Beat the Record
Contents |
Host
Don Davis (1970s?)
Keith Fordyce (again)
Broadcast
BBC Radio 2, 4 January 1972 to 1 August 1992
Synopsis
A gentle little musical entertainment that filled a half-hour on a Saturday evening for many years. Host Keith Fordyce would spin a light orchestral record for about a minute, then invite callers to identify the melody. Should no-one give the correct answer before the record ended, then they would have failed to beat the record, and the show would move on to the next recording.
Anyone who managed to get the tune correct would win £10 in premium bonds, enjoy a short chat with the host, and then have a go at the Jackpot Tune. This would increase in value with each wrong answer, rolling on from caller to caller, and from week to week, reaching a top prize of £200.
Applications for the show were made by post, giving a phone number where one could be contacted during the week.
The programme ended in 1992, when Radio 2's controller Frances Line found the light entertainment quizzes were poor value for money. Other shows - including The Law Game, The ABC Quiz, The Grumbleweeds, and Pop Score - all got the chop around the same time.
Trivia
The show originally went out on Tuesday evenings, before switching to Saturdays from the Autumn 1978 series onwards.
Catchphrases
"Caller number one?"