Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Richard STILGOE OBE (1943-)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Richard Stilgoe, songwriter, lyricist and musician, was surprised by Michael Aspel while making music with his students at the Orpheus Centre in Surrey, having been led to believe he was being filmed for a documentary.
Richard, who was born in Camberley, studied at Clare College, Cambridge, where he first began performing as a member of the Footlights. Having failed his exams, he moved to London and found work in the evenings singing satirical songs in pubs and clubs while working as a copywriter with an advertising agency by day.
He made his name performing comic songs on the BBC television programmes Nationwide and That's Life, which led to his own television series and stage tours of his cabaret show. In addition, he wrote lyrics for the musicals Cats, Starlight Express and The Phantom of the Opera. In 1997 he founded the Orpheus Centre in Surrey, where young disabled people can prepare for independent living through performing arts courses.
"I don't believe this! I don't believe this for a moment! I'll never speak to any of you again!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 1079
- Subject No: 1054
- Broadcast date: Thu 7 Jun 2001
- Broadcast time: 8.30-9.00pm
- Recorded: Tue 3 Apr 2001
- Venue: BBC Television Centre
- Series: 41
- Edition: 26
- Code name: Bunny
on the guest list...
- Howard Goodall
- Don Black
- Jim Pope
- Martin Young
- Robin - brother
- Jemima - daughter
- Rufus - son
- Holly - daughter
- Jack - son
- Joe - son
- Annabel - wife
- Richard Whiteley
- George - brother
- Angela - sister-in-law
- Tony Tyler
- Bernard Cornwell
- Elizabeth Grosse - ex-wife
- Noel Picarda
- Valerie Singleton
- John Stapleton
- Lynn Faulds Wood
- Charles Collingwood
- Esther Rantzen
- Robert Powell
- Peter Skellern
- Larry Westland
- Rory Dyer
- Chris Hogg
- James Todd Filmed tributes:
- Cleo Laine
- John Dankworth
- Andrew Lloyd Webber
- Tim Rice
- school choir
related appearances...
- Brian Johnston - Nov 1982
- Arthur Marshall - Apr 1983
- Evelyn Glennie - Mar 1991
- Lesley Joseph - Jan 1995
- Valerie Singleton - May 2001
- Charles Collingwood - Feb 2003
production team...
- Researcher: Kate Greer
- Writer: Joe Steeples
- Director: John Gorman
- Associate Producer: Helen Gordon-Smith
- Executive Producer: John Longley
- Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
- Producer: Sue Green
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
a musical theatre chorus line
Richard Stilgoe recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in November 2023
Screenshots of Richard Stilgoe This Is Your Life - and Richard Stilgoe photographed at home with his big red book in November 2023
Series 41 subjects
Matthew Pinsent | Todd Carty | Vinnie Jones | Donald Woods | Linda Lusardi | Dorothy Tutin | Paula Tilbrook | John HumphrysAndrew Davis | James Ellis | Sue Jenkins | Geoffrey Hughes | John van Weenen | Charles Dance | Mick Channon
Jonathan Ross | Simon Rouse | Midge Ure | John Barnes | Paul Jones | Patrick Robinson | Jim Shekhdar
Valerie Singleton | Darren Gough | Kevin Woodford | Richard Stilgoe