Catacombs Credits Guide
Roy Dotrice

This is Your Life was a long running show on UK television, based on an American show of the same name. It began in 1955 and ran until 2003, with a one-off revival in 2007. The host from the second episode in 1955 until his death in 1987 was Eamonn Andrews. Each week, the show would start by surprising a celebrity guest with the big red book. The show would return to the studios, where Andrews would present their biography, introducing family and friends through the show.

Roy Dotrice was surprised on the set of Space: 1999 on 13 March 1974 (during filming of Ring Around The Moon, two days before the start of Earthbound, probably so regular filming would not be interrupted). The show was broadcast on 20 March 1974 at 7pm. One of his surprise guests was Richard Johnson, who had also just appeared in Space: 1999. Comments from an interview in November 2013 (BigRedBook.info).

I was doing a thing at Pinewood film studios with Martin Landau. We were all dressed in what was supposed to be, and was very advanced at that time, year 2000 costumes. They were very avant garde. I came down this straight gantry and there were all these television screens (the Main Mission set, and the screens under the Big Screen). One of them said "Roy Dotrice, this is your life". As I'm blind as a bat without my glasses, I couldn't see what the hell that was, I tried, but I couldn't read it. And then Eamonn Andrews came round the corner with his big red book and said, "This is your life". It was an embarrassing moment, I think, rather than an exciting one.