Many a Slip
Encyclopedia
Many a Slip was a BBC Radio 4
panel game
created by Ian Messiter
that ran from 1964 to 1979. It was chaired by Roy Plomley
, with a musical mistakes round supplied by musician Steve Race
.
The title of the show is a reference to the English proverb "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip
".
The BBC received requests from school teachers and lecturers for transcripts of Ian Messiter's pieces as a fun way of teaching educational subjects to students.
and Eleanor Summerfield
versus Richard Murdoch
and Lance Percival
. Temporary replacements for Lance Percival in the first series (each for one show) were Kenneth Horne
, Terence Alexander
and Jon Pertwee
.
When the annual radio series returned, magician David Nixon replaced Lance Percival.
When David Nixon died in the 1970s Lance Percival returned.
In the early 1970s Isobel Barnett and Richard Murdoch were replaced by Katharine Whitehorn
and Paul Jennings.
The new panellists were replaced after only one series by Tim Rice
and Gillian Reynolds
who remained till the show was taken off air in 1979.
Over 250 shows were recorded. Roy Plomley and Steve Race were in every show. Eleanor Summerfield only missed two shows; her temporary replacement was Andrée Melly
. The only other stand-in player for one show was Graeme Garden
.
Mid-way through each show, for one round, Plomley handed over to "our musical mistakes man, Steve Race", who would play short extracts from well-known pieces of music, each preceded by a spoken introduction, while contestants attempted to detect errors in the introduction, the piece, or both. A regular feature was a memory round: Plomley read a short piece, usually of verse or song lyrics, then read it again later on in the show with funny alterations which the teams scored points for correcting. Other regular features were the Many a Slip library with its books of incorrect titles and authors; a murder mystery round with the Many a Slip detective; travelogues of different countries and the Many a Slip chef and his way of cooking with ingredients that no sane chef would use.
For each series the chairman kept a running total of how many games each team had won and in the last show he announced which team had won the series.
took over as chairman and Steve Race's contribution was replaced by a spot the mistakes in the picture round, but it was deemed too static for TV.
Personnel from Many a Slip took part in two special editions of Brain of Britain
in which they were pitted against the current year's Brain of Brains. The first in the mid sixties had Eleanor Summerfield, Richard Murdoch and Roy Plomley and was chaired by Franklin Engelmann
. The second in the mid 1970s had Eleanor Summerfield, David Nixon, Tim Rice and Gillian Reynolds and was chaired by Robert Robinson.
In the first series after the death of Kenneth Williams
, for a double recording at the Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street
(the home of many Many a Slip recordings), Many a Slip one-time team-mates Richard Murdoch and Lance Percival were reunited to do battle against Clement Freud
and Wendy Richard
in Ian Messiter's most successful panel game Just a Minute
. Richard Murdoch remained a regular guest on Just a Minute till he died in the early 90s.
In the late 1990s the BBC recorded a pilot of Many a Slip at the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House
. The show's new host was one-time fill-in panellist Graeme Garden
. The teams were Helen Lederer
and Lorelei King
versus Miles Kington
and David Stafford
. The show had a new musical mistakes man at the piano.
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
created by Ian Messiter
Ian Messiter
Ian Cassan Messiter was a BBC Radio producer and the creator of a number of panel games, including Just a Minute, and Many a Slip. He was also the Programme Associate on Family Fortunes. Messiter was born in Dudley, Worcestershire and educated at Sherborne School in Dorset...
that ran from 1964 to 1979. It was chaired by Roy Plomley
Roy Plomley
Francis Roy Plomley , OBE was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist.-Early life:Plomley was the son of a pharmacist and was educated at King's College School, Wimbledon...
, with a musical mistakes round supplied by musician Steve Race
Steve Race
Stephen Russell Race OBE was a British composer, pianist and radio and television presenter.-Biography:Born in Lincoln, the son of a lawyer, Race learned the piano from the age of five...
.
The title of the show is a reference to the English proverb "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip
There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip
There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip is an old English proverb. It implies that even when the outcome of an event seems certain, things can still go wrong....
".
The BBC received requests from school teachers and lecturers for transcripts of Ian Messiter's pieces as a fun way of teaching educational subjects to students.
Contestants
For the first couple of series, the contestants were Isobel BarnettIsobel Barnett
Lady Isobel Barnett was a British radio and television personality, popular during the 1950s and 1960s.Isobel Morag Marshall was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the daughter of a doctor. She went to the independent Mount School on Dalton Terrace in York and, following in her father's footsteps,...
and Eleanor Summerfield
Eleanor Summerfield
Eleanor Summerfield was a British actress.Summerfield was born in London in 1921. She received her acting training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. In the mid-1960s, she played P. G. Wodehouse' character Aunt Dahlia in the BBC One's World of Wooster. She was a team member on BBC Radio 4's...
versus Richard Murdoch
Richard Murdoch
Richard Bernard Murdoch was a British comedic radio, film and television performer.Richard Bernard Murdoch attended Charterhouse School. He then appeared in Footlights whilst a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge...
and Lance Percival
Lance Percival
Lance Percival is an English actor, comedian and after-dinner speaker.-Biography:Educated at Sherborne School, Percival first became well known for performing topical calypsos on television satire shows such as That Was The Week That Was. He appeared in the Carry On film, Carry On Cruising...
. Temporary replacements for Lance Percival in the first series (each for one show) were Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Horne
Kenneth Horne was an English comedian and businessman. The son of a clergyman and politician, he combined a successful business career with regular broadcasting for the BBC. His first hit series Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh written with his co-star Richard Murdoch arose out of his wartime service as...
, Terence Alexander
Terence Alexander
Terence Joseph Alexander was an English film and television actor, best known for his role as Charlie Hungerford in the British TV drama Bergerac.-Early life and career:...
and Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
.
When the annual radio series returned, magician David Nixon replaced Lance Percival.
When David Nixon died in the 1970s Lance Percival returned.
In the early 1970s Isobel Barnett and Richard Murdoch were replaced by Katharine Whitehorn
Katharine Whitehorn
Katharine Elizabeth Whitehorn is a British journalist, writer, and columnist who was known for her wit and humour and as a keen observer of the changing role of women.-Early life:...
and Paul Jennings.
The new panellists were replaced after only one series by Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
and Gillian Reynolds
Gillian Reynolds
Gillian Reynolds MBE, née Morton is a British radio critic, journalist and broadcaster. The daughter of market traders in Liverpool, she was educated at St Anne's College, Oxford University....
who remained till the show was taken off air in 1979.
Over 250 shows were recorded. Roy Plomley and Steve Race were in every show. Eleanor Summerfield only missed two shows; her temporary replacement was Andrée Melly
Andrée Melly
Andrée Melly is an English actress.She appeared in many British films, including the 1954 comedy The Belles of St Trinian's and the 1960 Hammer Horror film The Brides of Dracula...
. The only other stand-in player for one show was Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
.
Format
In a typical round, Plomley read out a piece of text prepared by Messiter, and contestants buzzed in if they detected an error. Correctly identifying an error scored one point and supplying a correction was worth a second; if a contestant buzzed in when there was no error, two points were awarded to the opposing team. Occasionally a third point was awarded when a contestant spotted a mistake Messiter had not intended.Mid-way through each show, for one round, Plomley handed over to "our musical mistakes man, Steve Race", who would play short extracts from well-known pieces of music, each preceded by a spoken introduction, while contestants attempted to detect errors in the introduction, the piece, or both. A regular feature was a memory round: Plomley read a short piece, usually of verse or song lyrics, then read it again later on in the show with funny alterations which the teams scored points for correcting. Other regular features were the Many a Slip library with its books of incorrect titles and authors; a murder mystery round with the Many a Slip detective; travelogues of different countries and the Many a Slip chef and his way of cooking with ingredients that no sane chef would use.
For each series the chairman kept a running total of how many games each team had won and in the last show he announced which team had won the series.
Other versions and connections to other shows
In the mid sixties it was tried out on TV for one series. Peter HaighPeter Haigh
Peter Varley Haigh was a familiar and popular face as an in-vision announcer on BBC Television in the years after the Second World War.-Education:...
took over as chairman and Steve Race's contribution was replaced by a spot the mistakes in the picture round, but it was deemed too static for TV.
Personnel from Many a Slip took part in two special editions of Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain
Brain of Britain is a BBC radio general knowledge quiz, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.-History:It began as a slot in What Do You Know? in 1953 before becoming a programme in its own right in 1967. It was chaired by Franklin Engelmann until his death in 1972.-Format:The format of the quiz is simple...
in which they were pitted against the current year's Brain of Brains. The first in the mid sixties had Eleanor Summerfield, Richard Murdoch and Roy Plomley and was chaired by Franklin Engelmann
Franklin Engelmann
Franklin Engelmann was a radio personality popular in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s, nicknamed "Jingle". He was best known for hosting Down Your Way , Gardeners' Question Time and the quiz show What Do You Know?, which later became Brain of Britain. In 1955 he was also the original host of Pick...
. The second in the mid 1970s had Eleanor Summerfield, David Nixon, Tim Rice and Gillian Reynolds and was chaired by Robert Robinson.
In the first series after the death of Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
, for a double recording at the Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street
Regent Street
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets in London's West End, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations...
(the home of many Many a Slip recordings), Many a Slip one-time team-mates Richard Murdoch and Lance Percival were reunited to do battle against Clement Freud
Clement Freud
Sir Clement Raphael Freud was an English broadcaster, writer, politician and chef.-Early life:Freud was born in Berlin, the son of Jewish parents Ernst Ludwig Freud and Lucie née Brasch. He was the grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and the brother of artist Lucian Freud...
and Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
in Ian Messiter's most successful panel game Just a Minute
Just a Minute
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game chaired by Nicholas Parsons. Its first transmission on Radio 4 was on 22 December 1967, three months after the station's launch. The Radio 4 programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003....
. Richard Murdoch remained a regular guest on Just a Minute till he died in the early 90s.
In the late 1990s the BBC recorded a pilot of Many a Slip at the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
. The show's new host was one-time fill-in panellist Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
. The teams were Helen Lederer
Helen Lederer
Helen Lederer is a Welsh comedienne, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy boom at the beginning of the 1980s.-Career:...
and Lorelei King
Lorelei King
Lorelei King is a United States-born actress who has been based in the United Kingdom since 1981. She has narrated audiobooks, acted in radio plays for BBC Radio 4 and appeared on television.- Early life :...
versus Miles Kington
Miles Kington
Miles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...
and David Stafford
David Stafford
David Stafford is a writer, broadcaster and occasional musician born 1949 in Birmingham, England.Stafford began his career in fringe and community theatre in the 1970s...
. The show had a new musical mistakes man at the piano.