Recent additions...
Roy Dotrice – the versatile actor recalls his 1974 tribute in an exclusive interview
Ernie Wise – a specially extended edition for the comedy legend from 1990
Christopher Biggins – the actor and presenter surprised in 1999
William Tarmey – the Coronation Street actor's edition from 1989
Anna Neagle – the popular actress was surprised a second time in 1983
Alfred Pavey – the Weymouth lifeboat coxon, honoured in 1977
THIS IS YOUR LIFE...
... a simple premise for a TV show. A surprise encounter and an unexpected reunion. The host reveals the life story of the unsuspecting ‘subject’ with the help of a Big Red Book and a gathering of family and friends.
That formula became one of the most popular TV programmes on British television ever, running almost 50 years, producing over 1000 editions, and, in the process, becoming a British institution.
At the peak of its popularity, in the 1970s and 80s, millions of TV viewers regularly tuned in every Wednesday at 7pm with excited anticipation of whose name would be embossed on that week’s Big Red Book...
This website is a celebration of the show and the lives it honoured. Open the Big Red Book to reveal a record of every UK edition from 1955-2003 and learn about the series, the subjects and the sets as we turn back the pages of one of the best loved television treasures of all time.
So, as the man said ...
“if you look at that screen over there...”
