Tell the Truth

Revision as of 00:52, 16 March 2014

Host

MacDonald Hobley (1957-8)

David Jacobs (1959)

Shaw Taylor (1961)

Graeme Garden (1983-5)

Fred Dinenage (1989-90)

Co-hosts

Voiceover:
Robin Houston (1983-5)
Malcolm Brown (1989-90)

Broadcast

ATV (credited as "ATV by arrangement with Goodson and Todman and CBS") for ITV, 17 September 1957 to 6 September 1961 (76 episodes in 3 series)

LWT in association with Goodson-Todman Productions and Talbot Television for Channel 4, 17 April 1983 to 22 November 1985 (51 episodes in 4 series)

TVS in association with Mark Goodson Productions and Talbot Television for ITV, 11 April 1989 to 26 October 1990 (92 episodes in 3 series)

Synopsis

Four celebrities with some time on their hands and three nobodies. Ah, but which nobody is the somebody and can you spot the bad acting?

Yes, that's Tell the Truth! Four celebs come to play by asking questions of the three protagonists. One of the protagonists has a secret which they would like to reveal to the world. The two actors also share that secret except they don't and the celebs try to work out who the real one is.

Once the person telling the truth has been revealed, and has talked more on the subject, another three appear claiming something different, and the show continues in the same vein. In the end game, the four impostors come back, as one of them has a different secret. Each is individually questioned by a different celebrity, who decides whether or not he/she is telling the truth, and the truth-teller is revealed - usually leaving a gobsmacked celebrity, who would never have believed that he/she was the genuine article!

Catchphrases

(At the beginning of the show): "Number One, what is your name, please?" This was repeated with Number Two and Number Three, and when all three had claimed to be a certain person: "Only one of these people is the real (whoever) and has sworn to tell the truth (or, before the break, "....And in Part Two, we'll find out which one has sworn to tell the truth").

"It's 'make your mind up' time for our panel - and for you at home - is it Number One - or Number Two - or could it be Number Three?"

"Right, team - there's an envelope in front of you all with a sworn statement inside it - open it up - I'll read it to you..."

"Will the real (whoever) please...stand up?" or, "...Now let's find out who's right and who's wrong as I ask the real (whoever) to please...stand up?"

(Fred Dinenage, if a contestant was prevented from answering a question by the 'time's up' buzzer): "We shall never know!"

Inventor

Based on a Goodson-Todman format created by Bob Stewart.

Trivia

Among the most regular guest panellists in the 1980's/90's version were Chris Tarrant, Claire Rayner, Bob Carolgees, Christopher Biggins, The Reverend Roger Royle, Bill Tidy, Beverley Anderson and Judi Spiers.

The Channel 4 version seems to be the only surviving version from its 3 versions as the ATV version is wiped from the archives and the TVS version is bought by Disney, with an amount of paperwork missing, which can't been re-aired at all.

Feedback

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 Among the most regular guest panellists in the 1980's/90's version were [[Chris Tarrant]], Claire Rayner, [[Bob Carolgees]], [[Christopher Biggins]], The Reverend Roger Royle, [[Bill Tidy]], Beverley Anderson and Judi Spiers.
-The Channel 4 version seems to be the only surviving version from its 3 versions as the ATV version is wiped from the archives and the TVS version is bought by Disney, with an amount of paperwork missing, which can't been reaired at all.
+The Channel 4 version seems to be the only surviving version from its 3 versions as the ATV version is wiped from the archives and the TVS version is bought by Disney, with an amount of paperwork missing, which can't been re-aired at all.
 == See also ==