Telly Fun Quiz

Turn on the Telly!

How's that for a bit of early 90s South African nostalgia?  Telly Fun Quiz was a weekly game show, hosted by Martin Bailie, that gripped a nation and had them screaming "bank" or "move" at their screens as fashion-challenged contestants grappled with the decision to keep their prize or move forward and risk losing it.  Nothing personifies the word disappointment more than a contestant's expression when the words "Booby Trap" appeared on that television.  But when the joker appeared...it was enough to send ooms and tannies into a frenzy of excitement.

The list of treasures contestants could win was seemingly endless and included:  a Minoltafax 175 telefax machine, a set of his and her watches from Michell Herbelin, a gift voucher from a "leading news agent" and a 64 cm colour television.  Also, South Africa must be the only country in the world where one of the most sought after prizes on a game show was security gates and burglar proofing.  The ultimate goal was that jackpot prize of 10 000 Rond towards an Allied Bank home loan (this was before the ABSA banks were "altyd saam"). 

Martin had the poshest accent in South Africa.  It was the kind of accent children tried to emulate when they had to do English orals at school.  He was also wearing oversized glasses and rocking bow ties before they were appropriated by millennial hipsters.  He was assisted by Eddie Eckstein and the perpetually confused-looking Anne Tyrrell (though I think she was replaced at some point) and together they had the crucial task of leading contestants down the row of screens and instructing them when to "turn on the telly".  To spice things up, every now and then Eddie would tell them to "push it in".  They also had the tough job of making each prize sound more exciting than it actually was:  "Wow! A brand new tin of Dulux paint!"

There was also merchandise that every child wanted their hands on:  the plush Telly Quack.  This iconic duck was a consolation prize for the losers who didn't get through to the next round.  I saw a post on Bid or Buy for a "VINTAGE TELLY-QUACK DUCK WITH DUCKLING - VERY RARE!" - and it sold for a mere R20!  I don't think the seller understood the concept of "rare".  Then I tracked down one for sale on Gumtree for R250 - now that's a price worthy of an original Telly Quack!

Check out an episode of the show on YouTube (and enjoy the classic ads too!): Telly Fun Quiz