Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
John HARRIS (1945-)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - John Harris, wheelchair athlete, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews - with the help of Henry Cooper - in the foyer of Thames Television's Euston Road Studios, having been led to believe he was there to take part in a radio interview.
John, who was born in Sebastopol near Pontypool, was a keen athlete as a youth and worked as a gantry crane driver at a steelworks after leaving school at 15. He broke his back at the age of 18 when he fell 40 feet from a big wheel at the Butlins holiday camp in Minehead, resulting in the paralysis of his legs. His involvement in Parasports began when a friend persuaded him to join a gym to improve his fitness and give him focus.
John was selected for the 1980 Summer Paralympics, where he failed to win any medals despite entering three events. However, at the 1984 Paralympic Games, held at short notice in the grounds of Stoke Mandeville Hospital, John was entered for the discus, shot put, and javelin and his Paralympic record-breaking discus throw secured him the gold medal.
"I wondered why I couldn't get hold of anybody today!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 692
- Subject No: 687
- Broadcast date: Wed 22 Jan 1986
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Tue 21 Jan 1986
- Venue: Royalty Theatre
- Series: 26
- Edition: 14
- Code name: Tweed
on the guest list...
- Henry Cooper
- Amy - niece
- Lynda - sister
- Gerald - brother-in-law
- Rhos - nephew
- Sandra - sister
- Brian - brother-in-law
- John - nephew
- Alice - aunt
- Bert - uncle
- Mel Williams
- Pam Jenkins
- Melvyn Watkins
- David Humphrys
- Keith Tudor
- school friends from Ponytpool
- Michael Jones
- Peter Bullimore
- Dave Taylor
- Alan Tovey
- Trefor Jones
- Jimmy Savile
- Nigel Fowler
- Ken Wells
- Tony Sainsbury
- Steve Gregg
- Francine Gregg
- Ann Hallam
- Chris Hallam
- John Perkins
- members of Pontypool RFC team
- Max Boyce Filmed tributes:
- Richard Slaney
- Mary Decker Slaney
related appearances...
- Lord Brabourne - Oct 1990
- Tanni Grey - Dec 1996
- The Night of 1000 Lives - Jan 2000
production team...
- Researcher: Angela Clark
- Writer: Tom Brennand
- Directors: Terry Yarwood, Michael D Kent
- Associate Producer: Brian Klein
- Producer: Malcolm Morris
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
celebrating the world's best
a celebration of a thousand editions
John Harris recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in July 2016
Screenshots of John Harris This Is Your Life - and John Harris photographed at Pontypridd Museum with his big red book in July 2016
Series 26 subjects
William Roache | Dennis Taylor | Elisabeth Welch | Sheila Mercier | Richard Branson | Maurice Denham | David EllawayTerry O'Neill | Gerry Marsden | Joyce Carey | Chas n Dave | Oliver Reed | Felix Bowness | John Harris | Bonnie Langford
Henry Cotton | June McElnea | Derek Jameson | Richard Vernon | Martyn Lewis | Peter Shilton | Ted Rogers
Simon Williams | Larry Slater | Lena Kennedy | Denis Quilley