Competitions
Over the nine and a half years it was on air The Big Breakfast hosted many weird, wonderful and imaginative competitions. Here at Bow Locks we don't want to let the hard work of the writers, researchers and presenters be forgotten so on this page we intend to identify all of those competitions! If you have any contributions please send them in to Bow Locks and help make our competition listings as accurate as possible!
1992
1 Who's Washing Line Is It Anyway?
The first ever competition to feature on the show. At 7.20 on September 28th 1992 The first ever family of the week pinned clues up on the washing line to help callers guess who the identity of the mystery person was. This was also the longest running competition on the show appearing for much of it's first year. The format has since been revamped and used many times over the show's history under different guises..
2 Guess The Mess
The second competition on the first show. Chris Evans hosted the slot where viewers won videos - the more to fail the bigger the prize. Basically you had to guess an identity from four obscure images on screen.
3 Chris's Cafe
4 Egg On Your Face
A famous celeb hidden by giant eggs. Could you guess who it was?
5 Dish Of The Day
1993
6 Spot The Sausage
January 1993's comp was trailed by Zig & Zag on channel 4 excitedly shouting '4!' but with only 3 fingers it was hard to demonstrate. To win the prize (flights to the US) viewers had to spot the sausage hidden somewhere within the show.
7 Count Your Chickens
Viewers had to watch some VT of chickens and guess how many appeared. Was reworked into More Tea Vicar.
8 Stop The Mop
A 'mop-cam' moving around the kitchen. Viewers had to stop the mop on the prize the most wanted. They could gamble their prize on something else but if they didn't 'stop the mop' before it went in the bucket they lost everything!
9 Sunny Side Up
So who was the model holding the surfboard on this hangman type game? Yes Matt the model reappeared a quite a lot during the summer of 1993 in various different guises helping out on the comps.
10 One Lump Or Two
Summer 1993 played host to One Lump or Two. Viewers had to instruct a blindfolded swimmer who paddled in a giant teacup on a raft shaped liked a teabag. They had 30 seconds to get rid of the most lumps of sugar possible. The highest wins.
11 More Tea Vicar
The format the Vaughany made his own was actually a product of the Evans years.
12 Moving The Goalposts
The replacement to Who's washing line is it anyway. Viewers had control of a blindfolded footballer who had to score into moving goalposts.
13 Beat The Banger
A Lot of you emailers feel that although most famous on The Bigger Breakfast 'Beat The Banger' did originate in the Evans era. Callers had to guess how long a celeb could stay on a bucking banger!
14 Spot The Dog
15 Call & Collect
Some dispute over Call & Collect, Brekkie Boy says it started in Rick And Sharon era, I'm sure it's been around at least since Evans left, possibly earlier. It was last seen in the early JV days, but it's format is very similar to the 'giveaways' used in 2001/2002
16 Spot The Pudding - Bob Monkhouse
1994
17 Housey Housey
The competition to end all. The prize was a full scale replica of The Big Breakfast house worth £100,000. Gamecards were posted through the nations doors and told viewers to look out for 3 blue objects each day. If after 6 weeks you had 50 objects you could register your card for the house draw. One Bow Locks reader 'stu' emailed us to tell us he won a surround sound TV on Housey Housey
18 Get Your Knobbly Nuts Out
19 What's The Waffle
A VT of people talking about a given subject - the caller had to guess the subject.
20 Guess Who Spilt The Milk
The game played on Chris Evans very last day. A VT of a celeb spilling milk you have to guess who it was.
1995
21 Bring Home The Bacon
You have to guess where the lost little pig is from clues given in a VT clip.
22 Cock-A-Doodle-Do-It
Was a game played during the original Eggs On Legs roadshows.
23 Breakfast Breakaway
Another game where you needed scratch cards in national newspapers. A flag was raised in the garden and played with a national anthem, if your country on your card matched the flag you phoned up to claim your prize and holiday. (Thanks to Stu)
24 Oh Dear What Can The Chatter Be?
In an updated version of 'What's The Waffle?' an old person would ramble on about someone or something - you had to guess who or what.
25 Twisting By The Pool
26 Telly Rellies
A relative of a TV celeb would stand on the stairs in the house. Callers had five clues to identify the celeb. Gavin Martin remembers Gaby doing this one but see also 1997's 'The Fame Name Game' in which the format was re-used for Rick Adams.
27 Get Your Kit On
1996
28 Pickers In A Twist
Simon Parry emailed this one in - 'Can't quite remember how this worked but viewers were shown an anagram of a celebs name and were given 3 clues to their identity after each clue they were given the chance to 'stick' or 'twist'. By gambling they risked losing all their prizes. Was featured on Gaby's last show.
29 Ice One Cyril
Suggested by Simon Parry (who has been fantastic in emailing resources and info.) A sort of court with your pants down on ice. Instead of tennis the game is ice hockey with callers guessing how many pucks can they put past the moving snowman. The BB had to build an ice rink in the garden for this one.
30 The Brian Moore The Merrier The Euro 96 Game
31 Chicken In A Basket
Played during Eggs On Legs 2. Rubber Chickens were thrown into a basket. What more do you want?
32 Bursting For It!
The Game to accompany the 1996 Olympics. A Kind of triathlon in which celebs carried a burning torch around the garden before rushing to the pool to burst balloons.
33 Get Your Egg Over
People had eggs under the backs of their T-Shirts and had to crawl across a pole over the pool without being knocked off by a swimming mallet.
34 Whose Fishing Line Is It Anyway?
The return of the original BB Game as Zoe hosted the show from a boat in it's final weeks before the 96 Revamp. Like Whose Washing Line objects were hauled in onto the boat and callers had to identify the celeb.
35 Its All Gone Pair Shaped!
The aptly titled first comp of the Rick & Sharon era. Callers had to find a pair amongst 20 mystery photos. Resurfaced in 1997 as 'Oh What A Lovely Pair'
36 Court With Your Pants Down
The famous Wimbledon inspired game. Returned annually during the Wimbledon fortnight. Callers had to guess how many pair of paints celebrities could pull up over their trousers in 60 seconds. Only one problem, celebrities could only pull up a pair of pants once they'd volleyed a tennis ball shot at them from a tennis machine.
1997
37 The Fame Name Game
Played in the Art-Deco house library. Rick Adams had five clues to a mystery ex-celeb. You had to guess who. It was a re-jig of 'Telly Rellies'.
38 Chuck A Duck
Used during Davina McCall's guest presenting days. Ducks were simply thrown across the pool.
39 You Must Be Soaking
40 Play Your Cars Right
JV's first comp was played in the garden by the outhouse. Viewers had to answer questions to progress up a gameboard to win a car. Denise was dressed as a lollipop lady to shout stop! when the time was up.
41 Scrambled Eggs
Thanks to TJ for naming one of JV's first comps. A line of eggs with letters on forming a scrambled up word. JV would shout 'Eggs, Mungle!' and they'd dance around. Caller would guess the word with Den crying the famous catchprase 'Mental Mental, Chicken Oriental!
42 Oh What A Lovely Pair!
Possibly one of the most used comps on the BB, it has reappeared almost every year last being seen in Jan 2001. Callers have to try and find a pair on the big replica house but avoid the 'Hezza's'
43 Who's Been Framed?
The First 'character comp' of Johnny & Den's reign set in a court room where you had to guess who was in dock.
44 Santa's Stockings
Used during Xmas 97/98 Santa's stockings was a variation of Oh! What A Lovely Pair
1998
45 Pardon My French
46 Pardon My Italian
47 Pardon My German
48 Gaggin' For It
Sinden Chump one of the most awful quiz show hosts of our time returned to TV to bring your the gag-tastic competition. He read the jokes the teams provided the punch line. His gorgeous assistant 'Gemsy Baby' used her profits to get a breast enlargement and to fund her own bar. Don't forget, Sinden Chump's World of Gags is available in all good bookshops from January 4th.
49 Pop Wins Prizes
50 Yanks For The Memory
Jeff & Stacey Lardburger on holiday from the US wanted to send postcards back to their family & friends. However they had to ask the concierge who was on the postcards. The caller guessed how many they'd get right. (Was filmed in front of a live studio audience.)
51 The 10k Giveaway
Was used when Liza first guest presented in summer 1998. Socks were pulled out of a washing machine, each sock had a letter on. If those letters matched the end letters of your postcode you could enter the first round which involved taking part in 'Play Your Credit Cards Right.' If you won this game you got to go down to the house on the friday and play 'Terminal Case' against the 4 other finalists. The final was Paper, Scissors, Stones which gave the winner £10,000 pounds - The Shows biggest ever cash prize.
1999
52 X-Rated
Callers had to give clues to the celeb on what was in their stomach. Who ever got the most objects right won. Jenny McCarthy supposedly went all the way behind the Xrated screen when taking her top off.
53 Eye Carumba
Similar to Xrated
54 Punaround
P-P-P Punaround Nooowww!
55 Get Fruity!
The Wonderous Amos Mutton and his living fruit machine.
56 La Triviata
57 Fish Up On A Star
This comp ran throughout August 1999 which saw the show guest presented by Ed Hall & Sara Cox. Trixie The Pixie and her elves pulled clues out of the pool which led to an identity of a mystery celeb.
58 Thatch Of The Day
The most famous comp of the Johnny & Liza days. Auntie Tina's hairdressing salon was where the action took place with players guessing who the mystery celeb was from their hair alone. Auntie Tina was assisted by her very masculine nephew Jason.
59 Count Downunder
Garreth Waites emails Bow Locks to tell us: "I remember count down under was a game where a celebrity guest would have to solve as many anagrams as possible. The anagrams were of famous people and they were allowed three clues. If the guest got an anagram correct "We'd put another shrimp on the barbie!"
The competition was hosted by Ray Whiteley and Noleen Bornaman. The score keeper was Stroppy the Bush Kangaroo (Linton). Liza was on holiday one week, so he took over as Noleeen's sister.
Finally, I remember the competition would start off by introducing Noleen, and she would provide "a little conundrum" for Ray to solve. The conundrums were something like "you idiot." Ray never got them. It would also close with one of Ray's amusing anecdotes. One was "I was in the church the over day and I was hungry. So I went to the cafe. A-MENu arrived...."
Ray and Noleen also presented Ray Whiteley's "Moment of Streuth!,"
60 Pudding On A Show
The shortest comp ever - it only lasted a day. A reworking of 'Scrambled Eggs' 8 Xmas puddings spelling out a word. Sadly the caller couldn't actually see the puddings and the game was a disaster.
61 Drama Sutra
The Comp from Xmas 1999 with Johnny & Liza acting out charades as am-dram society players named Expression Train.
62 Owe? No You Don't!
The comp that ran throughout The Biggest Breakfast Ever! The BB promised to pay off all the debts of whoever won. The players had to battle through rounds of Gaggin For It, Thatch Of The Day, Count Down Under and La Triviata! The final of the show (which overran - despite having 8 & half hours!) was the first ever Wonga!
2000
63 Wonga!
The first new BB game of the millennium and it is probably now one of its most famous. Single handedly responsible for a rise in sales of 'Jenga!' Wonga saw a huge tower of blocks which had to be removed and placed on top of the tower. Simple but surprisingly engrossing. Originally appeared as the final of 'Owe? No You Don't!' and has reappeared many times since. Last seen on September 3rd 2001.
64 Star Turn 2000
Originally appeared as Dizzy Bizzy Fizzy in the days of Mark Little Star Turn involved a dizzy celeb trying to run an assault course with full cups of tea. Reappeared in 2001 with an Election special having MP's running the course. Star Turn holds the honor of being the last competition ever to be played on The Big Breakfast - The competitor Countdown's Richard Whiteley. The prize was a limited edition Big Breakfast plate.
65 Willing And Cable
While JV was away during the birth of his daughter Tabitha, Auntie Tina returned with Richard Bacon playing a TV repair man. You had to identify the TV Shows appearing through the static on her TV set.
66 The Generation Fame Name Game
Hosted by Patrick Kielty And Liza. Items went past on a conveyor belt and you had to guess who they linked to.
67 Who Wants To Win A Mini-On-Air?
68 Pop Wins Prizes Featured Fluffy & Duffy
69 Johnny's Foreigners
70 Spudulookalike
A potato is dressed up to look like a celebrity (Think Mr Potatohead) Caller simply has to guess who that celebrity is.
2001
71 Here Kitty Kitty
2001 Saw the BB's games loose their originality. Here Kitty Kitty is perhaps the only one with any creative thought into it.
72 Cop The Lot
The old washing line format reappears once more. This time 5 burglars have a clue to a celebs identity in their swag bag.
73 France-Say What You See
Mike McClean at the Cannes FIlm festival pestering the locals to play a redressed version of 'Pardon My French'
74 Fielder Cold
Simon Fielder (BB Weatherman) Had to stand on the diving board numbered with 5 spaces, the callers had to answer questions correct, every time a correct answer was given, he would step forward one space-the winner was the one to get answer the 6th question correctly, therefore plunging him into the pool. (Thanks to Mark Fitchett)
75 The 8.15 Prize Giveaway
From April 2001 The Big Breakfast comps lost all sense of fun and originality. After almost 9 years of having TV's best games the show adopted the call and collect format full time. Despite going through many changes in title all the comps were the same. A shame that the shows final production team couldn't put in the same effort and flair of the preceding 9 years of great comps.
76 John Inman's Giveaway
77 Win With Widdecomb
78 Kylie & Posh's Prize Fight
79 God's Gift
80 Russel Grant's Giveaway
81 Penny From Big Brother's 8.15 Giveaway
82 Santa's 8.15 Giveaway
83 The Jar O' Sprouts
A big column of sprouts in the BB house with Bacon & Squeaky prompting the viewer to write in gussing how many sprouts were in the Jar.
The Bigger Breakfast also had its own competitions: Beat The Banger originally appeared in the Chris Evans era with celeb's riding a bucking banger. There was also Poultry In Motion featuring a huge orange paraballoon. Also on The Bigger Breakfast: Have We Got Cruise For You, Play Your Cards Wrong, Cock-A-Hoop, Bigger Break & The Bigger Bow Watch.
HELP - Even Bow Locks hasn't a perfect memory. Can you identify or give more details on the following competitions?
Hey There Punk, Make My Day - A Member of the Crew dressed as a punk with spikey hair trying to pop balloons by bouncing on a pogo stick - The caller had to guess how many popped. Only used for one day... but don't know when. Can you help?
Gavin Martin has emailed with some comps names but is unsure of details. Can you help? The Vincent Price Is Right and Chris's Cafe
Meanwhile John Conlon has loads: Rattle My Cage, Let's Get Ready to Rhumba, Game For A Bath, Buddies In The Nuddy, Break An Egg, Bun In The Oven, How Long Is A Piece of String, Lucky Basket, Trick or Treat.
Stu who tells us he won a surround sound TV in 'Housey Housey' helps identify some other comps. Piece Of Cake.
Andy 2001 has already emailed in to remind me of Horsey Horsey!
A BIG Thankyou to all contributors: Andy 2001, TJ, Simon Parry, Jace 1055, Gavin Martin, Jon Conlon, Stu, Craig Bowdon, Damon Beesley, Mark Fitchett, Craig Bowden, Brekkie Boy, Salsoul Nugget, Garreth Waites, D. Whitehurst and the gang at Planet 24 keep your memories of BB competitions coming in and please help shed some light on the comps above!
