It's A Knockout 1973
British Domestic Series

Presenters:
Stuart Hall
Eddie Waring

Referee:
Arthur Ellis

Scoregirls:
Pauline Cooper
Patricia Duncan
Beverley Dunn
Glynne Geldart

Production Credits:

Production Team: Geoff Wilson, Alan Wright; Engineering Manager: Geoff Lomas; Sound: John Drake; Designer and Games Deviser: Stuart Furber; Producer: Barney Colehan; Director: Bill Taylor

A BBC Manchester Production

Key: ● = Qualified for International Series / ● = Heat Winner ● = Radio Times Trophy Winner  ▲ = Promoted to Position / ▼ = Demoted to Position

GB

It's A Knockout 1973

Heat 1

Event Staged: Sunday 15th April 1973
Venue: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 18th May 1973, 8.15-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny

Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Christine Donna from London

Teams: Woodstock v. Bicester

Team Members included:
Woodstock - Alan England (Team Manager), Andy Williams;
Bicester - Robert Tedder (Team Manager), Roy Hutton (Team Coach), Mike Swann (Team Adviser), Carol Baber, Michael Barlow, Peter Barrett, Nina Cartwright, Jennifer Clay, Chris Coleman, Carol Day, Kathy Goodwin, David Grove, Thomas Jones, Stephen Kinchin, Margaret Leitch, Bjorn Massey, Stephen Poulter, Geoff Redhead, Jean Seth, Michael Siggers, Hilary Vallender, Robert Wachowski, David Waller, Christine Ward.

Games: Slide Ball, Canvas Run, A Spring in Your Step, Water Slide, Wheelie Drums, Pitch and Catch and Pole Climb;
Marathon: Straight for the Line.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 B • Bicester ● ●
 W • Woodstock

14
8

Bicester qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Senigallia, Italy:
staged on Wednesday 6th June 1973

The Host Town

Woodstock, Oxfordshire

Woodstock is a town with a population of around 4,000 inhabitants in county of Oxfordshire. It is located on the edge of the Cotswold Hills, 8 miles (13km) north of Oxford, 15 miles (24km) south of Banbury, 24 miles (38km) west of Aylesbury and 31 miles (50km) east of Cheltenham Spa. The River Glyme divides the town into New and Old Woodstock.

The town derives its name from Old English, meaning a ‘clearing in the woods’. The Domesday Book describes Woodstock (Wodestock, Wodestok, Wodestole) as a royal forest. King Æthelred the Unready (966-1016) is said to have held an assembly at Woodstock. It was the scene of King Henry II's courtship of Rosamund Clifford (known as The Fair Rosamund) (1150-1176). The market was established when King Henry II (1133-1189) gave Woodstock a Royal charter in 1179. The Bear Hotel in Park Street, opposite the Oxfordshire Museum, dates from the 13th century.

Near the village was Woodstock Palace, a residence that was popular with several English kings throughout the medieval period. The building was destroyed in the English Civil War (1642-1651) and 60 years later, the palace remains were cleared for the building of Blenheim Palace, which was to become the home of the Dukes of Marlborough. Today Woodstock is largely dependent on tourists, many of whom visit the palace.

When politician Thomas Wyatt (1521-1554) led an uprising in 1554 to depose Queen Mary I (1516-1558) and put Princess Elizabeth on the throne in her place, Elizabeth (1533-1603) was imprisoned in a lodge in Woodstock as a precaution. The lodge was used because the now lost Woodstock Palace or manor house was too dilapidated to house her. She was released in April 1555 after nearly a year in captivity.

From the 16th century, the town prospered by making gloves. The town also had a successful fine steelwork industry by 1720 and by 1742 its products were of high enough quality to be considered viable diplomatic gifts. By the end of the 18th century, this had developed into cut steel jewellery.

The town hall of Woodstock was built in 1766 to designs by Sir William Chambers (1723-1796) and there are a number of 17th century buildings in the town centre. The almshouses were built in 1798 on behalf of Caroline Spencer, Duchess of Marlborough (1742-1811). Chaucer's House was once home to Chancellor of England, Thomas Chaucer (1367-1434), thought to be the son of poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400).

The Oxfordshire Museum, the county museum of Oxfordshire, occupies a large historic house, Fletcher's House, in the centre of Woodstock. The museum has a garden containing works of art and a Dinosaur Garden with a full-size replica of a Megalosaurus.

The Visiting Town

Bicester is a town with a population of around 35,000 inhabitants in the county of Oxfordshire and is located 10 miles (16km) north-east of Woodstock.

The Venue

Blenheim Palace

The games were played in the grounds of the glorious English baroque-style Blenheim Palace, a monumental country house and principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace and is unique in its combined use as a family home, mausoleum and national monument.

The building of the palace was originally intended to be a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722), from a grateful nation for the duke's military triumphs against the French and Bavarians during the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1714). The estate given to Marlborough for the new palace was the manor of Woodstock, sometimes called the Palace of Woodstock, which had been a royal demesne (land owned by the lord of the manor), but in reality was little more than a deer park.

The architect selected for the ambitious project was a controversial one. The Duchess was known to favour Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723), famous for St. Paul's Cathedral and many other national buildings. The Duke, however, following a chance meeting at a playhouse, is said to have commissioned Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), there and then. Vanbrugh, a popular dramatist, was an untrained architect, who usually worked in conjunction with the trained and practical Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661-1736). The duo had recently completed the first stages of the baroque Castle Howard, one of England's first houses in the flamboyant European baroque style. Marlborough had obviously been impressed by this grandiose pile and wished for something similar at Woodstock. However, soon after its construction began, the palace became the subject of political infighting. This led to Marlborough's exile, the fall from power of his duchess, and lasting damage to the reputation of the architect.

Following the palace's completion, it became the home of the Churchill, later Spencer-Churchill, family for the next 300 years, and various members of the family have wrought changes to the interiors, park and gardens. At the end of the 19th century, the palace was saved from ruin by funds gained from the marriage of the 9th Duke of Marlborough (1871-1934) to American railroad heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt (1877-1964).

The palace today remains the home of the Dukes of Marlborough, the present incumbent of the title being Charles James (Jamie) Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough. Charles James succeeded to the Dukedom upon his father's death on 16th October 2014. As of October 2016, the Marlboroughs still have to tender a copy of the French royal flag to the Monarch on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim as rent for the land that Blenheim Palace stands on.

The palace, park and gardens are open to the public on payment of an entry fee. Separation of tourist entertainment attractions (the Pleasure Gardens) from the palace ensures that the atmosphere of a large country house is retained. The palace is linked to the gardens by a miniature railway, the Blenheim Park Railway.

The many residents of Blenheim have each left their mark on the palace. Today, it is as likely to be used as a film location (such as for Kenneth Branagh's 1996 adaptation of Hamlet written by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the 2015 James Bond film Spectre starring Daniel Craig, or the E! Television series The Royals) as it is for the setting for an aristocratic house party – yet it still manages to host both.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Slide Ball

The first game - ‘Slide Ball’ - was won by Bicester and they had taken an early lead over the home team.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bicester (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Woodstock (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: A photograph from this game was featured on page 33 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Marathon, Round 1 - Straight for the Line

The next game - ‘Straight for the Line’ - was the Marathon which would be played alternately by each team on three occasions.

The first round saw the participation of Bicester and they got off to a blistering start and setting a high target for their rivals to emulate.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Bicester (---)

Game 2 - Canvas Run

The second game - ‘Canvas Run’ - was won by Bicester and, having won two consecutive games, they were now leading their rivals by 4pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bicester (2pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Woodstock (0pts / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 2 - Straight for the Line

The second round of the Marathon featured Woodstock but, despite all their efforts, they were unable to emulate the target that had been set by their rivals.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Bicester (---) 2nd Woodstock (---)

Game 3 - A Spring in Your Step

The third game - ‘A Spring in Your Step’ - saw the home team put the two consecutive losses to the back of their minds and they came up trumps by winning the game. With the points awarded they had narrowed the gap between their rivals to 2pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bicester (0pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Woodstock (2pts / 2pts)

Marathon, Round 3 - Straight for the Line

The third round of the Marathon featured Bicester participating for the second and penultimate time and they were able to improve on their previous total, thus increasing the lead over their rivals.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Bicester (---) 2nd Woodstock (---)

Game 4 - Water Slide

The fourth game - ‘Water Slide’ - saw a second consecutive win by Woodstock and in doing so had closed the deficit on their rivals and levelled the scores.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Bicester (0pts awarded / 4pts total) =1st Woodstock (2pts / 4pts) ▲

Marathon, Round 4 - Straight for the Line

The fourth round of the Marathon featured Woodstock participating for the second and penultimate time but they were unable to equal the score of their rivals.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Bicester (---) 2nd Woodstock (---)

Game 5 - Wheelie Drums

The fifth game - ‘Wheelie Drums’ - witnessed Bicester presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by Bicester and they had once again opened up a 4pt gap on Woodstock.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bicester (4pts awarded / Joker / 8pts total) 2nd Woodstock (0pts / 4pts) ▼

Comments: A photograph from this game was featured on the front and back covers, and also on page 34, of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Marathon, Round 5 - Straight for the Line

The fifth and penultimate round of the Marathon featured Bicester participating for the third and final time and again they were able to improve on their previous efforts and finished the game with a total of 12.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Bicester (12) 2nd Woodstock (---)

Game 6 - Pitch and Catch

The sixth and penultimate game - ‘Pitch and Catch’ - witnessed Woodstock presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by Woodstock and they had now closed the deficit and levelled the scores for a second time.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Bicester (0pts awarded / 8pts total) =1st Woodstock (4pts / Joker / 8pts) ▲

Marathon, Round 6 - Straight for the Line

The sixth and final round of the Marathon featured Woodstock participating for the third time, but all their efforts were in vain as they could not emulate their rivals, who had led the game throughout, and ended with a total of 10.

Final Marathon Standings: 1st Bicester (12) 2nd Woodstock (10)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Bicester (4pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Woodstock (0pts / 8pts) ▼

Comments: After winning this game, Bicester had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory.

Game 7 - Pole Climb

The seventh and final game - ‘Pole Climb’ - saw Bicester record their fifth game win in the event, thus confirming their victory by 6 clear points over Woodstock.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Bicester (2pts awarded / 14pts total) 2nd Woodstock (0pts / 8pts)

Comments: A photograph from this game was featured on pages 40 and 61 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Mike Swann, later to become a regular It's A Knockout referee alongside Arthur Ellis, participated here as team adviser for the Bicester team. He had previously participated as team manager for the Banbury team in 1972.

Additional Information

West German broadcaster WDR changed its schedule from this year and transmitted its Domestic series live on Sundays, instead of Saturdays as it had since 1967. This resulted in this being the first occasion that two of the main Jeux Sans Frontières broadcasters (BBC and WDR) would schedule and stage programmes on the same day and some at the same time (albeit just overlapping each other for a short period of time, due to the one hour time difference between the two countries).

The eight cheerleaders in this heat - Jennifer Coles, Christine Morgan, Hetty Pointon, Lynne Poulter, Alison Read, Diane Scott, Pam Siggers and Karen Smith - had all originally applied to participate as team members. However, after being unsuccessful in being selected for the team, they decided to become the team’s cheerleaders. Not only did they each carry a circular board denoting one of each of the team name’s letters, they also had the same letter embroidered on to the back of their underwear, and during the programme gave the crowd some 'cheeky' unplanned entertainment!

Despite all the precision planning that went into this heat, there were complaints on the day that the crowd was too numerous for all to see. The resident Duke of Marlborough had given permission for the programme to be held in the grounds, but no spectator stands were permitted to be erected. The crowd of 4,000+ people were at some points 10-15 deep with those at the back unable to see any of the games. This resulted in many giving up and using the grounds just to sit down on (as it was a gloriously sunny day) or just going home. An area sectioned off just for children was bombarded by adults who simply pushed their way to the front blocking the children’s view. Presenter Eddie Waring commented in the Oxford Mail, “It was very unusual not to have a spectator stand with such a large crowd, but on the whole everybody enjoyed the programme and the weather was very kind to us on the day”.

This edition was also previewed on BBC TV’s Blue Peter programme on 17th May 1973. More details in Knockout TV: 1973.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1973

Heat 2

Event Staged: Sunday 22nd April 1973 (Easter Sunday)
Venue: Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 25th May 1973, 8.15-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny

Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Barbara Molyneux from Cheshire

Teams: King’s Lynn v. Manchester

Team Members included:
King’s Lynn - Keith Simpkin (Team Manager and Team Captain), Dave Vinson (Team Coach), Caroline Back, Paul Bland, Karen Booth, Glenda Chilvers, Dave Cook, John Frohawk, Horace Henry, David Horn, Linda Horn, John Howe, Len Lee, Roy Malle, Celia Marr, Gary Moore, Tim Moore, Tom Nuccoll, Sylvia Peacock, Sue Poole, Sid Riches, Ossie Vinson, Dorothy Whitting;
Manchester - John Corbett, Mike Cogger, John Krizak, Alan Sparks.

Games (Official Titles): Cart Race, Boot Race, Push Goal, Wheelbarrow Race, The Needle, The Skaters and Water Wagon;
Marathon: Roll-a-Penny.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 M • Manchester ● ●
 L • King's Lynn

12
7

Manchester qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bellinzona, Switzerland:
staged on Wednesday 20th June 1973

The Host Town

King's Lynn, Norfolk

King's Lynn is a sea port and market town with a population of around 43,000 inhabitants in the county of Norfolk. It is located 97 miles (156km) north of London, 67 miles (108km) east of Loughborough, 44 miles (71km) west of Norwich and 28 miles (45km) south of Skegness.

Lynn originated as a settlement on a constricted site to the south of the where the mouth of the River Great Ouse now exits to the Wash. Development began in the early 10th Century, but was not recorded until the early 11th Century. In 1101, Bishop Herbert de Losinga of Thetford began the first medieval town between the Purfleet and Mill Fleet by building St. Margaret's Church (now King’s Lynn Minster) and authorising a market. A small prosperous town grew up quite quickly and, in 1204, following a charter from Bishop John de Grey of Norwich, the town became Bishop's Lynn (Lenne Episcopi). Trade built up along the waterways that stretched inland from Lynn, and the town expanded and quickly filled the space between the two rivers. By the late 12th Century, a further period of expansion began, more deliberately planned than the first, with wider straighter streets and a much larger market place.

Bishop's Lynn grew rich on trade, both within Britain and abroad. The Hanseatic League, a powerful German trading organisation made up of merchants from North Germany and neighbouring countries around the Baltic Sea, contributed greatly to this prosperity. The legacy of trade can be found in the many merchant houses and other fascinating buildings in this medieval port.

After the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII (1491-1547) in 1538, the town of Lynn and its manor became royal property and had its name changed to Lynn Regis - subsequently King's Lynn - an act which still causes animosity to locals to this day.

Like all towns at that time, King's Lynn suffered from outbreaks of plague. There were severe outbreaks in 1516, 1587, 1597, 1636 and the last in 1665. Fire was another hazard and in 1572 thatched roofs were banned to reduce the risk of fire. In 1642, civil war broke out between King Charles I (1600-1649) and Parliament. At first King's Lynn supported Parliament, but in August 1643 after a change in government, the town changed sides. Parliament lost no time in sending an army to capture King’s Lynn and the town was besieged for three weeks before it surrendered.

In the late 17th Century, imports of wine from Spain, Portugal and France into King's Lynn boomed, and there was still an important coastal trade - at that time it was much cheaper to transport goods by water than by road, and thus many goods were shipped around the coast from one port to another. In the 18th Century shipbuilding continued to thrive as did associated industries such as sail and rope-making.

The town is the site of the only surviving Hanseatic Warehouse and the most famous monument to maritime prosperity, the Custom House. Built by Henry Bell in 1683, this splendid building, which is open to the public, is today the town's Tourist Information Centre with a special display of the town’s maritime history.

Much of King's Lynn's rich history is still in evidence today. In addition to the built heritage are the three market days (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday), the oldest of which dates back to the 12th Century, and the King's Lynn Mart - a fair that takes place each February with the rights to hold it originally granted by Henry VIII in 1537. King's Lynn's most famous son, George Vancouver (1757-1798) is best known for his mapping of the coast of north-west America between 1791 and 1795. The importance and accuracy of his charts is evident as they are still used today!

On 28th September 1708, a seven-year-old boy, Michael Hammond and his 11-year old sister Ann Hammond were convicted of theft of a loaf of bread in King's Lynn. They were sentenced to death by hanging, a sentence which was carried out publicly near the South Gates of the town to make an example of them. At the time of the hangings, Sir Robert Walpole, generally regarded as the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was Member of Parliament for King's Lynn.

The Visiting Town

Manchester is a city with a population of around 550,000 inhabitants in the county of Greater Manchester and is located 121 miles (195km) north-west of King’s Lynn.

The Venue

Tuesday Market Place

The games were played in Tuesday Market Place, one of two locations in the town that markets are regularly held, the other being Saturday Market Place located at the other end of the High Street, a few hundred yards further south.

The oldest recorded instance of a market is to a ‘Sand Market’ held on the Saturday Market Place in 1104. The first ‘Charter Market’ is mentioned in a charter from King John (1166-1216) dated September 1205. This charter permitted the people of Lynn to tax some services and keep the revenue for themselves rather than paying it to the King. The taxes were levied in respect of the use of roads by strangers, shipping of merchandise along the river, use of bridges and, of course, a tax on the setting up of a stall at fairs and markets. It is not clear where the market would have been held although it is likely that the Saturday Market Place would have been the obvious choice.

On 7th July 1529, Henry VIII granted a further charter to the town. So far as markets were concerned, it permitted the town to hold two markets each week. This is likely to be the origin of the Tuesday Market.

From the medieval period, both market places were marked out with rails and had semi-permanent stalls or shops which were leased out on a temporary basis to food retailers and other visiting traders. In the Saturday Market Place there were butchers' shambles crowded against the north side of St. Margaret's Church until the 19th Century and in the 15th Century, the street front opposite was known as Butchers' Row because of the concentration of butchers' shops there. As the Saturday Market Place is a relatively small area, the market gradually encroached on the adjacent street of Damgate (now High Street) until it was expelled in the late 18th Century. A feature of the Tuesday Market Place towards its northern end was a market cross with shambles and shops around it.

A heart carved on the wall of the Tuesday Market Place commemorates the burning of alleged witch Margaret Read in 1590. It is said that as she was burning her heart burst from her body and struck the wall!

Team Preparation and Training

The Lynn News & Advertiser newspaper reported on a visit to the King's Lynn team's training base, the Construction Industry Training Board gymnasium in Bircham Newton, by a delegation from the BBC. Present from the It's A Knockout Production Office were Geoff Wilson and Alan Wright (production assistants) and Glynne Geldart (scorer). In addition to the team personnel, Ken Faulkner, the Lynn Town Expansion Officer was also in attendance. The newspaper report included a brief quote from Keith Simpkin, the team manager and captain, who felt that the visit had gone exceptionally well: "They were very happy with our set-up and impressed by the intensity of our training," he said.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Cart Race

The first game - ‘Cart Race’ - was played in unison and featured three competitors (one male and two females) from each team and a cart comprising two wheels and a long plank balanced over its axle. The two female competitors were standing at either end of the plank whilst the male competitor sat in the middle between the two wheels. On the whistle, the two females had to keep the plank balanced and off the ground whilst their team-mate moved the cart along the course by rotating the wheels with his hands. However, if the two females failed to keep the plank balanced, the cart would stop or slow down. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Manchester proved to be the more adept at this game and crossed the finishing line in first place.

Image © BBC, 1973

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: A photograph from this game was featured on page 33 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Marathon, Round 1 - Roll-A-Penny

The next game - ‘Roll-a-Penny’ - was the Marathon which was played alternately by each team on three occasions. It featured three female competitors from each team and a floating podium inside a pool with a large chute outside its perimeter, On the first round, the first female competitor had to stand on the platform whilst the other two females rolled large discs down the chute for her to catch. If successful, she then had to place the disc on the podium and then stand on top of it before the next disc could be rolled down the chute. This process then had to be repeated throughout. Each female would take it in turn to be in the pool whilst the other two delivered the discs. The team collecting the greater total of discs would be declared the winners.

Image © BBC, 1973

Running Marathon Standings: --- King's Lynn (---) --- Manchester (---)

Game 2 - Boot Race

The second game - ‘Boot Race’ - was played in unison and featured a male competitor from each team standing on top of a pair of large wooden boots which were attached to a pair of stilts. On the whistle, the competitors had to progress down the course bursting a number of balloons which had been laid out on the ground. The competitors had to remain on the stilts at all times but if he fell down, he could remount before continuing. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Manchester had the edge over their rivals and crossed the line in first place, giving the team a second successive victory.

Image © BBC, 1973

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (2pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (0pts / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 2 - Roll-A-Penny

The second round of the Marathon saw the team that had not participated in the first round trying to emulate the target set by their rivals.

Running Marathon Standings: --- King's Lynn (---) --- Manchester (---)

Game 3 - Push Goal

The third game - ‘Push Goal’ - was played individually and witnessed King’s Lynn presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team and a football goal set on a wheeled platform. The two male competitors were standing at either end of the platform holding onto a large handle whilst their female team-mate stood in front of the goal armed with a tennis racket. On the whistle, the two males pushed the platform backwards and forwards along the course and the female had to defend the goal whilst three members (two males and one female) from the opposing team, standing on static podia, threw small plastic bags of flour at her. The team scoring the greater number of goals within the time limit would be declared the winners.

Image © BBC, 1973

Despite the fact that the home team were playing their Joker, the Manchester team were more accurate with their throws and scored a greater number of goals than King’s Lynn. Manchester were awarded their third win and had nullified the King’s Lynn Joker.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (2pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (0pts / Joker / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 3 - Roll-A-Penny

The third round of the Marathon saw the team that had participated in the first round trying to improve on their total achieved earlier.

Running Marathon Standings: --- King's Lynn (---) --- Manchester (---)

Game 4 - Wheelbarrow Race

The fourth game - ‘Wheelbarrow Race’ - was played in unison and featured three competitors (one male and two females) from each team. At the start of the course, the male and one of the female competitors had to position themselves into a human wheelbarrow. Unlike the normal pose, the female had to hold onto an axle of a wheel which was attached to a pole with a podium at the top. On the whistle, a bucket of water was placed on top of the podium and as the team progressed along the course, the female competitor had to ensure that she kept keep the pole vertical so that the bucket remained on top. At the end of the course, any contents in the bucket were emptied into a container and then they returned to the start. The game was then repeated with the second female and they continued to interchange after each run. The team collecting the greater amount of water within the time limit would be declared the winners.

Image © BBC, 1973

The King’s Lynn team collected a greater amount of water than Manchester and had finally broken their run of three successive losses.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (0pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (2pts / 2pts)

Marathon, Round 4 - Roll-A-Penny

The fourth round of the Marathon saw the team that had participated in the second round trying to improve on their total achieved earlier.

Running Marathon Standings: --- King's Lynn (---) --- Manchester (---)

Game 5 - The Needle

The fifth game - ‘The Needle’ - was played individually and featured three male competitors from each team equipped with a large needle and a course comprising three large rope ‘eyes’ (nooses) hanging down from wooden beams of different heights. On the whistle, the competitors had to thread the needle through the noose and then climb through it themselves. This had to be repeated with the other two nooses and the team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Image © BBC, 1973

King’s Lynn pulled off a second successive victory after completing the game in a faster time than their Manchester rivals. It appeared that King’s Lynn were beginning to make a comeback with the deficit to Manchester now reduced to a 2pts margin.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (0pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (2pts / 4pts)

Marathon, Round 5 - Roll-A-Penny

The fifth and penultimate round of the Marathon saw the team that had participated in the first and third rounds making one last effort to improve on their total.

Running Marathon Standings: --- King's Lynn (---) --- Manchester (---)

Game 6 - The Skaters

The sixth and penultimate game - ‘The Skaters’ - was played in unison and witnessed Manchester presenting their Joker for play. The game featured a male competitor from each team holding a tray in either hand and wearing an outsize pair of roller-skates and two female team-mates. On the whistle, one of the team-mates placed a stated number of balls onto each of the trays and the competitor had to progress down the course to his other female team-mate who collected any balls remaining on the trays. He then returned to the start and repeated the game. Only balls that remained on the trays throughout the game were counted and the team with the greater number of balls collected would be declared the winners.

Image © BBC, 1973

When the result was declared, the announcement that both teams had collected the same number of balls took everybody by surprise. The game had ended in a draw and the points were shared. Manchester were awarded double points for playing the Joker.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (2pts awarded / Joker / 8pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (1pt / 5pts)

Marathon, Round 6 - Roll-A-Penny

The sixth and final round of the Marathon saw the team that had participated in the second and fourth rounds making one last effort to improve on their total.

At the end of this round, both teams had incredibly collected the same number of discs and the game ended in a draw.

Final Marathon Standings: =1st King's Lynn (---) =1st Manchester (---)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (2pts awarded / 10pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (2pts / 7pts)

Comments: After jointly winning this game, Manchester had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory. Although King’s Lynn’s hopes of winning had been dashed, it was still possible to win the last game and be in the running for the highest-scoring loser, which was currently being held by Woodstock with 8pts from the previous heat.

Game 7 - Water Wagon

The seventh and final game - ‘Water Wagon’ - featured six competitors (three males and three females) from each team and a large wagon anchored by an elasticated rope. Whilst two of the male competitors stood outside, the third armed with a large bucket, sat inside the wagon. On the whistle, the wagon was pushed up the course for the competitor to collect water being thrown at him by the three females at the other end. The wagon would then return to the start by means of the elasticated rope and any water collected would be retrieved by one of the other males and emptied into a container. The bucket was then returned to the competitor in the wagon and the game was repeated. The team collecting the greater amount of water would be declared the winners.

Image © BBC, 1973

Despite having the chance of still competing in Europe, King’s Lynn were outclassed by Manchester, who stormed the game and collected the greater amount of water. Manchester were awarded the win on the final game of the competition and they had beaten King's Lynn by 5pts.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Manchester (2pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd King's Lynn (0pts / 7pts)

Comments: Lady Luck was not to be on the side of the King's Lynn team during this final game. By losing it to Manchester, their hopes of qualifying for Jeux Sans Frontières as highest-scoring losers were extinguished, the team falling short of Woodstock's 8pts total.

Memories of Jeux Sans Frontières

King's Lynn team member Tom Nuccoll was interviewed by Chris Bishop about this Domestic Heat for the Eastern Daily Press in April 2013. He remembered that the team had trained hard for the event. They had practiced 'The Needle' game - where three men tied together had to thread themselves through a series of tyres using a giant needle - until it was second nature. Mr Nuccoll claimed that the King's Lynn team had been robbed, and that the Manchester team had "cheated on the flour game ['Push Goal'] - that was an absolute fiddle, that was. I counted the things. I still don't know how they did it... They mucked up the Marathon, too." On the positive side, Mr Nuccoll reflected on the positives for the King's Lynn team: "We were good on the wheelbarrow [game]. The chap and girl we had were brilliant." Today, Tom Nuccoll still has his tracksuit and the souvenir programme from the event and recalls that the town council staged a celebratory supper at Lynn Town Hall after the recording: "They spent more on the banquet than anything," he said. "All the players and their wives were taken there. I was sat next to the bloke I beat. He said 'I don't know how you beat me.' I said: 'I do. My name's Tom Nuccoll'."

Records and Statistics

This heat holds the record for the greatest distance travelled by a visiting team in the British Domestic series. Whilst most other visitors would travel around 20-50 miles (32-80km) to their hosts, Manchester had to travel a staggering 166 miles (268km) by road to reach King’s Lynn! In total contrast to this, the shortest distance travelled was just 5 miles (8km) when Margate travelled to Ramsgate during the 1970 series of the programme.

Later in this series, Ely played host to Hertford in the fourth heat. Whilst this may not appear to have any particular significance, the location of those two teams in respect of those at this heat does. Whilst Ely and Hertford lie 44 miles (71km) apart, King’s Lynn and Ely lie just 25 miles (40km) apart and the better ‘derby’ match would have been between King’s Lynn and Ely! If that had been the case, Manchester would have had to travel 195 miles (314km) – just 29 more than they actually did – to visit Hertford (or vice-versa).

Additional Information

Although the town is known nationally as King's Lynn, the locals refer to it simply as 'Lynn' and are in fact known as Lynnonians. To this end, the team's dossards on the day of recording in 1973 carried the letter 'L' and not 'K'.

The King’s Lynn mascot was called Percy the Pelican and had been loaned to the team by the 7th Marquis of Bath from his safari park at Longleat House.

Footage from this edition exists in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1973. Details in Knockout TV.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1973

Heat 3

Event Staged: Sunday 6th May 1973
Venue: Harbour Swimming Pool, North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 1st June 1973, 8.15-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Cold and Overcast

Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Gay Spink from Halifax, West Riding of Yorkshire

Teams: North Berwick v. Peebles

Team Members included:
North Berwick - Eric Smith (Team Coach), John McAlpine (Team Manager), Patricia Briskup, Emma Brooks, Robert Brotherstone, Elaine Craig, Iain Cunningham, James Edwards, Michael Gibson, Eveline Halket, Muriel Hancock, Douglas Hughes, Gail Kirkpatrick, Alan McCrutcheon, Alistair McIntyre, Linda Marr, Andrew Playfair, Nigel Pugh, John Regazzani, Ian Seaton, Mary Shiels, Steven Shiels, Deborah Smith, John Thompson, Ian Walker, Richard Wallace, Philip Whitelaw, Kerry Wilson;
Peebles - Ian Weir (Team Captain), Jim Bauchop, Sheila Cook, Andrew Doughty, Ian Melrose, Daniel Ward, Gordon Williamson.

Games: Stacking the Boxes, Aquatic seesaws, Wheelbarrow Rafts, Crossing the Ball, Rope Swing, Water Waiters and Rubber-Tub-Tub;
Marathon: Slide and Drop.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 P • Peebles ● ●
 B • North Berwick

16
6

Peebles qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Chartres, France:
staged on Wednesday 4th July 1973

The Host Town

North Berwick, East Lothian

North Berwick is a town and resort with a population of around 7,000 inhabitants in the council area of East Lothian. It is located on the Firth of Forth, 20 miles (32km) north-east of Edinburgh, 20 miles south of St. Andrews and 34 miles (55km) north-west of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The name Berwick derives from Old English and means ‘barley farmstead’. The word North was applied to distinguish this Berwick from Berwick-upon-Tweed which, throughout the Middle Ages, the Scots called South Berwick. Excavations have shown that from as early as the 8th century, a ferry crossing to Earlsferry in Fife had been in existence, serving pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Saint Andrew. North Berwick harbour was built during the 12th century to meet the demands made of the existing ferry trade. This ferry was recently reinstated and during the summer, a boat travels between North Berwick and Anstruther in Fife, in homage to the original ferry.

At the start of the 13th century, North Berwick Castle was built, a wooden motte and bailey being erected on the site of what is now Castle Hill. The castle is thought to have been built by the MacDuff Earls of Fife, who owned the ferry, although it has been speculated that the Norman family of de Vaux might well have built the first castle on the site. In the 14th century, the town became a baronial burgh under William Douglas, 1st Earl of Douglas (1327-1384), who then built nearby Tantallon Castle to consolidate his power. Later during the 15th century, the town became a royal burgh during the reign of James I of Scotland (1394-1437).

The Auld Kirk Green at the harbour was used for gatherings by the accused in the North Berwick Witch Trials (1590-1592). One of the most famous was a woman named Agnes Sampson. She was accused of making a potion to make the storms rough as King James VI of Scotland (1566-1625) was sailing home from Denmark with his new wife, Anne of Denmark (1574-1619). The trial took place in 1591, and King James himself, was present. Sampson was tortured to confess and then burned at the stake, like many other innocent people.

Despite the railway arriving in 1850, the Industrial Revolution bypassed the town. The later part of the 19th century saw North Berwick develop golfing and holiday facilities. The town soon became popular as a home for Edinburgh commuters and retirees. The size and population of the town remained fairly steady until the 1950s, at which point house-building began in earnest around the periphery of the town, first to the south (1950s-1970s), then a series of major expansions to the west (1980s-present) along the line of the railway.

Several of the islands of the Forth – these include Fidra, The Lamb and Craigleith – are near to the town and are visible from it. The most famous is Bass Rock which hosts a thriving colony of birds, including puffins, gannets and other seabirds. Although the Rock appears white, this is due largely to the colour of the gannets and their guano (droppings) that cover much of its surface.

Thomas Stevenson (1818-1887), the famous engineer and lighthouse builder, took his family to stay in various locations in the town. His son, Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), spent many holidays in the town during his childhood and as a young man. The island of Fidra is said to be the original inspiration for his novel Treasure Island, and much of his novel Catriona (the sequel to Kidnapped) is set locally.

At the time of transmission, North Berwick was located in the county of East Lothian. However, following the complete redistribution of county boundaries under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the town became part of the newly-formed region of Lothian on 16th May 1975. Further changes followed and under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act of 1994, the regions were abolished and were replaced with 32 unitary authorities on 1st April 1995 and North Berwick ironically became part of the newly-formed East Lothian council area!

The Visiting Town

Peebles is a town with a population of around 9,000 inhabitants in the council area of Scottish Borders and is located 33 miles (53km) south-west of North Berwick.

The Venue

Harbour Swimming Pool

The games were played in the outdoor swimming pool in the harbour on the Kirk Ness promontory. The pool had been there since the end of the nineteenth century, when it replaced an improvised pond which was only occasionally flushed by spring tides and became something of a health hazard during the summer. Sheltered by the surrounding rock and filled with salty seawater from the Firth of Forth, the pool was the beating heart of the town every summer. It was home to swimming competitions and beauty contests with the benches packed with cheering locals and holidaymakers. Sunbathers would clamber up on the rocks whilst the more adventurous braved the chilly waters.

From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, sea bathing became more and more popular, and when the railway arrived in 1850, the pretty little ‘pilgrim port’ on the Firth of Forth was on its way to becoming ‘the Biarritz of the North’. North Berwick Swimming Club was founded in 1890 and in 1899, its visionary Victorians invited subscriptions for a grand and proper swimming-pool.

Work began that year and the present outline of the pool took shape, although the existing changing rooms and buildings, along with other improvements, were not added until 1929. The complex was of brick and concrete construction, with seating on the north, east and west sides around a rectangular sloping pool. There were single cubicle changing rooms on the south and east sides and a diving platform on the south side. There was a leisure centre and cafe to the south-east of the pool. It opened on 2nd September 1900 and was managed by the swimming club for the next six years until, with most of their debt cleared, they handed it over to North Berwick Town Council.

During the next 70 years, through the boom decades of galas and midnight swims, esplanade dances and pavilion pierrots, the pool was run with enthusiasm by the town council, whose successful stewardship of the resort's assets have become legendary. Buoyant on record attendances and money-spinning galas, the town council invested in a new filtration, pumping, and heating system, and in 1962 a (slightly) warmer pool opened for the season. It appeared to be the correct thing to do at the time, but the times were changing. With the 1960s came cheap air travel and package holidays to guaranteed sunshine, and the domestic seaside resort glimpsed the spectre of decline. With the pool's new heating system, there came gas bills and maintenance costs, and by the time North Berwick Town Council was legislated out of existence in 1975, it was struggling to make ends meet.

After East Lothian District Council took over its running, its stratagems for balancing the books were all negative ones – the opening hours were reduced, staffing numbers were reduced, the café was closed, midnight swims were prohibited and galas rationed. It was a policy of neglect, if not despair, and in the 1980s and 1990s, the pool was opening for less than five hours a day, while its season had shrunk to fewer than 10 weeks in the year. With dwindling numbers - the average annual attendance was under 10,000 people – it came as no surprise that the pool was losing up to £70,000 a year (approx. £410,000 today).

Despite local protests and rallies, the pool closed its doors for the final time in October 1996. East Lothian Council announced that it would not change its decision, despite the protests, and claimed that it would cost around £750,000 (around £1 million in today’s value) to bring it up to modern standards. The pool’s predecessor's sobriquet was the ‘shitey hole’ and whilst North Berwick claimed (coincidentally) that 1996 was the pool's centenary, the arithmetic doesn't quite add up unless you count the ‘shitey hole’.

The area has now been filled in and is used for parking boats and dinghies but the seating areas are still clearly visible. A sad demise for a place which provided pleasure for so many years!

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Stacking the Boxes

The first game - ‘Stacking the Boxes’ - was won by North Berwick and they were awarded the 2pts to take an early lead over their rivals.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st North Berwick (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Peebles (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: A photograph from this game was featured on page 33 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Marathon, Round 1 - Slide and Drop

The next game - ‘Slide and Drop’ - was the Marathon and would either be played alternately by each team on three occasions or played in unison on six occasions throughout the programme.

Running Marathon Standings: --- North Berwick (---) --- Peebles (---)

Game 2 - Acquatic Seesaws

The second game - ‘Aquatic Seesaws’ - witnessed Peebles presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by Peebles and they were awarded the 4pts. In doing so, they had not only closed the early deficit but had also opened up a 2pt lead over their rivals.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (4pts awarded / Joker / 4pts total) ▲ 2nd North Berwick (0pts / 2pts) ▼

Marathon, Round 2 - Slide and Drop

The second round of the Marathon either saw the team that had not participated in the first round trying to emulate the target set by their rivals or saw both teams trying to improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved in the previous round.

Running Marathon Standings: --- North Berwick (---) --- Peebles (---)

Game 3 - Wheelbarrow Rafts

The third game - ‘Wheelbarrow Rafts’ - was won by Peebles and with the 2pts awarded, they had doubled their lead over North Berwick.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (2pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd North Berwick (0pts / 2pts)

Marathon, Round 3 - Slide and Drop

The third round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the first round trying to improve on their score or adding to their total achieved earlier or saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous two rounds.

Running Marathon Standings: --- North Berwick (---) --- Peebles (---)

Game 4 - Crossing the Ball

The fourth game - ‘Crossing the Ball’ - saw a third consecutive victory by Peebles and they were awarded the 2pts and were now leading their rivals by 6pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (2pts awarded / 8pts total) 2nd North Berwick (0pts / 2pts)

Marathon, Round 4 - Slide and Drop

The fourth round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the second round trying to improve on their score or adding to their total achieved earlier or saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous three rounds.

Running Marathon Standings: --- North Berwick (---) --- Peebles (---)

Game 5 - Rope Swing

The fifth game - ‘Rope Swing’ - was won by Peebles and they were awarded the 2pts. Trailing by 8pts, time was beginning to run out for the home team to make a comeback, but they still had their Joker to play and a victory on the Marathon could also see them awarded 4pts.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (2pts awarded / 10pts total) 2nd North Berwick (0pts / 2pts)

Marathon, Round 5 - Slide and Drop

The fifth and penultimate round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the first and third rounds making one last effort to improve on their score or adding to their total or saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous four rounds.

Running Marathon Standings: --- North Berwick (---) --- Peebles (---)

Game 6 - Water Waiters

The sixth and penultimate game - ‘Water Waiters’ - saw a fifth consecutive win by Peebles and they were awarded the 2pts. Despite all their hopes, North Berwick had now lost any chance of representing Great Britain (and Scotland) in Jeux Sans Frontières.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (2pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd North Berwick (0pts / 2pts)

Comments: After winning this game, Peebles had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory.

Marathon, Round 6 - Slide and Drop

The sixth and final round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the second and fourth rounds making one last effort to improve on their score or adding to their total or saw both teams making one last effort to improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous five rounds.

At the end of this round, Peebles had achieved a greater score or total and they were awarded the 4pts.

Final Marathon Standings: 1st Peebles (---) 2nd North Berwick (---)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (4pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd North Berwick (0pts / 2pts)

Game 7 - Rubber-Tub-Tub

The seventh and final game - ‘Rubber-Tub-Tub’ - witnessed North Berwick presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by the home team and although they were awarded the 4pts, the victory was too late to make any different to the overall outcome.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Peebles (0pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd North Berwick (4pts / Joker / 6pts)

Additional Information

The team from Peebles were being supported by seven attractive young cheerleaders, who each had a letter of the team name on the back of their shorts. Amusingly, the seventh young lady fell ill, and so as not to spoil the fun, a big chap with a droopy moustache and muscular, hairy legs stepped into the fray, becoming the 'S' of 'Peebles'!

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1973

Heat 4

Event Staged: Sunday 13th May 1973
Venue: The Park, Ely, Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 8th June 1973, 8.15-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Overcast with Rain Showers

Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Pauline Cooper from Dagenham, Greater London

Teams: Ely v. Hertford

Team Members (Full Squads):
Ely - David Cornwell (Team Manager), Bill Oughton (Team Coach), Mike Hoare (Team Coach), Jean Milne (Team Secretary), David Allen, Colin Bent, Jackie Bradford, Kevin Brown, Colin Carter, Janis Carter, Pat Cuthbert, Barry Elsden, Martin Evans, Tony Fell, Sharon Gillies, Mike Goddard, Linda Goodwin, John Grafik, Mike Hardy, Robert Harwood, Pauline Jaggard, Jenny Linney, Jean Milne, David Muncey, Elaine Munro, Ian Rodger, Kevin Russell, Lydia Scott, Bruce Smith, Maureen Sulman, Lynne Tanner, Mike Wilkin, Pete Wilson;
Hertford - Bob Newton (Team Manager), Peter Breckon (Team Coach), Don Mean (Assistant Team Coach), R. Ball, Melanie Belcher, Chris Benham, Des Brady, Roy Brightwell, George Brown, Peter Chatfield, Brenda Collins, Barbara Crane, Alison Farrow, Robert Fenton, Andrew Goodman, Paul Greig, Dawn Haynes, Jean Hulks, Gordon Jennings, Stephen Lawrence, Michael Mean, Allen Miller, Fred Nash, Ken Newton, Lynn Newton, Martin Parfitt, Bev Petrie, Tom Phipps, David Pollard, Malcolm Sawdy, Andrew Sawford, Anne Smith, James Smith, George Stastny, Adrienne Wareham, Dave Warner, Ken Woodcock, Mary Yorke; Non-Playing Team Member: Elaine Wisdom.

Games (Official Titles): Drum-Roll, Place the Ball (replacement game), Water Race, Mat Race, Trampoline Tennis, Rope Climb and Basketball Slide;
Marathon: Pillow Fight (replacement game).

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 E • Ely ● ● ●
 H • Hertford

19
1

Ely qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Arnhem, Netherlands:
staged on Wednesday 18th July 1973.
This result secured Ely the Radio Times Trophy for 1973
for the highest scoring team in the British heats.

The Host Town

Ely, Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely

Image © Alys Hayes, 2021

Ely is a cathedral city with around 21,000 inhabitants in the county of Cambridgeshire. It is the ninth-smallest city in the United Kingdom and the fifth-smallest in England after the City of London, Wells in Somerset, Ripon in North Yorkshire and Truro in Cornwall. It is located on the River Great Ouse, 25 miles (40km) south of King’s Lynn, 63 miles (101km) west of Lowestoft, 64 miles (103km) north of London and 91 miles (146km) east of Birmingham.

The city was built on a 23 mile² (60km²) Kimmeridge clay (a sedimentary deposit of fossiliferous marine clay) island (hence Isle of Ely) which, at 85 feet (26m), is the highest land in the fens. Its origins lay in the foundation of an abbey by Æthelthryth (Etheldreda) (636 AD-679 AD), an Anglo-Saxon saint, in 673 AD, which was located one mile (1.6 km) to the north of the village of Cratendune on the island.

This first abbey was destroyed in 870 AD by Danish invaders and rededicated to Etheldreda in 970 AD by Ethelwold, Bishop of Winchester (904 AD-984 AD). The abbots of Ely then accumulated such wealth in the region that in the Domesday survey of 1086, it was the ‘second richest monastery in England’. The first Norman bishop, Simeon, started building the cathedral in 1083 and it was completed 106 years later in 1189. The octagon was rebuilt by sacristan Alan of Walsingham between 1322 and 1328 after the collapse of the original nave crossing on 22nd February 1322. Ely's octagon is today considered ‘one of the wonders of the medieval world’.

For over 800 years, the cathedral and its associated buildings – built on an elevation 68 feet (21m) above the nearby fens – have visually influenced the city and its surrounding area. On a clear day, the cathedral can be seen on the horizon from a distance of up to 16 miles (26km).

King Henry III (1207-1272) granted a market to the Bishop of Ely using letters close (a sealed letter issued by a monarch or government granting a right, monopoly, title or status) on 9th April 1224, although Ely had been a trading centre prior to this. However, Ely was not formally granted city status until 1st April 1974 by Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) by letters patent (a published written order). Present weekly market days are Thursday and Saturday and seasonal markets are held monthly on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter to November.

As an island surrounded by marshes and meres, the fishing of eels was important as both a food source and an income for the abbot and his nearby tenants. Prior to the extensive and largely successful drainage of the fens during the seventeenth century, after which Ely ceased to be an island, it was a trading centre for goods made out of willow, reeds and rushes and wild fowling was a major local activity.

Annual fairs have been held in Ely since the 12th century. Saint Audrey's seven-day fair, held either side of 23 June, was first granted officially by Henry I (1068-1135) to the abbot and convent on 10 October 1189. At this fair, cheap necklaces, made from brightly coloured silk, were sold - these were called ‘tawdry lace’. Tawdry, a corruption of ‘Saint Audrey’, now means ‘pertaining to the nature of cheap and gaudy finery’. Present-day annual events in Ely include Aquafest, which has been staged at the riverside by the Rotary Club on the first Sunday of July since 1978. Other events include the Eel Day carnival procession and the annual fireworks display in Ely Park, first staged in 1974.

At the time of transmission, Ely was located in the county of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely. However, following the complete redistribution of county boundaries under the Local Government Act 1972 (which took effect on 1st April 1974), it became part of the newly-enlarged county of Cambridgeshire.

The Visiting Town

Hertford is a town with a population of around 27,000 inhabitants in the county of Hertfordshire and is located 44 miles (71km) south of Ely.

The Venue

The Park

Image © Alys Hayes, 2021

The games were played in The Park (also known today as Cherry Hill Park), a small grassed area surrounded by oak, sycamore and linden trees, located to the south of the cathedral.

Cherry Hill (Park) is the site of Ely Castle, a 250ft (76m) diameter, 40ft (12m) high citadel-type motte-and-bailey. The royal defence, built on a mound, was constructed by William the Conqueror (1028-1087) around 1070, following submission of the Isle from rebels such as the Earl Morcar and the folk-hero Hereward the Wake (1035-1072).

Once Ely was quiescent (a period of dormancy or inactivity), the motte was abandoned. However, it was refortified in 1140 during the Anarchy (1135-1153) by Bishop Nigel (1100-1169) but surrendered to King Stephen (1092-1154). In 1143, Geoffrey de Mandeville was placed in charge of the castle. During the Second Barons' War (1264-1267) half a century later, Ely with its fortifications was captured in 1267. It is thought that the castle built by Bishop Nigel was demolished soon afterwards.

Today, there are no visible remains of the castle other than the mound. However, there was a considerable amount of evidence uncovered in 2002, after excavations on the site took place. The dig revealed large quantities of clay items, including jugs and bowls that would have been used in everyday Norman life. Farming and hunting tools were also found, including some made of bronze, which archaeologists suggest date from the transition from Viking to Norman settlement after 1066. In addition, significant amounts of clay, which was often used to cover the surface of the motte, were found in the excavations. The town council lacked funding to expand the search further, and the site was abandoned in early 2003.

Team Selection and Training

The Ely team officials organised two training sessions on the Norfolk coast. The first was on Sunday 11th March 1973, at Weybourne, near Sheringham, and more than fifty would-be team members went on this trip. Then, on Sunday 1st April 1973, forty went to Brancaster. Before lunch, the coach, Bill Oughton, put the group through a stiff programme of running and exercises in difficult conditions.

After lunch, the group was split into teams of six and improved IAK games were played for points on the beach with David Cornwell, the team manager, doing his best to emulate referee Eddie Waring.

The Rehearsals

On Easter Saturday 21st April 1973, the Ely team officials staged a mock-up of the games on the Palace Green in Ely. Under Bill Oughton's direction, all eight games were set up realistically and much beneficial practice was gained by the squad.

About five hundred people watched during the course of the afternoon, which helped the Ely team become used to playing the games in front of an audience. The decision to run through the games with such an attention to detail undoubtedly played a large part in Ely's runaway success on the day of recording.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Drum-Roll

The first game - ‘Drum-Roll’ - was played in unison over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two male competitors from each team equipped with a large drum and a 50ft (15.24m) straight course on which 12 balloons had been laid out. On the whistle, the first competitor had to get inside the drum and roll and steer it down the course, bursting the balloons whilst doing so. After he reached the end of the course, he then had to hand the drum over to the second competitor who had get inside and roll it back to the start. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset, both teams got off to a poor start after they failed to burst at least one of their first two balloons, After recomposing themselves, Ely took the lead and held it throughout. However, neither team was able to complete the game within the time permitted and referee Arthur Ellis deemed Ely to have burst 9 balloons before time expired and Hertford to have burst 8 balloons.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 1 - Pillow Fight

The next game - ‘Pillow Fight’ - was the Marathon played in unison over six rounds of 1 minute 45 seconds duration and featured three female competitors each equipped with a pillow and a narrow beam spanning a large pool of water. On the whistle, the first female had to make her way out along the beam to a small podium and then had to do battle in a classic pillow-fight and knock her opponent into the pool below. The victorious competitor would be permitted to remain on the podium as long as she wanted unless the team believed it would be beneficial for the next one to participate. Unlike most games of this ilk, if a competitor was the victim of a 'foul', resulting in being pushed or pulled into the pool by their opponent after they had been dislodged, it would be deemed as valid. The team knocking the greater aggregate number of opponents into the pool after all six rounds would be declared the winners.

Ely got off to a flying start and achieved three successive victories (3-0) before Hertford played ‘foul’ and pushed the Ely competitor into the pool after being knocked off herself (4-1). Hertford then scored a further victory (4-2) before both competitors fell in the water together at the next fight.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Ely (5) 2nd Hertford (3)

Comments: Due to inclement weather on the days leading up to the contest, the design of the  Marathon and the following game had to be changed. Torrential rain earlier in the day had meant that the idea of the original Marathon entitled ‘Punch Bag Balance’ - whereby a large punch bag hanging above the beam had to be pushed towards their opponents - had to be scrapped in favour of the actual one played.

Game 2 - Place the Ball

The second game - ‘Place the Ball’ - was played individually over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and witnessed Ely presenting their Joker for play. The game featured three male competitors from each team, equipped with footballs, standing on top of a high podium and three Perspex containers located on the ground. On the whistle, the competitors had to take it in turn and, using a rope swing, descend from the podium and drop a ball in one of the containers. The nearest container to the podium was valued at 1pt, the second furthest was valued at 2pts and the furthest container was valued at 3pts. After each essay, the competitor had to return to the podium on the return sweep and hand the swing to the next competitor. The game then had to be repeated throughout. The team scoring the greater number of points would be declared the winners.

The first heat saw the participation of Hertford and they made a total of eleven essays within the time permitted and scored 5pts (5 x 1pt) on their 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th and 10th swings, respectively.

The second heat featured Ely and they made ten essays and scored a total of 8pts (4 x 2pts) on their 4th, 6th, 7th and 10th swings.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (4pts awarded / Joker / 6pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: As previously stated with the Marathon, the inclement weather leading up to the contest caused the design of this game to be changed. The idea of the original game entitled ‘Drum Stacking’ was to have seen the competitors equipped with barrels swinging by rope to a point in front of the game and stacking them on top of each other.

Marathon, Round 2 - Pillow Fight

The cameras returned to the Marathon for the second round to witness eight evenly-fought fights. With both of the competitors in each fight tumbling into the water, the teams were able to increase their aggregate scores evenly. However, on the final fight, Ely blatantly breached the rules and pulled their opponent into the water as they fell. This was deemed unacceptable and Hertford won the second round by 8-7.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Ely (12) 2nd Hertford (11)

Game 3 - Water Race

The third game - ‘Water Race’ - was played individually over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team and five double-decked podia with each ‘deck’ supported by a set of four industrial springs. On the whistle, the male competitor had to collect two buckets of water and then step onto the first podium and, in turn, onto each of the other podia. After reaching the fifth podium, he then had to step off and empty any remaining water into a Perspex container. Once the buckets had been emptied, the female then had to repeat the game and then alternate throughout. If a competitor fell from any podium, they had to restart their essay from the previous podium. Each competitor had to complete a full run before their team-mate could participate. The team collecting the greater volume of water would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this somewhat straightforward game saw the participation of Hertford and their male competitor completed a flawless first run and emptied the contents into the container after 17 seconds of elapsed time. Although the female was slower in her execution and had the misfortune to tumble from one of the podia, she also completed a full run after 1 minute 3 seconds. With just twenty-seven seconds remaining, the pressure was on the male to make a second run, but in his haste, he tumbled from two podia and permitted time expired. The volume of water collected was declared as 16 graduations on the referee’s dipstick.

The second heat featured Ely and, although they were slower in their execution, they completed three flawless runs after 22 seconds, 51 seconds and 1 minute 17 seconds, respectively, and collected a total of 29 graduations of water.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (2pts awarded / 8pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 3 - Pillow Fight

The third round of the Marathon saw a total of just three fights completed. With each team victorious in one and the other ending in a draw, both teams increased their overall totals by two.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Ely (14) 2nd Hertford (13)

Game 4 - Mat Race

The fourth game - ‘Mat Race’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and witnessed Hertford presenting their Joker for play. The game featured eight competitors (five males and three females) from each team standing on a large tarpaulin sheet and a 50ft (15.24m) straight course. On the whistle, the team had to work together by jumping in unison in order to move up the course. After reaching the end of the course, they then had to turn around and return to the start in the same manner. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset, it was apparent that there was only going to be one winner of this game. Whilst Hertford used a ‘jump together and stop’ motion, Ely passed along the course with great veracity with all the eight competitors jumping together in perfect unison. Ely reached the end of the outward journey after just 22 seconds of elapsed time with Hertford doing likewise after 34 seconds. With a twelve-second advantage, Ely increased the gap and finished the course without any mishap in 53 seconds. Although the outcome was already known, the game was permitted to continue and Hertford finished the course in 1 minute 15 seconds.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (2pts awarded / 10pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / Joker / 0pts)

Comments: Whilst presenting the Joker, Stuart Hall asked the Hertford team manager for his opinion as to the time the team would take to complete the game. He stated that they would win it in 1 minute 15 seconds. Although history showed that he was exactly correct in his estimation, the outcome was 100% incorrect! It was apparent that Ely had been playing tactics during rehearsals and thus gave their opponents a false sense of security to present their Joker on this game. Whilst Hertford had clearly had a whitewash victory in the run-through, the eventual outcome in the programme proper somewhat stunned the team and their supporters, as well as referee Arthur Ellis and presenter Stuart Hall!

Marathon, Round 4 - Pillow Fight

The cameras returned to the Marathon to witness the fourth round and saw a total of just one fight completed. With both of the competitors tumbling into the pool, each team increased their score by one.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Ely (15) 2nd Hertford (14)

Game 5 - Trampoline Tennis

The fifth game - ‘Trampoline Tennis’ was played individually over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured a female competitor from each team standing on a trampoline on one side of a high hurdle. On the other side, also standing on a trampoline, was an opposing male team member equipped with a tennis racket. Located behind him and above his head was a netted cage. On the whistle, the competitor had to bounce on the trampoline whilst a female team-mate threw small bags of flour to her one at a time. She then had to throw the bag over the high hurdle and into the cage. The opposing male had to time his bounce correctly so that he could divert or prevent the bags from reaching the cage. The team with the greater number of bags in the cage would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward but enjoyable game saw the participation of Hertford and although they threw a total of 34 flour bags, only 15 of them got past Ely defender Mike Hoare and reached the cage intact.

The second heat featured Ely and they played another tactical game. Observing that their opposition was short in stature, they lobbed the bags high above him rather than directly at the net. This method proved to be the winning formula and whilst they threw a total of 39 flour bags (just five more than Hertford), 24 of them reached the net intact.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (2pts awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / 0pts)

Comments: After winning this game, Ely had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory.

Marathon, Round 5 - Pillow Fight

The fifth and penultimate round of the Marathon witnessed two fights. On the first, the Ely competitor made no attempt to hit her opponent with the pillow, she blatantly pulled the competitor by the arm which caused her to drop into the pool and this was deemed as null and void. The second fight saw both competitors tumble into the pool and each team increased their total by one.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Ely (16) 2nd Hertford (15)

Game 6 - Rope Climb

The sixth and penultimate game - ‘Rope Climb’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team and a 50ft (15.24m) rope anchored into the ground and ascending to a high scaffold. On the whistle, the competitor had to ascend the rope using any chosen method and, after reaching the top, had to collect a balloon and return to the ground in the same manner. After handing over the balloon to a female team-mate, he then had to repeat the game throughout. If the competitor fell from the rope, the balloon collected would be deemed null and void and the run would have to be repeated. The team collecting the greater number of balloon would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward and closely run game which saw both teams neck and neck throughout. At the end of the permitted time, the teams had collected three balloons each and had travelled the same distance up the rope on the fourth run.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (1pt awarded / 13pts total) 2nd Hertford (1pt / 1pt)

Marathon, Round 6 - Pillow Fight

The cameras returned to the Marathon for the sixth and final round and witnessed a total of three fights. On the first, Ely once again flaunted the rules and pulled their opponent into the water but they rectified the situation by vibrating the beam whilst their second opponent made her way out to the centre and caused her to lose her balance and drop into the water. The second fight ended in a draw after both competitors lost their balance on the beam and there was no score in third fight following the whistle being blown during its execution.

With Ely increasing their overall score by two and Hertford by one, the final totals achieved showed that Ely had won the game by a margin of just 2pts.

Final Marathon Standings: 1st Ely (18) 2nd Hertford (16)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (4pts awarded / 17pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / 1pt)

Game 7 - Basketball Slide

The seventh and final game - ‘Basketball Slide’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured four male competitors from each team, equipped with footballs, standing on a platform at the top of a steep greased ramp. Halfway down the ramp there was a static target hoop hanging 10ft (3.04m) from above. On the whistle, the first competitor had to descend the ramp on his posterior and throw the ball through the hoop and then catch it again as it descended. If successful, the competitor then had to toss the ball into a holding net at the base of the game. This then had to be repeated by each of the other competitors and then continued until the end of permitted time. The team collecting the greater number of balls would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game which saw Ely take an early lead. At the end of the game, Ely were declared as having collected 8 balls whilst Hertford had collected 7 balls.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Ely (2pts awarded / 19pts total) 2nd Hertford (0pts / 1pt)

Comments: Although Ely had actually tossed nine balls into their net, referee Arthur Ellis stated that one of the balls had not been caught cleanly and therefore would not be counted and their score was reduced to 8.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Presenters Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring along with ‘Miss Knockout’ Pauline Cooper arrived in the arena aboard a 1912 steam-driven fire engine, pulled by two shire horses named Captain and Prince.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Ely team member Ian Rodger had already participated in the programme on two previous occasions: in the 1968 Cheltenham Spa team and the 1971 Tewkesbury team.

Records and Statistics

After dropping just one point throughout the competition, Ely's winning margin of 18pts over Hertford was the largest-ever in a British It’s a Knockout Domestic heat. The record winning margin in any of the Domestic series occurred during the 1968 series of Spiel Ohne Grenzen, when Inzell were victorious in all of the eleven games played and beat Schongau by 24-0. However, with a greater number of games played in that series, it is no surprise that the top three greatest winning margins are all held by West German teams – Inzell (24pt margin), Villingen (1967) beat Ellwangen an der Jagst by 23-2 (21pt margin) and Oberursel im Taunus (1972) beat Bad Marienberg by 22-2 (20pt margin) – with Ely positioned in 4th place (18pt margin). If the percentage of possible points available is taken into account, Ellwangen would be in 2nd position after securing 95.83% (23 from 24), Ely would be in 3rd position with 95% (19 from 20), and Oberursel im Taunus would be in 4th position with 91.66% (22 from 24)!

This was the first year since the It’s a Knockout Domestic series started in 1966, when a home team had not been victorious in at least one of the first two heats staged. With Bicester, Manchester and Peebles all having been victorious on visiting soil, Ely took full advantage of playing on home soil and became the first of three consecutive teams to do so this year.

Additional Information

The presenters of the programme as well as the Hertford team were all shocked at the ferocity with which Ely stormed the games in the actual recording of the programme. This was an understandable reaction as in the rehearsal the Hertford team had won 16-4!

Hertford team members Michael Mean and Barbara Crane were in fact Olympic canoeists. They had both represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games held in Mexico City in 1968. Elaine Wisdom was not actually a playing team member of the Hertford squad. She had been crowned Miss Knockout by the Hertford town council before the competition and was there purely for support.

The Ely It's A Knockout Committee met nearly every week in 1973 in the lead-in to the contest at the Cutter Inn, Ely. They also organised various activities connected with It's A Knockout, including an outing to Marcam Hall on 26th February, a jumble sale on 17th March, a dinner-dance on 19th March, outings to the St. Ives swimming pool on 30th March and London on 7th April, a disco on 27th April, market stalls on five occasions, the Ely Knockout Queen contest, and the arrangements for entertaining the teams and helpers after the Domestic Heat on 13th May. They were also responsible for all publicity, for arranging a troupe of cheer-leader and for obtaining sponsorship to help pay for the kit worn by the Ely team in the recording. Additionally, a sponsored 10-mile walk that the committee organised took place on 25th March 1973 and raised £450 for team funds.

Comparative value in 2024: £450 = £3,805

Ely team manager David Cornwell, a teacher and House Master at the King's School in Ely who was known as ‘Mr Cambridgeshire Bowls’, sadly died of cancer in 1994 having been diagnosed before taking over as President of the English Indoor Bowls Club. He was the son of Les Cornwell, who was the first County Indoor President and, like his son, was also a fine bowler. The English Indoor Bowls Association Headquarters at Melton Mowbray was re-named after David Cornwell as a mark of respect.

Earlier in this series, King’s Lynn had played host to Manchester in the second heat. Whilst this may not appear to have any particular significance, the location of those two teams in respect of those at this heat does. Whilst King’s Lynn and Ely lie just 25 miles (40km) apart, Ely and Hertford actually lie 44 miles (71km) apart and at the start of the programme this heat was described as a local ‘derby’ match. The better ‘derby’ match would surely have been between King’s Lynn and Ely!

Footage from this edition was used in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1973. Details in Knockout TV.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1973

Heat 5

Event Staged: Sunday 20th May 1973 at 4.15pm
Venue: Hirst Welfare Ground, Hirst Welfare Centre, Ashington, Northumberland, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 15th June 1973, 8.15-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Torrential Rain

Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Pam Nolan from Middleton, Lancashire

Teams: Ashington v. Blyth

Team Members included:
Ashington - Jim Alder (Team Coach), Alan Mole (Men’s Team Coach), Gwen Woodman (Women's Team Coach), Gerry White (Team Manager), Jackie Armstrong, David Boone, Ron Brotherton, Alan Brown, Oliver Cole, Gordon Conway, Susan Crewe, Alan Cutter, Margaret Davies, Mary Forster, Barbara Hudson, Kenneth Johnson, Gill Matterface, Eric Moore, Ron Morris, Don Murray, Ken Patton, Melvin Robson, Ernie Slaughter, Austin Straker, Kathy Thomas, Jim Watson, John Watts;
Blyth - Brian Attwood (Team Manager), Albert Grant (Men’s Team Coach), Pamela Brown (Women's Team Coach), Walter Appleby, George Armstrong, Henry Armstrong, Sheila Bates, Maureen Bland, Tom Brooks, David Brown, David Campbell, Adrian Cartie, David Cordes, Anne Finlay, Peter Ferry, Maria Johnson, Christine Lambert, John Logan, Anne McCabe, Ann Marley, Jimmy Norris, Jennifer Orton, Philip Pearson, Alan Peel, Janet Roberts, Alan Robson, Alison Roper, Michael Simpson, Jimmy Smith, Ian Thompson, Arthur Thurban, Tim Viard, Julie Wilson.

Games: Roller-Skating Twist, Trampoline Football, Hod-ding the Ball, Basketball Stretch, Turning the Tables, Water Lot of Obstacles and First Past the Post…And Back!
Marathon: The Ball Bearers
Tie-Break Game: Darts

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 A • Ashington ● ●
 B • Blyth ●

10 *
10

* Result decided by a throw of a dart. See ‘The Games in Detail’ section below

Ashington qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Blankenberge, Belgium:
staged on Wednesday 15th August 1973

Blyth qualified as the highest scoring losing team for
Jeux Sans Frontières at Bristol, Great Britain:
staged on Wednesday 1st August 1973

The Host Town

Ashington, Northumberland

Ashington is a town with a population of around 29,000 inhabitants in the county of Northumberland. It is located on the River Wansbeck, 5 miles (8km) north-east of Blyth, 14 miles north-west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 27 miles (44km) east of Bellingham and 45 miles (72km) south-east of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Many inhabitants of the town have a distinctive accent and dialect known as Pitmatic or ‘yakka’. This varies from the regional Novocastrian dialect known as Geordie.

Ashington developed from a small hamlet in the 1840s when the Duke of Portland built housing to encourage people escaping the Irish potato famine (1845-1852) to come and work at his nearby collieries. As coal mining expanded, more people left the countryside and settled in he town, with some coming from as far as Cornwall to make use of their tin-mining skills. This influx led the Ashington Coal Company to build parallel rows of colliery houses which followed a grid plan. The streets in the Hirst End, running north to south, were named after British trees, such as Hawthorn Road, Beech Terrace, and Chestnut Street. The east to west running streets were numbered avenues, starting with First Avenue near the town centre, finishing at Seventh Avenue towards the southern end.

However, as in many other parts of Britain, ‘deep pit’ coal mining in the area declined during the 1980s and 1990s leaving just one colliery, Ellington which eventually closed in January 2005. In 2006, plans for an opencast mine on the outskirts of the town were put forward, although many people objected to it.

With the growing coal industry, there came the need for a railway link. Ashington was linked to the Blyth and Tyne Railway in the 1850s, and also to the East Coast Main Line near Ulgham (pronounced Uffham). The railway was also used by passenger trains until the Beeching Axe in 1964 closed the railway station, called Hirst, which had opened in the 1870s. Traditionally, the area to the east of the railway was called Hirst and that to the west was Ashington proper. Although collectively called Ashington, both halves had their own park – Hirst Park (opened in 1915) in the east and the People's Park in the west.

In the late 1960s, the area by the railway station was developed into Wansbeck Square, housing a supermarket, council offices and a public library, built partly over the railway line. The railway was used until recently by the Alcan Aluminium plant nearby which has now closed.

Ashington has appeared in various films and TV programmes, such as the BBC series Spender starring Jimmy Nail, Our Friends in the North in 1996 and The Fast Show, and the Alcan chimneys were seen in the 2000 movie Billy Elliot, directed by Stephen Baldry and starring Julie Walters and 11-year old Jamie Bell.

Ashington has produced a number of professional footballers, notably Leeds United player John ‘Jack’ Milburn (1908-1979) and his Newcastle United-playing cousin John ‘Jackie’ Milburn (1924-1988), Jack Charlton (1935-2020, Leeds United) and Bobby Charlton (1937-2023, Manchester United).

The Visiting Town

Blyth is a town with a population of around 38,000 inhabitants in the county of Northumberland and is located 5 miles (8km) south of Ashington.

The Venue

Hirst Welfare Centre

The games were played in the grounds of the Hirst Welfare Centre, a multi-use community facility, comprising of training facilities, office space, community café, community hall, gymnasium and dance studio.

The Centre also has an external all weather floodlight synthetic football pitch with additional grass pitches. The football team at the centre has various different development coaching sessions for boys and girls of all age groups.

The Rehearsals

This heat was a derby match in all senses of the word. The two towns are located just 10 miles from each other and are recorded as being the closest two teams ever to have played each other in the programme’s history. In the morning rehearsal, again in the pouring rain, the teams fought tooth and nail and the final result ended all level at 11-11. The actual competition would be just as nail-biting!

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Roller-Skating Twist

The first game - ‘Roller-Skating Twist’ - witnessed Ashington presenting their Joker for play. There was a shock when the game was won by Blyth and, having nullified their opponent’s Joker, they were awarded the 2pts and took an early lead.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Blyth (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Ashington (0pts / Joker / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 1 - The Ball Bearers

The next game - ‘The Ball Bearers’ - was the Marathon which was played in unison on six occasions throughout the programme.

At the end of the first round, Blyth had taken an early lead over Ashington.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Blyth (---) 2nd Ashington (---)

Game 2 - Trampoline Football

The second game - ‘Trampoline Football’ - was won by Ashington and they were awarded the 2pts and had levelled the scores.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Ashington (2pts awarded / 2pts total) ▲ =1st Blyth (0pts / 2pts)

Marathon, Round 2 - The Ball Bearers

The second round of the Marathon saw both teams trying to improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved in the previous round.

Despite all their efforts, Ashington were unable to keep pace with Blyth and lagged further behind.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Blyth (---) 2nd Ashington (---)

Game 3 - Hod-ding the Ball

The third game - ‘Hod-ding the Ball’ - was won by Ashington and they were awarded the 2pts. The home crowd could finally celebrate as the team relegated Blyth to 2nd place.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ashington (2pts awarded / 4pts total) 2nd Blyth (0pts / 2pts) ▼

Marathon, Round 3 - The Ball Bearers

The third round of the Marathon saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous two rounds.

Blyth continued to pile on the pressure whilst Ashington struggled to keep pace.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Blyth (---) 2nd Ashington (---)

Game 4 - Basketball Stretch

The fourth game - ‘Basketball Stretch’ - witnessed Blyth presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by Blyth and they were awarded the 4pts. In doing so, they had regained the lead in the competition.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Blyth (4pts awarded / Joker / 6pts total) ▲ 2nd Ashington (0pts / 4pts) ▼

Marathon, Round 4 - The Ball Bearers

The fourth round of the Marathon saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous three rounds.

Despite all their efforts, Ashington could not close the gap to Blyth.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Blyth (---) 2nd Ashington (---)

Game 5 - Turning the Tables

The fifth game - ‘Turning the Tables’ - was won by Ashington and they were awarded the 2pts awarded and for a second occasion they had levelled the scores.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Ashington (2pts awarded / 6pts total) ▲ =1st Blyth (0pts / 6pts)

Marathon, Round 5 - The Ball Bearers

The fifth and penultimate round of the Marathon saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous four rounds.

Blyth continued to pile on the pressure to prevent Ashington from closing the deficit.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Blyth (---) 2nd Ashington (---)

Game 6 - Water Lot of Obstacles

The sixth and penultimate game - ‘Water Lot of Obstacles’ - saw a second consecutive victory for Ashington. They were awarded the 2pts and had regained the lead over Blyth.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Ashington (2pts awarded / 8pts total) ▲ =1st Blyth (0pts / 6pts)

Marathon, Round 6 - The Ball Bearers

The sixth and final round of the Marathon saw both teams making one last effort to improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous five rounds.

At the end of this round, Ashington had been unable to recover the deficit set by Blyth in the opening round and were still trailing by a hefty gap at the final whistle.

Final Marathon Standings: 1st Blyth (---) 2nd Ashington (---)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Blyth (4pts awarded / 10pts total) ▲ 2nd Ashington (0pts / 8pts) ▼

Game 7 - First Past the Post... and Back!

The seventh and final game - ‘First Past the Post…and Back!’ - was won by Ashington (by just five seconds) and they were awarded the 2pts awarded. For a third time, they had levelled the scores but on this occasion had taken the competition into a tie-break.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Ashington (2pts awarded / 10pts total) ▲ =1st Blyth (4pts / 10pts)

Tie-breaker - Darts

The tie-breaker game was a simple dart throw. Albert Grant, one of the Blyth team’s coaches went first and could only hit a single six. Alan Mole, the Ashington team’s counterpart, stepped up to the oche and scored double eleven (22). The Ashington team leapt with joy and the Blyth team despite all their efforts had lost the local derby. The camera then panned to the scoreboard where Stuart Hall announced that although the Blyth team had lost there was still a chance of them qualifying for Jeux Sans Frontières as the highest-scoring losing team.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Ashington (0pts awarded / Tie-Break Won / 10pts total) 2nd Blyth (0pts / 10pts) ▼

Media Attention

In an article in the Blyth Times dated 25th May 1973 entitled "Blyth are Out …OR are They?" producer Barney Colehan explained to Brian Attwood, the Blyth team manager, that "they (Blyth) would need to send a member of the team to Wells next week should the probability of the same outcome arising there. Team member Ian Thompson was chosen to go to Wells the following week, as Brian (Attwood) did not to chance fate with sending Albert (Grant) and losing again."

In a follow-up article from the same newspaper dated 1st June 1973 entitled "Blyth Are Through", Brian Attwood explained, “I sent Ian Thompson along to Wells in the hope that should the result end in a draw, he would get the team to the British Heat”. He added, “Ian called me around 5.30pm on Monday saying that we were through because the contest was beyond Porthcawl’s grasp. I must add that he was in a state of hysterics and said he could not wait to return to Blyth to congratulate the team and join in the celebrations”.

Additional Information

The weather conditions were among the worst ever encountered throughout the history It’s A Knockout. The rain had been falling all morning and would not offer any respite. An inch of rain even fell during the recording of this event and the games’ site was under water. Commentator Stuart Hall recalled having to make three clothing changes just to get through the recording. The event was attended by 7,000 very wet fans! The official start of the recording was 4.45pm but the organisers requested the BBC start it earlier due to the torrential rain and cold conditions, as some of the crowd had been there since 3.00pm when the gates opened and were already soaked through. With the inclement conditions in mind, producer Barney Colehan and director Bill Taylor agreed and the programme began thirty minutes earlier at 4.15pm.

The Blyth team mascot was a 9ft (2.75m) high monster goose which had been seen at the Wembley Cup Final two weeks earlier adorned in Sunderland’s colours of red and white. The team believed that it had brought luck to the underdogs of Sunderland against Leeds United that day, so they requested to have it as their mascot. However, despite it not bringing them luck on the day, some consolation was sought when they qualified as highest-scoring losers.

Ashington hired Jim Alder to train their team for the competition. Alder had previously worked preparing the British team for the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and claimed that he worked the Ashington team every bit as hard as those Olympic hopefuls. Jim, a former distance runner, had participated in the 1966 Commonwealth Games, the 1968 Summer Olympics, the 1969 European Championships and the 1970 Commonwealth Games.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1973

Heat 6

Event Staged: Monday 28th May 1973 (Bank Holiday Monday)
Venue: The Grounds and Moat, Bishop's Palace, Wells, Somerset, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 22nd June 1973, 8.15-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Warm and Sunny

Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Lyn Grimshaw from Bristol, Somerset

Radio Times Trophy presented by:
The Right Reverend Edward Henderson, Bishop of Bath and Wells

Teams: Wells v. Porthcawl

Team Members included:
Porthcawl - Vernon Thomas (Team Manager), Vic Davies (Co-Team Coach), Malcolm Shell (Co-Team Coach), Tony Evans, Kerry Townley;
Wells - Jolyon Armstrong (Team Manager), Dave Cowley (Team Coach), Derek Bayliss (Team Captain), Jacky Baldwin, Julie Binding, Robert Brownlow, John Carter, Yvonne Connelly, Simon Cooper, Robert Davies, Christine Harding, John Franks, David Griffiths, Alan Guyver, Leslie Harrop, Lionel Isaac, Martin Leach, Phil Leaver, Jenny Lennard, Peter McEllin, Mark McGeoch, Terry Millard, Gerald Nightingale, Deborah Norton, Roger Rayward, Jackie Sampson, Linda Skirton, Mike Thurgur, Pauline Tooze, Betty Western, Helen Western, Philip Watson, Helen Whitehead and Tony Williams.

Games: Rubber-Tub-Tub, Drum and Paddle, Trays & Drums, Trampolining Waiters, Water Race, Greased Ramp Balloons and Island Crossing;
Marathon: High in the Sky.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd

 W • Wells ● ●
 P • Porthcawl

16
6

Wells qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Heiligenhafen, West Germany:
staged on Wednesday 29th August 1973

The Host Town

Wells, Somerset

The Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, commonly known as Wells Cathedral Image © Alys Hayes, 2009

Wells is a cathedral city with a population of around 12,000 inhabitants in the county of Somerset. It is located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, 17 miles (27km) south of Bristol, 18 miles (29km) north of Yeovil, 20 miles (32km) west of Warminster and 36 miles (58km) east of Minehead.

Although it originated around 704 AD, it has only been a cathedral city since 1205. It is the fourth-smallest city in the United Kingdom and the second-smallest in England (after the City of London). It is named from three wells dedicated to Saint Andrew, one in the market place, one within the grounds of the Bishop's Palace and the other in the grounds of the cathedral.

The city was a Roman settlement that became an important centre under the Anglo-Saxons when King Ine of Wessex founded a minster church in 704 AD. Two hundred years later in 909 AD, it became the seat of the newly-formed bishopric of Wells, but in 1090, the bishop's seat was removed to Bath. The move caused severe arguments between the canons of Wells and the monks of Bath until 1245, when the bishopric was renamed the Diocese of Bath and Wells, to be elected by both religious houses. In the first half of the 13th century, it came under the direction of Bishop Reginald and later Bishop Jocelin, a native of the city. After this, Wells became the principal seat of the diocese.

Wells was the final location of the Bloody Assizes on 23rd September 1685. In a makeshift court lasting only one day, over 500 men were tried and the majority sentenced to death.

Wells had been a centre for cloth making, however in the 16th and 17th centuries this diminished, but the city retained its important market focus. During the 19th century, Wells had the largest cheese market in the west of England.

The city is a popular tourist destination, due to its historical sites, its proximity to Bath, Stonehenge and Glastonbury and its closeness to the Somerset coast. Also nearby are Wookey Hole Caves, the Mendip Hills and the Somerset Levels. Somerset cheese, including the United Kingdom’s best-seller, Cheddar, is made locally.

The historic part of the city has been used for filming both documentaries and many period movies and television series including some with very large productions. Recent examples include filming for ITV's Broadchurch and the second series of the BBC's Poldark (2015). It also featured in the 2017 films Dunkirk and Another Mother's Son.

The city’s crowning glory is the Gothic Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, commonly known as Wells Cathedral. Built between 1175 and 1490, it replaced an earlier church built on the same site. It is moderately-sized among the medieval cathedrals of England, between those of massive proportion such as Lincoln and York and the smaller cathedrals in Oxford and Carlisle. With its broad west front and large central tower, it is the dominant feature of the city and a landmark in the Somerset countryside. It has been described as ‘unquestionably one of the most beautiful’ and 'the most poetic’ of English cathedrals.

During the English Civil War (1642-1651), at what became known as the ‘Siege of Wells’, the city found itself surrounded by Parliamentarian guns on the Bristol, Glastonbury and Shepton Mallet sides. The Royalists evacuated the city and Parliamentarian troops then used the cathedral to stable their horses and damaged much of the ornate sculpture by using it for firing practice.

During the Monmouth Rebellion (1685), the rebel army attacked the cathedral in an outburst against the established church and damaged the west front. Lead from the roof was used to make bullets, windows were broken, the organ smashed and horses stabled in the nave.

The cathedral clock is famous for its 24-hour astronomical dial and set of jousting knights that perform every quarter-hour. The cathedral has the heaviest ring of ten bells in the world. The tenor bell weighs just over 56cwt (2,844 kg).

The city’s market square was featured heavily in the 2007 British comedy Hot Fuzz starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. Director Edgar Wright chose Wells as the setting for the film as it had been his home since 1985 after moving there at age 11, citing that “despite its quaintness and history, the town had never received any of the recognition in the media of being England’s smallest city, and I wanted to put it on the map.”

The Visiting Town

Porthcawl is a town with a population of around 19,000 inhabitants in the county of Bridgend and is located 50 miles (80km) north-west of Wells.

The Venue

Bishop's Palace

The games were played in the grounds and moat of the Bishop’s Palace, which has been the home of the Bishops of the Diocese of Bath and Wells for over 800 years. As such, the incumbent Bishop of Bath and Wells granted special permission for the programme to be staged here. Originally surrounded by a medieval deer park, it is designated as a Grade I listed building by English Heritage.

Construction of the palace began around 1210 by Bishop Jocelin Trotman, the first Bishop to hold the title Bishop of Bath and Wells, after receiving a crown licence to build a residence and deer park on land to the south of the Cathedral of St Andrew. He also continued the cathedral building campaign begun by Bishop Reginald Fitz Jocelin and was also responsible for building the Bishop's Palace, as well as the choristers' school, a grammar school, a hospital for travellers and a chapel within the liberty of the cathedral. The chapel and great hall were added by Bishop Robert Burnell (1239-1292) between 1275 and 1292.

The walls, gatehouse and moat were added in the 14th century by Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury. He had an uneasy relationship with the citizens of Wells, partly because of his imposition of taxes, and surrounded his palace with crenellated walls, a moat and a drawbridge. The 16ft (4.88m) high three-storey gatehouse, which dates from 1341, has a bridge over the moat. The entrance was protected by a heavy gate, portcullis and drawbridge, operated by machinery above the entrance, and spouts through which defenders could pour scalding liquids onto any attacker. The water which filled the moat flowed from the springs in the grounds which had previously chosen its own course as a small stream separating the cathedral and the palace and causing marshy ground around the site. The moat acted as a reservoir, controlled by sluice gates, which powered watermills in the town.

The Bishop's House was added in the 15th century by Bishop Thomas Beckington (1390-1465). The great hall later fell into disrepair and was partially demolished around 1830. In the 1820s, the grounds within the walls were planted and laid out as pleasure grounds by Bishop George Henry Law (1761-1845), who created a reflecting pond near the springs. Parts of the buildings are still used as a residence by the current bishop, however much of the palace is now used for public functions and as a tourist attraction.

The palace now belongs to the Church Commissioners and is managed and run by The Palace Trust. The main palace is open to the public, including the medieval vaulted undercroft, chapel and a long gallery, although the Bishops House is still used as a residence and offices. There is a café overlooking the Croquet Lawn. The palace is licensed for weddings and used for conferences and meetings. The croquet lawn in front of the palace is used on a regular basis.

The palace (in addition to the city’s market square mentioned earlier) was used as a location for some of the scenes in the 2007 British comedy Hot Fuzz starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, and more recently in the 2016 film The Huntsman: Winter’s War starring Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron. Other productions that used this location in 2015-2016 included ABC's Galavant, the BBC's Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip starring Sir Terry Wogan (1938-2016) and Mason McQueen (a London black-cab driver), Escape to the Country and Holiday of My Lifetime.

Every August Bank Holiday weekend, the moat is used for the Wells Moat Boat Race, a charity raft race organised by Wells Lions Club and Air Training Corps. In 2007, the Bishop entered a raft into the race.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Rubber-Tub-Tub

The first game - ‘Rubber-Tub-Tub’ - was won by Wells and, with the 2pts awarded, they were leading Porthcawl by 2-0.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Wells (2pts awarded / 2pts total) 2nd Porthcawl (0pts / 0pts)

Marathon, Round 1 - High in the Sky

The next game - ‘High in the Sky’ - was the Marathon, the six rounds of which would either be played alternately by each team on three occasions or played in unison on six occasions throughout the programme.

Running Marathon Standings: --- Porthcawl (---) --- Wells (---)

Game 2 - Drum and Paddle

The second game - ‘Drum and Paddle’ - witnessed Porthcawl presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by Porthcawl and, with the 4pts awarded, they were now leading Wells by 4-2.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Porthcawl (4pts awarded / Joker / 4pts total) ▲ 2nd Wells (2pts / 2pts) ▼

Marathon, Round 2 - High in the Sky

The second round of the Marathon either saw the team that had not participated in the first round trying to emulate the target set by their rivals or saw both teams trying to improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved in the previous round.

Running Marathon Standings: --- Porthcawl (---) --- Wells (---)

Game 3 - Trays and Drum

The third game - ‘Trays and Drum’ - was won by Wells and, with the 2pts awarded, they had levelled the scores at 4-4.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Porthcawl (0pts awarded / 4pts total) =1st Wells (2pts / 4pts) ▲

Marathon, Round 3 - High in the Sky

The third round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the first round trying to improve on their score or adding to their total achieved earlier or saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous two rounds.

Running Marathon Standings: --- Porthcawl (---) --- Wells (---)

Game 4 - Trampolining Waiters

The fourth game - ‘Trampolining Waiters’ - was also won by Wells and, with the 2pts awarded, they were now leading Porthcawl by 6-4.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Wells (2pts awarded / 6pts total) 2nd Porthcawl (0pts / 4pts) ▼

Marathon, Round 4 - High in the Sky

The fourth round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the second round trying to improve on their score or adding to their total achieved earlier or saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous three rounds.

Running Marathon Standings: --- Porthcawl (---) --- Wells (---)

Game 5 - Water Race

The fifth game - ‘Water Race’ - was won by Wells and, with the 2pts awarded, they were now leading Porthcawl by 8-4.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Wells (2pts awarded / 8pts total) 2nd Porthcawl (0pts / 4pts)

Marathon, Round 5 - High in the Sky

The fifth and penultimate round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the first and third rounds making one last effort to improve on their score or adding to their total or saw both teams continuing to try and improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous four rounds.

Running Marathon Standings: --- Porthcawl (---) --- Wells (---)

Game 6 - Greased Ramp Balloons

The sixth and penultimate game - ‘Greased Ramp Balloons’ - witnessed Wells presenting their Joker for play. The game was won by Wells and, with the 4pts awarded, they were now leading Porthcawl by 12-4.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Wells (4pts awarded / Joker / 12pts total) 2nd Porthcawl (0pts / 4pts)

Comments: After winning this game, Wells had accumulated sufficient points to secure overall victory.

Marathon, Round 6 - High in the Sky

The sixth and final round of the Marathon either saw the team that had participated in the second and fourth rounds making one last effort to improve on their score or adding to their total or saw both teams making one last effort to improve on their scores or adding to their totals achieved over the previous five rounds.

At the end of this round, Wells were declared winners and were awarded the 4pts.

Final Marathon Standings: 1st Wells (---) 2nd Porthcawl (---)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Wells (4pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Porthcawl (0pts / 4pts)

Game 7 - Island Crossing

The seventh and final game - ‘Island Crossing’ - was won by Porthcawl and, with the 2pts awarded, they had been beaten by Wells by 16-6.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Wells (0pts awarded / 16pts total) 2nd Porthcawl (2pts / 6pts)

Additional Information

At the end of this programme, David Cornwell, team manager of the Ely team, was presented with the Radio Times Trophy in recognition of Ely being the highest scoring team in the British heats. In addition to this, he was also presented with a cheque for £500 by John Holmes, General Manager of BBC Publications, to be used for the benefit of the elderly people of Ely.

Comparative value in 2024: £500 = £4,227

Footage from this edition exists in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1973. Details in Knockout TV.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

JSFnetGB Series Guide pages researched by
Neil Storer and Alan Hayes
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