Bruce Forsyth's Big Night
Encyclopedia
Bruce Forsyth's Big Night was a TV show screened on ITV
on Saturday nights throughout the autumn and winter of 1978. It starred Bruce Forsyth
. A total of 12 episodes were broadcast between 7 October and 31 December 1978. A further one off special was shown on 4 April 1980.
The show was made by London Weekend Television
. Following the huge success enjoyed by The Generation Game
, Forsyth was poached from the BBC for a reported £15,000 a show with each show having a budget of £250,000. The idea was that the show would provide Bruce with a vehicle for his many and various talents. The show was designed to take up an entire Saturday evening on ITV and win the ratings battle with the BBC
. However, it was poorly received and was broadly unsuccessful with The Generation Game (now hosted by Larry Grayson
) winning higher audiences.
The show featured some mini-games
, like "Beat The Goalie" (a phone in game with similarities to The Golden Shot
) and little games with the studio audience - it also featured mini-comedies, such as a revival of 1960s series The Worker, with Charlie Drake
as The Worker and Henry McGee
(one of Benny Hill
's stooges) as the man at the labour exchange
, and also The Glums, a TV adaptation of short sketches from the radio series Take It From Here
, with Jimmy Edwards
reprising his role he immortalised on radio as Mr Glum, Ian Lavender
(Private Pike from Dad's Army
) playing the role of Ron (played by Dick Bentley
in the radio series) and Patricia Brake
as Eth, the role played on radio by June Whitfield
. Both those series were eventually made into a full series in their own right, but they were short-lived. The show also featured Cannon and Ball
doing their own sketches, but the producer decided to axe their part from the show every single week, as they believed more Bruce was the answer to the problems to the show.
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...
on Saturday nights throughout the autumn and winter of 1978. It starred Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
. A total of 12 episodes were broadcast between 7 October and 31 December 1978. A further one off special was shown on 4 April 1980.
The show was made by London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
. Following the huge success enjoyed by The Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
, Forsyth was poached from the BBC for a reported £15,000 a show with each show having a budget of £250,000. The idea was that the show would provide Bruce with a vehicle for his many and various talents. The show was designed to take up an entire Saturday evening on ITV and win the ratings battle with 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...
. However, it was poorly received and was broadly unsuccessful with The Generation Game (now hosted by Larry Grayson
Larry Grayson
Larry Grayson , born William Sulley White, was an English stand-up comedian and television presenter of the 1970s and early 80s...
) winning higher audiences.
The show featured some mini-games
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
, like "Beat The Goalie" (a phone in game with similarities to The Golden Shot
The Golden Shot
The Golden Shot is a British television game show produced by ATV for ITV between 1 July 1967 and 13 April 1975, based on the German TV show Der goldene Schuss. It is most commonly associated with host Bob Monkhouse, though, three other presenters also hosted the show during its lifetime...
) and little games with the studio audience - it also featured mini-comedies, such as a revival of 1960s series The Worker, with Charlie Drake
Charlie Drake
Charlie Drake was an English comedian, actor, writer and singer.With his small stature , curly red hair and liking for slapstick he was a popular comedian with children in his early years, becoming nationally-known for his "Hello, my darlings" catchphrase...
as The Worker and Henry McGee
Henry McGee
Henry McGee was a British actor, best known as straight man to Benny Hill for many years. McGee was also often the announcer on Hill's TV programme, delivering the upbeat intro "Yes! It's The Benny Hill Show!"...
(one of Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
's stooges) as the man at the labour exchange
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...
, and also The Glums, a TV adaptation of short sketches from the radio series Take It From Here
Take It From Here
Take It From Here was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1948 and 1960. It was written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and starred Jimmy Edwards, Dick Bentley and Joy Nichols...
, with Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards
Jimmy Edwards DFC was an English comedic script writer and comedy actor on both radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in Take It From Here and as the headmaster 'Professor' James Edwards in Whack-O!-Biography:...
reprising his role he immortalised on radio as Mr Glum, Ian Lavender
Ian Lavender
Arthur Ian Lavender , better known as Ian Lavender, is an English stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Private Frank Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army.-Early life and career:...
(Private Pike from Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
) playing the role of Ron (played by Dick Bentley
Dick Bentley
Charles Walter "Dick" Bentley , born in Melbourne, Australia, was a comedian and actor. He starred with Jimmy Edwards in Take It From Here for BBC Radio....
in the radio series) and Patricia Brake
Patricia Brake
Patricia Ann Brake is an English actress.Her first prominent television role was as Julie Pinfield in The Ugliest Girl in Town , a short-lived sitcom made for the American ABC network...
as Eth, the role played on radio by June Whitfield
June Whitfield
June Rosemary Whitfield, CBE is an English actress, well known in the United Kingdom since the 1950s for roles in radio and television comedy series....
. Both those series were eventually made into a full series in their own right, but they were short-lived. The show also featured Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball
Cannon and Ball are an English comedy double act consisting of Tommy Cannon and Bobby Ball. The duo met in the early 1960s while working as welders in Oldham, Lancashire...
doing their own sketches, but the producer decided to axe their part from the show every single week, as they believed more Bruce was the answer to the problems to the show.