George SHEARING (1919-2011)

George Shearing This Is Your Life

programme details...

  • Edition No: 828
  • Subject No: 818
  • Broadcast date: Wed 12 Feb 1992
  • Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
  • Recorded: Tue 17 Dec 1991
  • Venue: Teddington Studios
  • Series: 32
  • Edition: 18
  • Code name: Velvet

on the guest list...

  • Ellie - wife
  • Steve Race
  • Alan Clare
  • Brian Kay
  • Timothy Hart
  • Dorothy - sister
  • Margaret - sister
  • Walter - brother-in-law
  • Stanley van Raalte
  • Phyllis Frost
  • Kathleen Hall
  • Bob Wager
  • Paul Dyer
  • Gordon Littlewood
  • Alf Heckman
  • Bob Bampton
  • Wendy - daughter
  • Peggy Lee - via telephone
  • John Dankworth
  • Stephane Grappelli
  • Filmed tributes:
  • Mel Torme
  • Leonard Feather
  • Henry Mancini
  • The King Singers

production team...

  • Researcher: Ian Brown
  • Writer: Norman Giller
  • Directors: Brian Klein, Paul Kirrage
  • Associate Producer: John Graham
  • Producer: Malcolm Morris
  • names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
related pages...

All that Jazz

covering all the notes


The Big Red Book

the programme's icon


The Secret Agent Who Made The Big Red Books

interview with the book binders


John Dankworth

George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life George Shearing This Is Your Life

Screenshots of George Shearing This Is Your Life

Roy Bottomley This Is Your Life book

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...


One of the most unusual pick-ups in the history of the Life was at Ronnie Scott's world famous Soho jazz club on 17 December 1991.


Very unusual: the 'This Is Your Life' message on the Big Red Book was in braille.


This was so that blind jazz pianist George Shearing could trace the message when Ronnie Scott invited Michael Aspel on to the club's stage.



George Shearing This Is Your Life

Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, Henry Mancini, the King's Singers, John Dankworth and Stephane Grappelli paid their tributes to this Battersea coalman's son. Blind from birth, George had played his way from local pub pianist to international stardom.


Later in life, in 1952, inspired by his visits to Harlem listening to the music of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie 'Bird' Parker, he sat down to write the jazz 'standard', 'Lullaby of Birdland'.


It took him just ten minutes.


Stephane Grappelli and John Dankworth led George to a piano to 'jam' us out with 'Birdland', Stephane on violin, John on sax, George at the piano. As they say in the business, the audience 'broke the furniture'.

Series 32 subjects

Paul Nicholas | Keith Floyd | Gwyneth Jones | Norman Painting | Thelma Barlow | Nobby Stiles | Bernard Manning
Elizabeth McColgan | Michael Nicholson | Pam Ferris | David Berglas | Gary Glitter | Nigel Havers | Mo Moreland
Tony Blackburn | Wendy Toye | Alan Bleasdale | George Shearing | Jim Howard | Kevin Lloyd | Josef Locke
Robert Lindsay | Hannah Hauxwell | Rory Underwood | Susan Hampshire | Chris De Burgh