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Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Christopher Chittell, actor, was surprised by Michael Aspel while filming publicity for the release of a new Emmerdale video special in a hotel in central Leeds.

Christopher, who was born in Aldershot, first became interested in drama while at school in Shropshire. After moving to London and taking drama lessons with Joan Littlewood, he joined the National Theatre, where he appeared in Hamlet with Peter O'Toole in 1963. His early film roles include To Sir, with Love in 1967 and The Charge of the Light Brigade a year later.

He appeared regularly on television in the 1970s in the children's series Freewheelers and, later, the sci-fi series The Tomorrow People. After a spell away from acting when he ran a shop in Devon, he was cast, in 1986, in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Eric Pollard - a role which made him a household name.

"Oh dear god!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 1004
• Subject No: 979
• Broadcast date: Mon 5 Oct 1998
• Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
• Recorded: Fri 11 Sep 1998
• Venue: unknown
• Series: 39
• Edition: 5
• Code name: Farm

on the guest list...

• Caroline - wife
• Ben - son
• Rebecca - daughter
• cast members of Emmerdale
• Clive Hornby
• Paula Tilbrook
• Stan Richards
• Claire King
• Marge - mother
• Trisha - sister
• Sharon - sister
• Evelyn Maunde
• Shirley Owens
• Mervyn Ashton
• Frazer Hines
• Orchidea De Santis
• Sally Thomsett
• Darrol Blake
• Graham Roope
• Steven Finan
• Sid Finan
• Linda
• Michael Stiebel
Filmed tributes:
• Peter O'Toole
• Peter - brother
• Sally James
• Vanessa Barling
• Anro Renoir
• Colin Abraham

related appearances...

• Stan Richards - Apr 1991
• Frazer Hines - Oct 1992
• Richard Thorp - Jul 1994
• Richard Whiteley - Mar 1997
• Clive Hornby - Dec 1997
• The Night of 1000 Lives - Jan 2000
• Paula Tilbrook - Jan 2001
• John Middleton - Jul 2003

production team...

• Researcher: Kate Greer
• Writer: Joe Steeples
• Directors: John Gorman, Peter Wisdom
• Associate Producer: Helen Gordon-Smith
• Executive Producer: John Longley
• Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
• Producer: Sue Green

• names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

Life on the Farm

Emmerdale's finest

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Frazer Hines

Clive Hornby

Paula Tilbrook

Screenshots of Christopher Chittell This Is Your Life