Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Barbara TAYLOR BRADFORD (1933-2024)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Barbara Taylor Bradford, novelist, was surprised by Michael Aspel at London's Heathrow Airport, having flown in from New York on Concorde for a meeting with Rupert Murdoch.
Barbara was born in Leeds, and after leaving school at 15 found work in the typing pool of the Yorkshire Evening Post before became a reporter for the newspaper. She moved to London at the age of 20 and became the fashion editor of Woman's Own magazine, and would later work as a columnist on the London Evening News.
Her first efforts at fiction writing were with four suspense novels, which she later abandoned. Her first completed novel, A Woman of Substance, was published in 1979 and became an enduring best seller. Barbara's books have sold millions of copies worldwide in more than 90 countries and 40 languages. Several of her books have been made into television mini-series, produced by her husband Robert Bradford.
"Michael! Bob – did you know? I can't believe it. Did you know? Why didn't you tell me? Michael! It's a shock!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 768
- Subject No: 759
- Broadcast date: Wed 3 Jan 1990
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: unknown
- Repeated: Thu 4 Jan 1990 1.30pm
- Venue: Teddington Studios
- Series: 30
- Edition: 11
- Code name: Will
on the guest list...
- Mark Barty-King
- Jonathan Lloyd
- Vivienne - cousin
- Marjorie - close friend
- Sam - Vivienne's husband
- Nobby - Marjorie's husband
- Bobby Caplin
- Madge - aunt
- Harold - uncle
- Barbara Sandbrook
- Jack Sandbrook
- Alma Naylor
- Jean - aunt
- Don - uncle
- Barry Farnhill
- Lois Maxwell
- Kevin McNally
- Jenny Plowman Filmed tributes:
- James Brolin
- Jan Smithers
- Lindsay Wagner
- Alex Kingi
- Dorian Kingi
- Rupert Murdoch
- Derek Jameson
- Julio Iglesias
- Gemmy - the dog
- Victoria Tennant
related appearances...
- Richard Whiteley - Mar 1997
- The Night of 1000 Lives - Jan 2000
- Jenny Seagrove - Mar 2002
production team...
- Researcher: Tom Wettengel
- Writer: Roy Bottomley
- Directors: Brian Klein, Paul Kirrage
- Associate Producer: John Graham
- Producer: Malcolm Morris
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
a page-turning good read
a celebration of a thousand editions
Screenshots of Barbara Taylor Bradford This Is Your Life
The Concorde pilot on the concourse at Heathrow on 13 September 1989, when Barbara Taylor Bradford flew in from New York for dinner with publishing tycoon Rupert Murdoch, turned out – to her astonishment – to be Michael Aspel.
The creator of so many high-flying heroines had travelled a long way since her birth in a terraced house in Armley, near Leeds.
A 'coach party' of her relatives from there were waiting at our studios, and there were no firmer fans than they of books such as A Woman of Substance, Hold The Dream, To Be The Best and Act of Will.
James Brolin and Lindsay Wagner, who had starred in television blockbusters based on Barbara's books, spoke from Hollywood.
Barbara's literary inspiration came when, as a little girl, she had a story published in a children's magazine for which she received a postal order for seven shillings and sixpence. She spent it on a green vase from Woolworth's for her mother.
Once again newspapers featured strongly in the early career of the future best-selling author. She worked on the Yorkshire Evening Post, then went to London as fashion editor of Woman's Own.
Among her close friends in those London days was the actress who found fame as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films, Lois Maxwell, who flew in from Toronto.
Barbara moved to Los Angeles when she met her American husband, Bob. There she had a column for the LA Times, 'Designing Woman', writing about the homes of the stars, including Edward G Robinson and Vic Damone.
She first started writing thrillers before drawing on her Yorkshire background to write A Woman of Substance.
The programme featured one of the most unusual long-distance greetings even seen on the Life. Barbara now lives in Manhattan, and her faithful dog Gemmy sits beside her all the time she is writing at her desk in her Park Avenue penthouse.
We filmed there, and when Barbara looked at the screen it gave the impression Gemmy had 'typed' a message: 'Come home soon, miss you….'
Barbara loved it.
Series 30 subjects
Omar Sharif | Sarah Brightman | Yvonne Cormeau | Cyril Smith | Jean Boht | Zsa Zsa Gabor | Alec McCowen | Barbara CartlandDouglas Fairbanks Jr | William Shatner | Barbara Taylor Bradford | Elizabeth Dawn | Billy Wright | Trevor McDonald
Stephanie Beacham | Simon Weston | Peter Scudamore | Peter Cushing | David Shepherd | Harry Secombe
Nigel Kennedy | Eluned Williams | Billy Marsh | Bob Holness | Bobby Davro | Michael Baldock | Ken Dodd