Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1970s Television
    1970s Television Shows B UK TV Variety 2 Mins Read

    Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 7 8 (UK)

    1978 was not Bruce Forsyth’s year. Since 1971 he had dominated popular television in The Generation Game which he’d made a Saturday night institution.

    But he made the mistake of thinking that he was bigger than the game and believed that his West End production The Travelling Music Show would take him triumphantly to Broadway. It folded in just four months.

    brucebignight

    When Michael Grade at LWT offered Bruce £15,000 a week for two hours of peak viewing-time on Saturday nights in a show whose budgets would be a massive £250,000, he needed little persuasion.

    But Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night turned out to be Bruce Forsyth’s Big Nightmare.

    Despite a decent new game, ‘The Pyramid Game’ hosted by Grade look-alike Steve Jones, despite the presence of Bruce’s sidekick Anthea Redfern, despite the revival of Jimmy Edwards’ brilliant comic family The Glums and Charlie Drake’s The Worker, and despite the fact that Cannon and Ball recorded six sketches and were billed but didn’t appear – the big audiences shrank fast.

    Unfortunately, to get to the highlights, the viewer had to wade through large stretches of some of the most cringingly embarrassing items ever aired in the name of television entertainment. A segment at a bar where members of the public tried to impress Forsyth with their joke-telling fell into the tedium camp, while at the embarrassment end of the scale there was a fancy dress competition won by a woman dressed as the Post Office Tower.

    Somewhere in the middle, the game ‘Teletennis’ proved to be a very strange way of spending even part of a Saturday night, with the contestants whooping and yodelling to control their computerised paddles.

    The press attacked the formerly bumptious Bruce for the show’s failure. Bruce bit back, claiming it was everyone else’s fault and, anyway, the only thing you can believe in the newspapers is the date.

    Big Night was moved to an earlier time slot, then reduced in length to ninety minutes. When all that failed to work, it was dropped completely.

    In retrospect, the show’s biggest problem was that it attempted to be too many things at once.

    By 1980 Brucie had moved on to Play Your Cards Right. He had kept his big chin up and had some new ginger hair on. And didn’t he do well?

    Related Posts

    • Charlie Drake Show, The
      Charlie Drake Show, The
      1 9 6 3 (UK) 6 x 35 minute episodes Produced by ATV and aired at 8.25 pm on Saturday nights…
    • Glums, The
      Glums, The
      1 9 7 9 (UK) 17 x 30 minute episodes The Jimmy Edwards family comedy The Glums, originally on BBC radio in…
    • Night Out At The London Casino
      Night Out At The London Casino
      1 9 7 7 (UK) 7 x 60 minute episodes Liverpool comedian Tom O'Connor - who came to fame as a…
    • Dance Fever
      Dance Fever
      1 9 7 9 - 1 9 8 7  (USA) Created by entertainment veteran Merv Griffin, Dance Fever was a televised dance…
    • Sunday Night At The London Palladium
      Sunday Night At The London Palladium
      1 9 5 5 - 1 9 6 7 (UK) 1 9 7 3 (UK) Launched in ITV's very first…
    • Twenty-One 
      Twenty-One 
      1 9 5 6 - 1 9 5 8 (USA) This highly popular big-money quiz show based on the card…
    • Monster Squad
      Monster Squad
      1 9 7 6 - 1 9 7 7 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes Walt (Fred Grandy) was a college…
    • Generation Game, The
      Generation Game, The
      1 9 7 1 - 1 9 8 2 (UK) 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 0 2 (UK) 2 0…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleGreat Temptation
    Next Article Bruce Forsyth Show, The

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small. 

    Thank you so much.
    Enjoy your trip in the time machine!

    You may also like

    • Generation Game, The
      Generation Game, The
      1 9 7 1 - 1 9 8 2 (UK) 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 0 2 (UK) 2 0…
    • Play Your Cards Right
      Play Your Cards Right
      1 9 8 0 - 1 9 8 7 (UK) 1 9 8 4 (Australia) 1 9 9 4 - 1 9…
    • Price Is Right, The
      Price Is Right, The
      1 9 5 6 - present (USA) 1 9 8 1 - 1 9 8 6 (Australia) 1 9 8 4 -…
    • Sunday Night At The London Palladium
      Sunday Night At The London Palladium
      1 9 5 5 - 1 9 6 7 (UK) 1 9 7 3 (UK) Launched in ITV's very first…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.