Big Red Book

Celebrating television's This Is Your Life

  

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THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Robert Maxwell, media tycoon and former politician, was surprised by Michael Aspel during a meeting of the organisers of the charity Birthright at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London.

Robert, who was born into a poor Orthodox Jewish family in Czechoslovakia, fled the Nazi occupation of his native country to join the Czechoslovak Army in exile during the Second World War and was later decorated for gallantry while serving with the British Army.

He established a small publishing company in post-war London, which he built into Pergamon Press, a major academic publisher. After six years as a Labour Member of Parliament during the 1960s, Robert returned to business, successively buying the British Printing Corporation, Mirror Group Newspapers and Macmillan Publishers, among other publishing companies.

"You must be joking! It's not often that I'm lost for words!"

programme details...

• Edition No: 746
• Subject No: 739
• Broadcast date: Wed 14 Dec 1988
• Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
• Recorded: Thu 8 Dec 1988
• Venue: Teddington Studios
• Series: 29
• Edition: 9
• Code name: House

on the guest list...

• Lord Kearton
• Peter Shilton
• Marjorie Proops
• Elisabeth - wife
• Ian - son
• Kevin - son
• Pandora - daughter-in-law
• grandson
• granddaughter
• Anne - daughter
• Ghislaine - daughter
• Helene - niece
• Christine - daughter
• Isabel - daughter
• Sylvia Rosen - sister
• Michael Tabak - cousin
• Yvonne Vittoz - sister-in-law
• John Melmoth
• Verdon Bosley
• Prof Sam Eilon
• David Frost
• Lee - cousin
Filmed tributes:
• Maj Derrick Watson
• Lord Wilson
• President Jaruzelski

related appearance...

• Derek Jameson - Feb 1986

production team...

• Researchers: Caroline Blackadder, Sue Green
• Writer: Roy Bottomley
• Directors: Brian Klein, David Clark
• Producer: Malcolm Morris

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

related pages...

Stop Press

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Life on the Hustings

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Secrets Of The Big Red Book

TV Times launches another new series

David Frost

Marjorie Proops

Peter Shilton

Screenshots of Robert Maxwell This Is Your Life