Quiz Ball (partially found BBC One football-based quiz show; 1966-1972)

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Quizball1.jpg

Logo for the show.

Status: Partially Found

Quiz Ball (also known as Quizball!) is a BBC One football-based quiz show. Running for six series from 1966 to 1972, it consisted of a knockout tournament featuring two teams made up of English or Scottish Football League football players, officials, and guest supporters answering general knowledge and football-related questions in order to score goals.

Background

The show was conceptualised by Bill Wright, who would later go on to create the long-running quiz show Mastermind.[1][2] Its creation came during an era where football significantly increased in popularity in the United Kingdom, following England's 1966 FIFA World Cup success.[1] This prompted football-related shows to be created to capitalise on football's new-found success, with shows like Quiz Ball being greenlit.[1] Each episode of Quiz Ball consisted of two teams of four.[3][4][2][1] Three of the team members were football players, managers, or other officials of an English or Scottish Football League club.[2][4][1][3] Each team would be bolstered by a rotating cast of celebrity guests who supported said clubs.[4][2][1] Whichever team scored the most number of goals in an episode would advance through a knockout tournament that decided the series' champions.[3][4][1]

The game begins with an opening general knowledge question.[5][2][3][4] Whoever buzzes in first and correctly answers will then select one of four routes to potentially score a goal in.[2][3][4][5][1] The four routes varied in terms of difficulty and number of questions, with Route Four consisting of four easy questions, and Route One containing one tough question.[2][5][3][4][1] Successfully answering the questions would award the team a goal, but the opposing side could perform a tackle, where they would buzz in and attempt to answer the question themselves.[2][3][5][1][4] If they were correct, they gained possession, restarting play.[2][3][5][4][1] But a failed tackle would automatically award the other side a goal.[2][3][5][4] The opposing side could not interrupt a Route One question.[2][5] Route One would actually become a popular term in football itself, used to refer to a defender booting the ball across the field and having a forward chase it directly towards goal.[6][5] The tactic would especially be utilised in English football during the early-1990s.[1]

The show was originally hosted by David Vine, with Stuart Hall taking over in later series.[4][2][3][1] The majority of results have been uncovered thanks to The London Scrabble League.[3][4] Arsenal, consisting of manager Bertie Mee, players Ian Ure and Terry Neill, and guest supporter Jimmy Young, claimed the first title by beating Dunfermline Athletic 7-3.[7][5][3][4] In the 1967-1968 series Grand Final, West Bromwich Albion, featuring manager Alan Ashman, players John Osborne and Doug Fraser, and guest Jeff Smith, overcame Nottingham Forest 2-1.[8][5][3][4] Celtic were victorious in an all-Scottish 1969-1970 Grand Final, with players Billy McNeill, Jim Craig, Willie Wallace, and guest John Cairney defeating Heart of Midlothian 3-1.[9][5][3][4] The team, featuring the exact same players, retained their title the following series 7-5 against Everton, known as the "Champions Series" as each team featured consisted of cup winners of the 1969-1970 football season.[10][5][3][4] Derby County won the 1970-71 series Grand Final, players Allan Durban, John O'Hare, Roy McFarland, and guest Bob Arnold defeating Crystal Palace 4-2.[11][5][3][4] Dunfermline meanwhile won the 1971-1972 Final with manager Alex Wright, John Cushley, James Fraser, and guest supporter John Pertwee beating Leicester City 3-1.[12][5][3][4] Not all results have been archived, with it being unclear who was victorious in the Home Nations series broadcast in 1972.[3]

Ultimately, while Quiz Ball proved enticing among hardcore football fans, the BBC One show struggled to attract a general audience.[13][2] It was eventually cancelled after 1972 as A Question of Sport was introduced in January 1970 and began to control the ratings.[13] Quiz Ball remains a well-remembered show among some viewers, although a pilot featuring Frank Skinner failed to produce a reboot.[13][3][4]

Availability

Quiz Ball, along with many other BBC shows like Doctor Who, were subject to the corporation's junking policy, where its recordings were wiped so that tapes could be re-used.[14][13] According to BBC Archivist Adam Lee, some episodes of a long-running quiz show could be archived, but most would be wiped due to the overhead costs it would provide.[13] Concerning Quiz Ball, only six episodes have survived, including Series 1, Episode 1; Series 2, Episode 11; Series 3, Episode 6; the 1970 Challenge Match; Series 5, Episode 5; and Series 8, Episode 4.[3] Of these, Series 1, Episode 1 was made available on BBC iPlayer, and can also be viewed on YouTube.[3] Some footage of a match between Arsenal and Hearts was also broadcast in a 1986 episode of Football Focus. 66 episodes are confirmed to be missing according to Kaleidoscope.[15]

Gallery

Videos

Series 1, Episode 1.

Part of the Arsenal-Hearts game broadcast on Football Focus in 1986.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Weaver's Week review of the first episode of Quiz Ball on UK Game Shows. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 Archived The London Scrabble League summarising the gameplay of Quiz Ball. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 UK Game Shows' summary of Quiz Ball and listing the surviving episodes. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 Nostalgia Central summarising Quiz Ball and its gameplay. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 Read the League summarising Route One, and the known winners. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  6. ↑ Field Insider detailing Route One football. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  7. ↑ Archived The London Scrabble League detailing the results of the first series. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  8. ↑ Archived The London Scrabble League detailing the results of the second series. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  9. ↑ Archived The London Scrabble League detailing the results of the third series. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  10. ↑ Archived The London Scrabble League detailing the results of the fourth series. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  11. ↑ Archived The London Scrabble League detailing the results of the fifth series. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  12. ↑ Archived The London Scrabble League detailing the results of the sixth series. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Television Heaven summarising the show's end because of A Question of Sport's success and the extent of lost media surrounding the show. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  14. ↑ Mental Floss detailing the BBC's wiping practices. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
  15. ↑ Kaleidoscope listing the lost Quiz Ball episodes. Retrieved 20th Nov '22
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