Opportunity Knocks
Encyclopedia
Opportunity Knocks is a British television
and radio
talent show
originally hosted by Hughie Green
, with a late-1980s revival hosted by Bob Monkhouse
, and later by previous winner Les Dawson
.
The original radio
version started on the BBC Light Programme
from 18 February to 30 September 1949 but moved to Radio Luxembourg
in the 1950s. It was shown on ITV
from 20 June 1956 to 29 August 1956, produced by Associated Rediffusion. A second run commenced in 11 July 1964 until 20 March 1978, produced first by ABC
and then by Thames Television
. Hughie Green presented a single episode of Opportunity Knocks for RTÉ
in 1979. It was revived by the BBC
from 21 March 1987 to 2 June 1990, hosted initially by Bob Monkhouse
from 1987 to 1989 (under the title "Bob Says Opportunity Knocks!") and subsequently by Les Dawson
in 1990.
, the winning acts on Opportunity Knocks were decided not by a panel of experts but by the viewing public. In the ITV version this took the form of a postal vote, the winner of which was announced the following week. The BBC revival was notable for being the first TV show to decide its winner using the now-standard method of a telephone vote. In both versions the studio audience reaction to each act was measured by a clap-o-meter
, but this did not count towards the final result.
The programme was recorded the Friday before transmission, so votes had to be in by Thursday. They also, according to host Hughie Green, largely to ensure fairness, had to be in "your own handwriting".
Although Opportunity Knocks did produce a number of talented acts, the method of putting the contest to a public vote did sometimes result in victories for novelty acts, in particular those involving children or animals. On one notorious occasion the young Su Pollard
was beaten into second place by a singing dog.
For the Monkhouse-fronted revival, the voting system was radically changed, making it the first British TV show to use telephone voting in order to get a more immediate result. This system is now common on British TV.
, Paul Daniels
, Pete the Plate Spinning Dog, Los Caracas, later to become Middle of the Road, Mary Hopkin
, Bonnie Langford
, Les Dawson
, Maureen Myers, Barry Cummings, Royston Vasey
(later to find fame as Roy 'Chubby' Brown
), Little and Large
, Bobby Crush
, Berni Flint
, Tony Holland
, Millican & Nesbitt
, Neil Reid
, Peters and Lee
, Lena Zavaroni
, Frank Carson
, Max Boyce
, Pam Ayres
, Gerry Monroe
, Debra Stephenson
, Tammy Jones
, Champagne, Frank Jennings Syndicate and Tony Monopoly
. Several winners of Opportunity Knocks (notably Tammy Jones, Champagne, Tony Monopoly, Sweet Sensation) later attempted to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest
, taking part in the A Song for Europe
competition. Lee Evans
appeared in 1986 but was rejected and did not make it past the initial audition.
, which was created by record company executive Simon Cowell
. The method of deciding a winner by telephone is used on that show and many other similar programs around the world. Britain's Got Talent can be said to be an evolution of the original Opportunity Knocks.
A reference to the show can be heard on The Beatles
' very first live performance of "Yesterday
" at Blackpool Night Out. George Harrison
introduces the song, saying "For Paul McCartney of Liverpool, opportunity knocks!". This version appears on Anthology 2
.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
originally hosted by Hughie Green
Hughie Green
Hughie Green was the host of numerous British television shows.-Early life:Hugh H. Green was born in London; his Scottish father was a former British Army Major who made his fortune supplying tinned fish to the Allied forces in World War I, while his mother Violet was the Surrey-born daughter of...
, with a late-1980s revival hosted by Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host...
, and later by previous winner Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
.
The original radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
version started on the BBC Light Programme
BBC Light Programme
The Light Programme was a BBC radio station which broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music from 1945 until 1967, when it was rebranded as BBC Radio 2...
from 18 February to 30 September 1949 but moved to Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
in the 1950s. It was shown on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
from 20 June 1956 to 29 August 1956, produced by Associated Rediffusion. A second run commenced in 11 July 1964 until 20 March 1978, produced first by ABC
Associated British Corporation
Associated British Corporation was one of a number of commercial television companies established in the United Kingdom during the 1950s by cinema chain companies in an attempt to safeguard their business by becoming involved with television which was taking away their cinema audiences.In this...
and then by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
. Hughie Green presented a single episode of Opportunity Knocks for RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
in 1979. It was revived 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...
from 21 March 1987 to 2 June 1990, hosted initially by Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse
Robert Alan "Bob" Monkhouse, OBE was an English entertainer. He was a successful comedy writer, comedian and actor and was also well known on British television as a presenter and game show host...
from 1987 to 1989 (under the title "Bob Says Opportunity Knocks!") and subsequently by Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
in 1990.
Voting system
Unlike its rival New FacesNew Faces
New Faces was a British television talent show popular in the 1970s and 1980s, presented originally by Derek Hobson. It was produced by ATV Network Limited for the ITV Network. The first run of the show was from 29 September 1973 to 2 April 1978 and was recorded at the ATV Centre, Birmingham...
, the winning acts on Opportunity Knocks were decided not by a panel of experts but by the viewing public. In the ITV version this took the form of a postal vote, the winner of which was announced the following week. The BBC revival was notable for being the first TV show to decide its winner using the now-standard method of a telephone vote. In both versions the studio audience reaction to each act was measured by a clap-o-meter
Clap-o-meter
A clap-o-meter, clapometer or applause meter is a measurement instrument that purports to measure and display the volume of clapping or applause made by a studio audience or an audience at some other event. It is used to decide the result of competitions based on the popularity of the contestants,...
, but this did not count towards the final result.
The programme was recorded the Friday before transmission, so votes had to be in by Thursday. They also, according to host Hughie Green, largely to ensure fairness, had to be in "your own handwriting".
Although Opportunity Knocks did produce a number of talented acts, the method of putting the contest to a public vote did sometimes result in victories for novelty acts, in particular those involving children or animals. On one notorious occasion the young Su Pollard
Su Pollard
Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard, 7 November 1949, Nottingham) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense and her abrupt voice....
was beaten into second place by a singing dog.
For the Monkhouse-fronted revival, the voting system was radically changed, making it the first British TV show to use telephone voting in order to get a more immediate result. This system is now common on British TV.
Famous alumni
Entertainers who appeared included Su PollardSu Pollard
Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard, 7 November 1949, Nottingham) is an English comedy actress, most famous for her roles in the sitcoms Hi-de-Hi! and You Rang, M'Lord?. She is also well known for her unusual and flamboyant dress sense and her abrupt voice....
, Paul Daniels
Paul Daniels
Paul Daniels, born Newton Edward Daniels on 6 April 1938, is a British magician and television performer. He achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC from 1979 to 1994.-Early life:...
, Pete the Plate Spinning Dog, Los Caracas, later to become Middle of the Road, Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin
Mary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
, Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
, Les Dawson
Les Dawson
Leslie "Les" Dawson was a popular English comedian remembered for his deadpan style, curmudgeonly persona and jokes about his mother-in-law and wife.-Life and career:...
, Maureen Myers, Barry Cummings, Royston Vasey
Royston Vasey
Royston Vasey is a small fictional town in the north of England, and the setting of the BBC television comedy series The League of Gentlemen. It has made famous the comedic phrase "a Local Shop for Local People". Royston Vasey is the real name of british stand-up comedian Roy 'Chubby' Brown, who...
(later to find fame as Roy 'Chubby' Brown
Roy 'Chubby' Brown
Roy "Chubby" Brown is an English stand-up comedian, notorious for his decidedly blue humour. The controversial nature of his act means that he rarely appears on major television channels, and Brown has attracted accusations that his comedy style is outdated whilst also being described as "The most...
), Little and Large
Little and Large
Little and Large were a British comedy double act comprising straight man Syd Little and comic Eddie Large . They formed their partnership in 1962, appearing as singers in local pubs around the North-West of England...
, Bobby Crush
Bobby Crush
Bobby Crush is an English pianist, songwriter and television presenter.-Career:Crush first came to public attention after making six winning appearances on Hughie Green's British ITV talent show, Opportunity Knocks, in the early 1970s...
, Berni Flint
Berni Flint
Berni Flint is a singer and songwriter who holds the record for the longest continuous run of wins on the ITV talent show, Opportunity Knocks.-Career:...
, Tony Holland
Tony Holland (bodybuilder)
Tony Holland is a British bodybuilder known for his muscle dancing act using his skill at the Maxalding muscle control technique.He achieved national celebrity in the UK after appearing on the ITV talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1964. His act consisted of flexing his biceps and then his shoulder...
, Millican & Nesbitt
Millican & Nesbitt
Millican & Nesbitt are a British vocal duo, comprising Alan Millican and Tom Nesbitt. They were former miners from Northumberland, England, who won the UK television talent contest, Opportunity Knocks, in 1973. They went on to release two singles and three albums...
, Neil Reid
Neil Reid
Neil Reid is a Scottish former child singing star, winner of ITV's Opportunity Knocks, and the holder of the title youngest person to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart....
, Peters and Lee
Peters and Lee
Peters and Lee were a successful British folk/pop duo of the 1970s, comprising Lennie Peters and Dianne Lee .-Background:...
, Lena Zavaroni
Lena Zavaroni
Lena Hilda Zavaroni was a Scottish child singer and a television show host. With her album Ma! He's Making Eyes At Me at ten years of age, she is the youngest person in history to have an album in the UK album chart top ten. Later in life she hosted TV shows and appeared on stage...
, Frank Carson
Frank Carson
Frank Carson is a Northern Irish comedian and actor, best known on television in series such as The Comedians and Tiswas.-Early life:...
, Max Boyce
Max Boyce
Maxwell Boyce MBE is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales...
, Pam Ayres
Pam Ayres
Pam Ayres MBE is an English poet, songwriter and presenter of radio and television programmes. Her 1975 appearance on the television talent show Opportunity Knocks led to a variety of appearances on TV and radio shows, a one woman touring stage show and performing before the Queen.-Early life:Pam...
, Gerry Monroe
Gerry Monroe
Gerry Monroe was an English pop singer, who enjoyed brief popularity in the early 1970s.His real name was Henry Morris and he was born on 20th January 1933 in Windy Nook, Gateshead. He scored five Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart in 1970-71...
, Debra Stephenson
Debra Stephenson
Debra Stephenson is an English actress, comedian, impressionist and singer.-Career:At the age of fourteen Stephenson appeared on BBC TV's Opportunity Knocks, winning her way through to the All-Winners' Final, broadcast live from the London Palladium...
, Tammy Jones
Tammy Jones
Tammy Jones , is a singer from Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales.-Musical career:Jones began singing at an early age, and was soon established as a regular on both radio and television in her native Wales....
, Champagne, Frank Jennings Syndicate and Tony Monopoly
Tony Monopoly
Tony Monopoly was a popular Australian cabaret singer and actor who enjoyed success in the United Kingdom.Born Antonio Rosario Monopoli in Adelaide, Australia, he was a regular on the national radio show Kangaroos on Parade at the age of nine. At the age of sixteen he became a Carmelite monk and...
. Several winners of Opportunity Knocks (notably Tammy Jones, Champagne, Tony Monopoly, Sweet Sensation) later attempted to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, taking part in the A Song for Europe
A Song for Europe
A Song for Europe may refer to:*A Song for Europe, former name of British pre-selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, now known as Eurovision: Your Country Needs You...
competition. Lee Evans
Lee Evans (comedian)
Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
appeared in 1986 but was rejected and did not make it past the initial audition.
Influence
Today, most of the elements of this show are visible on the British program Britain's Got TalentBritain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
, which was created by record company executive Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
. The method of deciding a winner by telephone is used on that show and many other similar programs around the world. Britain's Got Talent can be said to be an evolution of the original Opportunity Knocks.
A reference to the show can be heard on The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' very first live performance of "Yesterday
Yesterday (song)
"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" at Blackpool Night Out. George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
introduces the song, saying "For Paul McCartney of Liverpool, opportunity knocks!". This version appears on Anthology 2
Anthology 2
Anthology 2 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records in March 1996. It is the second of the three-volume Anthology collection, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. The opening track is "Real Love", the second of the two recordings that...
.
External links
- Opportunity Knocks at Nostalgia Central
- History of Radio Luxembourg which features sound clip from Opportunity Knocks.
- Opportunity Knocks at the National Film and Sound Archive