Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
As the 1970s drew to a close, This Is Your Life, still in its Wednesday 7pm slot in the ITV schedules, remained as popular as ever, consistently topping the increasingly competitive ratings.
This 20th series featured an unusually high number of sporting heroes, including an athlete, a boxer, a footballer and a rugby star, and, uniquely, two cricketers within one year.
A specially extended Christmas Day edition paid tribute to a well-respected and much-loved writer, comedian and actor.
The planned opening of the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats at the New London Theatre in May 1981 meant another change of venue for the programme. So the Royalty Theatre around the corner in Holborn became the new home to This Is Your Life for the next six years, while the Stage newspaper reported on the practicalities of a television show using a working theatre.
In a history-making moment in this series, Eamonn Andrews presented the Big Red Book to a television presenter, who was surprised on the set of the hugely popular game show, Give Us A Clue and would become the custodian of the Big Red Book eight years later.
related pages...
the special editions
the studio look and locations
the show's fifty year history
The Daily Mirror reveal's Eamonn's This Is Your Life secrets
Royalty plans future as opera-dance venue in Thames TV tie-up
The Stage reports on This Is Your Life's new home
| Pat SEED | Journalist and campaigner | 28 November 1979 |
| Fred TRUEMAN | Cricketer | 5 December 1979 |
| Noel BARBER | Novelist and journalist | 12 December 1979 |
| Charles AZNAVOUR | Singer, songwriter and actor | 19 December 1979 |
| Eric SYKES | Writer, comedian and actor | 25 December 1979 |
| Andrew SACHS | Actor | 2 January 1980 |
| Gerald HARPER | Actor | 9 January 1980 |
| Terry GRIFFITHS | Snooker player | 16 January 1980 |
| Paddie O'NEIL | Actress and singer | 23 January 1980 |
| George MARTIN | Record producer, musician and composer | 30 January 1980 |
| Geoffrey CAPES | Athlete and strongman | 6 February 1980 |
| Roy KINNEAR | Actor and comedian | 13 February 1980 |
| Nyree Dawn PORTER | Actress | 20 February 1980 |
| Emlyn HUGHES | Footballer | 27 February 1980 |
| Stewart GRANGER | Actor | 5 March 1980 |
| Clare FRANCIS | Yachtswoman | 12 March 1980 |
| Jilly COOPER | Author and journalist | 19 March 1980 |
| Robin COUSINS | Figure skater | 26 March 1980 |
| Brian BEVAN | Lifeboat coxswain | 2 April 1980 |
| Bill BEAUMONT | Rugby union player | 9 April 1980 |
| Mike TETLEY | Physiotherapist | 16 April 1980 |
| Alan MINTER | Boxer | 23 April 1980 |
| Nat JACKLEY | Comedian and actor | 30 April 1980 |
| Cathleen NESBITT | Actress | 7 May 1980 |
| Michael ASPEL | Television presenter | 14 May 1980 |
| Clive LLOYD | Cricketer | 21 May 1980 |
Broadcast details
Thames Television production for ITV26 editions | 25 x 30 minutes | 1 x 45 minutes
Wednesday | 7.00pm x 25
Tuesday | 9.45pm x 1
Production team
Created by: Ralph EdwardsProducer: Jack Crawshaw
Directors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood, Stuart Hall, Anthony Parker, Linda McDougall, Paul Stewart Laing, Robert Reed
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley | Programme Consultants: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Researchers: Vivien Lind, John Graham, Tom Wettengel, Cathy Parnall, Tony Lee, Maurice Leonard, Brian Klein
Robin Ellis-Bextor, Katie Lander
Programme Associate: Maurice Leonard
Production Assistants: Barbara Dudley-Evans, Irene Clark, Cherry Crompton, Sheila Hawkesworth, Miriam Cooper
Designers: Graham Probst, John White
Studio Supervisors: Bruce Engelfield, Del Randall, John White Jones, Dick Hibberd, Fred Cope, Peter Groome
Dave Sparks, Peter Sampson, Cliff Webster
Lighting Directors: Ken Craik, Harry Holton, Ray Nicholson, Dennis Bowden-Williams, Derek Constable, John O'Brien, Bill Lee
Sound Supervisors: John Baker, Roy Sanders, David Law, Ron Hedger, Chris Chapman, Michael Gore, Peter Willcocks
Senior Camermen: Nick Hawkins, Dave Brook, Eric Jackson, Hugh Bruce, Stuart Brandon, Peter Howell
Vision Control: Ian Jones, Bob Mason, Richard Waitling, Brian Kerr, Brian Kirk, Bill Marley, Reg Gymer, Allan James, Peter Wherlock
Vision Mixers: John Cooper, Kenneth Angus, Peter Turl, Janice Howes, Bridet Anderson, Martin Perrett
Floor Managers: John Sanders, Tim Dehn, Maurice Langston, David London, Bill Allan, John Parris, Ken Dodds, David Downing
Make-up Supervisors: Carole Bernard, Jeannie MacKenzie, Mimi Kimmins, Jane Burrell
Wardrobe Supervisors: Sandra Jeffery, Pat Worth, Sheila Smith, Christine Pegg, Susan Whall
Graphics: Ray Bruce, Jack Frogell, Memfhis Hakki, Chris Jennings, Bruce Langsman, Patrick Murphy
Film Editor: Chris Sames | Location Manager: Eric Pavitt
Production Team: Maurice Leonard, Roy Fewins, Alan Tingay, Alan Ritchie, Wally Morgan, Martin Leonard, Judy Webbe, Peter Buchanan