Hello I'm Krestey Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1995 and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My castaway this week is an entertainer. She has in fact entertained a whole generation from the time

when as a young girl she was chosen to sing in Trafalgar Square on Vee Night to the moment

earlier this year when she returned to the West End stage to play the lead in Sunset Boulevard.

She's the biggest female recording star Britain has ever produced, popular not only here,

but in France and America too. But to the British public who remember her from

her first radio programs in the 40s and hits such as the little shoemaker in the

50s and downtown in the 60s, this sophisticated millionaire

S will always be our pet.

She is Petula Clark.

It's a very affectionate handle Petula, our pet.

But do you resent it in a way? Do you feel oh why don't the British let me grow up?

No, I don't know I don't resent it but I think I'm getting on a bit to be called Our Pet, you know.

But I suppose it's the price you pay as a child star,

and it. People feel very proprietorial about you.

It wasn't easy for me because as I was growing up in public, which was not a very easy thing to do I think

growing up is tricky anyway but you know doing it in front of millions and people is

is really bad news but of course every time I wore a dress that showed a little bit of cleavage or when I got out of my little white socks.

People were not happy. They could see their own youth disappearing with wine.

Do you think that's what it was?

I think so.

...