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Just a Minute
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Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game which has been broadcast since 22 December 1967 and is chaired by Nicholas Parsons. It was first broadcast in 1967, three months after the launch of Radio 4. The programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003.
The object of the game is for panellists to talk for sixty seconds on a given subject, "without repetition, hesitation or deviation". The game comes from attempts to try to keep within these rules, which whilst they appear to be simple, are very hard not to break.
forerunner of the show was One Minute Please, chaired by Roy Plomley.
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Encyclopedia
Just a Minute is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game which has been broadcast since 22 December 1967 and is chaired by Nicholas Parsons. It was first broadcast in 1967, three months after the launch of Radio 4. The programme won a Gold Sony Radio Academy Award in 2003.
The object of the game is for panellists to talk for sixty seconds on a given subject, "without repetition, hesitation or deviation". The game comes from attempts to try to keep within these rules, which whilst they appear to be simple, are very hard not to break.
History
The forerunner of the show was One Minute Please, chaired by Roy Plomley. Whilst the fundamental rules were the same, the game was played in two teams of three rather than with four individual contestants. The show was broadcast in two series between 1951 and 1957.
The premise of the game came to Ian Messiter as he rode on the top of a number 13 bus. He recalled Percival Parry Jones, a History master from his days at Sherborne School who, upon seeing the young Messiter daydreaming in a class, instructed him to repeat everything he had said in the previous minute without hesitation or repetition. To this, Messiter added a rule disallowing players from deviating from the subject, as well as a scoring system based on panellists' challenges. The show's theme music is Frédéric Chopin's piano Waltz in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, nicknamed the "Minute Waltz" (which, despite its name, lasts longer than the 60 seconds taken to complete a round of Just a Minute).
A pilot for the show was recorded in 1967, featuring Clement Freud and Derek Nimmo as panellists. The chairman was originally planned to be Jimmy Edwards but he had other activities on the proposed recording dates, so was replaced with Nicholas Parsons. Whilst executives at the BBC disliked the pilot, the producer of the pilot, David Hatch, threatened to resign if a series was not commissioned. As the BBC did not want to lose Hatch, they allowed a series to be made with Hatch as producer.
Rules
The four panellists are challenged to speak for one minute on a given subject without "repetition, hesitation, or deviation". Over the years, the application of these rules has been inconsistent and is thus the focus of much of the banter on the programme as Parsons's rulings are challenged. In the first three seasons, the rules were more complicated and sometimes more elaborate - a ban on the word "is" might apply in a round, for example. But the basic rules remain quite straightforward.
- "Repetition" means the repetition of any word or phrase, although challenges based upon very common words such as "and" are generally rejected except in extreme cases (one of the most notable exceptions being "BBC"). Also words contained in the given subject are exempt unless repeated many times in quick succession. Skillful players use (sometimes obscure) synonyms in order to avoid repeating themselves.
- "Hesitation" is watched very strictly: a momentary pause before resumption of the subject can give rise to a successful challenge, as can tripping over one's words. Even pausing during audience laughter or applause (known as "riding a laugh") is not usually permitted.
- "Deviation" means deviating too far from the subject, but has also been interpreted as "deviating from the English language as we know it", "deviation from grammar as we understand it", deviating from the truth, and sometimes even logic, although sometimes leaps into the surreal have been allowed.
A panellist scores a point for making a correct challenge against whomever is speaking, while the speaker gets a point if the challenge is deemed incorrect. However, if an "incorrect", but witty, interjection amuses the audience, both the challenger and speaker may gain a point, at the chairman's discretion. A player who makes a correct challenge takes over the subject for the remainder of the minute, or, more likely, until he or she is correctly challenged within the rules of the game. A panellist also scores a point if they are the person speaking when the 60 seconds expires. An extra point is awarded when a panellist speaks for the entire minute without being challenged.
It is unusual for a pannelist to speak within the three cardinal rules for any substantial length of time, whilst remaining coherent, and also being amusing. Therefore, to speak for the full minute without being challenged is an honour. Below is an example of a speech given by Sheila Hancock which lasted for a full minute without being challenged. The subject was, "How to win an argument".
"Well it varies according to the person that you are arguing with. Should it be a child that you are having a contretemps with, the ideal is deviation tactics. For instance Lola Lupin who I mentioned before won't eat her dinner. So what I do is say, "yes it is rotten food, let us sing a song", making sure that that particular chanson has a few vowels in it that require her to open her mouth! During which I pop the spoon in and I have won the argument. However if it is an argument with a person that knows their subject what I do is nod sagely and smile superciliously, let them ramble on, and at the end I say "well I'm sorry, I think you're completely wrong", turn on my heels and leave. I..."
The game rewards those that make entertaining challenges, even if they do not speak for very long. An often rewarding time to challenge is a few seconds before the minute ends. Here, one could get a point for a challenge, not have to speak very much, and get another point for speaking "as the whistle went". The game is scored and a winner declared, but the attraction of the show lies less in the contest than in the humour and banter of its participants.
The programme has usually had four panellists in each show, with the exception of one season in 1968 where there were three, and one show at the end of the 1970-1971 season, where again there were three.
Participants
The chairman and host of Just a Minute is Nicholas Parsons. He has held this position since the show's inception, although on nine occasions he has swapped the chair with others including Clement Freud, Geraldine Jones, Andree Melly and Kenneth Williams. Ian Messiter also chaired on one occasion in 1977, when Clement Freud arrived late and Nicholas Parsons was required to take his place on the panel. Parsons has appeared on every show, either as chairman or panellist.
Until 1989, Ian Messiter sat quietly on the stage with a stopwatch and blew a whistle when the speaker's minute was up. He was replaced by a series of different whistle-blowers. Sarah Sharpe is the current incumbent. Messiter continued to be involved with the show, setting the subjects until his death in 1999.
There have been five regular competitors in the show's history: Clement Freud, Peter Jones, Paul Merton, Derek Nimmo and Kenneth Williams. Freud and Nimmo were regular panellists from the first programme in 1967, while Williams joined the programme in its second season in 1968. Jones joined the programme in 1971. On Williams' death in 1988, Merton joined the regulars. Nimmo died in 1999, and Jones in 2000, leaving Freud and Merton as the show's only regulars. However neither appear in every show, and occasionally neither will be part of a particular show.
Clement Freud likes to list examples and to challenge with only a few seconds to go. He is among the show's more competitive players, regularly referring to the rules and deprecating any deviation from them. Derek Nimmo frequently improvised descriptions of his experiences abroad, often on theatrical tour. He also was highly competitive and berated the chairman frequently. Peter Jones once said that in all his years of playing the game, he never quite got the hang of it, though his self-deprecating, laconic style was perfect for a game he understood perfectly. Kenneth Williams was often the "star of the show": his flamboyant tantrums, arch put-downs, and mock sycophancy made him the audiences' favourite. Williams often stretched out his speeches by extending every syllable to breaking point (some words lasting for up to three seconds), and his regular mock-anger often included the complaint, "I've come all the way from Great Portland Street", which was not far away from where the show was recorded. Merton frequently launches into flights of fancy, such as claiming to have had unusual occupations or to have experienced significant historical events. He often wins by challenging just before the whistle and by accruing bonus points "because the audience liked his interruption".
Over the 40 year history of the show, there have been many other panellists. Those to have appeared frequently — more than 20 times each — are Gyles Brandreth, Julian Clary, Barry Cryer, Jenny Eclair, Stephen Fry, Sheila Hancock, Tony Hawks, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Aimi MacDonald, Andree Melly, Chris Neill, Ross Noble, Graham Norton, Sue Perkins, Tim Rice, Wendy Richard and Linda Smith.
Others to have appeared as panellists on the programme are Chris Addison, Ray Alan, Juno Alexander, Toni Arthur, Pam Ayres, John Baddeley, Bill Bailey, Joan Bakewell, Isobel Barnett, Lucy Bartlett, Simon Bates, Jeremy Beadle, Elisabeth Beresford, Teddie Beverley, Carol Binstead, Barbara Blake, Marcus Brigstocke, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Janet Brown, Rob Brydon, Rob Buckman, Ian Carmichael, Barbara Castle, Jo Caulfield, Lorraine Chase, Alun Cochrane, Denise Coffey, Charles Collingwood, Peter Cook, Bernard Cribbins, Jack Dee, Hugh Dennis, Blythe Duff, Kenny Everett, Wilma Ewart, Craig Ferguson, Lynn Ferguson, Fenella Fielding, William Franklyn, Liz Fraser, Emma Freud, Stephen Frost, Graeme Garden, Rhod Gilbert, Annabel Giles, Liza Goddard, Janey Godley, Dave Gorman, Jeremy Hardy, Deanne Hart, Thora Hird, Ian Hislop, Renee Houston, Robin Ince, Charmian Innes, Eddie Izzard, David Jacobs, Martin Jarvis, Brian Johnston, Geraldine Jones, John Junkin, Phill Jupitus, Miriam Karlin, Gerry Kelly, Henry Kelly, Shappi Khorsandi, Miles Kington, Josie Lawrence, Bettine le Beau, Helen Lederer, Maureen Lipman, Moira Lister, Sean Lock, Josie Long, Fred MacAulay, Lee Mack, Jacqueline MacKenzie, Miriam Margolyes, Alfred Marks, Betty Marsden, Jean Marsh, Pete McCarthy, Maria McErlane, Alistair McGowan, Pauline McLynn, Ian McMillan, Mike McShane, Ian Messiter, Millie, David Mitchell, Warren Mitchell, Bob Monkhouse, Patrick Moore, Justin Moorhouse, Richard Morton, Neil Mullarkey, Jimmy Mulville, Richard Murdoch, Dara O'Briain, Owen O'Neill, Michael Palin, Nicholas Parsons, Lance Percival, Greg Proops, Marjorie Proops, Libby Purves, Magnus Pyke, Caroline Quentin, Jan Ravens, Beryl Reid, Nick Revell, Kate Robbins, Kenneth Robinson, Willie Rushton, Prunella Scales, John Sergeant, Lee Simpson, Tony Slattery, Arthur Smith, Victor Spinetti, Richard Stilgoe, Elaine Stritch, Una Stubbs, Eleanor Summerfield, Jim Sweeney, Liza Tarbuck, Christopher Timothy, Sandi Toksvig, Barry Took, Tommy Trinder, Joan Turner, Stanley Unwin, Richard Vranch, Katharine Whitehorn, June Whitfield, Simon Williams, Anona Winn, Michael Wood and Victoria Wood.
Recording locations
The first show in 1967 was recorded in the Playhouse Theatre in central London, and the 35th anniversary show was recorded there on New Year's Day 2003.
Most shows in the first 30 years were recorded in the Paris Theatre in central London. In 1992, the then-new producer, Sarah Smith, took the show outside central London and recorded some shows in nearby Highgate. A year later, the show left Greater London for the first time; the first such shows broadcast were recorded in Bury St. Edmunds and Llandudno. The show started going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1993 and has been there every year since.
TV versions
Several television versions have been attempted. Two pilot episodes were recorded for television in 1969 and 1981 but never broadcast, except in documentaries about Kenneth Williams. In 1994, 14 shows were broadcast on a regional London channel. Two additional variations were added: a round in which the team were presented with an object to talk about, rather than a subject, and another round where the audience suggested a topic. Nicholas Parsons chaired the programme, and Tony Slattery featured in all programmes. Other panellists were Tony Banks, Tony Blackburn, Jo Brand, Ann Bryson, John Fortune, Clement Freud, Mariella Frostrup, Jeremy Hardy, Tony Hawks, Hattie Hayridge, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Helen Lederer, Pete McCarthy, Neil Mullarkey, Derek Nimmo, Graham Norton, Nick Revell, Ted Robbins, Lee Simpson, Arthur Smith, Jim Sweeney and Richard Vranch.
In 1995, fourteen more episodes were broadcast. Just a Minute became a team game, with the Midlands and London playing against each other, under team captains Tony Slattery and Dale Winton. Each player earned individual points, which were totalled for each team at the end of the show. Nicholas Parsons again chaired the shows. The gimmick of the audience choosing a subject was abandoned in this series. Other panellists were Tony Banks, Tony Blackburn, Craig Charles, Clement Freud, Mariella Frostrup, Liza Goddard, Jeremy Hardy, Kit Hesketh-Harvey, Helen Lederer, Carolyn Marshall, Graham Norton, Su Pollard, Wendy Richard, Arthur Smith, Jim Sweeney and Richard Vranch. Both this series and the series before were produced by Mike Mansfield.
In 1999, the BBC televised the show, with twenty episodes recorded during a single week in Birmingham. Nicholas Parsons was again the chairman. There were no regular panellists but those appearing were Pam Ayres, Clare Balding, Isla Blair, Jo Brand, Gyles Brandreth, Ken Bruce, Michael Cashman, Barry Cryer, Stephen Frost, Liza Goddard, Tony Hawks, Peter Jones, Maria McErlane, Richard Morton, Tom O'Connor, Su Pollard, Steve Punt, Wendy Richard, John Sergeant, Brian Sewell, Linda Smith, Richard Vranch and Gary Wilmot.
Other formats
A Swedish version of the show, called På minuten, has been broadcast on Sveriges Radio P1 since 1969. It has been also referenced in other BBC panel games: the similarly long-running I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue includes a musical parody entitled "Just a Minim", in which the contestants must sing a song, but sticking to the rules of Just a Minute. Clue also mentions Just a Minute and especially Nicholas Parsons frequently.
Nicholas Parsons was once a guest host on an April 2005 edition of BBC One's satirical panel game, Have I Got News for You. He surprised Paul Merton's opposing team captain, Ian Hislop, by asking him to talk about "Taking advice from your lawyer" within the Just a Minute rules. At one point, one of the guests, Chris Langham, challenged for deviation, claiming it was the wrong programme.
External links
- on the BBC website
- on the British Comedy Guide
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