Three Little Words

Current revision as of 04:17, 8 August 2024

Synopsis

Pairs of contestants (usually, but not necessarily, married couples) played this affable lunchtime (and teatime in latter years) quiz. In the style of the classic US panel game Password, (and also the British show of the same name), one member of the pair would have to describe a mystery word to their partner using up to three one-word clues (for 20, 15 or 10 points). The partner had a guess at the mystery word after each clue. After three clues were used up, the other team could guess it for 5 points.

Often the way the clues were said, in order to provide context to the clue, would prompt much hilarity. Another favourite tactic would be to inflect the last syllable to imply the first half of a phrase ("Zebraaaa..."), only for the partner to guess it wrongly. They'd often give the same first clue three times until the other person eventually got the right one. One thing they were not allowed to do was to give rhyming words as clues - Ray Alan certainly penalised contestants for doing so on at least two occasions in the latter years.

The winners played against a new team, winners staying on for up to six games. The prize was cold hard cash.

Inventor

Roy Ward Dickson

Key moments

A rather bizarre ritual invariably took place at the end of all the Alan/Barbie shows in the 1980s. All the losing couples would reappear and stand in a row, as if on parade, in between the winning couple, who would remain seated behind their respective desks. While there was nothing actually wrong with this ritual, it would have seemed more logical for the losing contestants to shake hands with and/or hug or kiss the winners, as was much more de rigeur at the end of quiz and game shows in those days, and sadly all too rare nowadays.

Theme music

The Tony Evans Orchestra

Trivia

Barbie Hayes was Ray Alan's partner.

Web links

Wikipedia entry

One contestant's appearance experiences - with photo of host and hostess

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