This Is Your Life: Chas n Dave

CHAS Hodges (1943-2018) n DAVE Peacock (1945-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Chas n Dave, pop rock duo, were surprised by Eamonn Andrews while performing on stage at the Old Pegasus pub in Green Lanes, North London.

Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock were both born in north London and played in various local bands after leaving school while working as a clock repairer and a signwriter, respectively. They met by chance through a school friend in 1963 but only started writing songs together in 1972 when they formed the idea of a musical style called 'rockney' - a mix of rock and cockney. They recorded their first album, One Fing 'n' Anuvver, in 1975 and a second, Rockney, in 1978.

In 1979, a song from their first album, Woortcha, used for a television commercial, was re-recorded and released as Gertcha and became a top 20 hit in the singles chart - the first of their eight Top 40 hit singles, which included Rabbit and Ain't No Pleasing You. They regularly appeared on television, recorded FA Cup final songs for their team, Tottenham Hotspur FC and contributed theme tunes for television shows, including Crackerjack and In Sickness and in Health.

"It ain't him really - pull his mask off!"

programme details...

Edition No: 689
Subject Nos: 683-684
Broadcast date: Tue 31 Dec 1985
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Thu 12 Dec 1985
Venue: Royalty Theatre
Series: 26
Edition: 11
Code name: Couple

on the guest list...

Mick Burt
members of their band
Jack - Daves's father
Joan - Chas's wife
Sue - Dave's wife
Juliet - Chas's daughter
Katie - Chas's daughter
Nicholas - Chas's son
Brian - Dave's brother
Mary - Dave's sister
Jim Davidson
Eddie Thompson
Reg Hawkins
Billy Kuy
Bob Graham
Billy Dean
Ken Lundgren
Brian Juniper
Lonnie Donegan
Terry Adams
Bob England
Tommy Cannon - live link
Bobby Ball - live link
Steve Perryman
Ossie Ardiles
Garth Crooks
Graham Roberts
Mike Hazard
Mark Falco
Paul Miller
Chris Hughton
Tony Galvin
Gary Mabbutt
John Chiedozie
Clive Allen
Ray Clemence
Agnes Scroggy
James Scroggy

production team...

Researcher: Miriam O'Callaghan
Writer: Roy Bottomley
Directors: Terry Yarwood, Michael D Kent
Associate Producer: Brian Klein
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Top of the Pops

charting the pop stars

A Double Life

two's company

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Secret names that have special meaning

TV Times reveals more secrets from television's most secretive show

Cannon and Ball

Jim Davidson

Gary Mabbutt

Screenshots of Chas n Dave This Is Your Life

Chas Hodges recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his book, Chas & Dave: All About Us...

Meanwhile, back in 1985, me and Dave have gone and bought a pub. Seemed a great idea at the time. We really went for it in a big way. Bob was in on it. It was the Old Pegasus in Green Lanes, North London. Courage Brewery got it all refurbished. Fred and Chris Cooke who ran the best pie and mash shop in London were friends of ours and they supplied the pub with their pie, mash and eels. (Shut up. I'm feeling hungry.) We had a free jukebox and had live music most nights.

We had some great nights down there. One night in December of 1985, Bob said that Australia (we hadn't long been back from our second tour) wanted us to do a live televised spot from our pub. We more or less went straight from a sell out week at the London Palladium with Alf Garnett (things were happening!) to the pub.

We got there and I met the director. 'What do you want us to do?' I said. He seemed a bit vague. 'Well, when we go live just say something like, "Here we are in London enjoying the rain".' 'So then what?' 'Well that's really all you need to say.' 'But...?.' But he was gone. Into the crowd.

The band had soundchecked and was ready to go. We had the whole sax section. Sid Philips (old mate from the Rebel Rousers who got the fish hook in his ear - remember?), tenor sax, Nick Payne, tenor sax, Tony Hall, tenor sax, and Nick Pentelowe, baritone sax.

These four probably made the best Rock 'n' Roll sax section in Britain. Probably in the world at the time. Four piece Rock 'n' Roll sax sections were a thing of the past then. Even Little Richard wasn't using one.

So we were ready to go at the drop of a hat, live to Australia. But the director was oh so vague. I spotted Dave in the crowd. 'Have you spoke to the director?' I said. Dave said he had. 'So do you know what's going on? Is it live to the Don Lane Show? Or Aussie breakfast telly? Or what?' 'Don't know,' said Dave. 'He don't seem to know!'

Okay! I thought, time to take the reins. Work out a bit of banter ourselves. Keep it simple but positive. When we go live we'll just say something like, 'Hello to all our new fans in Australia. We had a great time on the tour and we'll be back next year! Merry Christmas from Chas & Dave!' Then I'll count straight in the number. Short and sweet and positive. Dave was happy with this so I went to find the director. I found him and told him what we were going to say. 'Alright.' He said, hardly listening. 'Do you want a drink?' he said. I said I'll have a beer and we went to the bar.

Then he began to 'Billie' me. This is me and Dave's term for a tiresome punter (Billy Bunter) that continually asks you questions not knowing when to stop. 'I bet you're really pleased with yourselves topping the bill at the London Palladium for the week?' 'Well, yes, we are.' 'I bet you've met lots of famous people'... Fuck me. Where did they find this wanker? Then Bob England intervened and said I should get on stage as we were going live to Aussie any minute now. So ready to go, on cue, short introduction as planned and straight into some Rock n Roll. And we were rocking along lovely.

Then some weirdo with a ginger beard and a mac and flat cap walks across the front of the stage carrying something and decides to come up onto the stage. Okay, these things happen, I'll deal with it, just keep playing boys. But they didn't to my annoyance. They stopped. I'll bollock 'em later.

Then the ginger-bearded weirdo removed his hat and his beard and revealed himself.

Eamonn Andrews. This Is Your Life.

It turned out the director was only an extra put up for the part so all was forgiven. They had coaches waiting outside to take all the pub punters to the Royalty Theatre in the Strand where they filmed the episode. I went in a limo with Eamonn who was well excited. I don't know how Dave got there. I'll have to ask him! Of course there was a big party afterwards!

Eamonn sent us a nice personal letter after it had been on TV saying how much his folks at home enjoyed it and how he reckoned it was one of the best he'd ever done. It went out on New Year's Eve, 1985.

Series 26 subjects