Browse episode ratings trends for The Generation Game. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of The Generation Game's 415 episodes.
Best Episodes of The Generation Game
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Worst Episodes of The Generation Game
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The Generation Game Episode Guide
Series 1, Show 1
S1 Ep1
1.0
2nd Oct 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests and family couples from all over the country in a knock-out competition testing their wit, skill, ingenuity and sense of fun
Series 1, Show 2
S1 Ep2
9th Oct 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests Clodagh Rodgers, Teddy Piero and family couples from all over the country
'To see you... nice!' Bruce is back with this fast-moving challenge to your ingenuity, skill and general knowledge. The Generation Game is a test for all the family - at home or in the studio
Series 1, Show 3
S1 Ep3
16th Oct 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests Vince Hill, Rosko and family couples from all over the country
Vince Hill in romantic mood sings 'Look around, you'll find me there' from Love Story as well as joining in one of the games, while there are a few surprises from the man without whom Saturday morning wouldn't be Saturday morning - Rosko
Series 1, Show 4
S1 Ep4
23rd Oct 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests Aimi Macdonald, Richard Wattis 'The Archers' and family couples with a chance to 'star' in a 60-second farce and provide the sound effects for The Archers' TV debut
Series 1, Show 5
S1 Ep5
30th Oct 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests Joe 'Mr Piano' Henderson, Fanny Cradock and family couples from all over the country who take their chance to challenge Fanny Cradock in the Great Omelette Race
Series 1, Show 6
S1 Ep6
6th Nov 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guest Joe Andy and family couples from all over the country
Joe Andy, one of the deftest men on the cabaret circuit, makes 'it' look easy, but could you do 'it' like he does 'it'? Find out tonight
Series 1, Show 7
S1 Ep7
13th Nov 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests Bernard Cribbins, Tony Green and family couples from all over the country
Cribbins can tell a tall tale... but how tall? And could you put on a play, the oldest sort of play of all?
Series 1, Show 8
S1 Ep8
20th Nov 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth and family couples from all over the country
Things look a hit sniffy tonight, especially when our courageous competitors come face-to-face with the pot
Series 1, Show 9
S1 Ep9
27th Nov 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests and family couples from all over the country
Series 1, Show 10
S1 Ep10
4th Dec 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guest Erik Hansen and family couples from all over the country
Series 1, Show 11
S1 Ep11
11th Dec 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests and family couples from all over the country
Series 1, Show 12
S1 Ep12
18th Dec 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth with his special guests and family couples from all over the country
If you have tears, prepare to shed them now; and if you've never been cowed, this is your opportunity to set the scene with Bruce and his guests
Christmas Special 1971
S1 Ep13
24th Dec 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth in his special Christmas programme, with umpteen Santa Clauses, Walt Disney characters, clowns, a pantomime and family couples from all over the country, including a special section for kids at home
New Year Special 1972
S1 Ep14
31st Dec 1971
Starring Bruce Forsyth
Beat the New Year in with Bruce and his guests
Bank Holiday Special
S1 Ep15
28th May 1972
All the fun of the fair in a special holiday edition
With family couples chosen from Britain's leading holiday resorts
Hostesses: Miss United Kingdom, Miss Blackpool, Miss Clacton, Miss Llandudno
Series 1 Highlights
S1 Ep16
9th Sep 1972
Presented by Bruce Forsyth
Have you pottered with pottery? Danced with a dummy? Gone for a song?
All these and more of your favourite moments from last season's The Generation Game which herald a new series starting next week. In this round-up of the best of last year's series you will see Aimi MacDonald, Richard Wattis, Robertson Hare, Jill Damas, Arthur Negus, Trevor Little, Peter Eggleton, Brenda Winslade, Joe Andy, Peter Steele and Anthea Redfern
The Generation Game was a British game show produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes. The programme was first broadcast in 1971 under the title Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game and ran until 1982, and again from 1990 until 2002.
The show was based on the Dutch TV show Een van de acht, "One of the Eight", the format devised in 1969 by Theo Uittenbogaard for VARA Television. Mrs. Mies Bouwman - a popular Dutch talk show host and presenter of the show - came up with the idea of the conveyor belt. She had seen it on a German programme and wanted to incorporate it into the show.
Another antecedent for the gameshow was 'Sunday Night at the London Palladium' on ATV, which had a game called Beat the Clock, taken from an American gameshow. It featured married couples playing silly games within a certain time to win prize money. This was hosted by Bruce Forsyth from 1958, and he took the idea with him when he went over to the BBC.
During the 1970s, gameshows became more popular and started to replace expensive variety shows. Creating new studio shows was cheaper than hiring a theatre and paying for long rehearsals and a large orchestra, and could secure a similar number of viewers. With less money for their own productions, a gameshow seemed the obvious idea for ITV. As a result many variety performers were recruited for gameshows. The BBC, suffering poor ratings, decided to make its own gameshow. Bill Cotton, the BBC's Head of Light Entertainment, believed that Bruce Forsyth was best for the job. For years, The Generation Game was one of the strong shows in the BBC's Saturday night line-up, and became the number one gameshow on British television during the 1970s, regularly gaining over 21 million viewers. However, things were about to change. LWT, desperate to end the BBC's long-running ratings success on a Saturday night, offered Forsyth a chance to change channel to host The Big Night.
The first episode of The Generation Game aired on October 02, 1971.
The last episode of The Generation Game aired on April 20, 2002.
