Kieran Prendiville, Esther Rantzen and Glyn Worsnip in 1976.
The consumer rights programme That’s Life first aired on 26 May 1973. It was created by John Lloyd and presented and produced by Esther Rantzen, developing the format of Braden's Week, on which both had worked. There was initial criticism of the show's mixture of the serious and the humorous but the programme was enormously popular and ran until 1994.
Rantzen’s co-presenters over the years included Glyn Worsnip, Kieran Prendiville, Chris Serle, Bill Buckley, Gavin Campbell, Paul Heiney and Adrian Mills. Humorous interludes of press cuttings, rude vegetables, funny poems or songs were provided by people including Cyril Fletcher, Richard Stilgoe and Victoria Wood.
That's Life was also one of the first programmes to make stars of the public in regular street interviews, in particular Annie Mizen, an outspoken elderly lady.
The heart of That's Life was as the consumer's champion, but it was also strong on child protection issues. In 1984 the case of Ben Hardwicke highlighted the need for more child organ transplants and led to a reduction in waiting lists. In 1986 Childline was established after a survey of viewers revealed the need for a national helpline for children in distress, and it continues to this day with Esther Rantzen as president.
May anniversaries
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Bread
1 May 1986 -
Top of the Form
1 May 1948 -
First VHF transmitter opens at Wrotham
2 May 1955 -
Horizon first transmitted
2 May 1964 -
Luther
4 May 2010 -
The Ascent of Man first broadcast
5 May 1973 -
Wedding of Princess Margaret
6 May 1960 -
VE Day broadcasts
8 May 1945 -
First gardening programme
9 May 1931 -
The Queen鈥檚 Hall destroyed by bombing
10 May 1941 -
Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
12 May 1937 -
First episode of Bucknell's House
14 May 1962 -
Broadcasting House opens
15 May 1932 -
Strictly Come Dancing
15 May 2004 -
The Debussy film debuts
18 May 1965 -
Beatrice Harrison, cello and nightingale duet
19 May 1924 -
Churchill's first broadcast as Prime Minister
19 May 1940 -
Thomas Woodrooffe at the Coronation Fleet Review
20 May 1937 -
Opening of Lime Grove Studios
21 May 1950 -
Eurovision first broadcast
24 May 1956 -
That's Life
26 May 1973 -
The Goon Show
28 May 1951 -
The Great War
30 May 1964 -
Tumbledown
31 May 1988