HAND JIVER extraordinaire TED ROGERS flipped his wrists throughout this hour-long Spanish-derived mystery quiz rambling epic of an extravaganza, seemingly involving the whole Yorkshire Television studio complex every Saturday night and relying upon the most convoluted set of rules imaginable. Three dopey couples tried to outwit each other on the quest for a forrin oliday or a fitted kitchen (Moben, Schreiber etc.) while avoiding radio-controlled, red-nosed booby prize Dusty Bin. Fiendishly impossible rhymes, given by “guests” after they’d done their turn, were never guessed correctly. Many a bin won in this rather tight game show, mostly recalled for the way the Yorkshire logo would take off in flight at the very start of the opening titles. How would you have fared?:
Sample Clue: “The Arches Might Provide A Clue, Not Strolling But He’s Going Too”, accompanied by some sheet music.
Ted’s Baffling Explanation: “Well the first three letters of arches might have been clue enough, but we also said not strolling but he’s going too. Well if you take away HES from arches, all you have left is ARC. If you rearrange that with the sheet music, you’re left with ‘Music Maestro Please’. So what do think that means? Maestro! The British Leyland Maestro! You’ve won the car!” We didn’t make that up.
Ah…. memories of 321,
compelling yet annoying.
“you picked the handbag!”
“Well the hand bag made of leather, and leather rhymes with feather. feathers are located on the wings of birds, wings are on planes and so are people, people with luggage. luggage containing items of clothing, cloth, tablecloths are as you know on top of tables with silver service sets, sets in tennis, sports equipment and tennis balls, balls, round like wheels. wheels are found on cars, yes, yes thats right! you have won the bin!!!”
Total crap.
Quite a cleverly put together quiz show that was better than the critics thought and had a nine year run. The cryptic clues were always good and Ted Rogers hand jive was much imitated at the time.
Impenetrable and dull way to spend Saturday nights throughout the mid-80s. Rather nifitily pulled to pieces in Channel 4′s 100 moments from TV Hell. Made the top 10, I believe.
The clues were that cryptic,that even with an Enigma machine and Alan Bloody Turing in the room,you’d have been knackered!
There’s a difference between “cryptic” and “arbitrary”.
“Fiendishly impossible rhymes…were never guessed correctly.”
Ah, but they were occassionally (I’m sure sometimes the star prize was won) – the point being, though, they were only ever “guessed”. No-one EVER worked them out.
I could never do them, but in hindsight they didn’t seem any more difficult than cryptic crossword clues, and plenty of people can do those – I wonder why none of them ever seemed to apply (or be selected?) for the show?
And of course imported from Spain, much like sherry… Though a quart of sherry, would have made far more sense!
On the bright side, it did at least provide partial inspiration for a brilliant Derek and Clive sketch. (‘Records’ on 1978′s ‘Ad Nauseum’.)