Nigel HAVERS (1951-)

Nigel Havers This Is Your Life

programme details...

  • Edition No: 823
  • Subject No: 813
  • Broadcast date: Wed 8 Jan 1992
  • Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
  • Recorded: Wed 25 Sep 1991
  • Venue: Teddington Studios
  • Series: 32
  • Edition: 13
  • Code name: Hero

on the guest list...

  • Michael Whitehall
  • Keith Barron
  • Martin Jarvis
  • Rosalind Ayres
  • Leslie Grantham
  • Angela Thorne
  • Hilary Gish
  • Polly - wife
  • Phillip - brother
  • Kate - daughter
  • Lord Havers - father
  • Lady Havers - mother
  • Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss - aunt
  • Fiona Fullerton
  • Noel O'Neill
  • Dinah Sheridan
  • Jenny Seagrove
  • Tasha the dog
  • Warren Clarke
  • James Fox
  • Richard Marsh
  • Julian Mellor
  • Filmed tributes:
  • Charles Blackburn
  • Neville Blackburn
  • Jane Seymour
  • Jimmy Young
  • Simon Williams
  • Tony Britton
  • Jack Thompson

production team...

  • Researcher: Sue Green
  • Writer: Roy Bottomley
  • Directors: Brian Klein, Paul Kirrage
  • Associate Producer: John Graham
  • Producer: Malcolm Morris
  • names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life
related pages...

An Actor's Life For Me

spotlight on the stars


Behind the Scenes

the programme's best kept secrets


The Night of 1000 Lives

a celebration of a thousand editions


Tony Britton


Martin Jarvis


Jenny Seagrove


Dinah Sheridan


Simon Williams


Interviews

Nigel Havers recalls his experience of This Is Your Life in an exclusive interview recorded in October 2015

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Screenshots of Nigel Havers This Is Your Life

Roy Bottomley This Is Your Life book

Scriptwriter Roy Bottomley recalls this edition of This Is Your Life in his book, This Is Your Life: The Story of Television's Famous Big Red Book...


One of our most experienced researchers, Sue Green, has produced a 'feeza' on heart-throb actor Nigel Havers, who charmed millions as The Charmer. Her first call is to Nigel's wife, Polly, a former model. They arrange to meet for a strictly confidential lunch. She is on delicate territory because Nigel's divorce from his first wife hit the headlines.


During lunch, Polly advises Sue to contact Nigel's agent and production company business partner, Michael Whitehall. They have an exciting new project in the pipeline called Good Guys, co-starring Keith Barron, with a host of big name guest stars.


Nigel's parents, too, must be contacted before they leave for a holiday in the South of France. Lord Havers was a former Attorney-General, and very much in the public eye. Again a delicate situation. He may not wish for the kind of TV exposure This Is Your Life gives.


Sue Green is greatly relieved when Lady Havers turns out to be cheerfully co-operative. Sue told me, 'When Lady Havers said, "Sue, just call me Carol," I knew we were going to be all right. She is such a sweet lady.'


Sue is well into the research when she takes a call from the south of France. Lord and Lady Havers are having second thoughts. Sue arrives at a compromise. Director Brian Klein will make sure the cameras do not linger on them, nor do they have to speak, so minimising any attention they will receive. Sue puts down the phone and stares into space. 'Phew' is all she can manage.


The next stage is the researchers starting to type up their findings, from newspaper cuttings, books, interviews with relatives and friends. Who haven't our subjects seen for a long time, but would genuinely love to see again? Answers range from school teachers who first inspired them to old pals from the Services. Two teacher brothers at his prep school first fired Nigel Havers's acting ambitions.


Michael Whitehall can get Nigel to a preview of the first episode of Good Guys at nearby Twickenham Studios. Keith Barron will be there, and so will Martin Jarvis, Angela Thorne, Hilary Gish and former Eastenders star Leslie Grantham. An unexpected guest will be Michael Aspel.




Jenny Seagrove and Tasha

A bit of light relief comes from Sue Green, who has been talking to actress Jenny Seagrove about coming on the Nigel Havers Life.


She played his wife in Hold The Dream. Said Sue: 'Jenny would like her dog, Tasha, to be on the show.'


She knows the reaction this will get from Malcolm. 'No, no,' he grimaces. 'You know what they always do...'


I talk him round when I suggest a gimmick entrance.


Instead of giving Jenny the voice offstage, we give it to the dog. On the show, after a clip of Hold The Dream Michael says, 'A glamorous star with you there. You may recognise this voice, too...' And I scripted:


TASHA (THE DOG) V/O


'WHOOF, WHOOF, WHOOF...'


It took a while to get the perfect recording, but Jenny was happy, and so was Tasha. And very well behaved, too, much to Malcolm's relief, if that's the right word.




Nigel Havers and Tasha

Series 32 subjects

Paul Nicholas | Keith Floyd | Gwyneth Jones | Norman Painting | Thelma Barlow | Nobby Stiles | Bernard Manning
Elizabeth McColgan | Michael Nicholson | Pam Ferris | David Berglas | Gary Glitter | Nigel Havers | Mo Moreland
Tony Blackburn | Wendy Toye | Alan Bleasdale | George Shearing | Jim Howard | Kevin Lloyd | Josef Locke
Robert Lindsay | Hannah Hauxwell | Rory Underwood | Susan Hampshire | Chris De Burgh