Quiz shows

A profile of some of the best quiz shows from TV history...

The Krypton Factor:

The quiz show renowned for being bloody impossible. Hosted by Belfast-born Gordon Burns, the show ran for 18 years and shattered many's a contestant's self-esteem. The most memorable parts of the show included the punishing army assault course, the airplane simulator round and the infamous “intelligence test”, which generally required contestants to make a properly working car from tin cans, or something equally difficult…

Going For Gold:

My personal favourite. Presented by another Irishman, Henry Kelly, the man who brought terms like “first round proper” and “playing catch-up” into common usage. The show was unique in as much as the contestants came from all over Europe, and naturally more often than not the winners came from either the UK, Ireland, the Benelux countries or Scandinavia. The opening credits were hilarious, as it showed the contestants in turn making some sort of wave, cheesy smile, thumbs up or some other cringe worthy gesture to the camera. It was also pretty well known for it's bright pink set with blue lights circling the contestant's podia. As quiz shows go, this one is unrivalled in terms of production and cult status.

Bullseye:

The only gameshow in the history of the universe about darts, Bullseye was presented by the lovably gruff Jim Bowen and score announcer Tony Green. Bullseye also had a mascot, Bully, who looked like he could turn on you at any second. The show was known for being laden with catchphrases (“You can't beat a bit of bully”, “super smashing great”, “let's have a look at what you could've won” and the undoubted best, Tony Green's enthusiastically bellowed “Iiiin one!”, not to mention “And Bully's special prize…!”) and for giving away the highest volume of speedboats in television history.

The Crystal Maze:

Brilliance. Sheer, utter brilliance. The Crystal Maze ran for 6 years, first presented by irrepressible slaphead Richard O'Brien, then by the decidedly average Ed Tudor Pole. The aim of the game was simple; a team of 6 people would play games of either a physical, mental, skilful or mysterious nature and would hope to win crystals in the process. The more crystals a team had, the more time they had in the crystal dome, where they would have to collect 100 gold tokens or more to win the grand prize. The best part of this game was both Richard O'Brien's madcap presenting and the impressive set, split up into 4 different worlds: Aztec, Futuristic, Medieval and Industrial (later becoming ocean). It ended sadly in 1996, but lives on in kids of a certain age with an adventurist streak…

Fifteen to One:

Another Duffy favourite! Produced and presented by uber-legend William G. Stewart (little known fact: he was also the producer of Family Fortunes and The Price is Right), the premise of the game was simple: There were 15 contestants who were whittled down to 3 and then eventually down to one winner by the end of the show. Even though the format was handy, the questions certainly weren't, and as such this daytime favourite became known as the “Rolls Royce of quiz shows”. After reigning majestically in the 4 o' clock spot on Channel Four for over a decade, it was pushed back the schedule and eventually the show ceased production in 2003, and a little bit of me died…

Catchphrase:

Portadown man Roy Walker presented this Saturday afternoon show, earning a strong following amongst, pretty much everyone really! Like most good gameshows, Catchphrase had a capable sidekick in Mr. Chips, a yellow computer-animated predecessor of Mr. Blobby, and a plethora of, erm, catchphrases from Mr. Walker (“Say what ye see!”, “It's good but it's not right”, and “It's fast, it's furious, it's the ready-money round!”). The aim of the game was essentially animated charades, where the contestants would guess what the catchphrase was by what was being acted out on screen. In 1999 the show went into terminal decline after Roy Walker left and sadly ended in 2002.

By: Patrick Duffy