Big Red Book

Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

• HOME
• |
• SERIES
• |
• SUBJECTS
• |
• FEATURES
• |
• ARTICLES
• |
• INTERVIEWS
• |
• ABOUT

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Norman Parkinson, photographer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while photographing HRH Prince Andrew at Hamiltons Gallery in London's Mayfair.

Norman began his career as an apprentice to the court photographers, before working for Harper's Bazaar during the 1930s, and Vogue from 1945 to 1960. Parks, as he was affectionately known, became one of the foremost British portrait and fashion photographers, revolutionising the world of British fashion photography in the 1940s.

As well as magazine work he also created celebrated calendars featuring glamorous young women. When royal photographer Cecil Beaton died in 1980, Norman took over, creating many notable portraits which included Princess Anne in 1971 and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1980.

"Oh Jesus Christ! I'm afraid it would never happen!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 627
• Subject No: 620
• Broadcast date: Wed 2 Nov 1983
• Broadcast time: 8.00-8.30pm
• Recorded: Mon 31 Oct 1983
• Repeated: Wed 27 Jan 1988 7.00pm
• Venue: Royalty Theatre
• Series: 24
• Edition: 2
• Code name: Snap

on the guest list...

• Chuck Seretti
• Nick Reid
• Gene Nocon
• Wenda - wife
• Simon - son
• Varna Evanovich
• Bobby Cullingford
• Gerry Scott
• Nancy Sands-Walker
• Alan McBeak
• Tom Hardcastle
• Carmen Dell'Orefice
• David Emanuel
• Elizabeth Emanuel
• Alice Winter
• Sultan Wangnoo
• Barbara Cartland
• Jill Kennington
• Apollonia van Ravenstein
• Catherine Pastri
• Celia Hammond
• Jake - grandson
Filmed tribute:
• Miss Piggy

production team...

• Researcher: unknown
• Writer: unknown
• Directors: Terry Yarwood, Michael D Kent
• Associate Producer: Brian Klein
• Producer: Malcolm Morris

• names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

A Fashionable Life

from catwalk to all things artistic

This Is Your Life

A feature from Television and Radio 1985

Barbara Cartland

Screenshots of Norman Parkinson This Is Your Life

Producer Malcolm Morris recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is My Life...

I have found that it is usually difficult to present the life of a photographer, mainly because the good ones seem to melt into the background and do not get involved with their subjects.

It's therefore difficult to get them on to This Is Your Life because nobody really knows anything about them.

The one exception to this was, of course, Norman Parkinson, whose wonderful and outrageous photographs attracted so many people, from models to royalty.

To surprise 'Parks' we involved Prince Andrew, who knew the photographer very well. We asked the Prince to get him to a photo gallery at three o'clock on the chosen afternoon. He agreed and brought him in for us to spring our surprise.

Prince Andrew told me afterwards that it had been difficult because they had had lunch and the Prince was driving with the three o'clock deadline in mind. He knew that he couldn't bring him early so he was dismayed to find that every traffic light turned to green as soon as they approached, so he started to slow down and stop on the yellow. This amazed Norman because that was not the Prince's usual driving style. The Prince finished his story by saying, 'I couldn't do that again, it's far too nerve-racking.'

Prince Andrew did a great job and he's welcome back any time.

Daily Mail 1 November 1983

Decoy Andrew sets up TV trap

By PETER SHERIDAN

PRINCE ANDREW lured royal photographer Norman Parkinson into a TV trap for This Is Your Life yesterday.

Mr Parkinson, who has taken pictures of all the Queen's family, was expecting to take more of Prince Andrew at the opening of an exhibition in Mayfair. But the Prince was there to ensure Eamonn Andrews could announce his favourite four words.

Prince Andrew later joined an audience of 600 when the programme – to be screened on Thames TV tomorrow – was staged at the Royalty Theatre.

Prince Andrew said: 'I hope I don't get involved in one of these again.'

Norman Parkinson said: 'I promised myself that if this ever happened to me I would not go through with it. But Prince Andrew was such a great decoy.'