663 Jeopardy !

First  viewed : April  1984

When  we  fret  over  American  cultural  imperialism  it's  a  comforter  to  remember  that  this  quiz  show, a  TV  institution  over  there, has  never  really  taken  off  here  despite  three  attempts.

The  first, and  the  only  one  I  ever  saw,  was   on  Channel  4  after  Countdown , hosted  by  ex- New  Faces  host  Derek  Hobson   and  a  milestone  on  his  personal  road  to  post-fame  obscurity. The  point  of  Jeopardy !  was  that  you  were  given  an  answer  and  then  had  to  construct  an  appropriate  question  which  fit.

I  thought  it  was  a  pretty  stupid  format  and  it  looked  like  the  UK  contestants  thought  so  too  as  they  were  constantly  sidestepping  the  question  framing  with  Hobson, his  patience  clearly  fraying , having  to  snappily  remind  them  of  the  requirement. A  typical  exchange  would  go  :

CLUE : Red , white  and  blue
CONTESTANT : The  colours  of  the  Union  Jack
HOBSON : What  are   the  colours  of  the  Union  Jack  !!

It  made  for  very  uncomfortable  viewing  and  it's  not  surprising  it  was  yanked  after  two  seasons  in  June  1984.

Still  it  sailed  on  in  the  US  regardless  so  ITV  tried  again  in  1990  with  hosts  Chris Donat  and  then  Steve  Jones. This  time  it  lasted  four  seasons  though  it  passed  me  by  entirely. Two  years  after  the  ITV  show  ended  Sky  3,  did  their own  version  hosted  by  Paul  Ross  thus  providing  another  compelling  reason  not  to  watch  it.