Pot the Question
Contents |
Host
Co-hosts
Team Captains: Denis Law and Patrick Mower
Referee: Len Ganley
Broadcast
BBC1, 10 May to 14 June 1984 (6 episodes in 1 series)
Synopsis
Quiz show in which contestants would be paired up with a snooker player, and the points per question were determined by what the snooker player potted. An earlier, less comedy-oriented version of Big Break, if you like, although certainly not lacking in lively humour and banter, especially between the two captains.
Denis Law and Patrick Mower were the regular team captains. They were joined every week by a snooker player and two non-snooker-playing celebrities, who could sometimes be challenged by the opposing team to play shots, as could the captains. There was also a competition for the snooker players at the end of every programme, whereby the players would try to pot all six of the colours as quickly as possible. Jimmy White ended up with the fastest time by the end of the series, and this won him a carriage clock.
Quite a decent show, certainly very watchable, especially the endgame (and it should be noted that Stuart Hall was definitely not as over-excitable on this show as he was on It's a Knockout), but unfortunately, it failed to click with the public in the way that Big Break later did, and it only lasted one series.
Trivia
On one show, Denis Law had two team-mates also called Dennis, namely Dennis Taylor and Dennis Waterman. No doubt a few laughs were created as a result! Another show featured Geoff Capes and the comedians Little and Large.
Soon after the series ended, referee Len Ganley made a very memorable appearance in one of those classic ('I bet he drinks') Carling Black Label adverts. Ganley was shown refereeing a snooker match when one of the balls hit him (seemingly painfully) in the stomach, causing him to show amazing strength.
Catchphrases
(Hall): "No snookers allowed and foul play is penalised..."
"And there's a challenge..."
"I wish you a fond farewell".
