The Great Egg Race

Last updated

The Great Egg Race
The Great Egg Race - Title Screen 1982 to 1985.jpg
Genre Game show
Presented by
Theme music composer
  • Richard Denton
  • Martin Cook
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series8
No. of episodes68 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
  • Peter Bruce (Series 1-4)
  • Charles Huff (Series 4-8)
Production location Pebble Mill Studios
Running time30 minutes
Production company BBC Television
Original release
Network BBC Two
Release2 January 1979 (1979-01-02) 
12 September 1986 (1986-09-12)
Related
The Great Egg Race Rides Again

The Great Egg Race was a BBC television series, in which problem solving teams are given a challenge to design and build machines using limited resources and time, to solve a problem set by the judges.

Contents

Sixty-eight episodes were produced and presented by seven presenters over the life of the show which ran for eight series from 1979 to 1986 and was broadcast on BBC 2. The first series consisted of five episodes and series two to eight consisted of nine episodes each.

Programme

The show was presented by Brian Cant (1979), Charlotte Allen (1979 & 82), Johnny Ball (1980), Hilary Henson (1980–81), Professor Heinz Wolff (1983-86), [1] Lesley Judd (1984), and Howard Stableford as a guest presenter for one episode in 1986. [2]

Re-edited 15-minute episodes of the original show were later made for BBC Choice in 2000, under the title The Great Egg Race Rides Again. [2]

Format

The series obtained its name from the initial challenge of making a device capable of transporting an egg in a rubber-band-powered vehicle the furthest possible distance without breaking it.

After the initial egg-related challenges, other non-egg events were introduced, [3] and after two series, the original egg-racing was dropped.

The show usually featured three problem solving teams from academia, industry or friend groups, creating Heath Robinson style mechanical creations. The teams had limited resources, having to use ingenuity and creativity in an attempt to solve a complex problem, set at the start of the show.

Each episode featured Heinz Wolff judging, along with a guest judge with expertise in the problem domain; judges included Professor Michael French and Fred Dibnah. Scoring was at the judge's discretion and could be given for categories such as "design", "courage" and "entertainment". [4] Later episodes would see the teams attempt challenges outside of the studio in remote and outdoor locations, and the final series changed the format into a knockout competition. [2]

In the first episode, as well as the egg-carrying challenge between several devices, three teams had to precision weigh three items – a feather, an egg, and a household brick (a weight range 10,000:1) – using a 50 g (1.76 oz) weight and ordinary domestic items. [3] In the final episode the two teams' challenge was to take an aerial photograph of an offshore oil rig. [2]

Title Sequence

The theme music was by Richard Denton and Martin Cook and is featured on the BBC Records LP Top BBC-TV Themes - Vol 2 (1979). [5]

For series 4 to 7, Aardman Animations created the title sequence of the egg on a rollercoaster made of kitchen utensils. [6] The neon effect programme logo was filmed separately backlit on a rostrum camera and composited with the film shoot in a film optical. [7]

Title screen - Series 1 to 3 The Great Egg Race - Title Screen 1979 to 1981.jpg
Title screen - Series 1 to 3
Title screen - Series 4 to 7 The Great Egg Race - Title Screen 1982 to 1985.jpg
Title screen - Series 4 to 7
Title screen - Series 8 The Great Egg Race - Title Screen 1986.jpg
Title screen - Series 8

Series Overview

Series overview
SeriesPresentersPrincipal JudgeEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 Brian Cant
Charlotte Allen
Heinz Wolff52 January 1979 (1979-01-02)30 January 1979 (1979-01-30)
2 Johnny Ball
Hilary Henson
925 March 1980 (1980-03-25)20 May 1980 (1980-05-20)
3 Hilary Henson921 March 1981 (1981-03-21)16 June 1981 (1981-06-16)
4 Charlotte Allen915 March 1982 (1982-03-15)10 June 1982 (1982-06-10)
5 Heinz Wolff930 August 1983 (1983-08-30)25 October 1983 (1983-10-25)
6 Heinz Wolff
Lesley Judd
929 May 1984 (1984-05-29)24 July 1984 (1984-07-24)
7 Heinz Wolff93 May 1985 (1985-05-03)28 June 1985 (1985-06-28)
8 Heinz Wolff
Howard Stableford
94 July 1986 (1986-07-04)12 September 1986 (1986-09-12)

Episode List

Series 1 (1979)

This series has teams that have built a machine that can transport a single egg the furthest possible distance, using only a rubber band as a power source. The Egg Race Champions compete to find the Champion Eggmobile of Great Britain and for the Hartman Fibre Trophy.
Problem-solving teams face engineering challenges.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsEgg RacersOriginal air date
11"Eggmobiles"Professor Michael French EMI

Leicester Polytechnic

The Post Office
BBC Radio Birmingham

BBC Radio Brighton

BBC Radio Manchester
2 January 1979 (1979-01-02)
Problem-solving teams attempt to weigh accurately three objects that differ in weight by a ratio of 10,000:1.
22TBAProfessor William Biggs The National Westminster Bank

St Marys Medical School

Robert Morton (DG) Ltd
BBC Radio London

BBC Radio Oxford

BBC Plymouth
9 January 1979 (1979-01-09)
Problem-solving teams are given just two hours to design and build a mechanical device, a jumping flea to clear a cube.
33"Making Music"Terry Pamplin British Gas

Cadbury-Schweppes

Loughborough University
BBC Radio Derby

BBC Radio Newcastle

BBC Norwich
16 January 1979 (1979-01-16)
Problem-solving teams are confronted with the problem of 'making music'.
44"Timekeeping"Professor Ian Fells Aston University

Austin-Morris

Chloride Technical Limited
BBC Radio Bristol

BBC Radio Nottingham

BBC Radio Stoke
23 January 1979 (1979-01-23)
Problem-solving teams are confronted with the problem of 'timekeeping'.
55"Catapult"Professor Michael French University College, London

AERE Harwell

CEGB, Berkeley Nuclear Laboratories
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Solent
30 January 1979 (1979-01-30)
Problem-solving teams have just two hours to design and build an 'egg flipping' device.

Series 2 (1980)

Once again, teams compete in The Great Egg Race, in search of the 'Fastest Eggmobile in the World', to win the Hartmann Fibre Trophy, and a prize of £250.
Problem-solving teams face engineering challenges.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
61TBAProfessor Michael French Wellcome Laboratories

Aberdeen University

ICI
25 March 1980 (1980-03-25)

Egg racing from the BBC Radio Bristol heat.

Problem-solving teams attempt to weigh the judges.
72TBAProfessor Ian Fells BP Research

Nottingham University

Rentokil
1 April 1980 (1980-04-01)

Egg racing from the BBC Radio Cleveland heat.

Problem-solving teams are given three hours to design and construct a liquid dispenser.
83TBADr Anthony Flint Allied Breweries

Pilkington Brothers

Liverpool University
8 April 1980 (1980-04-08)

Egg racing from the BBC Radio London heat at County Hall, Westminster.

Problem-solving teams are tackling a problem of 'Beans and Stresses'.
94TBADr Bob Adams Bird's Eye Foods

Ministry of Defence

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST)
15 April 1980 (1980-04-15)

Egg racing from the BBC Radio Solent heat.

Problem-solving teams are tackling a problem of 'Pea Picking'.
105TBA Des Sleightholme KTM/Vickers

Lloyds Bank

The Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory, Chorley
22 April 1980 (1980-04-22)

Egg racing from the BBC Radio Nottingham heat at the London Transport Museum.

Problem-solving teams will be keeping their head above water.
116TBATerry Pamplin Dowty Electrics

The London Hospital

Tate and Lyle
29 April 1980 (1980-04-29)

Egg racing from the BBC Radio Leicester heat.

Problem-solving teams will have 3 hours to produce a 'music machine'.
127TBAProfessor Ian Fells British Steel

Chailey Heritage Hospital

Plessey Research
6 May 1980 (1980-05-06)

The first semi-final of The Great Egg Race.

Problem-solving teams will design and build an 'automatic pancake tossing' machine.
138TBAProfessor Gordon Higginson British Nuclear

Imperial Metal Industries

Intermediate Technology Development Group
13 May 1980 (1980-05-13)

The second semi-final of The Great Egg Race.

Problem-solving teams will have a problem to 'sort out'.
149TBAProfessor Bruce Archer British Aerospace

Oxford University

Racal Electronics
20 May 1980 (1980-05-20)

The final of The Great Egg Race.

Problem-solving teams will make 'a meal of their problem'.

Series 3 (1981)

From this series, The Great Egg Race has been dropped, continuing with only the problem solving teams.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
151TBAMichael Peters Eastman Dental Hospital

Southern Electricity

Hertfordshire Science Teaching
21 April 1981 (1981-04-21)
Teams are challenged to design and construct and demonstrate their answer to Caxton.
162TBAProfessor Gordon Higginson The National Institute of Agricultural Engineering

GKN

Rolls-Royce and Associates
28 April 1981 (1981-04-28)
Teams are given three hours to design and construct a man-powered, man-carrying vehicle, using only the contents of a kitchen.
173"Gramophone"Terry Pamplin Atkins R&D

Brush Electrical Machines

South West Wales School of Radiography
5 May 1981 (1981-05-05)
Problem-solving teams are to make music from a crate of old 78 records.
184TBAProfessor Michael French Kenwood Engineering

Marconi Radar Systems

Warwick Research Unit for the Blind
12 May 1981 (1981-05-12)
Teams are challenged to construct a variety of measuring devices, given only a 6 mm (0.24 in) ball bearing for reference.
195TBAProfessor Ian Fells Royal Navy

N. E. I. Parsons

Shirley Institute
19 May 1981 (1981-05-19)
Teams must put their best foot forward to stay above water.
206"A Portrait for Posterity"Professor Ian Fells Glasgow Royal Infirmary

Britannia Airways

Shand Civil Engineering
26 May 1981 (1981-05-26)
Teams, in only three-and-a-half hours, with no camera, no film and no darkroom, must produce a photograph of all three team members.
217"Hooplistics"Professor Gordon Higginson Kontron Electrolab

Life Science Research

ICL
2 June 1981 (1981-06-02)
Teams are to design, build and operate an automatic hoopla machine.
228TBADr John IredaleAlfred Bader Ltd

Cranfield Product Engineering Centre

Ministry of Defence
9 June 1981 (1981-06-09)
Teams are given three-and-a-half hours to unravel and weigh an item.
239TBAJock SmithNational Nuclear Corporation

Plessey Telecoms

Handicapped Persons' Research Unit
16 June 1981 (1981-06-16)
Teams have three-and-a-half hours to design and build 'A Great Egg' eggmobile.

Series 4 (1982)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
241"The Egg Poachers"Professor Ian Fells Wilkinson Sword

BXL Plastics

London immunologists
15 April 1982 (1982-04-15)
Problem-solving teams are challenged to design, construct and demonstrate a moving problem with a cracking result.
252TBAProfessor Michael French RNEC Manadon

Central School of Art and Design

British Engineerium
22 April 1982 (1982-04-22)
Teams are challenged on how to construct an automatic badminton server.
263"Music Without Tears"Terry Pamplin Oxford University

St George's Hospital

Ergonomists
29 April 1982 (1982-04-29)
Teams are challenged to do for music what the pocket calculator has done for mathematics.
274TBAClaude Blair Yarsley Technical Centre

British Telecom

DATAC
6 May 1982 (1982-05-06)
Teams are given three hours to set their sights on a rather unusual target.
285"Bridge That Gap"Professor Gordon Higginson Princess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital

GEC

Jaymic
13 May 1982 (1982-05-13)
Teams have a narrow ledge, a chasm with a raging torrent below, and no bridge - how to get across?
296"In One Minute from Now"John Stevenson SIRA Institute

Wuidart Engineering

Oxford Medical Systems
20 May 1982 (1982-05-20)
Teams are given the problem of designing and building a one-minute ticking clock.
307"The Big Deal"Professor Ian FellsOpsec Ltd

Townsend Thoresen

Photographers
27 May 1982 (1982-05-27)
Teams are given a pack of cards to design and construct a machine which will automatically deal four hands of 13 cards.
318"The Ovipositor"Professor Gordon Higginson East Midlands Electricity

Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory

Newcastle University
3 June 1982 (1982-06-03)
Teams are set the problem of inventing a 'handy' kitchen gadget.
329"The Egg Walker"Jock Smith Metal Box

Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment

Paul Hepworth Associates
10 June 1982 (1982-06-10)
Teams are set the problem of designing, building and racing an Egg Walker.

Series 5 (1983)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
331"The Ghost at the Machine"Dr Andy IrwinTBA30 August 1983 (1983-08-30)
Teams have to operate a typewriter is in a locked room so all the operation has to be done through the keyhole.
342"When the Petrol Runs Out"Jock Smith Kidbrooke School

Johnson Matthey

Hendre Quarry
6 September 1983 (1983-09-06)
Teams have to dismantle a Citroën 2CV, before rebuilding them to make vehicles light enough to lift over a wall, strong enough to carry three people, and fast enough to beat the others. All this without using any petrol.
353"Caged"Victor LiardetTBA13 September 1983 (1983-09-13)
Teams have to design and build a combination lock that will defy their opponents lock picking abilities.
364"Staying Aloft"Wing Commander Ken Wallis MOD Shoeburyness

Hawtal Whiting

British Caledonian
20 September 1983 (1983-09-20)
Teams attempt to make craft that, even if they cannot carry animals, can at least fly - a bit. The programme includes a radio-controlled helicopter, a glider, an autogyro, a plane, and recalling that first flight of 1783, a hot air balloon.
375"Out of Your Depth"Professor Stephen Salter Mildenhall Upper School

Wirral Borough Council

Seven Seas Healthcare Laboratories
27 September 1983 (1983-09-27)
Teams have to build a submarine that will submerge in a tank of water, travel under and island and resurface.
388"A Shocking Problem"Terry WilkinsonTBA4 October 1983 (1983-10-04)
Teams have to light the light at Battersea Power Station and make one of the giant meters register.
397"The Flickering Light"Professor Ian FellsCam Gear, Cleveden

Queen's University Belfast

British Steel
11 October 1983 (1983-10-11)
Teams have the task of building a projector.
408"The Egg and Spoon Race"Professor Gordon HigginsonTBA18 October 1983 (1983-10-18)
Teams must construct a vehicle that will race down a bumpy track carrying an egg in the bowl of a dessert spoon.
419"The Rangefinder"Professor Ian FellsTBA25 October 1983 (1983-10-25)
Teams must measure the height of Battersea Power Station's chimneys.

Series 6 (1984)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
421"Thereby Hangs a Tail"Professor Ian Fells Huddersfield Polytechnic Computer Dept.

Computer Technology Ltd

Wrexham and District Computer Club
29 May 1984 (1984-05-29)
Teams must demonstrate how to look happy when one's face is hidden, sad when seen from the rear, and the alternative way of eating a banana.
432"The Aquabikes" Peter Schiller TBA5 June 1984 (1984-06-05)
In Germany, the teams must cycle on water.
443"Cause for Alarm"Brigadier Alan Needham British Telecom (Scotland)

STC Quartz

Grassland Research Institute
12 June 1984 (1984-06-12)
Teams must engineer a system of burglar alarms to protect a secret document that is hidden in an office.
454"Putting on the Pressure" Fred Dibnah National Maritime Institute

W. S. Atkins

Scorraig Crofters
19 June 1984 (1984-06-19)
At the Greater Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, teams must construct a steam engine capable of lifting a weight into the air.
465"Desert Island Bikes"Professor Gordon HigginsonTBA26 June 1984 (1984-06-26)
There is an island with bits of bicycles on it. No one is allowed to set foot on the island, so the team's task is to construct a device delicate enough to retrieve a wheel nut, but strong enough to capture a frame, then cycle away.
476"A Remote Problem"Jock SmithTBA3 July 1984 (1984-07-03)
In Manchester, using a miniature TV camera, teams must build a vehicle that will search through a warehouse to retrieve a glowing ball.
487"Time for Tea"Professor Ian Fells Dunlop

Admiralty Marine Technology Establishment

Napton Village
10 July 1984 (1984-07-10)
Teams must produce machines to make tea.
498"Reaching the Heights"Peter SchillerTBA17 July 1984 (1984-07-17)
In Germany, teams will race over an obstacle course with the parts of a very tall structure, then hoist a flag.
509"The Windpumps"Fabian AckerTBA24 July 1984 (1984-07-24)
Teams must build large windpumps to pump water.

Series 7 (1985)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
511"Igloos" Myrtle Simpson Army Ammo School

Southwark Surveyors

Plumpton Village
3 May 1985 (1985-05-03)
In Aviemore, teams have to make themselves at home by building an igloo.
522TBAHarry ArnoldTBA10 May 1985 (1985-05-10)
Teams have to prepare a craft to sail on a canal.
533"Huskies" Hamish MacInnes RAF St Athan

Benfords

Appliance Testing Laborartory
17 May 1985 (1985-05-17)
Teams have to build mechanical huskies to pull a sled.
544"The Robot Piano Player" Peter Skellern Stag Furniture

Fylde Guitars

Early Music Shop
24 May 1985 (1985-05-24)
Teams have to build a robot piano player.
555"Fire"Professor Ian FellsTBA31 May 1985 (1985-05-31)
Teams have to construct a machine that will make fire.
566"Hovercraft" Ray Wheeler HMS Sultan

JK Lasers

Snowden Hill Men
7 June 1985 (1985-06-07)
Teams have to construct a remote-controlled mini-hovercraft using the contents of a garden shed.
577"Photography"Brian Coe Analog Devices

Ruddocks Printers

L.B.M.S Consultants
14 June 1985 (1985-06-14)
Teams have to make photograph-in-three-minute machines.
588"Mobo Horse" John Watson TBA21 June 1985 (1985-06-21)
At HMS Daedalus teams have to make a cross between a horse, bike, and a car - a mobohorse.
599"Dastardly Deeds at Eggraze Hall"Mat IrvineTBA28 June 1985 (1985-06-28)
Teams have to create a play in three acts, starring John Leeson and Hal Dyer. Also taking part are team members and a wonderful selection of specially created disasters.

Series 8 (1986)

This series features a knock-out competition.

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleGuest JudgeTeamsOriginal air date
601"The Biggest Paper Aeroplane in the World"Dizzy AddicottFosters

TBA

TBA
4 July 1986 (1986-07-04)
First heat: Teams attempt to get the Guinness World Record, to make the largest paper glider in the world. Materials are limited to brown paper, newspaper and string, with the winning machine flying the furthest.
612"The Treasure Map"Michael BrandGloucester Postal Engineers

Northern Lights

Stranmillis College
11 July 1986 (1986-07-11)
Second heat: Teams have to make a map, using only wood and a school geometry set of the Giant's Causeway.
623"The Fork Lift"Dr Peter KitchinJ J Barker

TBA

TBA
18 July 1986 (1986-07-18)
Third heat: At the Scottish Exhibition Centre the teams must build a forklift truck and move 500 eggs as fast as possible with it.
634"The Long Tide"Professor Ian FellsEmergency Exit Arts

TBA

TBA
1 August 1986 (1986-08-01)
Fourth heat: On Brancaster Sands the teams have only a few hours to build a wave-powered machine to hoist a flag.
645"The Still"Willie MacKayCancer and Polio Research Fund

TBA

TBA
8 August 1986 (1986-08-08)
Fifth heat: In Northern Ireland the teams have to make stills to desalinate fresh water from the sea using an old fridge.
656"The Crane"Jim O'NielOn Site

TBA

TBA
15 August 1986 (1986-08-15)
Sixth heat: At the Scottish Exhibition Centre, at the site of the Clyde docks, the teams have to make dockside cranes, which are tested to destruction.
667"The Greasy Pole"Professor Meredith Thring Emergency Exit Arts

Cancer and Polio Research Fund
Fosters

The Judges (Heinz Wolff, Ian Fells, Michael French)
22 August 1986 (1986-08-22)
First semi-final: On Brancaster Sands, Howard Stableford takes over the presenting duty. A guest team made up of the Judges take on teams that must make a machine that can destroy a rival while both are balancing on a horizontal pole.
678"Back to Nature"Cynthia McArthurGloucester Postal Engineers

On Site

J J Barker
5 September 1986 (1986-09-05)
Second semi-final: Teams must make a breakfast and only have the ingredients of raw wheat, green coffee beans, sugar beet, and a cow.
689"The Oil Platform"Tom PrattOn Site
Emergency Exit Arts
12 September 1986 (1986-09-12)
Final: To win the 1986 Great Egg Race golden trophy, the finalists must take an aerial photograph of the Forties Delta platform, out in the North Sea, off the coast of Aberdeen.

Related Research Articles

<i>Blue Peter</i> British childrens television programme

Blue Peter is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Television Centre in London until September 2011, when the programme moved to dock10 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford, Greater Manchester. It is currently shown live on the CBBC television channel on Fridays at 5 pm. The show is also repeated on Saturdays at 11:30 am, Sundays at 9:00 am and a BSL version is shown on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm.

<i>Balamory</i> British childrens television series

Balamory is a Scottish live-action children's programme on CBeebies for pre-school children, about a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, named Balamory. Four series were produced from 2002 to 2005 by BBC Scotland, with 253 episodes made. The programme was created by Brian Jameson.

<i>A Question of Sport</i> British television sports quiz show (1970–2023)

A Question of Sport is a British television sports quiz show produced and broadcast by the BBC. It was the "world's longest running TV sports quiz". Following a pilot episode in December 1968, broadcast only in the north of England, the series ran from 1970 until production ceased in 2023. The final presenter was Paddy McGuinness, with team captains Sam Quek and Ugo Monye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mel Giedroyc</span> British actress and comedian (born 1968)

Melanie Clare Sophie Giedroyc is an English actress, comedian and television presenter. With Sue Perkins, she has co-hosted series including Light Lunch for Channel 4, The Great British Bake Off for the BBC and chat show Mel and Sue for ITV. In early 2017 Giedroyc co-presented the BBC show Let It Shine. Since 2015 she has held a number of commentating roles for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Lesley Judd is an English former television presenter and dancer, best known as a long-serving host of the BBC children's programme Blue Peter (1972–1979).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz Wolff</span> German-British scientist and TV presenter

Heinz Siegfried Wolff, was a German-born British scientist as well as a television and radio presenter. He was best known for the BBC television series The Great Egg Race.

El Nombre is a children's educational programme about an anthropomorphic Mexican gerbil character, originally from a series of educational sketches on Numbertime, the BBC schools programme about mathematics. He was also the only character to appear in all Numbertime episodes. His voice was provided by Steve Steen, while the other characters' voices were provided by Sophie Aldred, Kate Robbins, and former Blue Peter host Janet Ellis. For the ninth series of Numbertime in 2001, Michael Fenton-Stevens also provided voices of certain other characters in the El Nombre sketches.

Jigsaw is a BBC show aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 7 that combined elements of puzzle solving and entertainment, which was broadcast from 16 July 1979 until 15 June 1984.

<i>Great British Menu</i> British cooking television series

Great British Menu is a BBC television series in which top British chefs compete for the chance to cook one course of a four-course banquet.

Andrea Oliver is a British chef, television and radio broadcaster, and former singer. She is best known for her appearances on the BBC cooking show the Great British Menu. She is the author of the book The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table, published in 2023.

<i>Megamaths</i> British TV series or programme

Megamaths is a BBC educational television series for primary schools that was originally aired on BBC Two from 16 September 1996 to 4 February 2002. For its first three series, it was set in a castle on top of Table Mountain, populated by the four card suits. There were two gargoyles at the portcullis of the castle named Gar and Goyle who spoke mostly in rhyme, and an animated dragon called Brimstone who lived in the castle cellar. Each episode featured a song explaining the episode's mathematical content.

<i>Top Gear Australia</i> Australian TV series or program

Top Gear Australia is an Australian motoring reality television series, based on the British BBC series Top Gear. The programme first premiered on SBS One on 29 September 2008. A second season was ordered following the high ratings for the premiere episode and positive comments from advertisers, and the second season began broadcasting from 11 May 2009. After acquiring the rights to broadcast the UK version in 2009, the Nine Network started airing their own version of Top Gear Australia in September 2010. Top Gear Australia returned for a fourth season in 2011. The show was cancelled on 28 April 2012 due to declining ratings. An eight part series will return in 2024 on Paramount+ with new hosts.

<i>Crimewatch</i> British television programme produced by the BBC

Crimewatch is a British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes in order to gain information from the public which may assist in solving the case. The programme was originally broadcast once a month on BBC One, although in the final years before cancellation it was usually broadcast roughly once every two months.

Scrapheap Challenge is a British television show where teams of contestants build a working machine that can perform a specific task, using materials available in a scrapyard. The series features teams of four or five members who are given ten hours to build vehicles or machines to complete a specific task, such as a trebuchet, or complete a racecourse whilst acting as a gyroscope. The programme ran for eleven series and was originally shown on Channel 4. The format was exported to the United States, where it was known as Junkyard Wars. The US show was also produced by RDF Media, and was originally shown on The Learning Channel. Repeats have aired on another Discovery network, the Science Channel.

<i>The Great British Bake Off</i> British television baking competition

The Great British Bake Off is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress two judges with their baking skills. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the three contestants who reach the final.

<i>The Great Australian Bake Off</i> Australian television baking series

The Great Australian Bake Off is an Australian television baking series that is based on the BBC baking competition The Great British Bake Off.

The Great British Sewing Bee is a BBC reality show that began airing on BBC Two on 2 April 2013. In the show, talented amateur sewers compete to be named "Britain's best home sewer". A spin-off of the format of The Great British Bake Off, the programme was presented by Claudia Winkleman for the first four series, with judges Patrick Grant, May Martin, and Esme Young. After a three-year hiatus, the series returned in 2019, with Joe Lycett taking over as presenter. The sixth series began airing on BBC One in April 2020 and the seventh began airing in April 2021. Sara Pascoe took over as presenter from series 8, which began airing in April 2022.

Top Gear is a British motoring magazine and entertainment television programme. It is a revival by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman of the 1977–2001 show of the same name for the BBC, and premiered on 20 October 2002. The programme focuses on the examination and reviewing of motor vehicles, primarily cars, though this was expanded upon after the broadcast of its earlier series to incorporate films featuring motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a course specially-designed for the relaunched programme. The programme drew acclaim for its visual and presentation style since its launch, which focused on being generally entertaining to viewers, as well as criticism over the controversial nature of its content. The show was also praised for its occasionally-controversial humour and lore existing in not just the automotive community but in the form of internet memes and jokes. The programme was aired on BBC Two until it was moved to BBC One for its twenty-ninth series in 2020.

The Alphabet Game is a comedy panel game show that aired on BBC1 from 5 August 1996 to 27 March 1997 and is hosted by Andrew O'Connor. The programme was created by O'Connor, Rebecca Thornhill, Mark Maxwell-Smith and produced by Objective Productions. It was remade in Spain as Pasapalabra, for which ITV Studios sued Telecinco for €17,000,000; ITV would later remake the show as Alphabetical.

<i>RuPauls Drag Race UK</i> British reality competition television series

RuPaul's Drag Race UK is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. The show is the fourth installment of the Drag Race franchise, and the second fronted by RuPaul. The show documents RuPaul and a panel of judges' search for "the United Kingdom's next drag superstar", the first series title dubbed "UK's First Drag Superstar". RuPaul plays several roles on the show including host, mentor and head judge for the series, as the contestants are given different challenges to participate in each week. The show also employs a panel of judges: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.

References

  1. Grierson, Jamie (16 December 2017). "Heinz Wolff, scientist and Great Egg Race presenter, dies at 89". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "BBC Genome Programme Index". BBC Genome Project. BBC. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 "The Great Egg Race". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  4. "Putting on the Pressure" 1984, at 27 minutes
  5. "Various - Top BBC TV Themes Vol. 2". Discogs.com. 1979. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  6. Lane, Megan (14 October 2010). "What's an egg race got to do with inventing?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  7. "The Great Egg Race (1983)". Ravensbourne University London. Retrieved 27 March 2024.