Take Your Pick!
The first UK TV game show with cash prizes.
It was the first UK game show on television to offer cash prizes.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Game show
- Creator
- Michael Miles
- Presenter
- Michael Miles (1955–68); Des O'Connor (1992–99)
- Starring
- Jodie Wilson (1992)
- Gayle and Gillian Blakeney (1994)
- Sarah Matravers (1996)
- Sasha Lawrence (1998–99)
- Voices
- Bob Danvers-Walker (1955–68)
- John Sachs (1992)
- Steve Jones (1994–99)
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 13 (Associated-Rediffusion); 5 (Thames)
Facts from the source article.
History
The television version of Take Your Pick! was produced by Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London; the revival was made by Thames Television, whose arrival as the new London weekday ITV company had ended the original show. In the game, contestants answered questions without saying 'yes' or 'no' in the 'Yes-No Interlude'; if they did, they were gonged off. Successful contestants answered more questions for modest cash prizes, then at the climax chose between keeping their winnings or trading for a mystery prize in a box, which could be valuable or a booby prize. The original host was Michael Miles; after the show ended, he hosted a similar programme for Southern Television called Wheel of Fortune. Alec Dane banged the gong, and Harold Smart played the electronic organ. A similar formula was used for Pot of Gold, another game show hosted by Des O'Connor. A one-off revival aired in 2005 as part of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon, and another in 2020 on Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow, filmed at Dock10 studios; this version added a bonus round with a pyramid of boxes.
Gameplay
In the opening game, the host asked a contestant a series of questions within 60 seconds; the contestant could not say 'yes' or 'no', nor nod or shake their head. If they did, the co-host banged a gong and the next contestant was introduced. There were ten boxes numbered 1 to 10: three held booby prizes, one held a card for a star prize, and six held cards for other prizes. No one, including the host, knew which prize was in each box, though the audience saw the prizes listed off-screen by Bob Danvers-Walker. Contestants answered general-knowledge questions; if they answered three of four correctly, they picked a key from a set of ten corresponding to the boxes. The host then tried to buy back the key with increasing cash offers. One box contained a key to 'Box 13', which could hold a valuable item or a booby prize; the host would make a new offer to buy back both that key and the prize in the chosen box, and if the contestant refused, they chose between taking the prize or whatever was in Box 13.
Cultural references
A Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch, later released in audio form as "Spot the Brain Cell," has John Cleese playing a cartoonish version of Michael Miles. In it, a contestant chooses to compete for a blow to the head, turning down several "prizes" that are actually different kinds of physical mistreatment before getting hit with a giant mallet. An earlier version of this bit had appeared on At Last the 1948 Show. The BBC briefly pulled the sketch after Miles died, but it later returned to rotation. Another Python sketch, "Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook," has a prosecutor (Eric Idle) running the game against Alexander Yalt (Michael Palin), gonging him out for saying "yes" even though Yalt didn't realize he was playing. On the radio comedy The Burkiss Way, a "Dinosaur-Cheese Interlude" forced contestants to answer questions without naming any dinosaur or cheese; they inevitably slipped up. That sketch later turned up on The Kenny Everett Television Show, written by the same team. The progressive rock band Hatfield and the North included a track called "The Yes No Interlude" on their album The Rotters' Club, and the same LP features the lyric "Michael Miles, bogey man." The radio show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again frequently referenced Take Your Pick! with lines like "Stake the bunny!" and "Hop in the box!"
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Take Your Pick! first air?
Take Your Pick! first aired on 23 September 1955.
When did Take Your Pick! end?
Take Your Pick! last aired on 26 July 1968.
More in Television Shows Produced by Associated-Rediffusion
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