Mathieu

..the show "It's a Knockout" ? (I think that was the name but I can't be sure). The posting about the Eurovision song contest reminded me about this one. As a child in the 70's (which is why I cannot remember it too well) I recall seeing a show on European TV during our summer holidays to Switzerland and Germany. Several countries (maybe 6 or 8 ?) used to compete in various mad-cap type sports filling buckets of water or knocking people off beams into water or climbing greasy poles, etc. I think costumes were involved and thousands of people used to cheer the contestants on. Does ths sound familiar ? Is this show still around ? We kids, we always had fun watching it.

Gardyloo

That was the BBC's name for it - it went by other names in other countries. Major hoot. Gone, probably to the great relief of the insurance industry.

Singletail

Isn't this the format that certain members of the British Royal Family copied a few years ago when their rather embarrassing TV escapades were aired? I seem to remember Fergie dressed up as some sort of damsel in distress and the men in the family booted and spurred with lances a la some sort of "renaissance faire."
I think that one was gone with a great sigh of relief as well.

flanneruk

In the early 60's - when it was a French domestic programme with contests between places like St Remy-les-deux-pissoirs and Colombey-sur-le-trottoir - adult, otherwise mature, French people used to turn out the main light, sit down with a glass of red and seriously watch this programme.

I knew people - to whom irony and kitsch were unheard-of concepts - who would organise their evenings to make sure they were in for it. Others who, if out of the country, would ask about results on their return as seriously as if it were a football match or cycling race.

Intervilles. Ah, sweet folly of youth!

Singletail

Gee, sounds like some nights in the USA, right now..the Sopranos comes to mind!

Alec

'Jeux Sans Frontiere', 'Spiele Ohne Grenzen' were names given in France and Germany and on the continent generally ('Games without borders'). In Britain, BBC hosted a kind of national qualifier for this, presented by the late Eddie Wareing, John Vine and Stuart Hall, called 'It's a Knockout'. The European finals were also aired under the same title. BBC stopped the series in 1982 after 16 years. I think the international version continued some more years before it too was axed. I was the only family member to enjoy it; others thought it was just silly.

PatrickLondon

I always thought it could make the basis of a 'silly Olympics' (lots of buckets of water and people falling over) as a useful time-filler and corrective to the pomposity of the 'real' Olympics.

There was a sort of predecessor in the UK called 'Top Town', where towns basically put on competing amateur talent shows. I remember a bank manager from Jersey who fancied himself as Richard Tauber, all done up in Regency ruffles (with a traffic-warden's moustache and his bank manager glasses on) singing 'Girls were made to love and kiss..'