This Is Your Life: Sam Kydd

Sam KYDD (1915-1982)

The only edition of This Is Your Life in the programme's history which was not broadcast in full.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Sam Kydd, actor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the Kempton Park racecourse.

Sam, who was born in Belfast but grew up in London, was captured while serving with the British Expeditionary Force in France during the Second World War and spent the remainder of the war in a German prisoner-of-war camp, where he took command of theatrical activities, including devising and staging plays.

After the war, Sam found work as an actor and quickly became a recognisable face on British cinema screens in the 1940s and 1950s through supporting roles in films such as The Blue Lamp, The Cruel Sea and Reach for the Sky. He became best known on television as the lovable smuggler Orlando O'Connor in the popular ITV adventure series Crane, first shown in 1963.

This edition of This Is Your Life is the only one in the programme's history not broadcast in full. This was due to the author Richard Gordon refusing to take part in his live tribute, which forced ITV to show this recorded edition as a replacement. By the time ITV took Richard Gordon's show off the air, there was insufficient time to show the whole of Sam Kydd's programme.

programme details...

Edition No: 374
Subject No: 375
Broadcast date: Wed 20 Feb 1974
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 23 Jan 1974
Venue: Euston Road Studios
Series: 14
Edition: 14

on the guest list...

Pinkie - wife
Jonathan - son
Bill Golledge
Rev Basil Carver
Freddie Foster
Derek Lunn
Richard Davis
Jack Warner
Beryl Reid
Jim Laker
Patrick Allen
Gerald Flood
Rodney Bashford
ex POW colleagues

production team...

Researcher: unknown
Writer: unknown
Director: Peter Webb
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

with thanks to Jonathan Kydd for his contribution to this page

related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

A Life Refused

those who said 'No'

Timeline

the show's fifty year history

Not on your life

Press coverage of Richard Gordon's 'on air' refusal of the big red book

Secrets Of 'Life': The ones who got away

Producer Malcolm Morris exposes some production secrets to TV Times

Beryl Reid

Interviews

Jonathan Kydd, son of Sam Kydd, recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in November 2012

Photographs of Sam Kydd This Is Your Life

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

...at the beginning of a live programme that I was directing, Richard Gordon, of the 'Doctor' books and films fame, came into Thames Television reception in London. Suddenly Eamonn Andrews appeared beside him.

As he saw Eamonn, Richard also spotted two cameras in the corridor.

'Hello,' said Eamonn. 'Tonight, Richard Gordon, this is your life.'

Richard looked at Eamonn. 'Are we on now?' he asked.

'Yes,' said Eamonn, 'this is live.'

'Balls,' said Richard. He then turned to dash out of the building.

'We've got a lot of guests waiting to see you,' said Eamonn rather anxiously.

'I didn't invite them,' replied Richard.

By this time I had faded the picture out and started a stand-by programme on actor Sam Kydd, due to have gone out the following week.

Richard Gordon was now halfway out of the studio door.

'Oh, come on,' said Eamonn.

Richard paused. 'Oh, all right,' he said.

He went back into the studio with Eamonn and we recorded the programme for the following week.

I don't know why Richard Gordon said no in the first place, but what I do know is that he made the front page of nearly every newspaper in the country on the following day.

Gus Smith recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, Eamonn Andrews His Life...

Eamonn still found the pick-up moment nerve-racking. He never knew when a potential subject would say no and walk away.

The Danny Blanchflower affair was still fresh in his memory. Yet, subsequently, when Richard Gordon, best-selling creator of the famous 'Doctor' books and television series, refused to appear on This Is Your Life, Eamonn admitted that he experienced the same kind of agony as when Danny Blanchflower walked off. 'I really don't know why he refused. Perhaps he just didn't want to face the cameras.'

More than twenty million saw the author walk off the set at Thames Television, with Eamonn following him close behind in a desperate bid to persuade him to stay. After a few moments confusion, the screen went blank. Then a recorded version of a standby programme, featuring the actor Sam Kydd, was shown.

Richard Gordon had been brought on as a mock 'Doctor' sketch was being played by members of the Doctor In The House cast from London Weekend Television. Eamonn held up the large Life book and told him, 'You won't need a script tonight because, Richard Gordon Ostlere this is your life!' It was at that moment that he decided to snub Eamonn. He later returned to the studio however and explained to the audience of 200 that he was 'pathologically shy'. He then went ahead with a recording of the programme.

After the incident Thames Television was inundated with telephone calls from viewers wanting to know what had happened. A spokesman for Thames explained that sometimes the show was recorded and sometimes put on live. 'As luck would have it tonight's show was live. But live or recorded, it is always a surprise to the subject. Tonight was a surprise to us. We hope to show the Richard Gordon Life at a future date.'

At the point of the author's refusal to cooperate, Eamonn had looked shaken and pale. It was obvious that some programmes were proving more nerve-racking than even he cared to admit. But he was prepared to endure the pain for the sake, as he would say, of the thrill of a live programme.

Series 14 subjects