The Title by Scott Murray

Author:Scott Murray
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472936622
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2019-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

12

Yvonne stokes a militant mood (1959–60 to 1961–62)

The quiz show Double Your Money was a ratings smash during the early days of ITV. The genius of the format lay in its simplicity. Contestants answered questions on their chosen subject, doubling their cash prize up to a maximum of £32. If they got an answer wrong they lost everything. If they made it to £32 they could return over the following weeks to continue their quest on the ‘Treasure Trail’, which involved them being bundled into a glass isolation booth as they tried to multiply their way up to £1,000. The heat was deliberately turned up in the claustrophobic cupboard to make contestants appear even more flustered and uncomfortable than they already were. Standing outside, asking the questions, your elastic-faced host Hughie Green, hamming it up to ensure maximum tension! The daddy of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Double Your Money was magnificent television, to which millions tuned in.

In January 1959, four sports stars were invited onto a special edition of the hit programme. Olympic runner June Paul was quizzed on cookery; fellow sprinter Roy Sandstrom, assisted by his wife Susan, fielded questions about geography; Middlesex cricketer John Warr chose classical music as his specialist subject; and Bobby Charlton of Manchester United and England was tested on pop music. Charlton proved the best of the bunch, getting all of his questions correct, making it to the Treasure Trail. But as he edged closer to the jackpot, the more he fretted and sweated. ‘This guy takes a bigger beating in the box than anyone else I have ever had on the programme!’ quipped Green, ever the showman. ‘He really gets me worried because he’s so nervous in there!’

Upon reaching £512, Charlton flatly refused to go back into the booth for his final £1,000 question, instead demanding to be quizzed on the stage. ‘I don’t like being shut in there, not being able to see anyone. I start to shake as soon as I get inside the box.’ A flustered Green closed that week’s show in a gurning panic. ‘I’ll have to ask the management! Come back next week and we’ll let you know the result!’ The suits at Associated-Rediffusion compassionately relaxed the rules, making a link between Charlton’s claustrophobia and his experience at Munich only 11 months earlier. He was allowed to think outside the box, scooped the big cash prize, and bought his dad a car with the winnings.

So one of the world’s most talented footballers, playing for England’s most famous club, felt the need to go on network television to dance for beans. That fact should have given the folk running the sport pause for thought. But it didn’t. And so the authorities kept blithely on, unaware that a perfect storm was brewing. There was money in football, and irritated players wanted a fairer piece of the pie. A pincer movement over the maximum wage and retain-and-transfer systems would soon be launched. The whole brouhaha would result in higher

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.