This Is Your Life: Don Whillans

Don WHILLANS (1933-1985)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Don Whillans, rock climber and mountaineer, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.

Don, who was born in Salford, began hiking the Pennine moors while still at school. He was working as an apprentice plumber when he started his climbing career with Joe Brown in 1951.

From rock climbing, he progressed to mountaineering, carrying out the first ascent of the Central Torres del Paine, Patagonia with Chris Bonington, Jan Dlugosz and Ian Clough in 1962 and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna with Dougal Gaston in 1970.

programme details...

Edition No: 312
Subject No: 313
Broadcast live: Wed 8 Dec 1971
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Venue: unknown
Series: 12
Edition: 4

on the guest list...

Audrey - wife
Peter Whitwell
Eric Worthington
Dougal Haston
Tom - father
Mary - mother
Edna - sister
Chris Bonington
Hamish MacInnes
Herr Anderl
Felix Huen
Werner Haim
Wolf-Dietrich Bitterling
Manfred Sturm
Alice von Hobe
Dr Karl Herrligkoffer
Joe Brown
Ken Salter
Gerry Goldrick
Mrs Westmacott
David Wright
Keith Peel
Sir Edmund Hillary
Sir John Hunt

production team...

Researcher: unknown
Writer: unknown
Director: Margery Baker
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

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Chris Bonington

Chris Bonington recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, Ascent...

In November, Herrligkoffer and I met for the first time, improbably during filming for an episode of the television show This Is Your Life that featured Don Whillans. (They had contrived the scenario where an unwitting Don emerged from a tent in the studio to be greeted by host Eamonn Andrews holding a microphone. Don spoiled it rather by asking: 'What the fuck are you doing here?')

Series 12 subjects