This Is Your Life: Petula Clark 2

Petula CLARK (1932-)

The first female subject to be honoured a second time

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Petula Clark, singer and actress, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews during a TV Times magazine awards ceremony at the ATV Studios in Borehamwood, having been voted 'Most Popular Female Singer on TV'.

Petula, who established herself as a child actress and performer during the Second World War, became a recording artist in the 1950s. The enormous success of the single Downtown in 1964 led to an international career, with a series of popular upbeat hits, such as Colour My World and Don't Sleep in the Subway.

Through the late 1960s and early 1970s, Petula toured across the US and Europe, made several television specials and revived her acting career, starring in such films as Finian's Rainbow and Goodbye Mr Chips.

Petula Clark was a subject of This Is Your Life on three occasions – previously surprised by Eamonn Andrews in February 1964 at the BBC Television Theatre, and surprised again by Michael Aspel in March 1996 at the Adelphi Theatre in London – the only subject to receive the tribute three times.

programme details...

Edition No: 413
Subject No: second timer
Broadcast date: Wed 30 Apr 1975
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 15 Apr 1975 9.30pm
Venue: ATV Studios, Borehamwood
Series: 15
Edition: 26
Code name: Paris

on the guest list...

Jimmy Tarbuck
Noele Gordon
Val Doonican
Diana Coupland
Gordon Jackson
Claude Wolff - husband
Leslie - father
Ann - stepmother
Malcolm - brother
Christopher - brother
Barbara - sister
Katherine - daughter
Barbara - daughter
Cecil Madden
James Hayter
Kathleen Harrison
Jack Warner
Mai Zetterling
Jimmy Young
Alan Freeman
Tony Hatch
Jackie Trent
Peter Ustinov
Charles Aznavour
Patrick - son
Harry Secombe
Karen Carpenter
Richard Carpenter
Sacha Distel

production team...

Researchers: Martin Robertson, Debbie Gaunt
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Director: Royston Mayoh
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Petula Clark

first tribute

Petula Clark

third tribute

A Song For Life

it's the singer not the song

Life Second Time Around

surprised again!

Timeline

the show's fifty year history

The Night We Shocked Petula

TV Times photo feature on Petula Clark's second This Is Your Life surprise

Surprise flies supersonic

TV Times photo feature

Ratings slump sounds death knell for This Is Your Life

Press speculation on the future of This Is Your Life

Photographs of Petula Clark This Is Your Life

Andrea Kon recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in her book, This Is My Song, A Biography of Petula Clark...

In the spring of 1975, Petula was nominated for one of the TV Times Top Ten awards for the best performing artistes of the year. As she stood in line to receive her trophy from TV Times Editor Peter Jackson (now Editor of the Sunday Times Colour Supplement) another familiar figure approached. To her mixed horror and delight it was Eamonn Andrews, red book again in hand. She was only the fifth person, and the first-ever woman, to have been a This Is Your Life victim twice.

The entire family were of course in on the secret. Katy in particular has vivid memories of that second time around. 'Mummy had been at home with us in Geneva before coming to London to receive the award,' she explains. 'Barra and I were both very worried about what we would wear on the programme.'

'We couldn't tell Mummy the reason we decided that we both needed new dresses so we made up a story about being invited to a special party while she was away. Of course, she told us that we had plenty of clothes to choose from. We would have to make do with what we had.'

Petula set off to receive her prize. But at home, Barra and Katy were frantic. 'We decided in the end that the only thing we could do was ransack her wardrobe. I found one of her dresses which was far too big for me – I was only twelve at the time – and a pair of her high-heeled shoes. Barra did the same. We felt absolutely wonderful in them although of course we looked dreadful. That's how we appeared on British TV.'

Little Patrick, just two years old, was overwhelmed by the situation. When he was led on to the stage by his sisters he burst into tears!

Eamonn's surprise package included an amazing conglomeration from her past. Cecil Madden, now retired from the BBC, was one of her first homage-payers. He was followed by Alan Freeman and Peter Ustinov, Jimmy Young, Charles Aznavour, Sacha Distel, Harry Secombe, Val Doonican, Andy Williams and Jack Warner and Kathleen Harrison from the 'Huggetts' days. Mai Zetterling, whom Petula hadn't seen since they had worked together on The Romantic Age in 1948, was there, as were more recent friends like Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent – and to her especial delight, her father and Ann.

Series 15 subjects