About this deal
The BBC cancelled This Is Your Life in 1964 after nine series, but the programme was relaunched five years later by Thames Television for ITV.
If you know someone who spans many years of a lifetime, have a think about specific periods they may represent.They then held it proudly as their guests surrounded them while the programme's credits rolled over the audience's applause. John Virgo was surprised in 1995 when a dummy Big Red Book being used in a Generation Game stunt turned out to be the real thing – with his name on it! I haven’t heard of someone being given a This Is Your Life book and not crying, so be sure to have some tissues on standby, but also to have a think about when you present it too them – it might not be the best idea in the middle of a party if all their make up is going to run. So if you are looking for gift ideas for your mum’s 50th birthday, a This is your life book is ideal.
Lynn Redgrave, in December 1996, was caught while taking her bow in her one-woman show on stage at the Haymarket Theatre, the only time the Redgrave family was seen together on stage at the same time. I only began to realise it was for real when I spotted our resident This Is Your Life photographer, Stan, in the audience.In addition to the script, This Is Your Life subjects from this period were given two further souvenirs of their tribute. Each one is different because the subject is a different person, so for me, it's a new experience with fresh tensions.
While in the US on a sports assignment for the BBC, Eamonn watched an edition of the programme - and the consequences of doing so would have a significant and lasting effect on his career. Ralph Edwards handed Eamonn the This Is Your Life book and asked him to read the cover as Eamonn would subsequently do to many of his future subjects. Whatever type of This Is Your Life book you are creating, you’ll be sure to want to include photos and illustrations that help tell the story.The creator and host of the American version, Ralph Edwards, came to London, along with his producer, Axel Gruenberg, to arrange and present the first British edition.
Author Richard Gordon (of Doctor in the House fame) in 1974, and Bill Oddie (of The Goodies) in 2001 initially turned it down, but then relented and appeared on the show.And in addition, he established a media production company in Dublin, the Eamonn Andrews Studios, which pioneered the provision of sponsored programmes in Ireland. For a good This Is Your Life book, you want to include as much detail as possible so if you don’t know exact dates, make a guess, you can always try and confirm it later, or just add it with a circa mark.