The Identik-Hit Quiz
Encyclopedia
The Identik-Hit Quiz was a daily feature on the BBC Radio 1
breakfast show between 1988 and 1993, hosted by Simon Mayo
.
The quiz ran initially at 6.40am - when the show began at 6.30am - then after the programme was extended to a 6am start, room was found for two rounds a day as the feature became one of the bigger audience pulls, so it was placed in a crucial 8.20am slot.
The basic premise was that Mayo, along with all or some of his "crew" (female co-host, newsreader
, producer
) would "act out" a scene of just seconds in length, the circumstances of which led listeners cryptic
ally to the title of a well-known hit song, from any era. Sometimes sound effects alone were enough to get the clue across; such as when a long clip of a car being driven was played without any deviation in noise for junctions or distractions - hence the correct answer of Road To Nowhere
by Talking Heads
; or when effects of a heartbeat and a door opening were played in unison - hence the correct answer of Room In Your Heart by Living In A Box
.
Memorably, a woman who gave her name only as "Mrs Day" once rang up and appeared entirely to misunderstand the competition. The cryptic clue running was a clip of the Blue Danube
waltz
by Strauss
, interspersed with rodent
-like chattering noises. Mrs Day just thought the answer was the Blue Danube, and Mayo patiently explained to her on air that the competition was slightly more difficult than that. The lady certainly seemed to have happened upon the quiz by accident (she didn't "sound" like a demographically-targeted Radio 1 listener of archetype) and Mayo referred to her in a joking manner for several rounds thereafter. It's possible that the chattering noises could have been misinterpreted for interference on the medium wave which many Radio 1 listeners were still relying on for coverage, with the new FM signal of the time still not yet covering the whole nation. The true correct answer turned out to be Batdance by Prince.
The voice of the Identik-Hit Quiz production package was supplied by Mayo's Radio 1 colleague Bruno Brookes
(who had to ditch it and use a generic one when he frequently acted as Mayo's holiday relief) and then later another colleague, Simon Bates
. Having used this piece of production as the announcement of the quiz, Mayo would then play the cryptic clip, give the phone number and state what was up for grabs for a correct answer - this prize was in the form of record tokens (later CD
tokens when vinyl records began to become obsolete) starting at one on the first day of a new quiz and increasing by one each day until a correct answer was given.
Three callers were taken in each round, with Mayo knowing in advance the answer each were going to give. Mayo would ask each caller who they were, where they were from and - due to habit, tradition, and to give his female co-host a chance to update her forecasts - what the weather was like in their area. He would then take their answer and tell them if they were right or wrong.
One Identik-Hit Quiz ran for so long that Mayo was forced to give extra clues at one point; then he went on a period of paternity leave for several weeks, only for the same cryptic clue still to be running on the quiz when he returned. The round in question featured newsreader Rod McKenzie supposedly falling (McKenzie giving a scream) into water (loud splash). Eventually the answer was finally given by a listener as Islands In The Stream
(for the cryptic purposes of the quiz it was "I Lands In The Stream") by Kenny Rogers
and Dolly Parton
.
Whenever a correct answer was given, Mayo would play a congratulation stab of You! Are! A! Winner! before playing the record in question. After the record, he would then explain the cryptic clue in as little or much detail as deemed necessary.
If a round of the Identik-Hit Quiz was guessed during a relief presenter's time on the show (including Brookes, Phillip Schofield
, Mark Goodier
and Gary King) then the new round would feature the voice (if applicable to the clue) of that presenter and would continue on numerous occasions even after Mayo had returned. This came in as a handy bit of further exposure for the relief presenter in question, especially if like King or Schofield, their own shows were at considerably non-peak hours (King at the time was on the pre-Mayo early shift; Schofield had one evening show and a Sunday show).
The Identik-Hit Quiz ceased to run after Mayo left the breakfast show in 1993 and became the new mid-morning host. He left Radio 1 in 2001 and now works for BBC Radio Five Live
.
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
breakfast show between 1988 and 1993, hosted by Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo
Simon Mayo is an English radio presenter who has worked for BBC Radio since 1981. As of January 2010, Mayo is presenter of Simon Mayo Drivetime on BBC Radio 2 and, with Mark Kermode, presenter of Kermode and Mayo's Film Reviews on BBC Radio 5 Live.In 2008, Mayo was recognised as the "radio...
.
The quiz ran initially at 6.40am - when the show began at 6.30am - then after the programme was extended to a 6am start, room was found for two rounds a day as the feature became one of the bigger audience pulls, so it was placed in a crucial 8.20am slot.
The basic premise was that Mayo, along with all or some of his "crew" (female co-host, newsreader
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
, producer
Radio producer
A radio producer oversees the making of a radio show. There are two main types of producer. An audio or creative producer and a content producer. Audio producers create sounds and audio specifically, content producers oversee and orchestrate a radio show or feature...
) would "act out" a scene of just seconds in length, the circumstances of which led listeners cryptic
Cryptic
Cryptic can refer to:* Crypsis, of animals that are difficult to observe* Cryptic crossword, a crossword with cryptic clues* Cryptic era, earliest period of the Earth* Cryptic, an album by Edge of Sanity* Cryptic Writings, an album by Megadeth...
ally to the title of a well-known hit song, from any era. Sometimes sound effects alone were enough to get the clue across; such as when a long clip of a car being driven was played without any deviation in noise for junctions or distractions - hence the correct answer of Road To Nowhere
Road to Nowhere
"Road to Nowhere" is a song by Talking Heads, from the 1985 album Little Creatures. It also appeared on Best of Talking Heads, Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites, the Once in a Lifetime box set and the Brick box set...
by Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
; or when effects of a heartbeat and a door opening were played in unison - hence the correct answer of Room In Your Heart by Living In A Box
Living in a Box
Living in a Box were a British band from the 1980s and early 1990s. They are best known for their eponymous debut single, produced by Richard James Burgess.-Formation and split up:...
.
Memorably, a woman who gave her name only as "Mrs Day" once rang up and appeared entirely to misunderstand the competition. The cryptic clue running was a clip of the Blue Danube
The Blue Danube
The Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314 , a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866...
waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
by Strauss
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
, interspersed with rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
-like chattering noises. Mrs Day just thought the answer was the Blue Danube, and Mayo patiently explained to her on air that the competition was slightly more difficult than that. The lady certainly seemed to have happened upon the quiz by accident (she didn't "sound" like a demographically-targeted Radio 1 listener of archetype) and Mayo referred to her in a joking manner for several rounds thereafter. It's possible that the chattering noises could have been misinterpreted for interference on the medium wave which many Radio 1 listeners were still relying on for coverage, with the new FM signal of the time still not yet covering the whole nation. The true correct answer turned out to be Batdance by Prince.
The voice of the Identik-Hit Quiz production package was supplied by Mayo's Radio 1 colleague Bruno Brookes
Bruno Brookes
Bruno Brookes is a British radio presenter who became prominent in the 1980s.-Early life and career:...
(who had to ditch it and use a generic one when he frequently acted as Mayo's holiday relief) and then later another colleague, Simon Bates
Simon Bates
Simon Bates is a UK disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular presenter on Classic FM...
. Having used this piece of production as the announcement of the quiz, Mayo would then play the cryptic clip, give the phone number and state what was up for grabs for a correct answer - this prize was in the form of record tokens (later CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
tokens when vinyl records began to become obsolete) starting at one on the first day of a new quiz and increasing by one each day until a correct answer was given.
Three callers were taken in each round, with Mayo knowing in advance the answer each were going to give. Mayo would ask each caller who they were, where they were from and - due to habit, tradition, and to give his female co-host a chance to update her forecasts - what the weather was like in their area. He would then take their answer and tell them if they were right or wrong.
One Identik-Hit Quiz ran for so long that Mayo was forced to give extra clues at one point; then he went on a period of paternity leave for several weeks, only for the same cryptic clue still to be running on the quiz when he returned. The round in question featured newsreader Rod McKenzie supposedly falling (McKenzie giving a scream) into water (loud splash). Eventually the answer was finally given by a listener as Islands In The Stream
Islands in the Stream
"Islands in the Stream" is the title of a song written by the Bee Gees and sung by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers' album Eyes That See in the Dark and the second pop number-one for both Rogers and Parton...
(for the cryptic purposes of the quiz it was "I Lands In The Stream") by Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
.
Whenever a correct answer was given, Mayo would play a congratulation stab of You! Are! A! Winner! before playing the record in question. After the record, he would then explain the cryptic clue in as little or much detail as deemed necessary.
If a round of the Identik-Hit Quiz was guessed during a relief presenter's time on the show (including Brookes, Phillip Schofield
Phillip Schofield
Phillip Bryan Schofield is an English broadcaster and television personality best known for presenting shows such as This Morning, Dancing on Ice, and various game shows including The Cube.-Early life and career:...
, Mark Goodier
Mark Goodier
-Early career:Mark Goodier was born in Rhodesia . His family moved to the UK when he was a child, eventually settling in Scotland. He was educated at George Heriot's School, in Edinburgh. He became a mobile DJ in Edinburgh and then joined local station Radio Forth at the age of 19...
and Gary King) then the new round would feature the voice (if applicable to the clue) of that presenter and would continue on numerous occasions even after Mayo had returned. This came in as a handy bit of further exposure for the relief presenter in question, especially if like King or Schofield, their own shows were at considerably non-peak hours (King at the time was on the pre-Mayo early shift; Schofield had one evening show and a Sunday show).
The Identik-Hit Quiz ceased to run after Mayo left the breakfast show in 1993 and became the new mid-morning host. He left Radio 1 in 2001 and now works for BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio Five Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
.