Make 'Em Laugh! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Monty Python's Flying Circus

There were four series of Monty Python's Flying Circus between 5 October 1969 and 5 December 1974 on BBC1.

They took British TV humour to new and often uncomfortable limits with characters like Eric Idle's leering, intrusive "Wink Wink". The establishment were often offended - the youth overjoyed!

Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin wrote and starred in the sketches. The female member of the team was Carol Cleveland.

Answer: Are You Being Served?

'Are You Being Served?' ran from 1972 to 1983 and was set in the Ladies' and Gents' outfitting departments of Grace Brothers, a very old fashioned departmental store owned by octogenarian 'Young' Mr Grace (played by Harold Bennett).

John Inman played Mr Humphries, a strangely androgenous creature with his mincing walk, flamboyant dress and trilled 'I'm free!'.

Floorwalker, Captain Peacock was played by Frank Thornton and Mr Rumbold, the Manager, by Nicholas Smith.

As well as Mr Humphries, Gents' Outfitting was staffed by Mr Grainger (Arthur Brough) and Mr Lucas (Trevor Bannister); and Ladies' Outfitting by Mrs Slocombe (Mollie Sugden) and Miss Brahms (Wendy Richard).

In 1992 several of the cast replayed their roles in a new comedy, 'Grace and Favour', which ran for two series.

Answer: Dad's Army

Dad's Army was televised from 1968 to 1977 and depicted the life of the Home Guard in Walmington-on-Sea during the Second World War. While the young fit men were abroad fighting, it was left to the men who were too old, too young, unfit for active service, or, as in the case of the spiv Private Walker (played by James Beck), able to avoid conscription, to save the country from invasion.

The village undertaker, Private Fraser (played wonderfully by John Laurie) would forecast doom and gloom, while Corporal Jones (played by a then quite young Clive Dunn) would urge his men not to panic, while running around in panic-stricken circles.

Repeats of this comedy are still immensely popular with each character - Arthur Lowe as the pompous Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as the laconic Sergeant Wilson, and Ian Lavender as 'stupid boy' Private Pike - played to perfection.

Answer: 'Allo 'Allo

'Allo 'Allo was aired from December 1982 to December 1992.

The setting was occupied France. Gorden Kaye played Cafe owner René Artois and Carmen Silvera his wife Edith. Vicki Michelle as Yvette and Sue Hodge as Mimi la Bonque were waitresses and lovers of René.

Kirsten Cooke played Michelle, leader of the French Resistance who kept dragging an unwilling René into the war.

To illustrate that French characters were speaking in their own language they did so with exaggerated French accents, and when speaking English it was with exaggerated cut-glass British accents. English characters spoke English normally, while their French was mangled English spoken with a French accent. Arthur Bostrum played Crabtree, an Englishman disguised as a gendarme - "Good Moaning" was his customary greeting.

The Germans were played by Richard Gibson as Herr Flick, Kim Hartman as Helga, Richard Marner as Colonel Von Strohm, Guy Siner as Lieutenant Gruber (who was enamoured of René), Hilary Minster as General von Klinkerhoffen and John Louis Mansi as Von Smallhausen.

Answer: Kenny Everett

Kenny Everett was born on Christmas Day 1944 and died of an AIDS related illness in 1995.

The Kenny Everett Show aired from 1978 until 1988, first on ITV then moving to BBC as The Kenny Everett Video Show.

Kenny would portray among his characters the huge breasted (but bearded) film starlet Cupid Stunt, who would cross 'her' legs giving an exaggerated flash of stocking tops and red underwear, while assuring us that it was "all in the best possible taste".

Other characters included Sid Snot, Marcel Wave and the animated character, Captain Kremmen.

Answer: Harold Steptoe

After being shown as a single comedy-drama 'The Offer' in a series of Comedy Playhouse at the beginning of 1962, the series Steptoe and Son was shown on BBC from 1962 until 1965. A further series was shown as 'Return of Steptoe and Son' from 1970 until 1974. Harold Steptoe was played by Harry H. Corbett and Albert Steptoe (Harold's father) by Wilfred Brambell. It was the original for the US television series 'Sanford and Son'.

The series revolved around the Scrap Merchant business run by the father and son, and their total dependence on each other. The comedy evolved around the manipulative Albert continually foiling Harold's middle-class aspirations while they co-existed in a grubby house, surrounded by 'tat' salvaged from their yard.

Wilfred Brambell (apparently an extremely 'natty' gentleman in real life) played the 'dirty old man' character to perfection.

Answer: One Foot in the Grave

Richard Wilson played Victor Meldrew who, in a continual state of rage and astonishment at the hand fate dealt him, gave us the phrase "I do NOT believe it". Annette Crosbie played the long suffering wife of retired Victor. The comedy was televised from 1990 until 1997, when the character of Victor was killed off.

The theme tune, 'One Foot in the Grave' was written and sung by Eric Idle:

They say I might as well face the truth:
That I am just too long in the tooth.
So, I'm an OAP and weak kneed
But I'm not yet quite gone to seed.

I may be over the hill now that I am retired,
Fading away but I'm not yet expired
Clapped out, rundown, too old to save,
One foot in the grave.

They say I might as well face the truth
That I am just too long in the tooth
I've started to deteriorate
And now I'm passed my own sell by date.

Oh I'm no spring chicken it's true
I have to pop my teeth in to chew
And my old knees have started to knock
I've just got too many miles on the clock.

So I'm wrinkly, crinkly, set in my ways
It's true that my body has seen better days
But give me half a chance and I can still misbehave
One foot in the grave.

Answer: Eric Morecambe

Eric Morecambe was born John Eric Bartholomew in 1926, he collapsed and died of a heart attack on 29 May 1984 having just come offstage from a concert.

Ernie Wise was born Ernest Wiseman in 1925, he died on 21 March 1999 shortly after heart by-pass surgery in the USA.

They first met at an audition with Jack Hilton in 1939. Having passed the audition, Eric joined a revue called 'Youth Takes A Bow' at the Nottingham Empire, and after a couple of months Ernie joined the show.

A friendship developed between the boys, and they created a double act, which Jack Hilton allowed them to perform.

The double act first appeared on British TV in 1955, and their huge popularity ensured that from 1961 the Morecambe and Wise Show remained on television until Eric's untimely death.

Eric was the tall one with the glasses, while Ernie was known as the one with "short, fat hairy legs". "You can't see the join" was Eric's running joke that Ernie's thick hair was a wig.

Their shows were always a huge part of every Christmas, and stars lined up to be humiliated as a guest on the show.

For anyone who remembers Morecambe and Wise, I'm sure you can put a tune to these words and imagine two smartly dressed men skipping off stage singing it:

Bring me sunshine
in your smile
Bring me laughter
all the while
In this world where we live
There should be more happiness
So much joy you can give
To each brand new bright tomorrow
Make me happy
through the years
Never bring me
any tears
Let your arms be as warm
As the sun from up above
Bring me fun
Bring me sunshine
Bring me love

Answer: Hi de Hi

Set in a 1950s' holiday camp and starring Paul Shane as Ted Bovis, Ruth Madoc as Gladys Pugh, Su Pollard as Peggy Ollerenshaw, Jeffrey Holland as Spike Dixon, and Simon Cadell as Jeffrey Fairbrother (replaced as Manager by David Griffin as Clive Dempster in 1984), this comedy aired from 1980 until 1988.

The comedy centred around several themes, most notably Holiday Camp comedian Ted's scams to get money from the campers; the desperate attempts of Gladys to seduce the Camp Manager; and Peggy seizing every opportunity to gain promotion from cleaner to entertainer and wear the coveted yellow coat.

Answer: Nearest and Dearest

Nearest and Dearest was aired between 1968 and 1973 and starred Hilda Baker and Jimmy Jewell as warring sister and brother, Nellie and Eli Pledge, who had inherited their father's pickle factory.

"'Ave you been?" or often "'As 'e been?" was aimed at the silent Walter, their cousin's elderly husband who had a weak bladder.

Hilda Baker brought her successful 'dizzy' stage character to life in the shape of Nellie Pledge and Jimmy Jewell, once half of a successful comedy duo with his cousin Ben Warris, achieved fame again in the role of Eli.