Nicholas Parsons
Chris Dickson
Continuing my occasional series of going and seeing game show hosts whenever
they come and speak at the Oxford Union (and getting their autographs)
Nicholas Parsons, host of the UK's Sale of the Century until 1982 (the only
quiz/game show ever to reach the top of the UK's TV ratings... hmm, I just
about believe that) [1] came and spoke tonight. Perhaps it was the setting (as
people were filming footage of him speaking for some forthcoming documentary
on Central) but he seemed rather artificial.
He spoke for about an hour and a half on various aspects of his life, and the
things he had been most and least satisfied with, in a rather entertaining
fashion. Questions from the floor (the small audience of 30 or so) were
invited and answered in a very prepared and professional fashion. However,
a prominent issue on his mind seemed to be selling copies of his autobiography
The Straight Man [2]; the hardback book normally retails for 17.99, but he
kindly sold them (and autographed them, no less) for the paperback price of
just 6 pounds! Instant bargain or what? I did buy one, yes, but that's at
least as much because I knew it had relevant info about IBA restrictions in it.
After the speech, though, during the autograph session, and in general
discussion, he seemed very much less at ease. He seemed to have difficulties
in bringing specific facts to mind, and was somewhat stumbling and slow on a
few issues, though perfectly pleasant and polite. It's almost as though he
could turn his, well, professionalism? chutzpah? on and off as the situation
demanded. Certainly Johnny Ball was a lot more relaxed throughout.
Anyhow, here's the interesting info from the man himself. A return of Sale of
the Century in the UK seems fairly likely. Anglia TV want to do it, but
Grundy hold the copyrights, and with Pearson (who own Channel Five) also
owning Reg Grundy, a shift of channel is not impossible. Furthermore, it may
be likely that Grundy would want to use the format that they tried on Sky.
What do you mean, you didn't know they had Sale of the Century on Sky? Well,
that shows you how much of a success their version of it was. Apparently
Grundy fiddled with the format on satellite, and the public didn't buy it...
Parsons apparently would like to host it again, were he asked, but didn't
really seem to display any great love for his memories of the show.
The other thing that interested me was that for a long time there had been
a rumour that Patrick Moore wasn't the first choice for the Gamesmaster in
the computer/video games programme of the same name - Nicholas Parsons was.
I asked Parsons about it, though he denied any knowledge whatsoever. Loss of
memory over the years, or just something he's chosen to forget...?
Very interesting, anyhow, and I've got a cheap book out of it.
All the best
Chris
[1] Also "Just a Minute" for BBC Radio for over 25 years; furthermore "The
All New Alphabet Game" for LWT in 1987, at the very start of Night Time
programming, acting credit as Rev. Green in Cluedo, and many other non-game
show TV/radio/film/play credits.
[2] As in comedy, people. Nothing else. No.
chris....@keb.ox.ac.uk UK Game Show Page: http://users.ox.ac.uk/~kebl0110/
LIKE: Game shows, doughnuts, lasergames, postal games, TV sport, ducks, pandas
HATE: Alcohol, tobacco, pay-per-view TV, narcotics, early mornings, mono films
Oww! That UK Game Show Page URL has changed. Could you change your link please
Jeremy Rogers
In message <4o0gge$f...@news.ox.ac.uk>
kebl...@sable.ox.ac.uk (Chris Dickson) writes:
> Continuing my occasional series of going and seeing game show hosts whenever
> they come and speak at the Oxford Union (and getting their autographs)
> Nicholas Parsons, host of the UK's Sale of the Century until 1982 (the only
> quiz/game show ever to reach the top of the UK's TV ratings... hmm, I just
> about believe that)
Sorry, that isn't the case. Double Your Money, Take Your Pick,
Dotto, Criss Cross Quiz and The Generation Game all reached number 1
in the TAM/JICTAR ratings before Sale of the Century, and The Price
Is Right did later.
What SotC does have I think is the highest audience overall for a
quiz/game show - 21.2 million, on 22/12/78. It did help that the BBC
was blacked out by a strike that day!
Jez
--
William HamBevan
: > Continuing my occasional series of going and seeing game show hosts whenever
: > they come and speak at the Oxford Union (and getting their autographs)
: > Nicholas Parsons, host of the UK's Sale of the Century until 1982 (the only
: > quiz/game show ever to reach the top of the UK's TV ratings... hmm, I just
: > about believe that)
Did he mention anything about 'Mr Jolly Lives Next Door', I wonder? By
far the best thing that he did, and possibly the best film to accompany
vicious bouts of drinking... ('barmy fluid..? I'll have some of that!')
And now, pissed from Norwich...
Will HB
---
Mumbles, Wales ************************** Oxford, England
* William P. Ham Bevan *
PER ARDUA ************************** AD NAUSEAM
William Purry - Trent Park
Wasn't he in a Sylvester McCoy episode of Doctor Who?
And in Kappatoo
Dave Matthews
Re: That multi-talented Nicholas Parsons!
Someone recently told me that Parsons had been a weather-reader many
years back. Apparently on noticing the word 'Fog' being spelt incorrectly
he said "Oh look - there's no F in Fog!" (say it quickly!)
Is this story true?
Cheers,
Dave Matthews
watch DR WHO May 96
William Purry - Trent Park wrote:
>
> Wasn't he in a Sylvester McCoy episode of Doctor Who?
Indeed so - one of the best performances, as the Rev Wainwright, in one of the best
'Eighties stories -"THE CURSE OF FENRIC" (October/November 1989)
GRAEME
--
FURTHER READING/LISTENING:
"Why don't you close the door and shut the curtains 'cos you're not going anywhere ?
He's coming up the stairs and in a moment he'll want to see your underwear...
I'd give my whole life to see it - just you stood there only in your underwear"
-PULP, "Underwear" 1995
te...@some.where
I also heard this !!!! so we'll say it's true.
Here's another revelation:-
He was the FIRST James Bond
It was a radio dramatisation in the 50's
but I don't know which script it was.....but I'm sure someone will tell us !
_____________
łEddie Dowds ł
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Chris Dickson
te...@some.where wrote:
: Here's another revelation:-
: He was the FIRST James Bond
: It was a radio dramatisation in the 50's
: but I don't know which script it was.....but I'm sure someone will
: tell us !
Mmm... not sure about this. I think you're confusing that story with the
fact that Bob Holness was the first James Bond. As you suggest, he played him
on radio in the '50s, but it was in South Africa, fact fans. Bob said this
himself when he came to the Oxford Union, so I would tend to believe him.
My cold's just about over
Chris
B&C
te...@some.where wrote:
>
> In <31A532...@carnfort.u-net.com>, Dave Matthews <matt...@carnfort.u-net.com> writes:
> >Re: That multi-talented Nicholas Parsons!
> >
> >Someone recently told me that Parsons had been a weather-reader many
> >years back. Apparently on noticing the word 'Fog' being spelt incorrectly
> >he said "Oh look - there's no F in Fog!" (say it quickly!)
> >
> >Is this story true?
> I also heard this !!!! so we'll say it's true.
I've also seen this joke, but it wasn't Nicholas Parsons, it was
KENNY EVERETT. The title "THE FOG" came up on screen, the "F" dropped
off as if not glued on properly, then the announcer said "Sorry about
the F in Fog".
Did Kenny copy it from Parsons?
Andrew Roll up for your TV logos...
--/___ http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~bandc/a.wiseman/625/tv_logos.htm
Bob Hubbard
From Lee Hubbard:
I remember ol Nick best from the 1989 Doctor Who story The Curse of
Fendric. He was Reverend Wainwright who was killed off.
Rod Begbie
In article <4oc4fq$c...@bocanews.bocaraton.ibm.com> te...@some.where writes:
>
>Here's another revelation:-
> He was the FIRST James Bond
> It was a radio dramatisation in the 50's
> but I don't know which script it was.....but I'm sure someone will tell us !
i thought that was bob holness
rod
--
-=> Rod Begbie <=- This message is respectfully
-=> R.A.B...@hw.ac.uk <=- dedicated to Mr Elias Howe
who, in 1847, invented the
-=> http://www.cee.hw.ac.uk/~ceerab <=- sewing machine.
Michael Sellar
B&C (ba...@dircon.co.uk) wrote:
: te...@some.where wrote:
: > In <31A532...@carnfort.u-net.com>, Dave Matthews <matt...@carnfort.u-net.com> writes:
: > >years back. Apparently on noticing the word 'Fog' being spelt incorrectly
: > >he said "Oh look - there's no F in Fog!" (say it quickly!)
: > >
: > >Is this story true?
: > I also heard this !!!! so we'll say it's true.
: I've also seen this joke, but it wasn't Nicholas Parsons, it was
: KENNY EVERETT. The title "THE FOG" came up on screen, the "F" dropped
: off as if not glued on properly, then the announcer said "Sorry about
: the F in Fog".
: Did Kenny copy it from Parsons?
Hm. Perhaps it's because it's the most cerebral joke ever perpetrated
by him, but I clearly remember Benny Hill making exactly the same joke --
in the late seventies, I guess.
Now if we identify the Dick Emery and Russ Abbott versions, that's the
complete set...
Mike.
--
i am mic...@memex.co.uk.
good-bye.