We are the Champions
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[[Gary Lineker]] | [[Gary Lineker]] | ||
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| + | Paddy McGuinness (''Sport Relief'' version) | ||
== Broadcast == | == Broadcast == | ||
Regular series: BBC 1, 13 June 1973 to 13 August 1987, but annual specials continued until 25 July 1995 | Regular series: BBC 1, 13 June 1973 to 13 August 1987, but annual specials continued until 25 July 1995 | ||
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| + | ''Sport Relief Does We are the Champions'': CBBC on BBC1, March 2010 | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 16:21, 10 December 2009
Contents |
Host
Ron Pickering (original host)
Paddy McGuinness (Sport Relief version)
Broadcast
Regular series: BBC 1, 13 June 1973 to 13 August 1987, but annual specials continued until 25 July 1995
Sport Relief Does We are the Champions: CBBC on BBC1, March 2010
Synopsis
Assorted school teams took part in a succession of old-school obstacle courses, testing running, jumping, skipping, dribbling, climbing over things, crawling under things and so forth, with occasional balls or bean-bags to be transported en route - and sometimes thrown into a receptacle for bonus points at the end.
Ron Pickering looked like the games master from hell, but treated the kids kindly; this may have been a conspiracy organised by real games masters to fool the kids into trusting their own PE teacher. The last two events of each show took place in a swimming pool and frequently featured rafts and boats to be climbed onto.
Enjoyably bizarre scoring system and series-long tournament scheme.
Catchphrases
Ron shouted "Away you go!" at the end of each show, at which point all the kids would dive into the pool and start messing around and celebrating as if the summer holidays had just begun. How easily pleased they were.
Trivia
Ron Pickering died in 1991, towards the end of the show's run - an occupational hazard of hosting children's television (c.f. Castle, R.) There were occasional tribute programmes ever after, hosted by nice guy of football (though evidently not nice guy of nutrition) Gary Lineker. This was in the days when kids knew who Gary Lineker actually was.
From 1983 onwards, special programmes were held for children with disabilities - in fact, after 1987 there was no regular series at all, just the specials.
