The Generation Game
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The Generation Game is a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two (usually people from the same family, but different generations) compete to win prizes. Based on the format of the Dutch TV show Een van de acht ("One of the Eight"), it was first broadcast in 1971 under the title Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game and ran until 1981 and again from 1990 until 2002. The show has been hosted by Bruce Forsyth (1971-1977/1900-1995), Larry Grayson (1978-1981) and Jim Davidson (1996-2002). Anthea Redfern was Bruce's assistant, and later Isla St Clair was Larry's assistant.
The show reached it popular peak under the stewardship of Grayson, with audiences of over 18 million tuning in Saturday night. The combination of his camp to Isla St Claire's innocence proved irresistable and became the central plane of the BBC1 evening schedule.
The competition tasks usually involved first seeing a skilled professional (such as a dancer or a potter) construct something or do a performance. The contestants would then attempt to do the same thing, and a score would be given by the professional afterwards.
At the end of the show, one member of the victorious team watched prizes pass by on a conveyor belt and then won as many of them as he or she could recall. A trademark of the show was that a cuddly toy was always included among the prizes.
The show also introduced a number of catchphrases into British culture, famously Bruce Forsyth's "Didn't he/she do well?", "Let's have a look at the old scoreboard" and "It's nice to see you, to see you ...", to which the audience would respond with a shout of "Nice!". Grayson supplied his own catchphrases from his act, notably "Shut that Door!", "What a Gay Day!" and "Seems Like a Nice Boy!". Scores were preceeded by "What Are the Scores on the Doors?".
A special version called 'Generation Fame', hosted by Graham Norton and played by celebrity guests, was shown on 31st December 2005. Guests included Davina McCall and Rupert Grint. This was presumably a forerunner of a new series to be shown in 2006.