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Poster for The Generation Game

The Generation Game

Seen it?

1971 | 23 seasons | 60 min | Reality, Comedy

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Solid across the board without standing out anywhere. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who wants a laugh.
The mood
Light and funny.
The pace
23 seasons and 422 episodes: a long-haul commitment, hour-long episodes, about 422 hours in all.
What might put you off
  • A big time investment at 23 seasons.
  • Made in 1971: an older pace and style.

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.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerSolid

    Ran for 23 seasons and reached a small audience so far

  • Buzz & cultural impactSolid

    About 50K people sought it out in the past year

Season by season

The show overall is a Sunday Safe Bet. Here's how each season stacks up.

  1. Season 11971 · 16 episodes
    Not rated yet
  2. Season 21972 · 17 episodes
    Not rated yet
  3. Season 31973 · 23 episodes
    Not rated yet
  4. Season 41974 · 22 episodes
    Not rated yet
  5. Season 51975 · 16 episodes
    Not rated yet
  6. Season 61976 · 19 episodes
    Not rated yet
  7. Season 71977 · 18 episodes
    Not rated yet
  8. Season 81978 · 16 episodes
    Not rated yet
  9. Season 91979 · 19 episodes
    Not rated yet
  10. Season 101980 · 19 episodes
    Not rated yet
  11. Season 111981 · 18 episodes
    Not rated yet
  12. Season 121990 · 15 episodes
    Not rated yet
  13. Season 131991 · 17 episodes
    Not rated yet
  14. Season 141992 · 16 episodes
    Not rated yet
  15. Season 151993 · 16 episodes
    Not rated yet
  16. Season 161994 · 16 episodes
    Not rated yet
  17. Season 171995 · 17 episodes
    Not rated yet
  18. Season 181996 · 17 episodes
    Not rated yet
  19. Season 191997 · 22 episodes
    Not rated yet
  20. Season 201998 · 22 episodes
    Not rated yet
  21. Season 211999 · 21 episodes
    Not rated yet
  22. Season 222000 · 21 episodes
    Not rated yet
  23. Season 232001 · 19 episodes
    Not rated yet

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Cast & crew

  • Jim Davidson