Bullying

BEFORE Netflix dominated TV screens, quiz shows were all the rage in many British households.

Due to the limited channels, primetime shows would see figures reach 19million for the peak-time shows with the presenters becoming huge household names. 

However, would these dominant shows from the 60s to 90s be put in front of modern TV viewers today?

Times have evolved and many of the outdated jokes would not land well with audiences – especially families on a Saturday night.

Here, we look at some once-popular TV shows that quite possibly wouldn’t make it to air today… 

Man O Man 

Hosted by Chris Tarrant from 1996 to 1999 before his Who Wants To Be A Millionaire stint, Man O Man effectively was a beauty pageant for men.

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Ten chaps competed in front of an all-female audience in just swimwear for one section, and would perform chat-up lines and show their muscles.

Then, 125 women would vote for them, and if a female contestant wasn’t impressed, she’d push the man into the pool.

While some described the show as inverting stereotypical tropes and being tongue-in-cheek, others felt it was degrading and encouraged public humiliation.

Bullseye 

During its peak from 1981 to 1995, Sunday night darts show Bullseye drew up to 20million viewers.

The show saw host Jim Bowen – known for catchphrases such as “super, smashing, great” – guide three pairs of contestants through the darts and quiz questions.

However, ex-teacher Bowen’s comedy frequently relied on punching down at contestants, including body shaming women.

In one toe-curling exchange, he asked Jane Groves about her weight loss journey after she did a sponsored slim.

Bowen cruelly asked: “How much do you owe?” and when audiences stopped laughing, he added: “That’s very unkind of me.”

The show has been rebooted in recent years, with ex cricketer Andrew Flintoff taking the helm, and guest appearance by Britain’s teen darts hero Luke Littler.  

3-2-1 

From 1978 to 1988, the TV show 3-2-1 brought Ted Rogers, his sidekick Dusty Bin, and a large dose of sexism into millions of homes. 

Rogers commanded the stage while surrounded by silently objectified “3-2-1 girls,” whose main purpose was to wear revealing outfits that often matched to the prizes. 

Rogers’ routine heavily featured old-fashioned sexist “nagging wife” tropes and jokes that modern audiences could find intolerable.

They Think It’s All Over 

Airing from 1995 to 2006, this sports panel show fostered a hyper-masculine, “locker room” environment.

Panelists routinely demeaned female guests and admitted they “behaved like teenagers” whenever they were booked in.    

The show was originally hosted by Nick Hancock, and saw two captains, often David Gower, Gary Lineker, Phil Tufnell, Ian Wright, and David Seaman, joined by comedians and sporting stars.

Ex Manchester United footballer Luke Chadwick received a public apology from Hancock and Gary Lineker over jokes made about his physical appearance, including his teeth and acne, on the show.

One example of the bullying was: “This photo of Luke Chadwick was ruined… when Luke Chadwick turned up.”

He admitted to BBC in 2020 that the comments affected his mental health.

Chadwick shared: “I became a picture of fun, and that was probably the hardest thing. 

“Obviously people were finding it funny, but it was eating away at me a bit inside while that was happening.”

Olympian Fatima Whitbread settled for an undisclosed figure when she took the show to court in 1999, with Rory McGrath saying: “We joked she failed the urine test because she got her c*** stuck in the bottle.”

Mr and Mrs 

Running from 1965 to 1999 after originating in Canada, Mr and Mrs championed old family dynamics that feel rather archaic now. 

Host Derek Batey questioned heterosexual couples, consistently reinforcing a dynamic where the husband was the primary breadwinner and the wife a homemaker.

The game, which many people will know from hen or stag parties, involved each person answering questions about their partner, with the aim to get enough right to bag a jackpot.

Its narrow definition of marriage and with Batey referring to some ladies as “my darling”, mean it probably wouldn’t land well with modern viewers. 

The Generation Game 

Occupying prime Saturday night viewing from 1971 to 2002, The Generation Game featured casual sexism despite its massive popularity under hosts Bruce Forsyth, Larry Grayson, and later Jim Davidson.

Contestants would watch prizes go past on a conveyor belt and would have to recall what they saw in order to take a haul home. 

Glamorous assistants like Anthea Redfearn and Rosemarie Ford were relegated to secondary roles on the Saturday night BBC show, and were seen modelling prizes and smiling silently.

Bruce famously courted and married his hostess, Anthea, before they divorced six years later in 1979.

During their tenure together, Forsyth regularly flirted with her on camera, and instructed her to spin around so the studio audience could “have a look at you.”

The Price is Right 

Brought to ITV from the US, The Price is Right – which has aired between 1984 and 2007 – was first hosted Leslie Crowther, who had previously fronted the deeply controversial Black and White Minstrel Show.

Later Bruce Forsyth took the helm, and airing on Saturday night at 7pm, audience contestants would guess the cost of various items to win prizes.

A rather sexist element of the show were the ‘Host’s Hostesses’.

Typically models were hired for the role, which involved them smiling and looking glamorous as they’d drape themselves across the prizes without uttering a word.

Blankety Blank 

A recent reboot of Blankety Blank, hosted by Bradley Walsh, was cut in July by the BBC to reduce costs.

However, the original version – which ran from 1979 to 1990 – would certainly raise eyebrows today. 

Deadpan comedic presenter Les Dawson was known for sharing numerous offensive jokes about his mother-in-law and wife, and relying on sexist quips.

Julia Donaldson and the BBC have a long festive association with hits including The Gruffalo, Zog and last year’s The Scarecrows’ Wedding

Children’s Author Julia Donaldson and the BBC have announced which of her stories they will be turning into an animation for Christmas 2026.

A half hour special of The Baddies is being made by production company Magic Light Pictures. It will feature all-star voice cast, with returning favourite Rob Brydon voicing Ghost, Alison Steadman as Witch, Hammed Animashaun as Troll, Robyn Cara as Girl, Francesca Mills as Mouse alongside Sheridan Smith as the Narrator.

Author Dame Julia Donaldson said: “The Baddies was enormous fun to write because I loved inventing these gloriously wicked characters and then thinking about what might happen when they finally meet someone brave enough to outwit them. Magic Light has done a brilliant job bringing the story to life and the cast have captured all the humour, silliness and spookiness perfectly.”

The Baddies is about the worst Baddies in the world – a troll and a ghost and a witch, who love nothing more than being bad and boasting about it. When a girl with a blue spotty hanky moves into a cottage nearby, the Baddies quarrel about all the nasty tricks they want to play on her.

Then a mouse sets a challenge for the Baddies to see who can steal the hanky. Soon they learn that they may have met their match in the little girl. The story is described as being “packed with mischief, humour and heart”, and is a celebration of courage, kindness and the power of standing up to bullies.

Narrator Sheridan Smith said: “I’ve always loved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s stories, so it was such a joy to be part of bringing The Baddies to life. The film is funny, spooky and full of heart, and the animation is absolutely beautiful. I think families are going to have enormous fun watching these wonderful characters causing chaos this Christmas.”

The Baddies is adapted from the hugely successful picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Previous adaptations include The Gruffalo, Zog and last year’s The Scarecrows’ Wedding which pulled in 8.7 million viewers across the festive period

Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: “It’s with a mix of excitement and trepidation that we welcome The Baddies to BBC iPlayer and BBC One this Christmas. I’d like to assure everyone at home that we’ll be working very closely with Julia, Axel and the team at Magic Light to keep viewers safe from Ghost, Witch and Troll’s dastardly deeds.”

The aniamation will go out and Christmas Day on BBC1. Previous adaptions of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s works are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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An Emmerdale star is set to say goodbye to the long-running ITV soap after a number of controversial storylines for their character

An Emmerdale star is leaving the ITV soap after a controversial storyline. Caroline Harker is stepping away from her role as the evil Dr Caitlin Todd after a year on the show.

The actress, 59, has enjoyed playing the character, with viewers intensely watching her character become embroiled in bullying scenes. Dr Todd has been seen tormenting Jacob Gallagher at work, while she has also blackmailed Charity Dingle.

But the lines kept getting closer to the edge and the doctor is set to be involved in a sexual assault storyline. The tough-to-watch scenes will see her assault Charity, but will prove to be some of her last on the Dales.

A source told The Sun: “Caroline has loved her time at Emmerdale but it’s time to move on. She always knew playing such an evil character came with a shelf life but she’s leaving with many fond memories.”

They added: “Caroline only came in on a short term contract, and knew she would never stay long-term.”

Her exit date and storyline is not yet clear, but she is far from the only star to be leaving. Olivia Bromley, Nick Miles and Bradley Johnson will all also be heading for the exit later this year.

Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw recently dropped hints about some upsetting scenes ahead for Vinny Dingle, played by Bradley. And it’s clear the actor’s seven years on the soap is going to come to an end in dramatic fashion.

It’s claimed Vinny’s traumatic past, including the abuse he suffered at the hands of his violent father Paul, will be revisited. It’s said this will apparently be triggered by the arrival of his partner Lewis Barton’s father Kev Townsend.

Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Laura explained that Vinny is set to struggle to form a bond with Kev. She said: “What we need to remember is the relationship that Vinny had with his own father, Paul, who was quite abusive.

“It brings a lot back for Vinny because Kev is slightly wild, edgy and can be unpredictable. Vinny’s quite nervous about Lewis having a relationship with Kev, because he reminds him of Paul.”

Meanwhile, another report stated Nick’s character Jimmy would be killed off in devastating scenes. The news left fans outraged.

It was claimed the cuts have come as there are now less episodes. As for Bradley, it was claimed that his co-stars were left shocked by the news he was being “axed” from the show, with him being a very popular cast member.

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