Nostalgic Sunday
THERE was something special about Sundays. A typical Sunday would begin with a lie-in followed by a cooked breakfast. The weighty Sunday newspaper would be read at a leisurely pace. A Sunday roast would be gobbled down in the afternoon followed by the snooze on the sofa. Evening entertainment on television usually hammered-home the fact that the weekend was almost over and it’s back to school or work in the morning (think of the theme tune to ‘Highway‘ presented by Harry Seycombe). They were a few TV programmes that made us forget about the dreaded Monday and grasped our undivided attention – the first one that comes to mind is Bullseye and the other is Catchphrase.
Catchphrase – the concept
Easy – a picture with Mr Chips doing a action or an image referring to a phrase would appear on the screen – the contestants would then have to guess the correct catchphrase of the action or image.
Roy Walker – the original and best
Roy was the original host of Catchphrase – with his funny, friendly warm Irish tones and magical connection with the contestants and audience meant he became a household name. Think Roy Walker, think Catchphrase; think Catchphrase, think Roy Walker. Catchphrase without Roy Walker is like going to a chip shop, asking for fish and chips and being told ‘we only only sell fish‘ – strange!
Challenge TV – the saviour of nostalgic quiz-shows
With the huge variety of TV stations available I always end up selecting Challenge. I wonder how many, like me, are addicted to the likes of Bullseye and Catchphrase? No shame in admitting that you are – it just shows that you love the slap-you-in-the-face attributes (the one-liners, 80s fashion and 80s prizes) that they bring; you’re a bit of a nostalgic geek!
Enjoyed the blog? A nostalgic collection of blogs featuring a fun and factual look back at British advertising, leisure and entertainment from the yester-years are featured in the new hardback book, Section N Underpass. Get the rundown by clicking the front cover below:
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