Forgotten Irish Game/Cookery/Travel shows

Sgt Hartman

How many of these can people remember?
Two that stick out in my mind are Murphy's Micro Quiz M and Play the Game. In Murphy's Micro Quiz M Murphy would pretend to be impressed by each game's Atari 2600 quality graphics. "Ah would you look at that??" he'd say when a Pac Man type character would bleep on the screen. The main prize every week was a Ford Orion as far as I can remember.

Play the game was an awful "celebrity" charades show hosted by Ronan Collins with team captains Twink and Derek Davis. I think Brush Shiels would make regular appearances on it also.

I also vaguely remember a Derek Davis presented travel show where Davis would regularly visit restaurants. He would always have complaints about the food, and he would often get belligerent with the waiter or the chef. He was basically acting like a male Karen. I'd hate to have to put up with someone like that if I were running a restaurant.

Does anyone else remember any other shows? The more obscure the better

Hangdogroad

Yes, Murphys Micro Quiz M with its computer graphics that seemed cutting edge at the time, the video game head to head. The prizes were crap.

Play The Game was hugely popular despite being crap. Always had "celebrity" guest contestants who seemed to consist of panto, light entertainment types that no-one outside of Dublin would have heard of, though the Diceman Thom McGinty made a memorable appearance on it once with two devil horns stuck on his head.

Aurelian

Both a cookery show and a game show. I think it was called Pot Luck where contestants had to make something out of random ingredients. I think it was on RTE 1 in the afternoons in the late 90s. I can see one of the presenters in my mind who switched to acting and was in something lately. Can't think of her name though.

thejuggler

Rapid Roulette with Maxi. There was also another presenter before her. Also Talkabout originally with Ian Dempsey - later replaced by Alan Hughes.
And number one a music quiz fronted by two panels. Gerry Ryan, Joe Elliot, Ian Dempsey presented this one too - an oirish version of never mind the buzzcocks.

Hangdogroad

I know a guy who was a contestant on Talkabout when Alan Hughes was presenting it. He was adamant that it was fixed and that the couple on the opposing team were RTE employees though he's one of those fellas you'd take a lot of what he'd say with a pinch of salt.

Hodors Appletart

I myself appeared on Blackboard Jungle in the mid to late 90s, a sort of University Challenge (or Challenging Times!) for secondary school kids presented by Ray D'Arcy

Won a walkman.

Hangdogroad

Bet not many people remember Jackpot, RTE mid 80s quiz with gawdawful prizes and presented by none other than Dermot Morgan.

Edit: looking it up further online it seems it was a revival of a very early 60s quiz that had previously presented by Gaybo and then Terry Wogan, before the latter went over to the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH8oUfZx2Qw

ShatterAlan

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

I myself appeared on Blackboard Jungle in the mid to late 90s, a sort of University Challenge (or Challenging Times!) for secondary school kids presented by Ray D'Arcy

Won a walkman.

A fcuking Walkman? In the mid 90's?

Hodors Appletart

ShatterAlan wrote: »

A fcuking Walkman? In the mid 90's?

yep, a tape player one, didn't even have a FM radio

keano_afc

Hot Milk and Pepper, hosted by Brendan O'Carroll.

Apparently RTE told him he owed them after all they did for him. An awful show, which he clearly hated doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g07HcVl6uQ

Hangdogroad

Secrets presented by Gerry Ryan, early 90s. Pretty rubbish, something to do with couples. Even worse was to come with Ryantown.

Hangdogroad

thejuggler wrote: »

Rapid Roulette with Maxi. There was also another presenter before her. Also Talkabout originally with Ian Dempsey - later replaced by Alan Hughes.
And number one a music quiz fronted by two panels. Gerry Ryan, Joe Elliot, Ian Dempsey presented this one too - an oirish version of never mind the buzzcocks.

Number One predated Never Mind The Buzzcocks by at least a decade but it probably copied some BBC music quiz from the time.

I mainly remember it for the time one of the guest contestants was a guy called Aidan Walsh (best described as a sort of Irish Daniel Johnson) and he kept ringing the buzzer and giving stupid random answers. My father remarked something like"what did they let that ****ing ejit on the telly for?"

Speedsie

Hangdogroad wrote: »

Number One predated Never Mind The Buzzcocks by at least a decade but it probably copied some BBC music quiz from the time.

I mainly remember it for the time one of the guest contestants was a guy called Aidan Walsh (best described as a sort of Irish Daniel Johnson) and he kept ringing the buzzer and giving stupid random answers. My father remarked something like"what did they let that ****ing ejit on the telly for?"

Aidan Walsh - Master of the Universe, sort of a n early David O'Doherty.
https://vimeo.com/206885726

I thought Blackboard Jungle was more late 80s/ early 90s, but yep, wasn't great.

Quicksilver anyone? Stop the lights for five P.

Hangdogroad

Speedsie wrote: »

Aidan Walsh - Master of the Universe, sort of a n early David O'Doherty.
https://vimeo.com/206885726

I thought Blackboard Jungle was more late 80s/ early 90s, but yep, wasn't great.

Quicksilver anyone? Stop the lights for five P.

I'm just about old enough to remember Quicksilver, there's a couple of episodes up on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPtM61TQe-E

Hangdogroad

One that I very vaguely remember was Cross Country Quiz presented by Peter Murphy. It had this kind of squelchy 70s moog theme music and the title card was sort of rotating.

TrailerBob

My dad was on Rapid Roulette in 1987.. Still has the tape on Betamax at home (and the player). He was on Where in the World a few years after. Won a weekend in Killybegs.

I also remember watching Know your Sport with George Hamilton and Jimmy Magee.. great quiz

the beer revolu

Hangdogroad wrote: »

One that I very vaguely remember was Cross Country Quiz presented by Peter Murphy. It had this kind of squelchy 70s moog theme music and the title card was sort of rotating.

Popcorn was the track.
Great tune.

Chancer3001

Remember the game show whered you try to chase down your favourite celebrity?

Budget must have been humongous.

Contestants would fly to Hollywood and try track down famous actors they loved.

One girl found judge judy who was very nice and posed for photos and said catchphrases and stuff.

Most of the time they didn't get closer than a fleeting glimpse at a film premiere or something.

Can't remember the name. Just remember being mindblown by the cost of it

Badly Drunk Boy

Speedsie wrote: »

Aidan Walsh - Master of the Universe, sort of a n early David O'Doherty.
https://vimeo.com/206885726

I have a cassette copy of Aidan Walsh & The Master Plan – A Life Story Of My Life. Gerry Ryan, Dave Fanning, Gavin Friday and Guggi had great time for Aidan Walsh, but sometimes you'd wonder if they were laughing with him or at him. Hopefully the former.

Another quiz show was Know Your Sport presented by George Hamilton with Jimmy Magee as The Memory Man. Personally, there was only a certain amount of Jimmy Magee I could take but I'll acknowledge that his sporting knowledge was amazing. And I never liked George Hamilton.

cml387

Know your sport had a quick fire round. Thing is nobody had thought to include a penalty mark if you answered wrong so you had..

George: In what year did Kerry...?
Contestant: 1981!
George: Correct:

George: Who won the...
Contestant: Arsenal!
George: Wrong, it was Virginia Wade.

Hangdogroad

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Remember the game show whered you try to chase down your favourite celebrity?

Budget must have been humongous.

Contestants would fly to Hollywood and try track down famous actors they loved.

One girl found judge judy who was very nice and posed for photos and said catchphrases and stuff.

Most of the time they didn't get closer than a fleeting glimpse at a film premiere or something.

Can't remember the name. Just remember being mindblown by the cost of it

Vaguely remember that, it was peak Celtic Tiger guff.

KKkitty

Chancer3001 wrote: »

Remember the game show whered you try to chase down your favourite celebrity?

Budget must have been humongous.

Contestants would fly to Hollywood and try track down famous actors they loved.

One girl found judge judy who was very nice and posed for photos and said catchphrases and stuff.

Most of the time they didn't get closer than a fleeting glimpse at a film premiere or something.

Can't remember the name. Just remember being mindblown by the cost of it

Was it presented by Caroline Morahan? The Fame Game I think.

Aglomerado

Faces and Places with Kathleen Watkins (wife of Gay Byrne).
Sort of like Nationwide (about as travel-showy it got in the 80s!) with a classical flute theme tune.
Here's one clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CSw_apuQVI

Hangdogroad

Evening Extra. Another show that was a forerunner to Nationwide, presented by Shay Healy. Ran circa 1987/88.

Down Here With A View To Above. Similar to Faces And Places but focused on Cork.

Speedsie

On cookery shows, my mother has an idea that Theodora Fitzgibbon had one in the 60s.

And there was Simply Delicious in the 80s, with Darina Allen and get Deirdre Barlow specs.

cml387

Hangdogroad wrote: »

Evening Extra. Another show that was a forerunner to Nationwide, presented by Shay Healy. Ran circa 1987/88.

Down Here With A View To Above. Similar to Faces And Places but focused on Cork.

Down Here With A View To Above is a really stupid tile. As if Cork was down a well somewhere.

The listings for 1971 show a gameshow called "Letter By Letter" of which I have no memory.

Hangdogroad

Bon Voyage, travel show from the 90s. Had a jaunty, dancey theme tune.

foxy farmer

Aurelian wrote: »

Both a cookery show and a game show. I think it was called Pot Luck where contestants had to make something out of random ingredients. I think it was on RTE 1 in the afternoons in the late 90s. I can see one of the presenters in my mind who switched to acting and was in something lately. Can't think of her name though.

It think it was Alison Comyn who hosted Pot Luck. News anchor on UTV Ireland a few years back

razorblunt

Wanderlust with Brendan Courtney. Like Blind Date except they’d pick one of three foreigners then meet them on a weekend city break to Munich or Or Prague or whatever.


Another travel show with yer man Baz that basically had some lads belt around Europe and a nigh out would culminate in them trying to set the gay lad up for a ride.

Speedsie

razorblunt wrote: »

Another travel show with yer man Baz that basically had some lads belt around Europe and a nigh out would culminate in them trying to set the gay lad up for a ride.

I think that was called 'How low can you go'

foxy farmer

What was the name of the quiz show hosted by Ann Doyle a few years back? It only lasted 2 shows. Had about 10 contestants and they used to have group talks in a steel garden shed or a shipping container.