The Grand Knockout Tournament

Last updated

The Grand Knockout Tournament
Also known asIt's a Royal Knockout
GenreGame show, charity
Created by Prince Edward
Presented by
Judges
Narrated by Hal Linden (US telecast)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
Production locations Alton Towers, Staffordshire, UK
Original release
Network BBC One
Release19 June 1987 (1987-06-19)
Related
It's a Knockout

The Grand Knockout Tournament (also known as It's a Royal Knockout) was a one-off charity event which took place on 15 June 1987, and was shown on British television on 19 June 1987 (BBC1, repeated on 27 December 1987), in addition to airing on American TV via the USA Network on 12 August 1987, and European satellite channel Superchannel on 6 March 1988 (repeated on Christmas Day 1988).

Contents

The event was staged on the lakeside lawn of the Alton Towers stately home and theme park in Staffordshire. It followed the format of It's a Knockout (the British version of Jeux sans frontières ), a slapstick TV game show which was broadcast in the UK until 1982. The show featured members of the British royal family alongside various sporting and showbiz celebrities. The celebrity participants were drawn from the realms of music, sport, television, comedy and film.

Although regarded as a failure, a similar show without royal involvement was made the following year at Walt Disney World in Florida, featuring teams of celebrities representing the United Kingdom, USA and Australia.

Synopsis

The show was conceived and organised by Prince Edward, who had been keen to develop a career in TV and theatre after he left the Royal Marines. [1] The show featured Prince Edward, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of York as non-participating team captains, each of whom supported a different charity. [1]

The show was hosted by Stuart Hall, Les Dawson and Su Pollard, with Hal Linden providing commentary for the U.S. telecast. Paul Daniels and Geoff Capes were timekeepers. Aled Jones, Rowan Atkinson and Barbara Windsor were heralds of the tournament. The Duke of Abercorn, the Duke of Westminster, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Roxburghe acted as impartial judges for each of the four teams.

Team members and charities
TeamMembersCharity
Team One
(Prince Edward's team)
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Team Two
(The Princess Royal's team)
Save the Children
Team Three
(The Duke of York's team)
World Wildlife Fund
Team Four
(The Duchess of York's team)
International Year of Shelter for the Homeless, 1987

Aftermath

Immediately after the event, Prince Edward asked the assembled journalists, "Well, what did you think?" The journalists, unbeknownst to Prince Edward, hadn't seen the event properly as they had been kept confined in the press tent, separate from the celebrities and members of the royal family who had taken part, and were underwhelmed and unhappy at such an arrangement. They responded with nervous laughter and Prince Edward stormed out of the press conference, sarcastically thanking the journalists for their enthusiasm. [1]

Reportedly the Queen disapproved of the event and all of her courtiers had advised against it. [2] Neither she, the Duke of Edinburgh nor the Prince and Princess of Wales agreed to take part, but Edward persevered and the project went to completion. Nonetheless, the event drew an audience of 18 million domestically, making it the fourth most-watched programme of the year. [1] It was later watched by 400 million viewers worldwide and raised over £1.5 million for the respective charities. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh</span> British prince (born 1964)

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King Charles III. He was born 3rd in the line of succession to the British throne and is now 14th.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah, Duchess of York</span> Member of the extended British royal family (born 1959)

Sarah, Duchess of York, also known by the nickname Fergie, is a British author, philanthropist, television personality, and member of the extended British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who is the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and a younger brother of King Charles III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester</span> British prince (born 1944)

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British royal family. He is the second son of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, the youngest of the nine grandchildren of George V, nephew of Edward VIII and George VI, and first cousin of Elizabeth II. He is 31st in the line of succession to the British throne, and the highest person on the list who is not a descendant of George VI. At the time of his birth, he was 5th in line to the throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn</span> British prince; fourth son of George III

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte. His only child, Victoria, became Queen of the United Kingdom 17 years after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Alice of Battenberg</span> Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1885–1969)

Princess Alice of Battenberg was the mother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, mother-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, and paternal grandmother of King Charles III. After marrying Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903, she adopted the style of her husband, becoming Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennie Bond</span> English journalist and television presenter

Jennifer Bond is an English journalist and television presenter. Bond worked for fourteen years as the BBC's royal correspondent. She has also hosted Cash in the Attic and narrated the programme Great British Menu.

<i>Royal Variety Performance</i> Variety show in the United Kingdom

The Royal Variety Performance is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity. It is attended by senior members of the British royal family. The evening's performance is presented as a live variety show, usually from a theatre in London and consists of family entertainment that includes comedy, music, dance, magic and other speciality acts.

It's a Knockout! is a British game show first broadcast in 1966. It was adapted from the French show Intervilles, and was part of the international Jeux sans frontières franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Yorkshire Show</span> Agricultural show in North Yorkshire, England

The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) is an agricultural show which takes place on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the North of England annually from the second Tuesday of July until the following Friday. It is organised and run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS). Since the demise of the Royal Show the GYS has been the largest agricultural show in England, however within the UK it is surpassed by both the Royal Welsh Show and the Royal Highland Show. The show is highly successful and the society generated income of £9.6 million in 2016. A new Hall at the showground, costing £11 million, opened in 2016 and produced more than £1 million of income in its first year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales</span> 1997 funeral ceremony in London

The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, started on Saturday 6 September 1997 at 9:08 am in London, when the tenor bell of Westminster Abbey started tolling to signal the departure of the cortège from Kensington Palace. The coffin was carried from the palace on a gun carriage by riders of the King's Troop and escorted by mounted police along Hyde Park to St James's Palace, where Diana's body had remained for five days before being taken to Kensington Palace. The Union Flag on top of the palace was lowered to half mast. The official ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey in London and finished at the resting place in Althorp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Descendants of Queen Victoria</span> Descendants of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Queen Victoria, the British monarch from 1837 to 1901, and Prince Albert had 9 children, 42 grandchildren, and 87 great-grandchildren. Victoria was called the "grandmother of Europe".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward VIII</span> King of the United Kingdom in 1936

Edward VIII, later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria</span> 60th anniversary of the monarchs accession

The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was officially celebrated on 22 June 1897 to mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession on 20 June 1837. Queen Victoria was the first British monarch ever to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton</span> 2011 British royal wedding

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on Friday, 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. William was second in the line of succession to the British throne at the time, later becoming heir apparent. The couple had been in a relationship since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips</span> 1973 British royal wedding

The wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips took place on Wednesday, 14 November 1973 at Westminster Abbey in London. Princess Anne is the only daughter and second child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, while Mark Phillips is a retired British Army cavalry officer and a skilled horseman and equestrian.

Sophie Franziska Maria Germaine Habsburg also known as Archduchess Sophie of Austria is a French-born Italian designer, German aristocrat and former model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra</span> 1902 coronation in the United Kingdom

The coronation of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 9 August 1902. Originally scheduled for 26 June of that year, the ceremony had been postponed at very short notice, because the King had been taken ill with an abdominal abscess that required immediate surgery. In contrast to the coronation of Queen Victoria, Edward's mother and predecessor, some 64 years earlier, Edward and Alexandra's coronation had been carefully planned as a spectacle reflecting the influence and culture of the British Empire, then at the height of its power, but also as a meaningful religious occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria</span> 1901 death and state funeral of the United Kingdoms queen

Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India, died on 22 January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, at the age of 81. At the time of her death, she was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Her state funeral took place on 2 February 1901, being one of the largest gatherings of European royalty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronation of George V and Mary</span> 1911 coronation in the United Kingdom

The coronation of George V and his wife, Mary, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Thursday 22 June 1911. This was the second of four such events held during the 20th century and the last to be attended by royal representatives of the great continental European empires.

<i>The Crown</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix on 9 November 2022. It was the first season of the series to be released following both the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 9 April 2021 and the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022; filming took place between the former and the latter's death. The season was promoted with the tagline "A House Divided".

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Roseman, Daniel (21 April 1996). "Was this the day when royalty lost the plot?". The Independent. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. Ben Pimlott "Polishing Their Image", extract from The Queen, HarperCollins (1996) reprinted on the PBS Frontline webpage