This Is Your Life article

EAMONN ANDREWS tells the secrets of his show

Eamonn's THIS IS YOUR LIFE secrets

EAMONN'S carefully laid plans to surprise the stars of his show often lead to brushes with the law - some funny and some frightening. Today he tells how he has been on the receiving end of shocks himself.

FRIGHTS OF YOUR LIFE!

EAMONN ANDREWS was talking to PETER DONNELLY

LAST night's This Is Your Life - a tribute to that great veteran comedian "Rubberneck" Nat Jackley - might never have been shown because of a bomb scare.

It had been arranged that Nat, the "Father of the funny Walk", should travel by train to London to take part in a programme about music hall.

He was told a camera crew would be waiting at Euston station to film him doing his funny walk.

I was dressed in British Rail uniform so that I'd merge into the background.

Spare

As I was driven along on a trolley, another trolley came alongside and its driver gave me a piercing look.

He asked: "Bloody hell! How long have YOU been working for this company?"

I'm still not sure whether he thought I worked for British Rail in my spare time or whether This Is Your Life was a part-time job I fitted in to my full-time role as a British Rail employee.

We were still chuckling when someone sprang a very nasty surprise on our producer, Jack Crawshaw.

A man in a light brown suit tapped him on the shoulder. "Scotland Yard," said the man.

"I'm sorry but I may have to ask you to get your crew out of here in a big hurry - we've just had a bomb warning."

There was a short time before Nat Jackley's train was due to arrive, and Jack decided it might be best if we cleared off until the alert was over.

He told the crew what was happening but not me - "I thought you'd got enough problems about springing the surprise," he told me later - and we all headed off to the Thames studio nearby.

Scare

Those who needed it had a quick nerve-stiffer before piling back into the cars.

When we got to the station again the scare was over.

"That's nice!" Nat said when I confronted him. We were all thankful that the surprise hadn't come as a bombshell.

Our army got its marching orders

WE had a spot of difficulty when we were telling the story of Windsor Davies, one of the stars of the hilarious It Ain't Half Hot, Mum.

Windsor was dining in a Chelsea restaurant when his co-stars and I - all in that uniform - marched round the corner to lie in wait.

A police inspector arrived. Crowds were gathering and he wasn't too happy.

But it seemed that his wife was a great fan of This Is Your Life, and he might find himself in trouble if he told her he'd wrecked our programme.

Obligingly, he told us: "I'm going to walk up this street and ignore you. But you'd all better be gone by the time I get back."

We sent someone to tell Windsor's lunch partner that a car had arrived for them.

Windsor came out, I surprised him and we were away before the inspector plodded back.

POLICE SWOOPED ON BANK RAID

I ENDED up in the middle or a police swoop when we told the story of Lin Berwick, who was born handicapped and later lost her sight, but fought back to help herself and many, many others.

Lin was a telephonist at the Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia in the City.

Our plan was to surprise her at the Christmas party. Her boss told her that cameras would be recording it so a tape could be sent to Australia.

I parked outside, waiting for a signal when I could slip in. But all hell was suddenly let loose. Sirens were blaring and blue lights flashing.

Someone had seen one of the show's team sneaking into the back door. Another man, the caller told police, was hanging around looking very suspicious.

It took some fast talking to convince the lawmen we were "raiding" the bank for This Is Your Life.