COCO - Nicolai POLIAKOFF (1900-1974)

Coco the Clown This Is Your Life

programme details...

  • Edition No: 179
  • Subject No: 180
  • Broadcast live: Mon 15 Jan 1962
  • Broadcast time: 7.30-8.00pm
  • Venue: BBC Television Theatre
  • Series: 7
  • Edition: 16

on the guest list...

  • Bernardo Brasso
  • Helen Roland - daughter
  • Cyril Mills
  • Robert McGeachie
  • The Incredible Koringa
  • Stanley Franklin
  • Phineas May
  • Valentina Poliakoff - wife
  • Ian Hendry
  • John Povey
  • Carol Lycett
  • Children -
  • Olga Kerr
  • Tamara Hassini
  • Sasha Coco
  • Nadia Sinclair
  • Grandchildren -
  • Alexine
  • Michael
  • Francine
  • Sumisha
  • Christine
  • Zayna
  • Penelope
  • Nickolai
  • Valentina
  • David
  • Tania
  • Graham

production team...

  • Researcher: Nickola Sterne
  • Writer: Nickola Sterne
  • Story editor: John Sandilands
  • Directors: Yvonne Littlewood, David Croft
  • Producer: T Leslie Jackson
related pages...

The Big Top

the circus is in town


Venues and Sets

the studio look and locations


Timeline

the show's fifty year history


David Croft


Ian Hendry


Interviews

Carol Antcliff, a guest of Coco the Clown, recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in February 2011

Coco the Clown This Is Your Life Coco the Clown This Is Your Life

Photographs of Coco the Clown This Is Your Life

Coc the Clown article

Sheffield Star 26 April 1974


"Our mum's got a smashing friend"


The World’s most famous clown meets Sheffield’s most grateful housewife.


Coco came to town with the Robert Brothers Circus with a special mission in mind. He wanted to trace the little girl who held a special place in his world of children.


The Star published the story on Monday telling of Coco’s visit to a 15-year-old girl in a city hospital, suffering from terrible burns. A few kind words from Coco and she pulled through.


GUEST OF HONOUR


Years after that, the girl re-appeared in Coco’s life when he was guest of honour on the TV show, “This Is Your Life.” But the two lost touch and he had almost given her up for lost.


She read Monday’s story, and immediate plans were made by The Star for yesterday’s re-union at the circus in Hillsborough Park.


Now Carol Antcliff, of Jermyn Crescent, Hackenthorpe, has three children of her own, Paul, aged eight, Cheryl, six and David, four.


They were there to enjoy a private spot of clowning before being treated to ringside seats at the show.


He’s a wonderful man,” she said. “He really did help me get well. We used to write to one another, but I lost his address when we moved from our last house.”

Series 7 subjects

Max Bygraves | Mario Borrelli | Alastair Pearson | Brian Rix | Derek Dooley | Elizabeth Twistington Higgins | Sandy MacPherson
Ronald Menday | Harry Day | Peter Finch | Charlie Drake | Timothy Cain | Isabella Woodford | David Park | Sefton Delmer
Coco the Clown | Jenny Gleed | Arthur E Davies | Tom Evans | David Pelham James | Kenneth Horne | Marie Rambert | David Butler
Glen Moody | Kenneth Cooke | Tom Breaks | Dora Bryan | Bob Oatway | Acker Bilk | Hester Meakin | Joe Filliston | Ellaline Terriss