The Guilden Age of Television Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ricky Tomlinson

"Brookside" was set in Liverpool and was created by Phil Redmond for the newly launched television company Channel 4 when it went on-air in 1982. The show ran for 20 years and frequently topped the channel's ratings. "Brookside" was based on the lives of residents of a housing estate, Brookside Close, and many scenes were shot either at the location or in the houses themselves. The show was never afraid to reflect social and moral issues. Ricky Tomlinson played Bobby Grant as a working class trade unionist, which reflected his post-acting life when he was a trade union activist. In 1972 he was jailed for two years for conspiracy to intimidate during a trade union dispute. Life after "Brookside", which he left in 1988, included roles in "Cracker", "Mike Bassett: England Manager" and perhaps most famously "The Royle Family", in which he was joined by his "Brookside" screen wife Sheila Johnston.

All four of the actors mentioned went on to play TV cops at one stage or another: Tomlinson in "Cracker"; McArdle and Usher in "The Bill" and Emerick in "Last Of The Summer Wine".

Other actors to find fame after "Brookside" included Amanda Burton, Nicola Stevenson, Claire Sweeney, Simon O'Brien, Anna Friel, Jennifer Ellison, and Michael Starke.

This question brought to you by Darksplash.

Answer: True

Greg Evigan went to truck driving school for 3 weeks so he could actually drive a rig. As Billy Joe 'BJ' McKay, he performed most of his own stunts. The ladies also learned how to drive their rigs so they could be filmed while driving.

This question brought to you by SilverMoonsong.

Answer: The Prisoner

A figurative sequel to McGoohan's earlier secret-agent series "Danger Man", "The Prisoner" starred the veteran actor as Number 6. This BBC classic was set in The Village, ostensibly a concentration camp of sorts in the form of a seaside resort. Though the series can be read as an action-adventure story of cloak-and-dagger attempts to escape, the intricate scenarios they present usually suggest more allegorical interpretations, a popular example being that Number 6 creates the prison himself, consciously or unconsciously.

This question brought to you by Stuthehistoryguy.

Answer: George Baker

The BBC Miss Marple series starred Joan Hickson as Jane Marple, and a lot of actors went on to star in other programmes. George Baker later became Chief Inspector Wexford on ITV. Kevin Whatley appeared in "A Murder in Announced" before going onto star in "Morse" with John Thaw.

This question brought to you by JaneMarple.

Answer: The Addams Family

Margaret Hamilton (1901-1985) was chosen to play the Wicked Witch in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939 next to the legendary Judy Garland when she was broke and needed the money badly. Her laugh became the definitive witch's cackle yet in later life she feared the harm she'd done to children by scaring them. She even went on "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" to explain about the character and the makeup she wore. I knew friends of mine who still had nightmares about her portrayal. She was asked to play a role in the "Addams Family" television show of Morticia Addams' mother Hester after turning down the role of Grandmamma. The rival show in those days was "The Munsters" and veteran screen actors Fred Gwynne and Yvonne de Carlo played the parental roles. Here is some free Munster trivia for you; Pat Priest played Marilyn the "normal" one and her mother was US treasurer Ivy Baker Priest with her signature on US bills of that era. I always figured that these two families made most kids' families look normal! "Bewitched" was the show that most girls my age emulated out on the playground by twitching our noses. "Dark Shadows" was the show that you had to sneak around to watch if your mother didn't let you watch 'that rot'. It was a like a Gothic soap opera and the character Barnabus Collins sticks out in my mind. Long before Buffy and her crowd, we had "Dark Shadows" to scare us.

This question brought to you by Bruyere.

Answer: Last of the Summer Wine

Holmfirth, about six miles south of Huddersfield, was the setting for this comedy series, described by one critic as "'Just William' with pension books", in which Bill Owen, Peter Sallis and Michael Aldridge demonstrated hilariously that you don't have to grow up just because you're growing old. There are plenty of tourist guides and websites to help devotees of the series to locate Sid's Café, Nora Batty's steps and other focal points of the programme.

"Heartbeat" was filmed in Goathland, a few miles south-west of Whitby, "All Creatures Great and Small" was shot in and around Askrigg in Upper Wensleydale, and "Open All Hours" was set in the Balby area of Doncaster.

This question brought to you by TabbyTom.

Answer: Lizzie Borden

Lizzie Borden was a genteel New England spinster who was acquitted of the brutal hatchet murders of her father and stepmother on August 4, 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts. She came under suspicion because of her well-known hatred of her stepmother, the fact that she had tried to purchase Prussic acid on the day before the murders, and because of the circumstances of the crime, which made it unlikely to have been committed by an intruder. Although her community had supported her during the trial, many people were convinced of her guilt, and she became a social outcast for much of the rest of her life, until her death in 1927. Lillian de la Torre's 1947 one-act play "Goodbye, Miss Lizzie Borden" suggests that someone other than Lizzie committed the murders (I won't spoil anyone's fun by telling whom). This play was the basis of the screenplay for the Hitchcock episode by Robert C. Dennis. The show is also notable for the presence in the cast of Hitchcock's daughter Patricia, who plays the frightened maid, Margaret (the Borden's maid was actually named Bridget Sullivan, though Lizzie always called her Maggie, the name of the previous maid.). Patricia had also starred in her father's classic film "Strangers on a Train". The episode also stars Carmen Matthews as Lizzie, and Joan Lorring as her elder sister Emma.

This question brought to you by Jouen58.

Answer: Corporal

Harry Goldberg had served along with Peacock and remembered him as considerably less than the man he portrayed himself to be at Grace Brothers. Like a Peacock, he strutted back and forth, preening and making sure all was prim and proper, fitting to the overly dignified image that he kept of himself.

"Are You Being Served?" was the brainchild of Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who designed the show based on observations of clothing stores in and around London, including one Lloyd had worked at. The show was originally rejected by the BBC, who objected to the use of double entendre and the presence of a possibly gay character in the main cast, but a scheduling crunch led to open time slots that needed to be filled and they wanted a show that could be shot cheaply, and "AYBS?", with all the action taking place in one room of a department store, certainly fit the bill. Though initial reviews were lukewarm, the show ran from 1973-1985 and spawned a movie, a spinoff, a stage play, and multiple international versions.

This question brought to you by Eauhomme.

Answer: United Network Command for Law and Enforcement

The first year of the series (in black and white) starred Robert Vaughn (Napoleon Solo), David McCallum (Illya Kuriaykin) and Leo G. Carroll (Alexander Waverly). It was by far the best. Succeeding years produced mere parodies of the original tautly written spy drama.

The arrival of other spy series more faithful to the Bondesque ethos (notably "I Spy" 1965-1968 and "Mission Impossible" 1966-1973) doomed U.N.C.L.E. to cellar ratings. A "reunion" show in 1983 further dissipated what had been a hallmark production at its zenith. The series did spin off "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E." starring Stephanie Powers which lasted only a year. There were also 8 movies from 1964-1968 which did well in international venues but were not released in the United States.

This question brought to you by Socalmiguel

Answer: Kitten

The Goodies (Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden) remade this as "Kitten Kong: Montreux '72 Edition", which went on to win the Silver Rose at the Festival Rose d'Or, held in Montreux, Switzerland. The (originally) tiny white kitten that went on to destroy much of London was called 'Twinkle'.

This question brought to you by Quiz_Beagle.