It's A Knockout - Series Guide 1976

Having reached the BBC retirement age of sixty, British producer Barney Colehan stepped aside after ten years with It's A Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières, his position taken by Cecil Korer. The tenth anniversary of the British domestic series was marked by a special feature in Radio Times magazine and original series personnel Charlie Chester and McDonald Hobley made a special appearance in the opening heat. New costume characters introduced into the Domestic series this year were the Tweedles and the Giants. In a new development, winning teams from theIt's A Knockout heats competed for the Knockout Trophy in a special event, It's A Championship Knockout. On the international stage, RTP of Portugal join the list of broadcasters, but at this point, Portuguese teams do not participate.

In addition to the by now traditional summer Jeux Sans Frontières competition, two countries got together to host the fifth series of Interneige, a version of JSF staged in the snows of winter, the first such competition since 1968. Two towns each from Switzerland and France competed for the Winter JSF Trophy. Competitors were generally sourced from specialist ski resorts and clubs.  At the end of the year, the West Germans enjoyed the spoils by winning their sixth Jeux Sans Frontières Golden Trophy, the first in seven years, with an outstanding score of 52pts (just four points short of the maximum achievable).

It's A Knockout 1976Great British Domestic Series Presenters: Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring / Referee: Arthur Ellis Scoregirls: Dinah May, Hazel Lyons, Leena Skoog and Marie Worth Games Arranger: Paul Trerise Designer: Paul Montague  Producer: Cecil Korer / Director: Geoffrey Wilson A BBC North West Production

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 1
Event Staged: Sunday 4th April 1976 Venue: Promenade, Morecambe, Lancashire Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 21st May 1976, 8.00-9.00pm Special Guests: Charlie Chester and McDonald Hobley
Teams: Blackpool v. Liverpool v. Morecambe
Team Members included: Blackpool - Bob Battersby (Team Captain), Sharon Hull, Mike Lomas, Janina Slusarski,Stuart Thompson, Cheryl Whitham; Liverpool - Vaughan Thomas (Team Coach), Dave Jones, John O'Brien; Morecambe - Ian Robson (Men’s Team Captain), Margaret Berry (Ladies’ Team Captain), Maurice Albon, Brian Bonney, Michael Driscoll, Karen Evans, Mark Evans, David Holleley, Mark Milner, Peter Nolan, Alice Robinson, Alina Ross, Denise Shorrock, Phil Sutcliffe, Stuart Whiteley, Janice Wyatt.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 3rd	Blackpool  Morecambe  Liverpool	21 20 16
Blackpool qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Nîmes, France: staged on Wednesday 2nd June 1976
Did You Know? Original It's A Knockout presenters McDonald Hobley and Charlie Chester returned for this programme in a special one-off appearance to mark the 10th anniversary of the Domestic Series. The first two teams to appear in the original series - Blackpool and Morecambe - were invited back to compete (along with Liverpool) in this celebratory edition. After the debacle of the previous hosting in 1966, when the tide came in and flooded the games’ area, the BBC took no chances and staged the programme on the resort’s promenade adjacent to the western pier. When the winning team’s name of Blackpool was placed on the scoreboard, the venue for the International Heat was shown as the city of Lyon. This was shown for three weeks until at the end of Heat 4, the correct venue of Nîmes had taken its place on the scoreboard. Despite the final score, this competition was much closer than it might appear. The team of Liverpool had been leading throughout most of the programme due to the fact that both Blackpool and Morecambe did not play their Jokers until the last game. After the Marathon points were allocated, Morecambe were leading with 16pts, and both Liverpool and Blackpool had 15pts each. This situation now meant that Liverpool could not stop either of the other teams from being victorious as both were playing their Jokers. The game itself proved to be very close with Blackpool crossing the line just ahead of Morecambe, and a place in Jeux Sans Frontières (as well as the new It’s A Championship Knockout) had been secured. The team of Blackpool trained regularly at the Derby Baths for this event. Although this may not sound out of the ordinary, in 1981 it was to be the venue for the first-ever indoor British Domestic Heat, when Blackpool hosted the programme for a second time. Blackpool team captain Bob Battersby had previously participated in the series in 1971 as team manager of the Blackpool team. Radio Times magazine ran a feature to mark the anniversary, comprising interviews with Eddie Waring, Charlie Chester, David Vine, McDonald Hobley and Stuart Hall. Eighteen year old Liverpool team member John O'Brien would return to participate again twenty-three years later as a competitor, when the city participated in the revamped 1999 It's A Knockoutseries.
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 2
Event Staged: Sunday 11th April 1976 Venue: The Bowling Green, Hanley Park, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 28th May 1976, 8.00-9.00pm
Teams: Birmingham v. Stoke-on-Trent v. Tamworth
Team Members included: Stoke-on-Trent - Norman Harrison (Team Manager), Graham Kirk (Men’s Team Captain), Susan Massey (Ladies’ Team Captain), Julie Baskeyfield, Paul Bilbie, Anthony Brindley, Jennifer Frost, Glen Gordon, Bill Jackson, Jack Jackson, Terence Jones, Pauline Kemp, Trudie McDonald, Lynne Meredith, Diane Morris, Robert Wain, Geoffrey Ward, David Wells, John Wiggins; Tamworth - Geoff Beales (Men’s Team Captain), Barbara ‘Bunny’ Culclough (Ladies’ Team Captain), Stanley Ashmore, Martin Baker, Denise Battersby, Keith Bowater, Natalie Burrows, Wendy Chappell, John Davis, Ralph Graham, Stephanie Heal, Ann Lyth, Brian Mandry, Petra Morgan, Michael Pointon, John Sedgwick, Dawn Sewell, Chris Shilton, Jenny Smale, Steve Walters, Bob Wesley, Sue Wileman.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 3rd	Tamworth  Birmingham  Stoke-on-Trent	21 20 18
Tamworth qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Milano, Italy: staged on Wednesday 16th June 1976
Did You Know?This heat was held on the bowling green of Stoke-on-Trent’s Hanley Park. The park itself was opened on 20th June 1897 and occupies around 63 acres of land. The area on which it stands previously comprised a large waste ground called Stoke Fields. In addition to the bowling green, the park also consists of a basketball court, a football pitch, four separate children’s play areas and a bandstand. At the western end of the park, there is a small 12-acre area known as Cauldron Park. The start of this competition was delayed due to electrical failure of one of the BBC’s cameras. The actual start time of the recording was 30 minutes later than expected at 5.15 pm, and the programme finished just before 6.30 pm. Producer Cecil Korer had expressed his worries to the local press after the programme that there would not be enough light available for the final games. Fortunately, the sunny conditions had just held out long enough for the cameras to get acceptable pictures. After the Tamworth team had won this heat, local coach firm Arnold’s was offering trips to Milan for £85. Leaving Tamworth on Sunday 13th June and returning to Tamworth on Saturday 19th June, the trip included five overnight stops and channel crossing by hovercraft!
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 3
Event Staged: Sunday 18th April 1976 Venue: Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 4th June 1976, 8.00-9.00pm
Teams: Cirencester v. Newbury v. Winchcombe
Team Members included: Cirencester - Walter Gray-Brown (Men’s Team Captain), June Lock (Ladies’ Team Captain), Sarah Acres, Penelope Allberry, Kenneth Anthony, Shaun Barron, Debbie Bates, Peter Britton, Edward Butler, Anne Crane, Anthony Crane, Barry Gardner, Patricia Harris, Andrew Hughes, Kevin Magee, Anita Newnham, Paul Perry, David Williams, Joy Williams Newbury - John Norgate (Team Manager), Mike Hart (Team Coach and Men’s Team Captain), Sue Robertson (Ladies’ Team Captain), John Bauer, Hilary Bowden, Timothy Cornish, Susan Grantham, Paul Heggis, Julian Hendy, Melvin Kastelnik, Rachel King, Mark Morris, Louise O’Neill, John Rice, Wenda Rice, Alisdair Ross, Douglas Smith, Richard Smith, Colin Street, Moyna Turner Winchcombe - Barrie Lewis (Team Coach), Ken Dancer.
Games: Get a Sack!, You’re Hoopless, What a Knight!, Goals of Victory, Hungry Henry, Knights of Favour and The Castle’s Riches; Marathon: Bursting to Win.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 2nd	Newbury  Cirencester  Winchcombe	23 18 18
Newbury qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Caslano Malcantone, Switzerland: staged on Wednesday 23rd June 1976
Did You Know?This heat was held in the grounds of the Elizabethan Sudeley Castle. Dating back to the 10th century, the castle is noted for its gardens, and its chapel is the final resting place of Queen Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. The castle remains in use as a full-time residence and is only open on specific dates. The castle is said to be haunted by a tall woman wearing a green Tudor-styled dress. Local folklore states that the Lady in Green who looks out of a window and walks through the Queen's garden is thought to be the ghost of Catherine Parr. With its historical setting, the games at this heat had a medieval theme with knights and armour. Although Newbury had finished in third place during the morning rehearsals, the other teams were somewhat dubious of their credibility. Despite this, the team were still lying in last place after five games, some 6pts behind the leaders. But the team pulled out all the stops to win their Joker game and the Marathon, and incredibly had attained enough points to have secured victory before the final game, leading Winchcombe by 3pts! Newbury team player Wenda Rice had been a member of local football team Newbury Ladies FC, and during a match against Southampton in December 1976, four members of the team including Wenda, were badly injured and they ended up in Reading Hospital. Wenda had been kicked in the stomach and had to be taken for X-rays to ensure that no serious injury had occurred. In July 2011, Newbury team coach and captain Mike Hart celebrated 40 years of keeping his local residents fit and healthy. Mike, 64 and still working as a physical education teacher at St. Bartholomew’s School, was at the centre of a special event for people, past and present, who had participated in his keep-fit classes over the years. Commenting on his classes which he started back in 1971 after working out to music, Mike said, "I liked the idea of bouncing around to music. I keep my keep-fit simple and basic. Some of the people here have been coming [to my classes] for 35 years, so I must be doing something right. I’ve still got another 15 years left in me still".
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 4
Event Staged: Sunday 2nd May 1976 Venue: Princess Mary Playing Fields, Littletown, Liversedge, (Cleckheaton), West Yorkshire Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 11th June 1976, 8.00-9.00pm
Teams: Doncaster v. Kirklees v. Leeds
Team Members included: Kirklees - Rob Blackshaw (Team Coach and Captain), Janet Fidler (Ladies' Team Captain), Karen Athey, Julie Athey, Eddie Berry, Kim Booth, Alan Conroy, Jonathan Crossland, Paul Dallas, Gillian Gaskin, Brian Hayhurst, Barry Hodgson, Ian Jowett, Barry Kenny, David Laverick, Tony Lees, Julie Mallalieu, Eileen Marchant, Dave Millman, Graham Overhead, Lesley Rowell, Lynette Thompson and Janet Williams (Original Team Sheet - PDF).
Games: In the Ring, Brolly Ball, Catapulting Bags, Give Me A Ring, Goal-Creeping, Filled to the Brim and Carrying the Can; Marathon: Post the Ball.
Result:	Team:	Points:	Final Scoreboard:
1st 2nd 3rd	Kirklees  Leeds  Doncaster	25 24 13
Kirklees qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Leeds, Great Britain: staged on Wednesday 14th July 1976
Did You Know? This heat was held on the Princess Mary Playing Fields in Liversedge, south of Cleckheaton, adjacent to the field which was the scene of a pivotal event in 19th century British history with the Luddite rising. One of the most serious Luddite attacks took place at Rawfold’s Mill near Brighouse in Yorkshire. William Cartwright, the owner of Rawfold’s Mill, had been using cloth-finishing machinery since 1811. Local croppers began losing their jobs and after a meeting at Saint Crispin public house, they decided to try and destroy the cloth-finishing machinery at Rawfold’s Mill. Cartwright was suspecting trouble and arranged for the mill to be protected by armed guards. Led by George Mellor, a young cropper from Huddersfield, the attack on Rawfold’s Mill took place on 11th April, 1812. The Luddites failed in gaining entry and by the time they left, two of the croppers had been mortally wounded. Seven days later, the Luddites killed William Horsfall, another large mill-owner in the area. The authorities rounded up over a hundred suspects. Of these, sixty-four were indicted. Three men were executed for the murder of Horsfall and another fourteen were hung for the attack on Rawfold’s Mill. When Stuart Hall introduced Eddie Waring he referred to him as the King Luddite - in reference to the Luddite rising. When interviewed for the Huddersfield Daily Examiner in 2010, Kirklees team member, Eddie Berry, 60, recalled: "Leeds were favourite to win the first round held at Cleckheaton. The winner went through to the European heat to be held in Roundhay Park and we were sure that the BBC favoured Leeds to be the ‘home’ team. The Leeds team were made up from physical education students at Carnegie College and therefore were considered to suit this programme perfectly. However, the selection process of Kirklees meant that our team was a balance of members with a range of attributes in speed, strength, stamina and suppleness. In the rehearsals, we never set out to win – once we found the best way to do a particular competition the instructions were to mess it up so as not to give anything away. It was a lot of fun, but when it came to the competition, we took it very seriously." Doncaster and Leeds took the lead at different stages but gradually Kirklees caught up. Their master-stroke was in playing the Kirklees Joker on the sixth game, which they won with ex-British gymnast and Huddersfield youth worker Brian Hayhurst first past the finish line. Before the final game - 'Carrying the Can' - Leeds were in the lead and Kirklees hopes again rested with Brian Hayhurst. After the Leeds team member fell off the cans, victory belonged to Brian and the Kirklees team. Also interviewed were Dave Millman and Eileen Marchant. Dave, 60, then a Physical Education instructor at Huddersfield Sports Centre, recalled: "I think there were 200 people who applied and the trials went on for a week. After I won a place on the team I was in training at the Sports Centre three nights a week for the three weeks leading up to the programme. The BBC had sent us diagrams and explanations of the games we were to play at the Yorkshire heat in Cleckheaton. [At the end of the competition] it was very close, but we beat Leeds by just one point. They were devastated and they were asking for re-runs because Leeds was hosting the British International Heat. [The borough of Kirklees] hadn’t been going very long at that stage so it was sweet to beat Leeds". Eileen, 65, now an Almondbury magistrate said, "I remember it absolutely poured down from start to finish in Cleckheaton. There was one game which involved throwing flour bags over a net which was quite difficult in the rain." The team were supported by a group of cheerleaders which included Jane Morton and Anita Steven, wand the team's mascot was Kenny the Lamb. The event was reported as being attended by in excess of 4,000 spectators. Amateur cine film of this event was shot by what was then called the Huddersfield Cine Club (now The Huddersfield Film Makers Club). Club treasurer Trevor Spencer was also interviewed by theHuddersfield Daily Examiner and commented: "On the day of the competition at Cleckheaton, everyone got very wet when halfway through it poured down. All the crew had to put on their waterproofs and they even had coats for the cameras. We were granted very good access to the competition, the only instructions being 'keep out of the way of the cameras and don't stray from the footboards'." This amateur behind-the-scenes footage was included as part of an excellent feature on the BBC regional programme Inside Out on Monday 12th December 2011. Forming one third of a half an hour programme the It's A Knockout item featured Stuart Hall returning to the scene of the 1976 IAK heat from Liversedge (Cleckheaton) and being reintroduced to former members of the Kirklees team. The item built up to an It's A Knockout competition between the Kirklees team members in the Liversedge swimming pool. Team members taking part in the feature were Team Coach/Captain Rob Blackshaw, Jonathan Crossland, Paul Dallas, David Laverick, Tony Lees, Eileen Marchant and Dave Millman. Sadly, between the making of the programme and its broadcast, team member Jonathan Crossland had died. He had won the mini-It's A Knockoutcompetition in the Inside Out programme. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Kirklees was created under the Local Government Act of 1972, and includes the towns of Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Holmfirth and Huddersfield.
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 5
Event Staged: Sunday 9th May 1976 Venue: Harlow Sportcentre, Harlow, Essex Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 18th June 1976, 8.00-9.00pm
Teams: Harlow v. Lee Valley Park v. Thurrock
Team Members included: Harlow - Mike Orshourn (Team Manager), Dave Patey (Team Coach), Ken Walton (Assistant Team Coach), John Beer, Carol Bull, Barry Burton, Veronica Cullen, Alan Dainton, Alan Green, Michael Hall, Alison Harkin, Colin Hendrie, John Jackson, Peter Jesse, Karen Larn, Sue Mapstone, Craig Mitchinson, John Rickards, Christopher Saunders, James Sullivan, Janet Unwin, Alison White and Stephen Wilson; Thurrock - Malcolm Gow (Team Manager), Terry Lax (Team Captain), Julie Bannister, Jack Benton, Michael Brightwell, Costa Buller, Trevor Burge, Malcolm Burton, Geoffrey Cave, John Chapman, Colin Elsden, Andrea Eustace, Geraldine Gray, David Groom, Tony Hills, Alan Jousiffe, Susan Jousiffe, Susan Kane, Gloria Kemp, Michael ‘Doc’ Leckenby, Valerie McCormack, Kay Meiklejohn, Erica Morris, Ray ‘The Star’ Page, Jack Palmer, Colin Paxman, Ray Smallcombe, William Smith, Gary Telfer, Bob Williams.
Games: The Stilted Walk, Steady Hands, Netball Obstacle Race, The Dynamic Dumpteys,Quadruplet Rings, Pancake Throwing and Stack-dem-Sacks; Marathon: The Cymbalists.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 2nd	Thurrock  Harlow  Lee Valley Park	23 19 19
Thurrock qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Liège, Belgium: staged on Wednesday 11th August 1976
Did You Know? Opened in 1960, Harlow Sportcentre was the first community sport centre in the UK. Since that time, it earned a deserved reputation for its outstanding range of facilities, clubs, coaching programmes and school and community links. As well as a comprehensive range of indoor facilities, the centre boasted floodlit tennis courts and a cricket and athletics field. It also had its own all-weather ski-slope. The track surrounding the football pitch of Harlow Town FC was in such a poor state of repair that after 1995 no further meetings were staged there. By the beginning of 2000, plans were on the table to build a new leisure centre in the town, but work on it did not start until 2009. The £25 million Leisurezone facility, which includes a 25 metre eight-lane swimming pool, tennis and squash courts and a new home for Harlow Town Football Club, finally opened in June 2010 at which time the old Sportcentre closed its doors to the public for the last time. The site has since been demolished and the land will be used for additional car parking for the town, as well as a new housing development. Starting this year and until 1981, the BBC scheduled a Domestic heat as close to London as possible around the first or second Saturday in May. The reason for this was that It’s A Knockoutcommentator Eddie Waring would be in London on commentary duties at the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final (held on one of the aforementioned Saturdays) and as he had now reached the age of 66, the BBC assisted in reducing his travelling commitments. Lee Valley (Regional) Park is a 26 mile (42 km) long area, running through the North East of London from the River Thames to Ware in Hertfordshire, through areas such as Hackney, Camden, Tottenham, Enfield, Cheshunt, Broxbourne and Hoddesdon. Thurrock was created under the Local Government Act of 1972, and includes the towns of Gray’s Thurrock and Tilbury.
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 6
Event Staged: Sunday 16th May 1976 Venue: Seafront Boating Lake, Redcar, Cleveland Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 25th June 1976, 8.00-9.00pm
Teams: Carlisle v. Durham v. Redcar
Team Members included: Carlisle - Dick ‘Wellie’ Bell, Joy Calvert, Barbara Davidson, Philippa Dodd, Judith Harrison, Norman Leighton, Peter Reay, Joe Smith, Olive Smith; Durham - George Wardle (Team Coach), Barbara Power (Team Captain), Shirley Armstrong, Geoffrey Bell, Janet Bowman, Linda Brown, Cliff Featherstone, Stanley Gelson, Bill Hofman, Geoffrey Kershaw, Jackie King, Fred Lowes, Andrea Riddell, David Ritchie, Michael Roberts, Ernest Sarfield, Malcolm Thomas, Alan Walton, Janis Wilton; Redcar - Fred Proctor (Men’s Team Captain), Denise Appleby (Ladies’ Team Captain), Clive Birkbeck, Peter Howe, Ann Miller, Corinne Miller and Alex Vickers.
Games: When the Tub Comes In, Hello Sailor!, Frog-Marching (on Stilts), Making Light Work of It, The Gravy Boats, They’re Flagging and Over the Board Walk!; Marathon: The Mallet Balloon Burst Balance.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 3rd	Redcar  Durham  Carlisle	25 19 15
Redcar qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Bad Mergentheim, West Germany: staged on Wednesday 25th August 1976
Did You Know? This heat was held at one of the smallest towns to host the programme. Redcar had originated as a fishing town in the early 14th century, trading with the larger adjacent town of Coatham. It was not until the mid-19th century, with the opening of the Middlesbrough to Redcar Railway in 1846 that the town emerged as a seaside tourist destination. A major £700,000 refurbishment programme of the boating lake itself was originally planned to begin in 2008 which involved draining the lake and excavating the whole area. This work was put on hold until early 2009 due to council elections and bad weather. Finally completed, the boating lake was re-opened on Friday 23rd October 2009 and included a large circular mosaic depicting the Rt. Hon. Mo Mowlam (1949-2005), who was MP for Redcar for almost 14 years (1987-2001) surrounded by images including the beach where she used to walk, racehorses to depict Redcar Racecourse where she celebrated her wedding, the steelworks, the Zetland lifeboat, hands clasped for peace and doves to depict the Northern Ireland peace process (for which she instigated and saw through the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998) and the Houses of Parliament. The opening shots of this heat show presenter Stuart Hall wearing a waterproof suit aboard a small craft on the boating lake, and as he is introducing the programme buckets of water are continuously thrown at him to give the illusion of being at sea in rough weather. However, it did not take much to give the illusion, as the weather had changed drastically to those days leading up to the contest! The resort had enjoyed two days of glorious warm weather leading up to the day of the contest, but the conditions changed dramatically on the day of competition. A westerly gale force wind blew in from the North Sea and as the games were all held inside or on the water, it caused havoc for the teams. The winds were so strong that the BBC had to change the format for the games throughout the filming so as not to disadvantage any teams. After the recording, series producer Cecil Korer stated, “The weather has certainly caused us [the BBC] some problems today. We had to play each game by ear, because we did not want any of these wonderful teams to feel that their opponents had been treated advantageously. This resulted in changing many of the original game ideas right up to the last minute, because as most of the games were played on the water’s surface, the wind could have disadvantaged some more than others”.
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB	It's A Knockout 1976	Heat 7
Event Staged: Sunday 23rd May 1976 Venue: Kings Park, Stirling, Central Scotland, Scotland Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Friday 2nd July 1976, 8.00-9.00pm
Teams: Edinburgh v. Linlithgow v. Stirling
Team Members included: Edinburgh - Charlie Jackson and Anna Munroe; Linlithgow - Douglas Forman (Team Manager), Douglas Ball (Co-Team Coach), Donald Ford (Co-Team Coach), Jackie McFadyen (Co-Team Coach), Graeme Harvey (Men’s Team Captain), Rosemary French (Ladies’ Team Captain), Ronald Bamberry, Dale Couper, Norman Cummings, John Forgan, Diana Gilmore, Bill Henderson, Robert Hogg, Derek Isles, Gerard Keating, Glen McFee, Susan McMaster, Derek Marshall, Kathleen Pedie, Michael Tierney.
Games included: Wheelbarrow Balance, Over the Humps, Beat the Goalie, The Castle Turrets and Posting the Letters.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 3rd	Edinburgh  Linlithgow  Stirling	2219 18
Edinburgh qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières at Groningen, Netherlands: staged on Wednesday 8th September 1976
Did You Know?The venue for this heat had caused some stirrings by Linlithgow MP, Tam Dalyell (later to become Father of the House). Ever since the team had been chosen as one of the three teams, he had campaigned tirelessly to get the BBC to change its mind and hold the heat in Linlithgow. His wish was to have had it staged on Linlithgow Peel, a small green area located next to Linlithgow Palace which stands overlooking the shore of Linlithgow Loch. The BBC remained adamant that the venue in the grounds of Stirling Castle (in fact it was to be the main car park outside the castle) was not going to be changed. However, just three weeks before the actual event, the BBC switched venues and announced that the event would take place in Kings Park, albeit still in Stirling! Kings Park is Stirling’s biggest and best used park. It offers many amenities and leisure activities and during the summer months (and particularly when there is good weather), the park is usually heaving with locals relaxing and spending time with their families. Amongst these amenities can be found Crazy Golf, a putting green, a giant draught and chess board with similar-sized playing pieces, tennis courts, climbing frames, trampolines and there is even a permanent helter-skelter. In more recent times, an additional ‘wheelie park’ has been added, catering for all things on wheels i.e. skateboards, skates and BMX bikes. While there’s plenty of space to run around and to explore, the park’s proximity to the golf course means that visitors still have to look out for low flying golf balls! Interestingly, the competing teams’ local newspapers had contrasting scores of the final result. The Stirling Gazette published the final result ending Edinburgh 21 pts, Stirling 17 pts and Linlithgow 12 pts. The Linlithgow Courier showed the town’s down-hearted team captain, Graeme Harvey standing in front of the final scoreboard with the correct scores of those shown above. The Stirling team mascot was Humperdinck, an Arabian camel from the Blair Drummond Safari Park, which is located about 5 miles north-east of Stirling city centre.
Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives

GB - F	It's A Championship Knockout 1976	Domestic Final
Event Staged: Sunday 27th June 1976 Venue: Arena North, Park Hall, Charnock Richard, Lancashire Transmission: BBC1 (GB): Wednesday 4th August 1976, 7.15-8.30pm Radio Times Trophy presented by: John Inman of Are You Being Served?
Teams: Blackpool v. Edinburgh v. Kirklees v. Newbury v. Redcar v. Tamworth v. Thurrock
Team Members included: Blackpool - Bob Battersby (Team Captain), Sharon Hull, Mike Lomas, Janina Slusarski, Stuart Thompson, Cheryl Whitham; Edinburgh - Charlie Jackson and Anna Munroe; Kirklees - Rob Blackshaw (Team Coach and Captain), Karen Athey, Julie Athey, Eddie Berry, Kim Booth, Alan Conrey, Jonathan Crossland, Paul Dallas, Janet Fidler, Gillian Gaskin, Brian Hayhurst, Barry Hodgson, Ian Jowett, Barry Kenny, David Laverick, Tony Lees, Julie Mallalieu, Eileen Marchant, Dave Millman, Graham Overhead, Lesley Rowell, Lynette Thompson and Janet Williams (Original Team Sheet - PDF); Newbury - John Norgate (Team Manager), Mike Hart (Team Coach & Men’s Team Captain), Sue Robertson (Ladies’ Team Captain), John Bauer, Hilary Bowden, Timothy Cornish, Susan Grantham, Paul Heggis, Julian Hendy, Melvin Kastelnik, Rachel King, Mark Morris, Louise O’Neill, John Rice, Linda Rice, Alisdair Ross, Douglas Smith, Richard Smith, Colin Street, Moyna Turner; Redcar - Fred Proctor (Men’s Team Captain), Denise Appleby (Ladies’ Team Captain), Clive Birkbeck, Peter Howe, Ann Miller, Corinne Miller and Alex Vickers; Tamworth - Geoff Beales (Men’s Team Captain), Barbara ‘Bunny’ Culclough (Ladies’ Team Captain), Stanley Ashmore, Martin Baker, Denise Battersby, Keith Bowater, Natalie Burrows, Wendy Chappell, John Davis, Ralph Graham, Stephanie Heal, Ann Lyth, Brian Mandry, Petra Morgan, Michael Pointon, John Sedgwick, Dawn Sewell, Chris Shilton, Jenny Smale, Steve Walters, Bob Wesley, Sue Wileman; Thurrock - Malcolm Gow (Team Manager), Terry Lax (Team Captain), Julie Bannister, Jack Benton, Michael Brightwell, Costa Buller, Trevor Burge, Malcolm Burton, Geoffrey Cave, John Chapman, Colin Elsden, Andrea Eustace, Geraldine Gray, David Groom, Tony Hills, Alan Jousiffe, Susan Jousiffe, Susan Kane, Gloria Kemp, Michael ‘Doc’ Leckenby, Valerie McCormack, Kay Meiklejohn, Erica Morris, Ray ‘The Star’ Page, Jack Palmer, Colin Paxman, Ray Smallcombe, William Smith, Gary Telfer, Bob Williams.
Games: Over the Nets, Over the Hurdles, Balloons over Pool, Tweedles, Dropping Sails, Under the Mats, Balancing on Trolley and Giants; Marathon: Collecting Eggs.
Result:	Team:	Points:
1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 5th 6th 7th	Blackpool  Edinburgh  Tamworth  Thurrock  Kirklees  Newbury  Redcar	41 40 38 38 31 29 26
Did You Know? Previously awarded to the team scoring the highest number of points in the domestic heats, the Knockout Trophy is, from here on, awarded to the winner of a massive head-to-head between all the winners from the year's domestic heats.

Donna Summer: 1948 - 2012 (R.I.P )

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012), known by the stage name Donna Summer, was an American singer-songwriter who gained prominence during the Disco era of the 1970s. She had a Mezzo Soprano vocal range, and was a five-time Grammy Award winner. Summer was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the U.S. Billboard chart, and she also charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 13-month period.

Donna Summer sadly passed away yesterday. The Associated Press reports that she died in the morning at her home in Key West at age 63 following a battle with cancer. TheBradenton Herald quotes "Sarasota County records" stating that she lived in Englewood, Florida at the time of her death. The reference did not state the place of her death.

Summer was born Ladonna Adrian Gaines on December 31, 1948 in Boston, Massachusetts to parents Andrew and Mary Gaines and was one of seven children. She and her family were raised in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. Her father, Andrew Gaines, was a butcher, and her mother Mary, was a schoolteacher. Summer's mother later recalled that from the time she could talk, Summer would often sing: "She literally loved to sing. She used to go through the house singing, singing. She sang for breakfast and for lunch and for supper."

Summer's performance debut occurred at church when she was ten, when she replaced a vocalist that had failed to show up. Her priest invited Summer to perform, judging from her small frame and voice that she would be an "amusing spectacle", but instead Summer's voice recalled a voice older than her years and frame. Summer herself recalled that as she sang, "I started crying, everybody else started crying. It was quite an amazing moment in my life and at some point after I heard my voice came out I felt like God was saying to me 'Donna, you're going to be very, very famous' and I knew from that day on that I would be famous."

Summer later attended Boston's Jeremiah E. Burke High School, where she performed in school musicals and was considered popular. She was also something of a troublemaker, skipping home to attend parties, circumventing her parents' strict curfew. In 1967, just weeks before graduation, Summer left for New York where she was a member of the blues-rock band, Crow. After they were passed by every record label, they agreed to break up. Summer stayed in New York and auditioned for a role in the counterculture musical, Hair. When Melba Moore was cast in the part, Summer agreed to take the role in the Munich production of the show. She moved to Munich after getting her parents' reluctant approval.

Summer remained in Munich and later learned fluent German. She participated in the musicals Ich Bin Ich (the German version of The Nobody Knows), Godspell and Show Boat. Within three years, she moved to Vienna, Austria and joined the Viennese Folk Opera. She briefly toured with an ensemble vocal group called FamilyTree, the creation of producer Guenter "Yogi" Lauke. In 1971, Summer released her first single, a cover of The Jaynetts'' "Sally Go Round The Roses", from a one-off European deal with Decca Records. In 1972, she issued the single, "If You Walkin' Alone" on Philips. In 1974, she married Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer and had a daughter, Mimi, the following year. Citing marital problems caused by her affair with German artist (and future live-in boyfriend) Peter Mühldorfer, she divorced Helmuth. She kept his last name, but Anglicised it to "Summer". She provided backing vocals on producer-keyboardist Veit Marvos on his 1972 Ariola records release, Nice To See You, credited as "Gayn Pierre". Several subsequent singles included Summer performing with the group, but she often denied singing on any of the Marvos releases. The name "Gayn Pierre" was also used by Donna while performing in Godspell with Helmuth Sommer during 1972.

While singing background for the hit-making 1970s trio Three Dog Night, Summer met producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. She eventually signed a deal with the European label Groovy Records and issued her first album, Lady of the Night, in 1974. The album was not released in America, but found some limited European success on the strength of the song "The Hostage", which reached number one in Belgium and number two in the Netherlands.

In 1975, Summer approached Moroder with an idea for a song she and Bellotte were working on for another singer. She had come up with the lyric "love to love you, baby". Moroder was interested in developing the new sound that was becoming popular and used Summer's lyric to develop the song. Moroder persuaded Summer to record what was to be a demo track for another performer. She later said that she had thought of how the song might sound if Marilyn Munroe had sung it and began cooing the lyrics. To get into the mood of recording the song, she requested Moroder turn off the lights while they sat on a sofa with him inducing her moans and groans. After hearing playback of the song, Moroder felt Summer's version should actually be released.

The song was then sent to Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart in hopes of getting an American release. Bogart informed Summer and Moroder he would release the song (now called "Love to love you baby") but requested that Moroder produce a longer version for discothèques. Moroder, Bellotte, and Summer returned with a 17 minute version and Casablanca signed Summer and released the single in November 1975. The shorter version of the single was promoted to radio stations while clubs regularly played the 17 minute version (the longer version would also appear on the album). Casablanca became one of the first record labels to popularize the 12" single format. By early 1976, "Love To Love You Baby" had reached No2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while the parent album of the same name sold over a million copies. The song generated controversy due to Summer's moans and groans and some American and European radio stations, including the BBC, refused to play it. "Love to Love You Baby" found chart success in several European countries, and made the Top 5 in the United Kingdom despite the BBC ban. Other upcoming singles included "Try Me, I Know We can Make It", US No80; "Could it be magic", US No52; "Spring Affair", US No58; and "Winter Melody", US No43. The subsequent albums Love Trilogy and Four Seasons of Love both went gold in the US.

In 1977, Donna Summer released the concept album I Remember Yesterday. This album included her second top ten single, "I Feel Love", which reached number six in the US and number one in the UK. Another concept album, also released in 1977, was Once Upon a Time, a double album which told of a modern-day Cinderella "rags to riches" story through the elements of orchestral disco and ballads. This album would also attain gold status. In 1978, Summer released her version of the Jimmy Webb ballad, "Macarthur Park", which became her first US number one hit. The song was featured on Summer's first live album, Live and More, which also became her first album to hit number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, and went platinum selling over a million copies. Other studio tracks included the top ten hit, "Heaven Knows", which featured the group Brooklyn Dreams accompanying her on background and Joe 'Bean' Esposito singing alongside her on the verses. Summer would later be romantically involved with Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Saduno and the couple married two years after the song's release. Also in 1978, Summer acted in the film, Thank God it's Friday, playing a singer determined to perform at a hot disco club. The film met modest success, but a song from the film, titled "Last Dance", reached number three on the Hot 100 and resulted in Summer winning her first Grammy Award. Its writer, Paul Jabara, won an Academy Award for the composition.

In 1979, Summer performed at the world-televised Music for Unicef concept, joining contemporaries such as Abba, Olivia Newton-John, the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, Rod Stewart, John Denver, Earth, Wind and Fire, Rita Coolidge and Kris Kristofferson for an hour's TV special that raised funds and awareness for the world's children. Artists donated royalties of certain songs, some in perpetuity, to benefit the cause.

Donna Summer began work on her next project with Moroder and Bellotte, Bad Girls, an album that had been in production for nearly two years. Summer based the whole concept on prostitution (revisiting the theme for 1974's 'Lady Of The Night'), even dressing as a hooker herself on the cover art. The album became a huge success, spawning the number one hits "Hot Stuff" and the title track and the number two "Dim All The Nights". With "MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", and the Barbara Striesand duet "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)", Summer achieved four number one hits within a thirteen month period. Those aforementioned songs, along with "Heaven Knows", "Last Dance", "Dim All The Lights", and "On the Radio" (from her upcoming double-album) would give her eight US Top 5 singles within a two year period. "Hot Stuff" later won her a second Grammy in the Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, the first time the category was included. That year, Summer played eight sold-out nights at the Universal Ampitheatre in Los Angeles.

Summer released On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1&2, her first (international) greatest hits set in 1979. The double album reached number one in the US, becoming her third consecutive number one album. A new song from the compilation, "On the Radio", reached the US top five, selling over a million copies in the U.S. alone.

After the release of the greatest hits album, Summer wanted to branch out into other musical styles in addition to disco, which led to tensions between her and Casablanca Records. Sensing that they could no longer come to terms, Summer and the label parted ways in 1980, and she signed with Geffen Records, the new label started by David Geffen.

Summer's first release on Geffen Records was The Wanderer, which replaced the disco sound of Summer's previous releases with more of the burgeoning New Wave sound and elements of rock, such as the material being recorded at this time by Pat Benatar. The album achieved gold status in the US, and the title track (released as the first single) peaked at No3 in the US, though subsequent singles were only moderate hits.

Summer's projected second Geffen release, entitled I'm a Rainbow, was shelved by Geffen Records (though two of the album's songs would surface in soundtracks of the 1980s films Fast Times at Ridgemount and Flashdance). Summer reluctantly parted company with Moroder after seven years working together as Geffen had recruited Quincy Jones to produce her next album, 1982's Donna Summer. The album had taken a lengthy six months to record. The album's first single, "Love is in Control Finger on the Trigger", became an American top ten hit on the Hot 100, followed by more moderate hits "State of Independence"(No41 pop) and "The Woman in Me"(No33 pop). Problems then increased between Summer and Geffen Records after they were notified by Polygram Records, Summer's former label Casablanca was by then a wholly owned subsidiary, that she needed to deliver them one more album to fulfill her contract with them. Summer delivered the album, She works hard for the Money, and Polygram released it on its Mercury imprint in 1983. The title song became a hit reaching number three on the US Hot 100, and would provide Summer with a Grammy nomination. The album also featured the reggae-flavored UK Top 20 hit "Unconditional Love", which featured the British group Musical Youth who were riding high from the success of their single "Pass the Dutchie". The third US single, "Love Has A Mind of Its Own", reached the top forty of the Billboard R&B chart. The album itself was certified gold.

In late 1984, with her obligation to Polygram complete, Summer returned on Geffen Records with her next release. Geffen, wanting to keep the momentum going, enlisted She Works Hard For the Money's producer Michael Omartian to produce Cats Without Claws. The album, however, was not as successful as She Works Hard For the Money and failed to attain gold status of 500,000 copies sold in the US, becoming her first album since her 1974 debut not to do so. It did include a moderate hit in "There Goes My Baby", which peaked at No21.

In the mid 1980s, Summer was embroiled in a controversy. She had allegedly made anti-gay remarks regarding the then-relatively new disease, AIDS, which as a result had a significantly negative impact on her career and saw thousands of her records being returned to her record company by angered fans. Summer, by this time a born-again Christian, was alleged to have said that AIDS was a punishment from God for the immoral lifestyles of homosexuals. However, she denied that she had ever made any such comment and, in a letter to the AIDS campaign group ACT UP in 1989, she said that it was "a terrible misunderstanding. I was unknowingly protected by those around me from the bad press and hate letters... If I have caused you pain, forgive me." She went on to apologize for the delay in refuting the rumours and closed her letter with Bible quotes (from Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians).

Also in 1989, Summer told The Advocate magazine that "A couple of the people I write with are gay, and they have been ever since I met them. What people want to do with their bodies is their personal preference." A couple of years later she filed a lawsuit against New York magazine when it reprinted the rumours as fact just as she was about to release her album Mistaken Identity in 1991.

In 1987, Donna Summer returned with the album All Systems Go, which did not sell well, becoming her second consecutive album not to achieve gold status. It featured the single "Dinner with Gershwin" (written by Brenda Russell), which was only a minor US hit, though it peaked at No13 in the UK. The album's title track, "All Systems Go", was released only in the UK where it peaked at No54.

For Summer's next album, Geffen Records hired the British hit production team of Stock, Aitken Waterman (or SAW), who had enjoyed incredible success by writing and producing for such acts as Kylie Mynogue, Dead or Alive, Banarama, and Rick Astley among others. However, Geffen decided not to release the album, entitled Another Time and Place, and Summer and Geffen Records parted ways in 1988. The album was released in Europe in March 1989 on Warner Bros Records, which had been Summer's label in Europe since 1982. The single "This Time I Know it's For Real" had become a top ten hit in several countries in Europe, prompting the Warner Bros. subsidiary company Atlantic Records to sign Summer in the US and pick up the album for a North American release soon after. The single peaked at No7 on the Hot 100 in the US, and became her twelfth gold single there. It was also Summer's final Top 40 hit on the American pop charts, though she scored two more UK hits from the album, "I Don't Wanna Get Hurt" (UK No7) and "Love's About To Change My Heart" (UK No20).

In 1990, a new compilation, The Best of Donna Summer, was released on Warner Bros Records. It featured some of Summer's biggest hits from the 1970s and 1980s. The album achieved Gold status in the UK, where "State of Independence" had been re-released to promote it.

In 1991, Summer released the new jack swing style album Mistaken Identity. It did not sell well, but did contain the No18 R&B hit "When Love Cries".

In 1993, Polygram Records released an extended greatest hits collection entitled The Donna Summer Anthology. It included 34 songs, totalling over two and a half hours of music. It not only included songs from the Polygram-owned labels of Casablanca and Mercury, but also material from Atlantic and Geffen Records as well.

In 1994, Summer return with a new album on Mercury/Polygram, a gospel-influenced Christmas album entitled Christmas Spirit. It included classic Christmas songs such as "O Holy Night", "Joy To The World", and "Oh Come All Ye Faithful",and a stiring rendition of Amy Grant's "Breath of Heaven", as well as some original songs.

Some of Summer's dance releases including "Carry On" (her first collaboration with Moroder in a decade) and "Melody of Love (Wanna Be Loved)" charted on the US Dance Chart, with "Melody of Love" reaching number one on that chart and also reaching number 21 on the UK Singles Chart.

Also in 1994, Polygram would release yet another Summer compilation album entitled "Endless Summer: Greatest Hits", containing 18 songs which were mainly the radio versions heard at the time of their release (as opposed to the Anthology album the year before which contained many longer versions of the songs).

During this time, Summer was offered a guest role on the sitcom Family Matters as Steve Urkel's (Jaleel White) Aunt Oona. She made a second appearance in 1997. In 1998, Summer received a Grammy Award for Best Recording, being the first to do so, after a remixed version of her 1992 collaboration with Giorgio Moroder, "Carry On", was released in 1997. In 1999, Summer taped a live television special for VH1 titled Donna Summer – Live and More Encore, producing the second highest ratings that year for the network, after their annual Divas special. A CD of the event was released by Epic Records and featured two studio recordings, "I Will Go With You" and "Love Is The Healer" which reached number one on the Billboard Dance Charts.

Donna Summer continued to score top ten hits on Billboard's Dance Chart in the new millennium. In 2000, she also appeared on the third annual Divas special, dedicated to Diana Ross, though Summer sang her own material for the show.

One month before the September 11 Attacks Summer who was living in Manhattan at the time had a premonition that they would occur. For a period of time after the attacks she was unable to leave her bedroom. She was reported to have blamed her lung cancer on inhaling toxic dust from the fallen towers.

In 2004, Donna Summer was inducted to the Dance Music Hall of Fame alongside The Bee Gees and Barry Gibb as an artist. Her classic song, "I Feel Love", was also inducted that night.

In 2008, Summer released her first studio album of fully original material in 17 years, entitled Crayons. Released on the Sony BMG label Burgundy Records, it peaked at No17 on the US Top 200 Album Chart (her highest placing on the chart since 1983), and achieved modest international success. The songs "I'm a Fire", "Stamp Your Feet", and "Fame (The Game)" reached number one on the US Billboard Dance Chart. The ballad "Sand on My Feet" was released to adult contemporary stations and reached number thirty on that chart. While commenting on the album, Summer said "I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it. I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There's a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else...like when you're cooking." On the song "The Queen Is Back", Summer reveals her wry and witty self-awareness of her musical legacy and her public persona. "I'm making fun of myself," she admits. "There's irony, it's poking fun at the idea of being called a queen. That's a title that has followed me, followed me, and followed me. We were sitting and writing and that title kept popping up in my mind and I'm thinking, ‘Am I supposed to write this? Is this too arrogant to write?' But people call me ‘the queen,' so I guess it's ok to refer to myself as what everybody else refers to me as. We started writing the song and thought it was kind of cute and funny." Summer wrote "The Queen Is Back" and "Mr. Music" with J.R. Rotem and Evan Bogart, the son of Casablanca Records founder, Neil Bogart.

On December 11, 2009, Summer performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, in honor of United States President Barack Obama. She was backed by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

The Associated Press reported that Donna Summer died on the morning of May 17, 2012 at her home in Key West, Florida at the age of 63 following a battle with cancer. The Bradenton Herald, quoting "Sarasota County records", stated that she lived in Englewood, Florida at the time of her death. The reference did not state her location at the time of her death. The New York Times reported that she died at her home in Naples, Florida. Summer is survived by her husband Bruce Sudano, their daughters Brooklyn and Amanda, as well as her daughter Mimi from a previous marriage