And now... from Norwich... it's the quiz of the week!
Where do I begin?
For a start, the theme tune is instantly recognisable, so clearly I watched this quiz show every week when I was too young to know better. I didn't remember the rules, so I looked them up. Contestants started with £10 and answered questions to boost their kitty - though they lost money for wrong answers. At various points in the show they were allowed to use their winnings to purchase the mediocre prizes that were on sale... so a brand new Mini Metro wouldn't really have cost you £140 back then.... would it?
The most memorable part of Sale of the Century (far more memorable than Nicholas Parsons and his "dolly birds") was that opening announcement... "Live from Norwich...!" I don't want to be mean to the people of Norwich (Alan Partridge does a good enough job of that), but it's hardly Las Vegas, is it? Nevertheless, the original UK version of SOTC (based on a US game show) ran from 1971 - 1983, so I guess it was a ratings winner.
Pointless trivia time - the show was revived by Sky in the late 80s, featuring the TV debut of one Simon Cowell. He won £20 worth of cooking utensils. If only his 15 minutes had ended there.
Here are some songs that pay tribute to The Quiz Of The Week, starting with the band John Squire formed after quitting The Stone Roses...
We've got the Milai Massacre, E-type Jaguar
Barbie, Ken and Christy Brown
Anne Frank's Diary, DC's Library
A chunk of the Berlin wall
Sure you can find what you're after
We've got it all for sale today
Save all your change, come and play
20th century sale starts today
The word "Satellities" is clearly one that's ripe for inclusion in a future edition of Namesakes. It looks like it would be a very long edition, even by this blog's patience-testing standards. Here's one of the more recent contenders, with lead singer Johnny Vic performing live with a 16 piece choir at the Church of Saint Saviour in Hampstead.
It's the Sale of the Century everything must go
Heritage, history everything must go
It's the sale of the century everything must go
All pride and dignity, heritage, history
A once in a lifetime bargain
And here are the Futureheads, big fans of the 80s...
Don't cheapen yourself for the Sale of the Century
I didn't mean it
I've changed my mind
And here's Kevin and Lol...
If they auctioned my heart
On The Sale of the Century
Would it still be there
At the end of the show?
Would the Quizmaster man
Call it a booby prize
'Cause nobody wanted to know?
And here are some guys who need to BACK OFF THE MIC!
And here... and here... and here...
But there was only ever going to be one winner today, and I'm sure if Martin's here, he'll have guessed it immediately.
Take it away, Louise...
It's still you and the moment you met me
You said I was cheap,
You were the Sale of the Century
