Come Back Roy, All Is Forgiven! (Catchphrase)

Member Name: W Shakespeare

Product:	Catchphrase
Date:	19/06/01 (599 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple format, Fun for all the family

Disadvantages: Roy Walker's had his (Mr) Chips, Nick Who?, Requires brain activity on a Saturday

As Catchphrase approached its 14th birthday in 2000, it underwent a dramatic 'adolescent change'. It sprouted lots of dark hair, became much more clumsy and both its voice and appearance altered dramatically.

In other words, loveable grey-haired Irish comedian Roy Walker was handed a pair of Dr Martens ("given the boot") and a young, dark-haired unknown called Nick Weir slipped on his old pair (“stepped into someone else’s shoes”). Oh, and the clumsiness? Well, when Nick was filming the first series he decided to illustrate a famous theatrical saying used to encourage young rookies such as him before they went out on stage – he broke a leg. (A disheveled Roy Walker was allegedly seen greasing the stage minutes beforehand.)

The basic format is two contestants solving graphical puzzles representing well-known (or not so well-known) phrases, sayings or colloquialisms. The faster they get it right, the more money they win. After a correct guess, one of nine shapes covering the ‘Bonus Catchphrase’ is removed and the contestant has five seconds to get the correct answer. After a frantic final free-for-all round where multiple guesses are allowed, the winner has to get across a 5 x 5 puzzle grid in 60 seconds to win the star prize.

This all sounds rather dull, but it has always been the computer graphics which have made this programme stand out from other less successful formats, even today. Imagine how advanced it all looked in 1986, when most viewers believed that Mr Chips, Roy’s computer-animated assistant, was at the cutting edge of modern microchip technology. Tragically though, Mr Chips was axed along with Roy last year, and has never found work again. (Although some still believe that Nick Weir is computer-generated. Surely that hair can't be real?)

Whether the format will last much longer remains to be seen, as its new presenter hasn’t really stamped his person
ality on the show yet. Maybe if he dyed his hair grey and put on an Irish accent it might improve things.

Roy Walker really was an integral part of Catchphrase, if nothing else because HE seemed to have more catchphrases than most other quiz shows put together; "Say what you see", "Here comes another catchphrase", and "Keep pressing and guessing" to name just three.

And Roy was a true Irish gentleman. Even the most idiotic answer was batted away with a smile and an apologetic "No, keep trying". The contestants felt loved and safe, even the ones who were quite evidently as thick as two short planks.

Fourteen years Roy gave that show. Fourteen long years. But I somehow doubt Mr Weir will match that achievement.

Maybe Roy wasn't pushed. Maybe he decided to get out while he was still at the pinnacle of his career rather than spend "more time with his family". We may never know. Roy may well take that secret to his grave. (I'm assuming he's still alive, but come to think of it, I haven't seen him lately.)

I'll sum up the new look Catchphrase with one of Roy Walker's well-worn catchphrases, "A good try, but it’s not right."

(P.S. See my other reviews of Family Fortunes, Bullseye, Countdown and A Question of Pop.)

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