It's A Celebrity Knockout 1975
British Domestic Series

Presenters:
Stuart Hall
Eddie Waring

Referee:
Arthur Ellis

Scoregirls:
Karen Apted
Rena Edwards
Marilyn Ward

Production Credits:

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

A BBC Manchester Production

GB

It's A Celebrity Knockout 1975

Summer Special

Event Staged: Sunday 22nd June 1975, 5.00pm
Venue: Fulham F.C. Football Ground (Craven Cottage), Fulham,
Greater London, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 11th July 1975, 8.00-9.00pm

Weather Conditions: Overcast and Warm

Lord's Taverners Knockout Trophy presented by: Dame Vera Lynn, DBE

Teams: Celebrities v. Lord's Taverners

Team Members included:
Celebrities - Raymond Baxter (Team Captain), Michael Barratt, Eddie Capelli, Judith Chalmers, Linda Cunningham, Neil Durden-Smith, Sally Geeson, Alan Lerwill, Mick McManus, Richard Meade, Ann Moore, Christopher Ralston, Bob Wilson, Kenneth Wolstenholme and Frank Worthington;

Lord’s Taverners - James Ellis (Team Captain), Robin Askwith, David Barry, Johnny Blythe, Graeme Garden, Bob Grant, Gerald Harper, Anita Harris, Vicki Harris (Miss England 1975), Frazer Hines, George Layton, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Robin Nedwell, Nicholas Parsons, Bill Pertwee, Cardew Robinson, Ed Stewart and Meriel Tufnell.

Games (Official Titles): Ski Race, Chef's Race, Parcel Wagon, Trampoline Football, Doll Throwing, Cricket?, Football Dribble and Balloon Burst;

Marathon: Waiters' Slide;
Jokers: Joker Playing Cards.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd

 Lord's Taverners
 Celebrities

15
12

The Host Town

Fulham, Greater London

Fulham is an area of west London located in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located 3½ miles (6km) south-west of Charing Cross (the geographic centre of London) on the north bank of the River Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. It is home to Fulham Palace which served as the former official home of the Bishop of London (now a museum), the grounds of which are now divided between public allotments and an elegant botanical garden. Two football clubs, Fulham and Chelsea, are situated within the borough. The former Lillie Bridge Grounds (which hosted the second F.A. Cup Final in 1873 and the first ever amateur boxing matches) was also in Fulham.

The manor of Fulham (or ‘Fulanhamme’ in its earliest form) is said to have been given to Bishop Erkenwald about AD 691 for himself and his successors in the see of London. Holinshed’s Chronicles relates that the Bishop of London was lodging in his manor place in 1141 when Geoffrey de Mandeville, riding out from the Tower of London, took him prisoner. During the Restoration, the manor was temporarily out of the bishops' hands, being sold to Colonel Edmund Harvey (1601-1673), a soldier and MP who sat as a commissioner at the trial of King Charles I (1600-1649) and helped to draw up the final charge. Although present on 27th January 1649 when the death warrant was signed, he ultimately did not add his signature.

During recent years there has been a great revival of interest in Fulham's earliest history, due almost entirely to the efforts of the Fulham Archaeological Rescue Group. This has carried out a number of interesting digs, particularly in the vicinity of Fulham Palace, which show that approximately 5,000 years ago Neolithic people were living by the riverside and in other parts of the area. Near the former wooden Fulham Bridge, built in 1729 and replaced in 1886 with Putney Bridge, the Earl of Essex (1591-1646) threw a bridge of boats across the river in 1642 in order to march his army in pursuit of Charles I, who thereupon fell back on Oxford.

Fulham remained a working class area for the first half of the 20th century, but was subject to extensive restoration between the Second World War (1939-1945) and the 1980s. Today, Fulham is one of the most expensive parts of London and the UK itself, with the average actual selling price of all property (both houses and flats) today being £1 million!

Fulham has recently made its way into popular culture with Chambers Dictionary defining a fulham as "a die loaded at the corner to ensure that certain numbers are thrown". The Oxford English Dictionary distinguishes between a high fulham, which was loaded so as to ensure a cast of 4, 5, or 6, and a low fulham, so as to ensure a cast of 1, 2, or 3). However, its first usage probably dates back to 1889 when Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) cites its usage in his historical novel adventure Micah Clarke in which he wrote "There is no loading of the dice, or throwing of fulhams."

Following the amalgamation of the boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1965, all council interests were transferred to Hammersmith. Fulham Town Hall, built in 1888 in the classical renaissance, was left deserted and was hired out as a popular venue for concerts and dances, especially its Grand Hall. In 2011, it was one of eight buildings that Hammersmith & Fulham Council was looking to sell to reduce its £133 million "historic debt burden". It was sold at auction to American retail and leisure group Dory Ventures. Dory have since converted the Grade II listed building into a shopping arcade featuring the flagship store for Maclaren - known across the world for their buggies and quality children’s products.

As well as being home to Fulham F.C. and Chelsea F.C., exclusive sports club, the Hurlingham Club, is also located within Fulham. With members having included British monarchs, the waiting list for membership currently averages over fifteen years!

Fulham has appeared in a number of films, including the 1976 horror The Omen starring Gregory Peck (1916-2003), Lee Remick (1935-1991) and Patrick Troughton (1920-1987) and the 1962 drama The L-Shaped Room starring Leslie Caron and Tom Bell (1933-2006). Notable residents born in Fulham include singer Lily Allen and Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe.

The Visiting Teams

The Celebrities team comprised of famous (and not-so-famous) faces from the worlds of television, film, sport and entertainment.

The Lord's Taverners are a charitable association of cricketing actors, sports people and other personalities, and were celebrating their Silver Jubilee Year in 1975.

The Venue

Fulham F.C. Football Ground (Craven Cottage)

The games were played at Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham Football Club since 1896. The club, whose nickname is The Cottagers, was formed in 1879 as Fulham St. Andrew's Church Sunday School F.C., founded by worshippers (mostly adept at cricket) at the Church of England on Star Road, West Kensington (St Andrew's, Fulham Fields). Fulham's mother church still stands with a plaque commemorating the team's foundation. The club purchased Craven Cottage and the surrounding land in 1894, but they had to wait two years before they could play a game there.

The club gained professional status on 12th December 1898, in the same year that they were admitted into the Southern League's Second Division. They were the second club from London to turn professional, following Arsenal F.C. (Royal Arsenal 1891). They adopted a red and white kit during the 1900/01 season. In 1902-03, they won promotion from this division, entering the Southern League First Division. The club's first recorded all-white club kit came in 1903, and ever since then the club has been playing in all-white shirts and black shorts, with socks going through various evolutions of black and/or white, but are now normally white-only.

Possibly the single most influential character in Fulham's history was Johnny Haynes (1934-2005). 'Mr. Fulham' or 'The Maestro', as Haynes later came to be known, signed for The Cottagers as a schoolboy in 1950, making his first team debut on Boxing Day 1952 against Southampton at Craven Cottage. Haynes played for another eighteen years, notching up 657 appearances (along with many other club records too), his last appearance for Fulham coming on 17th January 1970. He is often considered as the greatest player in Fulham’s history, and he never played for another team in Britain. He gained 56 caps for England (22 as captain), with many being earned while playing for Fulham in the Second Division. Haynes was injured in a car accident in Blackpool in 1962, but by his own admissions never regained the fitness or form to play for England again, missing out on England's victory in the 1966 World Cup for which he would have stood a chance of being selected. The Stevenage Road Stand was renamed in his honour after his death in a car crash in 2005.

Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed (1929-2023) bought the freehold of the club for £6.25 million in summer 1997. The club was purchased via Bill Muddyman's Muddyman Group. Manager Micky Adams was fired by Al-Fayed in the aftermath of a poor start. He installed a two-tier management "dream team" of Ray Wilkins (1956-2018) as First Team Manager and Kevin Keegan as Chief Operating Officer, pledging that the club would reach the Premier League within five years. After an argument over team selection, Wilkins left the club in May 1998 to hand over the full managerial duties to Keegan, who steered the club to promotion the next season, winning 101 points out of a possible 138.

In 1999, Keegan left Fulham to become manager of the England team, and Paul Bracewell was put in charge. Bracewell was sacked in March 2000, as Fulham's promising early season form dwindled away to a mid-table finish. Frenchman Amadou Jean Tigana was put in charge and, having signed a number of young stars, he guided Fulham to their third promotion in five seasons in the 2000/01 season, giving Fulham top-flight status for the first time since 1968. Fulham once again amassed 101 points out of a possible 138 in their scintillating title run, which was crowned with an open-top bus parade down Fulham Palace Road. They are the only team to have twice reached 100 points in a season.

During his ownership of Fulham, Al-Fayed had provided Fulham F.C. with £187 million in interest free loans. In March 2011, after Fulham posted annual losses of £16.9 million, Al-Fayed stated that he would continue to make "funds available to achieve our goals both on and off the pitch" and that the "continued success of Fulham and its eventual financial self-sustainability is my priority." As of January 2013, Fulham were effectively debt free as Al-Fayed converted the loans into equity in the club. Fulham Football Club is now owned by Pakistani-American billionaire Shahid Khan. Khan completed his purchase of the club from Al-Fayed on 12th July 2013 for a reported £150-200 million.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Ski Race

The first game - ‘Ski Race’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured two competitors (one male and one female) from each team equipped with a large pair of skis on which they were standing. Laid out on the ground at regular intervals along the 50ft (15.24m) course in front of them was a line of ten balloons. On the whistle, the competitors had to work together and walk down the course bursting the balloons with the base of the skis as they went along. After the tenth balloon had been burst, they then had to race to the finishing line. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

From the outset of this very straightforward game, the Celebrities team, represented by equestrians Richard Meade and Ann Moore took full control and finished the game in exactly one minute. Although the Lord’s Taverners, represented by comedian George Layton and singer Anita Harris, burst all ten balloons, they failed to cross the finish line within the permitted time.

Marathon, Round 1 - Waiters' Slide

The next game - ‘Waiters’ Slide’ - was the Marathon which was played alternately over 1 minute 30 seconds duration by each team on three occasions. It featured a large humped descending slide and six competitors (four males and two females) from each team equipped with trays. On the whistle, the competitors had to descend the slide on a coir doormat whilst transporting three glasses of beer on the tray. Any glasses on the tray at the base of the slide then had to be placed onto a large table. Glasses could not be held in place whilst descending. The team collecting the greater number of glasses would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of the Celebrities team, which included actor Linda Cunningham and Leicester City footballer (at time of recording) Frank Worthington, and they collected a total of 23 glasses from a possible thirty-six transported within the twelve essays made.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Celebrities (23)

Game 2 - Chef's Race

The second game - ‘Chef's Race’ - was played individually over two minutes duration and featured two male competitors from each team and a course comprised of three giant inflated rings suspended from scaffolds. On the whistle, the first competitor had to collect a trifle made from crazy-foam on a plate and transport it down the 30ft course (9.14m) whilst traversing through the rings. At the end of the course, the plate then had to be placed on a table. The team collecting the greater number of plates would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw the participation of the Lord’s Taverners team, represented by comedy actor Graeme Garden and music-hall comic Cardew Robinson, and they collected a total of plates within the permitted time (although two had not been collected in the correct manner, but were counted as this contest was purely staged for charitable purposes).

The second heat featured the Celebrities team, represented by television presenter Raymond Baxter and long-jumper Alan Lerwill, and they collected a total of 10 plates in the correct manner.

Marathon, Round 2 - Waiters' Slide

The second round of the Marathon featured the Lord’s Taverners team, which included Miss England beauty pageant winner 1975 Vicki Harris and Northern Ireland born actor James Ellis, and they collected a total of 28 glasses from a possible thirty-nine transported within the thirteen essays made.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Lord's Taverners (28) 2nd Celebrities (23) ▼

Game 3 - Parcel Wagon

The third game - ‘Parcel Wagon’ - was played in unison over 2 minutes 30 seconds duration and witnessed actor Johnny Blythe presenting the Lord’s Taverners team’s Joker for play. The game featured three competitors (two males and one female) from each team, assisted by two male team-mates at either end of the course, armed with a porter’s trolley pivoted on an off-centre axle. On the whistle, the two males had to push the trolley down the 50ft (15.24m) course to collect a block of foam-rubber from the first male team-mate. They then had to place the block onto the trolley and the female had to lie on top of it. The trolley then had to be pushed back to the start to collect a second block of foam-rubber from the other male team-mate. The game then had to be repeated on three more occasions until five blocks of foam-rubber had been transported and the trolley pushed across the finish line. The team completing the game in the correct manner in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward game and saw equestrian Meriel Tufnell and actors Robin Askwith, David Barry, Frazer Hines and Bill Pertwee representing the Lord’s Taverners whilst equestrian Ann Moore, television presenter Michael Barrett, long-jumper Alan Lerwill and wrestlers Eddie Capelli and Mick McManus represented the Celebrities. From the outset, it was neck and neck but after the Lord’s Taverners team took control of the game on the fourth run, they never looked back. Despite a mishap by their rivals on the fourth run, their concentration was focused on victory and they completed the game in 1 minute 47 seconds followed by the Celebrities team in 1 minute 59 seconds.

Marathon, Round 3 - Waiters' Slide

The third round of the Marathon featured the Celebrities team for the second occasion, and they collected a further 28 glasses from a possible thirty-six transported within the twelve essays made, which increased their total score to 51.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Celebrities (51) ▲ 2nd Lord's Taverners (28) ▼

Game 4 - Trampoline Football

The fourth game - ‘Trampoline Football’ - was played individually over two minutes duration and witnessed television presenter Raymond Baxter presenting the Celebrities team’s Joker for play. The game featured two male competitors from each team and a trampoline located in front of an irregular-shaped goal, being higher vertically and narrower horizontally than that of a normal Football League goal. On the whistle, one of the male competitors had to kick footballs, which were being placed on the penalty spot by a female team-mate, towards the goal and score in the net. In opposition, on the trampoline, was a male team member who had to prevent the goals from being scored by bouncing up and down. A second opposition male could replace the first after one minute of elapsed time had passed. Goals would only be counted if the ball passed over the trampoline. Balls that passed under the trampoline would be discounted. The team scoring the greater number of goals within the permitted time would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this fast-paced but straightforward game saw the participation of the Celebrities team represented by footballer Frank Worthington and actor Sally Geeson, with actor Robin Nedwell and disc jockey Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart in opposition for the Lord’s Taverners. From a total of thirty-nine balls kicked, only 20 were scored in the correct manner.

The second heat featured the Lord’s Taverners team represented by the aforementioned Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart and George Layton being assisted by singer Anita Harris. In opposition for the Celebrities was retired Scottish-born Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson. From the outset, the Lord’s Taverners flaunted the rules by having both their competitors kicking footballs alternately. However, even with two players shooting, Wilson was able to keep the score down to just three goals from nineteen essays. After 50 seconds of elapsed time pandemonium struck when the whole Lord’s Taverners team (and some of Wilson's own Celebrities team, including Frank Worthington) came on and started firing shots at him simultaneously! Wilson gamely tried to stop them, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but let in another 19 balls as they rained in from all angles for well over a minute. On announcing the result, referee Arthur Ellis stated with a big smile that "the score - and we're playing it serious, of course - The Lord's Taverners 22, Celebrities 20". He had counted the lot, despite the Taverners' flagrant disregard of the rule book.

Marathon, Round 4 - Waiters' Slide

The fourth round of the Marathon featured the Lord’s Taverners team for the second occasion, and they collected a further 35 glasses from a possible forty-one transported within the fourteen essays made, which increased their total score to 63.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Lord's Taverners (63) ▲ 2nd Celebrities (51) ▼

Game 5 - Doll Throwing

The fifth game - ‘Doll Throwing’ - was played individually over two minutes duration and featured four male competitors from each team armed with a large canvas sheet and a rag doll named Ethel. On the whistle, the competitors had to travel down the 50ft (15.12m) course comprised of three large scaffolds with a 10ft (3.05m) high hurdle spanning each. As they approached each scaffold, they had to use the canvas to hurl the rag doll upwards and over the hurdle. They then had to pass under the hurdle and then catch the doll in the blanket on its descent. At the end of the course, they had to turn round and return to the start in the same manner. The team then had to repeat the game throughout. If the doll fell from the canvas after its descent, the team had to repeat that essay. The team making the greater number of catches would be declared the winners.

The first heat of this straightforward game saw television presenter Nicholas Parsons and actors Bob Grant, Gerald Harper and Ronald-Leigh-Hunt participating for the Lord’s Taverners. Despite just one error negotiating the first hurdle on the return journey, it appeared that they had cleared six hurdles and completed the game in 1 minute 15 seconds. However, referee Arthur Ellis declared their score as having cleared 7 hurdles. The reason for this anomaly was that some editing of the game (which could clearly be detected on the recording) had removed the final 45 seconds of the team’s participation and them negotiating the seventh hurdle.

The second heat featured wrestler Eddie Capelli, ex-cricketer Neil Durden-Smith, rugby player Christopher Ralston and sports commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme participating for the Celebrities. This heat was shown in full and despite some trouble negotiating the middle hurdle on the return journey and the first hurdle on the second outward journey, the team cleared 8 hurdles in total.

Marathon, Round 5 - Waiters' Slide

The fifth round of the Marathon featured the Celebrities team for the third and penultimate occasion, with a change of personnel from the first two rounds. Participating for the team were television presenters Michael Barrett, Raymond Baxter and Judith Chalmers, ex-cricketer Neil Durden-Smith, long-jumper Alan Lerwill, equestrians Richard Meade and Ann Moore, ex-goalkeeper Bob Wilson and sports commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme. At the end of permitted time, they had collected a further 17 glasses from a possible twenty-seven transported within the nine essays made, which increased their total score to 68.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Celebrities (68) ▲ 2nd Lord's Taverners (63) ▼

Game 6 - Cricket?

The sixth game - ‘Cricket?’ - was played individually and featured four male competitors from each team. One of the male competitors was standing behind a given line and attired as a cricket player equipped with a bat with an oversized blade. Located a short distance in front of him was a second competitor standing on a podium. The other two competitors were also standing on podia but located to one side of the playing area. On the whistle, the second male had to hurl a small rubber ball at the ‘cricketer’ who then had to hit the ball towards the other competitors. Without stepping off the podia, one of them then had to catch the ball. The game then had to be repeated throughout. The team catching the greater number of balls would be declared the winners.

The game was won by the Lord's Taverners and they were awarded the 2pts for the victory.

Marathon, Round 6 - Waiters' Slide

The sixth round of the Marathon featured the Lord’s Taverners team for the third and penultimate occasion, with a change of personnel from the first two rounds. Participating for the team were comedy actor Graeme Garden, actors Bob Grant, George Layton, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Robin Nedwell and Bill Pertwee, singer Anita Harris, television presenter Nicholas Parsons, music-hall comic Cardew Robinson and disc jockey Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart. At the end of permitted time, they had collected a further 10 glasses from a possible thirty transported within the ten essays made, which increased their total score to 73.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Lord's Taverners (73) ▲ 2nd Celebrities (68) ▼

Comments: A photograph from this round of the Marathon was featured on page 48 of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Game 7 - Football Dribble

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘Football Dribble’ - was played in unison over two minutes duration and featured a male competitor from each team standing on a giant pair of football boots with long poles protruding from the foot openings. On the whistle, the competitors had to raise and move each boot forward alternately in order to ‘kick’ a football down the straight 50ft (15.12m) course towards a small goal. The team scoring the first goal in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very simple and straightforward game which saw footballer Frank Worthington, participating for the Celebrities team, playing against actor George Layton, participating for the Lord’s Taverners team. Despite his profession, Worthington found the going tough whilst Layton played the game with the boots pointing in the reverse direction. This method appeared to do the trick and saw the Lord’s Taverners finish the game in 1 minute 44 seconds.

Marathon, Rounds 7 and 8 - Waiters' Slide

The seventh and penultimate round of the Marathon featured the Celebrities team for the fourth and final occasion, with actor Linda Cunningham and rugby player Christopher Ralston joining the list of team members from Round 5. It was all gloves off in this and the following round, with competitors transporting any number of glasses and using any method possible to do so. Opposing competitors were also encouraged to hinder those competing. At the end of permitted time, they had collected a further 41 glasses from the eleven essays made, which gave them an overall total of 109.

Running Marathon Standings: 1st Celebrities (109) ▲ 2nd Lord's Taverners (73) ▼

The eighth and final round of the Marathon featured the Lord’s Taverners team for the fourth and final occasion, with actors Robin Askwith and David Barry joining the list of team members from Round 6. At the end of permitted time, they had collected a further 23 glasses from the eleven essays made, which gave them an overall total of 96 and they finished in 2nd place on the game.

Final Marathon Standings: 1st Celebrities (109) 2nd Lord's Taverners (96)

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Lord's Taverners (3pts awarded / 13pts total) 2nd Celebrities (6pts / 12pts)

Comments: A photograph from the eighth round of the Marathon was featured on the front and back covers of the It’s A Knockout Annual 1977 published by World Distributors (Manchester) Limited in the autumn of 1976.

Game 8 - Balloon Burst

The eighth and final game - ‘Balloon Burst’ - was played in unison over 1 minute 30 seconds duration and featured a male competitor from each team sitting aloft a giant net filled with balloons. On the whistle, the competitor had to jump down inside the net and burst all the balloons. The team completing the game in the faster time would be declared the winners.

This was a very straightforward and quickly-executed game which saw wrestler Mick McManus participating for the Celebrities team and comedy actor Graeme Garden participating for the Lord’s Taverners team. It ended after Garden burst all his balloons in just 28 seconds with McManus completing the game in 1 minute 02 seconds.

Media Attention

This competition was sponsored by The Evening News, one of two London-based evening newspapers in print at the time of this event. It would later lose its identity when it was incorporated with its local rival The Evening Standard in 1980.

According to a local press report of the time in the Chelsea Gazette, the result at the end of the contest was "Lord's Taverners 10 - Sports Stars [sic] 13". The report went on to describe how members of the Lord's Taverners team then held referee Arthur Ellis ‘hostage’ whilst their colleagues changed the scores to show 13-13. The piece further revealed that as the competition was solely for charity, this score was allowed to stand, with the result being that both teams shared the trophy. However, it can clearly be seen that this information, for reasons unknown, had been completely fabricated or somehow miscommunicated. Perhaps they were told by a mischievous celebrity?

Additional Information

The It’s a Celebrity Knockout events were quite unique but nevertheless confusing. Very few team members wore coloured shirts to distinguish them from each other - except in 1976 and 1980. Despite this, some competitors seemed to have received the memo about team colours as Celebrities Sally Geeson and Frank Worthinton wore horizontally striped red and white T-shirts while Robin Nedwell and Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart of The Lord's Taverners wore similar shirts but in blue and white. In some cases in the celebrity, team members ‘swapped’ sides in the middle of games or deliberately sabotaged the endeavours of their opponents to hinder their progress, which in itself led to quite amusing situations. Even Arthur Ellis, normally a stickler for the rules, allowed them to bend considerably - and even break - in It's A Celebrity Knockout. As the shows were staged for charity, the merriment, humour and outright anarchy made for the perfect summer evening entertainment as familiar television faces let their hair down and showed their funny sides.

The following celebrities were scheduled to appear and were listed in the Souvenir Programme for this event, but did not actually feature: Kenneth Barrington (1930-1981), Frank Bough (1933-2020), Bernard Cribbins (1928-2022), Alf Gover (1908-2001), Brian Johnston (1912-1994), Malcolm McFee (1949-2001), Monty Modlyn (1921-1994), Robert Powell, John Snagge (1904-1996) and Kent Walton (1917-2003). Their replacements were: rugby players Eddie Capelli and Christopher Ralston (for the Celebrities), actors Robin Askwith, David Barry, Graeme Garden and Frazer Hines (for the Lord's Taverners), and other, non-celebrity, competitors.

Prior to the recording of the programme, spectators were warmed up from 4.00pm by the Sankofa Dance Troupe from Ghana, who presented authentic drumming and dance routines from different regions of the African country. The crowd were then treated to the recording of the programme itself from 5.00pm.

When this event was being recorded on Sunday 22nd June 1975, the intention was to transmit the programme on Bank Holiday Monday 25th August 1975, and this was the date stated in the official souvenir programme. However, a decision was later taken to bring the transmission forward by six weeks, meaning that the programme aired on Friday 11th July 1975, exactly one week after the final Domestic Heat of the year.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

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