samkydd

Quizzes have always been a cheap way of pulling in audiences for television and we all have our favourites. Some people like the difficult ones like Mastermind, others prefer the ones where the patronised contestants make complete fools of themselves by replying with the most ridiculous answers possible like Family Fortunes, The Weakest Link etc. There were some completely strange ones like 3-2-1 where the question setter must have been a surrealist on acid, and Ted Rogers kept us all in stitches with gags about British Leyland workers having too many tea breaks!

Then there's the new breed of "comedy" quiz (well 15 years old anyway) which we were discussing under the Contestants post, like Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Have I Got News For You, QI, Shooting Stars etc. where minor celebs try and cling on to their fame and mortgages by shouting out inane "off the cuff" remarks to get the studio audience rolling in the aisles with laughter, while the quizmaster laughs along with them until the producer prompts him to add a well rehearsed witty retort!

Millionaire used to be good but my personal favourites were/are; Bullseye, Have I Got News For You, The Price is Right, Screen Test. Univesity Challenge and QI.

The radio has some good 'uns too, and years ago I remember DLT (Dave Lee Travis) on Radio 1 used to do a 'phone-in snooker quiz on a Saturday and a darts quiz on the Sunday, or vice versa. It sounds naff but it was quite good.

One day a contestant replied to the question "What instrument does the conductor of an orchestra usually play?" with the answer "A baton!" and DLT just burst out laughing uncontrolably so much that he couldn't continue the show for about ten minutes, and I think his producer came in the studio and he was laughing as well. I was driving at the time and I had to pull over to the side of the road. The tears were flooding out and my stomach was aching, and I had to get out of the car and collapse on to the grass. It was one of those rare moments that you remember forever! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

David Brent

The origional "Take Your Pick." I think the host was Michael Miles.

"You did say Take Your Pick didn't you?......Are you sure you didn't mean to say no?....Did you just shake your head?.....GONG!"

"And tonight's star prize....is a brand new lounge suite!!!"
" Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!!!!! " [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]

Friday night magic.

Dave.

Steve Crook

My favourites are:

Brain of Britain on Radio 4 where quiz-master Robert Robinson encourages contestants to guess if they don't know the answer, even in the final.

Round Britain Quiz on Radio 4. Despite being well satirized on The Now Show (also on Radio 4) it does show an admirable level of erudition.
What? It's clever stuff.
And I still like that I got one of the questions before the teams even got started.
Start at the Houses of Parliament at 5 past four.
Get to the Northern end of Whitehall by 5 past six
Then go down Northumberland Ave. and across the river to the station by quarter past six.

Why should you be at those places at those times?

Counterpoint on Radio 4. Ignore Ned Sherrin's sarcasm, the level and breadth of knowledge shown is amazing.

Note: Two of them are open to the general public and the contestants on RBQ aren't exactly "celebs"

Steve

samkydd

I haven't a bloomin' clue!

I agree with all your choices and I do listen to them on Listen Again on Radio 4's website.

RBQ was hosted by someone else originally, Gordon Clough I think, who sadly died a few years ago. Way back then the clues seemed a lot more cryptic, but now the presenter seems to chip in more and more hints as if he's in a rush to get through the show.

My knowledge of "serious" music is minimal but I still listen to Counterpoint and I think Ned Sherrin's personality makes it very enjoyable.

Brain of Britain has always been good but I've noticed that Robert Robinson has recently started to add in little humerous anecdotes and bits of useful information relevant to a question, a bit like Countdown's resident (t)wit, but unfortunately RR gets little response or laughter from the audience or the contestants, just an embarassing murmour. Perhaps he's under orders from a 12 year old producer to build up more of a rapport with the participants.

Just A Minute was better in the old days with Kenneth Williams, Peter Jones, Derek Nimmo and Clement Freud, but since Paul Merton has taken it over for himself it gets a bit silly. Graeme Norton was good when he was in it regularly a few years ago.

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Marky B

I suppose my favourite was 15-1 because I've been on it twice and I would love to have a go on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. I used to enjoy Blockbusters,more so in the Bob Holness days and I enjoyed Bob's Full Housemainly because Bob Monkhouse was on it. One of his earlier showsThe Golden Shotwas very enjoyable and deserves a comeback. I remember it also because even though I was a little lad,I fancied Annie Aston a lot [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif[/img] .
Ta Ta
Marky b [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

Fran

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]-->I remember The Golden Shot, I think it was on Sunday teatime. Anne Aston was very pretty but she had that Birmingham accent which must have hampered her future career because back then it was not so cool to talk "regional" on TV! Although there was also the Brummie Janice "I'll give it foyve" in Thank Your Lucky Stars and another working class accent in Monica Rose, who was Hughie Green's able assistant in Double Your Money and The Sky's the Limit, but I don't know where she hailed from.

Fellwanderer

A bit of googling around reveals that Monica Rose was a cockney. Tragically, she committed suicide but I haven't found out when.

FELL

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

Marky B

1994
Ta Ta
Marky B [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

Jim

I used to like ASK THE FAMILY before it was dumbed down - old Robert Robinson was OK if a bit 'stiff' at times!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Good morning boys.

Fellwanderer

Always found him very enjoyable. Unlike some QM, he always seemed to be self-deprecatory and didn't put contestants down in anything he presented.

FELL
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All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

samkydd

Ask the Family was always something we enjoyed as kids, not because of the quiz so much because the questions were often too hard for us thickos. We liked it mainly for the wierd families they had on there; mums and dads who weren't thick like ours, and the teacher's pet children who all seemed destined to become accountants or income tax inspectors!

Top of the Form was similar in that it showed us all up for being complete morons! The other school based programme, which wasn't a quiz as such, I think was called, Young Scientist of the Year where teams of children would develop some new invention or other as a school project to be judged by a panel of experts.

Ask the Family should come back in its original guise ie, serious questions on proper subjects and a presenter with more intelligence than an amoeba with learning difficulties. The other two should also make a return because even us useless kids became interested in science, and also tried hard to answer questions of Top of the Form!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Marky B

Likewise William G Stewart. I must admit going into the studio,waiting in the green room before having our make up put on and actually entering the studio itself (very small,dark,no audience) my stomach was doing more somersaults than an Olympic gold champion. Yet somehow,when William G (Gladstone) Stewart entered the studio,my fears drained away and then he met us all one by one (rather one to fifteen [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotfl.gif[/img] ). He was a very nice man and made us all very comfortable.
Ta Ta
Marky B [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

Aenima

Dumbing down is an understatement. In the 70s-early 80S this was so good. RR must be turning in his grave. Other favourites of mine were Sale Of The Century (good old Nicholas Parsons - Chris Morris made him look like a right tit in Brass Eye, sorry but I had to [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotfl.gif[/img] ). The Golden Shot was ace, "Bernie, the bolt". AA was a foxy Brummie lady [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif[/img] .

The Krypton factor was ace, bit of physical and mental. Of recent, I think 15 to 1 is very good, but it's always on at a stupid time.

Cheers,
A

I'll 'av 'arf

Rob Compton

Eh? So far as I know, he ain't dead yet! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rotfl.gif[/img]

rgds
Rob

Sam
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img] you do a nice line in choice phrases - must remember that one! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

rgds
Rob

Fellwanderer

Girl I was going out with when at school was on that. Even got a mention in The Times the following day because she was so bright.

FELL
[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life