This Is Your Life: Bob Harris

Bob HARRIS (1946-)

For the first time in This Is Your Life history THREE former wives are included on the guest list!

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Bob Harris, broadcaster, was surprised by Michael Aspel while interviewing Robin Gibb for his radio show at BBC Broadcasting House in central London.

Bob, who was born in Northampton, followed his father into the police force after leaving school but left two years later to pursue a career involving his love of music. He moved to London, where after helping to establish Time Out magazine as co-editor in 1968, he joined the BBC in 1970 as host of Radio 1's Sounds of the 70s and stayed with the programme until it was axed in 1975.

During this time, he also presented BBC television's The Old Grey Whistle Test, where his velvety voice and quiet delivery earned him his enduring nickname – Whispering Bob. He went on to present shows for Radio Luxembourg and worked in local radio, British forces radio and regional radio before returning to Radio 1 in 1989 for four years. Then, after a stint with GLR, he returned to the BBC again, this time with Radio 2.

"Oh don't! You're not serious?"

programme details...

Edition No: 1128
Subject No: 1102
Broadcast date: Thu 24 Jul 2003
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Mon 28 Apr 2003
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 43
Edition: 23
Code name: Whisper

on the guest list...

Margaret - aunt
Bryn - father
Doria - mother
Trudie - wife
Robin Gibb
Valentina - ex-wife
Sue - ex-wife
Jackie - ex-wife
Miles - son
Flo - daughter
Dylan - son
Jamie - son
Ben - son
Charlie - daughter
Emily - daughter
Mirelle - daughter
Marnie - granddaughter
Alana - granddaughter
John - son-in-law
Niamh - granddaughter
Jeff Griffin
Tony Blackburn
Mike Appleton
George Nicholson
Johnny Beerling
Dave Lee Travis
Phil Swern
John Inverdale
Nicky Campbell
Stockcar Graham
Routemaster Rod
Windmill Bob
Vinyl Mick
Motorcycle Alan
Judie Tzuke
Suzi Quatro
Paul Gambaccini
David Jacobs
Robert Plant
Nanci Griffith
David Gray
Elton John

production team...

Researcher: Deborah Cowan
Writer: Ian Brown
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...

Radio Times

tuning in the broadcasters

Timeline

the show's fifty year history

Screenshots of Bob Harris This Is Your Life

Bob Harris recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in an interview with Richard Coles and Michelle Ackerley on BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live, broadcast in August 2020

Bob Harris recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Still Whispering After All These Years...

I felt so happy. I'd been acknowledged by the Radio Academy, everything was good with Trudie and we were celebrating a wonderful evening surrounded by people who were special in our lives...

...the atmosphere on the journey home with Trudie was in total contrast to the silent drive to London earlier that evening and, as we spilled laughing into our house, we were met with a hug from our beautiful friend Marie, who had been babysitting for us...

'How was your evening?' she asked me.

'It was fabulous,' I replied. 'Steve Harley did this whole career retrospective before he gave me the award. It felt a bit like being on This Is Your Life!'

She nearly spat out the champagne she was drinking. There was a silent pause before a now flustered Marie unexpectedly explained that Mark and the boys were waiting for her and she really had to get home. Seconds later she'd grabbed her coat, was out of the door and gone.

Trudie and I stayed up celebrating until the early hours and I was so pleased things between us would now settle back to normal. Alarmingly, however, the reassurance did not last long. The furtive phone calls picked up again and I knew she was concealing something. The more it became clear that the Radio Academy evening wasn't the answer after all, the more suspicious I became of the furtive, half-heard conversations.

'Oh, it was the parent/teacher association again,' she would unconvincingly explain.

All these worries were rumbling around in my head as I got to Broadcasting House a few days later for the big recording with Robin Gibb. My friend Roy Webber had called to tell me that he'd be in London that day, so I'd invited him to be there too. I'd built myself up for this moment and when Roy and I arrived to discover a full film crew in the studio and a control room packed with people I realised Phil Hughes was right; this interview really was a very big deal. Robin arrived shortly after and I complimented him on his brilliant Radio Academy speech as he and I took our places under the studio lights. Soon we were reminiscing about the amazing and memorable day we'd spent together twenty-five years earlier at the Criteria Sound Studios in Miami, where he and his brothers Barry and Maurice had given me a private and exclusive live performance of their much anticipated new album Spirits Having Flown, months before its release, still one of the absolute highlights of my musical life.

As he always was, Robin was sensitive, enthusiastic and engaging and we were well into a really enjoyable interview when I heard someone push open the big soundproof door behind me. There is a strict protocol preventing anyone entering a studio when a recording is taking place and it was with some irritation that I turned to see who was interrupting us. The first thing I saw, as I squinted through the haze of the television lights, was a big red book, held by a smiling Michael Aspel who was walking across the studio towards us. I leaned back, expecting him to address Robin but instead, he turned to me.

'Pardon the invasion into your studio, Bob. Robin Gibb, you know that you're not here to be interviewed by Whispering Bob, because you know I'm here to say… Bob Harris, This Is Your Life!'

I absolutely could not believe it. I'd been a fan of the programme for many years, going right back to the Eamonn Andrews days of the 50s and 60s but I never dreamed I would ever be the subject. This was a huge honour and I was thrilled and excited, but how naïve had I been? All those weeks of suspicion, Trudie's secret phone calls, Marie's reaction, Radio 2's deception and (now I began to think about it) a thousand other little signs... I looked at Roy and Robin, who burst out laughing as they stepped forward to give me a big hug. More and more people spilled into the studio, slapping my back and shaking me by the hand, Phil Hughes tapping his nose with a knowing look.

Soon, the programme production team were pulling Roy and I away and escorting us out of Broadcasting House and into a waiting Mercedes. Roy explained that he was my designated chaperone and, of course, he was not going to breathe a word of what was about to happen. Months of planning had gone into all of this.

We were whooshed across London to the Thames Television studios, to be met by a welcoming committee that quickly escorted us to the far side of the main building and into a stylish but windowless dressing room.

'We're going to have to lock you in here.' They told us. 'We don't want you to see any of the guests and ruin the surprise.'

If this was going to be our prison for the next few hours it was fine; bright, airy and beautifully furnished, with a table groaning under the weight of sandwiches, crisps, fruit, biscuits, a large and beautiful bunch of flowers and enough alcohol for Roy and I to have got seriously drunk. With several hours to kill, there was a brief temptation to pour ourselves a couple of large glasses of red but I wanted to keep a completely clear head. I didn't want anything to get in the way of total recall.

Shortly before the show, Roy was called to take part in the final rehearsals, leaving me to choose what I was going to wear from the many different options Trudie had left in the wardrobe for me. My favourite jacket was there, a new pair of shoes... she really had thought of everything.

Alone for the first time that day, I paced around the dressing room in a state of suspended animation, thinking back over my life, trying to anticipate what the evening might bring, until finally came the expected knock on the door and I was led through what seemed like an endless maze of corridors to join Michael Aspel, who was waiting for me in a quiet corner of the studio, out of sight of the audience and guests, ready for the start of the show. My heart was beating so hard I could actually hear it and the feeling of nervous excitement was almost overwhelming as we stood there waiting for our cue, but Michael was calm and kind.

'You don't have to worry about anything,' he smiled. 'It's all been rehearsed and I'll take care of everything. This is your night, Bob, all you have to do is enjoy it!'

I really appreciated the reassurance and his words were ringing in my ears as the familiar theme music struck up and we stepped through the famous doors together.

Trudie gave me a knowing smile as she came forward to hug me and, as the applause died down and we took our seats, I looked around at all the familiar faces. My Mum and Dad were at the front, sitting next to my wonderful and stout-hearted Aunt Margaret, who is still alive today, a proud 100 years old. Sue, Jackie and Val were all there too, introduced by Michael Aspel who noted, 'To prove this is a rock 'n' roll show and, I think, for the first time in This Is Your Life history, we have a record three ex-wives on the set with us!'

Much was made of the size of my family, as my children Miri, Emily, Charlie, Ben, Jamie (wearing a 'Who's the Daddy?' T-shirt), Miles, Dylan and Flo all burst through the doors, alongside my granddaughters Marnie and Alana and, the youngest of all, little Niamh, her face covered in chocolate, carried by her father John. Trudie's entire family was also in attendance and there were friends and colleagues spanning every era of my life.

My great friend Jeff Griffin, producer of my first-ever radio programmes, talked about the Radio 1 audition he supervised in 1970.

'I liked the sound of his voice,' he said. 'It was a bit unusual, and he was knowledgeable, so we set up a pilot programme a few weeks later and he did that very well. I then put that forward to the audition panel for DJs and he passed that. But of course the trouble was, having told him that he passed it, he then wouldn't stop phoning me to find out when he could get a proper job!'

It's true. I pestered Jeff unmercifully throughout the entire ten months I had to wait before I finally made it on air, Jeff booking me to sit in for my great hero John Peel on Sounds of the 70s in August 1970.

My former Radio 1 controller Johnny Beerling spoke warmly of my return to Radio 1 in 1989, when I took over on Sunday evenings from the late Roger Scott – huge boots to fill. There was much laughter as Whistle Test producer Mike Appleton told the story of the two of us hobbling off a plane together at JFK airport for the first of our many working trips to New York. Just before leaving Los Angeles earlier in the day, I'd bought a pair of tight brown leather boots which, for comfort sake, I'd taken off for the duration of the flight, a bad decision as it turned out. As we came into JFK and I tried to put them back on again, I realised that the left boot just wouldn't fit. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't lever my foot back into it. I had managed to force the other one on but it hurt like hell and was so tight I couldn't get it off again. I know that feet tend to swell when you're flying but I must've bought boots that were at least one size too small. I'm not sure how I got them on in the first place. It was comical. Mike had a bad back and was limping with a walking stick while I was clumping up and down on one Cuban heel, holding my other boot like hand luggage as we disembarked from the plane. It was not, as Mike observed, the coolest way for these two supposed rock 'n' roll dudes to arrive in New York!

As the evening went on fellow broadcasters Tony Blackburn, Paul Gambaccini, Dave Lee Travis, Nicky Campbell and John Inverdale all appeared onstage to tell stories of times we spent sharing microphones or at cricket grounds together. Roy Webber reminisced about our recording days with his band Wally at Morgan Studios in London, and George Nicholson described the notorious night at the Speakeasy with the Sex Pistols.

Suzi Quatro told the story of a visit we'd made to her house.'I invited Bob and Trudie over for Christmas a couple of years ago and we had a nice cheese and wine evening planned. Nice evening. Not only did they arrive about two hours late, but this man arrived in leather trousers. Now, how dare you come to my house wearing leather?' she chuckled.

The warmth of the evening was incredible and it was particularly lovely to hear Judie Tzuke talk with great affection about our long-time friendship. She and I were first introduced by Marc Bolan's wife June at the time that Jude signed to Elton John's Rocket record label in 1977 and we've been close friends ever since. I had no idea, of course, that Elton himself was about to appear onscreen.

As I later learned, the planning of all this had begun months earlier, when Trudie was putting together a promotion campaign for the release of a forthcoming Bob Harris Presents... compilation. She had asked Amanda Beel for advice as to how to promote the album and, in addition to helping line up some radio and press interviews, Amanda suggested calling her friend Deborah Cowan, one of the This is Your Life producers, who loved the idea of me being a subject of the show. Plans were now underway and gradually, over the next few weeks, Trudie, Amanda, Deborah and her co-producer Sue Green began building the guest list. The first person they approached was Robert Plant, with whom Amanda was working on the extraordinary 'Festival In The Desert' project. He immediately agreed to take part, filming this wonderful message.

'Hi Bob!' he said. 'You are an institution,' [or, as Trudie says, I should be in one!]. 'Your presentations and interviews on the Whistle Test were imaginative, informative and focused, while dealing with so many egos and so many loonies back then. I know because I was one of them! Your consistency down the years is second to none and you, like me, have an insatiable appetite for hunting out beautiful, challenging music way to the left side of that High Street fluff. You bring fresh, alternative music to me, and many like me. So thanks to you, and I'll see you soon.'

As always, Robert's words were thoughtful and considered and I was particularly struck by the word 'consistency', a huge compliment.

David Gray came on screen to thank me for the support I gave him at the beginning of his career (United games notwithstanding!) and Nanci Griffith appeared on film from Nashville, clutching a Ken Bruce-branded radio and suggesting to the BBC that I should have one too! It was an amusing and lovely moment and I was thrilled to be able to reciprocate when I presented Nanci with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Radio 2 Folk Awards in February 2010.

But perhaps the most touching contribution to the programme came from Elton John who, at the time, was in the middle of a huge 'Face To Face' American tour with Billy Joel. Through a combination of luck and detective work, Trudie had tracked down Elton's manager Frank Presland on a Friday afternoon at the tour hotel in Philadelphia (obviously!) and was delighted to find him friendly and receptive.

'We'll put it to Elton and we'll see what he says' Frank said.'Call us again on Monday.'

It was just the reaction Trudie had been hoping for and Deborah Cowan was impressed that contact had been made. 'Tell them we can organise it all,' she told Trudie. 'We'll get a crew out there to film him and provide them with everything they'll need.'

It was a big call for the programme and when Trudie finally got through again on the Monday afternoon, she couldn't wait to explain what the This Is Your Life team were offering.

'There's no need for you to do anything,' Frank Presland told her.

'Oh. Does this mean he doesn't want to do it?' asked Trudie.

'No, it means he's already done it. He really wanted to do it for Bob, so he pulled out all the stops, hired a crew over the weekend and filmed it here. I just need to know where to send it!'

The production team were blown away by how generous and accommodating Elton and Frank had been; unprecedented, they said. The tape arrived a few days later and it was a very moving moment when, towards the end of the show, Elton's film came up on the studio monitor screens.

'Why I wanted to do this was to say thank you to you for all the wonderful support you gave me early on in my career. People should never forget who helped them when they first start out and you were such a big supporter of mine. I did many an Old Grey Whistle Test. We had a lot of fun in those days. It's still a lot of fun but it's not as nice as it used to be, but you know, there are not people like you around anymore. So I hope you have the best evening. Thank you so much for supporting me early in my career. It meant so much to me and it still does. Thank you.'

It was such as beautiful message. I'm actually feeling quite emotional about it as I type this, but there was still one more fantastic surprise to come on that magical evening, as Michael Aspel explained.

'Finally, Bob, let's rewind to your youth. As a teenager you tuned the family radiogram in to your favourite shows and on Saturday nights the big date for you and millions of other kids was Pick Of The Pops. You were such a fan that for your fifteenth birthday your mother wrote in to the show for a dedication.'

As if the evening had not been amazing enough, now here was David Jacobs, my original inspiration. 'I was delighted to give you your first-ever mention on the radio, Bob' David said as he joined us on the stage, my mother waving from the audience. It was such a huge moment for her and she just could not contain herself in the excitement of it all. As the applause died down, her voice came ringing across the studio like a bell. 'Oh, David, I'm your greatest fan!'

'The Harris's are a bit of an item in your life,' commented Michael Aspel.

'Well, really I know his mother better than I know Bob,' David replied. 'You see, she's been one of my regular correspondents. But it wasn't until you joined Radio 2, Bob, that I realised that your mother was my Mrs Harris. I'm sure she is very proud of you, as should all of your family be, because your dedication to music and radio is absolutely incredible. So for heaven's sake just keep on doing what you do so well and always let us have 'Whispering Bob' with us.'

After he had read out that first dedication all those years ago my Mum had written to David again, thanking him for mentioning me and complimenting him on the music he was playing on his show. Like the gentleman he was, David wrote back, exchanging thoughts about music and the radio, which my Mum loved so much, and that triggered a correspondence between the two of them that had spanned more than four decades. Yet, despite the longevity of their relationship, this was the first time they had actually met. It was a dream come true and my most vivid memory from that glorious evening is of my Mum looking as happy and animated as she had for years, sitting with my Dad, chatting with David at the after-show party. And what a party it was, lasting way into the early hours, a gathering of all the people who were special in my life. I felt so happy that my parents were able to be there to share the evening with me.

Series 43 subjects