SPOILER ALERT: This post contains all the answers to Quiz #51. If you haven’t taken the quiz yet, you might want to try the questions-only version first!
Ready to see how you did? Here are all the questions and answers from this week’s quiz, which had a “Back to School” theme perfect for early September.
Round One: Back to School
This round focused on school-themed television shows from the 1970s.
1️⃣ What was the name of the head teacher in the first episode of Grange Hill in 1978?
Answer: Mr. E Starling (never found out what the E stood for)
2️⃣ Who was the main host of the school quiz “Top of the Form”?
Answer: Geoffrey Wheeler
3️⃣ Which of the following did not present Play School? Colin Evans, Stuart McGoohan, or Keith Chegwin?
Answer: Keith Chegwin
4️⃣ Phil Daniels and Ray Burdis starred as two lads leaving school, trying to find a suitable career in which ITV drama?
Answer: For Idle Hands
5️⃣ Going back to Grange Hill again, what was Tucker Jenkins’ real first name? (So it wasn’t Tucker, as many of you may have thought, but what was his real name?)
Answer: Peter (Peter Jenkins – not very exciting, Tucker sounds far better!)
Round Two: Marathon/Fil Rouge
Questions related to topics and personalities we’ve featured in previous episodes of the My 70’s TV Childhood podcast.
1️⃣ In April 2024, we went back in time to The Tomorrow People and Oliver revealed an early crush on the character Carol, who featured in early series of the programme. Who played Carol?
Answer: Sammie Winmill
2️⃣ Way back in January 2021, we looked back at things which scared us in our episode “Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid.” Amongst those was a series from Anglia, which featured a very famous film star and director introducing scary stories. Who was the famous actor who had somehow been persuaded to go and film in Norwich, and for a bonus, what was the name of the show?
Answer: Orson Welles, and the show was called “Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries”
3️⃣ Just after Christmas in 2023, we had a lovely discussion with Colin Edmonds. Colin Edmonds was a joke writer, but who did Colin write jokes for?
Answer: Bob Monkhouse (for many, many years he was Bob Monkhouse’s joke writer)
4️⃣ In May 2024, we looked back at how special FA Cup final day was in the 1970s. Which football team does Oliver support who appeared in three finals during the 1970s?
Answer: Manchester United
5️⃣ US detective shows featured in an episode in August 2022. Which husband and wife team were introduced at the start of every episode by their faithful retainer Max, played by Lionel Stander?
Answer: Jennifer and Jonathan Hart (in “Hart to Hart” – “their business is murder”)
Round Three: Name That Tune (1978)
Our specially constructed Wheel of Fate landed on 1978! Here are the five theme tunes from TV shows first broadcast on UK television that year.
1️⃣ Theme Tune 1
Answer: The Doomwatch Chase (a rather depressing drama set on a nuclear submarine)
2️⃣ Theme Tune 2
Answer: All Creatures Great and Small (the original version)
3️⃣ Theme Tune 3
Answer: Wuthering Heights (1978 adaptation, which happened to coincide with Kate Bush’s single of the same name)
4️⃣ Theme Tune 4
Answer: The South Bank Show (with Melvyn Bragg)
5️⃣ Theme Tune 5
Answer: The Losers (an ITV sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter as a wrestling promoter)
Round Four: TV Times
Anything goes in this round – questions about various 70s television shows, personalities, and notable programming from the era.
1️⃣ In March 1979, the US sitcom “Mork and Mindy” was first shown on UK TV, but the character Mork had already appeared on another TV show. Which one?
Answer: Happy Days (Mork appeared as an alien visiting Earth and chatting to Fonzie)
2️⃣ What was the name of the canine companion of Bob Carolgees in the Saturday morning favourite “Tiswas”?
Answer: Spit the Dog
3️⃣ Which UK show introduced its star as “the lad himself” from 1975 onwards?
Answer: The Benny Hill Show (Benny Hill was “the lad himself”)
4️⃣ In “The Beverly Hillbillies,” which part did Donna Douglas play in every one of the 274 episodes?
Answer: Ellie Mae Clampett
5️⃣ How many years was Norman Stanley Fletcher sent to prison for in the opening sequence of “Porridge”?
Answer: Five years
Bonus Question
We all remember the days of Teletext with Oracle and Ceefax, but do you remember the name of the Post Office’s version of a text information service that was launched in 1979, which you could access at great expense through your television?
Answer: Prestel
Scoring Guide:
- 18-21 correct: Excellent! You’re a true 70s TV expert
- 14-17 correct: Very good! Your 70s knowledge is impressive
- 10-13 correct: Not bad! You remember the decade well
- 6-9 correct: Fair effort! Time for some 70s TV revision
- 0-5 correct: Oh dear! Perhaps some box set viewing is in order
How did you do? Share your score with us!
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