That's Life!
| That's Life! | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Current affairs Consumer protection Satire Light entertainment |
| Directed by | Bob Marsland Stuart McDonald Robin Bextor |
| Presented by | Esther Rantzen |
| Composer(s) | Tony Kinsey |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 21 |
| No. of episodes | 442 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Peter Chafer |
| Producer(s) | Henry Murray John Lloyd Norma Shepherd Esther Rantzen Shaun Woodward |
| Editor(s) | Brian Freemantle John Morrell |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC 1 |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original release | 26 May 1973 – 19 June 1994 |
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was notable for presenting hard-hitting investigations alongside satire and occasional light entertainment. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday nights for many years and then on Sunday nights. In its latter days, in an attempt to win back falling ratings, it was moved back to Saturday nights.
The original purpose of the programme was consumer protection, particularly safety issues. The importance of wearing seat belts, for example, was illustrated before attitudes supporting their use became widespread. Britain's telephone helpline for children, ChildLine, was developed by Rantzen following items on the programme. Awareness for the need for child organ transplants was increased through the 1985 death of Ben Hardwick, a toddler whose liver disease was followed by the show. In tribute, Marti Webb released a version of the Michael Jackson song "Ben".
The programme also featured less serious items, which over time grew in number. These included the 'Jobsworth,' exposing companies and authorities who had implemented obscure regulations and policies causing more grievances than they aimed to correct. In another feature, 'Heap of the Week', viewers would write in regarding annoying unreliable domestic appliances and other failed items, which would then be disposed of in destructive ways to the delight of their owners. A regular feature as the final item of each show, particularly in the 1980s and '90s, was various members of the team disguised as various people or things in locations such as supermarkets and garden centres, suddenly breaking into song and grabbing passers by and getting them to join in. Some of the more light-hearted features tapped into the British seaside postcard-style humour, being cheeky and suggestive but never out-and-out rude.
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