It's A Knockout 1980
British Domestic Series

Presenters:
Stuart Hall
Mary Peters (Heat 4)
Eddie Waring (Heats 1-3, 5-7 and Championship Knockout)

Referees:
Christopher Coldrey (Championship Knockout)
Arthur Ellis
Terry Harland (Championship Knockout)
Gennaro Olivieri (Championship Knockout)
Paul Ridyard (Championship Knockout)
Mike Swann

Scoregirls:
Tracy Dodds
Jean Kelly
Roz Tranfield

Production Credits:

Stage Managers: Normon Langley, Chris Miles, Mike Milone, Helen Wienholt; Senior Cameramen: Gordon Addison, Dave Hodge, Brian Littler; Vision Supervisor: James Buddle, Peter Jones; Videotape Editor: Ken Pimenta; Engineering Manager: George Campbell, Geoff Lomas; Sound: John Drake; Production Team: George R. Clarke, Tony Williams, Alan Wright; Designer and Games Deviser: Stuart Furber; Producer's Assistants: Iris Davies, Paula Reynolds, Maggie Youdan; Executive Producer: Barney Colehan; Producer: Geoff Wilson; Director: Tony Harrison

A BBC Manchester Production

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

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 1

Event Staged: Monday 7th April 1980 (Easter Monday)
Venue: The Market Square, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Scotland/Wales): Friday 9th May 1980, 7.00-7.50pm
BBC1 Scotland (GB/SC): Friday 9th May 1980, 9.25-10.15pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 25th May 1980, 2.30-3.20pm

Teams: Newark v. Ashfield v. Rushcliffe

Team Members included:
Newark - John Emrys-Jones, Lorraine Joyce, Janet Leeson, Tom Pykit;
Ashfield - John Best, Rita Marsden, Keith Old, Gary Walker;
Rushcliffe - Brian Hughes (Team Coach), Chris Perry (Team Captain), Wendy Henson (Assistant Team Captain), Chris Bukarzer, Danny Gayle, Brian Harney, David Hogg, Penny Howsen, Linda North, John Pepper, Christine Prokaza, Ian Reaston, Neil Reaston, Andy Rees, Josephine Ryan, Peter Trow, Geoff Wallace, Sarah Wreghitt.

Games: Drunkards, Collecting Ale, Trolley Balance, Water Carriers, Disc Stretch, The Hungry Dogs, Seesaw Bridge, The Stepped Dirigible and The Human Pyramid (Tie-break game);
Marathon: Roping the Incline.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 R • Rushcliffe ● ●
 N • Newark
 A • Ashfield

23*
23
22

* Result decided by tie-break game - 'The Human Pyramid'. No points were awarded.

Rushcliffe qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Antibes, France:
staged on Wednesday 21st May 1980

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Eddie Waring was a little hoarse at this heat, suffering from a severe throat infection. Stuart Hall referred to him as sounding like ‘Old Mother Riley’!

On the evening of Friday 9th May 1980, Tracy Dodds was introduced as one of three new It's A Knockout scoregirls at 7.00pm on BBC1 and then could be seen on rival channel ITV from 8.00pm taking part in the Miss Great Britain beauty contest. Manchester born Tracy had previously won the Miss New Brighton title in 1977, aged just 16. Although she was unsuccessful in the 1980 competition, she returned two years later and was crowned Miss Great Britain 1982. Sadly, her reign lasted just three days, as she was controversially stripped of the title when it was discovered that Tracy had posed for topless photographs just prior to the competition. The title was awarded instead to Vivienne Farnen.

Additional Information

Rushcliffe Council applied to be involved in It's A Knockout in December 1977 and were on the BBC's waiting list for eighteen months before being informed in May 1979 that they had been selected to compete in the first Domestic Heat of 1980.

With the match drawn between the two teams, Newark and Rushcliffe had to play a reserve game tie-breaker to decide the result. In this instance, the tie-break task was to build a human pyramid. Rushcliffe completed their structure in just 13 seconds and were declared the heat winners.

In the week leading up to the transmission of this heat, the BBC TV listings magazine Radio Times ran an article entitled Newark! Newark! to publicise the start of the new series. What is interesting is that journalist Willis Hall appears have been led to believe that the prize on offer from this first 1980 Domestic Heat was a trip for the winners to Jeux Sans Frontières at Arbois, France, near the Swiss Border. The International Heat in question was held in Antibes, France and the Newark Domestic Heat was staged a month prior to transmission, and Antibes is clearly shown on the scoreboard as the planned venue. We can only assume that this was an error on the part of Radio Times, possibly generated by an error in a press release from the It's A Knockout production office. There is of course the possibility that Arbois was at one point under consideration as the French town to host the opening International Heat of 1980 and that Antibes was second in line.

Ashfield, Newark and Rushcliffe were created under the Local Government Act 1972. Ashfield includes the towns of Hucknall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield. Newark (known as Newark and Sherwood since 1996) includes the towns of Balderton and Newark-on-Trent. Rushcliffe includes the towns of East Bridgford, West Bridgford and Radcliffe-on-Trent.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 2

Event Staged: Sunday 13th April 1980
Venue: Bodlondeb Park, Conwy, Gwynedd, Wales

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Scotland/Wales): Friday 16th May 1980, 7.00-7.50pm
BBC1 Scotland (GB/SC): Friday 16th May 1980, 10.15-11.05pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 1st June 1980, 2.40-3.30pm

Teams: Aberconwy v. Delyn v. Rhuddlan

Team Members included:
Rhuddlan - Peter Roberts.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

1st
2nd
3rd

 R • Rhuddlan ● ●
 D • Delyn
 A • Aberconwy

27
22
20

Rhuddlan qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Vilamoura, Portugal:
staged on Tuesday 27th May 1980

Additional Information

Aberconwy, Delyn and Rhuddlan were all created under the Local Government Act 1972. Aberconwy included the towns of Betws-y-Coed, Llandudno and Penmaenmawr. Delyn included the towns of Flint, Holywell and Mold. Rhuddlan included the towns of Prestatyn, Rhyl and St. Asaph. All three local authorities were abolished in 1996.

The 2" master tape of this programme was donated by the BBC to the BFI National Film Archive prior to 1985 as part of a large collection of examples of BBC programming. Unfortunately, the collection has subsequently been lost, mislaid or destroyed by the BFI, and therefore no broadcast standard recording of this programme is thought to exist. As yet no home recordings of this It's A Knockout heat have come to light.

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

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 3

Event Staged: Sunday 27th April 1980
Venue: Wicksteed Leisure Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 23rd May 1980, 7.00-7.50pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 8th June 1980, 3.30-4.20pm

Teams: Kettering v. Corby v. Watford

Team Members included:
Kettering - Kim Davis (Team Captain), Kate Blissett, Jeanette Butterfield, Roger Davies, Ian Dunns, Alan Fosbrook, Rowley Furness, Clive Hawkins, Peter Norton, Janet Smith, Jane Tight, Susan Wager, Chris Wilds;
Corby - Jim Kelly (Team Captain), Lynn Campbell, Morris Carroll, David Crooks, John James, Charles LaVene, Mikhail Lubonicz, John Murray;
Watford - Roy Brown (Team Captain), Julia Barnard, Derek Barnett, Eddie Braley, Martin Chant, Julia Collins, Ann Fusey, Jacqueline Howard, Gary Hunt, Derek Moore, Steve Osman, Diana Reed, Eddie Rooley, Kim Santer, John Williams, Robert Williams, Andrew Wood.

Games: Rolling Board, Dice Roll, Threading the Needles, Stilted Boots, Water Carousel, Musical Dogs, Pool Swing and The Stepped Dirigible;
Marathon: Inclined Basketball.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 K • Kettering ● ●
 W • Watford
 C • Corby

24
23
18

Kettering qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Portorož, Yugoslavia:
staged on Tuesday 10th June 1980

The Venue

Kettering, Northamptonshire

The venue for this heat - Wicksteed Park - was Europe’s first and largest free Leisure park in the Common Market (European Union) at the time of recording. Covering over 160 acres, it was bequeathed to the people of Kettering by the Wicksteed family in 1916.

Team Selection and Training

Team captain Jim Kelly, a fitness instructor, was asked by Corby Council to train the town's representatives for this It's A Knockout Domestic Heat. Marking the fortieth anniversary of the contest in April 2020, Jim, then 76, spoke to the Northamptonshire Telegraph: "I was asked to put a team together because I held keep fit classes at Lodge Park Sports Centre. We held a selection process and trials and trained for a good six months before the competition. I told them that they had to take it seriously because it was important for the town. We needed athletes to take part so they had to come to every session. We trained very hard. I had never been so fit in all my life." As part of the Corby team's preparations they entered various team competitions including an inter-town pub tug-o-war contest in which they won first prize, a barrel of beer.

Kettering team captain Kim Davis, then 66, also spoke to the Northamptonshire Telegraph in April 2020. He said: "We had about 300 people turn out in the Drill Hall for our first meeting. I was asked to put together a squad and train them. We had a very strong squad and the girls in particular were very strong.” Dubbed the 'Kettering Kestrels' by members of the team, their training sessions were held in the town's swimming pool.

The Rehearsals

The Corby team, which finished in a distant 3rd place in the event proper, had actually won the dress rehearsal quite impressively. John James, one of the Corby team recalled the event in 2020 when speaking to the Northamptonshire Telegraph: "The team were great... We should have won... In rehearsals we won just about everything, the team was superb. When we turned out for the actual game we did make a complaint [about] how much games had been altered, which would greatly affect our performance and it did seem as if the alterations made were aimed at Corby. We were told if you don't like it, leave."

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Rolling Board

The first game - ‘Rolling Board' - was played in unison by six members of each team and involved a board laid across five drums. With five team members atop the board and one alongside, directing, a male team member had to pull on a rope to transport the board up the course.  As the board cleared each drum, the competitor to the rear of the board had to pick it up and pass it along the line to the competitor at the front of the board, who had to lay it in the 'vehicle's path, so that it would run underneath. This had to be repeated until the board had been wheeled to the end of the course. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (3pts awarded / 3pts total) 2nd Watford (2pts / 2pts) 3rd Corby (1pt / 1pt)

Game 2 - Dice Roll

The second game - ‘Dice Roll’ - was played in unison by two of the three teams (with Watford missing the game) and featured four competitors (3 male and 1 female) from each team and a giant dice cube. The female competitor had to mount the dice and then manoeuvre herself so that she remained on top of it as it was rolled up the course by her male team-mates. The team crossing the finish line first would be declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (6pts awarded / Joker / 9pts total) 2nd Corby (2pts / 3pts) ▲ 3rd Watford (--- / 2pts) ▼

Comments: This game was one of at least two that were changed significantly after the Corby team had stormed the games during rehearsals. Speaking to the Northamptonshire Telegraph in April 2020, Corby team captain Jim Kelly commented: "They had two sets of kit. In the dice game we had a local gymnast who had to stand on these huge over-sized dice and she could do that a treat, so they changed her dice for a different set. It taught me a huge lesson. When I see something on the TV now I immediately think, 'Is that the same for everybody?'"

Marathon, Round 1 - Inclined Basketball

The next game - ‘Inclined Basketball' - was the Marathon which would be played over three rounds by two teams simultaneously, with each team competing twice. The first round saw the participation of Corby and Watford.

Game 3 - Threading the Needles

The third game - ‘Threading the Needles’ - was played in unison by two of the three teams (with Corby missing the game) and featured five competitors from each team, four of whom were seated in a fairground-style waltzer while the fifth had to run up the course with a rope which spun the waltzer, disorientating the team-mates seated within it. Once the runner had reached the far end of the course, the first of his team-mates, now dizzy, had to disembark, stand on a podium, and thread a giant needle through the first of a series of four raised targets on poles. As soon as the needle had been threaded through the first hole, the second team member then had to do the same, running out to the second podium and threading the needle through the next target. This process was repeated with the third and fourth team members. The team first reaching the final podium at the finish line while holding the needle would be declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (2pts awarded / 11pts total) 2nd Watford (3pts / 5pts) ▲ 3rd Corby (--- / 3pts) ▼

Game 4 - Stilted Boots

The fourth game - ‘Stilted Boots’ - witnessed Watford presenting their Joker for play. The game was played in unison by one male competitor from each team equipped with a pair of stilts that were planted in a pair of giant boots. On the whistle, the competitors had to proceed up the course on the stilts and burst ten balloons lined up along the course before reaching the finish line. The team completing the course in the faster time would be declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (1pt awarded / 12pts total) 2nd Watford (6pts / Joker / 11pts) 3rd Corby (2pts / 5pts)

Marathon, Round 2 - Inclined Basketball

The second and penultimate round of the Marathon featured Corby and Kettering.

Game 5 - Water Carousel

The fifth game - ‘Water Slide’ - was played individually by all three teams, with each round featuring two male competitors, tethered with elastic ropes at either side of a carousel, with two rival male team members in opposition. The idea of the game was for the first competitor to carry a bucket of water to the carousel, where he would meet his team-mate, carrying an empty bucket, and transfer water into it. This was rendered more difficult by the two opposing competitors, who had to pull on ropes attached to the base of the carousel which caused it to spin backwards and forwards. The second competitor then had to deposit whatever volume of water he had collected into a Perspex container. The team registering the higher level of water, as recorded by Arthur Ellis' famous dipstick, would be declared the winners.

The first round saw the participation of Kettering, with Corby in opposition.

The second and penultimate round featured Corby, with Watford in opposition.

The third and final round featured Watford, with Kettering in opposition.

Running Scores and Positions: =1st Kettering (2pts awarded / 14pts total) =1st Watford (3pts / 14pts) ▲ 3rd Corby (1pt / 6pts)

Game 6 - Musical Dogs

The sixth game - ‘Musical Dogs’ - was played in unison by all three teams and featured two male competitors from each team dressed in 'Gruff' dog costumes. The game was a simple one, based on musical chairs, with the six dogs walking around the outside of a circular course with chairs at its centre. When the music stopped, the Gruffs had to rush in and claim a seat. The last to do so would be eliminated and another round started, with one chair removed (other than in the first and second heat which both featured four chairs). The first dog eliminated would score 1pt, the second 2pts, up to the last remaining with 6pts. The team scoring the highest number of points based on their placings would be declared the winners.

In the first round, the first Watford dog was eliminated, scoring 1pt.

In the second round, the first Corby dog was eliminated, scoring 2pts.

In the third round, the second Watford dog was eliminated, scoring 3pts.

In the fourth and penultimate round, the first Kettering dog was eliminated, scoring 4pts.

In the fifth and final round, the second Corby dog was eliminated, scoring 5pts, leaving the second Kettering dog undefeated and scoring 6pts.

The final tally saw Kettering finish in 1st place (4pts + 6pts = 10pts), Corby in 2nd (2pts + 5pts = 7pts) and Watford in 3rd (1pt + 3pts = 4pts).

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (3pts awarded / 17pts total) 2nd Watford (1pt / 15pts) ▼ 3rd Corby (2pts / 8pts)

Game 7 - Pool Swing

The seventh and penultimate game - ‘Pool Swing’ - witnessed Corby presenting their Joker for play. The game was played individually by two of the three teams (with Kettering not taking part) and featured three competitors from each team (2 male, 1 female). The competitors had to cross a pool of water over which hung four weighted ropes by swinging from to the next. The team making the greater number of crossings would be declared the winners.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Watford (3pts awarded / 18pts total) ▲ 2nd Kettering (--- / 17pts) ▼ 3rd Corby (2pts / Joker / 12pts)

Comments: As with Game 2 - 'Dice Roll' - Corby team captain Jim Kelly was unhappy with alterations to the 'Pool Swing' game that were made after rehearsals, as he revealed to the Northamptonshire Telegraph in April 2020: "They changed the rules half way through the competition for us. Our chap had to swing on four ropes across a deep pool of water. In the practice he swung across like Tarzan so for the filming it looked too easy - they shortened our ropes which made it really hard."

Marathon, Round 3 - Inclined Basketball

The third and final round of the Marathon featured Kettering and Watford.

Running Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (6pts awarded / 23pts total) ▲ 2nd Watford (2pts / 20pts) ▼ 3rd Corby (4pts / 16pts)

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

Game 8 - The Stepped Dirigible

The eighth and final game - ‘The Stepped Dirigible’ - was a standard finale game in all 1980 heats of It's A Knockout and featured five competitors from each team, with one standing on a platform at the top of the 20ft (6.1m) stepped inflatable and the remainder at the starting line at ground level. On the whistle, the competitors at the top had to descend and then all five of each team's competitors had to climb to the top. A rope was provided to help them up the third of the three steps. The team delivering all five team members to the top of the dirigible in the fastest time would be declared the winners.

Final Scores and Positions: 1st Kettering (1pt awarded / 24pts total) 2nd Watford (3pts / 23pts) 3rd Corby (2pts / 18pts)

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Three forms of transport were used to bring the presenters, teams, scoregirls and referees into the arena. Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring arrived on The Mississippi Queen, a replica paddle-steamer used on the park’s lake, the teams arrived on a miniature railway which encircles the park, pulled by ‘Cheyenne’ again a replica of an original larger steam engine, and the scoregirls and referees arrived in a 1910 bakery van decked out in the livery of ‘Henry Barlow Family Steam Bakery’ which was celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Memories of It's A Knockout

Despite feeling that they could and should have won the event after his team's strong performance during rehearsals, Corby team captain Jim Kelly reflected on It's A Knockout in positive terms when speaking to the Northamptonshire Telegraph in 2020: "It was a very, very hard day. They hadn't organised proper breaks for food and drink for us because they were concentrating on the filming but Wicksteed Park did us proud. After the show we weren't heartbroken. We had had a really good time and had a really good party - but we locked the Kettering team out! After the competition, the Kettering captain thought it had been a good laugh. I felt that Watford were second to us and some years later I happened to work with the Watford captain who said he thought our team were amazing and we should have won."

Additional Information

The Watford manager made a team change on the Marathon which ultimately cost them the contest. This year, as had been previously, the Marathon was played three times with each team competing twice, and most teams kept the same team members throughout. However in this heat, the Watford team changed both team members in its second round and really struggled to achieve any score. With the scores at Watford 18, Kettering 17 and Corby 12 before the start of the final round, Kettering took command (just as it had on its first round) and scored the 6 pts, with Corby scoring 4 pts and Watford receiving just 2 pts. This meant that the Kettering team was in an unbeatable position leading the contest by 3 pts. However, Watford went on to win the last game and Kettering came third. This again goes to prove how much a small decision had on the outcome of contests!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 4

Event Staged: Saturday 3rd May 1980
Venue: Recreation Ground Tennis Courts, Portrush,
County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 30th May 1980, 7.00-7.50pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 15th June 1980, 3.35-4.35pm

Guest Presenter: Mary Peters, Olympic Gold Medallist athlete (Eddie Waring absent)

Teams: Coleraine v. North Down v. Strabane

Team Members included:
Coleraine - David Blair, Helen Charteris, Linda Elliott, Trevor Gillan, Nicola Henry, John Mallows, Gary Moran, Renee Stewart;
North Down - Barbara Herman, Lawrence Patterson, Russell Wether;
Strabane - Christopher Cook, Aileen Doherty, Deirdre Hoares, Gina Mays, ‘Milky’ McGowan, Adrian McLoughlin.

Games: Ski Trolleys, Sheriffs of Nottingham, Truck Push and Disc Stack, Stepping Stones, Raft Balance, Scootering Gruffs, Grappling Hooks and The Stepped Dirigible;
Marathon: The Revolving Pole.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 C • Coleraine ● ●
 S • Strabane
 N • North Down

28
22
20

Coleraine qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Fribourg, Switzerland:
staged on Wednesday 25th June 1980

The Rehearsals

The rehearsals, based on photographic evidence, ended with a lower score due to none of the teams winning their Joker game. The result was down to the wire: North Down 21, Coleraine 20, Strabane 19.

The Games in Detail

Game 7 - Grappling Hooks

The seventh game of this heat - 'Grappling Hooks' - involved two team members atop metal scaffolding, and the idea was to swing a grappling hook attached to a rope across the gap to another piece of scaffolding, so that it would hold in place whilst one of the team shimmied across. On reaching the other side, the team member had to catch the remaining rope from his colleague and secure it so that he could do the same. On his arrival, the rope was to be released and pulled across to them so that the next scaffolding could be attempted. Strabane went first and only got to the second scaffold. However, when Coleraine started, the team was just slipping the rope around a small vertical end piece of the upright of the scaffold. Stuart Hall announced that he thought that the rope had to be attached to the horizontal beam of the scaffolding (this obviously took more time to attach), and the team finished the course in record time. Before the announcement of the result, the Strabane team coach appealed to referee Arthur Ellis that Coleraine had clearly broken the rules of the game. However, the result was upheld and Arthur Ellis stated that, “There was no question about it, the team had used the equipment to the best of their advantage”.

Additional Information

This was the first time a domestic It’s A Knockout heat had been held on a Saturday since the Northern Ireland qualifiers in 1969. The original scheduled date of Sunday 4th May 1980 was rejected by the local council due to it being a Holy Day. The local council removed all fences and netting from the tennis courts to allow the public seating to be erected and for the filming to take place.

North Down was created under the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Act 1973, and includes the towns of Bangor and Holywood.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 5

Event Staged: Sunday 11th May 1980
Venue: Castle Howard, Malton, North Yorkshire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 6th June 1980, 7.00-7.50pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 22nd June 1980, 2.40-3.30pm

Teams: Bridlington and North Wolds v. Ryedale v. Scarborough

Team Members included:
Bridlington and North Wolds - Nigel Butterworth, Mark Fenton, Brian Gallagher, Caroline Gallagher, Dawn Holdsworth, Jean Hyde, Adrian Thompson, Valerie Wilkinson, Walter Wilkinson;
Ryedale - Catherine Bonney, Stuart Dawson, Susan Dick, Paul Elliott, Gary Johnson, Richard Johnson, Penny Mittley, Brian ‘Wizzy’ Wood;
Scarborough - Carol Buckley, Ian Cherry, Lou Crichlow, David Fletcher, Tony Holden, Christopher Ledley, David Tessart, Brian Whittey.

Games: The Drunkards, Up and Under, Sand Trucks, Grand National Carousel, Gruffs Tag Match, Ball Strike, Balloon Burst (originally Game 5) and The Stepped Dirigible;
Marathon: The Hoop Ladder.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 B • Bridlington and North Wolds ● ●
 S • Scarborough
 R • Ryedale

24
23
19

Bridlington and North Wolds qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Martina Franca, Italy:
staged on Wednesday 9th July 1980

The Visiting Towns

North Wolds and Ryedale were both created under the Local Government Act 1972. North Wolds included the towns of Bridlington, Driffield and Pocklington, but was abolished in 1996. Ryedale includes the towns of Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Malton and Pickering.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Former 1978/79 It's A Knockout scoregirl Debra Windass made an appearance as a mermaid mascot of the Bridlington and North Wolds team. On winning their Joker game, she was immediately thrown into the fountain at Castle Howard. Debra had also been a member of the 1977 Beverley It’s A Knockout team, and also returned in 1981 as a scoregirl in Heat 2 of the Domestic Series! An impressive It’s A Knockout career.

Team Personnel

Bridlington and North Wolds team member Walter Wilkinson was famous back in 1964 by becoming the first athlete from the North of England to break the four-minute mile, which had been predominantly achieved by athletes from the South. He attained this feat at the Stretford racetrack in Manchester.

Additional Information

Although appearing as 'Bridlington' on screen, the team was representing the local area of North Wolds. The team’s T-shirts and tracksuits clearly displayed 'Bridlington & North Wolds', not only in this heat, but also when the team went to It’s a Championship Knockout and to Martina Franca in July.

Game 7 of this heat was actually Game 5 originally. The game involved three large 15ft high cylindrical nets full of balloons, and the idea of the game was that two blindfolded team members would enter the net from the top and burst all the balloons. However, on the afternoon of recording, the bottom of the Scarborough net came loose from its base and many of the balloons escaped onto the arena and could not be burst. As a re-run was not possible for the team straight away (more balloons were needed immediately), it was decided to re-run the game completely as soon as the net was fixed. However, the original start to this game was never broadcast, and this is the reason the games structure in this heat is different to the other six heats in the series.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 6

Event Staged: Sunday 18th May 1980
Venue: Leatherhead Leisure Centre, Leatherhead, Surrey, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 13th June 1980, 6.55-7.45pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 29th June 1980, 2.40-3.30pm

Teams: Bracknell v. Hertsmere v. Mole Valley

Team Members included:
Bracknell - Dennis Lansley (Team Captain), Michael Bond, Caroline Clarke, Terri Irvine and Martin Scarterfield;
Hertsmere - John Clews (Team Captain), Gail Allen, Tony Butcher, Jennifer Harwood, David Sanders, Helen Shearer, Christopher Warren, Dave Weston, Linda Whiteley;
Mole Valley - Caroline Day, Richard Escott, David Mitchell, Fiona Pankhurst, Richard Piggott and Stuart Trussler.

Games: Gruffs Collecting Bones, Rope Climb Over Pool, Cranked Boots Football, Landing on the Mountain, Oval Drum Roll, Slippery Slope, Wheelbarrow Carousel and The Stepped Dirigible;
Marathon: The Flour Tubes.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 B • Bracknell ● ●
 H • Hertsmere
 M • Mole Valley

24
22
21

Bracknell qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Diest, Belgium:
staged on Wednesday 27th August 1980

The Host Town

Mole Valley was created under the Local Government Act 1972. Mole Valley includes the towns of Dorking and Leatherhead.

The Visiting Towns

Although strictly a town in itself, the Bracknell team was actually representing its local district, which was created under the Local Government Act 1972. It included the towns of Bracknell, Crowthorne, Sandhurst and Winkfield. The local authority was renamed Bracknell Forest in 1996. Bracknell Forest would go on to participate in the revival series of It’s A Knockout in 1999.

Hertsmere was also created under the Local Government Act 1972. Hertsmere includes the towns of Borehamwood, Bushey, Elstree and Potters Bar.

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Stuart Hall, Eddie Waring, Arthur Ellis, Mike Swann and the three scoregirls all arrived in the arena in actor Oliver Reed’s £68,000 Panther Deville car.

Team Personnel

Bracknell team member Terri Irvine was goalkeeper for Aylesbury Town F.C. Ladies’ Team as well as for the England Team!

Additional Information

The first game involved the Gruffs in an elimination game. The idea of the game was for opposing team members to throw bones down the course, and then the Gruffs were to run down and pick up their respective numbered bones and come back to their podiums. But the rules stated that the bones had to be thrown within the limits of the course. Hertsmere which was Bracknell’s adversary, threw the bone out of the course limits on the first two runs, and the Bracknell team’s Gruff did not even have to compete, as its place in the next rounds of the game had already been secured!

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Knockout 1980

Heat 7

Event Staged: Sunday 1st June 1980
Venue: Cliff Park, Seaburn, Tyne and Wear, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB exc. Wales): Friday 20th June 1980, 7.00-7.50pm
BBC1 Wales (CYM): Sunday 6th July 1980, 2.40-3.30pm

Teams: Gateshead v. Newcastle-upon-Tyne v. Sunderland

Team Members included:
Gateshead - Jim Atkinson, David Aywin, Steve Barrett, Diane Bell, Angela Corbett, Ian Hornby, Terry Lewis, Dave Roberts, Debbie Ross, George Skidmore, Ian Westwood, Anne Wilson;
Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Fergus Donaldson, Kevin Ford, Phil Forsyth, Susan Gipson, Christine Hutchinson, Jane Vasey, John Waterlow;
Sunderland - Richard Pitts (Team Captain), Jean Applegar, Charlie Bentley, Tony Carlisle, Roy Davison, John Debraskey, Ross Edwards, Vivian Holmes, Adrian Kelth, Kevin Youdan.

Games: The Drunkards, Carousel Football, Hoop Swing, Raft Swing, Suction Cups, Gruffs and Beach Balls, Rocking Disc Balance and The Stepped Dirigible;
Marathon: The Monks Crossing.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd

 G • Gateshead ● ●
 S • Sunderland
 N • Newcastle-upon-Tyne

27
22
17

Gateshead qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Coburg, West Germany:
staged on Wednesday 3rd September 1980

Arun qualified as hosts of Jeux Sans Frontières at Arundel, Great Britain:
staged on Wednesday 23rd July 1980

Team Personnel

Sunderland’s team captain Richard Pitts was a member of Sunderland F.C.’s F.A. Cup winning side of 1973, and their team mascot was an 8-year old boy called Stuart Hall!

Additional Information

The opening introduction was made by members of Sunderland’s North Wings Parachute Team, who all landed on a cross in the arena.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB

It's A Championship Knockout 1980

Domestic Final

Event Staged: Sunday 15th June 1980
Venue: Arena North, Park Hall, Charnock Richard, Lancashire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Saturday 2nd August 1980, 7.00-8.15pm

Theme: Domestic Re-run

Teams: Arun v. Bracknell v. Bridlington and North Wolds v.
Coleraine v. Gateshead v. Kettering v. Rhuddlan v. Rushcliffe

Team Members included:
Arun - Martin Eley (Team Captain), Jan Barnes, Brian Duffield, Erica Ellicot, Mike Fairs, Aileen Fletcher, Sally Groome, Penny McDougal, Graham Nicholson, Graham Oldrieve, Jennie Puttock, Peter Simmonds, Jeff Tidiman, Jeremy Tribe, Trevor Upton, Nigel Warr;
Bracknell - Dennis Lansley (Team Captain), Michael Bond, Caroline Clarke, Terri Irvine, Martin Scarterfield;
Bridlington and North Wolds - Nigel Butterworth, Mark Fenton, Brian Gallagher, Caroline Gallagher, Dawn Holdsworth, Jean Hyde, Adrian Thompson, Valerie Wilkinson, Walter Wilkinson
Coleraine - David Blair, Helen Charteris, Linda Elliott, Trevor Gillan, Nicola Henry, John Mallows, Gary Moran, Renee Stewart;
Gateshead - Jim Atkinson, David Aywin, Steve Barrett, Diane Bell, Angela Corbett, Ian Hornby, Terry Lewis, Dave Roberts, Debbie Ross, George Skidmore, Ian Westwood, Anne Wilson;
Kettering - Kate Blissett, Jeanette Butterfield, Roger Davies, Ian Dunns, Alan Fosbrook, Rowley Furness, Clive Hawkins, Peter Norton, Janet Smith, Jane Tight, Susan Wager, Chris Wilds;
Rushcliffe - Brian Hughes (Team Coach), Chris Perry (Team Captain), Wendy Henson (Assistant Team Captain), Chris Bukarzer, Danny Gayle, Brian Harney, David Hogg, Penny Howsen, Linda North, John Pepper, Christine Prokaza, Ian Reaston, Neil Reaston, Andy Rees, Josephine Ryan, Peter Trow, Geoff Wallace, Sarah Wreghitt.

Games: Dogs Up Slope, Coconut Shy, Barrel Jump, Through the Hoops, Biting the Apples, Beam Across Pool, Pole Climb and Finding the Bones;
Marathon: Balloon into Mouth.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

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

 K • Kettering ● ●
 RU • Rushcliffe
 G • Gateshead
 BRI • Bridlington and North Wolds
 C • Coleraine
 A • Arun
 RH • Rhuddlan
 BRA • Bracknell

47
45
41
38
35
34
31
30

Presenters, Officials and Production Team

Team doctor Cees Kloos and British presenter Stuart Hall had taken time out from their commitments in the Portuguese International Heat in May to help a badly injured nine year old boy from Stourbridge. Paul Spencer, who had fractured his skull in a fall from a 12 foot diving platform at a hotel near the marina venue, had been tended to by Kloos and Hall, who had kept him breathing until they had got him to hospital. The boy's heart had stopped twice, but Kloos had been able to revive him. In the three weeks since the incident, Paul had recovered sufficiently to return home with his family, and Hall invited him and his family to the Championship Knockout at Charnock Richard. Within seconds of meeting them, Hall revealed that he had arranged for the family to return to the Algarve in September for a week-long holiday at his expense. A remarkable gesture.

Memories of It's A Knockout

After the Kettering team had won their Domestic Heat, came 3rd in their International Heat at Portorož, Yugoslavia, and then finished their campaign as British Champions at Charnock Richard, they found that they had created quite a buzz in the town as captain Kim Davis recalled when speaking to the Northamptonshire Telegraph in April 2020: "It was exciting at the time. I even got to switch on the Kettering Christmas lights. For a while, spectators would shout at me, 'Are you going to play the Joker on that?' It was all good natured. It was good for the town."

Associated Events

A civic reception was held for the successful Kettering team. It was attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Kettering and all those who were involved in the team's exploits at Kettering, Portorož and Charnock Richard.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

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