As a finale to the Happy Birthday series, in this clip from 1996 at the premiere of the West End musical Smokey Jo’s Cafe, Shirley Bassey talks to a ‘”After 5″ TV reporter Ken Andrew about how she feels about her forthcoming 60th birthday…


Jonathan asked me to play the song The Magic Is You from the 1978 album of the same title. For us all the magic is simply Shirley Bassey herself… I hope you enjoy it Jonathan.

Following on from the Happy Birthday Shirley series, an interesting story from Neil…
Neil explained that it was auctioned at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane on July 18th 1999 by actor Gordon Kaye (of “Allo Allo” fame). It was a fundraising evening by the famed “Water Rats” organization. It was called “A Night Of Knights” and the top table consisted of such luminaries as Dame Very Lynn, Dame Thora Hird, Sir John Mills, Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Nigel Hawthorne to name a few…and they all signed the back of the presentation!
Neil said “‘I bought it from a lovely man called Gerry Palmer who said he wanted it to go to a good home, I happily obliged. Gerry was delighted with it`s new look and said I had done Shirley proud!”
Thanks to Neil for sharing this wonderful story