This Is Your Life: Peter Butterworth

Peter BUTTERWORTH (1915-1979)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE – Peter Butterworth, actor, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while shopping with his wife, actress, comedian and impressionist Janet Brown in the Selfridges department store in central London.

Peter, who was born in Bramhall, Cheshire, qualified as a pilot with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm after leaving school. During the Second World War, he was captured after his plane was shot down while flying in an attack off the Dutch coast. He was taken to Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp, where he began to perform in the camp's entertainment shows, along with fellow prisoners Talbot Rothwell and Rupert Davies.

After the war, he pursued a career in show business, making his professional debut in an ex-POW review called Back Home. He later found work as a memorable Dame in pantomime and on television in sketch shows and children's programmes, including an association with Harry Corbett and Sooty. His film career, which began with minor film roles throughout the 1950s, made him a household name after he joined the regular cast of the Carry On film series in 1965 with Carry On Cowboy.

"I thought you were a store detective! Can I have a sit down?"

programme details...

Edition No: 405
Subject No: 403
Broadcast date: Wed 5 Mar 1975
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 26 Feb 1975
Venue: Euston Road Studios
Series: 15
Edition: 18
Code name: Yellow

on the guest list...

Janet Brown - wife
Tyler - son
Emma - daughter
Adm Sir Frank Hopkins
James von Nervaden
Vincent 'Paddy' Byrne
Rupert Davies
Talbot Rothwell
David Bevan-John
John Casson
Anthony Ffrench-Mullen
Bobby Laumans
Oliver Philpot
Harry Corbett
Terry Scott
Jimmy Jewel
Clas van der Cuhe
Clas Kalles
Cory Kalles

production team...

Researchers: Carol Lee, Fred Austin
Writer: John Sandilands
Director: Robert Reed
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars

Family Life

keeping it in the family

Tyler Butterworth, son of Peter Butterworth, recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in June 2022

Screenshots of Peter Butterworth This Is Your Life

Janet Brown recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in her autobiography, Prime Mimicker...

Lots of people don't believe that the programme This Is Your Life is really genuine. Well, it is. It really is a surprise. I know, for it happened to me. Earlier on, they had done Pete's life and I found the comparisons interesting. Here, before coming to me, is how it happened to Pete. They decided he should be 'caught' in Selfridges. The studio rang to talk to me about it, and to work out how they could get him there.

'How about a phone call from you saying you're buying a new dress, and you want him to come up and look at it before you make up your mind?'

'Don't be silly,' I said, 'he would think I was mental, he would never come up from Sussex just for that. But I tell you what might work – if you got Pinewood Studios to phone him, and say they had arranged for him to be photographed in one of the departments with some of the glamour girls for the next Carry On film, I think he might believe that.' And sure enough, he did.

But before all this took place, I had to get him away from home, so that I could find old diaries and addresses for the researchers. I didn't like this part: I felt awfully guilty looking at his personal papers.

On the morning of the programme I asked him where he was going to be that day, knowing full well he was going to be in Selfridges. But I feigned great surprise when he told me.

'Oh, really? Selfridges? I'm having my hair done nearby. Why don't I meet you?'

And so we arranged to see each other under the big clock outside. I was petrified. I felt so unnatural and nervous when we greeted each other. I was sure he would sense something. I looked at my watch – we shouldn't really be in the store until shortly after four. Everything was timed to the minute. But Pete was never one for hanging about, and he made it clear when I tried to stop him.

'Oh, I've just remembered – I need to buy some, er, toilet water. Yes, that's right...' I was in a real old state by now.

'Well, buy it,' he said. 'You don't need me for that.' And he strode off.

I ran after him in an absolute panic. It was terribly important he shouldn't be in the particular department where the cameras were until a certain time. Oh dear, I thought, as we approached the department, the cameras are trained on us, they're going to see us, we're supposed to be a happily married couple and here we are on the verge of a row.

Pete was met by the wardrobe mistress for the film. There were no girls to be seen. By this time he was decidedly edgy, and when he asked where they were, and she said they were changing, he walked off into the shoe department. Everything was going wrong. Suddenly through the tannoy system came an announcement. 'Would shoppers please wait a moment. The well-known actor Peter Butterworth is in the store, and he is in for a great surprise.' Eamonn Andrews's voice went on, 'if you can hear this, Peter Butterworth...' Peter Butterworth couldn't hear it, he was in a department where the tannoy didn't reach!

Eamonn was hiding behind a clothes rack, microphone in hand and perspiration pouring down his face. He said later he aged ten years! Somehow I managed to get Pete to the spot where he should have been, and Eamonn duly surprised him.

The team had thought of everything when they planned this – except one thing. The human element. They assumed what Pete would do, and he had done quite the opposite. But in the end it was a lovely night for him. Many of his ex-Fleet Air Arm and prisoner-of-war friends turned up, Tyler and Emma were allowed out of school to be present, and I know that they felt very proud of him.

Series 15 subjects