Radio Solent - Peter Sellers: From Southsea to Stardom

There was always a moment on the TV every week that would make me cringe. It was the weekly occasion when a celebrity was surprised with that ‘big red book’ on This Is Your Life. Up until they started pouncing on the much younger celebrities at the end of the show’s run, I can only presume the victims thought: “this is a sign my career has peaked and it’s downhill from here…”. Many years later, in 2015, I find myself thinking that this is exactly the type of show we need back on our screens: Revisiting and reassessing the unfashionable and sometimes maligned stars of yesteryear.

A few years ago I produced a radio documentary on Benny Hill. The Radio Times review called it “a warm-hearted reassessment”. The truth is, everyone I interviewed that worked with him spoke very highly of his professionalism and thought he was a lovely guy. I dwelled mainly on the work he did, because what’s often forgotten is that it achieved remarkable worldwide success and is still repeated in many countries today. Charlie Chaplin was not surprisingly a hero of Benny’s, but what is lesser-known though, is that Chaplin was also a massive fan of Benny and had all his tapes! There was one interviewee who had struck up a friendship with him, and he used to visit and take her and her disabled husband out, pushing his wheelchair around the Southampton streets. She proudly exclaimed: “Michael Jackson visited Benny when he was in hospital, but Benny visited us”. This is one of the joys of working in regional radio. People feel a sense of ‘ownership’ of the radio station through many years of trusted listening and so they often open up and share some remarkable stories.

The recent Peter Sellers project has always been in my sights since moving to the south coast nearly 10 years ago. It’s a proud fact for Southsea locals that ‘their boy’ was born above what’s now a Chinese restaurant and his dazzling array of characters are still adored by millions across the globe. Dozens of legendary stories have circulated amongst residents who are keen to endorse their part of Portsmouth: “He was taken on stage by his parents at the Kings Theatre when only a few days old as part of their travelling show,” is one such classic yarn. Having made a celebration of the work of Tony Hancock (with comedian Steve Punt) I know how important it is to establish contact with friends and colleagues early to help navigate the minefield of copyright issues and frame the scope and range of the documentary.

Being a massive fan of all things comedy and especially Peter’s work, I knew this particular project would be a mammoth one. I wanted to ensure I would fully encapsulate the variety of his career, from stage, radio, TV, film and many successful album releases. The whole task was made a lot easier with the incredible kindness and help of Sarah Sellers, Peter’s daughter, who gave me her blessing for the celebration and put me in touch with several key contacts. The comedy historian Mark Cousins was also an incredible script editor whose knowledge and passion provoked some splendid research into the lesser-known areas of Peter’s career.

With so many previous documentaries dwelling on his personal life, I was determined to make this project focus solely on his work. To make it stand-out and a worthwhile listen for even the hardened fans, I needed something special. After many months of tireless research I was able to track down a very rare and previously missing TV show that Peter presented -The Gang Show.

I’ve developed a great working relationship with my colleagues in television and online with my special projects. So when out and about recording contributors across the country I take a video camera and record all interviews. I then provide a piece for South Today and supply online with all raw materials for a web article. Any footage that doesn’t make the final cut for the TV feature becomes an ‘extra’, available on the iPlayer page – hopefully alerting more people to the programme.

It’s lovely that some of my work has been repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra, and in some cases even gained recognition at the New York International Radio Awards Festival, the Radio Academy and the Gillard Awards. It would be very easy to slap myself on the back, but if it wasn’t for the trust and companionship the listeners feel for the Radio Solent then I wouldn’t have the stories to tell.

Richard Latto is a broadcast journalist for Radio Solent.

• Peter Sellers: From Southsea to Stardom is on BBC Radio Solent Saturday 25 July, 2pm
• Listen to Radio Solent on iPlayer Radio