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Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Fern Britton, television presenter, was surprised by Michael Aspel during the presentation of donated equipment for a special baby unit at Wickham Hospital in Buckinghamshire.

Fern, the daughter of actor and former This Is Your Life subject Tony Britton, initially worked with The Cambridge Theatre Company, having trained in Stage Management at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She began her broadcasting career as a newsreader and announcer in 1980 with ITV's Westward Television.

Having become the BBC's youngest-ever national news presenter on Breakfast Time in 1983, Fern later returned to ITV as co-host of the TVS news programme Coast to Coast before becoming an entertainment correspondent on London Tonight. She presented her own chat show, After Five, in 1994 and returned to the BBC later that year to host the cookery gameshow Ready Steady Cook.

"No! Hello! Gosh, it looks lovely!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 1092
• Subject No: 1067
• Broadcast date: Thu 7 Feb 2002
• Broadcast time: 8.30-9.00pm
• Recorded: Fri 25 Jan 2002
• Repeated: Wed 11 Sep 2002 7.00pm
• Venue: BBC Television Centre
• Series: 42
• Edition: 13
• Code name: Country

on the guest list...

• Cherry - sister
• Brian Cant - brother-in-law
• Jasper - half-brother
• Ruth - mother
• Tony Britton - father
• Phil Vickery - husband
• Ainsley Harriott
• John Leslie
• Nicholas Baldwin
• Richard Whitmore
• Sally Stewart
• Alastair Stewart
• Matthew Kelly
• Lesley Waters
• Ross Burden
• James Martin
• Brian Turner
• Patrick Anthony
• Tony Tobin
• Nick Nairn
• Harry - son
• Jack - son
• Grace - daughter
• Winnie - daughter
Filmed tributes:
• Fred Dinenage
• Jackie Blogg
• Sue Nicholls

related appearances...

• Tony Britton - Jan 1977
• Alastair Stewart - Nov 1998

production team...

• Researchers: Alex Renton, Melanie Clarkson, Simone O'Neill
• Writer: Ian Brown
• Director: John Gorman
• Associate Producer: Helen Gordon-Smith
• Executive Producer: John Longley
• Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
• Producer: Sue Green

• names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

Presenting Life

celebrating the hosts

Family Life

keeping it in the family

Tony Britton

Matthew Kelly

Alastair Stewart

Screenshots of Fern Britton This Is Your Life