Weaver's Week 2024-12-01

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Can we get this countdown complete before the Christmas break? Don't know, but let's move it along a bit.

Contents 1 Which game shows have the most episodes? Part 18: TAL — THR 1.1 Y Talwrn 1.2 Taskmaster 1.3 Tell the Truth 1.4 Telly Addicts 1.5 Thank Your Lucky Stars 1.6 That's Showbusiness 1.7 They Think it's All Over 1.8 3-2-1 1.9 Through the Keyhole 2 In other news 2.1 Quizzy Mondays

Which game shows have the most episodes? Part 18: TAL — THR

We're counting distinct new episodes (not including repeats), aired to the end of 2023. For the big list we'll publish at the end, shows need 100 primetime episodes, or 500 episodes in total. We'll explain other conventions as we meet them.

Y Talwrn

Radio Cymru's primary entry into this list. The knockout quiz for bards and poets and lyrical writers has been running since 1979, at 31 episodes a year. (Except 2021, which was done over the internets and curtailed to 15 episodes.) As proceedings are conducted entirely in Welsh, and poetic Welsh at that, this column understands approximately none of them; we're losing out.

A stonking 1410 episodes.

Try for Ten sounds like an interesting pastime. Contestants try to give ten consecutive correct True or False answers to a series of statements. A contestant is eliminated if they give three wrong answers in a row, or a total of ten wrong answers.

Should the game runs out of show, they win £1 per answer for their best run of correct responses. But if they reach their target of ten, they win a rolling jackpot that increases by £25 per contestant. This sounds like a format they could revive on daytime television, with one contestant in the spotlight; or as a simultaneous multi-player game like The 1% Club.

Ran on TWW (the ITV contractor for Wales) in both Welsh and English editions (up to 68 daytime and 52 primetime episodes respectively). Our notes show three series in the Grampian region; we've not been able to trace details, so will assume 30 episodes. Three series in Anglia ran for 36 daytime episodes. Border Television had four series regionally, and up to eleven part-networked. That would suggest about 200 episodes.

A lot of unknowns in this entry. We reckon about 400 episodes, of which at least 52 were in primetime, but probably not more than 150. Further research is required, listings for Border and Grampian were difficult to track down at the time, and very hard these days. We can't provide satisfactory evidence that this show quite qualifies, though it wouldn't be a surprise to find it did.

Taskmaster

Alex Horne gives comedians some very strange things to do, most of which involve some sort of lateral thinking. Greg Davies is the disinterested judge, basing his criteria on how far things were thrown, how silly the contestant looked, and probably their haircut.

Each series features the same five players, so alliances are formed, and viewers can root for their favourites. Occasional "champion of champions" shows and the regular "New Year Treat" with players who can't commit to a whole series. It's basically the Strictly Come Dancing of mind games. Sold to lots of international territories: huge in Finland, does well in France, far too intellectual for the USA.

Ran for nine series on UKTV Gold II +1, then shuffled up the EPG to Channel 4. By the end of 2023, it had 147 primetime episodes.

We were watching repeats of Beat the Pack the other week, and Jake asked what show Nigella Lawson had appeared on. The Taste was a one-series wonder, the gimmick of fitting an entire dish into one spoon made for one entertaining programme, then quickly wore thin. Still, it didn't seem to hurt the career of Claire Coutinho; eliminated in the second competition episode, she was later returned as an MP and sat at the cabinet table as Minister for Energy.

Tell the Truth

"My name is Clark Kent, and I am Superman." "My name is Clark Kent, and I am Superman." "My name is Clark Kent, and I am Superman." Three ordinary citizens, one has an extraordinary story to tell. "Only one of these people is the real Superman and has sworn to -- Tell! The! Truth!!"

Goodman-Todson's simple game of personality, bluffing, and letting remarkable people tell remarkable tales on national television. Ran on ATV in the late 1950s, and revived on Channel 4 in the mid 1980s. A daytime revival on ITV ran shortly afterwards.

The idea has been revived twice this century – ITV's primetime Odd One In, and Channel 4's You Won't Believe This – both were legally distinct formats. Both were too complex and over-produced. The original series made 127 primetime episodes and 219 episodes in total.

Telly Addicts

Noel Edmonds asks families to share their knowledge of television history. With clips and questions – and when Telly Addicts started, it was incredibly rare to see anything from the archives other than Lulu the elephant. Ran from 1985 to 1996, and was popular enough to get Christmas specials every year, and a schedule-filling Tournament of Champions. The final series in '98 had some sort of "running about the set" motif, and lost a lot of the charm.

As the first successful quiz to really raid the television archive, Telly Addicts has loosely inspired a lot of revivals, though none have quite captured the intensity of Noel Edmonds in his element. 229 primetime episodes.

Telly Quiz insisted that we add "successful" in the last paragraph; this was a one-series wonder, perhaps aimed at primetime but airing its eight episodes in the quiet period over Christmas 1984.

Tenable asked its teams to complete lists of ten things, like the top ten quiz shows with the most episodes. Tenable won't feature on this list; it ran from 2016 to 2023, with 304 regular episodes, one Christmas special, and four primetime celebrity editions. – a total of 309 eps, with one squeezed into a repeat run in August this year.

Terror Towers, the oft-forgotten CITV show where Steve Johnson guided teams through challenges and observation quizzes. Only 34 episodes, felt like it was a lot more.

Test the Nation was an occasional series of Television Events, where Anne Robinson would ask difficult questions of a group of estate agents / farmers / motor mechanics, and Phillip Schofield got all excited about the most insignificant things. And you could play along at home through interactive telly! 17 primetime episodes, wonder if they might revive the idea.

Thank Your Lucky Stars

If we're including Juke Box Jury, we're including this stalwart of the 60s. Remembered for the "Spin-a-disc" section, which asked a group of teenagers to review new singles, and give them marks. Made a star of Janice Nicholls, a teenager with a broad Staffordshire accent, and her catchphrase "Oi'll give it foive!" About 160 primetime episodes.

That Puppet Game Show was another attempt to make a vehicle for The Jim Henson Company's characters. Failed quite miserably, and not commissioned beyond the initial eight episodes. Gave us the character of "The Amazing Ian", which directly inspired our nickname "The Fabulous Iain Stirling".

That's Showbusiness

Light-hearted celebrity entertainment quiz, an anchor for Saturday nights outside the House Party season during the nineties. Teams of two or three celebs try to work out who's been dating whom, answer questions from the entertainment category, and the Pick Up Song round nicked from I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. Ran for 141 primetime episodes, and barely remembered.

They Think it's All Over

Des Lynam proves that he has an arch sense of humour, by setting sporting tasks to comedians Rory Bremner and Rory McGrath, and their sports-related guests. Ran for two rather fine series on Radio 5 before the station was closed.

Whoosh! Off it flew to television, where Nick Hancock and Gary Lineker got involved, and the show became something of a cult. Complete the terrace chant! Work out why the blazes this famous sportsperson is posing with a horse and three oversized apples! Try to deduce who this sportsperson is from touch alone!

Ran for just over ten years on the telly, and reincarnated in spirit as The Umpire Strikes Back on ITV and A League of Their Own on KYTV. The original was still the best, and was Des Lynam's finest entertainment hosting job. 154 primetime episodes, and 171 episodes in total.

The 3rd Degree has been running on Radio 4 since 2011. But at only six episodes a year, Steve Punt's show had only accumulated 78 episodes by the end of 2023. And can they alter the introductory script so Steve doesn't say "as well" twice in quick succession?

Three in a Row, a very gentle Radio 2 game, went round the country talking to people and asking them very simple questions. Three correct answers was rewarded with up to £100 in premium bonds. Don Davis, Keith Fordyce, Stuart Hall, and Bernie Clifton were the genial hosts, more interested in the contestants and their stories than in the quiz. 355 episodes, absolutely none of them ever repeated.

3-2-1

It's a quiz! It's a game! It's a chance to win television's most sought-after prize, a ceramic Dusty Bin! And, maybe, a brand new car to take it home!

Ted Rogers hosted this entertainment spectacular, which ran from 1978 to 1988. We can see the budgets being squeezed as the number of hostesses came down, as the retained comedy troupe were dropped, as Dusty Bin had to do absolutely everything in the Yorkshire TV studio.

Remembered for its impenetrable clues, which made little sense even after Ted had explained them. Have a go at this one.

A 100 peseta note. "A health spa, in which is a clue, though you may have a doubt. We wouldn't try to send you up if you throw this out." Answer later.

Ran for 154 primetime episodes, each of them a whirlwind of singing, dancing, and bizarre questions. We're genuinely surprised that nobody has attempted a revival – surely Ant and Dec could have pulled one off.

Through the Keyhole

Loyd Grossman snoops around in the houses of the rich and famous. David Frost, safely in the studio, asks some mates whose house Loyd is in. And if they think they know where the hidden crocodile pit is, because it would be a terrible shame if anything were to happen to the roving reporter; not out of concern for Mr. Grossman, but because Mr. Frost really doesn't want to leave this warm cosy studio and go [shudder!] out there.

Ran for about 200 editions on TV-am, then graduated to a primetime run on ITV (108 episodes from 1987 to 1994, plus five best-ofs and two other episodes which may or may not have had new contests). Flogged to KYTV, where it ran at 8pm on Thursdays (shifting to Mondays for the last couple of months); we reckon 42 primetime episodes, most of which were repeated on BBC1 the following year.

Then it turned up on BBC1 daytime, where it ran for a decade, totalling 280 episodes. There was a one-off revival in the 24 Hour Panel People challenge. A revival under Keith Lemon in 2013 was inexplicably popular, and added 47 primetime episodes to the total. That's a final figure of 197 primetime episodes and about 678 episodes in total.

In other news

The death of Chuck Woolery, who hosted a number of American game shows including their versions of Lingo and Greed. Woolery was 83. Our friends at Buzzerblog have a fuller obituary.

Also of Paul Dickenson, the athletics commentator who usually voiced the field events, and got Jessica Ennis's crowning moment on that Saturday night. He was also the voice of The Lord Mayor's Show and The Diamond Jubilee Riverboat Drenching, and – in our sphere – The World's Strongest Man. Paul Dickenson was 74.

Barbara Taylor Bradford has died, at the age of 91. She wrote a total of 40 novels during a long and illustrious career. She's best remembered for A Woman of Substance, which follows Emma Harte's journey from life as a servant in rural Yorkshire to heading a business empire, and the catalogue of personal tragedies along the way. A proud Yorkshire lass, Barbara was a guest on Countdown between 1988 and 1999, apparently at the personal invitation of Richard Whiteley.

Around the Horn is to come off the air. ESPN's daily sports show has been a daily fixture since 2002, proving that there's always something to talk about in the world of major league bucketball, and that nobody ever wins a sports argument outright. Behind the scenes, the show was carefully curated to talk about the major story, something entertaining, and something the audience might not have considered. It made stars out of unlikely newspaper journalists and brought on new generations of commentariat with something to say. Around the Horn is a daily equivalent of Fighting Talk, and will have made more than 5000 episodes when it comes off air next May. [paper toss]

Gregg Wallace steps aside from Masterchef. The big-voiced host will not make any new editions of the hit BBC contest, while production company Banijay investigates allegations of inappropriate sexual comments. Complaints came in from Masterchef contestants and crew, from people on !mpossible Celebrities, on Gregg Wallace's Big Weekends, and other shows. A BBC news report describes the allegations more fully. Wallace will continue to present pre-recorded episodes of Masterchef, including the last few weeks of the current Professionals series.

What did the 3-2-1 clue mean? The clue is hidden in plain sight – "health SPA, IN which". Reversing the logic of the rhyme, if the contestants don't throw this out, they will be sent up. Two weeks in Marbella, to be exact.

Quizzy Mondays

BBC Brain reached its semi-finals. What is a Pintrest? Who is the new head of the Bloomsbury Museum? Which two television shows shared "Chicken run" as a theme tune? What's the student show that sometimes occupies this slot? Why on earth are they playing the Barron Knights on this programme? Is there really a ski resort on the island of Cyprus? All, some, or fewer of these were answered in this week's programme.

By half-way, it had become something of a two-horse race, Farrar Hornby and Andrew Fanko locked together. Andrew puts a run together, and takes a three-point lead. Farrar gets a couple on his turn, but doesn't know the length of the longest snake, and that is the game. Andrew Fanko makes the final by one point, beating Farrar Hornby, Paula Dempsey, and Heather Smith.

How does one pronounce the word "arrabiata"? Arri-a-batta? Ah-rah-bee-at-er? That proved the difference on Mastermind; Tim Kew offered the first variant, the host expected the second variant, and after writing it out – "arriabata" – we see that there's a difference and it's not really a plausible phonetic variant. That, coupled with a pass earlier, placed Tim behind Arnav Umranikar; he'd not done well on the wartime premiership of Winston Churchill, but more than made up for it with the strongest general knowledge of the night.

Introverts went through on Only Connect, beating the Crunchers by 24-21. A couple of bonuses went flying: the result of this year's The Traitors (SPOILERS for ten months ago! Oh.) and some hemi-demi-semi-quavers, which we thought were those little bits of corn at the bottom of the bag. A slightly better Missing Vowels performance was the only thing to swing the match to the Introverts; the Crunchers drop into the final chance matches, which begin next week.

Durham and SOAS drew in University Challenge, 150-150. A low-scoring game, with just three sets of bonuses answered completely all night, and four penalties for incorrect interruptions. The match turned on small things – SOAS's offer of "Hilda af Klimt" was rejected as it's "Hilda af Klint" with an N. Durham trailed almost the whole game, and blasted through their last sets of bonuses in an all-or-nothing effort to get the win.

The rules of University Challenge do not permit a draw, and there was a tie-break starter; SOAS zigged with "alpaca", the question zagged to "llama". Durham progress in the competition, SOAS leave the contest without having been asked a single question we can categorise as "leisure" in their two matches.

Things near their end this week, but nothing starts, and nothing finishes. I'm a Celebrity continues (VM1 and ITV, nightly), Masterchef The Professionals starts finals fortnight (BBC1), and Portrait Artist of the Year has its semi-final (Artsworld, Wed). Next Saturday has the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final, and the first new episode of You Bet! in years (VM1 and ITV).

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