''Spelling Bee'' was a 15-minute United Kingdom

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 ...

and

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the Internet when content or programming is played continuously (not on demand) ...

show that was the first television

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

. Hosted by

Freddie Grisewood Frederick Henry Grisewood OBE (11 April 1888 – 15 November 1972) was a British broadcaster, who had a long and varied career with the BBC. He was perhaps best known for being the host of ''Any Questions?'' from its inception in 1948 until ...

, and transmitted live from

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

at 10pm on 31 May 1938, about four episodes were produced of the television version. As the title suggests, it was a

spelling bee A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. To compete, contestants must memorize the spellings of words as written in dictionaries, and recite ...

. In the TV version, contestants competed against well known television stars of the era. The running times varied, with the first episode aired in a 15-minute time-slot, the second and third episodes aired in a 20-minute time-slot, and the fourth and fifth episodes aired in a 30-minute time-slot. The last episode aired on 1 September 1938. The original ''Inter Regional Spelling Competition'' was a one-off radio contest for children, aired on 25 November 1937 at 5.30pm.

References

External links

''Spelling Bee'' on IMDb
British game shows British radio game shows 1930s British game shows British radio programmes 1930s British television series 1938 British television series debuts 1938 British television series endings Lost BBC episodes BBC Television shows British live television series Black-and-white British television shows BBC television game shows {{UK-tv-prog-stub