to meet again the patroness of the East-End youth club she had once attended. After the show, she remained in England – and found stardom in Oliver!

This Is Your Life even does its bit for international reconciliation. When the programme told the story of Ellen Field, heroine of a Hong Kong prison camp, Kayoshi Watanabe made his first visit to Britain.

He was the compassionate Japanese officer who risked his life to help the prisoners, and for him the most moving moment came when a woman approached him on a tube train.

'I lost two sons in Japanese camps,' she said. 'I used to hate all your race, but after learning what you did, I can forgive everything.'

This Is Your Life - Article: This Is Your Life