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''Opportunity Knocks'' is a
British television
Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...
and radio
talent show
A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...
originally hosted by
Hughie Green
Hugh Hughes Green (2 February 1920 – 3 May 1997) was an English radio and television presenter, game show host and actor.
Early life
Green was born in Marylebone, London, to a Scottish father, Hugh Aitchison Green, a former British Army offic ...
, with a late-1980s revival hosted by
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan Monkhouse (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English comedian, writer and actor. He was the host of television game shows including ''The Golden Shot'', ''Celebrity Squares'', ''Family Fortunes'' and '' ''Wipeout'.
Early ...
, and later by previous winner
Les Dawson
Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and Mother-in-law joke, jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.
Earl ...
. From its origin on BBC Radio in 1949 the show provided a platform to fame for acts such as
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British Colonial India, where h ...
and
Frankie Vaughan
Frankie Vaughan (born Frank Fruim Abelson; 3 February 1928 – 17 September 1999) was an English singer and actor who recorded more than 80 easy listening and traditional pop singles in his lifetime. He was known as "Mr. Moonlight" after his ...
. One of the most popular shows on British television, in the 1960s and 1970s it had a weekly audience of 20 million viewers.
The original
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
version started on the
BBC Light Programme
The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 1. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...
, where it ran from 18 February to 29 September 1949, but moved to
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
in the 1950s. It was shown on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
from 20 June 1956 to 29 August 1956, produced by
Associated Rediffusion
Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV franchise holder for Greater London, London and parts of Home counties, the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 an ...
. A second run commenced on 11 July 1964 and lasted until 20 March 1978, produced first by
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and then by
Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
. During this period
Bob Sharples was musical director.
[Bob Sharples obituary, ''The Guardian'', 9 September 1987 p. 34] Green presented a single episode of ''Opportunity Knocks'' for
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
in 1979. It was revived by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
from 21 March 1987 to 2 June 1990, hosted initially by Monkhouse from 1987 to 1989 (under the title ''Bob Says Opportunity Knocks!'') and subsequently by Dawson in 1990.
Kiki Dee
Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.
Dee is best known for h ...
's hit single "Star" became the theme song for the revived BBC series.
Voting system
Unlike its rival ''
New Faces
''New Faces'' is a British television talent show that aired in the 1970s and 1980s. It has been hosted by Leslie Crowther, Derek Hobson and Marti Caine. It was produced for the ITV network by ATV, and later by Central.
Original series: 1973 ...
'', the winning acts on ''Opportunity Knocks'' were decided not by a panel of experts but by the viewing public. In the ITV version this took the form of a postal vote, the winner of which was announced the following week. The BBC revival was notable for being the first TV show to decide its winner using the now-standard method of a telephone vote.
In both versions the studio audience reaction to each act was measured by a
clap-o-meter
A clap-o-meter, clapometer or applause meter is a measurement instrument that purports to measure and display the volume of clapping or applause made by an audience. It can be used to indicate the popularity of contestants and decide the result of ...
, but this did not count towards the final result.
The programme was recorded the Friday before transmission, so votes had to be in by Thursday. They also, according to host Hughie Green, largely to ensure fairness, had to be in "your own handwriting".
Although ''Opportunity Knocks'' did produce a number of talented acts, the method of putting the contest to a public vote did sometimes result in victories for novelty acts, in particular those involving children or animals. On one notorious occasion, the young
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is an English actress and singer. Her career has spanned over 45 years; she is most famous for her role in the sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!''. She also appeared in '' You Rang, M'Lord?'' and ''Oh, Doctor Beec ...
was beaten into second place by a singing dog.
Famous alumni
Entertainers who appeared included
Freddie Starr
Freddie Starr (born Frederick Leslie Fowell; 9 January 1943 – 9 May 2019) was an English stand up comedian, impressionist, singer and actor. Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat rock and roll group the Midniters during the early 1960s, and ...
and the Delmonts,
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is an English actress and singer. Her career has spanned over 45 years; she is most famous for her role in the sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!''. She also appeared in '' You Rang, M'Lord?'' and ''Oh, Doctor Beec ...
,
Paul Daniels
Newton Edward Daniels (6 April 1938 – 17 March 2016), known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter. He achieved international fame through his television series '' The Paul Daniels Magic Show'', whic ...
,
Darren Day
Darren Day is an English actor, singer and television presenter, well known for his West End theatre starring roles.
Early life
Day's paternal grandfather was a support act to George Formby in the days of music hall. Day undertook drama classe ...
, Pete the Plate Spinning Dog, Los Caracas, later to become
Middle of the Road,
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer-songwriter best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single "Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists ...
,
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...
,
Les Dawson
Leslie Dawson Jr. (2 February 1931 – 10 June 1993) was an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter, who is best remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and Mother-in-law joke, jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.
Earl ...
, Maureen Myers, Barry Cummings, Royston Vasey (later to find fame as
Roy 'Chubby' Brown
Roy Chubby Brown (born 3 February 1945) is an English stand-up comedian whose act consists of offensive humour, high profanity, forthright social commentary and outspoken disdain for political correctness.
Early life
Roy Chubby Brown (born ...
),
Little and Large
''Little and Large'' were a British comedy double act comprising straight man Syd Little (born Cyril John Mead; 19 December 1942) and comic Eddie Large (born Edward Hugh McGinnis; 25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020).
Comedy duo
They formed their p ...
,
Bobby Crush
Robert Nicholas Crush (born 23 March 1954) is an English pianist, songwriter, actor and television presenter, originally from Leyton in East London.
Biography
Bobby Crush first came to public attention after six winning appearances on Hughie ...
,
Berni Flint,
Tony Holland (The Muscle Man),
Millican & Nesbitt,
Neil Reid
Neil Reid (born 1959) is a Scottish former child singing star, winner of ITV's '' Opportunity Knocks,'' and the youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Career
Known also as "Wee Neil Reid", he was eight when he was discove ...
,
Peters and Lee
Peters and Lee were a successful British folk and pop duo of the 1970s and 1980s, comprising Lennie Peters (22 November 1931 – 10 October 1992, Enfield, Middlesex) and Dianne Lee (born February 1949).
Background
Lennie Peters (AKA Gary Hall; ...
,
Lena Zavaroni
Lena Hilda Zavaroni (4 November 1963 – 1 October 1999) was a Scottish singer and a television show host. At ten years of age, with her album ''Ma! (He's Making Eyes at Me)'', she was the youngest person in history to have an album in the top ...
,
Frank Carson
Hugh Francis Carson KSG (6 November 1926 – 22 February 2012) was a Northern Irish comedian and actor from Belfast. He was best known for being a regular face on television for many years from the 1970s onwards, appearing in series su ...
,
Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce, (born 27 September 1943) is a Welsh comedian, singer and entertainer. He rose to fame in the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in a South Wales mining community. B ...
,
Pam Ayres, Juniper Green,
Gerry Monroe
Gerry Monroe (20 January 1933 – October 1989) was an English pop singer, who enjoyed brief popularity in the early 1970s.
Born Henry Morris in South Shields, County Durham, England, Monroe scored five Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart in ...
,
Debra Stephenson
Debra Stephenson (born 4 June 1972) is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer, best known for her roles as Diane Powell in ''Playing the Field'', Shell Dockley in '' Bad Girls'' and as Frankie Baldwin in ''Coronation Street''.
...
,
Tammy Jones
Tammy Jones (born Helen Wyn Jones, 12 March 1944), is a singer from Bangor, Gwynedd, Bangor, North Wales.
Musical career
Jones began singing at an early age, winning many Eisteddfod competitions, and was soon established as a regular on both radio ...
,
Paper Lace
Paper Lace are a British pop/rock band, formed in Nottingham, who rose to success in 1974 and during that year had three UK Top 40 hit singles. In the United States they are considered a one-hit wonder, having a single US top 40 hit. There are ...
,
Barry and Paul Elliott and
Tony Monopoly
Tony Monopoly (3 December 1944 – 21 March 1995) was an Australian-born cabaret singer and actor who enjoyed success in the United Kingdom. Born Antonio Rosario Monopoli in Adelaide, he was a regular on the national radio show, ''Kangaroos on ...
.
Several winners of ''Opportunity Knocks'' (notably Tammy Jones, Champagne, Tony Monopoly) later attempted to represent the UK at the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
, taking part in the
A Song for Europe
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
competition.
Lee Evans appeared in 1986 but was rejected and did not make it past the initial audition.
Kaz Hawkins
Kaz Hawkins (born 21 January 1973) is a Northern Irish blues, folk, jazz and soul singer and songwriter signed to Dixiefrog Records in Paris, France.
Early life
Hawkins was born and grew up in Belfast but now lives in France. She enjoyed singi ...
appeared in the 1980s' revival as a child.
Influence
Today, most of the elements of this show are visible on the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
talent search ''
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...
'', which was created by record company executive
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of ''The X Factor'' and ''Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on t ...
. The method of deciding a winner by telephone is used on that show and many other similar programmes around the world.
A reference to the show can be heard on
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' first live performance of "
Yesterday" at Blackpool Night Out.
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
introduces the song, saying "For Paul McCartney of Liverpool, opportunity knocks!". This version appears on ''
Anthology 2
''Anthology 2'' is a compilation album by the Beatles, released on 18 March 1996 by Apple Records as part of ''The Beatles Anthology'' series. It features rarities, outtakes and live performances from the 1965 sessions for ''Help!'' to the sessi ...
''.
Transmissions
BBC Light Programme
ITV
BBC1
References
External links
*
''Opportunity Knocks (1964–1968)''at BFI
''Opportunity Knocks (1968–1978)''at BFI
''Opportunity Knocks (1990)''at BFI
*{{UKGameshow, Opportunity_Knocks, Opportunity Knocks
1950s British television series
1960s British television series
1970s British television series
1980s British television series
1956 British television series debuts
1990 British television series endings
BBC Light Programme programmes
BBC television game shows
BBC Television shows
Black-and-white British television shows
English-language television shows
ITV game shows
Lost television shows
Talent shows
Television series by Fremantle (company)
Television series by ITV Studios
British television series revived after cancellation
Television shows produced by ABC Weekend TV
Television shows produced by Associated-Rediffusion
Television shows produced by Thames Television
Television shows shot at BBC Elstree Centre
Television shows shot at Teddington Studios