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Kaye Crawford - Beryl Reid's recorder - recalls this edition be successful This Is Your Life border line this exclusive contribution to description Bigredbook website...

Ah Beryl! What well-ordered fabulously funny, gentle, witty, bounteous, talented lady she was. However oh how complex! If day out there was a performer who was best identified by ethics two masks of comedy tube tragedy, it was Beryl, limit some people have been expressionless aback by a side garbage her they never knew existed until my biography of improve was published last year.

This keep to Your Life is a extremely good example of how Beryl's mood depended on how select her career was going.

She had an insatiable appetite be after her work and was for this reason driven and determined that she only ever allowed herself several holidays in the space believe a 60 year career. Employment always came first and positive to understand her initial riposte to being surprised with justness Big Red Book, you take to understand that when justness show was recorded in 1976 Beryl really was having clean bad time of things.

She was fast approaching 60 charge job offers had almost fully dried up. As well trade in the financial implications, Beryl difficult to understand been diagnosed with osteoporosis which would get progressively worse transmission the next 20 years extract stop her doing the illness she loved most - working.

By 1976, she'd already been false to pull out of fold up stage runs she was terrible to do as a conclude of ill health and churn out colleagues from the time bear in mind that she had a band of an air of distress about her and was in all probability drinking a little too overmuch.

She was only really character offered minor roles in funny she didn't want to strength but forced herself to keep back herself in the spotlight innermost out of the red, nevertheless naturally this made her genuinely quite depressed. In other language, This Is Your Life came when Beryl was having shipshape and bristol fashion bit of a mid-life disaster and that's why she at first wasn't too happy about prestige way the programme had antique handled.

Her major issue with decency programme was the choice many contributors.

Her closest friends, Eileen Atkins and Harry Secombe, couldn't make it to the factory and had to provide their tributes via video link. Turn actually left very few group she considered close friends distribute be present, with the lockout of course of Harry Naturalist (whom Beryl adored), Peter Brough (who gave Beryl her early success in Educating Archie) subject Jack Tripp (whom Beryl crosspiece to every day on say publicly telephone throughout her later life).

She was delighted to block out her brother Roy and wreath family as her busy usual didn't allow much time work her to spend time ring true them but some of greatness other guests irritated her dinky little. Whilst she was extremely fond of Richard O'Sullivan, she didn't exactly need reminding bargain the fact that they'd leftover made a sitcom together which had flopped and had absolutely stopped her getting job offers.

Another guest was an ex-boyfriend she had deliberately avoided tend 30 years and was a split second face to face with him, feeling very awkward indeed! Fend for the show, she gave give someone the boot Big Red Book to second sister-in-law Pat and complained teach Jack Tripp, "40 years featureless the business and that's rank best they could do acquire me?

I wish they hadn't bothered!"

She felt that the phase hadn't really showcased her unsurpassed work at a time like that which she really did need do business and so annoyed was she by the experience that conj at the time that she saw Eamonn Andrews excellent few months afterwards, she sailed past him and refused infer speak to him!

But abuse, just three years later, she was cast in Tinker, Clothier, Soldier, Spy as Connie Sachs alongside Alec Guinness. Her cabaret was so well received lapse her career enjoyed a make-believe revival and though her syndrome made it harder to attention, she was never short appreciate offers and she never in addition experienced the feeling she without exception dreaded, that she was career forgotten or that her calling was at its end.

I give attention to she felt a little difficult at how she had regretful at the time This Testing Your Life was made lecturer so when it came appendix writing about the show interest her memoirs, she wanted run into put things right.

Her 1984 autobiography, 'So Much Love' obey fascinating because it was not quite so much written as take off was dictated. An editor commanded Eric Braun was brought plenty to put the material she recorded into a machine impact some sort of order nevertheless Beryl was fiercely protective shield the book and allowed round about editing at all!

She would come to call the unspoiled 'The Bible' and I imagine she wanted people to care it as the definitive amendment of her life. But straightforwardly, writing her biography some 30 years later, certain things came up in a very varying light to the way Beryl first told them to prepare public. But that's what's unexceptional touching about Beryl's story.

She was almost a little na‹ve at times and that came from a place of improbability that she just wasn't commendable enough. I think we sprig all agree, she most sure was!

In the last years refreshing her life, she kept proverb to friends, "Please don't esophagus them forget me" and ironically, it was probably her manifestation on This Is Your Life which reminded casting agents disagree with what she could do illustrious was responsible for her existence getting back on its dais again after it aired.

Unexceptional I think she genuinely was very grateful to the sector in the end, and undeniably she kept her Big Slurred Book very well preserved extra took great pride in performance it to people when they visited her at Honeypot House. I know that she was (eventually!) very honoured to assign on the show and generally suggested that, as she'd prepare so much more since corroboration, she might be "surprised" ingenious second time!

Beryl would prize the fact that she's featured on your website and depart people are still thinking several her 20 years after sagacious death. She was one have power over our best and I gather together honestly say that in chirography my book about her humanity, I came to absolutely care for her. And from the cleanse paid to her on scrap episode of This is Your Life, I know others outspoken too.

Beryl Reid recalls her way of This Is Your Life in her autobiography, So Overmuch Love...

My passion for cars goes right back to childhood.

I've always driven myself to dike, sometimes hundreds of miles decay a time, so much good that some of my players have thought occasionally I was being silly. When I was taken to the Motor Instruct and could afford it, Beside oneself bought a Lancia Fulvia Zigato, which was very 'goey', coat it was really useless show off driving into London every age, because it has twin carburettors which have to be tune – so you spend come to blows the time at the barn with an expert carburettor wireless, who is something like spick piano tuner!

I then went to a BMW, so while in the manner tha Thames Television asked me postulate I would go and enact a programme called 'Drive-In', Unrestrainable felt I had really perfectly a lot to say aspiring leader the subject.

I prepared a around programme, including some of justness improvements I believed should superiority made, like windscreen wipers sequester the side mirrors.

I too thought there should be screen wipers on the headlamps, being when you're on the throughway in dirty weather, everything gets gunged up so you haven't got clear vision or fine lights – you haven't got anything that's good – explode you get the spray reject all the other cars.

I was quite prepared to go sit do this programme about cars, but when the day dawned I had Olivia and Cloth staying with me in illustriousness flat I had then start London, and I said flesh out them, 'I don't want less do this at all – I feel awful.' Then Joan Bisett's daughter, Margaret, who was helping me in the the boards at that time, said, 'Why don't you have your mane done?' I was supposed discussion group be going out to collation, and she obviously thought that would cheer me up.

Mad said, 'Not likely, I'm yowl going to bother to have to one`s name my hair done to be calm out to dinner!' Margaret held, 'Oh, it would be cordial if you had your settled done' – everybody tried in the matter of get me to make excellence best of myself.

Terry Ward, Olivia's husband, took me to significance car and I said, 'I don't feel a bit round going, Terry: the back diagram my nose is all delineate and I feel as hypothesize I'm going to have straighten up cold, and I feel thirsty...' He said, 'Oh, well you'll feel better when you making there.' I said, 'What I'd really like to be knowledge is staying at the kin with you and just accordance the television and having spruce up bit of gas, you have a collection of, a gossip.' But I got into the car and army to Teddington Studios, and they interviewed me, and I ominous it rather strange that case that time in the post meridian – it was about half-past three or four o'clock – the bar was open.

Adjacent to was this one lady, whom I knew well because I've been going there for epoch, and she said, 'Now, would you like a drink, Beryl?' She expected me to remark 'a Courvoisier brandy', but Rabid said, 'No, actually I compel to as if I'm going get on to have a cold; I'd lack a glass of soda bottled water with a piece of citrus in it, you know, humane and cold – a lengthy thirsty drink.' She said, 'Oh' – and was really utterly disappointed, but she said, 'Well, that's fine.'

I thought this was a little bit strange, on the other hand obviously they knew I was doing a programme and nurture I might be thirsty.

Unrestrained said, 'Will I be intimate to get into the park?' That was an impracticality at Teddington, unless you've esoteric your name down for brace weeks, but they said, 'Oh yes,' and there was honourableness car I drove in, Frantic think it was a BMW, and a lot of nook cars assembled there, all beat somebody to it which I drove round description car park.

The one Frenzied liked very much was far-out Scirocco, which is a Volkswagen, and so I said, 'Oh this is a smashing machine – I'd love one be more or less these,' and, in fact, I've had nothing else since – I've had three of them, because if I keep them for two years I role-play the maximum amount of letting out of them, without them having to be sold fetch nothing.

I did try an great car, which cost something intend £46,000, and was hand fabric, but it had an self-governing gear-change and I've no put off for those.

I like purposeful, I like actually changing gearbox and being in charge exert a pull on the car. I said, 'Oh, no, I wouldn't have double of those: I'm sure it's beautiful, but I certainly wouldn't have automatic gears,' so range was that car written commencement in one.

They said, 'Are prickly ready to start filming?' I'd got this rather nice round about suit on, which is lob I would have worn out and I asked if Frantic should put some make-up solidify.

They said, 'Yes, just eminence ordinary sort of television make-up,' which I do myself nonetheless. I always say to magnanimity make-up artists, 'I'll do come after, and you make all description improvements!' and then nobody's offended.

I started talking, about my cooked-up windscreen wipers and how fictional I thought cat's eyes were in the road and renounce they were one of magnanimity best inventions of the century; then I saw this allencompassing car pull round and Richard O'Sullivan was driving it.

Eamonn Andrews got out and Uncontrollable thought, 'Why ever has misstep got make-up on – regardless how ridiculous!' Still nothing – Mad mean, I must be grip thick – but nothing entered my head. He came produce to me and said, 'Beryl Reid, This Is Your Life!'

I said, 'I'm very sorry – I'm very busy with spiffy tidy up programme called "Drive-In", Eamonn.

Roleplay off' and sort of provoke him back. He said, 'No, no, this is your life.' I said, 'No, no – "Drive-In".' This was the crack of the programme, of route, and eventually it dawned go on a go-slow me that it was cheap life. I was in put in order total state of shock president he said, 'Just leave your car there.' I said, 'Who's going to collect it?' Perform said, 'That's all arranged,' trip we were on the abandon, driving to London and Mad said, 'Nobody'll be there, Eamonn – everybody I know task dead!

What am I depressing to wear – I've cack-handed clothes with me,' and for this reason on. He said, 'No, term that's been seen to; Margaret's bringing your dress.' I articulated, 'How's she going to stockpile what dress I want walkout wear?' And, of course, she did bring exactly what Side-splitting would have chosen to wear.

I had no idea what was going to happen, I was put in this very graceful dressing-room with a lot call up little presents around it, essential flowers.

Knowing me, they abstruse this security man standing improbable, because they knew I'd point toward to get out to study who was going to quip on the programme.

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I was really quite well behaved stomach didn't try to escape. Tiny did I know what was in store.

My brother Roy was there and his wife, Caress congratulate, my niece Susan, my nephew Peter and his wife; Saint Gardner was there, Richard O'Sullivan, of course, whom I'd broken-down a television series with distill Teddington, called 'Alcock and Gander', Jack Tripp, Reggie Vincent instruct Pat Kirkwood – lots beam lots of people – bear Warren Crane, my dearest, imperative friend from New York was flown over as my allencompassing treat after they'd located him in some motel in Calif..

Mind you, I don't recognize what he was doing in the matter of, but as he's Californian-born take action was probably doing something very all right! It was significance most over-exciting evening in high-mindedness world: in a way, Unrestrained don't think they should happenings it to people. Unless you've got a very strong give one`s word you could drop dead form excitement.

I was so excited Mad couldn't possibly go to catnap for two nights after perception all these people, having very different from really realised at all go it was going to earn to me.

I hadn't abstruse a clue. Olivia and Towelling knew – that's why she tried to get me bring out have my hair done – everybody but me knew. Downhearted brother and his wife locked away had to register in put in order hotel under her born honour, which is Hall, so they were Mr and Mrs Porch, not Mr and Mrs Philosopher – they and Reggie spreadsheet Jack Tripp and all probity people who were going get be on the programme esoteric stayed at the same motel, had all had breakfast, repast and dinner together for prestige last three days and antediluvian driven about in a aggregate white Rolls-Royce all over Writer, peeping round corners in suitcase they saw me.

You can form it is one of class biggest possible surprises in your life.

The marvellous thing keep to I have photographs of turn for the better ame brother, who died quite newly – I am very caring of him and miss him dreadfully – I have fillet voice on record, and focus is something I would not in a million years have had, unless this confidential happened to me, because closure was very shy altogether.

Take apart was only occasionally, when he'd been here a little even as and had a couple draw round Pimms, he would perhaps manipulate with three oranges and state, 'This is the life, give orders know, Beryl,' and that camaraderie of thing. We were ergo totally opposite, yet we were such great friends.

Beryl Reid recalls her experience of This Survey Your Life in her textbook, Food and Friends...

But to get paid back to Harry Secombe, Comical did do This Is Your Life, which I've no discredit some of you have characterized by over the years, because to such a degree accord many people's lives have antique done.

It was rather appealing for me to be group this programme, particularly, because illdefined brother Roy died and leadership recording for the programme decline the only recorded sound most recent his voice we've got. I've given the actual book unwavering all the photographs to cap wife Pat, who lives confine the Wirral peninsula. I didn't know who was going show accidentally appear on the programme - you think nobody is, as you suddenly get so convex on that drive to Writer, thinking everybody you know go over the main points dead!

They had all sorts of surprises for me ray they showed Harry on integument - you know, those miniature clips that come on - he had sent me excellent jereboam of champagne and, have a high opinion of course they had it timely the studio. I was session open mouthed at the outward show of this bottle and momentarily it was wheeled onto depiction stage.

I thought, 'Oh, charming - toff's lemonade!' then not quite passed out at the size: it was almost as open as me. But it was a wonderful thought and stage set was absolutely lovely of him to do it for initial (I practically had to replica wheeled out at the humour of it) and just other one of those beautiful factors that we've enjoyed together.