Special Sub-Topic: 'Multi-Coloured Swap Shop' Click Here To Play: 'Multi-Coloured Swap Shop'

Who was the main presenter of 'Swap Shop'?

Noel Edmonds. Noel Edmonds was a Radio 1 DJ and previously had presented a children's phone-in show 'Z-Shed'.

What year did 'Swap Shop' first appear on British television?

1976. 'Swap Shop' began on 2 October 1976 and was originally planned for six programmes.

What programme did John Craven present before he appeared on 'Swap Shop'?

Newsround. He presented 'Newsround' from 1972 until 1989.

What was the name of the black hairy hand on 'Swap Shop'?

Igor. Igor was the black hairy hand that would pass things from behind the sofa.

Two people fell in love, and later went on to marry, while presenting 'Swap Shop', who were they?

Maggie Philbin and Keith Chegwin. Keith was the third member to join the show and Maggie joined later in the third series. They married in 1982.

Was 'Multi-coloured Swap Shop' the first Saturday morning children's show ever to air in the UK?

Yes. The show went out from 9.30 on a Saturday morning for three hours, it featured phone-in competitions, cartoons and pop music.

What was Posh Paws that sat on the 'Swap Shop' desk?

Purple Dinosaur. Posh Paws was named by a viewer for being 'Swap Shop' backwards, well almost.

Who used to live in the rafters of the 'Swap Shop' studio and lower a clear plastic ball containing postcards for children to win a prize?

Eric. Eric was so popular that the Statue for winner of the 'Swap Shop' star awards was named after him.

Keith Chegwin would travel around Britain each week for a live Swaporama, where children could swap their toys.

True. The Swaporama was announced at the start of the show, the first one held at Cardiff, where 200 children bought items to swap. At later Swaporamas thousands of children would turn up at each venue.

'Swap Shop' was meant to run for just a short period. How long did it run for on British television?

Six years. 'Swap Shop' was originally meant to be a six week show; this was extended to 21 weeks. It was so popular it ran for six years with 146 shows.