Opportunity Knocks

So, in the latest in my blog series about Dead Flowers, I’m going to talk about Opportunity Knocks. This was TV talent show in the 1970’s (briefly revived in the late 80’s, I think)

The show pitted some very different acts against one another, a bit like a school talent show. So, any one week, you might see a comedian compete against a magician compete against a singer, band, or even a plate-spinning dog. And the 70’s (and earlier – the original format of the show started in 1949) was not just pre-internet but before most people had a phone in their home. The result of the contest was established via a postal vote, and, as a viewer, you only found out a week later. Now, that was suspense…

Quite a few of the stars of the day came to prominence through this show, including Paul Daniels, Su Pollard, Darren Day, Paper Lace, Pam Ayres and even (as Royston Vasey) Roy Chubby Brown. I suspect his act was rather different back then.

A fictional episode of the show plays an important part in my novel. And, yeah, you’ll have to read it to find out how 🙂

Here’s a taste of the show, for those who never saw it