Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Gerry MARSDEN (1942-2021)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Gerry Marsden, singer and musician, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews in the car park of Thames Television's Teddington Studios - along with a group of artists called The Crowd who had recently re-recorded You'll Never Walk Alone to raise funds for the Bradford Football Club stadium tragedy.
Gerry, who was born in Liverpool, first began singing in school concerts and the local church choir before entering talent contests and playing with skiffle groups. His first group, Gerry and the Mars Bars, became Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1959, and by the early 1960s, they were regularly playing at Liverpool's Cavern Club.
Gerry and the Pacemakers became the first group in pop music history to have three number-one hits with their first three recordings - How Do You Do It, I Like It, and You'll Never Walk Alone - all released in 1963. After the group disbanded in 1966, Gerry starred in the West End musical Charlie Girl in 1968, appeared regularly on television and toured worldwide.
"You bastards! You swines!"
programme details...
- Edition No: 687
- Subject No: 681
- Broadcast date: Wed 18 Dec 1985
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Tue 22 Oct 1985
- Venue: Teddington Studios
- Series: 26
- Edition: 9
- Code name: Ferry
on the guest list...
- The Foxes
- Rick Wakeman
- Gerard Kenny
- The Barron Knights
- Motorhead
- Girlschool
- Ed Stewart
- Jim Kenny
- Rose Marie
- Phil Lynott
- The Nolans
- Jess Conrad
- John Conteh
- Tony Christie
- Joe Fagin
- Pauline - wife
- Yvette - daughter
- Vicky - daughter
- Fred - father
- Mary - mother
- Ruth - mother-in-law
- Gerry - father-in-law
- Fred - brother
- Margaret - sister-in-law
- Sarah Jane - niece
- Peter - cousin
- Alan Rudkin
- Ken 'Dixie' Deane
- Tommy Ryan
- Jimmy Tobin
- Jimmy Savile
- Derek Nimmo
- Larry Viner
- Anna Neagle
- Jimmy Tarbuck
- Ben E King
- Les Maguire
- Les Chadwick
- Ron Yeats
- Tommy Lawrence
- Gerry Byrne
- Bill Stevenson
- Tommy Smith
- Peter Thompson
- Ian Callaghan
- Ian St John
- Nessie Shankly Filmed tributes:
- Paul McCartney
- Cilla Black
related appearances...
- Alan Rudkin - Mar 1972
- George Martin - Jan 1980
- Harry Corbett - Dec 1988
- Clive Hornby - Dec 1997
- Sue Johnston - Dec 1998
- Sue Jenkins - Feb 2001
production team...
- Researcher: Miriam O'Callaghan
- Writer: Tom Brennand
- Directors: Terry Yarwood, Michael D Kent
- Associate Producer: Brian Klein
- Producer: Malcolm Morris
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
charting the pop stars
Screenshots of Gerry Marsden This Is Your Life
Series 26 subjects
William Roache | Dennis Taylor | Elisabeth Welch | Sheila Mercier | Richard Branson | Maurice Denham | David EllawayTerry O'Neill | Gerry Marsden | Joyce Carey | Chas n Dave | Oliver Reed | Felix Bowness | John Harris | Bonnie Langford
Henry Cotton | June McElnea | Derek Jameson | Richard Vernon | Martyn Lewis | Peter Shilton | Ted Rogers
Simon Williams | Larry Slater | Lena Kennedy | Denis Quilley