Challenge TV - September 2011 onwards

Interesting. Is that so that it rhymes with box? I don't think it needs to. Now, I'm not a professional poet (although my work has been used on national television of course) but it appears that only the second and fourth line must rhyme. Here is the rest of the lyrics from the video I posted. It is actually easier to see the rhyming scheme when it is written down.

Through the years they've often repaired me,
and stuck lots of new pieces in place .
I've had more bobs and tucks in my body,
than Michael Jackson has had on his face .

Each 12th night they put me in a shoebox
To spend long winter months in the dark .
Squeezed next to an over-sexed....
but I'm too old for that kind of lark .

In fairyland when I was younger,
I was flighty and so fancy free
that to help all the gnomes and the goblins,
they stuck a national health warning on me .

Also, I'm not sure how much sense 'fox' would make. Pat Coombs is playing a fairy on top of a Christmas tree, she sings of being put back in the box after Christmas. I'm not sure she would share the box with a fox, a fox isn't something that would be placed in a box with a fairy.

Also, the word 'fox' isn't offensive and so Sky/Challenge would be unlikely to censor it. Of course, it has to be something that would be considered offensive in 2011 but not so much that it couldn't have gone out early Saturday evening on ITV in 1987.

I think I know what the word is but I didn't want to plant ideas before people had a chance to watch it themselves. The subtitles just say "sound is dipped" by the way.

Any other guesses?

Is it queer? It kind of looks like she could be saying that but it wouldn't really make sense. Was that offensive back then?

I'd suppose then it'll be down to whoever might still have a VHS recording of the original uncut 1987 transmission.
Back then, more or less every household had a VCR, so there must be at least one "taped off the telly" recording
of that episode in a dusty box (but not a Dusty Bin) in someone's attic or under the stairs.

Or, could it be as elusive as a "missing, presumed wiped" Doctor Who episode from the 60s - early70s ... ?

Either that, or the original TX tape(s) is/are still gathering dust somewhere in the ITV archives.

I don't think EVERYONE had a VHS in 1987, anyway tapes were expensive so I think they probably would have been reused as much in a domestic situation as they were in professional environments. Don't forget that Betamax was still just about hanging on at that point too, people could be left with Betamax tapes with all kinds of gems on them that they have no method to view and no incentive to invest in a method to view (I believe some people wouldn't think viewing an old episode of a gameshow as important). Even VHS tapes are becoming harder to play too, how many people replace their VHS recorder when it breaks down? Not many, I bet.



I think 3-2-1 exists in a complete form in the archive. Other shows such as The Golden Shot didn't get kept though, unfortunately.


I would hope so too. It would be sad to think that the only copies of these programmes left are the butched versions Challenge show. Although that would be similar to the recent Australian edits of Doctor Who being found. It is ITN that handles Yorkshire's archive and they have this episode available...
http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//ITVProgs/1987/12/19/Y17370152/

We could all club together and buy this episode. I think it will be <£500 judging by some of the other programmes that have prices attached to them.


Anyway, I'm thinking the word might be

I'm still open to suggestions though.

That makes sense to me, since Golden Shot is from the 60s and 3-2-1 is an 80s show. They didn't wipe stuff after the mid 70s.

I believe its only thanks to Bob monkhouse, that some editions were kept along with a 1/3 ( 40 Episodes) of Celebrate Squares.

If we keep the receipt we could try getting our money back by taking it back and saying the product didn't meet out satisfaction.

Good to see Challenge showing 1987's Bullseye on Christmas Day today - this hasn't been shown for a while! They should show more older shows/series like this!

A howler of an answer to a question just now:- "Name a regional television company that transmits programmes to the Manchester and Greater Manchester area?"
Contestant:- "Is it Central?"
2nd Contestant:- "Don't know."

One for the TV Forum members!!

Granada?


Go on, how much was the question worth?

I guess those contestants aren't Coronation Street fans.

I think it was for £200 or something - Jim said "Well, I'm very surprised with you boys!"

They could have answered "BBC" and still be, sort of, somehow, correct. Even though that's not the answer that was actually on the card, the question never said anything about naming a regional independent television company!