Remembers… Season 4, Episode 8: Willard White Remembers… Porgy and Bess

1

Ruth Jones Remembers… Hattie

A self-confessed comedy hero to Ruth Jones, Hattie Jacques was a core part of postwar British comedy history. Roles in the Carry On films and TV sitcoms such as Sykes and Hancock cemented her place in the nation’s heart. Yet her off-screen life was just as extraordinary – married to Dad’s Army star John Le Mesurier, she began an unconventional affair with her driver, a scandal that could have ended her career. Ruth looks back at Hattie, a one-off drama that captures the astonishing story. She discusses the origins of the project and the prep work she did for playing such an icon. She talks of the attention paid to period detail, the loving recreation of classic screen comedies, her joy in the costumes and the astonishing cast. And she tells us how Hattie Jacques was so much more than the larger-than-life persona we saw in the movies, a comic genius and role model who broke the mould.

14 min

2

Vivien Heilbron Remembers… Cloud Howe

Actress Vivien Heilbron looks back on the 1982 drama series Cloud Howe, the second part of the BBC’s acclaimed adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s classic trilogy A Scots Quair. Vivien’s character Chris is now moving on from the death of her first husband, newly married to a church minister and trying to manage a new life in a small town where gossip and rumour runs rife.

14 min

3

Vivien Heilbron Remembers… Grey Granite

First broadcast in 1983, Grey Granite was the third and final part of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s A Scots Quair trilogy that the BBC adapted for television. Leading actress Vivien Heilbron looks back on her time making the series and the challenges she faced when taking on the key role of Chris Guthrie one last time, over ten years since she was first cast in the part in Sunset Song. Grey Granite finds Chris struggling with the radical politics of her son Ewan and the amorous attentions of a friend from the past. Vivien outlines the challenges of bringing Gibbon’s story to the screen once again and shares an overview of her memories from across the entire trilogy, working with some of Scotland’s finest acting talent.

15 min

4

David Herman Remembers… Face to Face

From Tony Hancock to Martin Luther King, Yoko Ono to Salman Rushdie, Face to Face interrogated some of the key figures in 20th-century culture. From its start in 1959, to its return 30 years later, it pushed contributors into revealing places and gave insights into their characters. It reduced What’s My Line star Gilbert Harding to tears, and Evelyn Waugh into a sweating heap. It also saw Paul Eddington discussing the cancer that eventually killed him, and Edith Sitwell describing her connection to Dylan Thomas. David Herman, who produced Face to Face on its TV return in 1989, takes us through his memories, including an emotional screening of Spielberg’s Schindler’s List with Jeremy Isaacs and meeting Yoko Ono at the Dakota hotel. David also recalls John Freeman’s groundbreaking original and explains why it was right to resurrect the show. He brings to life a programme that has firmly established itself in British TV history.

14 min

5

Adrian Lester Remembers… Company

Actor Adrian Lester looks back on the celebrated 1996 Donmar Warehouse revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Company.

19 min

6

Tony Marchant Remembers… Take Me Home

Writer Tony Marchant looks back on his 1989 drama Take Me Home, a troubled love story set amidst a political backdrop of changing attitudes, technological advances and residential development. The drama was Tony’s first serial for television, and he remembers its journey from page to screen, including the casting of well-known faces Keith Barron, Reece Dinsdale, Maggie O’Neill and Annette Crosbie. Tony reflects on how the drama has not lost its relevance. The story of two lost souls, both at odds with the fast-paced development of the modern world, coming together is just as meaningful today as it ever was.

14 min

7

David Olusoga Remembers… Artists and Models

Historian David Olusoga looks back on the 1986 BBC drama documentary Artists and Models, which had a profound influence on him as a young man. David remembers how the series ignited in him a love of art and history that would go on to determine his own career and lifelong passions. The series was influential in its day for its use of long, thoughtful shots of classical artwork, which David says has had a lasting impact on the television series he makes today.

15 min

8

Willard White Remembers… Porgy and Bess

The great opera singer Sir Willard White recalls his experiences on the first televised production of Porgy and Bess, based itself on Trevor Nunn’s acclaimed 1986 Glyndebourne staging of George Gershwin’s classic opera, and conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Willard recalls the unusual challenges that arose during the project, including lip-syncing and performing in a TV studio instead of a stage, as well as what Porgy and Bess has meant to him throughout his esteemed career.

19 min

9

Jimmy McGovern Remembers… The Lakes

Writer Jimmy McGovern looks back on The Lakes, his 1997 drama that showed viewers one of Britain’s most-loved beauty spots in a whole new light, riddled with crime, drugs, sex and adultery. Jimmy talks about the inspiration behind the series, working with cast members like John Simm, and how he feels looking back on the show today.

18 min

10

Jimmy McGovern Remembers… Priest

Screenwriter Jimmy McGovern looks back on his acclaimed, but controversial, 1995 drama Priest, explaining how an initial desire to explore the notion of celibacy for Catholic priests became a tale tackling homosexuality. He discusses the writing of what were then eye-opening sex scenes and talks about the film’s far darker storyline, exploring child sexual abuse and the sanctity of confession. On its release, Priest would be boycotted by some but embraced by many others, from surprising quarters, and it remains to this day one of the screenplays that Jimmy is most proud of.

14 min

11

Gary Wilmot Remembers… Showstoppers

Gary Wilmot looks back fondly on his time presenting Showstoppers, a 1995 series jam-packed with well-known hits from musical theatre. The series started life as a one-off special and was then extended to include a further six episodes after huge audience demand. Gary reminisces on what made the show so popular, working with the incredible BBC Concert Orchestra and learning more show tunes than he thought possible! Gary also shares his memories of the special guests on the show, from Luther Vandross and Sir Cliff Richard to stage greats Anthony Newley, Tom Conti and Elaine Paige and television favourites Bob Monkhouse and Dennis Waterman.

19 min

12

Jimmy McGovern Remembers… Common

Screenwriter Jimmy McGovern remembers his 2014 drama Common, which explores the concept and consequences of the law of joint association through the story of a fictional murder involving a group of Liverpool teenagers. Jimmy explains how he came to be persuaded to write Common, his approach and what he was trying to achieve, and whether he considers the endeavour to be a success.

14 min

13

Elaine Paige Remembers… A Night on the Town

Elaine Paige looks back on A Night on the Town – a musical extravaganza from the early 1980s, filmed with a mostly American cast of singers and dancers, such as Ann Reinking, Hinton Battle, Frank Gorshin and the wonderful Eartha Kitt. Elaine recalls being drawn to the production, as it featured so many songs from writers she most admires – Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Noel Coward. She had to play several parts, as each musical number had its own vignette, which allowed her to play a very loud and broad hat check girl from the 1930s, a dame from the Deep South and a Russian countess – much to the delight of fellow actor Lewis Collins, with whom she had great fun on set.

15 min

14

Andrew Roberts Remembers… AJP Taylor's The War Lords

AJP Taylor was rightly renowned as one of Britain’s finest historians, combining his academic work at Oxford with a successful career as author and broadcaster. Taylor established a reputation as one of the first television historians, noted for his ‘lecture’ style, programmes he made with no notes, covering subjects such as the Russian Revolution, the First World War and warlords. Historian Andrew Roberts looks back on Taylor's 1976 series The War Lords, in which he examines the lives and motives of the key leaders in the Second World War. Find out why Mussolini’s rise to power came despite an obvious laziness; why Churchill believed the Battle of Britain was as much a key moment in history as the Battle of Trafalgar; and that coincidentally, Mussolini, Churchill and Stalin were all published authors - Stalin’s book being particularly boring!

12 min

15

Simon Schama Remembers… The Power of Art

Sir Simon Schama looks back on his 2006 series The Power of Art, which examined the works of eight artists and explored the question 'How powerful is art, can it change your life?'. It was a forensic study not of an artist’s life but of a moment in that life. A piece of work that was an unexpected triumph or a catastrophe. A look at the world in which that work was created and going back in time to explore what lead the artist to that moment. We find out why the series settled on a ‘no men with beards’ policy, every part played by established actors, including Andy Serkis and Allan Corduner. We see Simon’s joy in remembering his young self, discovering the power of Mark Rothko. We hear about the freedom they had to film some of the world’s finest artworks, given free rein in the Palazzo Borghese for Bernini for example. As Simon Schama explains, 'art has dreadful manners, it’s there to make us see the world in a different way.'

19 min

16

Laurence Rees Remembers… The Nazis: A Warning from History

Laurence Rees' landmark 1997 series explored the reasons why Germany fell in thrall to the Nazis. Combining astonishing archive, storytelling and interviews with figures at the heart of Hitler’s rise to power, it tells us of the Nazi mentality and the reasons behind their beliefs. Chillingly, it looks at those who still think the Nazis were right. Rees is an author and broadcaster, perfectly placed to look back at the series he wrote and produced. He tells us of the origins of the series - how the fall of the Berlin Wall opened possibilities for interviews with people who previously had been unreachable. He recalls the powerful moments when some of those closely associated with the horrors were challenged. And he explains how the regime rose out of chaos, both in Germany and within the Nazis themselves. Join Laurence as he takes us behind the scenes of this award-winning series, that has resonance to this day.

16 min

17

Brian Cox Remembers… Bob Servant

Acting giant Brian Cox has enjoyed a stellar career and is known for the intensity of characters like Hannibal Lecter and Succession’s Logan Roy - but here we join him taking a fond look back at a character who, perhaps surprisingly, occupies a very special place in his heart – the would-be MP for Broughty Ferry, Bob Servant. Brian relates how Dundee and the east coast of Scotland, with its distinct brand of humour, was always part of Bob’s appeal and how he partly based his performance on his own brother. He also reveals how, despite the wide acclaim he’s received over the years for his unforgettable dramatic roles, he’s always considered himself to be more of a comic performer, for whom Bob Servant and his eccentric ways ended up being a perfect fit.

15 min

18

Alison Steadman Remembers… Girl

Alison Steadman Remembers... Girl National treasure Alison Steadman tells the story of one of the most groundbreaking and yet also most overlooked moments in British television. Despite the popular perception that Channel 4’s Brookside broadcast TV’s first lesbian kiss in 1994, in reality it was Alison and Myra Frances who first broke the taboo 20 years earlier, in the 1974 drama Girl. Once thought lost forever, due to the fact that not every programme was archived back in those times, the drama later resurfaced, thanks to a random video recording – giving Alison the opportunity to share her memories of how she approached the moment and the reaction it received.

14 min

19

Brian Cox Remembers… The Lost Language of Cranes

Actor Brian Cox looks back on the filming of the 1991 movie The Lost Language of Cranes, about a man struggling to come to terms with his sexuality and family secrets.

17 min

20

Romola Garai Remembers… Emma

Romola Garai shares her experiences of filming the much-loved 2009 series Emma, recalling how she drew on the text to bring Austen’s complicated heroine to life.

15 min

21

Katharine Schlesinger Remembers… Northanger Abbey

Katharine Schlesinger looks back on the filming of the 1987 adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.

15 min

22

Amanda Root and Sophie Thompson Remember… Persuasion

Actors Amanda Root and Sophie Thompson look back on their roles in the BBC’s 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, a story of missed opportunities and lost love.

15 min

23

Frank McGuinness & Julie Nicholson Remember… A Song for Jenny

Frank McGuinness and Julie Nicholson look back on the 2015 drama that explored the impact of the 7/7 bombing at Edgware Road tube station.

15 min

24

George Gallaccio Remembers… Miss Marple

Producer George Gallaccio explains how Agatha Christie’s tales of death and deception were brought to life for the small screen and describes the pleasures of working with actress Joan Hickson.

10 min

25

Debbie Horsfield Remembers… Poldark

Screenwriter Debbie Horsfield shares the story of how her TV adaptation of Winston Graham's novels came about and describes the challenges of bringing it up to date for a modern audience.

14 min

26

Nicholas Shakespeare Remembers… Mario Vargas Llosa

Nicholas Shakespeare looks back on the film he made for Omnibus that followed his friend and fellow writer Mario Vargas Llosa in his bid to become president of Peru.

14 min

27

Debbie Horsfield Remembers… Cutting It

Writer Debbie Horsfield looks back on Cutting It, her drama series following the personal and professional rivalries of two competing Manchester hair salons.

14 min

28

Patrick Marber Remembers… After Miss Julie

Patrick Marber looks back on his 1995 adaptation of August Strindberg's classic play Miss Julie.

14 min

29

Helen Mirren Remembers… Gosford Park

Helen Mirren looks back on her role in Robert Altman’s acclaimed and multi-award-winning 2001 film Gosford Park, written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

15 min

30

Helen Mirren Remembers… The Little Minister

Dame Helen Mirren looks back on one of her earliest television roles in the BBC’s 1975 adaptation of JM Barrie’s The Little Minister.

15 min

31

Michael Aspel Remembers… The War Game

Michael Aspel looks back on the BBC nuclear war drama documentary The War Game.

9 min

32

Paul Lewis Remembers… Alfred Brendel

Paul Lewis provides a glimpse into the life and career of a performer assured of his place as one of the greatest musicians of the postwar era, classical pianist Alfred Brendel.

14 min

33

Stephen Poliakoff Remembers… Shooting the Past

Stephen Poliakoff looks back on his 1999 TV series Shooting the Past, revealing how he was given the brief to write something 'totally different from anything seen before'.

14 min

34

Jasper Carrott Remembers…

Comedy hero Jasper Carrott marks hitting his 80th year with a look back over the unique career that has seen him gracing our screens for the past five decades.

29 min

35

Stephen Poliakoff Remembers… Perfect Strangers

Stephen Poliakoff gives an insight into the making of his landmark BBC drama Perfect Strangers.

14 min

36

Phil Davis Remembers… The Firm

Phil Davis pays tribute to maverick director Alan Clarke as he looks back on his time acting in the 1989 made-for-television film The Firm.

14 min

37

Sarah Churchwell Remembers… The Great Gatsby

Sarah Churchwell looks at the origins of The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald's evocative novel of the Roaring Twenties, and the inspiration behind its plot and characters.

14 min

38

Anthony Wall Remembers… Arena

Anthony Wall looks back on his time on Arena, from producer to series editor, and celebrates the films and people that made it groundbreaking, unmissable, unforgettable TV.

14 min

39

Waris Hussein Remembers… The Clothes in the Wardrobe

Director Waris Hussein talks about his memories of making the 1993 TV drama The Clothes in the Wardrobe, adapted from the Alice Thomas Ellis novel by Martin Sherman.

15 min

40

Bhasker Patel Remembers… Brothers in Trouble

Actor Bhasker Patel looks back at the 1993 BBC film Brothers in Trouble.

14 min

41

William Nicholson Remembers… Sweet as You Are

Acclaimed screenwriter William Nicholson looks back on the BBC drama he still considers one of his finest achievements, 1988's As Sweet as You Are.

16 min

42

Professor Angie Hobbs Remembers… The Great Philosophers

Professor Angie Hobbs gives a modern view on Bryan Magee’s highly influential series The Great Philosophers. She examines its approach, ideas and thinking and explains how it inspired her and many others to explore philosophy when it was first broadcast back in 1987.

15 min

43

Lord Mervyn King Remembers… The Age of Uncertainty

Former governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King looks back on the BBC’s 1977 series on the history of economic thinking, The Age of Uncertainty.

19 min

44

David Hare Remembers… The Absence of War

Screenwriter David Hare looks back on his 1995 political drama The Absence of War, a fictional account of a Labour general election campaign.

14 min

45

Ian McNeice Remembers… Edge of Darkness

Actor Ian McNeice looks back on the 1985 political thriller Edge of Darkness, which quickly established itself as a landmark series in British TV history.

14 min

46

Emma Thompson and Paul Murton Remember… The Blue Boy

Emma Thompson and Paul Murton discuss The Blue Boy, a film Paul was inspired to write after a spooky experience the pair shared during a late night lock-in at a haunted inn as teenagers.

19 min

47

Matthew Bourne Remembers… Swan Lake

Acclaimed choreographer and director Sir Matthew Bourne discusses his groundbreaking reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet Swan Lake.

19 min

48

Graham Reid Remembers… The Precious Blood

Writer Graham Reid looks back on his 1996 BBC drama The Precious Blood, set in a Belfast trying to secure a lasting peace and starring Amanda Burton and Kevin McNally.

10 min

49

Graham Reid Remembers… Life After Life

Playwright Graham Reid looks back on his 1995 TV drama Life After Life, a powerful addition to his work on the Troubles, about a murderer released into ceasefire Belfast.

9 min

50

Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens Remember… Jane Eyre

Actors Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens look back on the 2006 TV adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre.

19 min

51

Kay Adshead Remembers… Wuthering Heights

Actor, producer and writer Kay Adshead reflects on her memorable portrayal of Cathy Earnshaw in the BBC’s 1978 adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

14 min

52

Michael Aspel Remembers… The Evacuees

Michael Aspel, now 92, reflects on his childhood as an evacuee during the Second World War, sharing vivid memories that he first touched on in the 1969 documentary The Evacuees.

9 min

53

William Nicholson Remembers… Shadowlands

Screenwriter William Nicholson recalls the making of the 1985 BBC drama Shadowlands, an exploration of faith, love and loss starring Joss Ackland and Claire Bloom.

19 min

54

Derek Griffiths Remembers… Bod

Icon of children's broadcasting Derek Griffiths looks back on the much-loved 1970s animated series Bod, a cult classic narrated by Dad’s Army’s John Le Mesurier.

14 min

55

Michael Palin Remembers… East of Ipswich

Michael Palin recounts the story behind his much-loved 1987 coming-of-age drama East of Ipswich.

19 min

56

Peter Egan and Penelope Wilton Remember… Ever Decreasing Circles

Actors Peter Egan and Penelope Wilton look back on their roles as Ann and Paul in the BBC’s 1980s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles.

19 min

57

Samuel West Remembers… Prunella Scales

Actor Samuel West introduces a special night of BBC programmes that celebrate the life and work of his mother, Prunella Scales.

20 min