| Take Your Pick | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game Show |
| Created by | Michael Miles |
| Starring | Michael Miles (1955 - 1968) Des O'Connor (1992 - 1998) |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30mins (inc. Michael John Miles (b 1919 Wellington, New Zealand, d 17 February 1971 was a TV presenter in Britain, best known for the Game show Michael John Miles (b 1919 Wellington, New Zealand, d 17 February 1971 was a TV presenter in Britain, best known for the Game show Desmond Bernard O'Connor, CBE (born as Conrad Desmondson on 12 January 1932 is a well-known veteran English Television personality. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located adverts) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original run | 1955 – 1998 |
Take Your Pick was a UK game show originally broadcast by Radio Luxembourg in the early 1950s. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent The aspect ratio of an Image is its width divided by its height Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The show transferred to television in 1955 with the launch of ITV, where it continued until 1968. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. As it was the first game show broadcast on commercial television in the UK (and the BBC did not at that point offer monetary prizes on its game shows), it was also by default the first British game show to offer cash prizes.
The programme was later revived from 1992 to 1998. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)
The first television version was produced by Associated-Rediffusion (later Rediffusion London), while the revival was made by Thames Television (whose arrival as the new London weekday ITV company had led to the original show's demise). Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of Thames Television was a licencee of the British ITV television network covering London and parts of the surrounding counties
If they got through the "Yes-No Interlude" (in which they were required to answer a series of questions without using the words "yes" or "no" or be gonged offstage), contestants would answer questions to win modest monetary prizes and at the climax of the show had to decide whether to "take the money" or "open the box". This article is about the Internet Protocol Television channel The box could contain good prizes (for the time) such as holidays or a washing machine but could also contain booby prizes such as a mousetrap or a bag of sweets. Lists of holidays The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents but will usually refer to one of A washing machine, or washer, is a machine designed to clean Laundry, such as Clothing, Towels and sheets The term is mostly applied A booby prize is a Joke Prize usually given in recognition of a terrible performance or last-place finish A mousetrap is a specialized type of Animal trap designed primarily to catch mice; however it may also trap other small animals Confectionery is a set of Food items that are rich in Sugar; modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well
The first version was hosted by Michael Miles (after its demise, Miles hosted a similar show for Southern Television called Wheel of Fortune, not to be confused with the later Wheel of Fortune (UK game show) of the same title). Michael John Miles (b 1919 Wellington, New Zealand, d 17 February 1971 was a TV presenter in Britain, best known for the Game show Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until 1 January Wheel of Fortune was a British television gameshow which ran from 19 July, 1988 to 20 December, 2001, produced by Bob Danvers-Walker, the voice of Pathé News from 1940 until its demise in 1970, was the show's announcer, and Alec Dane was on hand to bang the gong. Cyril Frederick ("Bob" Danvers-Walker was a British radio and Newsreel Announcer. This article deals with the Pathé movie company For their music business see Pathé Records. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. At the electronic organ was Harold Smart.
Des O'Connor became the host for the second version in the 1990s. Desmond Bernard O'Connor, CBE (born as Conrad Desmondson on 12 January 1932 is a well-known veteran English Television personality. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 His future wife Jodie Wilson was one of the hostesses; she would later be replaced by Neighbours twins Gayle and Gillian Blakeney. Neighbours is a long-running multiple Logie Award -winning Australian Soap opera, which first aired in March 1985 Gayle and Gillian Blakeney are identical twins who performed together as actresses and as a Dance Pop duo in the 1990s
It was revived again for one night only as part of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon in 2005, a series of the Geordie duo presenting classic ITV gameshows as part of the channel's 50th anniversary in their own style. Gameshow Marathon is a British game show broadcasted from 17 September, 2005 to 26 May, 2007 on ITV. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
A similar formula was used for Pot Of Gold, another game show, hosted by O'Connor.
The Des O'Connor series is currently being repeated on Challenge. Challenge is a British digital TV channel owned by Virgin Media Television.
Cultural references
A sketch in Monty Python's Flying Circus (called "Spot the Brain Cell" in a later audio version) has John Cleese playing an "evil" game show host, hitting contestants over the head with a giant hammer, which is clearly a wildly exaggerated version of Michael Miles (the game he is compering is a parody of the "Yes-No Interlude" from Take Your Pick). Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer An early version of this sketch appeared in At Last the 1948 Show. At Last the 1948 Show was a satirical TV show made by David Frost's company Paradine Productions (although it was not credited on the programmes in association For a time after Miles' death the sketch was not shown by the BBC, but it has since been reinstated.
Also, in the Hungarian Tourist sketch in Monty Python's Flying Circus, a prosecutor (played by Eric Idle) plays the game with Alexander Yalt (played by Michael Palin). Monty Python’s Flying Circus (also known as Flying Circus or during the final series just Monty Python) is a BBC Sketch comedy Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943 is an English Comedian, Actor, Author, Singer and Composer of comedic songs Michael Edward Palin, CBE (born 5 May 1943 is an English Comedian, actor writer and Television presenter best known for being one of the members The prosecutor manages to gong Yalt "out" (although Yalt was probably unaware of playing the game in the first place).
A sketch in the BBC Radio comedy series The Burkiss Way features the "Dinosaur-Cheese Interlude", in which contestants are required to answer questions without mentioning any species of dinosaur or any type of cheese. BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 The Burkiss Way is a BBC Radio 4 sketch Comedy series that was broadcast from August 1976 to November 1980 Cheese is a Food made from Milk, usually the milk of cows, Buffalo, Goats or sheep, by coagulation. Naturally, all of the contestants do accidentally mention them.
External links
- Take Your Pick at UKgameshows. com
- British Film Institute: synopsis of a typical episode of Take Your Pick from September 1955
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