This Is Your Life: Lisa Maxwell

Lisa MAXWELL (1963-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Lisa Maxwell, actress and television presenter, was surprised by Michael Aspel while filming an episode of the ITV police drama series The Bill on location in London.

Lisa studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and first acted on television aged 11. As a teenager, Lisa appeared in a West End production of the musical Annie and later voiced the character of Kira in the 1982 fantasy film Dark Crystal.

After a period presenting the children's programmes No Limits for the BBC and Splash for ITV, she moved into light entertainment, working with comedians Russ Abbot and Les Dennis, before headlining her own BBC variety series. She returned to acting with the BBC police drama series In Deep in 2001 and joined the cast of the long-running ITV police drama series The Bill the following year.

"No! I wondered why I got a cab in this morning... I thought I've only got three scenes – they normally make me do 10 hours before they send a cab!"

programme details...

Edition No: 1116
Subject No: 1091
Broadcast date: Thu 10 Apr 2003
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Fri 24 Jan 2003 9.30pm
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 43
Edition: 11
Code name: Coffee

on the guest list...

Paul Jessup - partner
cast members of The Bill
Simon Rouse
Graham Cole
Mark Wingett
Diane Parish
Val - mother
Rose - grandmother
Caroline Sargeant
Laura James
Bonnie Langford
Steven Hartley
Nino Firetto
Michael Groth
Bella Emberg
Jeffrey Holland
Samantha - cousin
Shane Richie
Todd Carty
Perry Fenwick
Karianne Henderson
Beau - daughter
Russ Abbot
Nick Berry
Stephen Tompkinson

production team...

Researcher: Jo Grant
Writer: Ian Brown
Director: John Gorman
Associate Producer: Helen Gordon-Smith
Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
Producer: Sue Green

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

Screenshots of Lisa Maxwell This Is Your Life

Lisa Maxwell recalls her experience of This Is Your Life in her autobiography, Not That Kinda Girl...

About a year after I started on The Bill, I was filming a scene when I realised the actor playing opposite me was not holding my gaze: he was looking behind me. What's wrong with him? This isn't very professional, I was thinking, until I realised everyone else on the set was doing the same. I was so distracted, I messed up my line and asked the crew, 'Can we do that again?' 'No, there's no time to do it again...' said a voice to the right of me and I turned round to see Michael Aspel with the big red This Is Your Life book.

Oh my God, they're doing This Is Your Life on somebody! I thought, and stepped aside to let him get to whoever it was he had come to surprise. Then he said the famous words, 'This is your life, Lisa Maxwell,' and I said, 'Oh my God!' again.

Everyone clapped and cheered as Sue Green (the producer on TIYL) stepped out to whisk me away. 'But we haven't finished the scene,' I protested. Someone had to explain to me it wasn't a real scene, just something specially written to get me in the right position so that Michael Aspel could appear behind me. 'Great, so I've spent all morning working on a load of nonsense! Why didn't you give me a later call?'

Sue took me away because the actual show could not be recorded until 10 o'clock that night - the cast of The Bill had to be able to finish work, get changed and travel to the studios.'Where shall we go?' she said. 'I'm taking you to lunch.' I chose Wimbledon Village because it's quite near the studios. In the car she told me they'd been trying to get me for ages, which was very flattering - especially as I'd been away in America and not appeared in much since then.

'They've only gone and got me on This Is Your Life,' I said when I rang Paul from the car.

'I know, darling, I know all about it! Didn't you notice all the photos have gone from round the house? Thank God you work so hard,' he laughed. And it's true: by the time I got in from work. I'd be lucky to notice if there were walls in the house, let alone pictures.

'Have you told my mum?' I asked.

'Lisa, just go and have a lovely lunch. As if your mum doesn't know.'

'But what am I going to wear?' 'Your new cream suit,' he told me.

A couple of weeks earlier we'd been to Emporio Armani to buy an outfit for me, which I thought was for a friend's wedding. I remember being really touched that Paul came with me, thinking: he really doesn't like shopping - it's so lovely he's come.

I found a cream suit: it looked like a tux from the front but had a large cut-out shape in the back of the jacket. 'This is the one! It's got really nice detail on the back,' said Paul. Of course I had no idea that Paul, a creative perfectionist, was thinking on TIYL there would be lots of shots of me from the back. The suit was really expensive but he insisted we buy it. But now, when he said that was what I should wear. I told him 'But that's for so-and-so's wedding...' 'Lisa, go and have lunch and I'll see you later!' he laughed.

Sue was also telling me to get off the phone because I was asking too many questions. We had a long boozy lunch and then the car took us to Teddington Studios, my old stomping ground, where I was virtually locked in the dressing room for the evening. Thankfully, Chrissie (the dresser who worked with me on The Bill) was more or less locked in with me, so I had good company.

The show was wonderful, with so many old friends there. As I walked onset, the first person I spotted was Paul. Russ Abbot, Nick Berry and Stephen Tompkinson all filmed tributes. Shane, of course, was there and was very funny and lovely; Laura James and Bonnie Langford came on to talk about Italia Conti. Todd Carty and Perry Fenwick told how we had all been child actors together. Jeffrey Holland and Bella Emberg made an appearance, and all the cast from The Bill. Mum was the first guest to come on, and Nan entranced Michael Aspel and loved her big moment, singing 'Put a Little Treacle on Your Pudding, Mary Ann' on national TV. For me, the highlight was Beau coming on at the very end: she was three years old at the time and they had filmed her singing and wearing a police hat so I was really surprised when they said she was there in person. As the sliding doors opened, she was standing there on her own, looking so serious and lovely. She reminded me this really is my life: Beau, Paul and me, it was a fabulous night.

Series 43 subjects