Popular Nostalgia

“I’ll have a ‘P’ please, Bob!”

“I’ll have an ‘E’ please, Bob!”

Oh, how we laughed.

Seriously, though, Blockbusters was great TV. Students would play for weeks, in pairs, or solo, and would always be accompanied by a furry mascot, eventually, they would win a budget prize, like a “Steam Iron” or a trip to Bognor Regis, if they successfully completed the final “Gold Run” round. Each correct answer in the main rounds would win them £5. The perfect Gameshow.

Bob Holness played his part terrifically, and behaved like a lovable old uncle, even when faced with this type of answer:

Bob Holness: “What ‘O’ is the generic word for any living animal or plant, including bacteria and viruses?”

Contestant: “Orgasm.”

Or this classic, where the contestant tries to say “Karma Sutra” (which is totally the wrong answer!) but manages even to mess that up:

The Blockbusters Hand Jive

For some reason, the UK edition of Blockbusters was binned by ITV in around 1992, despite the end sequence having the best dance imaginable. For that alone, it should have been under a protective order:

A classic show: low value prizes + a great dance = great entertainment.