Something for the weekend

Date
18 May 2008
Channel
BBC (UK)

Kim Wilde speaks with presenters Tim Lovejoy and Amanda Hamilton about the ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign. Later in the programme she helps out cook Simon Rimmer in making a macaroni dish. At the end of the programme, presenters and guests (Kim plus Reggie Yates) have lunch together, during which the two guests answer questions that have come in via e-mail during the programme.

Market kitchen

Date
22 April 2008
Channel
UKTV Food (UK)

Interview with Kim about the ‘Seeds of change’ campaign. The two presenters also show some of the rare varieties of vegetables that can be grown from the seeds that are available as part of this campaign.

Loose women

Date
10 April 2008
Channel
ITV (UK)

Talkshow in which four women discuss topical issues. Kim Wilde is in today’s edition to talk about Seeds of Change’s ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign, about rare seeds.

BBC Breakfast

Date
9 April 2008
Channel
BBC (UK)

Kim Wilde is one of the guests during this breakfast news programme. She is interviewed about the ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign, which promotes the use of organic seeds all across the UK.

Good morning to you. Lovely to see you.
Lovely to be here. It’s a great day, the sun’s out, it’s very exciting isn’t it, all the gardening out there thinking ‘woooo’. Planting some seeds.

Excuse the ignorance, it’s planting time now, isn’t it? That’s what we should be worrying about.
Absolutely, spring is the traditional time to plant seeds and I’m involved in a ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign to get the nation, I mean we are a nation of gardeners… Perhaps there are people out there watching who’ve never planted a seed and so you know perhaps this spring they could do so! And if I can do it, anyone can do it. (Laughs)

Well a lot of people say ‘I can’t plant a seed, I haven’t got a garden’.
Well that’s very true, I mean you can have containers. You can plant in containers. You can plant on a window sill, grow tomatoes and herbs. And also the Dig your dinner campaign is flagging up some varieties who are in danger of becoming extinct. These varieties are living antiques. They’ve been with us for generations and although you can buy them in your local nurseries heirloom varieties, there are a number that are actually in danger of becoming extinct. There are three of them here: this is the Jay’s pea, which apparently originates in Luton, which is very exciting because I’m gonna plant that because I live just down the road from Luton.

So the climate will be right for there.
That kindof makes some sense. If it’s survived hundreds of years til now, and originated in Luton, it should do well in Codicote, this is what I’m thinking. And there’s an onion here, Rousham onion, I haven’t grown this one before but I’ve received these seeds from Garden Organic, the UK’s leading organic growing charity and that’s the only way you can get these seeds because these are not on the national seedlist, so you have to become a member of Garden Organic in order to receive these. But to support seeds that are in danger of becoming extinct you should support heirloom varieties.

Are they easy to grow as well? I mean, you’ve got onions there for example but it’s not something I would naturally be planting in my garden. It’s quite small, but are these onions easy to grow?
Well they are. I always say if I can do it, anyone can do it. I’ll probably be sowing them inside when I get home today and then I’ll put them out after the frost at the end of May. But actually you can direct sow them, I plant in raised beds and they warm up quicker than the ground.

You see, some of us don’t particularly feel green-fingered. Thinking ‘Oh, is this soil right, is the light right, enough water, too much water…’
I know, it is a vast subject and I would say with the campaign, why not start small? When I started I really jumped in the deep end. And I planted everything in sight. It was overwhelming. Great fun, but I would say start off small, pick three seeds that you really like the look of, fancy growing some peas perhaps, or some salad leaves, which will grow well in containers, outside your kitchen door…

You can’t go too wrong, can you? Potting stuff, and then water occasionally and if it comes up, fine, if it doesn’t well you haven’t lost too much?
The world will not end if a seed does not come up. And I think once you sow a seed… I defy anyone having done it once not to feel motivated and do it again. So if they go to digyourdinner.co.uk website they can get lots of great tips about how to get started this spring.

We’ve been talking about paving over front gardens. Which would seem a pity for you, I think?
It does, absolutely. I think, you know, promoting a space for wildlife, to encourage wildlife that helps the garden, gardening organically, gardening with plants, creating little havens for our environment. We’re a nation that can really make a big impact on the nation’s health and environment just in our little gardens.

Kim, let’s take you back for a moment to your former career.
(Laughs) Do we have to?

You had a record with a record. You were, until recently, the last female British artist to have a number 1 in America with ‘Kids in America’. There you are. Leona Lewis has… You had that spot for, what, 25 years?
Well something like that. I know, it’s absolutely fantastic for her, you know. Let’s be very proud of that girl, she’s such a talent and I can’t think of anyone better to take that mantle away from me.

And it proves how difficult it is as well, when it’s taken that long for a British female artist to do it, doesn’t it?
It does. I mean the market was very different then, in 1983 or -4 when I had that hit with a cover version of ‘You keep me hangin’ on’ and it was very different then. I don’t think the Americans generally got that Eighties sound. But I think our markets have merged a lot more now and there’s less differences between the American music scene and the British music scene.

‘You keep me hangin’ on’ was the number 1, not ‘Kids in America’, is that right?
That’s correct, yeah, a cover version of ‘Hangin’ on’.

The one that I always remember is ‘Kids in America’.
Good on you, yeah.

Guilty pleasures

Date
8 March 2008
Channel
ITV (UK)

Celebrity singers come to the studio to perform their versions of songs that people are afraid to admit they like, so-called ‘Guilty pleasures’. The Feeling performed The Buggles’ ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’, KT Tunstall sang ‘The Voice’, Craig David sang ‘If You Let Me Stay’, Sophie Ellis-Bextor did ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’, Kelly Osbourne performed ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, Amy McDonald performed ‘Sweet Caroline’, The Magic Numbers did ‘Islands In The Stream’ and The Diamond Hoo Ha Men did Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’.
With filmed commentaries on the songs by Tony Anstis, Coronation Street’s Lucy-Jo Hudson, Kim Wilde, David and Carrie Grant, Gareth Gates, Holly Willoughby, Leigh Francis as Keith Lemon, Lorraine Kelly, Pete Waterman, Toyah Wilcox and Konnie Huq.

Kim Wilde quotes:

‘Staying alive’ (Bee Gees)
…melodies that stick in your head…

‘Waiting for a star to fall’ (Boy meets girl)
I don’t mind what I sing now, because I never feel guilty about my guilty pleasures.

‘Yes sir I can boogie’ (Baccara)
It’s a totally different kind of boogie. It’s a sort of horizontal boogie.

‘Islands in the stream’ (Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers)
Darling, we’re islands in the stream. Sort your head out.

Art on Ice 2008

Date
9 February 2008
Channel
SF (Switzerland)

TV broadcast of the Art on Ice concerts that took place in Zurich between January 31 and February 3. Kim Wilde and her band, consisting of Steve Power (keyboards), Ricky Wilde (guitar), Neil Jones (guitar), Nick Beggs (bass), Jon Atkinson (drums) and Roxanne Wilde (backing vocals), perform ‘Kids in America’, ‘You keep me hangin’ on’ and ‘Chequered love’ live while ice skaters do dance routine on the music. There’s also a short backstage interview with a Swiss presenter, who also translates Kim’s answers.

You have your whole family with you?
I have, my sister Roxanne is doing backing vocals, my brother Ricky is playing guitar, of course he’s written all my hits, ‘Kids in America’, ‘Cambodia’ and all of them, and my sister in law Mandy is here as well, who’s causing mayhem, so, yeah, it’s fun to have my family with me.

What about your children, when they hear their mum sing all these big hits, do they like your music?
I don’t think my little boy is that crazy about it, Harry, I think he prefers Metallica, Iron Maiden… My little girl Rose, she’s eight years old, I think she thinks I’m quite cool.

Does your son like to skate with you?
I actually took them skating in Copenhagen when I was there last year, and they did very well. It was an outdoors skating ring in the center of Copenhagen, and they did very well. I’ve never really tried it myself, I do rollerskating and I enjoy that, is that similar?

I think it’s similar, but I’m not an expert anyway. (…) What’s the special thing for you to be in the show tonight?
For me, I’ve always watched ice skating on the television, never seen it up close and really close, like I am now. And it’s absolutely magical, I can see why it’s such a popular spectacle, it’s just quite magnificent. It’s a wonderful production, beautiful colours, costumes, and incredibly brave choices these artists are making, especially when they do those jumps. Your heart’s in your mouth and you hope they’re gonna land and they’re not gonna hurt themselves and it’s so beautiful to see music interpreted in that way. It’s absolutely wonderful. I’m chuffed to bits to be here.

Glanz & Gloria

Date
4 February 2008
Channel
SF (Switzerland)

Short report about the Art on Ice event, during which Kim makes an appearance on stage. After the concert, there’s an afterparty in the middle of the night, during which Kim dances with someone and comments: “it’s been an amazing evening”.

Rock & Pop Geschichten

Date
30 January 2008
Channel
EinsFestival (Germany)

Half hour programme about Kim Wilde, filmed on November 11, 2007 in Bremen before Kim’s concert at the Aladin. The programme starts with an introduction by two presenters and a video of “Jesamine” by the Casuals. The two presenters then look back on Kim’s career, starting out in 1981. Part of the 1982 interview in Zoom is shown. Then the March 1981 performance of Kids in America in Musikladen follows.
Kim Wilde is then interviewed. She tells about her memories of Musik Laden and how she works with her family nowadays.
Then part of the April 1982 performance of View from a bridge in Musikladen is shown. Then Kim is asked what was so special about the music of the 80’s and, while she is wearing a Clash t-shirt, whether she is a fan of that band. She is, and a clip of ‘London calling’ by the Clash is shown.
Kim says that from her own songs, ‘You came’ is her favourite and has been for quite some time. Part of the live rehearsal of ‘You came’ is shown.
After one question about her popularity amongst boys, the December 1981 performance of ‘Cambodia’ in Musikladen is shown.
After talking about the musical Tommy for a little while, a video of The Who’s ‘Pinball Wizard’ is shown.
Then Kim is interviewed about her other passion, gardening. When asked about her plans for the future Kim says that it’s going to revolve around music.
The final video in the programme is the June 1981 performance of Chequered love in Musikladen.

Diskoteka 80s

Date
1 January 2008
Channel
Russia

TV registration of the concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg on November 23 and 25, 2007 respectively. During this programme, Kim’s songs ‘You keep me hangin’ on’, ‘You came’ and ‘Cambodia’ are broadcast. While the band played live, for the TV broadcast the studio versions are played.

Die 80er: alle hits!

Date
1 January 2008
Channel
Super RTL (Germany)

Programme in which artists from the Eighties are ranked in a chart. Kim is featured as number 16. The music video for ‘Kids in America’ is shown with commentary from random German semi-celebrities.