The Generation Game

So that didn't seem right either.

And I thought, well, there's shows like The Generation Game and The Newlywed Game and The Match Game.

I mean, a lot of those are American or very old, but then it's got that kind of retro vibe to it as well.

And a big thing was giving the character a name and realising he's not me.

Go on

... "Yeah, I was chatting about you yesterday with my mate Sachin, and, uh, we decided you'd be a really good host of The Generation Game."

Oh, lovely.

Yeah.

You've come all the way from Luton, and you've f- Three.

Stay at home.

Don't wa- 'Cause we got people who wanna be on The Generation Game, you stupid ooh, oh."

Preston's all right.

It seems so satisfying.

If you ever bring the Generation Game back, and you should host Generation Game.

Oh, yes.

[laughs]

But I mean, the thing that surprised me actually was, I know Star Trek has always been popular in the UK, but it was probably in hard rotation on BBC One and then on to BBC Two all throughout the 70s.

And you get sketches of the Generation Game, the two Ronnies.

It's made a cultural impact in the uk like the generation game sketch i think it aired the night the android invasion part four went out and it's like it's them doing that play that they always do that sort of that round where it's like they've got to read their lines off like like john perch we used to do off bits of set they would read their lines and they're on the starship enterprise bruce forsyth's dressed as captain kirk the dad of the family's dressed as spock and then a Cyberman shows up at the end of it and that's the punchline and the Cyberman's trousers are around the wrong way so like it's properly it has made an impact on people and there's that bit in Ken Branagh's Belfast where like the young Kenneth Branagh is watching Star Trek on the telly like it was looking at it for this I was actually quite surprised by how big Star Trek actually was in the UK Star Trek was

broadcast between the 60s and the 90s in full nine times, like nine full runs in 30 years worth of BBC television.

Like they just lent on that.

You can also email me at oliver at my70stvchildhood.com. Now we've spoken many times on this podcast about the special time on a Saturday afternoon and early evening when families would gather together and watch the television.

As well as flagship programmes like Doctor Who, there were lots of other favourites which appeared in that late afternoon and early evening, like Basil Brush, The Pink Panther Show and The Generation Game.

There was also often a US imported TV show like Alias Smith and Jones or The Invisible Man to add to that slot.

And in 1978, something a little bit different and quite memorable came along to fill that slot.

Get this thing through your head There'll be no more Did not blow your mind this time Did not Did not blow your mind this time Ten times of all, yes, I don't got no more Get this thing to your head, there'll be no more You cannot blow your mind this time, cannot I got to leave you, baby Didn't I know you were mine this time? Didn't I? Didn't I know you were mine this time?

We were watching on television in the UK during the feature show 1971, the British television game show presented by Bruce Forsyth, The Generation Game.

Life

is the name of the game And I want to play the game with you me terribly tame if you don't play the game with two and I want to play the game with