Big Red Book

Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

• HOME
• |
• SERIES
• |
• SUBJECTS
• |
• FEATURES
• |
• ARTICLES
• |
• INTERVIEWS
• |
• ABOUT

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Lisa Clayton, yachtswoman, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a homecoming reception in Birmingham Victoria Square.

Lisa, who was born in Birmingham, began her working life in accountancy before joining Horizon Holidays, where she was introduced to sailing. Inspired by yachtswoman Naomi James’s book, Lisa spent her life savings buying a vessel, with the intention of sailing the world.

Having renovated the vessel into a reliable and seaworthy 39-foot yacht she named The Spirit of Birmingham, Lisa set off on her venture in September 1994. When she returned to Dartmouth in June 1995 having covered 31,000 miles over 285 days at sea, she became the first woman from the northern hemisphere to make a full circumnavigation of the globe single-handed, non-stop and unassisted.

"Well, I just don’t know what to say! I think for the first time in my life, I’m actually stumped for words - and how nice for you that is! Thank you very much indeed!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 922
• Subject No: 900
• Broadcast date: Wed 13 Sep 1995
• Broadcast time: 7.30-8.00pm
• Recorded: Sun 30 Jul 1995
• Venue: unknown
• Series: 36
• Edition: 2
• Code name: Ocean

on the guest list...

• Dan - father
• Gwen - mother
• Peter Harding
• Joyce Ferraday
• Toyah Willcox
• Vicky Richardson
• Nicky Sutherton
• Gay Hoskins
• Katie Poots
• Neil Hoskins
• Ken Franklin
• Jose Martin Lorca
• John Thomas
• Ann Thomas
• Bill Melling
• Sir Michael Thompson
• Ed Doolan
• Richard Uridge
• Chay Blyth
• The Very Rev Peter Berry
• Naomi James
Filmed tributes:
• Gary Glitter
• Sara and family - sister
• Nigel Mansell

production team...

• Researcher: Clare de Vries
• Writer: Roy Bottomley
• Director: Brian Klein
• Associate Producer: John Graham
• Executive Producer: Peter Estall
• Producer: Malcolm Morris

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

Life on the Ocean Wave

adventurers of the high seas

BBC axes This Is Your Life

Press coverage of the BBC's announcement

Chay Blyth

Naomi James

Nigel Mansell

Toyah Willcox

Screenshots of Lisa Clayton This Is Your Life

Lisa Clayton recalls her experience of This Is Your Life in her autobiography, At the Mercy of the Sea...

About ten days later we returned to the office to find we were once again inundated with mail. Amongst it was a letter from the IYRU requesting a vast amount of detail about the attempt. It would take weeks to sort it out. Well, it would have to wait till I had time to sit down for a few days and start to go through it.

Meanwhile it was back down to Dartmouth to get the boat ready to appear on show and be brought back up to Birmingham. We had worked non-stop since our return, and really could have done with a team of people, but since we couldn't afford to pay for any help we ended up doing most of the work on our own, helped out by volunteers as and when they could make it.

In the meantime we were getting the boat prepared for its triumphant return. The Lord Mayor held a Civic Reception in my honour which was a great accolade.

Since I had been back I had been busy but Peter wanted to keep many things to himself and I was getting just a little tired of it. Still I would sort it out after I had made my official return to Birmingham to meet the people.

We turned up dead on time and it was wonderful to see so many people there. I made a short speech and then for the first time since I had been back I was speechless.

Michael Aspel suddenly appeared and I couldn’t believe my eyes - yes, he was carrying the much-coveted red book. As he said to me, 'Lisa Clayton, this is your life,' I was momentarily struck dumb. But it was really happening and before I knew it I was whisked away in a car to the studios in London.

It was one of the nicest surprises in my life and I was delighted. In fact it was an evening of surprises with messages and appearances from many people - Gary Glitter, Nigel Mansell, Chay Blyth, Toyah Willcox, and other schoolfriends. The evening was made perfect by the last person to come on stage. I finally met the lady who had inspired me to go off on my crazy venture - Dame Naomi James.

It was a wonderful evening, and something I'll never forget. It explained also why everyone had been a bit strange. Michael has a policy not to go through with This Is Your Life if the surprise is found out before he turns up.

Toyah Willcox recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in her book, Living Out Loud...

In 1995 a fellow classmate, whom I don't remember being directly horrible to at school, became a national heroine when she sailed round the world single-handed. Lisa Clayton was being surprised for This is Your Life and I was one of the surprise guests. I felt guilty as I walked on stage to greet her; a year earlier she'd asked me for money towards the project and I just hadn't had any to give, but when she saw me she simply exclaimed, 'My God, you were awful at school, you were so bad.' There lies my defence. She was right, but the extent to which I affected those around me I never knew; all I can remember is how they affected me. I'm glad to say that, given twenty-odd years' life experience, all that youthful selfishness eventually falls away.