This Is Your Life: Thora Hird 1

Thora HIRD (1911-2003)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Thora Hird, actress, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews - with the help of David Frost - in the audience at the BBC Television Theatre.

Thora was born into a theatrical family in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe and worked at the local Co-op while appearing in over 500 plays with the Morecambe Repertory Theatre. The comedian George Formby, on a visit to the theatre in 1941, recommended her to Michael Balcon at Ealing Film Studios, who placed her under contract. Her first appearance was in Black Sheep of Whitehall with Will Hay, and a string of comedy films and dramas followed.

In the 1950s, Thora was under contract to the Rank Organisation and established herself a major character actress. She gave outstanding performances in Simon and Laura and The Entertainer, opposite Laurence Olivier, but one of her most notable roles was that of the monstrous TV-addicted mother in John Schlesinger's A Kind of Loving. As her career progressed, Thora frequently returned to the stage, often in comedies, and, in 1964, she was memorably teamed with the comedian Freddie Frinton in the BBC television series, Meet the Wife.

Thora Hird was a subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions - surprised again by Michael Aspel in July 1996 in the Yorkshire town of Holmfirth.

programme details...

Edition No: 241
Subject No: 240
Broadcast date: Thu 16 Jan 1964
Broadcast time: 8.50-9.15pm
Recorded: Mon 16 Dec 1963
Venue: BBC Television Theatre
Series: 9
Edition: 15

on the guest list...

George Ormrod
Neville Hird – brother
Horace Michelson
Major Gordon Hamilton-Gaye
Jimmy Scott – husband
Janette Scott - daughter
Michael Bentine
Ted Ray
Jack Hackett
Dr Guetar

production team...

Writer: Peter Moore
Director: Michael Goodwin
Producer: Vere Lorrimer
Executive Producer: T Leslie Jackson

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Thora Hird

second tribute

Life Second Time Around

surprised again!

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

Michael Bentine

David Frost

Ted Ray

Thora Hird recalls This Is Your Life in her autobiography, Scene and Hird...

‘This is your life – No it’s not – It’s his!’

During dinner one evening after we had returned from playing the season at Torquay, Jan enquired, ‘Mummy, can you keep the most secret secret you’ve ever heard?’ to which I promptly replied that I could. I’ll tell you why I replied promptly – because I can keep a secret! D’you know, when I was a school girl aged ten, a friend of mine who was a couple of years older than I, told me a secret and with our little fingers locked I swore I would never utter it to anyone. And I never did – torture wouldn’t have dragged it out of me, money or jewels couldn’t have bought it, because you see we had locked fingers and sworn an oath! I met this old school friend a couple of years ago, and I was proud to inform her that her ‘secret’ was still safe with me. She’s a good sport and she said, ‘D’you know, Thor, I remember us hooking our little fingers but I can’t remember what the secret was!’ I lowered my voice to inform her, ‘You had got the curse – started on your periods!! Sh!’ We exploded with laughing. When we’d contained ourselves, dried our eyes and blown our noses, she informed me that I was freed from our finger-hooking secret as she had just ‘gone through the change!’

Sorry – I sort of went off the subject again, didn’t I?

Right! Jan had asked me whether I could keep a secret. Well, the secret was the BBC were about to do a This Is Your Life and the culprit, sorry I mean subject, was David Frost, and I was the chosen body to get him to Shepherd's Bush Theatre by hook or by crook – if I could.

A few nights later we were again having dinner (we don’t care, y’know, we often have dinner). And David, who was dining with us, was munching away when I said, ‘Hey, David, we were having a discussion at rehearsal today and someone remarked that as we made our living on television, we really ought to visit each programme that plays to an audience and see the various methods of producers, etc. Do you agree?’ Before he could get rid of his mouthful of food and answer, I continued, ‘I do – I mean, for a start, I’ve never been to a This Is Your Life, have you?’ By now he had cleared his mouth of food and informed me in no uncertain terms that he hadn’t and had not the slightest intention of ever doing so! ‘Oh, come on,’ I wheedled, ‘let’s go and see one made. I’d love to, honest.’ Eventually he agreed.

I excused myself from the table and ran into the lounge to look at the diary. I knew which date they wanted him there because I had it marked with a sort of spy-like sign, so I had to use my histrionic ability a bit more. ‘I can only go on so-and-so,’ I called out. ‘It’s the only night I have free when they’ll be doing one – is that all right for you?’ He took out his pocket diary – scrutinized it and very begrudgingly agreed, that yes, it was all right for him. Tee-hee, I thought, little do you know Frostie, that it’s you they’re doing. So that was that.

When we returned from Torquay I did quite a few little bits – the Vic Oliver Show on sound, Woman’s Hour and so on, and – I’d started to rehearse the play All Things Bright and Beautiful. The famous ‘David Frost This Is Your Life’ day came during the rehearsal period, so I would need to leave rehearsal early on that day.

As we say in the north, ‘I took the director on one side’ and explained to him that many are called but few are chosen to convey the subject of This Is Your Life to the appointed execution ground! I did not, repeat, not, tell him who the subject was. The director, John Moxey, agreed immediately to let me leave early. In fact, he started to direct my means of getting across London to the hairdresser’s by suggesting I order a taxi for three o’clock and so on. On the day, it all happened beautifully.

Arriving home from the hairdressers, I put two voluminous bath caps over my ‘shampoo and set’ and had a quick bath. I had the house to myself because Scottie was out at a Masonic Luncheon and Jan was at Pinewood filming The Beauty Jungle.

David’s mother and father had come from Beccles to spend a few days with him (tee-hee, little did he know why they had chosen these particular days!) and were to come to our house, with David, and collect Jan and me around five-forty. About five-thirty a Rolls-Royce pulled up outside our front door. Jan got out and burst into the house looking (excuse me, as it’s me daughter) gorgeous! I was ready. I cannot ever remember up to that point in our lives, Jan ever saying to me or Scottie, ‘Let’s have a drink shall we?’ And that’s the truth.

But that evening she said, and I shall never forget it, ‘Oh Mummy you do look nice shall we have a drink?’ All in one breath! So we did! David and his parents arrived in another Rolls-Royce, so Jan sent hers away. David had a sherry and his parents orange juice (his Dad was the dearest of Wesleyan Ministers, and God will rest him), after which the caravan prepared to move off.

As we drove along the Bayswater Road and approached Shepherd's Bush from Holland Park, David said, ‘Well this is all very nice – I wonder whose life they are doing tonight – some poor soul is, at this moment, totally unaware of what the future holds!’ We all laughed – as I, ‘cleverhead’, nudged Jan on one side of me and Mona, David’s mother, on the other! Some Poor Soul! Tee-hee, it won’t be long now, I thought.

We arrived at the Bush and got out of the car and, as arranged (secretly), we just walked in like anybody else – but we were put on the front row. The moment arrived. Eamonn Andrews appeared, to loud applause, and started on his spiel. He was standing in front of us, more or less. He chatted away and gawd knows there is nobody better that he at this particular thing. David was looking round and whispered to me, ‘I can’t see anyone behind us who it might be.’ Oh dear, I was very near the tittering stage. ‘On the front row ladies and gentlemen,’ I heard Eamonn say, ‘… we have the King of Satire, David Frost.’ (Loud applause.) ‘The Queen of Comedy, Thora Hird.’ (Quite loud applause.) ‘And Britain’s most beautiful film star, Janette Scott.’ (Whistles and applause.) He looked at David and said, ‘Did she have a lot of trouble getting you here tonight, David?’ indicating me. ‘Well, er, yes – quite a bit, really,’ replied David. ‘Oh well, never mind,’ said Eamonn, ‘… the most important thing is that she got you here, because now we are able to say, This Is Your Life!’ And at this point he sort of showed the big red book to David, and then moved it over to me, as he concluded, ‘Thora Hird!’

‘No, it’s not!’ I argued. ‘It’s his!’

Talk about he who laughs last, eh? Scottie was not at a Masonic Luncheon, he was at the studios waiting and he knew all about it. John Moxey, who had so willingly let me off rehearsals early, he knew. My brother Nev, who was brought down from the north (or up as the case may be), he knew; Jan, who was so nervous for me she suggested we had a drink, she knew; the Rev and Mrs Frost had been acting their socks off, they knew! And – from before the moment Jan had asked me if I could get David there – the King of Satire knew!

Do you wonder our country producers the finest spies and the most brilliant actors and actresses? Mind you – we do occasionally produce a real, gormless, egg-headed, dumb cluck – like, for instance, ME!

There was a smashing ‘marble hole’ under the street lamp opposite 6 Cheapside, Morecambe, Lancs, England, Europe, the World, and when the BBC made me the subject of This Is Your Life, they and the Morecambe Corporation couldn’t give me the marble hole but they did give me the street lamp! Honest!

And Thora Hird recalls This Is Your Life again in her book - written with Morris Bright - Our Thora...

They say that a cat has nine lives. Well, I haven’t had as many as that, but if This Is Your Life is anything to go by, I’ve had two so far. Yes, I’ve been caught out twice by the man with the red book. The first time was back in the 1960s when my daughter Jan and I had been asked to take part in setting up David Frost to be ‘done’.

Quite an elaborate scheme was hatched whereby I persuaded David that as an up-and-coming television producer he had a responsibility to watch programmes being filmed, whether it be sport, news, light entertainment and so on. He seemed to agree and before he knew it I said that we should go and sit in the audience of This Is Your Life during one of its filmings. He wasn’t keen at all. But I finally persuaded him and managed to get him to the studios in Shepherds Bush at the agreed time. Even though we were supposed to be secret guests, we ended up sitting in the front row.

The show began and out from behind the curtains came Eamonn Andrews. Everyone clapped and he started his spiel. He was standing right in front of us and David kept looking round to see who might be there to be caught out. I tried not to laugh. Then Eamonn came and introduced us to the audience. There was great applause as he called out David’s name, then mine, then Janette’s. He said to David: ‘Did she have a lot of trouble getting you here tonight?’

‘Well yes, actually she did,’ he replied. I was beaming.

‘Never mind,’ said Eamonn, ‘the most important thing is that she got you here so that I can say tonight, this is your life …’

And at that point he turned towards me and shoved the red book right under my nose as he added the words: ‘… Thora Hird!’

‘No, it’s not,’ I argued. ‘It’s his!’ But it wasn’t. It was mine and I hadn’t tricked David, he had tricked me.

Series 9 subjects