This Is Your Life: Sarah Brightman

Sarah BRIGHTMAN (1960-)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Sarah Brightman, soprano, singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and musician, was surprised by Michael Aspel at RAF Wittering in Lincolnshire, where she due to take off in a RAF Harrier Jump Jet as a treat from her RAF friends for some work she did for them.

Sarah trained at the Arts Educational School and the Royal College of Music. She began her career in 1977 as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip, and then briefly with Pans People, before releasing several disco singles as a solo performer.

In 1981, she made her West End musical theatre debut in Cats and met composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom she later married. Sarah went on to star in several West End and Broadway musicals, including The Phantom of the Opera, in which she originated the role of Christine.

"Oh I don't believe it!"

programme details...

Edition No: 759
Subject No: 751
Broadcast date: Wed 1 Nov 1989
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Tue 26 Sep 1989
Repeated: Thu 2 Nov 1989 1.30pm
Venue: Teddington Studios
Series: 30
Edition: 2
Code name: Shine

on the guest list...

former members of Hot Gossip
former members of Pan's People
Andrew Lloyd Webber - husband
Gren - father
Paula - mother
Nicola - sister
Claudia - sister
Jay - brother
Joel - brother
Amelia - sister
Annabelle Hargrey
Polly James
Rosie Norman
Deborah Goodman
Jeff Calvert
Brian Blessed
Gillian Lynne
Ian Adam
Paul Miles-Kingston
Guy Niblett
Yvette Sargent
Steven Spielberg
Michael Crawford
Bonnie Langford
Wayne Sleep
Paul Nicholas
Lorin Maazel
Michael Ball

production team...

Researcher: Mandy Nixon
Writer: Roy Bottomley
Directors: Brian Klein, Paul Kirrage
Associate Producer: John Graham
Producer: Malcolm Morris

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

Life is a Cabaret

a musical theatre chorus line

Classical Life

a symphony of subjects

Family Life

keeping it in the family

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Paul Nicholas

Wayne Sleep

Screenshots of Sarah Brightman This Is Your Life

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...

Former Hot Gossip and Pan's People dancer Sarah Brightman had taken off in more ways than one when we set out to surprise the West End and Broadway musical star at RAF Wittering in Lincolnshire.

She'd been promised a 'flip' in a Harrier jump-jet as a thank you for a charity concert. As she roared round the skies she had no idea another aircraft was flying in the direction of the base, with a passenger list of surprises.

Her colleagues from the popular television dance groups were on board with Michael Aspel, ready to pounce when the Harrier landed.

Back at our studio were more surprises, including from Cats – Bonnie Langford, Wayne Sleep, Paul Nicholas, Brian Blessed and choreographer Gillian Lynne.

Sarah had been acclaimed for her performance as Christine in Phantom of the Opera, composed by her then husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber, so she might have been forgiven for looking somewhat puzzled when he wasn't at the studio (apparently) that day in September, 1989.

We found Andrew in Hollywood, in Universal City, in the company of ET, Indiana Jones, and now Jurassic Park creator Steven Spielberg no less. They were looking through scripts, they explained, which is why Andrew couldn't be in London.

In fact, it was a gag. As soon as we had recorded on videotape at Universal City, Andrew caught a plane back to London and walked on to our set.

Andrew hadn't much cared for the catering arrangements, apparently, when we did his Life at the New London Theatre in 1980, and wanted to bring his own chef to Teddington. In the event, he was perfectly happy with the party afterwards, and so was everyone else.

Michael Crawford really did have to stay in Los Angeles – he was packing them in in Phantom – but he sent a contribution from there.

Series 30 subjects