Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
Judith CHALMERS (1936-2026)
THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Judith Chalmers, television presenter, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews - with the help of an Edwardian bus full of her former colleagues - on Whitehall as she left a charity meeting at 11 Downing Street in London.
Judith, who was born in Gatley, near Stockport, began her career as a teenager presenting radio programmes with the BBC's Children's Hour in Manchester. Having moved to London she joined the team of on-screen announcers on BBC television in 1961.
On BBC radio she presented Family Favourites and Woman's Hour and co-presented the ballroom dancing competition programme Come Dancing on BBC television in the 1960s before moving to ITV in the 1970s where she presented the daytime magazine programme Afternoon Plus and the holiday programme Wish You Were Here?.
programme details...
- Edition No: 572
- Subject No: 568
- Broadcast date: Wed 8 Apr 1981
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Recorded: Tue 17 Mar 1981
- Venue: Royalty Theatre
- Series: 21
- Edition: 25
- Code name: Visa
on the guest list...
- Neil Durden-Smith - husband
- Josephine Barnes
- Brian Trueman
- Marjorie Anderson
- Mavis Nicholson
- Elaine Grand
- Chris Kelly
- Tony Swainson
- John Bromley
- Derek Ufton
- John Junkin
- Ted Moult
- Mick McManus
- Willie Rushton
- Patrick Mower
- Anita Harris
- Nicholas Parsons
- Pete Murray
- Dickie Henderson
- Mark - son
- Emma - daughter
- Millie - mother
- Sandra - sister
- Raymond Legge
- Violet Carson - via telephone
- Harriet Pedford
- Dr George Burkhardt
- Meryl O'Keeffe
- Valerie Pitts
- Sheila Tracy
- Polly Elwes
- Jean Metcalfe
- Bill Crozier
- Peter West
- Frank Spencer
- Peggy Spencer
- Penge Latin American Formation Team
- Althea Greaves Filmed tributes:
- Harry Secombe
- Ken Dodd
- Doris Speed
related appearances...
- Sheila Scott - Mar 1974
- Robin Cousins - Mar 1980
- Cliff Michelmore and Jean Metcalfe - Dec 1986
- Derek Scott - Jan 1987
- Omar Sharif - Oct 1989
- Lord Brabourne - Oct 1990
- Peggy Spencer - Mar 1993
- Tony Warren - Oct 1995
- Chris Tarrant - Mar 1997
- The Night of 1000 Lives - Jan 2000
- Babs Powell - Nov 2001
- Julian Clary - Dec 2001
production team...
- Researcher: unknown
- Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
- Directors: Stuart Hall, Terry Yarwood
- Producer: Jack Crawshaw
- names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
celebrating the hosts
a celebration of a thousand editions
Celebrities select their ideal This Is Your Life subject
Screenshots of Judith Chalmers This Is Your Life
Judith Chalmers started broadcasting for the BBC in Manchester on Children's Hour when she was just thirteen.
On 17 March 1981, she had been attending a charity event at Number 11 Downing Street with husband Neil Durden-Smith. As they came out of the famous street, waiting for them was a special bus draped with a giant 'Wish You Were Here?' sign.
On board the bus, to Judith's amazement, was a star-studded passenger list of friends and colleagues who had all been a part of her broadcasting life: Pete Murray, Patrick Mower, Nicholas Parsons, Anita Harris, Willie Rushton, Mavis Nicholson, Elaine Grand, Chris Kelly, Mick McManus, Marjorie Anderson, Dickie Henderson and her Come Dancing colleague Peter West.
When she had got over her surprise, clearly Judith was very happy to be there.
Series 21 subjects
Joe Loss | Julie Goodyear | Lawrie McMenemy | Peter Bowles | Mike Yarwood | John Schlesinger | Andrew Lloyd WebberJanet Brown | Rodney Bewes | Russell Harty | Joan Wells | Billy Connolly | Bill Owen | Jeffrey Archer | Brian Jacks
Melvyn Hayes | Fred Housego | Alex Higgins | Tim Brooke-Taylor | Bernard Cribbins | Gemma Craven | Jim Watt
John Thaw | Jonjo O'Neill | Judith Chalmers | Margaret Price