Before They Were Famous

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Guide 10 - Famous people who were game show contestants

Contents

Introduction

Fame. It's a fickle mistress. One minute you're the host of a popular ITV game show and the next you're doing panto in Godalming. But this Good Game Guide takes a view of the opposite side of the mountain. The North Face. The way up. For many wannabees, being a contestant on a high profile game show is a chance to be noticed by an agent, the newspapers or just have an extra 15 minutes of fame.

So we bring you our guide to celebrities who were on game shows before they were famous:

Actors/Presenters/Broadcasters

  • Nicholas Crane, presenter of BBC2's "Map Man" and "Coast", was on the Oxford University team in the 1982 series of Now Get Out of That.
  • Not forgetting Janice Long who first appeared on 3-2-1 with her husband in 1978, later becoming a DJ for Radio 1.

Comedians

  • Arguably Steve Coogan came to fame partly due to his Krypton Factor observation round comedy skits.
  • Perrier-nominated comedian Daniel Kitson was a contestant on Blockbusters.

Sports stars

  • A near miss: Kelly Holmes, double-gold Olympian and last line of Britain's war defences, was scheduled to be a con-ten-derrrr on Gladiators. However, due to a sporting commitment, she had to pull out.

Politics/News/Writers

  • Moira Stuart, the BBC newsreader who was originally an actor, was an Argond on The Adventure Game.
  • Other University Challenge alumni include David Mellor, Clive James, John Simpson and Malcolm Rifkind.
  • Andrew Collins (pundit and 6 Music DJ) appeared with his family on Telly Addicts.

Members of the public

  • Teenager Janice Nichols became something of a phenomenon thanks to her catchphrase "Oi'll give it five", delivered in a broad Brummie accent, on Thank Your Lucky Stars.
  • Before appearing as a Housemate on Big Brother 4 and becoming one of Sky's Brainiac team, Jon Tickle appeared on Blockbusters.

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