This Is Your Life: Chris Bonington

Sir Chris BONINGTON CBE (1934-)

This Is Your Life's last ever outside broadcast

THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Chris Bonington, mountaineer, was surprised by Michael Aspel following a presentation at a conference in a hotel in Heathrow.

Chris, who first began climbing in 1951, aged 16, was educated at University College School in Hampstead. After National Service, he attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was later commissioned in the Royal Tank Regiment. Chris spent three years in North Germany and two years at the Army Outward Bound School as a mountaineering instructor. In 1960 he was part of the successful joint British-Indian-Nepalese forces expedition to Annapurna II.

On leaving the British Army in 1961, he worked briefly as a management trainee before becoming a professional mountaineer and explorer. His climbing career has included a breathtaking record of first ascents in Britain, the Alps, Pakistan, Greenland, the Americas, the Antarctic and nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Mount Everest. He reached the top of Everest - the world's highest peak - in April 1985 and, at the age of 50, became the oldest climber to have done so at the time.

"Seriously, this is not a spoof? I'm very honoured!"

programme details...

Edition No: 1126
Subject No: 1100
Broadcast date: Thu 3 Jul 2003
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 15 Apr 2003
Venue: National Mountaineering Exhibition, Rheged, Cumbria
Series: 43
Edition: 21
Code name: Peak

on the guest list...

Wendy - wife
Rupert - son
Anton Belton
Louise Wilson
Frances Daltrey
Betty Prentice
Alison Lancaster
Margaret Trinder
Maggie Body
Hamish MacInnes
Geoff Francis
Ian McNaught-Davis
Gerald - half brother
Rosemary - half sister
Clive Rowland
Arne Naess
Terry Vasey
Ann - daughter-in-law
Emily - granddaughter
Daniel - son
Jude - daughter-in-law
Brian Blessed
Sherpa Pertemba
Reinhold Messner
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

production team...

Researchers: Deborah Cowan, Alex Renton
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...

Life on Earth

an uncharted adventure

Timeline

the show's fifty year history

Screenshots of Chris Bonington This Is Your Life

The Westmorland Gazette 17 April 2003

This is your life at Rheged

POPULAR television programme This Is Your Life was transplanted to the Penrith visitor attraction Rheged this week when famous mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington became the subject of Michael Aspel's big red book.

After being surprised at Heathrow, Sir Chris travelled to his home county of Cumbria for an evening of excitement, emotion and surprises, as the programme was filmed against a backdrop of Rheged waterfalls, lake and architecture.

Sir Chris said: "It was a fantastic surprise and absolutely wonderful having my family and so many old friends assembled together."

No date has been given for the BBC1 programme's broadcast.

Series 43 subjects