This Is Your Life: Beryl Grey

Beryl GREY CBE (1927-2022)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Beryl Grey, choreographer and former ballet dancer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the London Festival Ballet's Donmar rehearsal studios in London's Covent Garden, having been led to believe she was being filmed for a documentary.

Beryl, who was born in Highgate, London, joined the Sadler's Wells School of Ballet in 1937 at the age of 10 after securing a scholarship with Dame Ninette de Valois. By the age of fifteen, she was starring in lead roles for the Sadler's Wells company.

As an international guest ballerina, Beryl became the first British artist to dance with the Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet in Russia in 1957, and later, in 1964, the first Western artist to appear with the Peking Ballet in China. In 1968, she became the artistic director of the London Festival Ballet.

"Oh Eamonn! Goodness gracious! Thank you very much! I'm absolutely overwhelmed!"

programme details...

Edition No: 382
Subject No: 383
Broadcast date: Wed 10 Apr 1974
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 3 Apr 1974 7.00pm
Venue: Euston Road Studios
Series: 14
Edition: 22

on the guest list...

members of the London Festival Ballet
Sven Svenson - husband
Ingvar - son
Arthur - father
Ninette de Valois
Joy Newton
Ruben - brother-in-law
Alicia Markova
Audrey de Vos
Maina Gielgud
Merle Park
Svetlana Beriosova
Philip Chatfield
Rudolf Nureyev
Madeleine Sharp
pupils of Madeleine Sharp's Ballet Class for Young Ladies

production team...

Researcher: Maurice Leonard
Writer: Maurice Leonard
Director: Royston Mayoh
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

A Dancer's Life

from ballet to ballroom

The Big Red Book

the programme's icon

Elizabeth Twistington Higgins: This Is Your Life

A profile of the ballet dancer

Ninette de Valois

Alicia Markova

Interviews

Beryl Grey recalls her experience of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in October 2013

Photographs and screenshots of Beryl Grey This Is Your Life - and Beryl Grey photographed at her home with her big red book in October 2013

Beryl Grey recalls her experience of This Is Your Life in her autobiography, For the Love of Dance...

In our third rehearsal week the most thrilling and unexpected surprise of my life occurred. Heather had organised a lunch at Giovanni's with Fernau Hall, the writer and critic. I frequently entertained people from the press, so this was nothing unusual. I left the lunch to take a three o'clock rehearsal of Swan Lake, but as I entered Donmar there was a strange silence and most of the dancers were placed on the floor in swan positions. Donald brought forward a man who stepped boldly up to me saying: 'Beryl Grey - This is your life', handing me a big red book. I stammered unbelievably: 'You are Eamonn Andrews.' Everyone laughed and clapped and from that moment on it was absolutely incredible. The expressions on the faces of the dancers was one of such love and pride that I was deeply moved. Before I could take in what was happening I was whisked away in a taxi to a suite in the White House Hotel where I was given champagne and cakes. I was told that my family knew all about everything that was to happen so there was no reason to contact them. Feeling a little more normal but still in a dream I was driven from Great Portland Street to the television studios close by where they were waiting for me in the make-up department.

Then it was happening and the cameras were rolling. A smiling Eamonn Andrews greeted first my Sven, then our son Ingvar, followed by my father, all with little stories to tell. Friends, relatives and dancers appeared, one by one: my earliest teacher Madeleine Sharp on film with some young pupils performing a short dance for me; the ballet mistress Joy Newton; our director the great Dame Ninette de Valois; my present coach Audrey de Vos; my brother-in-law specially flown in from Sweden; a filmed interview with Nureyev from New York; amongst others, the ballerinas Svetlana Beriosova, Merle Park, Maina Gielgud. To my astonishment my last classical partner Philip Chatfield appeared, flown all the way from Australia for the event. This astonishing evening ended with ten of my corps de ballet dancers entering, together with everybody who had taken part surrounding Eamonn Andrews and me. Eamonn Andrews was so courteous, kind and helpful, such an outgoing lovely person and totally professional. How amazing that so much planning had taken place over the last six months without anyone breathing a word. I had absolutely no inkling; even Sven's brother staying near us was kept totally secret.

The next day I found it difficult to come down to earth again and to concentrate on calls and all the other problems. An extra week to our seven-week Coliseum season was proposed and, after a long meeting with Peter B, Evans and Kern, we finally decided to go ahead and drew up a programme for an eighth week. But it was such an effort, my head in the clouds, still reliving the day before. The many other activities which occurred during that same month paled into insignificance: the arrival of the Dutch National Ballet to Sadler's Wells, two weeks later the outstanding Danish Ballet and their marvellous party at the Savoy following their opening night; and Bejart presenting his enthralling dramatic company. There was growing public interest in ballet, which was really heartening.

Series 14 subjects