It's a Royal Knockout
Encyclopedia
The Grand Knockout Tournament (colloquially also known as It's a Royal Knockout) was a one-off charity event which was shown on British
television on 19 June 1987. It followed the format of It's a Knockout
(the British version of Jeux Sans Frontieres
), a slapstick
TV gameshow which was broadcast in the UK until 1982.
The event was staged on the lakeside lawn of the Alton Towers
stately home-cum-theme park. However, the event used its own specially created immersing set, meaning that the location was not very recognisable in the TV broadcast.
Although regarded as a failure, a similar show (without royal involvement) was made the following year at Walt Disney World in Florida
, featuring teams of celebrities representing the UK, USA, and Australia
.
alongside various sporting and showbiz celebrities. The celebrities included:
The show was conceived and organised by Prince Edward
, who had been keen to develop a career in TV and theatre after he left the Royal Marines
. The show featured Prince Edward, the Princess Royal
and the Duke
and Duchess
of York as non participating team captains, each of whom supported a different charity
. The show was hosted by Stuart Hall
, Les Dawson
and Su Pollard
. The contestants competed in ridiculous and somewhat humiliating games; for example in one round they dress up as giant vegetables and throw fake hams at each other. Media coverage on BBC Radio 1
was provided by Mike Smith
(The Breakfast Show) and Steve Wright (The Radio 1 Roadshow). The show was produced by Alan Walsh.
. It is reported that the Queen
had not approved of the event and that her courtiers had advised against it. Neither she, nor the Duke of Edinburgh
, nor the Prince
and Princess
of Wales agreed to take part but, for whatever reason, Edward persevered and the project went to completion. The event has become the butt of some jokes, and is remembered as an embarrassment. Indeed, some commentators have gone so far as to describe it as the point at which the British public's respect for their Royal Family began a slow but steady decline. Nonetheless, the event raised over £
1 million for the World Wildlife Fund (Prince Andrew), Save the Children Fund (Princess Anne), Shelter for the Homeless
(Duchess of York) and the Duke of Edinburgh International Project
(Prince Edward).
The comedian Sean Lock
, years later on the series TV Heaven, Telly Hell
, aired footage of the program, including Travolta wrestling a large onion costume off someone, and suggested the alternative title "It's a Malaria
l Dream."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television on 19 June 1987. It followed the format of It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout
It's a Knockout was adapted from the French show Intervilles. It ran between from 7 August 1966 to 25 December 1988 on BBC1, 28 May 1990 on ITV, 3 August 1991 to 24 December 1994 on S4C and from 3 September 1999 to 6 January 2001 on Channel 5, produced by Richard Hearsey and Ronin Entertainment...
(the British version of Jeux Sans Frontieres
Jeux Sans Frontieres
Jeux Sans Frontières was a Europe-wide television game show.In its original conception, it was broadcast from 1965 to 1999 under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union and featured teams from different European countries in outlandish costumes competing to complete bizarre tasks in funny...
), a slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
TV gameshow which was broadcast in the UK until 1982.
The event was staged on the lakeside lawn of the Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
stately home-cum-theme park. However, the event used its own specially created immersing set, meaning that the location was not very recognisable in the TV broadcast.
Although regarded as a failure, a similar show (without royal involvement) was made the following year at Walt Disney World in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, featuring teams of celebrities representing the UK, USA, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Synopsis
The show featured members of the British Royal FamilyBritish Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
alongside various sporting and showbiz celebrities. The celebrities included:
|
Meat Loaf Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor... George Lazenby George Robert Lazenby is an Australian actor and former model, best known for portraying James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.-Early life:... Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline is an American theatre, voice, film actor and comedian. He has won an Academy Award and two Tony Awards, and has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and an Emmy Award.- Early life :... John Cleese John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report... Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line... Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide.... Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live... Duncan Goodhew Duncan Alexander Goodhew MBE is a British swimming athlete. After swimming competitively in America as a collegian at North Carolina State University, he was an Olympic swimmer for Great Britain and won Olympic gold and bronze medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.-Biography:Goodhew... Emlyn Hughes Emlyn Walter Hughes, OBE was an English footballer who captained both the England national team and the much-decorated Liverpool F.C. team of the 1970s.- From Blackpool to Liverpool :... |
Margot Kidder Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition.... Helen Shaver Helen Shaver is a Canadian actress and film and television director.-Early life:Shaver was born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, a small city located near London, Ontario, with five sisters... Michael Brandon Michael Brandon is an American actor who resides in the United Kingdom and United States.-Life and career:Brandon was born Michael Feldman in Brooklyn, New York to Miriam and Sol Feldman... Anthony Andrews -Life and career:Andrews was born in London, the son of Geraldine Agnes , a dancer, and Stanley Thomas Andrews, a musical arranger and musical conductor. He grew up in the North Finchley district of London... Jenny Agutter Jennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She... Jennifer O'Neill -Early life:O'Neill was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the daughter of a famous Spanish-Irish dental supply import/export businessman, Oscar D' O'Neill and his English wife. As a teenager, O'Neill worked as a fashion model and appeared in television commercials and on magazine covers before moving... Aled Jones Aled Jones is a Welsh singer and television/radio personality, broadcaster and television presenter who first came to fame as a treble... Tessa Sanderson Theresa Ione Sanderson CBE is a former British javelin thrower and heptathlete who competed in the javelin competition in every one of the six Olympics from 1976–1996 winning the Gold medal in 1984... Paul Daniels Paul Daniels, born Newton Edward Daniels on 6 April 1938, is a British magician and television performer. He achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC from 1979 to 1994.-Early life:... |
The show was conceived and organised by Prince Edward
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO is the third son and fourth child of Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh...
, who had been keen to develop a career in TV and theatre after he left the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. The show featured Prince Edward, the Princess Royal
Anne, Princess Royal
Princess Anne, Princess Royal , is the only daughter of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and the Duke
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Prince Andrew, Duke of York KG GCVO , is the second son, and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
and Duchess
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York is a British charity patron, spokesperson, writer, film producer, television personality and former member of the British Royal Family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, whom she married from 1986 to 1996...
of York as non participating team captains, each of whom supported a different charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
. The show was hosted by Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall (television presenter)
James Stuart Hall is a BBC radio and television presenter.Hall claims to have coined the phrase "The Beautiful Game" as a youngster to describe football...
, Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
and Su Pollard
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard, 7 November 1949, Nottingham) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense and her abrupt voice....
. The contestants competed in ridiculous and somewhat humiliating games; for example in one round they dress up as giant vegetables and throw fake hams at each other. Media coverage on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
was provided by Mike Smith
Mike Smith (television presenter)
Mike Smith is a British television, radio presenter, racing driver, pilot, and businessman.-Radio career:...
(The Breakfast Show) and Steve Wright (The Radio 1 Roadshow). The show was produced by Alan Walsh.
Aftermath
Immediately after the event, Prince Edward asked the assembled journalists "well, what did you think?" [of the event]. Somewhat taken aback by such a direct question, the journalists responded with nervous laughter. The Prince famously stormed out of the press conference, sarcastically thanking the journalists for their enthusiasm. This behaviour did little to endear the prince to the media and public alike, particularly in view of his failure to complete his training in the Royal MarinesRoyal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
. It is reported that the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
had not approved of the event and that her courtiers had advised against it. Neither she, nor the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, nor the Prince
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and Princess
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
of Wales agreed to take part but, for whatever reason, Edward persevered and the project went to completion. The event has become the butt of some jokes, and is remembered as an embarrassment. Indeed, some commentators have gone so far as to describe it as the point at which the British public's respect for their Royal Family began a slow but steady decline. Nonetheless, the event raised over £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1 million for the World Wildlife Fund (Prince Andrew), Save the Children Fund (Princess Anne), Shelter for the Homeless
Shelter (charity)
Shelter is a registered charity in England and Scotland that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing. It gives advice, information and advocacy to people in need, and tackles the root causes of bad housing by lobbying government and local authorities for new laws and policies to improve the...
(Duchess of York) and the Duke of Edinburgh International Project
International Award Association
In 1988, representatives of the Award Programme worldwide founded The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award International Association ....
(Prince Edward).
The comedian Sean Lock
Sean Lock
Sean Lock is an English comedian and actor. He began his comedy career as a stand-up comedian. He won the British Comedy Award in 2000 in the category of Best Live Comic, and was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. He is also well known for his appearances on television and radio...
, years later on the series TV Heaven, Telly Hell
TV Heaven, Telly Hell
TV Heaven, Telly Hell is a comedy television show on Channel 4, presented and produced by Sean Lock. The format is similar to Room 101, with guests discussing their likes and dislikes of items on television....
, aired footage of the program, including Travolta wrestling a large onion costume off someone, and suggested the alternative title "It's a Malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
l Dream."
External links
- Knockout - The Grand Charity Tournament (the book of the event) ISBN 0-00-217993-8