What a load of Blankety Blank ! (Blankety Blank)

Member Name: TraceyJayne

Product:	Blankety Blank
Date:	12/05/09 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to follow, lots of fun and laughs

Disadvantages: rubbish prizes

Blankety Blank was one of those game shows that was so bad it was good. It first appeared on our screens back in the 70's. There were three hosts over the next twenty or so years. Although it hasn't been on our screens for quite a few years now it is still thought of with affection.

So, what was Blankety Blank ?
A game show on the BBC.
There was one host (one at a time, but three during the time it was shown, I'll talk about the hosts later)
There were four contestants, 2 played in the first round and two played in the second round.
There was a panel of six celebrities.

Sounds like fun, how did it work ?
The host asked a question - usually a very cheesy one. The answer had some words missing, hence the 'blankety blank' part. The six celebrities had to write down what they thought the missing words were. The contestant had to think what they thought the missing answer was. The host went along the panel and for every time the contestant and the celebs matched and answer, the contestant got a point. This was repeated with a second question.

Was there a twist ?
Kind of... when the celebs couldn't think of an answer they would write a joke one down.

And then ?
The winner from the first round played with three celebrities This time there were three possible answers, they were worth 50, 100 or 150 points.
The highest value they matched (if any) was the level of prize they won.

What happened next ?
The second two contestants played

And then ?
The winners from each round played again, the winner went on to play 'head to head'.

What was that ?
This time they chose 1 celebrity to help them. A question was asked and if they both said the same answer the contestant got a prize. This was usually a weekend away somewhere or free flowers for a year.etc.

Budget box prizes then ?
Well, yes, they weren't of very high value.
The programme was well known for their rubbish prizes.

Why did people watch then ?
It was very very funny, there was always a good mix of celebrities on and to be honest people watched to see what ridiculous questions were asked and the answers were generally hilarious.

OKay, so who were the hosts ?
The first host was Terry Wogan. I thought he was the perfect host. He had the skill of putting people at their ease, he was funny and (tried) to keep the celebs in order.
The second host was the great Les Dawson. Again, in my opinion, he was a superb host. As he was a comedian anyway he had some great banter with both the contestants and the panel. I thought there was alot more humour in it. Of course, Les was famous for his Mother in law jokes, and these featured in many of the questions.
The programme was off the air for a few years and then the BBC brought it back. This time the host was Lily Savage. I thought, Lily was good but sometimes a bit too near the knuckle, both with jokes and language.

What was the best thing about it.?
Without a doubt
1. the catchy tune Blankety Blank, Blankety Blank
2. everyone went away with a Blankety Blank cheque book and pen. This was a silver model of a real one, and said to be more expensive than the prizes.

If I get chance to see any episodes, should I?
Oh yes, If you love cheesy jokes then this is for you. You might want to try the quiz too and fill in the missing blanks. Great fun and great entertainment. Must see t.v. back in the 70's. I loved it.
Basically it was half an hour of laughter all the way. I enjoyed the daft answers that the contestants gave - they didn't make any sense. Also , in my house we loved to play along. It was family fun. A simple idea but it really worked. I'd reccommend trying to find old episodes , usually on compilation dvd's.

Summary: Good family entertainment. Great to play along.