SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

1982-1984

The award-winning, heart-warming, eye-popping family favourite with CILLA BLACK surprising unsuspecting members of the public to fulfill their wishes, dreams and hopes. Family reunions, public recognition and the essential Cillagram all followed.

GAME FOR A LAUGH

1985-1986

The television breakthrough show that played games, pulled stunts, introduced bizarre people and had the biggest laughs and the biggest audience of the weekend for ITV. With JEREMY BEADLE and MATTHEW KELLY, SARAH KENNEDY, HENRY KELLY, MARTIN DANIELS, DEBBIE RIX and RUSTIE LEE.

CHILD’S PLAY

1986-1987

The immensely popular family game show in which members of the public, partenered by celebrity guests, attempted to work out what a huge variety of 6-12 year olds from all over the country could possibly be talking about. Hosted by the witty and urbane MICHAEL ASPEL.

BABBLE

1986

Channel 4’s first ever game show. PETER PURVES hosted a mind-bending game of hidden words and phrases with a selection of guests including WILLIE RUSHTON, GYLES BRANDRETH and RORY BREMNER - all attempting to outwit and confuse the opposition by speaking in tongues.

YOU BET!

1987

The original series, this... made at Shepperton Studios and hosted by BRUCE FORSYTH. It introduced an extraordinary and vast panoply of skilled, gifted and bizarrely talented individuals who performed the most astonishing physical and mental feats for a celebrity panel who simply had to decide whether they thought the action would be achieved.

THE TELETHONS

1988 and 1990

Oh, so much... so long... so huge! Twenty seven hours of continuous, live entertainment hosted by MICHAEL ASPEL to raise money for a collection of british charities. Featuring appearances from SIR JOHN MILLS, STEPHEN FRY, MELVYN BRAGG, JOHN GORDON-SINCLAIR, TONY HAWKS, BRUCE FORSYTH... and hundreds more. Then there was the Scavenger Hunt with JUDI SPIERS, the Garden Game Show with DAVID BELLAMY, an  explanation of technology from PROFESSOR STANLEY UNWIN and the parody detective  story with all the ITV detectives.

TELL THE TRUTH

1991

The addictive television detective game where three people all claimed to be the same person and a panel of celebrities had to unravel the truth and decide who was telling the truth and who was a low-down, dirty, scheming, rotten liar! FRED DINENAGE hosted.

DAVRO

1991

The multi-talented BOBBY DAVRO in his own anarchic series of comedy and music packed with stunning impersonations and an array of guest stars in the final pieces: JOHN WOODVINE, GEOFF BOYCOTT, TONY ADAMS... ably supported by AINSLEY HARRIOTT, ADAM WIDE and PHIL NICE.

THE HELP SQUAD

1992

MICHAEL PARKINSON led the team (consisting of CHRIS DONAT, MIKE HAYLEY and ANNABEL GILES) who showed the nation how to solve what seemed like insoluble problems. Along with the advice dispensed and the fact sheets handed out, there was a great deal of fun to be had here... even bearing in mind that we had a special legal eagle,  the gorgeous JAN ROWLAND.

THE MAIN EVENT

1993

CHRIS TARRANT hosted this unique game show in what felt like an arena, but was actually Studio One at the BBC in Manchester. Two teams of celebrities were live in the studio, each partnering a family linked to us by satellite from disparate areas of the UK. It was an hour of games, quizzes, mimes and memory tests all with a final showdown between the two highest-scoring families.

GOING FOR GOLD

1994-1996

What can be said about this supremely popular European quiz show hosted by HENRY KELLY that hasn’t already been said in a flurry of different languages? It ran longer than the Olympics and, in each series, someone, somewhere, from some far-flung place was crowned a genuine golden winner

SMALL TALK

1993-1996

The charming and hilarious game show hosted by RONNIE CORBETT with a video wall of nine children who answered questions such as: “What would you do with a toupée?” and “Can you name any of the ten commandments?” Ronnie was absolutely marvellous in his first every game-show-host role, and it helped that he was the same size as the children!

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?

1997-1999

The riveting BBC series that explained all the things we always wanted to have explained: how a rough diamond is cut, how the babies swim underwater in that TV commercial, how a pickpocket works... and we famously exposed the Three Card Monte (“Find The Lady”) con trick... which led, subsequently, to JOHN LENAHAN being banished from The Magic Circle.

CELEBRITY SQUARES

1998-2001

The famous game show hosted by BOB MONKHOUSE with an assortment of star guests - a veritable directory of worldwide entertainers - who sat in boxes and waited for contestants to play ‘noughts and crosses’ wit therm in the hope of winning a car.

WHITTLE

2002

For Channel 5 (as it was called then...) the show in which one hundred members of the audience, armed with keypads, are whittled down to just one by answering multiple-choice questions. To the winner, the spoils. Host TIM VINE made it all worthwhile and made the show entirely his own.

GIVE US A CLUE

2004

Comedian TIM CLARK was the new-look host for this new-look series of an old-look parlour game. It’s the ‘charades’ show and a battery of star guests took part and made themselves look very silly indeed. Huzzah!

WIN BEADLE’S MONEY

2004

Here he comes again... in another Channel 5 offering. Based on the US Win Ben Stein’s Money, this was a daily game show in which contestants vied to answer more questions correctly than that fount of all knowledge, JEREMY BEADLE. If they did, Beadle wasn’t paid for his appearance and his money went to the winning contestant. Truly.

POP IDOL

2005

The one that started it all... the very first ever series of this award-winning talent show. It began life in the UK but has since travelled across the globe - and back again. Featuring SIMON COWELL with PETE WATERMAN, NICKI CHAPMAN and NEIL FOX.