Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Curtain up! Light the lights! It's showtime! A chorus line of musical theatre names have been placed in the spotlight by This Is Your Life over the years. All worthy of an encore!
So, from the overture to the finale, via the eleven o'clock number, here's a look at those star singers, dancers, composers, lyricists and musical all-rounders who received the Big Red Book* treatment...
Florence DESMOND 5 January 1959 Eamonn interrupted a performance of the play Auntie Mame at London's Adelphi Theatre in order to surprise the actress and impersonator. |
||
Evelyn LAYE 31 August 1959 For the first of her two tributes, Eamonn surprised the actress and singer - one of Britain's most popular stars of musical comedy - at the BBC Television Theatre. |
||
Zena DARE 26 March 1963 The star of numerous Edwardian musical comedies was surprised by Eamonn at London's Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, during a curtain call for the musical My Fair Lady, in which she was appearing as Mrs Higgins. |
||
John HANSON 12 February 1975 Eamonn surprised the Canadian-born British tenor and actor, who appeared in a string of other romantic musicals - most famously as the Red Shadow in The Desert Song - and became a household name through appearances on television programmes such as Morecambe and Wise and The Good Old Days. |
||
Jule STYNE 24 May 1978 For the first transatlantic edition of the programme, the team travel to New York where Eamonn surprises the British-born American songwriter and composer in Times Square - right at the heart of the Great White Way! |
||
Elaine PAIGE 31 January 1979 Elaine was surprised by Eamonn during the curtain call of Evita at London's Prince of Wales Theatre. The musical - just a few months into its original West End run - had made the then relatively unknown singer and actress into a star. |
||
Andrew LLOYD WEBBER 26 November 1980 In the first of his two tributes, the musical theatre composer was surprised by Eamonn and the cast of his current hit show Evita, in the foyer of Thames Television's Euston Road Studios. Andrew has since revealed that it was during the recording of the tribute, at the New London Theatre, that he had the idea of using that venue as the home for his next show - Cats. |
||
Julia MCKENZIE 2 December 1981 Julia appeared in the 1976 West End revue Side by Side by Sondheim, and made her Broadway debut when the show transferred to New York a year later, receiving a Tony Award nomination for her performance. |
||
Chaim TOPOL 9 November 1983 Eamonn disguised himself as a Fiddler on the Roof cast member to surprise the musical star in London's Covent Garden. Topol was appearing in a revival of the show, having played the lead role of Tevye the milkman in the 1967 original West End production, as well as appearing in the film version. |
||
Millicent MARTIN 26 December 1984 Eamonn surprised the talented actress and singer during an interview on comedian Jimmy Tarbuck's television show. Among the names paying tribute to Millicent - who appeared in the original Broadway production of Side by Side by Sondheim in 1977 - are Hollywood star Howard Keel and fellow musical theatre stars, Julia McKenzie and David Kernan. |
||
Elisabeth WELCH 6 November 1985 Elisabeth - who began her career as a professional singer in New York in 1922 - was surprised by Eamonn outside London's Palace Theatre with the help of various jazz musicians. |
||
Bonnie LANGFORD 29 January 1986 Eamonn surprised the former child star during the curtain call of the musical Peter Pan at London's Aldwych Theatre. |
||
Denis QUILLEY 30 April 1986 Eamonn interrupted rehearsals for a new production of the musical La Cage aux Folles at the London Palladium in order to surprise the celebrated dramatic actor - who had gained earlier musical theatre success with Privates on Parade and Sweeney Todd. |
||
Sarah BRIGHTMAN 1 November 1989 Sarah - well known for her roles in the West End musicals Cats and Phantom of the Opera - was surprised by Michael, and her former dance colleagues from Hot Gossip and Pans People, at RAF Wittering. |
||
Evelyn LAYE 19 December 1990 When surprised by Michael at Croydon's Ashcroft Theatre in her 90th year, the actress - who made her stage debut in 1915 - announced 'It's lasted quite a long time!'. In this, her second tribute, 'Boo' - as she's known to her friends - is greeted by actors Dinah Sheridan and Michael Denison, while Michael reads out a message from HRH Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. |
||
Dave WILLETTS 20 March 1991 With no formal training in singing or acting, Dave's extraordinary rise to fame in West End musicals was revealed when Michael surprised him at London's Her Majesty's Theatre during a curtain call for the musical Phantom of the Opera - in which he plays the lead role. Andrew Lloyd Webber took time out from his honeymoon to send a recorded message. |
||
Lionel BART 3 April 1991 Lionel - best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for the hit musical Oliver! - was surprised by Michael at the National Youth Theatre on London's Holloway Road. |
||
Paul NICHOLAS 16 October 1991 Paul - who started his career in pop music before moving into musical theatre - was surprised by Michael, during a curtain call for the musical Barnum at the Bristol Hippodrome. |
||
Anthony NEWLEY 2 December 1992 Michael interrupted another curtain call, this time at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham to surprise the star of Scrooge! Anthony was under the impression his co-star, Stratford Johns, was to be the subject. |
||
Ron MOODY 18 May 1994 The actor - closely associated with the role of Fagin in the hit musical Oliver!, having created the role for the original West End production in 1960, and nominated for an Academy Award in the 1968 film version - was surprised by Michael at London's Teleimagination Studios. Among those paying tribute are magician David Berglas and actor Oliver Reed. |
||
Pat KIRKWOOD 20 July 1994 The versatile actress, singer and dancer was surprised by Michael during a mock interview at London's Prince of Wales Theatre. Among the guests greeting Pat - who originated roles in musicals written by Noel Coward and Cole Porter - are theatre director Wendy Toye and actresses June Whitfield and Patricia Hodge. This was the last This Is Your Life broadcast on ITV. |
||
Andrew LLOYD WEBBER 2 November 1994 And for the first This Is Your Life to be broadcast on BBC television since 1964, the team presented a special edition for the musical theatre composer's second tribute, complete with live performances of songs from several of his musicals. |
||
David ESSEX 13 December 1995 The actor, singer and star of several West End musicals - including Godspell, Tommy and Evita - was surprised by Michael at London's Royal Albert Hall during rehearsals for an ice ballet! |
||
Petula CLARK 6 March 1996 Having been caught on two previous occasions, Petula was surprised for a third time at London's Adelphi Theatre, where she was appearing as Norma Desmond in the hit Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard. |
||
Don BLACK 15 November 1996 The lyricist - who collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber to produce several hit musicals, including Aspects of Love and Sunset Boulevard - was surprised by Michael during the BMI Awards at London's Dorchester Hotel. |
||
Barbara DICKSON 12 October 1998 Michael surprised the singer and actress - well known for her roles in the West End musicals Evita and Blood Brothers, in which she originated the role of Mrs Johnstone - at London's Groucho Club. Elaine Paige - with whom she had recorded the duet, I Know Him So Well - pays tribute, along with, among others, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice and Willy Russell. |
||
Richard STILGOE 7 June 2001 The lyricist of the musicals Starlight Express and Phantom of the Opera was surprised by Michael at the Orpheus Centre in Godstone, Surrey - a trust he established to provide performing arts experience to young people with disabilities. Richard - a regular performer on television - is greeted by former colleagues Valerie Singleton and Richard Whiteley. |
||
* the pre-1970 subjects were surprised by a different coloured book - see the Big Red Book feature for full details