Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Tom MCCLEAN (1943-)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Tom McClean, ocean rower, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews as he sailed up the River Thames in his boat on his way to a party to celebrate the publication of a new book by yachtswoman Naomi James.
Tom, who was born in Dublin and raised in a children's home in Northamptonshire, worked on a farm before enlisting in the British Army, initially with the Parachute Regiment and later with the SAS. After leaving the army in 1969, he became the first man to row single-handed across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1982, he sailed across the Atlantic again, this time in the smallest boat to accomplish such a crossing, at 9 feet and 9 inches, reducing the size of the boat by 2 feet a year later to gain another world record. After discovering his original 1969 record had been beaten, he made his fourth Atlantic crossing in June 1987 to reclaim his transatlantic title - in a record-breaking 54 days and 23 hours.
"Oh come on! Thank you very much!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 736
- Subject No: 730
- Broadcast date: Wed 13 Jan 1988
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Tue 22 Sep 1987
- Venue: Teddington Studios
- Series: 28
- Edition: 6
- Code name: Solo
on the guest list...
- Jill - wife
- James - son
- Ryan - son
- Naomi James
- Kay Glover
- Adrian Glover
- Audrey Glover
- George - father-in-law
- Lesley - sister-in-law
- David - brother-in-law
- Gen Sir Cecil Blacker
- Frank Patton
- John Venn
- Pauline Venn
- Hilary Venn
- Cliff Venn
- Greg Venn
- Fred Preston
- John Ridgway
- Ted Sweeney
- Clare Francis
- Wil Pennings
- Loes Pennings
- Harold Squires
- Jean Squires
- David Squires
- Elizabeth Squires
- Adam Squires Filmed tributes:
- Gen Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley
- Chay Blyth
related appearance...
- The Night of 1000 Lives - Jan 2000
production team...
- Researchers: Louise Clover, Claire Jenkinson
- Writer: Roy Bottomley
- Directors: Stuart Hall, Terry Yarwood
- Associate Producer: Brian Klein
- Producer: Malcolm Morris
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
adventurers of the high seas
a celebration of a thousand editions
Screenshots of Tom McClean This Is Your Life
Round-the-world mariner Dame Naomi James, whom we surprised on 22 December 1980, had devoted a chapter in her memoirs to Tom McClean: he had recaptured his own world record against the might of the Atlantic in nothing but a rowing boat in fifty-four days, twenty-three hours.
He thought he was helping Dame Naomi's book launch when he turned up for pictures rowing his Atlantic boat on the Thames. Instead, his young two sons, who he thought were back home in Scotland, James, aged seven, and Ryan, five, called to him through loud-hailers, 'Hello, Dad! Bet you didn't expect to see us!'
A moving moment for Tom, who had never known his own parents and had been brought up in an orphanage.
As he stepped ashore on 22 September 1987, Eamonn Andrews was there with the Big Red Book to tell the story of the ex-Para and SAS soldier who had become the first man in the world to row the Atlantic single-handed.
He had seen active service in Arabia and Borneo, and the mark of respect in which he was held was the fact that the man who played the role of his father at his wedding was General Sir Cecil Blacker, former Adjutant-General of the Army and former ADC General to HM the Queen. He had helped Tom set up his adventure centre in Scotland.
Korean war hero General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, known as 'Farra the Para', also greeted Tom.
Two men who had rowed the Atlantic as a pair said they had thought it couldn't be done single-handed – Captain John Ridgway, and Tom McClean's former Para platoon sergeant, Chay Blyth.
Series 28 subjects
Alan Freeman | Roy Barraclough | Georg Solti | Jimmy Cricket | Kitty Godfree | Tom McClean | Jane Rossington