Blockbusters (UK)

1 9 8 3 – 1 9 9 5 (UK)

Blockbusters was a very basic quiz game – hosted by Bob Holness – which consisted of three players, two on one team and one on the other.

All the contestants were 16-18-year-old students, so bad haircuts, snotty toffs, bad jumpers, bad jokes and fluffy mascots were the order of the day.

Each team had to pick a letter (“Can I have a P please, Bob?” – bwah hah hah!) which would then flash on the screen and Uncle Bob would ask a question such as “What C is a fluffy feline creature that purrs?” Simplicity itself . . .

If the contestant got the question right, the hexagonal block on the screen containing the letter would change into the team colour, (yellow or blue) and at the end of the game, the winner (the one with the most points, derr!) would do the ‘Gold Run’, which could lead to “an exciting prize”. After five Gold Runs the team would retire.

The show – based on an American game show of the same name which debuted in 1980 – was first brought in to fill the empty spot that Crossroads left behind but became a solid hit for 12 seasons. Ultimately though, it lost a ratings battle with Neighbours.

The show re-emerged for a little while on Sky One with Liza Tarbuck hosting, and again on BBC2 with Michael Aspel.