Big Red Book
Celebrating television's This Is Your Life
With only a three-month break between the final broadcast of series 34 and the first recording of series 35, This Is Your Life returned to its former home - the BBC - after an absence of three decades.
The series, produced by the newly independent Thames Television production company, launched with glittering new titles and a brand new arrangement of the familiar Gala Performance theme tune - including, for the first time, an on-screen credit for composer Laurie Johnson.
A specially extended musical edition opened the series, honouring a musical theatre composer for the second time. In fact, the series has the highest number of second-timers ever in one series - with a total of nine.
Two of those previous second-timers made This Is Your Life history when Michael Aspel surprised the much-celebrated acting couple for a joint tribute - making them the only couple to have been a subject of the programme jointly and individually.
related pages...
the show's fifty year history
The Night Gary Glitter Fans Nearly Killed Me!
TV Times interviews producer Malcolm Morris
Radio Times interviews Michael Aspel
| Andrew LLOYD WEBBER | Composer and theatre impresario | 2 November 1994 |
| Leslie CROWTHER | Comedian, actor and television presenter | 9 November 1994 |
| Mike REID | Comedian and actor | 16 November 1994 |
| Martin BELL | Journalist and independent MP | 23 November 1994 |
| Marti CAINE | Comedienne and entertainer | 30 November 1994 |
| David WALLACE | Winchman | 7 December 1994 |
| Danny BAKER | TV and radio presenter | 14 December 1994 |
| Stephanie COLE | Actress | 21 December 1994 |
| Peter USTINOV | Actor, writer, director and broadcaster | 28 December 1994 |
| Lesley JOSEPH | Actress | 4 January 1995 |
| Arthur C CLARKE | Science fiction writer | 11 January 1995 |
| Barry CRYER | Writer and comedian | 18 January 1995 |
| Gretchen FRANKLIN | Actress | 25 January 1995 |
| Edward WOODWARD | Actor | 1 February 1995 |
| Ned SHERRIN | Broadcaster, author and stage director | 8 February 1995 |
| Spike MILLIGAN | Comedian, writer and actor | 15 February 1995 |
| Howard KEEL | Singer and actor | 22 February 1995 |
| Raymond GAINER | Chairman of MUDSA | 1 March 1995 |
| June WHITFIELD | Actress | 8 March 1995 |
| Debbie REYNOLDS | Actress and singer | 15 March 1995 |
| Bill COTTON | Television producer and executive | 22 March 1995 |
| Jimmy HILL | Sports presenter | 29 March 1995 |
| George BAKER | Actor | 5 April 1995 |
| James HERBERT | Writer | 12 April 1995 |
| Michael DENISON and | Actor | 19 April 1995 |
| Dulcie GRAY | Actress | |
| Ivor BROOM | Royal Air Force fighter pilot | 26 April 1995 |
| Kriss AKABUSI | Athlete and television presenter | 3 May 1995 |
| Helen SHAPIRO | Singer and actress | 17 May 1995 |
Broadcast details
Thames Television production for BBC28 editions | 26 x 30 minutes | 2 x 45 minutes
Wednesday | 7.00pm x 27 | 7.30pm x 1
Production team
Producer: Malcolm Morris | Executive Producer: Peter Estall | Associate Producer: John GrahamDirectors: Brian Klein, Malcolm Morris | Writers: Roy Bottomley, Norman Giller, Simon Booker, Charles Boyd
Researchers: Sue Green, Mandy Nixon, Elizabeth Ross, Mark Linnane, Sally Millson, Caroline Blackadder, Charles Boyd
Production Assistant: Irene Maxwell-Clark | Production Co-ordinator: Mandy Lee
Designers: Paul Sudlow, Martin Collins, Harry Clark, Jimmy Cuomo | Music: Laurie Johnson | Film Research: Susan Tiplady