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 iconic titles and theme tunes
the special editions
surprised again!
the show's fifty year history
BBC harks back to a previous life
The Guardian reports on the return to the BBC
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 | Television journalist | 23 November 1994 |
| Marti CAINE | Comedienne and entertainer | 30 November 1994 |
| David WALLACE | Royal Navy Search and Rescue Aircrewman | 7 December 1994 |
| Danny BAKER | Journalist and comedy writer | 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 director | 8 February 1995 |
| Spike MILLIGAN | Comedian, writer and actor | 15 February 1995 |
| Howard KEEL | Actor and singer | 22 February 1995 |
| Raymond GAINER | Disabled sportsman | 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 | Broadcaster and former footballer | 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 | Senior Royal Air Force commander | 26 April 1995 |
| Kriss AKABUSI | Television presenter and former athlete | 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
No edition broadcast on 10 May 1995 due to the screening of the film, Uncle Buck
Production team
Created by: Ralph Edwards, Ralph Edwards ProductionsProducer: Malcolm Morris | Executive Producer: Peter Estall | Associate Producer: John Graham
Director: Brian Klein | OB Director: Malcolm Morris
Writers: Roy Bottomley, Simon Booker, Norman Giller, Charles Boyd
Researchers: Mandy Nixon, Mark Linnane, Sally Millson, Elizabeth Ross, Sue Green, 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 | Musical Director: Michael Reed | Music arranged by Colin Keyes
Film Research: Susan Tiplady | USA Archivist: Marvin Paige
Facility Managers: Nigel Spong, Paul Thackray, Terry Hensey, Brian Thomas, Andrew Garnett, David Hallmark
Lighting Directors: Stuart Gain, Tim Sheldon, Chris Kempton
Senior Cameraman: Ray Gearing, Roy Easton, Mark Hornby
Sound Supervisors: Peter Willcocks, Richard Churchill, Paul Gartrell, Alan Machin, Ray Vaca, Dion Stuart
Vision Mixers: Martin Perrett, Peter Phillips, Ian Rowan, Simon Sanders
Videotape Editors: Tom Kavanagh, Phil Richmond, Grant Goodwin, Paul Marshall, Dave Broun, Mark Sangster
Phil Moss, Nigel Gourley, Paul Richmond
Costume: Marcia Stanton
Production Team: Alison Grapes, Lyndsay Whitburn, Liz Fleming, Roger Read, Doug Ingram, Avril Norton, Graham Walker