Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
TV Times magazine previewed the new series with an article about how supersonic travel and a shrinking world could enable Eamonn Andrews to pop up anywhere around the globe. And ironically, the series ended with the first transatlantic edition as the production team travelled to New York to surprise a British-born American songwriter and composer in Times Square.
The series featured not the first This Is Your Life to be broadcast from onboard a ship - that was back in 1959 - but the first edition produced on a moving vessel - in this case, the QE2 - when Eamonn Andrews was smuggled aboard to surprise the ship's master.
The book Surprise Of Your Life, published in April 1978, was co-written by presenter Eamonn Andrews and producer Jack Crawshaw and promised to reveal 'the dramatic stories behind television's top show This Is Your Life'.
In the first known 'pick-up' of its kind, Eamonn Andrews interrupted a disc jockey during his BBC Radio 2 morning show to surprise him live on air.
TV Times magazine published an in-depth article on the problems faced by the production team as they tracked down a Wimbledon champion.
related pages...
the show's fifty year history
the producers who steered the programme's success
TV Times photo feature
The deuce of a job getting Ginny's jigsaw to fit
TV Times feature on Virginia Wade
| Richard BECKINSALE | Actor | 23 November 1977 |
| Peter USTINOV | Actor, writer, director and broadcaster | 30 November 1977 |
| Virginia WADE | Tennis player | 7 December 1977 |
| Robert ARNOTT | Master of the QE2 | 14 December 1977 |
| Lin BERWICK | Telephonist | 21 December 1977 |
| Bob PAISLEY | Football manager | 28 December 1977 |
| The BACHELORS | Music group | 4 January 1978 |
| David BROOME | Show jumper | 11 January 1978 |
| Arthur ENGLISH | Actor and comedian | 18 January 1978 |
| Barry SHEENE | Motorcycle racer | 25 January 1978 |
| Margot TURNER | Military nurse and nursing administrator | 1 February 1978 |
| Pat COOMBS | Actress | 8 February 1978 |
| Michael CROFT | Actor, teacher and writer | 15 February 1978 |
| Max BOYCE | Comedian, singer and entertainer | 22 February 1978 |
| Nicholas PARSONS | Television and radio presenter and actor | 1 March 1978 |
| Richard GOOLDEN | Actor | 8 March 1978 |
| Ian HENDRY | Actor | 15 March 1978 |
| Marti CAINE | Comedienne and entertainer | 22 March 1978 |
| Ian WALLACE | Singer, actor and broadcaster | 29 March 1978 |
| Dennis WATERMAN | Actor | 5 April 1978 |
| Anton DOLIN | Choreographer and former ballet dancer | 12 April 1978 |
| Terry WOGAN | Radio and television broadcaster | 19 April 1978 |
| William FRANKLYN | Actor | 26 April 1978 |
| Richard MURDOCH | Actor and entertainer | 3 May 1978 |
| Harry PATTERSON | Author | 17 May 1978 |
| Jule STYNE | Songwriter and composer | 24 May 1978 |
| Mike YARWOOD | Impressionist and comedian | 31 May 1978 |
Broadcast details
Thames Television production for ITV27 editions | 27 x 30 minutes
Wednesday | 7.00pm x 26 | 8.30pm x 1
No edition broadcast on 10 May 1978 due to the European Cup Final football match
Production team
Created by: Ralph EdwardsProducer: Jack Crawshaw
Directors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood, Peter Webb, Robert Reed
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley, John Sandilands | Programme Consultants: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Researchers: Tony Lee, Lavinia Warner, John Viner, Marilyn Gaunt, Debbie Gaunt, Maurice Leonard, Michael Ford
Programme Associate: Kay Bird | Production Assistants: Kate McNamara, Angie Piper, Penny Welsford, Joan Erikson
Designers: Graham Guest, Jim Nicholson, Richard Jarvis, Ronnie Baldwin
Technical Supervisors: Fred Reader, David Thornewill, Tony Taylor, Peter Sampson, Bruce Engelfield
Lighting Directors: Harry Holton, Dennis Bowden-Williams, Ken Craik, Brian Turner, Ray Nicholson, Malcolm Harrison, Allen Harradine
Sound Supervisors: Chris Chapman, Roy Sanders, Tony Morley, David Law, Bill Sutton, Mike Westlake
Senior Camermen: Ray Wilson, George Cann, Peter Hodgson, Tony Cox, Eric Jackson, Chris Emmins, Mike Solomans
Vision Control: Lawrie Peacock, Brian Aylard, Mel Davis, Dave Charlton, Mike Hutchinson, Jim Fergus-Smith, Arnold Spence, Paul Stripp
Vision Mixers: Peter Turl, Kenneth Angus, John Cooper
Floor Managers: David London, John Hansen, Maurice Langston, John Sanders, Tim Dehn
Make-up Supervisor: Jeannie MacKenzie | Wardrobe Supervisor: Pat Worth
Graphics: Ray Bruce, Jack Frogell, Patrick Murphy
Production Team: Maurice Leonard, Roy Fewins, Alan Tingay