Samuel West was moved to tears when Ade Edmondson shared a painful childhood memory about his father in the final instalment of Sam and Ade Go Birding. The All Creatures Great and Small actor became visibly emotional when Ade revealed that, on his seventh birthday, his dad told him they would shake hands rather than kiss goodnight from then on.
Emotional conversation at Bempton Cliffs
The pair were visiting Yorkshire's Bempton Cliffs in the Channel 5 series to fulfil Ade's ambition of spotting a puffin when their conversation turned to family and growing older. Sam recalled appearing in a play with his father, actor Timothy West, who died in November 2024 following a period of deteriorating health.
"Did I ever tell you I was doing a two-handed play with my dad when he was 77? It was two very different ways of acting and I expect as I get older, I'm going to turn into him." Ade admitted he was "very jealous" of Sam's bond with his father before sharing his own experience.
Ade's childhood memory
He told Sam: "You talk about birthdays, on my seventh birthday, I went to kiss my dad goodnight and he said, 'No Adrian, you are seven now, I don't think we need to kiss any more, we will shake hands'."
The account moved Sam to tears. "Oh no," he replied, pressing his hand against his chest. "Oh, that's really upset me," he continued, his voice breaking. "It's quite harsh, isn't it," Ade observed. Sam agreed: "It is."
Reflecting on the past
Later in the episode, Sam returned to the conversation, explaining that Ade's story had stayed with him. "I've been thinking about what you said about your dad, saying you couldn't kiss him goodnight when you were seven. How do you feel when that happened?" he asked.
Ade said he "thought it was normal" at the time, explaining: "There was no one else to compare it with. The thing with my dad is that he was born in 1929 or something, so he was quite young when the war started. His parents weren't particularly pleasant to him and lived through the austerity after the war, you know, all that rationing. I think they were just from a mindset which..."
"It's the way it was done," Sam interjected. Ade continued: "Yeah, I sometimes pity him, because, what fun did he get out of me?"
Discussing ageing and a thoughtful gift
During their trip, the pair also discussed ageing and staying active as Sam neared 60 and Ade approached 70. Asked whether he was worried about getting older, Sam admitted: "Well, there is not much good about it. I've seen that with my parents. Slightly scared of getting dementia." His mother, Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales, died in October 2025 after living with dementia. Ade said: "I think I've gotten over the hump of it, having lost this bit of weight, I feel a lot more sprightly."
In another emotional moment, Ade marked Sam's 60th birthday with a watercolour painting of a dunnock, whose scientific name is Prunella modularis. "I drew that because it's your mum," Ade explained. Sam was once again overwhelmed with emotion as he thanked his friend for the thoughtful gift. Stream Sam & Ade Go Birding on 5 now.
