Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life always strived to celebrate those individuals who displayed great courage, skill and determination in order to achieve their goals.
Here we look at those subjects who battled the unpredictable elements of nature, some breaking waves to break records, some just associated with boats, big or small, but all returning to dry land just long enough to receive the Big Red Book* treatment...
Roy GILL 20 April 1959 In an edition recorded on board the Cutty Sark, from its docked home in Greenwich, London - the programme's most ambitious location to date and the first to be a genuine 'outside' broadcast - Eamonn surprised the retired Royal Navy Reserve officer, who is now the master of the historic sailing ship. |
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Thomas Cosmo JONES 27 March 1961 The former seaman - described as 'King of the Rivers who spent many years at sea, including 12 years as the Buoyage and Transport Officer on the Niger and Benue Rivers for the Nigerian Government between 1946 and 1958 - was surprised by Eamonn at the stage door of the BBC Television Theatre. |
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Uffa FOX 29 January 1963 The boat designer and sailing enthusiast was surprised by Eamonn while entering a Bristol theatre. Uffa is responsible for many of the developments which have contributed to the modern popularity of Dinghy sailing, and designed many of the significant classes of boats around today. |
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John FAIRFAX 7 January 1970 Eamonn surprised the rower and adventurer - who in July 1969 became the first person ever to row solo across an ocean - having rowed across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Florida in 180 days. |
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Chay BLYTH 27 November 1974 The Scottish yachtsman and rower - the first person to sail single-handed around the world against the oncoming winds in a boat less than sixty feet long called British Steel - was on his boat, moored at Westminster Pier in London when Eamonn surprised him. |
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Robert ARNOTT 14 December 1977 Eamonn and the crew stowed away on the ocean cruiser Queen Elizabeth II - or QE2 as she was commonly known - in order to surprise the ship's current Captain in the stately Queen's Room. |
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Naomi JAMES 10 January 1979 Eamonn winched his way across the rafters of the Earls Court Boat Show to surprise the first woman to sail single-handed around the world via Cape Horn. During her record breaking voyage Naomi capsized, had no radio for several weeks and once nearly lost her mast. |
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Clare FRANCIS 12 March 1980 Clare was surprised by Eamonn while dining at London's Savoy Hotel. |
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Mike SPRING 29 February 1984 Eamonn disguised himself as a viking in order to surprise Mike - known as 'Captain Courageous' - on the banks of the River Thames in Kingston. |
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Tom McCLEAN 13 January 1988 Eamonn surprised the British Army veteran as he sailed up the River Thames to attend a party to celebrate the publication of a new book by yachtswoman Naomi James. |
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Tracy EDWARDS 21 November 1990 Tracy was surprised by Michael during a photo shoot in London's St Katharine's Dock onboard Maiden, the boat on which she had recently skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race. |
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Lisa CLAYTON 13 September 1995 Michael travelled to Birmingham city centre to surprise the first British woman to circumnavigate the globe from the Northern Hemisphere - alone, unaided and without stopping. |
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James HATFIELD 13 October 1997 James - born with a hole in his heart - successfully skippered the boat Tide and Tide in the 1996 BT Global Challenge with the first disabled crew to ever compete in such a race. Michael surprised the sailor and charity fundraiser during a book signing at the Southampton Boat Show for a tribute that included sailor Chay Blyth and journalist Michael Nicholson on the guest list. |
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Jim SHEKHDAR 25 April 2001 The engineer and water polo champion was surprised by Michael at a central London hotel. Jim became the first person to complete a solo unassisted non-stop crossing of the Pacific Ocean, setting off from Peru and arriving in Australia, having rowed almost 8000 miles in 274 days. He survived ten encounters with sharks, a near miss with a tanker and almost ran out of food. |
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Babs POWELL 15 November 2001 The former dancer with Pans People, and wife of actor Robert Powell, was surprised by Michael during a fundraising lunch held in her honour at St Katharine's Dock in London. |
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* the pre-1970 subjects were surprised by a different coloured book - see the Big Red Book feature for full details