Video: Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night – Includes Bette Midler Segment – 1978

This video, Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night is something like a telethon with many guests. There is a full Bette Midler segment with a hilarious interview and two songs, Hello In There and Leader Of The Pack. This is an English show, Bette Midler was there starting her World Tour.

Bette Midler was performing at the London Palladium in 1978 in her Trash With Flash tour, and I went to see her the week before she was due on my TV show Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night. All the way through her act she kept falling on the floor and talking to the audience from where she was lying. It was very funny indeed. And boy could she sing.

At the end of the performance her fans unfurled a huge banner. Noticing it, she started to read it out. ‘Bette… show us your tits.’ This received a huge laugh. Then, after a long pause, she continued. ‘Oh what the hell, it’s Friday night.’ With that she pulled her top down and walked off stage.

A couple of days later I suggested to the producer of Big Night that as Bette had done so much of her act lying on the floor, we should do the interview lying on the floor. ‘We could also have a cup of tea,’ I added. Bette was wearing skintight satin leggings and when she stood up from our interview I put my hand out to help her and accidentally touched her bottom. ‘I’m so sorry,’ I said. ‘No hard feelings.’ I hadn’t realised what I’d just come out with, but Bette cottoned on immediately and almost collapsed with laughter.