Its a Knockout/Jeux Sans Frontiers

[Dave Hall]

Some great home movie clips of Its a Knockout/Jeans Sans Frontiers being filmed here.

First up New Brighton, must be 60s, as you can see a rather cool looking David Vine.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMwWhyYYM9g


Next up Roundhay Park, Leeds 1976

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC8HiTt8ajQ&feature=related

[Kelvin Walker]

GB Heat 2, New Brighton Vs Blackpool May 19th 1968, Broadcasted Live
International Heat 4, Kirklees representing team GB staged 14 July 1976, Broadcasted 1st September 1976.
Both editions DO exist as complete editions in the BBC archives

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

I would expect the European editions having a far greater survival rate than the UK.

Incidentally, Stuart Hall himself now owns the rights to It's a Knockout (the tradename, rather than the BBC broadcasts).

National fame came to Mold and Charnock Richard....

I also remember them shooting a Jeux Sans Frontiers in Africa - Ceuta, a Spanish enclave surrounded by Morocco.

I was in the crowd for the edition at Camberley (guessing it was around '77), and it was Surrey Heath against Windsor and Maidenhead and....the other team was....Rushmoor? I can't remember.

I much preferred when TOWNS were the team name rather than the Council area.

[jameshope]

Are there many editions of It's a Knockout still existing in the BBC archives

[Dave Hall]

Their is a great site for Its a Knockout/JSF with an episode guide, it lists the existing/missing shows.

www.jsfnet.co.uk/index.htm

[Phil Chappell]

I've never met Ray Langstone but its interesting to see he attended the exact same 'Its a Knockout' that I did - at Camberley!

I later went to the International 'Jeux Sans Frontieires' in Windsor in Jubilee year, 1977. I had a lot of the original scripts for this show which I picked up when they were clearing up, but which I sold on ebay a few years ago!

[Alan Hayes]

Nov 16, 2010 18:44:21 GMT Dave Hall said:

Their is a great site for Its a Knockout/JSF with an episode guide, it lists the existing/missing shows.

www.jsfnet.co.uk/index.htm

Thanks, Dave. That's my site.

I wasn't aware of the footage you posted a link to, so thanks for doing so. I'll make a note of it on the site.

As for the survival rate, the BBC have pretty much everything from the mid-70s onwards. Earlier it's very patchy indeed. Most international programmes exist in European archives. The German and French archives will even sell them to you privately on DVD! These obviously feature German and French commentaries - so no David Vine or Stuart Hall!

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Great site Alan - and well done with the work! Fabulous!

A minor question, if I may, can you tell me what celebrities were representing Southampton FC in the 1976 Cup Final It's a Knockout. I'd forgotten about this completely, and I run a Southampton FC Supporters Group on the internet.

We lost the It's A Knockout, but won the Cup Final (grins wildly)!

Good to know much of the programme exists.

[Alan Hayes]

I've not been able to source a copy of any Cup Final Knockout (although I recall watching them originally - I was a rabid football fan too back then). All I have in terms of detail is what was printed in Radio Times:

"Past and present players and celebrity supporters of both teams including Tony Blackburn, Lesley Judd, Peter Purves, Dave Lee Travis, Marilyn Ward, Noel Cantwell, Nobby Stiles, Hugh Fisher, Paul Bennett and Pat Earl."

Thanks for the kind words about the site, Ray.

[Ray Langstone (was saintsray)]

Thanks Alan!

Aside from the footballers (Stiles and Cantwell were ex Man Utd playes, Bennett and Earle (note spelling) current Saints squad members), I'm guessing DLT and Purves, both being Lancastrians represented Man Utd, and Blackburn (hailing from Dorset, and an ex Southern TV presenter) and former Miss UK Marilyn Ward (hailing from New Milton) represented the mighty Saints.

But Lesley Judd? Probably Southampton too. She was an in-vision continuity announcer at Southern TV.

Although I must say, the amount of Man Utd supporters who hail from the South is astonishing (groans).

[Alan Hayes]

Thanks, Ray. Interesting detail.