From Great Britain To The USA Trivia Quiz

Answer: All In The Family

It was a show of its time that could never be made now. Between 1965 and 1975, 54 episodes of "Till Death Us Do Part" were broadcast in the UK. It starred Warren Mitchell as the head of a working class family who dominated it with his racist rants.

The show was remade as "All In The Family" over 205 episodes between 1971 and 1979. It had the same working class setting, with Carroll O'Connor as the head of the family. Mickey Rooney reportedly turned down the role, considering it "un-American".

Many of the themes had never been explored in US comedy before, and it made many people uncomfortable. Yet, the "New York Times" described "All In The Family" as "...one of the finest, most influential shows in television history."

Answer: Drew Carey

Comedian Drew Carey hosted the US show between 1998 and 2007. Aisha Taylor hosted a revival in 2013. In all 352 US episodes were broadcast. In the UK, Clive Anderson hosted the television adaptation of what was created as a radio show for 136 episodes between 1988 and 1999.

In the show, the comedians were given subjects to improvise on the host, and in the last round by the audience. They had to 'riff' off each others to keep the comedy going. The secret was to always agree with the preceding comedian and to take their flight of fancy onwards.

Several of the stand-up comedians appeared in both shows.

Answer: Beacon Hill

Exploring class distinctions was long a popular thread in British television drama and was probably exemplified best by "Upstairs Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey". Each explored the lives and experiences of upper class families and their servants in the same household.

"Upstairs Downstairs" ran for 68 episodes from 1971 to 1975.. It featured the lives of those in one house between 1903 and 1930. It was a ratings success and was sold to markets worldwide.

The US show swapped London's Belgravia for the Boston suburb of Beacon Hill. Boston had long had a reputation of upper class snobbery, as an old poem recounted:
"Here's to dear old Boston,
Home of the bean and the Cod,
Where the Lowells speak only to Cabots,
And the Cabots speak only to God."

Just 13 episodes of "Beacon Hill" were made and broadcast in 1975.

Answer: Hope Island

"Ballykissangel" was set in a small village in Co Clare and showed the reactions of local people when a Catholic priest from England was sent to their parish. Fifty-eight episodes were shown over five years.

"Hope Island", meanwhile, was set on an island off the coast of Washington and showed how local, insular, people reacted on the arrival of a minister from afar. It ran to 22 episodes in 1999 and 2000.

Answer: Anne Robinson

This was the quiz show in which contestants had to to to answer trivia questions as a team. They could earn more money by getting a chain of correct answers. When the chain broke down, one member was given a chance to vote off one of the others.

When that happened, Robinson sent the hapless person off with a putdown and the words "You are the weakest link, goodbye!" Actually, the person voted off was, often, not the weakest. Contestants would go for gamesmanship by voting off someone they thought would be their own strongest opponent at the end.

There were few changes between the UK and US versions, both hosted by Robinson. Indeed, the show sold the world over and Robison's 'mean' characteristics were replicated by the host in the new country.

Answer: Not Necessarily the News

Between 1979 and 1982, four seasons of "Not the Nine O'Clock News" were broadcast in the UK. The show made stars of Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Griff Rees Jones, and Mel Smith.

By the way, if you have a chance, search for the cast's performance of "Nice Video, Shame About The Song" online. You will never look at pop videos in the same light again.

On HBO, "Not Necessarily The News" ran for 72 episodes from 1983 to 1990. The early stars were Anne Bloom, Danny Breen, Rich Hall, Mitchell Laurance, Stuart Pankin and Lucy Webb. Several went on to appear on "Saturday Night Live". The first seven seasons were recorded in a studio. The final season, 1989, was broadcast live.

Answer: Francis Urquhart

The UK version was based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Dobbs. The main theme was of skulduggery in political office, something that Dobbs may have been famiiar with in his role as Chief of Staff with the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom.

Andrew Davis wrote the television adaptation, which ran to four episodes in 1990. Ian Richardson played the scheming Francis Urquhart, who was not afraid to use any dirty trick to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was from Urquhart that we got the phrase "you may well think that, I couldn't possibly comment" that he used in response to questions from journalists: in effect confirming something without actually confirming it.

The show was taken across the Atlantic in the hands of Beau Willimon. The scheming politician was renamed Francis Underwood, a man with his eyes on the prize, the Oval Office and not afraid to use any dirty trick to achieve it.

There were those who believed the US version was superior: certainty the writers and directors had longer to develop their themes. Six seasons were shown between 2013 and 2018. Kevin Spacey played the ambitious Underwood, but was dropped from the cast over allegations about his own private life.

Answer: Gracepoint

David Tennant reprised his leading role in "Gracepoint". Tennant, whose natural accent is Scottish, adopted a neutral English accent for his role in Doctor Who?", but was asked for an American accent in "Gracepoint".

Three seasons of "Broadchurch" were shown in the UK between 2013 and 2017. It was set in Dorset and featured Tennant playing a police detective inspector investigating harrowing crimes.

In the USA, Fox television broadcast 10 episodes of "Gracepoint" in 2014. While the storylines of the two shows were similar, the US version had a different ending. The show was cancelled after just one season after battling for viewers in a competitive time slot.

Answer: Bea Arthur

The first US attempt starred Harvey Korman and Betty White, but checked out after just a pilot show. In 1999 John Larroquette stepped into the shoes of John Cleese, but carried the cases for just eight episodes.

In between those two, Bea Arthur became a gender-swapped madcap hotelier, but had to head for the door after ten episodes.

The show was renamed "Amanda's", but retained many of the same foibles of "Fawlty Towers": an eccentric hotel owner - ex 'Python' John Cleese - weird occurrences and daft guests/staff. It opened in 1983, but the shutters came down after just 13 of the 16 recorded episodes had been broadcast.

In 2019, the magazine "Radio Times" asked a panel of 'experts' for a countdown of the best ever British comedy show. They placed "Fawlty Towers" at the top.

Answer: Sanford and Son

Both shows were about scrap-dealing father and son relationships. In "Steptoe and Son" Wilfrid Brambell played the father Albert and Harry H. Corbett played his son Harold. There was a family frisson, Harold felt he was being held back in a dead-end job by his father. In real life, Harry H. Corbett was said to feel the role restricted and compartmentalised his acting ability and ambitions.

The show ran for 57 episodes between January 1962 and December 1974.

In the USA, Redd Foxx played Fred G. Sanford, the father, and Desmond Wilson played the son, Lamont. Some critics considered the American remake to be superior to the original. Six seasons, comprising 136 episodes were broadcast between 1972 and 1978. It broke new ground for the USA, being the first sitcom centred around black leading characters. It was hailed it as one of the most influential TV shows ever in the USA.