The Grand Knockout Tournament 1987

Presenters:
Stuart Hall with Les Dawson and Su Pollard (BBC - GB)
Hal Linden (USA Network - USA)

Host: Lord Knock alias Rowan Atkinson

Referees:
Paul Daniels (Chief Judge)
HRH The Duke of Gloucester
The Duke of Abercorne, The Duke of Roxburghe
The Duke of Westminster

Custodian of the Scoreboard: Geoff Capes
and featuring: Aled Jones (Page Boy) and Cantabile

Production Credits:

Properties Buyer: Lena Kellsall; Assistant Floor Managers: Taddy Chamney and Alex Lonsdale; Stage Managers: Bryan Chapman, Mike Milone and Owen Thomas; Scenic Supervisors: Joe Bell and Geoff Holland; Vision Mixer: Jill Dornan; Make-up Designer: Dawn Alcock; Costume Designer: Margaret Harwood; Graphic Designer: Mark Allen; First Unit: Senior Designer Special Effects: Peter Wragg; Sound Supervisor: Geoff Layton; Camera Supervisor: John Chester; Vision Supervisor: John Coupe; Engineering Manager: Rom Meager; VT Editor: Ian O'Shaughnessy; Production Assistants: Alison Thornber and Maggie Voudan; Researcher: Karen Howes; Assistant Producers: George R. Clarke, Tony Nicholson amd Alan Wright; Second Unit: Camera Supervisors: Don Groom and Alan Hussey; Sound Supervisors: Frank Parker and Mark Seyler; Director: Martin Hughes; Designer and Games Deviser: Stuart Furber; Event Producer for Knockout Ltd: HRH The Prince Edward; Producer: Alan Walsh; Director: Geoff Wilson; For USA Network: Executive Producer: Jim Zrake; Senior Producer: Gordon Beck; Producer: Steven Feder; Program Executive: Hilary Schacter / Production Manager: Barbara Travers; Associate Producers: Kerry-Ellen Meehan (USA) and Elizabeth McLeod (UK); Post Production Editors: Ron Procaccio and Joe Castillano / Videotape: Mark Evans; Electronic Graphics: Deborah Cavanaugh; Executive in Charge of Production: Dick Ross; Post Production Facilities: Modern Telecommunications, Inc. New York City

Produced by BBC Manchester (GB)
in association with USA Network (USA) / Knockout Ltd.

GB

The Grand Knockout Tournament 1987

Summer Special

Event Staged: Monday 15th June 1987
Venue: Alton Towers, Alton, Staffordshire, England

Transmission:
BBC1 (GB): Friday 19th June 1987, 7.40-9.00pm
Network Ten (Sydney AU): Wednesday 8th July 1987, 7.30-9.20pm
USA Network (USA): Wednesday 12th August 1987

Theme: Sponsored Games

Teams and Charities Represented: 
Blue (International Year of Shelter for the Homeless) v.
Green (World Wildlife Fund) v.
Red (Save the Children Fund) v.
Yellow (The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme International Project 1987)
 

Team Members:
Blue (International Year of Shelter for the Homeless) – HRH The Duchess of York (Non-Playing Captain), Michael Brandon, Chris de Burgh, Steve Cauthen, Brian Cooper, Ben Cross, Gail Greenough, Tamara McKinney, Meatloaf, Viv Richards, Jane Seymour, Mel Smith and Pamela Stephenson;

Green (World Wildlife Fund) – HRH The Duke of York (Non-Playing Captain), Fiona Fullerton, Margot Kidder, Griff Rhys Jones, George Lazenby, Gary Lineker, Sharon McPeake, Nigel Mansell, Michael Palin, Steve Podborski, Anneka Rice, Judy Simpson and John Travolta;

Red (Save the Children Fund) – HRH The Princess Royal (Non-Playing Captain), Jenny Agutter, Anthony Andrews, Sheena Easton, Debbie Flintoff, Sunil Gavaskar, Emlyn Hughes, Tom Jones, Kevin Kline, Virginia Leng, Walter Payton, Cliff Richard and Jackie Stewart;

Yellow (The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme International Project 1987) – HRH The Prince Edward (Non-Playing Captain), Peter Blake, John Cleese, Steve Cram, Duncan Goodhew, Eddy Grant, Sarah Hardcastle, Kiri Te Kanawa, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Barry McGuigan, Christopher Reeve, Tessa Sanderson and Toyah Willcox.

The Games (Official Titles): Call Out the Guard, The Ghost of Alton Towers, McDonalds Restaurants Knock a Knight, Canada Life Assurance Lovers, Harrods King of the Castle, The Britannia Building Society Cooks, The Uninvited Guest and The Joust;
Marathon: The Asda Marathon;
Jokers: Shields.

Game Results and Standings

Result

 Team

Points

Final Scoreboard

1st
2nd
3rd
4th

 R • Red (Save the Children Fund) ●
 G • Green (World Wildlife Fund)
 Y • Yellow (Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme)
 B • Blue (Shelter for the Homeless)

36
29
26
24

The Venue

Alton Towers, Alton, Staffordshire

Alton Towers is a popular theme park and resort in Staffordshire which has been welcoming visitors since the 1830s. It is based north of the village of Alton in Staffordshire, approximately 16 miles east of Stoke-on-Trent.

In its early days as an attraction, it was the house and picturesque gardens which drew people to the 600 acre parkland site bordering the River Churnet. The Gothic style house was built in the early 1800s in place of an older home in the Classical style - Alveton Lodge - and was originally called Alton Abbey. In 1832, it was renamed Alton Towers. Today, this former country seat of the Earls of Shrewsbury is partially ruined but remains something of a spectacle. However, the main draw today is the theme park, which attracts some 2.7 million visitors every year, making it the most popular theme park in Great Britain.

The Venue

Alton Towers

Image © David Hamilton, 1987

The games at Alton Towers were held on the grassed area to the north of the Alton Towers house on the other side of the lake. When It's A Knockout visited for The Grand Knockout Tournament, the theme park was already well established and many of its rides and views of the house and gardens can be seen in the BBC1 preview programme for The Grand Knockout Tournament.

Image © David Hamilton, 1987

The 16th Century castle-cum-manor house used as a backdrop in the programme was an artificial facade built by BBC scenery staff under the guidance of designer Stuart Furber. It required 50 tons of scaffolding to support it and its highest towers were over 40 feet high.

Image © David Hamilton, 1987

As might be expected, Furber's grandiose set was taken down shortly after recording, but these great photographs taken by David Hamilton on Thursday 17th June 1987 (three days after the recording and one day before the programme's transmission) show the set still standing at the Alton Towers location.

The Games in Detail

Game 1 - Call Out the Guard

Game 2 - The Ghost of Alton Towers

Game 3 - McDonalds Restaurants Knock a Knight

Game 4 - Canada Life Assurance Lovers

Game 5 - Harrods King of the Castle

Game 6 - The Britannia Building Society Cooks

Marathon - The Asda Marathon

Game 7 - The Uninvited Guest

Game 8 - The Joust

Additional Information

On Wednesday 17th June 1987, two days before the broadcast of The Grand Knockout Tournament, BBC1 transmitted a 10-minute preview programme which explained what the event would be about and why it was being held. The programme went behind the scenes and featured interviews with those involved. Later, on Sunday 6th September 1987, the BBC followed this up with a more in-depth behind the scenes programme about The Grand Knockout Tournament (details in Knockout TV) lasting 45 minutes.

Each team was allowed to play their Jokers twice. Red (HRH Princess Anne’s team, playing for Save the Children Fund) won both of their Joker games. This was not equalled by any of the other three teams.

An alternative American version of this programme was produced in tandem with the BBC version. It was hosted by Hal Linden and was produced by the USA Network who broadcast it on Wednesday 12th August 1987. The programme was also transmitted by Network 10 (who were in their final year of producing and transmitting their own version of It's A Knockout) on Wednesday 8th July 1987. It is thought that they carried the UK version.

Publishers Collins issued a hardcover book about the event, Knockout: The Grand Charity Tournament for the Christmas market that year (details in Collectables).

This programme was the subject of a Channel 5 documentary in 2023, It's A Royal Knockout: The Untold Story. Details in Knockout TV.

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