TV

As a young kid, I was scared of Doctor Who; there were a couple of times I hid behind the settee when the Daleks were on screen screeching "exterminate" in their electronically deformed voices.  As I hit 10 or 11 I began to appreciate the show a lot more and I fondly remember Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor in "Remembrance of the Daleks" in the late 80s.  I was then devastated as the show came to an abrupt end in 1989.

Throughout my mid to late teens and while at University, I began to acquire some of the BBC's back catalogue focussing particularly on the Pertwee and Baker years; I don't think that we can doubt that Tom Baker brought a host of qualities to the character, and who can forget the action man that Pertwee was.  It took just over sixteen years for the BBC to pull the series back from beyond, and I have to say that Eccleston was a great Doctor, but my opinion is that Tennant and Smith, not so.  I can't say yet with Capaldi, but bearing in mind that I switched off after 30 minutes, things are not looking good.

As an avid fan of TV Gameshows from the 80s, 90s and early 00's, Fifteen to One (along with BlockBusters and Countdown) was staple fare after getting home from school/college/University. Fifteen contestants battling it out against each other over three rounds.  Two quick fire questions in round one, and then nominations throughout round two until the fifteen contenstants had been whittled down to just three.  After a commercial break, host, William G Stewart would spin through 40 general knowledge questions until either all three contestants had lost their respective three lives or the question set had been exhausted.

The no-nonsense approach of Stewart with minimal "chat" with the contestants made this a fast paced game with difficult questions being fired one after another for the duration of the show.  It was a "geeky" show for geeks, but with an all-round appeal that attracted a wide audience.

Axed in 2003, I've never felt that Channel Four has managed to replace this show with anything near the substance or staying power that Fifteen to One had, and despite rumours of a return, nothing ever materialised until yesterday. 

I noticed on my Freesat box that Fifteen to One had been scheduled, so I set series record.  On the "information" screen, it said that Sandi Toksvig would be hosting the revival.  Sandi Toksvig has also been pretty regular entertainment consumtion for me, she was in Number 73, Call My Bluff and I love to hear her on the Radio 4 "News Quiz", but even I was surprised and perplexed that she had been chosen as a replacement for William G Stewart on Fifteen to One.