¶ Cheryl Baker's Family and Career
Hello , I'm Dominic King , this time on Talking Television presenter and singer Cheryl Baker , a member of the 1981 Eurovision-winning Bucks Fizz , born in the heart of the East End , now living in a Kent village of just 350 , and that's where we met at her family home .
You're going to hear my dog panting in the background .
Cupid is a massive dog .
Cheryl , he's beautiful , isn't he ? He's a long-haired German shepherd . He breathes very heavy . So if anyone listening to this here's heavy breathing , it's not me , it's my dog .
I've known you on the air as Cheryl Cheryl Baker , yes , but actually I also know that that is not your actual name .
No , no , no . Well , that's because in 1975 , I joined my first band , and these are the exact words . I saw an advert in the Melody Maker for a girl singer required for a harmony band , and this is not Bucks Fizz . This was six years before Bucks Fizz and I rang the number and I spoke to a manager . His name was Slim Miller .
What a great name .
Yeah , he was a comedian and then he turned , you know , changed his career and made himself an agent . He used to look after the New Seekers , actually , and the an agent .
He used to look after the New Seekers , actually , and the band that I was hoping to have a job with , which were called Mother's Pride at the time , and so I rang and he said Slim Miller and I said oh , I'm ringing about the advert in the Melody Maker . And he said what's your name ?
And I said Rita Crudgington and he said well , that'll have to go Crudgington .
And he said well , that'll have to go , so , rita .
Crudgington , rita Crudgington .
Cheryl Baker , welcome to Talking .
Thank you very much . I auditioned for the band , I got the job and they said you have to change your name . So I did . I changed it to Bonnie Silver and I was Bonnie Silver for two weeks and then they said actually we don't like that . That's you know where . Rita Crudgington wasn't stagey enough .
They thought Bonnie Silver was too stagey , so we came up with Cheryl Baker and Dom . I tell you this without a word of a lie . I don't even remember who came up with the names . It might have been me , it might not have been . The band were in summer season in Blackpool , and so I had to go up to Blackpool and learn all the songs .
I was replacing one of the girls who was leaving and stayed in a house .
They had a house share , and so of an evening they were working and during the day they were rehearsing with me , and I remember all of us sitting around in the lounge of this house in Blackpool coming up with ideas for names , and I think I might have chosen Baker , because it's oh you know , when you have to spell Crudgington to people .
How much do you use that ? Well , obviously not now and because of being married . But and well , there was another thing as well . So , uh , with Steve , what's Steve's ?
Stroud . So I am now Rita Stroud , but I didn't get married until I was I was just before my 38th birthday , so , um , so I stayed Crudgington until I was almost 38 , um , but Baker , we changed it to Baker . I don't think it was me that chose Cheryl , but I don't really remember .
And I said to my mum , I rang my mum and I went mum , change my name again . And she went oh , what am I going to call you ? And I went mum , I'm still me , I'm still Rita . And my friends from school , who I still see to this day , they went oh , that's going to be really weird calling you by something else .
And I went you don't have to call me something else , it's still me , I'm still me . Cheryl Baker goes on stage and that's how I've kept it done all those years . And it's going to be next year .
It's going to be 50 years that I've been in this industry , 50 years of being Cheryl Baker , but in my heart and in my head , I'm still Rita Crudgington from Bethnal Green .
You have a very grounded start because you're a very sort of tight-knit community . Was that very much part of your family life growing up ?
Absolutely . I knew nothing . I didn't I . The first time I went abroad I was 19 and I went with my aunt Ive and uncle Bert and me , cousin Lorraine . I've never been on a plane before . I've still somewhere . I've still got the photos of me going on the plane . You know , wow , my life was very much surrounding Bethnal Green and just beyond .
So when I left school I got a job as a secretary in the city , so I could get the number eight bus to Shoreditch , or you know , or I could jump on the train to Liverpool Street and , and you know , there were jobs ten a penny in those days for shorthand typists , which is what I was Pittmans , by the way I could still do it .
Hello , I don't know when you're going to need a proper job .
At any stage . It could happen , couldn't it ? But that in itself is like that's amazing .
It's like a blast from the past for so many people , because they'll say , oh , the pitman's typing test , amazing well , when I , when I do my shows on the ships , I do a story called my life , sheryl wake in my life and I talk about , you know , the early days , and I say that I used to be a shorthand typist and I say pitman's , anyone do pitman's ?
And so many of the women say , yeah , well , I do pitman's , but anyway , so that was it I . I used to get the bus or the train to Liverpool Street to go to work , which really , you know , is probably a 45 minute walk . I could have done it in and holidays we only ever went to Laysdown on Sea , on the Isle of Sheppey .
And so that was it for me Laysdown in the summer , with my family living and working and school in sort of East London and EC1 area or EC2 . In East London and EC1 area or EC2 . And that was it . I did nothing . That was my life . My life was in a tiny little area .
And then , when I auditioned for this band in 1975 , I had to get the bus from Victoria to Blackpool and my sister came to see me off . I was 21 , and she was crying because I'd never been anywhere , I'd never done anything , and it was a massive step for me to do . It was a massive risk . I'm doing something on my own .
I'd never been away , never left home . I still didn't leave home . I didn't leave home when I was in Bucks Fizz .
It was frightening , I guess .
Yeah , but also I liked being at home . I had a fantastic family life . My mum and dad especially my mum was just glorious . Sang from you know . The time she woke up to the time she went to bed Was very untidy , a bit like me , but always busy , always making food . I love cooking . I get that from my mum .
I get a lot from my mum , actually Her cooking and her music definitely , and her untidiness , I'm afraid . Not that she was lazy and not that I'm lazy , but if she peeled potatoes she would leave the peeling and go on to do something else , and so the peeling was left there and then she'd do something else .
She'd do the Brussels sprouts and she'd leave the trimmings of the Brussels sprouts , and so she used to leave this debris behind her wherever she went . What ?
was your mum's name .
Well , her name was Florence , but everyone called her Dolly , and my dad was Edward and everyone called him Ted . So my mum and dad were called Dolly and Teddy .
That's genius , isn't it ? They were lovely .
There they were . My dad was a shoemaker and I tell you what my dad worked . I bought them a house in the end and that was when he stopped working and then I had to buy my own shoes . I remember going into wherever it was going how much ? Because he used to make them for me . You know he wasn't a cobbler as such , but he was also .
You know he was born in 1915 , so he was 23 when he went into the army and in the Second World War and he was a sergeant major in the Second World War and when he came back he still was . You know he used to march like a sergeant major and he was very regimented and everything times and you know , just like people in the army are .
you know , so , um , so we're completely different from him , um , you know you said about buying a house , was that through bucks fears and the success that you've had ?
that was my primary thing that I wanted to do . We lived in a council flat in Bethnal Green and and I must say , I loved it . I really loved it , and I was born there . I was born in the front room of that council flat , so it's all I'd ever known . And when I won the Eurovision I was 27 . So all the neighbours I knew .
You know , people didn't move in and out . You know , if you were born there , you stayed there , sort of thing , and that's how things were in Bethnal Green then . And so all of the neighbours , all the people in the blocks of flats either side , I knew everybody . I didn't want to move out at all .
And then we won the Eurovision and suddenly I had some money coming in . My dad . At that time he was past retirement , he was about 66 , 67 . And I thought he's going to be kicked out . They're going to say , ted , you're too old and old , and what's he gonna do then living in a block of flats ?
He loved gardening , he used to grow tomatoes in the uh , just in the windowsills and things . And I thought , what is it ? What is my dad ? My mum will cope wherever she is , but my dad won't . And so I thought I've got to buy my house and I , you know , I was very fortunate that I could afford to . So it was great , it was fantastic .
I just I went and found the . So it was great , it was fantastic . I just I went and found the house . It was in Basildon and the reason I chose Basildon was because it's an overspill of East London . I didn't want them to feel like out of their depth .
So again , it's that kind of like Metropolitan Kent . It's just near Essex , it's that kind of almost crossover point .
Yeah . So I came in . I remember coming into it and saying Mum and Dad , I bought you a house , do you want to see it ? And it was a semi-detached little house , small garden , but round the corner there was some shops and there was a little club where my dad could go .
And that's where they finished their days in that house , so it was great At the time . We're talking you just mentioned about Eurovision I was thinking about , you know , it's the 50th anniversary of ABBA winning at Brighton .
Those years and the year that you won with Bucks Fizz , they're kind of this golden age of music , almost in the sense of certainly for Eurovision , I think , and it's a bit like being in the Olympics , isn't it in the sense of once you've won one ? Or once you've won an Oscar , a BAFTA , you always have won an Oscar , a BAFTA .
You guys will always have won Eurovision for you , is that kind of a kind of mixed blessing about Eurovision , or are you proud of it ?
I'm incredibly proud of it . I mean , it was something that a child would dream .
¶ Life-Changing Moments in the Music Industry
When I saw Sandy Shaw in 1967 , and I thought , funny , you should mention the Olympics , because I wanted to be an Olympic runner . I loved running , I loved sport , I still love sport and I thought I was going to join Victoria Park Harriers , which was the local sports club . But I couldn't afford to . Yeah , I wanted to be an Olympic runner .
And then I saw Sandy Shaw win the Eurovision and I thought actually that's what I want to do . That's like winning the Olympics , but in music .
So that became I still want to win an Olympic gold , obviously yeah , of course do you think you win because you've got a song that just can talk to everyone yeah , I do .
I think that that's what happened with Making your Mind Up and I say , oh , it's not my cup of tea . Making your Mind Up Never has been . You know , I like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell . Can you imagine James Taylor singing Making your Mind Up ?
It would be amazing , yeah .
Lyrically not so much , but yeah .
But you don't like that song ?
No , but how can I knock it ? It changed my life . I met Sandy Shaw for the very first time last year up in Liverpool and honestly I said to her you don't know how much you mean to me . You changed my life .
You gave me the incentive not just to be a singer but to do the Eurovision Song Contest , and she was very nonchalant about it and almost sort of brushed it off . But I thought you just don't know , you just don't realize what a difference you made to my life . And it's funny because I know that that's happened with us .
I know , for instance , this is going off piste here . But oh , what's her name ?
Rekha , oh , oh , bianca , bianca yes the character Bianca .
Yes , her real name is Julie and I knew her as a little girl because her mum and dad ran a pub and my boyfriend at the time . We used to pop into this pub Patsy Palmer Patsy Palmer , but her real name's Julie . But there was a Julie Palmer , I think , already .
So we used to go into the pub because it was en route to his house and she was so excited because I was in Bucks Fears , you know and she had this beautiful red hair , as she has . Anyway , she wanted to come . She was a big fan and she wanted to come and see us .
And I don't know where we did it Hammersmith , apollo or Dominion or wherever and she was in the front row and I got her up and she met the guys either before the show or after , I don't remember it , don't remember doing it .
And then I bumped into her at an event after she'd become a big star in EastEnders and she said you don't remember meeting me , do you ? And I went , no , and she said my mum and dad used to run . I went oh , they run that pub , that's right . And she went . But do you remember inviting us to a gig ?
And she said you'll never know how much that meant to me . She said I cried .
I cried because I was over overwhelmed with emotion , because and I thought blimey , you know , you can't , you don't imagine that you could mean that much to somebody , but and yet you aren't , you do what was it like to be surrounded by musicians from all over Europe all doing a similar thing ?
What was that feeling like ? Do you remember that period , especially with that song ?
Well , I did Eurovision twice . I did it in 1978 as well , in Paris with the band that originally were called Mother's Pride , that eventually became Coco . Same band , slightly different line-up . It's a bit strange , to be perfectly honest , when you're surrounded with people that are talking different languages .
And and I went up to liverpool , I was very much involved in liverpool last year , um , when it was in the uk . And then again , you know , you've got all the different um countries all their own . They've got all their own different areas and they keep to them oh right yeah , it's a . It's a . It's not like a big party where everyone mixes .
Because that's what it feels like when you're watching it on the telly . Yeah , so it's not .
No , no , they do kind of keep to their own tribe . If you know what I mean . It is very tribal Eurovision , but I mean some of them . I mean , when we did Eurovision in Dublin as Bucks Fizz , we were very , very friendly with the Irish contingent . They were great , the Irish band , they were absolutely lovely , but not really anybody else .
And in Paris I don't remember having a conversation with anyone other than our own party . So no , it's a bit weird really .
Olly Alexander is our entry for this time round . What do you think about that ? Almost having people who are known for their own pop career and getting them to , or a YouTube star like Sam , you know , getting them to be the voice of Eurovision now , rather than it potentially being people who are unknown in the past . Maybe that then become really big .
Or known . I think it's fine . I think it's the way things have moved . You know , eurovision has moved on dramatically , massively , compared to how it was when we did it and certainly compared to how it was when ABBA did it . And in fact I spoke to a Bucksfizz fan . We did a little gig a couple of weeks ago in Tunbridge in the old fire station .
It's tiny and you can , it only takes about 80 to 100 , but it's the real ardent fans , the fans that want to know every , every detail of everything . They don't want to hear making your mind up and make believe . They want to hear the obscure album tracks and stuff like that .
So anyway , I remember talking to someone there who said that it's been suggested that for Eurovision events now they should only go back to the year 2000 . So because and if you think about it , I mean that's 24 years .
Yeah , but when you said that , my brain was like well , that sounds a bit that 20 years old , I mean 24 years .
But it eliminates well , it eliminates every single British entry that's won , every single one , and it eliminates the likes of Waterloo and so many other great songs .
But I do kind of get it because , as I say , it has moved on so much and the songs are so dramatic now and the production and everything I mean making your mind up , if mean making your mind up , if you put making your mind up in the Eurovision now , we'd get nil poids . You know it's moved on .
When that comes up as a track list on a song for you at an event that you do when you know it's coming and you don't really like the song . Is that tough to do ?
No , I mean , I don't like the song because it's not my kind of song , but I love performing it . I love it and I'm the one who introduces it . And I always say , oh , I suppose we'd better do that silly song , haven't we ? And I don't even have to introduce it .
They all go yes , and the scream goes up and they all come out with their phones , ready to get the moment when the skirts come off . And yes , we still pull the skirts off .
I think I've said to you over the years about the Velcro you know , because I think in those early days getting that right was quite a thing , wasn't it ?
What we did with the skirts when we did the competition . To make sure that the boys didn't miss , we put a brooch so that they could grab the brooch , and if you got the brooch then the skirt's going to come off . And it worked .
It was a treat , wasn't it ? It was really really good . The music industry itself . My dad would always say , you know , got the t-shirt . I mean you would say got the duvet as well , which I don't know what that was all about . But you know , you , this has been a really interesting part of your life . You know , I look around this room .
There are guitars up everywhere . I know you're a music family as well . That's really has always struck me . I know your two daughters who have loved music over the years . Was it ever a question for you to say to them about the music industry and whether it's a good thing or a bad thing to be involved with Did you ever have that conversation ?
yeah , we did . In Steve's words he said to the girls I want you to either be a vet or a knee surgeon .
And I said just good job though , weren't they ?
yes , they are . I said to them , just to have something else that you can fall back on , like I did . You know , I studied , I wanted to be a singer , but I thought it might not happen and so study as a secretary , you know , and so you've always got a job .
But they both ignored me completely and they just went down the music route which is what kids do , yeah yeah , I didn't , I was I . The reason I didn't was because I didn't think that I would be successful
¶ Musical Career and TV Memories
.
You know Rita Crudgington from Bethnal Green who would want to work with her but Natalie and Kyla both had a great um rapport with each other musically , which I've seen , obviously , and Kyla and in her own solo world as well , doing great things , again under a different name .
Lakey , because she was going to go out as just Kyla . But there's I think she's Thai a girl called Kyla and quite successful , and so Kyla had to change her name . So she chose Lakey and I thought , oh , I'm not sure about that , but I don't know .
It seems to have worked it really has worked and to a modern age group . I guess you know , um , we're not the right age for it , uh , but the modern age .
I love the music and and I like the way when I work with them , both , you know , in a studio , they just know their stuff and they're very talented and you must be so proud of what they've achieved because that's been their ability to kind of probably soak up a little bit of you guys .
Do you know about Public the Musical Kyla wrote ? In lockdown Kyla started writing music . She decided that she was fed up a bit with trying to make hit records and things . She loves musicals both the kids . I've raised them , you know .
much to Steve's dismay it's all right , he's in the other room . He can't hear you .
My rock star bass playing husband . Yeah , I've raised them to love musicals . And so she , kyla decided that she wanted to write a musical . Kyla is gay for a start . She's all about equality and diversity and everything .
So she wrote all of these fabulous songs and then she wrote the storybook with Natalie and Natalie helped her with the lyrics , and it's about four completely diverse people . One is an activist , another is a gay man who suffers from anxiety , another one is non-binary and the other is a very macho , you know man's man .
And they get locked in a gender-neutral toilet . They did Fringe in 2023 and took it by storm . Amazing , it was the hot ticket , and can I tell you how I know it was ? Not only did they sell out from day one , they sold out every single show .
I walked into the venue and I saw Gail Porter and I know that Gail has got a son or a daughter roughly Kyla or Natalie's age , because we used to do little events for the children and we'd both be there . And she went oh , cheryl , we had a hug . What are you doing here ? How are your girls ? And I went well , funny enough , they've written this musical .
She went what's it called ? And I said it's called Public the Musical . And it called . And I said it's called public the musical . And she went oh , oh , hang on a minute , public . And she called over a friend , happy birthday . Happy birthday , who happened to be Claire Grogan from altered images . And she went Claire , what was that show ?
You told me I've got to see . And Claire said , oh , she said it's the hot ticket , but you can't get one . They , they've all sold out . It was a publicly musical . And I went ah , my daughter's wrote it . So honestly , dom , it's going to be . I've just been talking to the girls today about it and it's going to be touring , we think , in spring of 25 .
Amazing , so yeah , but what did you say to them about whether they should or shouldn't go into the music industry ?
I said . I didn't say don't , I mean you can't . The thing is you're born with this . This is not a proper job , you know . This is not work . This is play . We love it . We love what we do . If you're born with music in your soul , there's nothing you can do about it . It's there , it's part of you , and so I couldn't take that away from them .
But all I said to them was just be sensible and have something else up your sleeve that you can do , and I suppose Natalie has , because Natalie trained as a dancer and now she teaches , she choreographs , she teaches dance , she directs .
Actually , if you look on YouTube at some of the videos that the Fizz have done , like TOTP , you can see Natalie in TOTP and also Winning Ways . There's quite a few , actually . She choreographed them so and she's fantastic . She's so great at what she does . So they're both yes , they're both in the industry and this is their life . Now .
That's what they're going to do for the rest of their lives .
Over the years you've done such a variety of things in the entertainment industry . The day job , if you like , has been that music side of your life . But you've also been on our TV screens as a presenter and we've seen you on different things .
I want to take you back to the days of that show Record Breakers with Roy Castle , you and Norris McGuerta , with the records from the Guinness World Records book which still , unbelievably , comes out every year and still being bought by millions of people . Amazing , but that show . What was that period of your life like , having that kind of ?
You did the music , but you also were , you know , on the front line of our entertainment industry . You were there , you were one of those faces , yeah .
I started with Record Breakers in 1987 , I think it was and so I was still in Bucks Fears , I was still gigging with Bucks Fears , but we'd had the hits , the hits had dried up . The last hit , the last top 10 hit we had was in 86 . And so I was still with them and we were still working .
But our work was getting less , you know , and less exciting sort of thing , and the television for me was taking over . And when I was doing Record Breakers , shortly after that I did a series called Eggs and Baker and my television career was taking off .
So by the time I left Bucks Fizz , which was December 93 , literally I regarded myself as a television presenter . I didn't regard myself as a singer anymore . But my record-breaker days were glorious , especially working with Roy Castle , and I feel sorry that you know there are people like my children . They don't know who Roy Castle is .
The last time I saw Roy was after I'd given birth to my girls and Natalie was very poorly . She was in intensive care and he came to see her and that was the last time I saw him before he died of cancer . But it was the most fantastic series to work on , because you're working with extreme people .
You're working with people that want to be the best at what they can do , and some of the records were silly , but some of them were extraordinary and life-threatening . You know , they would risk their lives so that they could be the best at what they were doing .
It was like watching a show at the same time as Blue Peter , these kind of shows that were really their heyday that you felt like you were watching adventure live .
You know this was in your face , there was a jeopardy about it , there was a sense of I , I think with the Norris McGuerta character obviously coming in as the expert , and I mean I would I have to say he , um , I , he felt quite , um , uh , school head teachery to me and you guys were the , you know that , you were me , you were both , um , the school
kids playing in the in the room , almost , you know that . And and there was a great chemistry between you and Roy and that sense also of um , from my own memory of there was a lot of laughter on that show .
I tell you what Roy had the most fantastic sense of humor , and quite a wicked sense of humor as well . He would , he would , he was very naughty . We'd stand at the back of the studio while they were trying to break a record in front of us and he was going go on , you can do it . And he would whisper to me they're never going to do this , you know .
And uh , and it really used to make me laugh . He was lovely , he was glorious to work with did you ?
because you even said there at the beginning about when we're talking about it . You even I almost could hear the music playing in the background , the voice of roy as well .
It was a really great voice , wasn't it he was an all-rounder , he was the archetypal all-rounder . He could sing , he could dance . I've always thought that he should have been Bert in Mary Poppins .
Oh yeah , he would have been perfect .
But you know they wanted an American to appear .
But he would have All right , yeah , yeah .
Of course he would have had the right accent and everything , rather than Hello Mary Poppins . Exactly , exactly .
And you're like from Bethnal Green going , what the hell . But those kind of shows , they're hard work too , aren't they we ?
did have in the studio . We did have autocue for that . But when I started presenting television there was no autocue and in those days they used to , you know . Now you see them with their script in their hand and they'll refer to their script .
Well , in those days when I started my first television presenting was in 1984 , with a show called how Dare you , and it was taboo to have your script in your hand . So sometimes I'd write notes on the palm of my hand , you know .
But you had to do your homework and so the night before recording , or the night before if it was a live show , you'd spend hours before going to bed just going over your script and going over , reading up on people and learning about them because you're going to interview them . And yeah , it was . It was a hard job but I did . I did enjoy it .
But I know you mentioned you said about music industry like my music career being my day job . I didn't class that as my day job . My day job was the tv presenting , because that was like going to work , getting it done and coming home , whereas the music I , to this day , I just love . I love going on stage and performing .
That's not work for me whether it's in front of a tv camera for a presentation job or whether it's performing on a stage as the Fizz and having that connection with an audience .
¶ Nerves and Excitement Before Performing
Is it something you're always nervous about before you go onto the stage ? Is it a giddiness ? Is it almost an over excitement ? What is the feeling ?
Right depends if I'm going on stage with Fizz , like for instance , this weekend we're doing an 80s weekender at Bogner Butlins . I don't get nervous at those . I don't get nervous because they are chomping at the bit for you to come on stage .
They love you being there .
They do , they really do . And we go on stage and inevitably there'll be four people . There might be several four peoples , if you know what I mean . Four groups of four dressed as Bucks Fizz . They've gone to the , they've gone to Smithy's or whatever it is , and they've hired a Bucks Fizz outfit . Yeah , brilliant .
They've ripped the skirt off at the right time and everything . It's hilarious , honestly . And so I love those gigs and I don't get nervous . I just I revel in them . I walk , I revel in them , I run on stage and the cheer goes up and I just can't wait to perform and get them going and everything . Then there's other things . There's musicals .
I've done lots of musicals there . I pace up and down in the wings , going over my lines and hating myself for being so nervous . Now , with television and when you've got autocue , my eyesight has failed now my distance eyesight has failed , and so I really have to find myself squinting , which you don't want to squint on telly , you know .
So it's that Television , television . Yes , I did used to get nervous . I don't do so much of it now . I'm more of a guest . Now you do panel shows and stuff . Yes , I did used to get nervous , I don't do so much of it now . I'm more of a guest now .
You do panel shows and stuff .
Yeah , I just did one a few days ago . I did House of Games , house of Games , and before that I was in Dictionary Corner on Countdown .
This is in the last couple of weeks , so yeah , I get invited to do those kind of shows now , but I'm not at all nervous about those , although quiz shows are a bit nerve-wracking , the chase especially oh my goodness , I was really nervous about the chase but I did get eight in my in my cash builder , so I was very pleased . But yeah , I musicals .
I've said to my agent I can't do musicals anymore because my nerves can't take it . I get even . I did footloose musical for a year and even up to the last day of that year I was still before going on stage , pacing up and down , going oh , don't forget your lines , reed , don't forget your lines , just talk to myself , rita . I did .
I did do another one after that . Actually I did happy days musical .
I might have done a few after that did you find it easy to learn the lines ? No , no that terrifies me , that idea of that . I loved doing plays school . There's always been a thing when I've talked to actor friends about how on earth do you just keep that in your head all the time ?
Yeah .
But isn't that the same as you knowing how a song sounds ? I ?
don't know Songs . You can , I don't know you can fit the words in and just kind of . I remember songs quite easily but I watch . We watch a lot of dramas me and Steve on telly and I think to myself how do they know their lines , how do they remember them ?
And with musicals , I have done plays as well , some of them even serious plays like Dial M for Murder . I did once and I dried on stage . I was sitting on a sofa and I had to be terribly , terribly posh . I had a terribly posh accent and I was sitting with my co-actor and I looked at him and he knew that I was blank and he said my line for me .
It frightened the living daylights out of me , dom . And I've done it a few times , actually in different musicals . I did it once in the West End when I was on Footloose . I did it in the middle of a song . I completely forgot it .
What did you do ?
I stopped and the pianist went . I went can you find it in your heart to forgive her ? And then nothing Didn't know what the next line was , and the pianist looked at me and he went , bong bing , bong bing . And I went bong bing , bong bing , and honestly it was awful .
And Steve McGann , who's the doctor in Call the Midwife he was playing opposite me , he was my husband in the show and he went , oh , and he stood up and he came and hugged me and I went , oh , oh , oh , and I started crying , but I was , it was just nerves , I just couldn't remember it . It was awful , I can't bear those times .
And so I said to my agent I don't want to ever do it again .
So you won't do it it depends .
It'll be either because it's a show that I really , really want to do , although I can't think of one off the top of my head , or because I'm really poor .
Finally , you know you've been part of this soundtrack to our lives too . You mentioned earlier about , you know , loving James Taylor and Jenny Mitchell and all the influences that we've had . You know me being on the radio and playing all the music that I've played over the years as well . What is it about us as human beings ?
Do you think that we just really Music is not just an accompaniment to
¶ The Power of Music
our life ? I don't think it is . That's not just for people who are really enthusiastic about music . I think for everyone on the planet . Music is it , isn't it ?
It takes you to a place and time in your life .
When we do these 80s weekends of festivals throughout the summer , you know , you know that you're taking that audience back to a time when they might have been , you know , teenagers or even younger , and for that moment , while you're on stage , they're not thinking about woes , they're not thinking about woes , they're not thinking about troubles , they're not thinking
about work , they're just in the moment and having a great time . And I think , for me , music takes me not just to another place and time , but also it makes me happy , it makes me sad , it makes me think . You know , I hear a song my mum used to like . That makes me think of my mum .
It's , it's , it's so important to me in my life and , I think , to most people . And I'd hate , I can't imagine what it would be like to not have music in your life . I cannot comprehend a life without music .
Cheryl Baker .
Rita , thanks for being with me on talking it's a great pleasure , always , always , dom Always , to see you .
And how good was .
Cuba . I know he starts off a bit , you know . Hang on a minute , let's get to know this bloke . I'll give him my ball . See if he wants to play with me . He always does that . A new person comes in , they get the ball treatment .
I love it . I love it , thanks , I love it . Thanks for listening . The music to Talking is composed by Johnny Easton . Talking is a Laughing Frog production .