This Is Your Life: The Night of 1000 Lives

The Night of 1000 Lives

"Tonight the BBC rolls out the red carpet to welcome some very special guests who are gathering here in London from around the world for a unique occasion. The names on the invitations have all in their time been inscribed on the Big Red Book. This Is Your Life presents the night of a thousand lives."

Michael Aspel hosted a star-studded celebration of a thousand editions* of This Is Your Life in front of an audience of former subjects... "as we recall their stories, reveal some of the show's secrets and re-run some classic moments. This is a celebration of celebrations, as for the first time ever we open our library of Big Red Books and say This Is Your Life, This Is Your Life..."

programme details...

Broadcast date: Sat 15 Jan 2000
Broadcast time: 8.55-10.15pm
Recorded: Sun 21 Nov 1999 6.00pm
Repeated: Sat 23 Sep 2000 8.55pm
Venue: BBC Television Centre
Series: 40

production team...

Directors: John Gorman, Steve Docherty
Associate Producer: Ian Brown
Executive Producer: John Longley
Series Producer: Jack Crawshaw
Producer: Sue Green

in the audience...

related pages...

Series 40

Biggest night of all for the big red book

Press coverage for The Night of 1000 Lives

Timeline

the show's fifty year history


Michael Aspel unfolded the story of the Big Red Book...		Recent subject Martin Kemp recalled his big surprise


Entertainer Max Bygraves remembered his show from 1961		Actors Richard Todd and Nigel Havers reminisced


The first Thames TV subject Des O'Connor sent a recorded message		A couple of soap queens: Barbara Windsor and Elizabeth Dawn


Len Vale-Onslow and Twiggy - introduced as the oldest and youngest ever subjects**		Jimmy Tarbuck recalled his 'Life' and hailed the sporting heroes


Dame Vera Lynn led a rendition of We'll Meet Again		Michael Aspel introduced classic clips from the archive, many unseen since their original broadcast


Bob Monkhouse joked about how emotional his 'Life' was		Charlton Heston sent his congratulations direct from Hollywood


Sir Harry Secombe recalled both occasions he was honoured with the Big Red Book		The celebrations closed with the choir of the Sylvia Young Theatre School

This Is Your Life: The Night of 1000 Lives audience

Screenshots of This Is Your Life: The Night of 1000 Lives

This Is Your Life: The Night of 1000 Lives Radio Times

Radio Times 15-21 January 2000

This Is Your Life Presents the Night of a Thousand Lives

8.55pm BBC1

The bare statistics are staggering – 1,000 editions shared between both major networks over 45 years, and never mind the oceans of tears shed at emotional reunions. Here is a celebration of a show currently running on Monday nights, this week at the new time of 8.30pm, that has become an institution of British TV.

It's presented by Michael Aspel with the help of some of the show's subjects, including Twiggy, Barbara Windsor, Bob Monkhouse, Max Bygraves, Vera Lynn, Richard Todd, Nigel Havers and Charlton Heston. We are promised anecdotes, classic clips and key moments, such as when hosts Eamonn Andrews and Michael Aspel were surprised by the big red book and one guest tried to escape from an appearance.

This Is Your Life: The Night of 1000 Lives invitation

An invitation for the event - kindly shared by former subject Johnnie Hamp.

Notes...

*At the time of recording The Night of 1000 Lives, there had been 1029 editions of This Is Your Life broadcast.

**Len Vale-Onslow and Twiggy hold the record for the oldest and youngest subjects to be honoured during the Thames Television period (1969-2003).

But the actual record holders appeared in the original BBC period (1955-1964):

David Butler, who lost his legs in a mortar bomb explosion, was the programme's youngest subject at 17. He was a student and was surprised in his headmaster's study in March 1962.

And 100-year-old cricketer, Joe Filliston, became the programme's oldest subject in April of the same year, 1962.