MY TV LIFE Sam Brown

East London-born pop star Sam, 58, is best known for her 80s hits Stop! and Can I Get A Witness.

What was your first TV memory?

I think it was Andy Pandy and The Magic Roundabout. Florence was, of course, my hero. I remember the Banana Splits, mostly because of the theme tune. Rainbow, Magpie and Hector’s House are also lurking in my subconscious somewhere.

What was your first TV appearance?

On Roy Castle’s Record Breakers. I was about 13 and was the singer in a Dixieland jazz band with my dear friend Julian Stringle, an amazing clarinet player. I was persuaded to wear a cream satin tight skirt and high heels, which went totally against the grain, and I hobbled across the set looking extremely ungainly.

Who was your first TV crush?

Hmmm. Maybe David Cassidy in The Partridge Family and Sam – Dick York – in Bewitched. American TV shows seemed so much more glamorous than ours!

What is your favourite current show?

I enjoyed The Bridge, and at the other end of the scale The Marvellous Mrs Maisel on Amazon Prime. Also, Killing Eve and Dexter. I like the gruesome humour.

I also enjoy Scandinavian and French crime-based dramas, unless I’m knitting, in which case the subtitles are tricky!

Which TV show would you take to a desert island?

Call The Midwife! So reassuring in a highly unrealistic way.

What TV show would you like to put out of its misery?

I’m not a fan of reality TV shows, but as I don’t watch them, I couldn’t really say which one! I feel like it’s car crash TV, but as a creative person I wouldn’t choose to sit in judgment on others’ work.

Guiltiest TV pleasure?

I loved Downton Abbey! All those wonderful vintage outfits!

What are you up to at the moment?

Promoting my new album, Number 8. I haven’t been able to sing properly since 2007 so it’s completely different to anything I’ve done before as it’s all auto-tuned. Stylistically it’s kind of

80s electronica. I’m curious to see what people make of it.

Number 8 by Sam Brown is out now