Web Page No 2544

12^th January 2019

Criss Cross Quiz

1^st Picture. The playing board

  

2nd Picture. Criss Cross Quiz Board Game

 3^rd Picture. Barbara Kelly

4^th Picture. Michael Miles in Take Your Pick

Now here is a quiz programme that you probably have forgotten about. It combined the game noughts and crosses with general knowledge questions and was aired on the ITV network from 1957 to 1967 and was produced by Granada Television. At the time this programme was as popular as ‘Dotto’, ‘Double Your Money’ and Take Your Pick’.

The programme, which ran for 30 minutes including the adverts, was presented by Jeremy Hawk from 1957 to 1962 and Barbara Kelly, Bernard Braden’s wife, from 1963 to 1967. Jeremy Hawk had enjoyed a long career in music halls and on London’s West End stages. He also appeared on television as straight man to Benny Hill, Arthur Askey and Norman Wisdom. Incidentally Jeremy Hawk appeared in the famous “nuts, whole hazelnuts” TV commercial for Cadbury’s Whole Nut chocolate in the 1970s.

When he left the show in 1962 he was replaced first by Bill Grundy, and then by Canadian-born Barbara

The series was based on an American show entitled Tic Tac Dough which ran from 1956 to 1959 and was revived in 1978.

Additionally, a children's version of the show called Junior Criss Cross Quiz was produced starting in 1957 (the same year the adult version started). Kids played the game, but for prizes instead of money. This series ran from 13 November 1957 to 29 June 1967. Presenters on the children's version were: Jeremy Hawk, Chris Kelly, Bob Holness, Mike Sarne, Chris Howland, Gordon Luck, Peter Wheeler, Bill Grundy, Danny Blanchflower and Barbara Kelly.

The game was basically the same as the American Tic Tac Dough with a similar set. Two contestants played the game with the champion playing cross ("X"), and the challenger playing noughts ("O"). They faced a noughts & crosses (tic-tac-toe) game board of nine subjects. Each player took turns (starting with the champion) picking categories and answering questions in those categories.

Correct answers placed his/her symbol in the board and added money to the pot; centre box was worth £40 while the outer boxes were worth £20. First player to get three in row (across, up and down, or diagonally) won the game and became champion. A wrong answer put your opponent’s symbol in the square.

Questions were asked from categories as diverse as films, quotations, nicknames, Africa, the 1920’s, currency or potluck and if a game was drawn the prize money was doubled for the next game. Winners stayed on the show until they were beaten, although a rule capping the maximum amount a contestant could win was introduced after one lucky player walked away with £2,360. In total there were 324 editions of the programme aired.

The first ever winner on the show was William (Bill) Sykes of Sale who won £460, by 1960, each contestant could only win up to £1,000.

In 1959, the toy manufacturer Chad Valley brought out a board game based on the programme.

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On this day 12^th January 1960-1965.

On 12/01/1960 the number one single was Why - Anthony Newley and the number one album was South Pacific. The top rated TV show was not listed and the box office smash was North by Northwest. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Burnley were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Aswan Dam foundation stone laid.

On 10/01/1962 the number one single was Moon River - Danny Williams and the number one album was Blue Hawaii - Elvis Presley. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the week was Avalanche buries 16 villages in Peru.

On 10/01/1963 the number one single was The Next Time/Bachelor Boy - Cliff Richard & the Shadows and the number one album was Black & White Minstrel Show - George Mitchell Minstrels. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 10/01/1964 the number one single was I Want to Hold Your hand - The Beatles and the number one album was With the Beatles - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Steptoe & Son (BBC) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions. The big news story of the day was Anti-US demonstrations over Panama Canal.

On 10/01/1965 the number one single was I Feel Fine - The Beatles and the number one album was Beatles For Sale - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.