Unseen film footage bringing back fond memories for Rose

Well known faces from the worlds of acting, sport, comedy, TV and radio, including news presenters Paul Clark and Rose Neill, have been sharing their light-hearted memories of a variety of topics, including family life, school, holidays, sports and romance on UTV’s Rewind with Julian.

Each programme is interspersed with fabulous footage from UTV’s rich archive dating right back to the early 1960s, some of which has never been seen since originally transmitted. And it was this footage on last Tuesday’s episode that caught Rose Neill by surprise.

She picks up the story: “I had great fun taking part in the making of the programme and I was watching it and having a laugh during Tuesday’s episode which was all about childhood holiday memories.

‘‘One particular piece of black and white archive footage flashed on the screen of a lady in a white bikini with a little girl beside her tucking into an ice-cream cone …..there was something very familiar about the lady and Ivan my husband nearly jumped out of his skin, as I shouted, “That’s my mother….rewind that!“

“And sure enough it was my num, and the little girl was six-year-old me!”

While Rose remembers making her TV debut on UTV News at the tender age of five, (having won a Little Miss Northern Ireland competition, in which her aunt had entered her without her parents’ permission), she has no memory of cameras capturing that sunny day out in the summer of 1965 with her mother Doreen, sister Maxine and aunt Joan in Bangor.

“Our family had fabulous summer holidays and I have fond memories of those times. I’m just delighted that even just that few seconds is captured forever in our fabulous archive.”

Other stars taking part in the series include, Nuala McKeever, Grimes and McKee, Gene Fitzpatrick and John Linehan from the world of comedy; recording artists Philomena Begley, Derek Ryan and Malachi Cush; radio presenters Ibe Sesay, Cate Conway and Stephen Clements; current UTV presenters and reporters including Frank Mitchelland Pamela Ballantine, and from the world of acting Olivia Nash, and Mrs Brown’s Boys’ Danny O’Carroll and Paddy Houlihan.

Julian has also filmed on location in and around Northern Ireland, talking to members of the public about their personal memories.

The celebrities talk about family sizes and the rivalries and pranks that resulted between brothers and sisters. There’s reminiscing about the joys of playing outdoors, and what birthday parties were like back in the day.School days evoke good and bad memories for the celebrities, including inspirational teachers, the joys of getting new stationery, and what school dinners were actually like!

Tony Curry UTV’s editor of programmes, said, “This is a fun and light-hearted series which was a joy to make for everyone involved.

‘‘Anyone sitting down to watch the programmes is sure to relate to the stories told, remember their own childhood, and what growing up in Northern Ireland was like. From school to romance to holidays and leisure, there’s something there for everyone.”

Rewind with Julian continues on Tuesday at 7.30pm on UTV, and you can catch up on www.itv.com/utvprogrammes.