This Is Your Life article

THE EXCITING INSIDE STORY OF "THIS IS YOUR LIFE"

WHEN viewers saw the tears in Anna Neagle's eyes after she had appeared in "This Is Your Life," they wrote scathing letters to Television Centre.

This programme was cruel, they said. Neither Anna nor anyone else should ever be confronted with all the hopes, fears and whims of their early life in such brutal fashion.

What the viewers didn't know was that Anna's tears were nostalgic tears.

"What an experience," she said as she wiped her eyes. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Each programme in this tense half-hour of peeping into someone else's life brings a shoal of criticism - and praise.

Andrew Milbourne, the Newcastle man who lost both hands at Arnhem, appeared before the cameras. His wife told frankly how she had left her husband.

She did so in order to shake him back to realities. He seemed to be letting life get on top of him. Moping too much, perhaps, over the loss of his hands.

It was a bold gamble - but it worked. Andrew found himself again and the couple were re-united.

This programme brought in the biggest flood of letters.

Half were abuse for delving so deep into the privacies of a married life.

Half were praise for the courage in doing so, and gratitude for the "happy ending."

Startled

"THIS IS YOUR LIFE" has the biggest audience of any series in this country.

An average of just under eleven million have watched the programme every week.

The idea originated in America.

It was all the rage there when Ronnie Waldman, one of the top BBC backroom boys, saw it. He was startled and almost frightened by it.

But he brought back tele-recordings.

Could British audiences stomach a programme which relied so much on the revelation of stark emotion?

After due consideration, it was decided to try the programme out - with modifications.

STANLEY MATTHEWS was chosen as the first subject. A team of six worked for a month, preparing the script and mustering a "cast" who could tell of Stan's early life.

Then, only 48 hours before the programme was due on, a newspaper let the cat out of the bag.

Not realising that the surprise element is essential, they published the fact that Stanley was due to "kick off" in the first of the big new series.

A new subject had to be found.

Only twice in the history of the programme has the subject known that he or she would be appearing. Each time it was in America.

When Lilian Roth's life was being planned, much of it was considered too personal that her permission to include it was sought in advance.

Eddie Cantor was the other case. He was suffering from a heart complaint.

His doctor warned that the sudden shock of finding himself on such a programme might have serious results. So Eddie was told in advance.

Elaborate

The efforts to keep the central figure in complete ignorance of the surprise in store for them often take days of planning.

In Ted Ray's case, an elaborate setting was arranged.

Ted got an urgent request from no less a person than the programme director of the BBC Television Service to help entertain some distinguished visitors from Australia.

They were said to be planning the introduction of TV in Australia.

Peter Cushing would be there to represent drama, Sid Colin would answer questions on scriptwriting. Would Ted be on hand to speak for light entertainment?

Ted fell, hook, line and sinker. He spent a dull half-hour wandering through the studios, answering bogus questions put to him by two Australian actors playing the part of V.I.P.s.

Peter Cushing and Sid Colin were in the know. But they played their parts without a smile.

As a crowning touch, all the clocks in the studios were put forward five minutes. This was so Ted, even if he had the slightest suspicion, would think that the show would already be on and he couldn't possibly be the night's subject.

Phoney

To hoodwink Humphrey Lyttelton, a complete phoney variety programme was booked.

Humph was told that owing to a let-down, the "This Is Your Life" programme had been cancelled. Would he top the bill on a substitute variety programme?

To make sure he didn't smell a rat, everyone on the dummy programme was called for a Sunday afternoon rehearsal!

Up to the last moment, Humph was convinced he was taking part in a normal variety programme.

Then, halfway through one of his numbers, Eamonn Andrews came forward, book in hand, to disillusion him.

Humph had always said he would refuse to take part in a "Life" programme.

But he found it wasn't the ordeal he had imagined.

After it was all over, he wrote a glowing tribute to Leslie "Jacko" Jackson, who handles the programmes.

HAS anyone ever refused to go before the cameras when Eamonn has "thrown the book" at them?

Not so far. But there's always the chance.

If it ever does happen, Jacko has a tele-recorded "Life" up his sleeve to fill the gap.

"The nearest to a refusal I've had," he says, "was with the Rev. Brian Hession, the man who survived a 'miracle operation' for cancer."

"He half-turned as though to leave the theatre when Eamonn first approached him. Then he thought better of it."

"He told me afterwards," Jacko recalls, "that while he was far from keen about appearing before the cameras himself, he realised the programme would give immense heart and hope to cancer sufferers and was therefore very worthwhile."

It was a near thing, too, with Susan Ryder. She is the forthright little woman who has done so much to relieve suffering among Europe's millions of displaced persons.

Throughout the programme she bristled with rage.

"The time would have been much better spent if it had been devoted entirely to an appeal to help displaced persons," she said when it was all over.

What she said when over £3000 flowed into her funds as a result of the programme is not recorded!

TEARFUL

EACH "Life" has its aftermath. Sometimes heart-lifting. Sometimes heartbreaking.

Look what happened after the Paul Field programme. Mr Field's claim to fame was the happy home he has given to so many unwanted children.

A tearful woman rang the BBC the following day, asking to be put in touch with Mr Field.

"We have a very unhappy home because my husband is a violent drunkard," she explained.

"My little daughter saw the programme last night and begged me to send her to Mr Field's home. She said it looked so much happier than ours. I hate doing it, but I can't help thinking it would be best for her," added the mother.

There was a happier outcome to the "Life" featuring Henry Starling, a Cockney fishporter.

He had known his wife since he was three years old. Her family had moved when she was a child and he had lost sight of her for years. They met again when she was 23, by which time she had become blind.

They were married on a Christmas Eve. He had gone to work the following day - only to find he had been sacked.

The cheerfulness with which they had faced adversity touched many hearts.

Immediately the programme was over, a travel agent offered the couple a free holiday in Italy.

MANY "lives" are investigated by Jacko's team without finding their way to the TV screen.

Sometimes they haven't the right ingredients for the programme.

Others don't measure up to the original conception of the character.

Once a "Life" was fully prepared, but the subject unexpectedly left the country on a business trip a few days before the programme was due.

Fans of the programme suggest about 70 subjects a week. But very few are found to be suitable.

Many writers suggest themselves - overlooking the fact that the person concerned must not know in advance that he's to be on the programme!

Others naively say - "I promise not to let anyone know I know I'm going to be on"!

More than half the suggestions consist of the simple words: "My mother."

Each subject of the programme gets a set fee. The others taking part get out-of-pocket expenses.

Sometimes the expense of getting just one person to the programme runs into hundreds of pounds.

George Sarll, son of "Tiger" Sarll, was flown specially from Australia.

The BBC have representatives in all parts of the world. A phone call to the representative nearest the friend or relative required - and another cog in the machine which brings "This Is Your Life" to TV screens is put in motion.