This Is Your Life: Bill Owen

Bill OWEN MBE (1914-1999)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Bill Owen, actor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in London's Trafalgar Square, having been led to believe he was there to make a promotional film for BBC television.

Bill, who was born in Acton, London, began performing in amateur dramatics before joining the Cambridge Repertory Theatre in 1934. He later spent 12 years with London's Unity Theatre, where he wrote, produced and acted in plays and revues. During the 1950s, he combined appearances in several post-war British films, including early Carry On films, with critically acclaimed stage performances at London's Royal Court Theatre and on Broadway.

He had a successful second career as a songwriter during the 1960s, co-writing the lyrics for dozens of pop songs, including Cliff Richard's hit Marianne. But it was television that made him a household name after he landed the role of Compo - the moth-eaten, woolly hat-and-wellies-wearing pensioner lacking in social graces - in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, which began in 1973.

"Dear oh dear! I took it for real! Well, can I go home and change?"

programme details...

Edition No: 560
Subject No: 556
Broadcast date: Wed 7 Jan 1981
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Mon 17 Nov 1980
Venue: Royalty Theatre
Series: 21
Edition: 13
Code name: Win

on the guest list...

Robert Dougall
Leslie Crowther
Ed Stewart
Kenneth Wolstenholme
Reg Gutteridge
Patrick Moore
Arthur Mullard
Peter Sallis
Katie - wife
Tom - son
Kathleen - stepdaughter
Charlie Burton
Elsie Burton
Alfie Bass
Leonard Sachs
Charles Hawtrey
Freddie Davies
Mary - daughter-in-law
James - grandson
William - grandson
John Metzler
Martin Shaw
Roy Clarke
residents of Holmfirth
Holmfirth Choral Society

production team...

Researchers: Katie Lander, Vivien Lind
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Stuart Hall, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

the sitcom stars

Tom Owen, son of Bill Owen, recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in March 2010

Screenshots of Bill Owen This Is Your Life

Bill Owen recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Summer Wine and Vintage Years: a Cluttered Life...

When Sydney Lotterby, who has many successful credits in a long career with BBC comedy, took on the direction and production of Summer Wine, he asked me if I would be interested in helping with a video promotion. This was to be jointly made by ITV and the BBC with the idea of selling British comedy series in America, and Compo, he explained, was the only one required for the Summer Wine spot. I agreed and Sydney said they would be in touch. They were in due course and appeared to be very well organised, explaining that they simply wanted a shot of Compo riding around Nelson's Column on a bike; this would simply act as an opener to several excerpts from the series and would take no more than a half-hour of my time. I was given a date and the time a car would be at my disposal to take me to Trafalgar Square. I gathered from these details that this was going to be no small-time promotion, this was mid-winter and the obvious and cheapest way to take such a shot was on Sunday morning as soon as there was sufficient light, no traffic, no people. But no, they must have wanted plenty of action because they chose mid-week at 5.30 p.m. - right in the middle of rush hour!

On the appointed day, my costume was promptly delivered by BBC Wardrobe, and at the appointed hour a very large limousine was waiting to take me to Trafalgar Square. As we arrived, my feelings about this being no small-time promotion were confirmed - half of Trafalgar Square was illuminated by huge TV lights, hundreds of people were watching or milling about as the traffic became more frenzied.

The director met me, explaining that all he wanted was for me to cycle towards the camera which was a hundred yards away, and any "funnies" I could think of "would be more than welcome". I remember I said, half jokingly, "I suppose you've got permission from the police for this?" but he was called away before he could answer. The first shot was OK for the director and me, but not the cameraman, so we shot it again and as I got nearer the camera I became aware of a policeman advancing out of the crowd. As he came towards me the thought suddenly flashed through my mind, "I bet they haven't got permission to film here, the stupid bs". The policeman interrupted, pushed back his helmet and said, "Bill Owen, this is your life." It was Eamonn Andrews.

I'm sure you must be acquainted with the format of the programme; a wonderful moment with my family - Kathie, KL, Tom, my daughter-in-law Mary and my grandsons, James and William; many friends, some unexpected like dear John Metzler who flew in from Florida and Freddy Davis from the Philippines where he had just collected a Gold Disc for a record he made of a song of mine, "So Lucky". A memorable evening!

Series 21 subjects