The Generation Game poster

The Generation Game( 1971)

TV-MA
90%
User
Score

Overview

The Generation Game was a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes. The programme was first broadcast in 1971 under the title Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game and ran until 1982, and again from 1990 until 2002. The show was based on the Dutch TV show Een van de acht, "One of the Eight", the format devised in 1969 by Theo Uittenbogaard for VARA Television. Mrs. Mies Bouwman - a popular Dutch talk show host and presenter of the show - came up with the idea of the conveyor belt. She had seen it on a German programme and wanted to incorporate it into the show. Another antecedent for the gameshow was 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium' on ATV, which had a game called Beat the Clock, taken from an American gameshow. It featured married couples playing silly games within a certain time to win prize money. This was hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1958, and he took the idea with him when he went over to the BBC. During the 1970s, gameshows became more popular and started to replace expensive variety shows. Creating new studio shows was cheaper than hiring a theatre and paying for long rehearsals and a large orchestra, and could secure a similar number of viewers. With less money for their own productions, a gameshow seemed the obvious idea for ITV. As a result many variety performers were recruited for gameshows. The BBC, suffering poor ratings, decided to make its own gameshow. Bill Cotton, the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment, believed that Bruce Forsyth was best for the job. For years, The Generation Game was one of the strong shows in the BBC's Saturday night line-up, and became the number one gameshow on British television during the 1970s, regularly gaining over 21 million viewers. However, things were about to change. LWT, desperate to end the BBC's long-running ratings success on a Saturday night, offered Forsyth a chance to change channel to host The Big Night.

    Series Cast

    1. cast image

      Jim Davidson

    2. cast image

      Bruce Forsyth

    3. cast image

      Larry Grayson

    Current Season

    Season 23

    2001 | 19 Episodes

    Season 23 of The Generation Game premiered on Sep 08 2001

    Social

    Review 0Discussion

    We don't have any reviews for The Generation Game

    Media

    Videos 0Backdrops 0Posters 2

    Recommendations

    1. Uncle

      Uncle100%

    2. Praai Pikart

      Praai Pikart80%

    3. Superheltskolen

      Superheltskolen60%

    4. Buried

      Buried80%

    5. PS功能精通课40%

    6. The City

      The City60%

    7. La Secta

      La Secta80%

    8. How to Meet a Perfect Neighbor30%

    9. Nano Invaders

      Nano Invaders100%

    10. The Mike Douglas Show51%

    11. A Summer In Europe

      A Summer In Europe100%

    12. Ancient Discoveries

      Ancient Discoveries88%

    13. The Ramyeonator80%

    14. RACHA LOG

      RACHA LOG100%

    15. Freaktown

      Freaktown100%

    Facts

    Status

    Ended

    Status

    network logo
    Type

    Scripted

    Original Language

    English

    Keywords