THE SCHOOLDAY is over. It’s not long after five o’clock when that instantly recognisable theme tune blasts out of the television. Your brain may have been saturated with algebra, the wives of Henry VIII, Olm’s Law, and finding out that peristalsis has no relationship to a periscope, but your day of educational enlightenment is not over yet… Blockbusters is here!
… but it was not uncommon for the solo contestant to trounce the duo team and scoop-up enough prizes to fill a chunky Dunlop sports bag.
The quiz show hosted by the ever-happy Bob Holness was on and we were hooked. The general knowledge show where the contestants were aged between 16 and 18. Some would say the game was not on a level playing field because it was played with a team of two against one person, but it was not uncommon for the solo contestant to trounce the duo team and scoop-up enough prizes to fill a chunky Dunlop sports bag. Whoever said two heads are better than one needs to think about a statement restructure.
Brief recap of the game
Hexagons were all nicely packed together to form the molecular gameboard. Each atomic hexagon had a letter of the alphabet on it. When Bob asked the question relating to the letter on the hexagon, the contestant would buzz-in and answer – for example, What P describes the contractions in the oesophagus that moves food towards the stomach? For clarity, the answer to this has nothing to do with pregnancy! The correct answer meant they’d be able to pick a next letter, and the objective was to form a vertical or horizontal hexagonal link. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
It’s your time to shine
Think you’re a Blockbusters master? Consider yourself full to the brim with general knowledge to a point where encyclopaedias no longer add to your infinite knowledge? Let’s see what you’re made of: take the Blockbusters Gold Run retro challenge below – answers at the bottom of this post:
1. TKF. What TKF is the name of the quiz show hosted by Gordon Burns, that tested skills of observation, general knowledge, and physical ability?
2. DB. What DB is the booby prize in the show hosted by Ted Rogers?
3. TLD. What TLD is a James Bond theme song, sung by the band who had a eureka moment?
4. BF. What BF had the catchy very very tasty song in its television advert?
5. CH. What CH is the name of a body part in the board game Operation?
6. EE. What EE is the name of the wicked witch in Willo the Wisp?
7. ITG. What ITG is the name of Madonna’s 1985 number one hit single?
8. DOA. What DOA is the name of the band that spun you round like a record?
9. WDY. What WDY is the title of the BBC series that encouraged kids to keep busy during the summer holidays?
10. THAH. What THAH is the name of the nightclub and dance show, hosted by Pete and Michaela, that was screened during the early hours of Sunday morning?
11. TCS. What TCS is the fashion programme, first broadcast on TV in 1986, that had a regular Sunday evening slot?
12. KO. What KO is the name of the soft drink that is only suitable for humans and dogs?
Advanced Gold Run questions…no cheating…
13. SS. Which SS had the 1985 hit single ‘Since Yesterday‘?
14. JW. Which JW was the pioneer of microwave cookery during the 80s when scepticism was rife?
15. TNA. Which TNA TV series featured John Steed alongside Joanna Lumley and Gareth Hunt?
16. BS. Which BS is the name of the headmaster who had a problem with timekeeping in the film Clockwise?
17. TWC. Which TWC is the most likely place to find Arthur Daley and Terry McCann?
18. ID. Which ID was the female bully in Grange Hill?
19. NE. Which NE was the host of the television quiz show, Telly Addicts?
20. OF. What OF is the old name of the popular square, fruit flavoured, individually wrapped sweets?
21. TL. What TL is the name of the BBC consumer programme that was screened on Sunday nights?
22. LA. What LA is the name of the airline owned by Sir Freddie that collapsed in the early 80s?
23. MB. What MB is the name of a jar of coffee that sounded like it lived in a nest?
24. EW. Which EW is the schoolboy who turned into a superhero after tucking into a banana?
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| TKF: The Kyrpton Factor |
| DB: Dusty Bin |
| TLD: The Living Daylights |
| BF: Bran Flakes |
| CH: Charlie Horse |
| EE: Evil Edna |
| ITG: Into the Groove |
| DOA: Dead or Alive |
| WDY: Why Don’t You? |
| THAH: The Hitman and Her |
| TCS: The Clothes Show |
| KO: Kia-Ora |
| SS: Strawberry Switchblade |
| JW: Jenny Webb |
| TNA: The New Avengers |
| BS: Brian Stimpson |
| TWC: The Winchester Club |
| ID: Imelda Davis |
| NE: Noel Edmonds |
| OP: Opal Fruits |
| TL: That’s Life |
| LA: Laker Airlines |
| MB: Mellow Bird’s |
| EW: Eric Wimp |
I’ll have a P please, Bob! I have very fond memories of watching Blockbusters after school with my grandad. Didn’t get many of the answers, but we’ll put that down to me only being about eight at the time. I only scored 15 on your quiz though. So what shall we put that down to??? 😉
Blockbuster was the quiz show to watch after school during he 80s. Hey, 15/24 is a very decent score in the Retrohen quiz – a respectable 62.5%👏
You are without doubt a nostalgic geek and nostalgic geeks are cool 😁
Haha! Awesome! 😀