Everything comes - so the saying goes - to those who wait. So for most devotees of all things Knockout, it took eighteen long years for the BBC, in its infinite wisdom, to get its act together and produce what we've all been waiting for ...An It's A Knockout video.

OK, there have been occasional one-off shows since the series ended on the BBC in 1982, not forgetting - but I still try to - Channel 5's revamp in 1999. Perhaps Cheggers and co. did do us all a favour,  for the C5 revival appeared to galvanise the BBC into action. Finally, they saw fit to provide us with an opportunity to wallow properly in the sheer fun and nostalgia of this unique programme. Don't just take my word for it: Danny Baker called it "the best ever people's show" and A.A. Gill described it as "television's best ever attempt at a game show".

Pressing 'play' on my remote control and the journey begins. We find Stuart Hall amongst his Knockout pals (budgies, giants, Darby and Joan, penguins, headless ghosts etc, etc) amid the surroundings of Hall's home deep within Cheshire's leafy stockbroker belt. Hall is bedecked in the shades-of-blue blazer that saw great service during the halcyon days and which, given his girth, fit him more like a straightjacket in 2000. Despite the galleymuffrey around him, Hall then launches us on our transport of delights.

The Very Best of
It's A Knockout:
"Here Come the Belgians!"
VHS Videotape,
62 minutes approx.
BBC Worldwide, 2000

And who better to give us the countdown than the legend that is Gennaro Olivieri. Giving vent to his linguistic skills (this bit was actually recorded in Bonn, Germany in 1979) and with a loud rasp from his whistle, we are whisked away to the spectacle of imagination that is - It's A Knockout / Jeux Sans Frontières.

Immediately, we are given a selection of games from our domestic series - mainly from the 1982 output. However, a flavour of these shows can be well appreciated by a viewer new to the experience. Speaking as an old hand, I was a little disappointed that there weren't more clips from home soil, but I suppose this video is aimed at the near-fight wandering the video stockist's shelves and not the purist like me. Still what was there was good - such as the 'The Diving Board - Life Raft' game from Chippenham and 'The Wallflower' game from Christchurch.

It's fair to say that most viewers will recall the internationals more readily. As Stuart Hall once said, "Our domestics pale into insignificance when compared to Jeux Sans Frontières. How can Scunthorpe in Spring compare to Sardinia in Summer or the Algarve in Autumn? Theatre and pantomime under the arc lights". So, onward we go to sample the delights from across Europe beginning with a bizarre Fil Rouge from Germany. It concerns guests at a party with the contents of a table with lives of their own. It also brings Eddie Waring to the microphone for the first time and I can testify that Knockout fans abroad who have received other copies of this video, have been left somewhat confused, bewildered and yet delighted at the encounter with this amazing North Country man.

Between clips from the games are segments recorded by Stuart Hall to shed some light and a little explanation for what you will see. His praise for the game designers is welcome. I agree too - you have to admire the skill, knowledge and humour of Stuart Furber, Willi Steinberg, Popi Perani et al.

When you watch great games such as the Russian dolls at Bad Mergentheim, the pirate race at Southport or the band taking to the water in Riccione, laughter and hilarity is supplemented by sheer admiration at how these games were thought up and brought to life.

"But why Here Come The Belgians?", I here you ask. Well, on occasions teams wearing the big B of Belgium found the going tough and evidence of such is provided. However, one must remember that the Belgians had the last laugh when Rochefort won the 1982 Final. Stuart, of course, reminds us of the occasional pan-European tensions that existed. But these jingoistic tendencies were lost amid the joy and laughter. That proves for me that we all have differences and speak with many and varied tongues but laughter is a universal language and perhaps that is why Jeux Sans Frontières worked continually year on year.

The video, which lasts approximately one hour, features many fondly remembered clips, such as the launch of the show and the superb set from Sherborne. The bucking bronco game from Northampton and the ostriches at Montecatini Terme, plus games long since forgotten - cowboys taking the plunge in Den Boer and the exploding mouse game from Italy.

Two clips round things off. First we go to Gronigen to watch competitors try to leap with the aid of a pole over a water filled ditch. It was even better given that the day before the show, Stuart Hall had a side bet with NCRV presenter Dick Passchier and they both had a go at the game with varying levels of success. This featured commentary from Barend Barendse.

Last but not least, we go to Aix-Les-Bains in 1974 to watch the penguins game that has become part of television legend and is a fine way to bring our journey to a close.

As Stuart said on the video, "If you want to enjoy it all again - then just rewind".

For me it was great fun to watch, however one last little gripe. I would have liked to have had some reference made to the great Knockout luminaries - Eddie Waring, Arthur Ellis, Gennaro Olivieri and Guido Pancaldi. Still again - I'm a big fan and this video is for everyone I guess. What has brought me great pleasure is sending this video to my friends who are also Knockout fans around the world and getting their reactions and watching the video with my young niece who views it with the same magic in her eyes as I had at her age. That's why It's A Knockout / Jeux Sans Frontières was and is special.

by Mike Peters