This Is Your Life: John Surtees

John SURTEES MBE (1934-2017)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - John Surtees, Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver, was surprised by Michael Aspel - with the help of Nigel Mansell - during an Autosport gala dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, from where the programme was then recorded.

John, the son of a south London motorbike dealer, was a teenage prodigy on racing bikes. After making his name in national races, he raced in the 500cc motorcycle world championships with the MV Agusta factory team, for whom he scored 22 wins at the top level before switching to cars. He made his debut for Lotus and later joined the Ferrari team.

He was a four-time 500cc motorcycle World Champion – winning that title in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960 – and the Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. He founded the Surtees Racing Organisation team that competed as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2 and Formula 5000 from 1970 to 1978.

"I just hate to think what's in there!"

programme details...

Edition No: 850
Subject No: 839
Broadcast date: Wed 30 Dec 1992
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Sun 6 Dec 1992
Venue: Grosvenor House Hotel
Series: 33
Edition: 14
Code name: Flag

on the guest list...

Jane - wife
Dorothy - mother
Dorothy - sister
Barry Sheene
Raymond Baxter
Sammy Miller
Bill Lomas
Arturo Magni
Ken Tyrrell
Derek Bell
Jackie Stewart
Willie Green
Edwina - daughter
Leonora - daughter
Henry - son
Stirling Moss
Jack Brabham
Eric Broadley
Juan Fangio

production team...

Researcher: Sarah Ann Cockcroft
Writer: Norman Giller
Directors: Brian Klein, Malcolm Morris
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life at Full Throttle

the lovers of speed

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Screenshots of John Surtees This Is Your Life

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...

Nigel Mansell turned up as Michael Aspel's 'chauffeur' to drop him at the Grosvenor House hotel in Park Lane on the evening of 6 December 1992. The occasion was the annual 'Autosport' dinner, and we had a surprise for a man who has been world champion first on two wheels, then on four – John Surtees.

We flew in Barry Sheene from his home in Brisbane. Former world champion on four wheels Jackie Stewart was also there.

And we had a greeting from Argentinian motor-racing legend Juan Fangio, who spoke to John in Italian, the language they learned when they both raced for Ferrari.

Series 33 subjects