Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

European International Series

Entrants 1979: Belgium (B) • Switzerland (CH) • West Germany (D) • France (F)
Great Britain (GB) • Italy (I) • Portugal (P) • Yugoslavia (YU)

Presenters / Commentators of International Competitions:
Paule Herreman and Mike Verdrengh (B)
Ezio Guidi, Jan Hiermeyer, Georges Kleinmann, Max Rüeger (CH)
Hartmut Bruehl, Manfred Erdenberger, Heribert Faßbender,
Heinz-Günther Pianka and Karl-Heinz Wocke (D)
Simone Garnier, Guy Lux and Claude Savarit (F)
Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring (Heat 7 and International Final) (GB)
Milly Carlucci and Michele Gammino (I)
Eládio Clímaco, Fialho Gouveia and Maria Margarida (P)
Sandi Čolnik, Atanas Kostovski and Dragan Nikitović (YU)

International Referees:
Gennaro Olivieri
Guido Pancaldi

National Referees:
Arthur Ellis and Mike Swann (GB)

Production Credits:

National Games Designers: Stuart Furber (GB); National Producers: Cecil Korer (GB); National Directors: Geoff Wilson (GB)

Produced by the European Broadcasting Union and
RTBF-BRT (B), SSR-SRG-TSI (CH), ARD-WDR (D), 
A2F (F), BBC Manchester (GB), RAI (I), RTP (P), JRT (YU)

Key: International Heats ● = Qualified for International Final / ● = Heat Winner (Silver Trophy) International Final ● = Gold Trophy / ● = Silver Trophy / ● = Bronze Trophy Trophy   ▲ = Promoted to Position / ▼ = Demoted to Position DST = Daylight Saving Time (ONLY Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy and Portugal observed DST)

CH

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 1

Event Staged: Tuesday 29th May 1979
Venue: Giuseppe Motta Piazza, Ascona, Switzerland

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
JRT (YU): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 7.55-9.35pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)

BRT (B): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
RTP (P): Tuesday 29th May 1979, 9.45-11.10pm
SRG (CH): Saturday 2nd June 1979, 3.00-4.55pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 2nd June 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 29th July 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 11th September 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 23rd September 1979, 1.50-3.05pm

Theme: The Circus

Teams: Tubize (B) v. Ascona (CH) v. Unterschleißheim (D) v. Digne-les-Bains (F) v.
Arun (GB) v. Ancona (I) v. Braga (P) v. Tetovo (YU)

Team Members included:
Ascona (CH) - Rachele Dell'avo, Rossano Dell'avo, Silvia Durizzo, Augusto Favero, Silvano Franchini, Fiorenzo Ghiggi, Andrea Gyöngy, Roberta Storelli;
Arun (GB) - Nicholas Bainbridge, Jan Barnes, Martin Eley, Mike Fairs, Sally Groom, Penny MacDougall, Geoff Tidyman, Jeremy Tribe, Nigel Waugh

Games: The Lion’s Birthday Cake, The Suitcases and the Plates, The Seals, Horses and Chimps, Sawing the Girl in Half, Hercules the Strongman, The Fat Ladies and Girls' Balancing Act;
Fil Rouge: The Elephants.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
5th
7th
8th

 CH • Ascona ● ●
 GB • Arun
 I • Ancona
 P • Braga ●
 D • Unterschleißheim
 YU • Tetovo
 B • Tubize
 F • Digne-les-Bains

45
44
40
38
34
34
27
26

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Referees Gennaro Olivieri and Guido Pancaldi entered the area atop an Indian elephant, and they both seemed very uneasy as their seats swayed from side to side!

Additional Information

From this programme on, only teams finishing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in their Joker game received bonus points - six for 1st, four for 2nd, two for 3rd. Also, the addition of an eighth team to the competition (Portugal) meant that to keep the programme to a reasonable length, each Fil Rouge would be competed by two teams at once, rather than, as before, by one team at a time.

The timings of Yugoslavian transmissions by JRT between 1978 and 1982 are local time. Unlike the rest of Europe, Yugoslavia did not introduce Daylight Savings time adjustments until 1983. This meant that when a live transmission started, it was 8.05pm Central European Time but 7.05pm in Yugoslavia.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

F

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 2

Event Staged: Wednesday 13th June 1979
Venue: Old Grand Prix Track, Saint-Gaudens, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
JRT (YU): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 7.55-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)

BRT (B): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)

RTP (P): Wednesday 13th June 1979, 10.00-11.30pm

WDR 1 (D): Saturday 16th June 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 5th August 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 18th September 1979, 7.20-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 30th September 1979, 1.50-3.05pm

Theme: Tin Soldiers

Teams: Beringen (B) v. Romont (CH) v. Mering (D) v. Saint-Gaudens (F) v.
Henley-on-Thames (GB) v. Aosta (I) v. Aveiro (P) v. Zrenjanin (YU)

Team Members included:
Henley-on-Thames (GB) - Colin Phillips (Team Captain), Jane Curtis, Liz Davidson (Reserve), Malcolm Eggleton, Ian George, Kevin Green, John Jones, Sîan Jones, Peter Lilley, Sue Lyons, Chris Long, Nick Newbury, Roger Porter (Reserve), Glynis Pruckner, Moyra Stevenson, Richard Sweetman, Jim Thatcher (Reserve), John Thatcher, Richard Thatcher;
Aosta (I) - Franco Alberti, Sergio Ascenzi, Liana Barin, Nicola Bocache, Ezio Cottino, Marina Cuccarolo, Ines Dayné, Paola Ferrazin, Renato Franchini, Carlo Gobbo, Sandra Girri, Piero Marchiando, Stefano Mosca, Daniela Neyroz, Tiziana Pinzoni, Roberto Riva, Roberto Spinella, Olivia Verduci;
Zrenjanin (YU) - Vojislav Tabački (Team Captain), Miloš Popovim (Team Coach), Borislav Cvejić, Ljiljana Dejanović, Milan Delić, Mile Dragić, Verica Đurić, Snežana Knežević, Vesna Konstantinov, Branislav Kostić, Branislav Lalić, Đuro Lukić, Branko Maljković, Darko Nišavić, Lidija Pakai, Iboja Šereš, Đerđ Štefković, Vesna Stojanović, Nenad Šukić, Stevan Tot, Mirko Vasiljević and Ljubica Žarković.

Games: Cannonballs, Food for Prisoners, Drinks Over the Pool, The Ice Flows, Jumping the Gap, The Generals, Hitting the Soldiers and Escaping from Soldiers;
Fil Rouge: The Platoon of Soldiers.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
5th
7th
8th

 YU • Zrenjanin ● ●
 I • Aosta
 D • Mering
 B • Beringen
 CH • Romont
 GB • Henley-on-Thames
 P • Aveiro
 F • Saint-Gaudens

53
47
45
38
33
33
28
21

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

YU

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 3

Event Staged: Wednesday 27th June 1979
Venue: Shore of Lake Durdap, Donji Milanovac, Yugoslavia

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)

JRT (YU): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)

RTP (P): Wednesday 27th June 1979, 10.00-11.30pm

WDR 1 (D): Saturday 30th June 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 12th August 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 25th September 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 7th October 1979, 1.50-3.05pm

Theme: Hunting

Teams: Theux (B) v. Weggis (CH) v. Starnberg (D) v.
Saint-Chamond (F) v. North Walsham (GB) v.
Castel San Pietro Terme (I) v. Horta (Faial) (P) v. Donji Milanovac (YU)

Team Members included:
Starnberg (D) - Axel Klemm, Marion Mooseder, Heribert Thallmair and Winfried Wobbe;
North Walsham (GB) - Dick Stannard (Team Captain), K. Michael Harre (Non-playing Co-Team Captain), Henry Batchelor, Judy Beck, Martin Bridgland, Paul ‘Grisley’ Brown, Jayne Drake, Malcolm Ellis, Elaine Field, Ivor Field, Mark Finch, Keith Frazer, Geoff Guttridge, Dave Hannah, Margaret Hannant, Jeremy Holmes, Sally Monsey, Glenda Neale, Sheilah Olley, Michael (Anthony) Perry, Ashley Sampson, Roderick Smith, David Wrightson, Elizabeth Wrightson.

Games: Making Stew, On Safari, Mammoths and Pterodactyls, Bears and Honey, Rabbits and Wolves, Foxes and Chickens, Butterflies and Nectar and Stuffing the Wolf;
Fil Rouge: Firing the Rifle.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 YU • Donji Milanovac ●
 CH • Weggis
 GB • North Walsham
 B • Theux
 D • Starnberg
 P • Horta (Faial)
 F • Saint-Chamond
 I • Castel San Pietro Terme

48
43
35
34
32
29
28
23

Additional Information

The Yugoslavian broadcasting company, JRT, went to great lengths to make this a memorable heat. Using brightly coloured and often lifelike costumes, the games were based on hunting. The final game ‘Stuffing the Wolf’ involved each of the teams having to stuff a wolf costume with enough stuffing so that it would stand up on its own, unassisted. However, the strangest game (theme-wise) of the night was the first game, which had nothing to do with hunting in the real sense. It involved the teams making stew from a list of ingredients that had to be collected and put in a cooking pot.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

I

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 4

Event Staged: Wednesday 11th July 1979
Venue: Isola dell’Unione, Chioggia, Italy

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
JRT (YU): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 8.00-9.30pm (Live)
SSR (CH): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)

SRG (CH): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 9.10-10.30pm
RTP (P): Wednesday 11th July 1979, 10.00-11.40pm

WDR 1 (D): Saturday 14th July 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 19th August 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 2nd October 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 14th October 1979, 2.05-3.20pm

Theme: Spectacular in a Garden

Teams: Izegem (B) v. Monthey (CH) v. Troyes (F) v. Aurich (D) v.
Dudley (GB) v. Chioggia (I) v. Évora (P) v. Bar (YU)

Team Members included:
Dudley (GB) - Steven Davies, Paul Dodge, Bob Dunphy, Kelvin Hughes, Ray Keighley, Colin Leaper, Roy Muller, Vivienne Taylor (Women's Team Captain), Michelle Welch, Linda Wiltshire;
Chioggia (I) - Elisabetta Bin, Vanni Bertotto, Sergio Bertoli, Luisa Boscolo, Ezio Collalti, Gabriella Frizziero, Manuel Luyse, Fabio Mantovani, Walter Meneghini, Alvar Naccari, Federica Mongiardini, Alberta Pagan, Giovanna Pasetti, Carla Perselli, Gianni Pescara, Roberto Schiavon, Sergio Scudallero.

Games: Planting the Bulbs, Flowers in Vases, Flowerpots, The Sun, Collecting Pollen, Bees and Nectar, Dogs and Bones and Fountains and Tulips;
Fil Rouge: Worms in Apples;
Jokers: Giant Flowers.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
4th
6th
7th
8th

 I • Chioggia ● ●
 GB • Dudley
 F • Troyes
 B • Izegem
 D  • Aurich
 CH • Monthey
 P • Évora
 YU • Bar

46
44
43
38
38
29
26
23

Additional Information

Dudley went first on the Fil Rouge, which involved getting worms out of apples, but due to a problem, they were judged out of time. After protests from the team’s coach to referee Gennaro Olivieri, the team were given a second attempt, but they had to wait until all the other teams had played. Dudley eventually managed to get 4th place on the Fil Rouge.

A large area of Montenegro (then a part of Yugoslavia) including the town of Bar suffered a devastating earthquake on April 15th 1979. The quake caused widespread damage and left over a hundred people dead. The recovery process was long and arduous, but the town still sent a team to Jeux Sans Frontières as arranged. At the presentation of the teams at the start of the programme, each team captain offered the Yugoslavian team captain a pot plant. These were intended for the botanical gardens which had been destroyed in the disaster.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

B

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 5

Event Staged: Wednesday 25th July 1979
Venue: Parc de l’Atomium, Heysel / Heizel, Bruxelles/Brussel, Belgium

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)

SRG (CH): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 9.10-10.30pm
RTP (P): Wednesday 25th July 1979, 9.25-11.30pm

WDR 1 (D): Saturday 28th July 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 26th August 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 9th October 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 21st October 1979, 2.05-3.20pm

Theme: Brussels of the Past and Present

Teams: Bruxelles/Brussel (B) v. Zürich (CH) v. Neumünster (D) v. Paris (F) v.
Kingston-upon-Thames (GB) v. Roma (I) v. Lisboa (P) v. Beograd (YU)

Team Members included:
Kingston-upon-Thames (GB) - Malcolm Chamberlain, Barry Clarke, Oliver Day, Alison Hurd, Brian Kane, Carole Rice, Steve Sands, Andy Stewart, Paul Whiting, Anne Wilkinson and David Wright.

Games: Belgian Trams, The Mannekin-Pis, Marionettes, Making Lace, Collecting Chips, Policemen, Waffles and Cherries, and Brussels - Heart of Europe;
Fil Rouge: The Atomium;
Jokers: The Atomium

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 YU • Beograd ●
 CH • Zürich
 F • Paris
 D • Neumünster
 B • Bruxelles/Brussel
 I • Roma
 GB • Kingston-upon-Thames
 P • Lisboa

51
46
40
38
35
30
27
26

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

The Belgian broadcaster, RTBF, had situated a cameraman high up in the uppermost ‘globe’ of the Atomium, looking down over the arena. The camera had been sited on a specially built platform OUTSIDE the globe with cameraman as well. A brave fellow in anyone’s book!

Additional Information

The Belgian broadcaster RTBF had requested that all countries send teams from their capital cities for this International heat in Brussels. All countries obliged except for the Swiss broadcaster SRG, which sent their second largest city Zürich, and the West German broadcasters ARD-WDR also declined as they had already stated that their International Heat would be held at Bonn, and the home team would be competing there. Therefore the team of Neumünster (which had also been one of the qualifiers from their Domestic series Spiel Ohne Grenzen) represented West Germany in Brussels instead.

The games in this heat were all based on Brussels through the years, and anyone who has visited the city, or Belgium itself would have quickly associated the games with it. Games in this heat included ‘Belgian Trams’ (which actually ran on real tramlines seconded from the public transport company), ‘The Mannekin-Pis’ (the statue of a little boy sited near Grote Markt, which is seen to be ‘urinating’ all day long), ‘Belgian Marionettes’ and ‘Collecting Chips’ (in which the teams had to collect long chips in conical-shaped cups). One of the other games, ‘Waffles and Cherries’, involved one male team member standing on a podium holding a very heavy 12ft spatula on which was placed a huge waffle. As he held the spatula, he had to turn his body 180 degrees, and swing the spatula to a girl team mate who then placed a large ‘cherry’ on one of the waffle’s compartments. He then had to swing the waffle back to another girl team mate, who then removed the ‘cherry’. This was repeated until end of the game. However, many of the teams were unable to sustain the weight of the spatula and made only a couple of swings, but Italian team, Roma, made the game look easy and were swinging the spatula until the whistle. Not surprisingly, the Belgian team did not play this game!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

D

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 6

Event Staged: Wednesday 8th August 1979
Venue: Sportplatz, Gronau, Bonn, West Germany

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
RTP (P): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live - DST)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)

BRT (B): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 9.05-10.25pm

RAI Due (I): Wednesday 8th August 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 11th August 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 2nd September 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 16th October 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 28th October 1979, 2.05-3.20pm

Theme: The Open Air Festival

Teams: Mouscron (B) v. Trélex (CH) v. Bonn (D) v. Mandelieu-La-Napoule (F) v.
Douglas (GB) v. Merano Meran (I) v. Funchal (Madeira) (P) v. Karlovac (YU)

Team Members included:
Douglas (GB) - Dave Anderson, Derek Christian, William Christian, Irene Collette, Caroline Cumbrey, Ian Forrest, Brian Kane, David Kane, Tina Kelly, Brian Lees, Karen Lees, Pip Penrode, Peter Quayle, Sheila Quayle, Frank Towning, Chris Wossley.

Games: Collecting Glasses, Swinging Chandeliers, Chefs and Vegetables, The Dancing Couples, Clowns, Clocks and Wardrobes, The Cold Buffet and Musical Chairs;

Fil Rouge: The Band.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 D • Bonn ● ●
 YU • Karlovac
 I • Merano Meran
 GB • Douglas
 F • Mandelieu-La-Napoule
 P • Funchal (Madeira)
 CH • Trélex
 B • Mouscron

47
43
42
40
36
32
28
20

Music Played During this Event

Game 1: 'Collecting Glasses' -
This World Today is a Mess (Donna Hightower)

Additional Information

Both the Italian team, Merano, and the Yugoslavian team of Karlovac were leading this heat before the final game, and the West German team, Bonn was in 3rd place. However, on the game itself, ‘Musical Chairs’, the Italians were eliminated first, quickly followed by the Yugoslavians. After this, the West German team had to last out for one more elimination round and outright victory was theirs. As it happened, the team lasted until the end and had to do battle with the British team from Douglas, Isle of Man in the final round - which was won by the Brits. This incidentally was the team’s third win on the night, but alas none of which was on the Joker.

See also Richard Farnham’s article on this heat in the ‘Features’ section of this website.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

GB

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 7

Event Staged: Tuesday 21st August 1979
Venue: Westminster Lodge Arena, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, Great Britain

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
JRT (YU): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 8.00-9.30pm
SSR (CH): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 8.05-9.30pm
TSI (CH): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 8.05-9.30pm
RTP (P): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 8.40-10.10pm

BRT (B): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 9.05-10.25pm
RTBF (B): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 9.05-10.20pm
SRG (CH): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 9.05-10.25pm
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 22nd August 1979, 9.05-10.30pm

WDR 1 (D): Saturday 25th August 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 9th September 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 23rd October 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 4th November 1979, 2.05-3.15pm

Theme: The Funfair

Teams: Lierde (B) v. Roveredo (CH) v. Bad Segeberg (D) v. Bar-le-Duc (F) v.
St. Albans (GB) v. Ragusa (Sicilia) (I) v. Albufeira (P) v. Banja-Luka (YU)

Team Members included:
Bar-le-Duc (F) - Michel Thomas (Team Captain), Vincent Simonet, Christian Ries, François Lombard, Marc Garnier, Thierry Dabrowski, Maurice Rejwerski, Guy Audry, Michel Adam, Michele Lemaire, Claudine Menard, Isabelle Petry, Anne Marie Meneguzzi, Christine Veillon;
St. Albans (GB) (Full Squad) - Tony Smith (Team Captain), Sue Boardman, Steve Booty, Jonathan Cox, Steve Gates, Placid Gonzales, Caroline Livsey, Judith Mair, Steve Mizsei, Judi Nardi, Ian Norfield, John O'Kane, John Wilson, Melanie Wilson; Other Squad Members: Cathy Bodsworth, Yogi Bohknecht, Hilary Bridger, Patricia Bridges, Mick Dobner (Assistant Coach), Mark Edmunds, Ian Farrow, John Goulds, Geraldine Gray, Carole Kelsall, Kevin Pickering, Tony Russell, Andy Scott, Lloyd Simpson, Andrew Tominey, Bill Whittlesea, Lulu Whittlesea, Judith Young.

Games (Official Titles): The Waltzers, Ring the Bell, Bite the Apple, Skittles, The Coconut Shy, Hoop-la and Clowns, The Boxing Booth and The Dodgems;
Fil Rouge: The Carousel.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th

 F • Bar-le-Duc ● ●
 YU • Banja-Luka
 B • Lierde ●
 GB • St. Albans
 D • Bad Segeberg
 CH • Roveredo
 I • Ragusa (Sicilia)
 P • Albufeira

52
49
42
40
39
33
23
14

The Host Town

St Albans, Great Britain

Image © Alys Hayes, 2020

The Venue

Westminster Lodge Sports Arena

The Westminster Lodge Sports Arena venue for this heat in St Albans had been used as the location for one of the domestic heats in 1977. It was also used for the final (recorded) domestic heat, as well as for the British Championship, when Channel 5 resurrected the show in 1999.

Image © Sarah Jane Gray, 1979

Image © Sarah Jane Gray, 1979

The Rehearsals

In the dress rehearsal for this JSF heat, the British team from St. Albans played a blinder and trounced all the other teams, winning with 52 points. If they had repeated this in the actual event, they would have qualified for the International Final as the British team with the highest points total. Unfortunately, they could only manage 4th when it really mattered.

Returning Teams and Competitors

Tony Smith ran and captained the St. Albans side this year as he had in 1977, when he also ran the BBC Demo Team for the Jeux Sans Frontières event at Windsor. Tony also played for Stevenage in 1978 and assisted the Hertsmere and Welwyn Garden teams in, respectively, the 1980 and 1981 seasons. Tony's long association with the series was rekindled in 1999 when he was employed by Ronin Entertainment as Course Referee on the Channel 5 It's A Knockout in 1999 and 2000.

Looks Familiar?

The seventh game - 'The Boxing Booth' - was very similar to a game played in Round 2, Heat 2 of the 1970-1971 series of Zeskamp at Arnhem, Netherlands.

Additional Information

The performance of the British team of St. Albans should be seen in perspective. They were a very good team, packed with experience and athleticism, but they were up against a high standard of competition. At the end of this contest, they were beaten by the French team of Bar-le-Duc who went on to win the 1979 International Final by a wide margin. It is also worth noting that the Belgian team of Lierde, who placed 3rd in this heat, just above St. Albans, went on to repeat their Bronze Trophy performance in the Final.

The Belgian team of Lierde became the first representatives of Belgium to take its name from its local municipality, rather than from a single town. The team comprised members from the towns and villages of Deftinge, Hemelveerdegem, Sint-Maria-Lierde and Sint-Martens-Lierde.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

P

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

Heat 8

Event Staged: Wednesday 5th September 1979
Venue: The Bull Ring, Cascais, Portugal

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
RTP (P): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 8.05-9.45pm (Live - DST)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 9.05-10.20pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 9.05-10.25pm
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 5th September 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)

WDR 1 (D): Saturday 8th September 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 16th September 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 30th October 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 11th November 1979, 2.05-3.20pm

Theme: Bullfighting

Teams: Eupen (B) v. Rorschach (CH) v. Aichach (D) v. Rochefort-Samson (F) v.
Bury (GB) v. Eboli (I) v. Cascais-Estoril (P) v. Nova Gorica (YU)

Team Members included:
Bury (GB) - Tony Edwards (Team Captain), Sheila Antrobus, Dave Barber, Mark Barlow, Barbara Coley, Nigel Coley, John Denham, Carol Driver, Nadia Duda, Jack Edgar, Trevor Lewis, Richard Llewellyn, Janice Mitchell, Anne Monks, Nigel Rowley.

Games: Catching Roses, Stopping the Bull, Chasing Bulls, Knocking Down Singers, Bull Bursting Balloons, Collecting Ice-Cream, Photos from Admirers and Cow and Bull;
Fil Rouge: Instruments.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
2nd
4th
5th
6th
6th
8th

 GB • Bury ● ●
 CH • Rorschach
 F • Rochefort-Samson
 D • Aichach
 YU • Nova Gorica
 B • Eupen
 P • Cascais-Estoril
 I • Eboli

43
41
41
38
35
32
32
26

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

British commentator Stuart Hall made a blooper in this heat by stating that the French team from Rochefort-Samson - situated in the Rhône-Alpes region - were the smallest town ever to appear in Jeux Sans Frontières, having a population of just 700 people. He had clearly forgotten that he had mentioned in 1973 that the Swiss town of Châtillon had a population of just 350 people!

Additional Information

This edition of Jeux Sans Frontières was a historic production for Portuguese broadcaster RTP. When the RTP and Portuguese teams joined JSF in 1979, their national television service was still transmitting only black-and-white pictures. The European Broadcasting Union regarded this as unfortunate and pressed the RTP to produce the programme in colour, allowing other participating broadcasters to screen the programme in colour as normal. The RTP were eventually convinced of the wisdom of this suggestion, and therefore, the Cascais JSF was the first television programme in Portugal to be made in colour and transmitted over the Eurovision Network. However, local Portuguese viewers were none the wiser and could only watch in monochrome. The RTP's colour transmissions eventually commenced on 10th March 1980, well in time for their 1980 Jeux Sans Frontières. Prior to the Cascais JSF, there had been experimental colour broadcasts in Portugal, starting with the 1976 elections, and it was possible to receive colour transmissions from Spain as far back as 1972.

This was a great night for British fans. After Game 4, Bury had just ten points, and were eighteen behind the leaders. By the end of the Fil Rouge, the Bury team had recovered to be within two points of the French team, who were leading going into the last game. The game involved a cow pushing a giant ball (painted in the guise of a bull), up a winding slope and dropping it into a slot. Bury did not start off well, and whilst all British eyes were on them, Portugal won the game, with Italy coming in 2nd. It looked bad for Bury because they had to win the event or come second to better Arun’s point score from Heat 1. That option was now gone. Bury dropped their ‘bull’ in 3rd place, but suddenly the realisation dawned that none of their closest rivals were doing well. Belgium came in 4th and Switzerland in 5th. Bury had won with a smaller points score and as the only British team to win a heat in 1979, they qualified for the International Final.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives
Exists in European archives

F

Jeux Sans Frontières 1979

International Final

Event Staged: Wednesday 19th September 1979
Venue: Parc du Sports de Louis XVIII, Bordeaux, France

European Transmissions (Local Timings):
SSR (CH): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 8.05-8.25pm (Live - incomplete) (*)
TSI (CH): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 8.05-9.30pm (Live)
RTP (P): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 8.05-9.40pm (Live - DST)
JRT (YU): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 8.05-9.25pm (Live)
BRT (B): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 9.05-10.25pm (Live - DST)
RTBF (B): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
RAI Due (I): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 9.05-10.30pm (Live - DST)
SRG (CH): Wednesday 19th September 1979, 9.15-10.35pm
WDR 1 (D): Saturday 22nd September 1979, 3.45-5.15pm
Antenne 2 (F): Sunday 23rd September 1979
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Tuesday 6th November 1979, 7.15-8.30pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 18th November 1979, 2.05-3.20pm

(*) Twenty minutes into the final, SSR switched to live coverage of the Switzerland Telecom International Fair 1979. Viewers wishing to see JSF were advised to tune instead to TSI.

Theme: The Festival of Animals

Teams: Lierde (B) v. Ascona (CH) v. Bonn (D) v. Bar-le-Duc (F) v.
Bury (GB) v. Chioggia (I) v. Braga (P) v. Zrenjanin (YU)

Team Members included:

Ascona (CH) - Rachele Dell'avo, Rossano Dell'avo, Silvia Durizzo, Augusto Favero, Silvano Franchini, Fiorenzo Ghiggi, Andrea Gyöngy, Roberta Storelli;
Bar-le-Duc (F) - Michel Thomas (Captain), Claudine Menard (Women's Team Captain), Michel Adam, Guy Aubry, Thierry Dabrowski, Marc Garnier, François Lombard, Maurice Rejwerski, Christian Ries, Vincent Simonet, Michele Lemaire, Anne Marie Meneguzzi, Isabelle Petry, Christine Veillon;
Bury (GB) - Tony Edwards (Team Captain), Sheila Antrobus, Dave Barber, Mark Barlow, Barbara Coley, Nigel Coley, John Denham, Carol Driver, Nadia Duda, Jack Edgar, Trevor Lewis, Richard Llewellyn, Janice Mitchell, Anne Monks, Nigel Rowley;
Chioggia (I) - Elisabetta Bin, Vanni Bertotto, Sergio Bertoli, Luisa Boscolo, Ezio Collalti, Gabriella Frizziero, Manuel Luyse, Fabio Mantovani, Walter Meneghini, Alvar Naccari, Federica Mongiardini, Alberta Pagan, Giovanna Pasetti, Carla Perselli, Gianni Pescara, Roberto Schiavon, Sergio Scudallero;
Zrenjanin (YU) - Vojislav Tabački (Team Captain), Miloš Popovim (Team Coach), Borislav Cvejić, Ljiljana Dejanović, Milan Delić, Mile Dragić, Verica Đurić, Snežana Knežević, Vesna Konstantinov, Branislav Kostić, Branislav Lalić, Đuro Lukić, Branko Maljković, Darko Nišavić, Lidija Pakai, Iboja Šereš, Đerđ Štefković, Vesna Stojanović, Nenad Šukić, Stevan Tot, Mirko Vasiljević and Ljubica Žarković.

Games: Lions and Thrones, Giant Pandas and Bells, Dogs and Footballs, Chickens and Eggs, Ostriches and Photos, Penguins and Dice, Cows and Tug-o-War and The Grand National Steeplechase;
Fil Rouge: Dogs and Water;
Jokers: Bottles of Red and White Bordeaux Wine.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
=6th
=6th
8th

 F • Bar-le-Duc ●
 YU • Zrenjanin ●
 B • Lierde ●
 CH • Ascona
 I • Chioggia
 D • Bonn
 GB • Bury
 P • Braga

50
43
40
37
33
30
30
27

Additional Information

For the first time since 1972, when French team of Anglet became the first to achieve it, the Portuguese team of Braga qualified for an International Final with a 4th placing in their heat. Sadly, there was no fairytale scenario here, as they finished rock bottom in the final.

Another colourfully costumed competition for 1979, this final was based around animals and their crazy antics. Games included ostriches posing for photographs (the ostriches being based on those from the 1978 International Final), penguins throwing dice (the penguins based on the 1974 Aix-les-Bains heat, but hardly worthy as a comparison), cows in a tug-o-war contest (a very hilarious game) and the showpiece game of the night ‘The Grand National Steeplechase’.

Before the introduction of the teams, six parachutists from the Bordeaux Flying Club, dropped into the arena one-by-one dressed as penguins, and when they lined up to the camera each one had a letter embossed on its chest which spelled out ‘FINALE’. Referees Gennaro Olivieri and Guido Pancaldi entered the arena with unfurled parachutes dragging behind them and safety helmets in their hands, giving the impression that they had also landed in the same way, but outside the arena.

As this year was the 15th anniversary of the programme, the podium used by French presenter Guy Lux for the introduction of the teams was designed with the words ‘XV année’ (‘15 years’) built into it. The two diagonals of the ‘V’ were used in the Fil Rouge as two cylinders for filling with water by the competing teams.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

JSFnetGB Series Guide pages researched by
Neil Storer and Alan Hayes
with Ischa Bijl, Julien Dessy, Sébastien Dias, David Hamilton, Denis Kirsanov, Paul Leaver, Philippe Minet,
Christos Moustakas, David Laich Ruiz, Marko Voštan and JSFnet Websites