The following is a transcript of Karen's appearance on Bruce Forsythe's 1978 Christmas Television Special, broadcast on National television on 24th December.

Bruce Forsythe is a very famous personality in the United Kingdom mainly for comparing game shows such as the very popular "Generation Game" and "Play Your Cards Right". Karen appeared alone, as Richard was still recovering from his addiction to prescribed sleeping pills. She seems bright and upbeat, but rather frail and thin.

Unfortunately, I do not possess the technology or hardware to be able to include any clips on this site. But who knows, maybe one day in the future...

(Karen sings "Please Mr. Postman", followed by "Merry Christmas Darling")

Bruce: Karen my darling, thank you so much. I wore this for you (headphones with holly)
Karen: Looks great!
Bruce: Thank you for being on the show. But where's Richard?
Karen: Richard, well, got to tell you about that. We tossed a coin..... and I lost.
Bruce: Oh, that's a shame. But how is he? How is he?
Karen: Well he is coming along, I talked to him last night. And he feels a little bit better. See what actually happened, seriously. Two days before we were gonna come over, he caught himself a really nice case of the 'flu.
Bruce: Oh, no.
Karen: So he's flat on his back in Los Angeles and he's really upset, he couldn't come. But I am very glad to be here, because I gotta tell ya. What an honour it is for me, is to be standing here with the one and the only, Bruce For-thyth! (mispronounced)
Bruce: Bruce For-thyth!
Karen: You have a very strange name, right! Wait, wait, wow! Easy there, downboy. Bruce... Hello?
Bruce: (looking into her mouth) So the back one will have to come out!
I heard you on the radio even yesterday. And evertime you got to my name, it's "We're over here to do the Bruth Forfarth, Bruth Forfarth!
Karen: It's the truth, I was dreading everytime they asked me what I was doing here, so just finally I said I came over to do the "B.F. Show".
Bruce: I hope it got a laugh! But anyway it's lovely to have you here, it really is.
Karen: Oh well. Un - - - believable! But I have one slight more question. Just a teeny question. Why have you got on those rediculous headphones?
Bruce: Well you see, if you want anything done in this place, you do it yourself. And I know all your guys are very particular about the sound. And any sound problems, And I thought I would check it personally. So that everything's absolutely OK.
Karen: Oh, that's good. OK.
Bruce: It won't take a second.
Bruce: (speaking into various microphones) One, two... One two... One, two...
Karen: THREE!!!
Bruce: I know "Three" comes after "one two"! I'm just trying to check the whole thing. It won't take a second. Ready, I think you'd better tweak up the snorters a bit. Tweak up the snorters yeh! And tweak up the snorters! And can you give me bit of an extra couple of donkeys on this mic here. For Gods sake, get me some donkeys on this mic here. And turn the worblers down five druits ok? Five druits on the worblers...!
Karen: What are you doing?
Bruce: Should be enough... What?
Karen: WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?
Bruce: Don't shout!
Karen: Sorry!
Bruce: For Goodness sake, there's no need to shout Karen. I was adjusting the sound for you!
Karen: What were you talking about worblers and druits and stuff?
Bruce: Well it's all the technical jargon you see, one of the soundboys said that if I said all that to you it would impress you.
Karen: Oh it did! ...I hate to break this to you, but a... that's a bunch of garbage (pronounced "gar-barge")
Bruce: Gar-barge?
Karen: Gar-barge.
Bruce: I thought that's you had with roast beef! Gar-barge. Do you mean, is that what you call "rubbish" in the States?
Karen: They're putting you on.
Bruce: Are they putting me on? Ah, thank you very much you lot! Very funny! You made me look like a right fool here in front of a 13 and a half people. You're trying to do something to help someone and this is what happens. Is there anyway I can assure you the sound, kids, the sound is ace! It's ace! All right then, absolutely ace! We're ready now for a take.
Karen: Oh, we are!
Bruce: Yes.
Karen: We just did 2 songs.
Bruce: We did 2 songs?
Karen: We're ready to do a third!
Bruce: Oh good. Take three! Where's the microphone! Oh you've got it. (brings a stool)
Karen: What service! Wait a second, I'll sit down.
Bruce: Now. This song, is a very special song.
Karen: Yes (sat down on the stool)
Bruce: And I'd like you to tell us a little bit about it, cause it's a beautiful song.
Karen: Well, this song is called "I Need To Be In Love", and it was written by Richard. And...
Bruce: By Richard. Oh, that's lovely.
Karen: Yeah, he wrote the music, and John Bettis wrote the lyrics.
Bruce: Super.
Karen: And it's a... quite a few years it's been my favourite, I think.
Bruce: It's a special one to you.
Karen: Yes.
Bruce: And I'm sure it's a special one for us. Thank you Karen.

(sings I Need To Be In Love) - (loud applause)

Bruce: It's such a lovely song... And Richard wrote it?
Karen: Yes, he did.
Bruce: And your voice is such a... Got such a clarity about it.
Karen: Oh, thank you.
Bruce: It really is something. In fact it was ace, it was double ace, and in fact four aces, and clubs are trumps!
Karen: Good.
Bruce: Really good. You don't know what I'm talking about half the time. But I'm really, I'm... so glad that we did a third take. That's I'm trying to say.
Karen: I'm so glad that you got that out!
Bruce: So am I! But tell me... Karen! You're answering back.
Karen: I'm sorry, I won't say a word.
Bruce: No, I do like you saying words... but in the right places.
It is true, or is it true, that earlier in your career, I've seen you play drums in a group and that kind of thing, but I was reading on the other day that you were a bit of a... "jazz"!
Karen: Oh, yeah, I played jazz for a long time.
Bruce: Well I play jazz piano. It would be lovely if we could do the thing together.
Karen: You do! Oh, play together...? Gee, I don't know... I have to ask Richard. He's kind of touchy about whom I play with.
Bruce: Oh is he? They're funny crowd tonight, take no notice Karen. They had their own meaning behind that.
Karen: But you're in luck, because he's never been picky about who I sing with.
Bruce: "Picky?"
Karen: He's never been..... "fussy"
Bruce: Fussy!
Karen: Fussy! Fussy!!!... About people whom I sing with. Do you wanna sing together?
Bruce: That would have been marvellous. But picky, I mean "picky" is another word, that's American word?
Karen: "Picky"? That's an American word.
Bruce: All right then. Well he's never, he's not "picky" about whom you sing with... Picky! I'm glad you 'picky' me!
Karen: We tossed up, we tossed up.
Bruce: We did toss up didn't we.
Karen: Yes, we did.
Bruce: I'd be honoured to sing with you. I really would. In fact, you know I even forgive you about, would you like to have one go say my name, just once more before you do the song?
Karen: You want it slow or fast?
Bruce: Yes, please... Well. Slow.
Karen: Slow. Alright, I have to face front. Get a camera in my mouth... The BRUCE - FORSYTHE - SHOW!
Bruce: Great! That was excellent.

(Karen sings "Winter Wonderland" with Bruce, then "White Christmas" solo - show closes.)

Britain experienced many industrical problems during the late '70s. Most notably, the infamous coal-miners strike, which caused serious electricity and power shortages, so much in fact that domestic supplies had to be rationed. This was done on a rota basis. You can imagine my horror and disappointment to discover that my home would have its supply cut at the very time Bruce's show was due to be shown. Remember, this was at a time when video recorders did not exist for ordinary folk. So no chance of asking a friend to record it on my behalf.

I had almost given up hope of seeing Karen when my father came up trumps and worked a miracle. He had a generator delivered which enabled us to have heat, light and TV for that evening. It was quite incredible to see that ours was the only house to show any lights in the whole street that night.

I still don't know to this date how my father managed to do this for me. But you can imagine I was extremely grateful. Watching that programme really made my Christmas special that year, as Carpenters' appearances on TV were rare to say the least.

I hope you enjoyed reading the above. I think it illustrates very well. What a charming and humorous character Karen possessed. Who knows what branch of the entertainment industry she would have been in, had she survived...