Guest Panellists: Dave Lee Travis, Mollie Sugden, Jeff Stevenson, Ellie Laine, Henry Cooper OBE KSG and Caron Keating.
One of the plans for this article was not just a look at this series of Blankety Blank, but, as it's the last of the original run, to go back and find answers to all those unanswered questions throughout the previous articles.
One of those "unsolved mysteries" was what exactly took place in rehearsals. This edition's Jeff Stevenson was happy to give a little bit more insight, telling me on Twitter that: "There was a camera rehearsal in the afternoon where they would just do a run through to get the celebs used to the game. It was very sociable and a lovely atmosphere for the celebs and contestants. Les was as always great company."
Yet there were also "stand ins" during these rehearsals, with this particular episode using the services of Chris Breeze, Judith Cox, Julie Mellon, Neil Todd and Kim Valentine. What did these "stand ins" do? Jeff kindly expanded: "The stand ins were actors and who did crowd and supporting artist work."
Jeff is still today a relatively young man, and started as a child actor, appearing as Louis in the classic kid's musical Bugsy Malone. For his first two appearances on Blankety Blank, back in series seven, he was just 23, and even here he'd only just turned 28. Introduced by Les as Jeff "I'll get there one day" Stevenson, Jeff was a very "clean" comic with a traditional, gag-oriented style. In July 2021 a Podcast with comedy writer Colin Edmonds was launched, where Jeff talked about his youth, and how things came "too soon".
Particularly of note is that comedy producer Paul Jackson (the same Paul Jackson who directed 19 Blankety Blank episodes during series 2-4, and produced one from the fourth series) advised Jeff that conversational comedy was coming into fashion, but Stevenson regretted that he didn't really listen to Jackson's advice. During the 2000s Jeff did comedy as "Harvey Oliver", which was a swearier, more ranting version of his usual comic style, whereas today his comedy is more observational.
Jeff doesn't really get much chance to stand out on Blankety Blank, with Punchlines! giving him more air time, but it's clear he has fun when he does appear. His last of four episodes, this edition sees Jeff get 3 out of 6 possible matches in the game. If you want Jeff's full Blankety Blank stats over his appearances (Blankety Blank Top Trumps, anyone?), then he ended with a highly respectable 61.9% success rate in the main game (13 out of 21 possible matches), while in the Supermatch suggestions he had 2 out of 4 on the board, one the top answer, netting him 200 out of a possible 600 points. Sadly, Jeff was never picked for the Head To Head.
For trivia, then this was the second of two episodes to be "remounted" from the previous day due to a BBC strike, and lastly, when Les says goodbye to the final losing contestant you can hear him mutter something about "[...] been a good one. We're sick of critics." It's not his only reference to people slating the show around this time, showing that the knocks he was taking in the press did hurt.
Guest Panellists: Danny La Rue, Anne Charleston, Peter Woods, Linda Lusardi, Ian Smith and Floella Benjamin.
This Christmas Special, shown as Episode 13.11, was recorded as a one-off festive edition on 3rd December 1989, long after the rest of the series finished shooting in July. It was last of the original run of Blankety Blank, with the BBC not renewing the show, although it was being put about by some sources that this was Les's choice.
As one example, Dublin's Evening Herald ran a short piece on March 30th 1990 with the headline: "Les quits Blankety Blank". The write-up had it that: "COMIC Les Dawson is quitting as host of TV's Blankety Blank-for the sake of his health. The 56-year-old (sic) funnyman, who had a heart attack two years ago, will concentrate on taking over from Bob Monkhouse as presenter of Opportunity Knocks. A close friend said yesterday: "The temptation was there for Les to host both Blankety Blank and Opportunity Knocks. But it is only two years since his heart attack and he is learning to take things carefully." BBC bosses must decide whether to axe Blankety Blank or find a new host." Such stories very much suggest it was Les's decision, with only the final line containing an ominous note: "The ratings have fallen from 11 million to under 5 million."
However, Les was open in No Tears For The Clown that it very definitely wasn't his decision, and he had no choice in the matter, both with Blankety Blank and his new job hosting Opportunity Knocks. In attending a press conference for a panto run, Les recalled: "It was at the press call held in the circle bar of the Palace Theatre that my forebodings about my future took on a more ominous reality. Over drinks I faced a huge assembly of reporters and photographers.... I waited for questions about the format of the pantomime to be directed at me. The first question shook me rigid: 'Afternoon, Les, I want to ask you, how does it feel to have both your television shows dropped?"
I looked at the pressman... he'd certainly pulled the rug from under my feet, because nobody at the BBC had said anything about dumping me, either to me or my agent. Yet this reporter knew, and I knew it was the truth by the steady gaze he directed at me. I felt as though I'd been kicked by a mule. Both my shows axed and not a word to me about it.... I couldn't believe such discourtesy. For over five years I had hosted Blankety Blank on a very successful basis, and now no more, just like that. Somehow I parried his question but the other news-hounds took up the hue and cry. Not one of them appeared interested in the current panto production, only in my downfall."
While this Christmas Special is nothing new, it does have a certain energy, perhaps helped by being the only edition recorded on the day. Anne Charleston and Ian Smith from Neighbours are two of the guests, and Neighbours was collectively fourth in the charts that week (just behind Coronation Street) with an average of 18.4 million viewers per episode. Unfortunately this popularity didn't lend itself to Blankety Blank, which was 69th in the charts with just 7.3 million tuning in for its Wednesday night broadcast. (Les's own show, appropriately titled The Les Dawson Show, proved to be slightly more popular, with its Christmas Special the same week making 62nd place with 7.9 million viewers.)
Lastly, for total trivia, then this edition has links to the previous entry in the ranking. Taking a look through all of Jeff Stevenson's work, I accidentally stumbled across an episode of afternoon quiz show Jumble, where Linda Lusardi was the guest. Pressed for her favourite of the many quiz shows she'd appeared on, Linda replied: "I enjoyed Blankety Blank when that was on..." (Jeff: "Yeah, Blankety Blank was great with Les")... yeah, it was always good fun doing that."
Guest Panellists: Julian Clary, Polly James, Gavin Campbell, Jane Marie Osborne, Danny La Rue and Rose-Marie.
An episode that very much brings in the "new", with an appearance from Julian Clary. With Blankety Blank on air for 11 years (or 11 years, 1 month, 22 days if you want to be precise) then it gives a real insight into how the representation of homosexuality in comedy changed over such a relatively short time. From the coded asides of Larry Grayson, through to the affected camp of Duncan Norvelle, we arrive at the more explicit humour and representation of Julian.
Clary was still fairly new to television, with his first TV appearance in an edition of a 1987 Saturday Live. Consequently he seems a little overwhelmed by the experience, and his innate shyness comes out. As a great deal of Julian's material is the kind of thing that Les rallied against, as seen in earlier articles, it does seem like two very different worlds, and it's not clear how much of a connection Les and Julian had, particularly as Julian sits back and doesn't engage in any comedy. Les's sarcastic "Wait for the laugh" seems to put him into his shell, though he does ask Les to repeat his impression of Margaret Rutherford, and laughs at some of Les's gags.
Julian's 2006 memoir A Young Man's Passage would seem to confirm his respect for Les, as he noted in a published diary entry: "Les Dawson died today. Very sad. His daughter was only born in October. They kept on about his 'funny face' on the news. Bit more to him than that, I thought."
Guest Panellists: Gyles Brandreth, Rachel Bell, Steve Wright, Maggie Moone, Buster Merryfield and Rose-Marie.
The 200th broadcast edition of Blankety Blank, and one that sees the sole appearances of Gyles Brandreth and Buster Merryfield. Merryfield was, of course, Uncle Albert in Only Fools and Horses...., a show which, while it had perhaps lost any genuine "edge" it may have once have had at this point, was still extremely popular. In fact, it was arguably at its commercial peak, with an average of 16.7 million viewers for the sixth series which had aired in 1989, and repeats were still hugely successful. The very next day after this edition aired, a repeat of "Danger UXD" was 7th in the charts with 12.4 million. (Blankety Blank, an entirely new show, had to settle for 45th place and 7.5 million.)
It's something of a popular myth (repeated by David Jason in two of his autobiographies) that Merryfield was a completely inexperienced amateur actor who wrote in for a part. While most of that story is true, Merryfield wasn't just someone who did am dram work at his local theatre, he had appeared on television in small parts dating back to 1980. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Merryfield is that, regardless of how you see Uncle Albert, the voice is completely put on and, like his two co-stars, he talks in very much an upper middle RP accent, as can be heard on this edition.
Les's jokes with the contestants now seem to have descended to just abuse, which is chucklesome but doesn't always get the reaction it used to. When Les asks if a contestant went to the hairdressers for the show ("Were they shut?") she seems genuinely upset. Such disdain continues towards the show itself ("Let's keep the excitement really bubbling, shall we?") and seemingly things that were cut out of the broadcast version - Les's "Everything's going really swell tonight" gets a big laugh from the studio audience, but we don't get to find out why.
Guest Panellists: Barry McGuigan, Linda Thorson, Mick Miller, Karen Kay, Patrick Macnee and Lynsey de Paul.
Something of an Avengers special, as Patrick Macnee guests on the panel alongside Tara King herself, Linda Thorson. Also making one-time appearances are comedian Mick Miller and boxer Finbar Patrick McGuigan, better known as "Barry". Barry had just had his final bout 31 days before this edition was recorded, being stopped on a cut in the fourth round against Jim McDonnell, his only stoppage loss out of three defeats.
Two familiar faces among a very unfamiliar panel are Lynsey de Paul and Karen Kay, with Kay joking about Les having changed since he got married. ("You haven't changed either, you're still rubbish.") One element of series thirteen is that, other than the Christmas Special, Les has largely dispensed with the panel introductions, instead just rushing through with a quick name check. This is reversed here for one of the few times in the run as he takes time to insult the panel.
Another nod towards yesteryear is Karen Kay joking (presumably) about how Les used to be naked backstage, and how she'd seen him that day in an all over body stocking. It's a rare glimpse back into the past of the lower left-hand side desk, where whoever used to sit there was once the recipient of lechery, a vein of comedy that is almost completely absent in many other editions. There's also some savage digs towards the contestants, with Les telling one lady, "That dress is smashing, I love last year's fashions."
The direction and shots on some of these episodes can be a little confusing - witness one moment where the audience are laughing as Les makes noises, seemingly monkey noises, to Karen Kay - the camera focuses on Barry McGuigan's confused face and then Lynsey de Paul with her head down writing her answer, giving no idea what the source of the laughter is.
Overall a pretty fun edition, though it does seem to fizzle out as it goes along, explaining the relatively low placing here. As for The Avengers, a series I have to ashamedly confess to have hardly watched, then Les remarks to Patrick how much he liked him in the show, but it goes by generally unreferenced.