Return of This Is Your Life
The Stage
19 June 1969
The Stage: This Is Your Life article
related pages...

Eamonn Andrews

a brief biography


Producing Life

the producers who steered the programme's success


Birth of Life

the genesis of the programme


Return of This Is Your Life


Thames is to resuscitate the old BBC show This Is Your Life. Eamonn Andrews will return in October with the show. Most of the programmes will be transmitted live from the Cafe Royal and will go colour when independent television starts colour in November.


The series ended on BBC just over five years ago when Eamonn Andrews signed a contract with ABC.


Why does Eamonn like the show? "Because of the human element I find myself very personally involved with each programme and perhaps for this reason it has always been one of my favourite shows."


"Times change, and therefore This Is Your Life of the 1950s just couldn't be the same as in the '60s. A whole new generation has grown up since then with a whole new attitude to life in general and inevitably the programme will reflect this. I hope the new series will present subjects in more depth – warts and all."


"This Is Your Life is not a translation from stage or radio and is ideal for television presentation. It's the most exciting television idea I've ever come across."


Eamonn still gets a lot of mail asking for the return of the series and suggestions for people to feature as subjects. "I think that Life is a very interesting project and that the time is right for it to return to the screens," he says. "It isn't a safe programme to work on. There is a lot of research involved preparing the show. You assemble the guests and then you are totally dependant on one person showing up, taking the surprise in his or her stride and agreeing to go on stage."


Producer of the series is to be Robert Tyrrell. "We are tackling the programme as though it is a completely new idea," he says. "However, the approach and style may well be different and we might change the emphasis a little."