Great British Talkshow Moments Quiz

Answer: Emu

Michael Parkinson was a serious talk show host. Even top US stars like Muhammad Ali would appear.

Whether he knew in advance or not, one guest was to turn the tables, the entertainer Rod Hull with his mannequin Emu. The stuffed emu had Hull's right hand up its neck and into into beak. Hull would talk, while the beak made 'faces'. During the interview in 1976, Emu's beak suddenly grabbed Parkinson by one leg pretending to bite. While Parkinson tried to keep his cool, it was clear to viewers that he was totally offended.

Over the years 'Parky' interviewed people such Anthony Hopkins, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Joan Rivers, John Lennon, Tom Cruise, Jimmy Cagney, and Tom Hanks. Comedian Billy Connolly appeared 15 times. It is doubtful if any British talkshow host before or since got to meet as many 'A listers' as Parkinson, yet he was to say later: "The only thing I'm ever remembered for is being attacked by that bloody bird."

Answer: Grace Jones

It was probably a mistake to have a seating arrangement that placed Russell Harty in the middle with a guest to left and right. It meant that when he had finished speaking to Grace Jones, he turned his back on her to speak to another guest.

After sitting silence for a short time, Jones began to slap Harty on the shoulder. In her autobiography, Jones said: "I was all dressed up like an Amazonian seductress, and treated like the hired help. I thought, 'This is no way to treat a guest.' This wasn't at all like what we'd rehearsed, being stuck there while he ignored me made me feel very uncomfortable. I felt I was provoked." She also conceded that "bad coke" may have been a contribution.

Harty was a former English and drama teacher who got his first television break in the culture show "Aquarius". In 1972, he was given his first talk show. It was supposed to be ITV's answer to the hugely successful BBC of Michael Parkinson. Among those who appeared his show were Tony Curtis, Danny Kaye, Rita Hayworth, John Richardson, and The Who. In 1980, he moved to the BBC and the Grace Joes episode occurred in November of that year.

Answer: Mrs Merton

Debbie McGee was the assistant who married Paul Daniels, in his time probably one of the best stage and TV magicians around.

Mrs Merton was a character created by the actor and writer Caroline Aherne. She assumed the identity of a mild-mannered, middle-aged woman in a frumpy dress. That pretence enabled her to ask very pointed and near the knuckle questions, but in such a humorous way that the interviewee could not help but respond. Her question to Debbie McGee was once voted the most popular one-liner in British talk shows.

On Aherne's death at the age of 52, Debbie McGee tweeted: "Just heard the very sad news about Caroline Aherne, she was wonderful especially as Mrs Merton. My interview will be a treasured memory RIP."

Answer: David Icke

Terry Wogan was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1938, and died in Buckinghamshire, England, in 2016. His early life was as a bank clerk but he craved radio success, which he did not find with the Irish national broadcaster, RTE.

Instead, he travelled to England and went on to became one the most popular and successful broadcasters that the BBC had ever had. For many years he hosted the Radio Two breakfast show "Wake Up To Wogan", which had the highest ratings of any national radio show.

As well as his talk show, he was also noted for his commentary at the annual televised Eurovision Song Contest. His style was one of irreverence, which probably disguised his lack of patience at the blatant block-voting - even bloc-voting - some countries for reasons that had nothing to do with the music or talent on display.

That famous interview was with the one-time football goalkeeper David Icke who founded a 'religion' all of his own and claimed on live television to be "the son of God". In 1992, he had a famous car crash interview with Wogan. Clips of that interview are available on the internet.

Because he was born at a time Ireland was still part of the British Commonwealth, he could genuinely call himself Sir Terry Wogan after he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Irish people born after Ireland left the Commonwealth can still receive "honorary" knighthoods: "Sir" Bob Geldoff, for example.

David Icke had been a professional football (soccer) goalkeeper. In retirement, he turned to broadcasting and earned a good living in sports and entertainment presentation. He was sacked for refusing to pay his poll tax (a charge placed on householders in Great Britain to pay for local council services.) On a visit to a psychic, he was advised that he had been placed on Earth for a purpose and would begin to receive messages from the spirit world. Shortly after that he declared himself "the new messiah".

After that, Icke has proved to be a serial conspiracy theorist and holocaust denier. He also predicted the world would end in 1997 - oops. In 2020, several of his social media channels were closed down over misinformation he spread about Covid-19.

Answer: The Bee Gees

The Bee Gees, brothers Maurice, Barry, and Robin Gibb, were one of the most successful bands of their era in terms of record sales. In an episode of "Clive Anderson All Talk" in 1997, the Bee Gees were the guests. Anderson adopted a slightly mocking tone about their music. When the band, who started their music career in Australia, confessed an early possible band name had been Les Tosseurs, Anderson quipped, "You'll always be tossers to me". The Gibb brothers took umbrage and walked off stage.

Anderson was later to say he regretted the tone he had taken.

Anderson had a barbed tongue and a quick mind, probably brought on from his experiences as a criminal lawyer. In one show he asked the best selling British author and former disgraced MP Jeffrey Archer, "Is there no beginning to your talents?"

Anderson was born in Middlesex in 1952 and for 15 years was a barrister in British criminal courts. During that time he began writing comedy scripts and made appearances on the 'stand-up' comedy circuit, as well as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

His quick wits and quips brought television appearances. As well as his talk shows, he hosted the improvised and unscripted comedy show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (Later adapted for American television and hosted by Drew Carey.)

Answer: Oliver Reed

Michael Aspel covered the full range of television genres during an illustrious career, everything from children's programmes to the venerable "This Is Your Life".

He became the latest attempt by commercial television to rival the mighty Michael Parkinson on BBC when he was given the "Aspel & Company" show in the 1980s. He did attract some big names, including Margaret Thatcher, John Lennon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, and Sylvester Stallone. The show was censured over the way the three actors used their appearance to promote their "Planet Hollywood" franchise.

In 1984, Oliver Reed was a guest and showed off a raucous side of himself in a drunken song and dance routine. When Aspel was able to interview him and asked why he drank, Reed replied: '"Because the finest people I've ever met in my life have been in pubs."

But Oliver Reed was not the only guest to appear "under the weather" in a talk show. Honourable mentions go to footballer George Best, and actors Danny DeVito (on US TV) and Mark Wahlberg.

Answer: Hugh Laurie

Graham Norton was a product of the Emerald Isles and found fame as a British chat show host. Many of his early shows for Channel 4 were innuendo-led and had famous guests taking part in risqué scenes. He became more mainstream when he transferred to the BBC, but still managed to reel in top class guests. He also became the voice of the BBC's coverage of The Eurovision Song Contest when he succeeded his compatriot Terry Wogan. The irreverence continued.

Going back to Hugh Laurie, he was an accomplished comedian and comedic actor who starred as Bertie Wooster in an adaptation of the P. G. Woodhouse tales of Jeeves and Wooster. Laurie was also to find fame in the USA as the crotchety but brilliant Dr Gregory House. Laurie was an accomplished musician and Graham Norton found a video clip of him doing a rap routine. To make the event even funnier, a real life rapper, Ice Cube, was sharing the studio couch at the time.

The wrong answers were all performers who appeared with Laurie in the cult television series "Blackadder". Stephen Fry also played Jeeves, the butler to Laurie's Wooster.

I would have loved to include here Norton's most iconic scene when he interviewed the singer Sarah Brightman and asked why she had married composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, someone who was "not the prettiest boy in the playground", but I didn't think it would pass the funtrivia good taste test. You can find her response on clips posted online.

Answer: Jonathan Ross

For reasons that have always escaped this quiz setter, Jonathan Ross was a popular host who garnered big ratings for his shows.

Controversy seemed to follow him. As well as asking Conservative Party leader David Cameron if he had ever had certain disgusting thoughts about Mrs Thatcher, he also got into trouble for suggesting a particular actress was promiscuous, and he also made a joke to Madonna about adopting African children. (She threatened to give him a pair of black eyes.)

He earned even more controversy when he appeared on a radio talk show with host Russell Brand and the two left lascivious messages on the telephone answering machine of a popular actor. Ross seemed to reveal in the controversies. He told one awards ceremony that his high salary made him worth "a thousand BBC journalists". In 2012, the 'Daily Mirror' newspaper quoted an unrepentant Ross as saying: "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how many people remember you when you die."

Answer: Rory McIlroy

The show "Kelly" ran from 1989 to 1995. In 1999 he introduced nine-year-old Rory McIlroy performing his party piece. Years later, McIlroy was to become the world's best golfer.

Kelly's show was cancelled over disagreements with the time slot, but he continued to work as busy television and radio broadcaster.

Answer: Staring contest involving two children

Chris Evans was probably the cleverest broadcaster of his generation on either television or radio. There were those, though, who believed Evans had an an attitude problem and considered he was bigger than his shows.

He ran through a plethora of formats, loosely based on the talk show/entertainment genres. These included "The Big Breakfast", "Don't Forget Your Toothbrush", and the early evening 'TGI Friday". It earned rebukes when guest stars uttered the forbidden four-letter word in several shows. The show was initially broadcast live on Channel 4, which had to introduce a time delay of a few seconds to allow controllers to 'bleep out' any unfortunate words.

In an even more controversial passage, he introduced a section in which two children were asked to take part in a staring contest. The winner would win a car for his parents. The loser promptly burst into tears on live television. Not learning from this, a similar event was broadcast a week later, with a similar outcome. The Independent Television Commission issued a formal warning and the staring competition was dropped.