Ask the Family
Encyclopedia
Ask the Family is a British television quiz show
originally made by the BBC
and broadcast on BBC One
between 1967 and 1984. In 1999, it was revived by UK Gold, and in 2005 again returned with a series on BBC2.
The show took the form of a quiz contest between two teams, with each team consisting of four members of a single family – two parents and two teenage children. Over the course of the thirty-minute show the teams were asked a variety of general knowledge
questions and mental puzzles, with the winner advancing to the next round.
on the sitar
.
The teams were asked questions, with certain questions directed at only certain members of the family – such as "children only", or "father and elder child only". The series was in knockout format with each week's winner returning in the next round.
as the new quizmaster. The show was broadcast on BBC1 later in the year. Its theme tune was "Sun Ride" by John Leach, which had also been used as the theme during some of the later Robert Robinson series.
. Dick and Dom's Ask the Family broke with its wholesome origins with a format in which the questions were secondary to the presenters' antics and it attracted some controversy. The creator of the 1967 show, Patricia Owtram, derided the show saying, "I was disgusted that, in the first Dick and Dom programme, a boy who gave a wrong answer was forced to wear a donkey mask and be hooted". This version of the show lasted one series.
Quiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
originally made by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and broadcast on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
between 1967 and 1984. In 1999, it was revived by UK Gold, and in 2005 again returned with a series on BBC2.
The show took the form of a quiz contest between two teams, with each team consisting of four members of a single family – two parents and two teenage children. Over the course of the thirty-minute show the teams were asked a variety of general knowledge
General knowledge
General knowledge has been defined by differential psychologists as referring to 'culturally valued knowledge communicated by a range of non-specialist media' General knowledge therefore encompasses a wide range of knowledge domains...
questions and mental puzzles, with the winner advancing to the next round.
Original series
The show was created in 1967 by Patricia Owtram and continued on BBC1 for 17 years until being cancelled in 1984, after being won by the Ward family from Portstewart, Northern Ireland. Throughout this time it was presented by Robert Robinson. Ask the Family proved a hit, becoming known for its riddles and favourites such as images of household objects viewed from close-up (photographed by Eric Ilett) as well as its perennially precocious young contestants. Its theme music was also distinctive, a piece called "Acka Raga" performed by John MayerJohn Mayer (composer)
John Mayer was an Indian composer known primarily for his fusions of jazz with Indian music...
on the sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
.
The teams were asked questions, with certain questions directed at only certain members of the family – such as "children only", or "father and elder child only". The series was in knockout format with each week's winner returning in the next round.
UK Gold revival
In early 1999, the UK channel UK Gold filmed a new series of the show, reviving the original format and with Alan TitchmarshAlan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
as the new quizmaster. The show was broadcast on BBC1 later in the year. Its theme tune was "Sun Ride" by John Leach, which had also been used as the theme during some of the later Robert Robinson series.
2005 revival
The show again returned to the BBC when it was shown at tea-time on BBC2 and presented by children's presenters Dick and DomDick and Dom
Dick and Dom are a children's comic double act consisting of the presenters Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood. They are primarily known for presenting children's television, such as Dick and Dom in da Bungalow for 5 series between 2002 - 2006...
. Dick and Dom's Ask the Family broke with its wholesome origins with a format in which the questions were secondary to the presenters' antics and it attracted some controversy. The creator of the 1967 show, Patricia Owtram, derided the show saying, "I was disgusted that, in the first Dick and Dom programme, a boy who gave a wrong answer was forced to wear a donkey mask and be hooted". This version of the show lasted one series.