This Is Your Life: Rolf Harris 2

Rolf HARRIS (1930-2023)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Rolf Harris, artist and entertainer, was surprised by Michael Aspel while marching with a pipe band down Princes Street in Edinburgh.

Rolf, who was born in Perth, Australia, to Welsh parents who had emigrated from Cardiff, was a keen swimmer and a prize-winning painter in his youth. He performed in theatres as a singer, pianist and accordionist, while training to become a teacher, but took a leave of absence in March 1952 to study art in the UK. Cabaret work in London led to appearances on the BBC children's television programmes Whirligig and Jigsaw, before being given his own show in 1967.

He achieved world fame with his 1962 recording, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport and had further success with Two Little Boys in 1969. Further television programmes followed throughout the 1970s, along with the publication of several books on art and drawing, and appearances in pantomime. His cover version of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven brought him a new wave of fans and an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in 1993.

Rolf Harris was a subject of This Is Your Life on two occasions – previously surprised by Eamonn Andrews in December 1971 outside Aeolian Hall, the BBC studios on New Bond Street in London.

"Ah, what are you doing to me? What a shock!"

programme details...

Edition No: 921
Subject No: second timer
Broadcast date: Wed 6 Sep 1995
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Sun 20 Aug 1995
Venue: unknown
Series: 36
Edition: 1
Code name: Tweed

on the guest list...

Marion Montgomery
Sheila Ferguson
Laurie Holloway
Joe Brown
Ernie Wise
Alwen - wife
members of the Rolf Harris Appreciation Society
Cliff Walsh
Steve Knight
David Grant
former patients of Harmsworth Hospital
Phil Cool
Bindi - daughter
Bruce - brother
Ant McPartlin
Dec Donnelly
Simon Bates
George Martin
Bob Hawke
Roger Whittaker

production team...

Researcher: Ian Brown
Writer: Ian Brown
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

related pages...

Rolf Harris

first tribute

Life Second Time Around

surprised again!

The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions

Screenshots of Rolf Harris This Is Your Life

Rolf Harris recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in his autobiography, Can You See What It Is Yet?...

In the midst of this surge in popularity. I was trying to master a new instrument - the bagpipes. I been invited to lead a parade of 3,000 pipers and drummers from all over the world into the city of Edinburgh for the Festival. The parade was to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Pipe Major Jim Banks had been giving me lessons twice a week. We'd walk up and down the garden in Bray, with me trying to make all these sounds, but mainly scaring the swans. I had to learn four tunes and I was desperate to look and sound like the real McCoy.

A week before the parade, word came through that the organisers had cut the number of tunes to two. What a relief! It halved my workload. Even so, I was worried sick about messing it all up during the actual marching.

Admitting defeat, I got Jim Banks to block off my pipes with corks before the march on the big day, so that no air would go through. They often do this with novice pipers on their first parade.

More than 300,000 people lined Princes Street in Edinburgh to see the parade in August 1995. The massed pipes sounded amazing as we marched down the long mile. I did all the right finger movements and puffed out my cheeks. I was fine until they started playing the two tunes they'd told me weren't going to be included. The television cameras were on me and I had to pretend that I knew what I was doing.

We reached the end of Princes Street and the cameras were all around me. I noticed Michael Aspel walking towards me.

'What are you doing up here?'

'Well, Rolf Harris, star of stage, screen and radio, this is your life.'

'What?' I should have added, 'Again?'

They whisked me off to the airport and flew me to London.

Family and friends were waiting in the studio.

Counting my appearance in the Australian version of the show, it was my third This Is Your Life. It just goes to show that if you live long enough history does repeat itself.

Just as a postscript, five years later I was surprised all over again when Channel 9 in Australia did another This Is Your Life. That made it four! Surely it has to be the last.

Radio Times article: Rolf Harris This Is Your Life

Radio Times 6 September 1995

Today's Choices

Michael Aspel brought the big red book back to the BBC for the first time last year, with a line-up of celebrity subjects that ranged from Danny Baker to Debbie Reynolds. Among the most moving shows were the ones featuring Leslie Crowther (making one of his first public appearances since his near-fatal accident) and Mike Reid (who had recently suffered several personal tragedies). But it is interesting to note that the programme with the highest viewing figures (Andrew Lloyd Webber) was the one leaked by the national newspapers.

Tonight This Is Your Life marches into its 40th year.

Series 36 subjects