After all the excitement of 1973 and Ely's breathtaking journey to the Jeux Sans Frontières crown, 1974 is another good year for British teams.

This year also saw the last time that the British representative in the British heat of Jeux Sans Frontières was decided by its score in the Domestic heats.

It's A Knockout 1974
including FA Cup Final Knockout

Presenters: Eddie Waring and Stuart Hall / Referee: Arthur Ellis

Designer: Stuart Furber / Producer: Barney Colehan / Director: Bill Taylor
A BBC North West Production

1974-01

It's A Knockout 1974

Heat 1

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 3rd May 1974, 8.15-9.00pm
Recorded: Sunday 14th April 1974 at 3.30pm

Venue: Princes Park, Southport, Merseyside
Nationwide / Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Pauline Davies from Warrington, Cheshire

Teams: Southport v. Wyre (Fleetwood)

Team Members included:
Southport - Harry Boyle - Coach (Executive Officer, National Giro), Charles Buxton - Team Captain

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd

 Southport
 Wyre (Fleetwood)

18
2

Southport qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières in Belgium: transmitted on 2nd August 1974.
This result secured Southport the ‘Radio Times’ Trophy for 1974 for the highest scoring team in the British heats.

Did You Know? Wyre (the local authority for Fleetwood and the surrounding area) became the first competing It’s a Knockout team to take its name from the local authority which governed it. This followed the complete redistribution of county boundaries under the Local Government Act of 1972, and throughout the United Kingdom from 1st April 1974, new counties such as Greater Manchester and West Midlands first appeared on maps.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-02

It's A Cup Final Knockout 1974

FA Cup Final Special

BBC1 Transmission: Saturday 4th May 1974, 12.35-1.20pm
(Shown as part of Cup Final Grandstand)
Recorded: Saturday 13th April 1974

Venue: South Liverpool F.C. Football Ground (Holly Park), Allerton, Liverpool, Merseyside

Teams: Liverpool F.C. Supporters' Club v. Newcastle F.C. Supporters' Club

Team Members included:
Past and present players including Billy Liddell and Jackie Milburn and celebrity supporters of both teams including Ken Dodd. Dave Cochrane, a Liverpool fan, was among the supporters turning out for his team.

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd

 Liverpool F.C. Supporters' Club
 Newcastle F.C. Supporters' Club

11
9

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

1974-03

It's A Knockout 1974

Heat 2

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 10th May 1974, 8.15-9.00pm
Recorded: Sunday 21st April 1974

Venue: Priory Park, Warwick, Warwickshire
Nationwide / Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Karen Apted from Birmingham, West Midlands

Teams: Warwick v. Rugby

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd

 Warwick
 Rugby

12
10

Warwick qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières in the Netherlands:
transmitted on 9th August 1974.
Rugby qualified as the highest scoring losing team for the British heat:
transmitted 6th September 1974

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but a short excerpt of the opening sequence from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-04

It's A Knockout 1974

Heat 3

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 17th May 1974, 8.15-9.00pm
Recorded: Sunday 28th April 1974

Venue: Spa Gardens, Ripon, North Yorkshire
Nationwide / Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Cherry Parrish from Marston, Bedfordshire

Teams: Ripon v. Rotherham

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd

 Rotherham
 Ripon

13
9

Rotherham qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières in Italy: transmitted on 16th August 1974.
Ripon qualified as the losing team with the second-highest score due to the cancellation of Heat 6. They would compete in Bayreuth, West Germany: transmitted on 13th September 1974.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

1974-05

It's A Knockout 1974

Heat 4

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 24th May 1974, 8.15-9.00pm
Recorded: Sunday 5th May 1974

Venue: Castle Grounds, Farnham, Surrey
Nationwide / Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Ann Rutherford from Tottenham, Greater London

Teams: Farnham v. Thamesdown

Team Members included:
Farnham - Janice Parry, Jill Simpson and Susan Wilkins

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd

 Farnham
 Thamesdown

14
6

Farnham qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières in Switzerland: transmitted on 23rd August 1974

Did You Know? Thamesdown was created under the Local Government Act of 1972, and is almost comprised solely of the town of Swindon.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-06

It's A Knockout 1974

Heat 5

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 31st May 1974, 8.15-9.00pm
Recorded: Sunday 19th May 1974, 3.30pm

Venue: Skegness Swimming Pool, Skegness, Lincolnshire
Nationwide / Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Penny Hilditch from Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Teams: Skegness v. Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea

Team Members:
Skegness (Squad) - Rick Swift (30 - Team Manager), Brian Marshall (45 - Team Coach), Betty Grave (38 - Assistant Coach), Mick Devey (30), Angeline Evison (17), John Epton (22), Dorothy Epton (16), Kathleen Elliott (17), Bryn Foxon (24), Stanley Fountain (40), Barry Fletcher (28), Kenny Graham (26), Bryan Johnston (24), Kathryn Jenkins (23), Ian Jenkins (23), Doug Knowles (22), Steven Ladds (19), Peter Linton (19), Lynne Muggeson (16), Walter Maddison (23), Alan Mitch (16), Wendy Pilcher (17), Jean Marshall (39), Alison Pollock (16), Jean Paton (24), Philip Mason (24), Christopher Peacock (17), David Palethorpe (34), Lynette Sellers (20), Norman Stanley (31), David Smith (23), Evelyn Smith (23), Paul Strzelecki (17), Philip Vere (18) and John Willoughby (20)
Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea (Squad) - Bill Stoney (Team Manager), Pete Lindop (Team Coach), Mel French (Trainer), Leonard Ball, Don Barton, Percy Bosworth, Steve Cocker, Andy Cone, Vanessa Cox, Paul Davenport, Elaine Douse, Elizabeth Hanson, Robert Indge, Richard Jebbett, Geoff Lindop, Andy Mayfield, John Mayfield, Dick Riggall, Pauline Robinson, Gareth Rogers, Trevor Shave, Elizabeth Stoney, Linda Tyler, Sue Wileyman, Hilary Williams, Sue Wright

Games: 'Canoe Race', 'Water Netball', 'Pyjama Race', 'Island Crossing', 'Boat Sinking', 'Netting the Ball', 'Raft Pyramid' and 'Target Slide' (Marathon)

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd

 Skegness
 Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea

17
4

Skegness qualified for Jeux Sans Frontières in France: transmitted on 30th August 1974

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives

1974-XX

It's A Knockout 1974

Heat 6

Scheduled (BBC1): Friday 7th June 1974, 8.15-9.00pm (not Broadcast)
Likely Intended Recording Date: Sunday 26th May 1974 (not Recorded)

Planned Venue: Castle Park, Southsea, Hampshire (not recorded)
Nationwide / Radio Times 'Miss Knockout': Hazel Wilson
Radio Times Trophy to have been presented by: John Holmes

Scheduled Teams: Portsmouth and Southsea v. Swanage

Scheduled Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

-
-

 Portsmouth and Southsea
 Swanage

P
P

Did You Know? This programme was scheduled but ultimately not recorded or broadcast due to an internal scene-shifters and technicians dispute at the BBC. The winning team would have qualified for the West German heat, but the cancellation of the recording and broadcast caused the BBC to rethink the qualification process (see below).

Did You Know? As in previous years, in 1974 the BBC planned to award the final European place to the highest scoring losing team in the domestic competitions. Due to the unexpected cancellation of the sixth heat at Southsea, the It's A Knockout organisers were forced to award another place to the second highest scoring losing team. This resulted in Rugby qualifying with 10 points and Ripon (with 9 points) receiving a surprise reprieve. The real losers though were the teams from Portsmouth & Southsea and Swanage, who didn't even get a chance to compete (but who would both be included in the 1975 series).

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Entrants 1974: Belgium (B) • France (F) • West Germany (D) • Great Britain (GB)
Netherlands (NL) • Italy (I) • Switzerland (CH) 

Presenters of International Heats: Paule Herreman and Michel Lemaire (B), Guy Lux and Simone Garnier (F), Camillo Felgen and Erhard Keller (D), Eddie Waring and Stuart Hall (GB), Dick Passchier (NL), Giulio Marchetti and Rosanna Vaudetti (I), Georges Kleinmann (CH)

Commentators (BBC): Eddie Waring and Stuart Hall
International Referees: Gennaro Olivieri, Guido Pancaldi
Referees (BBC): Arthur Ellis (Heats 1-2, 5-7, Final) and Mike Swann (Heats 3, 4, 6)

Designer (BBC): Stuart Furber
Producer (BBC): Barney Colehan / Director: Bill Taylor
Produced by RTB-BRT (B), ORTF (F), ARD-WDR (D), 
BBC North West (GB), NCRV (NL), RAI (I), SSR (CH)

Did You Know? This was to be the last year for French broadcaster ORTF (Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française) because as from April 1974, the network was split into separate entities and Antenne 2 was given broadcast responsibilities for JSF from 1975.

 

Key: International Heats  l = Qualified for International Final / l = Heat Winner (Silver Trophy) International Final l = Gold Trophy   l = Silver Trophy   l = Bronze Trophy

1974-07

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 1

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 2nd August 1974, 7.55-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 29th May 1974

Venue: Château de Bouillon (Bouillon Castle), Bouillon, Belgium

Theme: The Crusades of Godfrey of Bouillon

Teams: Bouillon (B) v. Briey (F) v. Rosenheim (D) v. Southport (GB) v. Wierden (NL) v. Cerveteri (I) v. Ilanz (CH)

Games: ‘Depart for the Crusades’, ‘The Drive’, ‘The Helmets’, ‘Bows & Arrows’, ‘The Flight’, ‘The Battering Ram’, ‘The Sappers’, ‘The Kiss’ (Fil Rouge) and ‘Return from Crusades’

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 D • Rosenheim l l
 I • Cerveteri
 CH • Ilanz
 B • Bouillon
 NL • Wierden
 GB • Southport
 F • Briey

47
43
38
35
29
24
23

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-08

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 2

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 9th August 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 12th June 1974

Venue: Grand Prix Kring (Grand Prix Circuit), Zandvoort-ann-Zee, Netherlands

Theme: Leaving for a Holiday

Teams: Eeklo (B) v. Aurillac (F) v. Bentheim (D) v. Warwick (GB) v. Zandvoort-aan-Zee (NL) v. Mondello (Sicilia) (I) v. Lugano (CH)

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 NL • Zandvoort-aan-Zee l l
 GB • Warwick
 D • Bentheim
 F • Aurillac
 I • Mondello (Sicilia)
 B • Eeklo
 CH • Lugano

40
37
36
34
33
28
24

Did You Know? At the start of the programme, Dutch racing driver and later, anti-skid school display team founder, Rob Slotemakers staged a spectacular entrance. He drove into the arena from the Grand Prix track at about 60 mph, and just a few metres short of presenter Dick Passchier, he turned the car 180 degrees to a dead stop. Dick was clearly in a state of shock, but looked at the cameras and just said “Welkom bij Spel Zonder Grenzen” (“Welcome to Jeux Sans Frontieres“). The familiar opening credits then began to roll. Unfortunately, it was on this same track that that Slotemakers lost his life in a tragic car crash in 1979.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-09

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 3

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 16th August 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 10th July 1974

Venue: Sports Stadium, Barga, Italy
Weather Conditions: Very Warm

Theme: The Circus

Teams: Edegem (B) v. Nancy (F) v. Singen (D) v. Rotherham (GB) v. Andijk (NL) v. Barga (I) v. Gossau (CH)

Team Members included:
Barga (I) - Raffaello Bernardini, Remo Bertoncini, Leonardo Corradini, Enrico Cosimini, Piero del Checcolo, Gianluca Donnini, Katia Gonnella, Oliviero Galeotti, Pietro Mucci, Silvia Lucchesi, Donata Piacentini, Gianluca Tonarelli

Games: ‘Horses’, ‘Clowns & Balloons’, ‘Unicyclists’, ‘Trapeze’, ‘Seals’, ‘Bears’, ‘Lions and Tigers’, ‘Tightrope Walker’ (Fil Rouge) and ‘Elephants’
Jokers: Jack-in-the-Boxes

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 F • Nancy l l
 I • Barga
 D • Singen
 CH • Gossau
 GB • Rotherham
 B • Edegem
 NL • Andijk

44
38
36
34
28
27
16

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-10

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 4

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 23rd August 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 24th July 1974

Venue: Romain Amphithéâtre (Roman Amphitheatre), Avenches, Switzerland
Weather Conditions: Torrential Rain

Theme: Antiquity

Teams: Vilvoorde (B) v. Le Touquet (F) v. Urach (D) v. Farnham (GB) v. Mill (NL) v. Acqui-Terme (I) v. Avenches (CH)

Team Members included:
Farnham (GB) - Janice Parry, Jill Simpson and Susan Wilkins

Games: Unknown

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
1st
3rd
3rd
3rd
6th
7th

 GB • Farnham l l
 I • Acqui-Terme l
 B • Vilvoorde l
 CH • Avenches
 F  • Le Touquet
 D • Urach
 NL • Mill

40
40
34
34
34
32
30

Did You Know? The Swiss producers foolishly decided to use parchment for the Fil Rouge scoreboard... and on the night of recording, the scores were obliterated from it by driving rain!

Did You Also Know? The Netherlands team from Mill were the Dutch Champions in their domestic series, Zeskamp for 1974.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-11

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 5

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 30th August 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 7th August 1974

Venue: Parc du Avenue de Marlioz (Marlioz Avenue Park), Aix-les-Bains, France
Weather Conditions: Dry and Warm
Winners' Trophy presented by: Simone Garnier

Theme: Crazy Animals

Teams: Overpelt (B) v. Aix-les-Bains (F) v. Wasseralfingen (D) v. Skegness (GB) v. Harlingen (NL) v. Fabriano (I) v. Muralto (CH)

Team Members included:
Skegness (GB) - Dougie Knowles

Games: ‘Performing Bears’, ‘Charging Rhinoceros’, ‘Monkeys and Nuts’, ‘Race of the Storks’, ‘Penguins on Iceberg’, ‘Boxing Kangaroos’, ‘Thieving Squirrels’, ‘Hare and the Tortoise’ (Fil Rouge) and ‘Snails’
Jokers: Wild Animals

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 NL • Harlingen l
 D • Wasseralfingen
 I • Fabriano
 F • Aix-les-Bains
 GB • Skegness
 B • Overpelt
 CH • Muralto

38
37
35
34
30
27
24

Did You Know?: This heat featured the famous "penguins catching water in buckets on a turntable" game with British competitor Dougie Knowles, which simply has to be seen complete with Stuart Hall commentary. The BBC man is barely able to speak for laughing!

Did You Also Know? Before the last game, the French team of Aix-les-Bains and the Netherlands team of Harlingen were in equal 1st place on 33 pts, Italy had 32 pts and West Germany 31 pts. The final game involved seven male team members heavily costumed as giant snails waiting to negotiate a steep incline. To assist them to climb the slope each ‘snail’ had a wooden pole which could be slotted into notched rails on the course and then pull themselves up notch-by-notch. But the competitors had to be careful because each pole was only 4 cms longer than the gaps of the notches on either side of the course and had to be careful not to climb too fast and miss their holdings. Belgium, France, Netherlands and West Germany got off to a cracking start and were making a mockery of the game. The West German began to slow down and it was a clear race between the other three. But as they were just two notches from the top of the course, the French team member missed the notch and came sliding down the slope to a hail of sighs from the home crowd. This mistake, which cost the Aix-les-Bains team victory on the night, resulted in the Belgium team winning the game and the Dutch team coming 2nd - and ultimately winning the heat trophy. In fact, any of the final first five placed teams could have won this heat before the last game and that included Great Britain!

Did You Also Know? Despite the teams from West Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands all being evenly matched in this heat, none of them won their Joker Game. In fact, the only team to do so were the British team of Skegness!

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-12

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 6

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 6th September 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 21st August 1974

Venue: The Old King's Racecourse, Northampton, Great Britain
Weather Conditions: Warm and Dry

Theme: The Wild West

Teams: Angleur (B) v. Lunéville (F) v. Kempten im Allgäu (D) v. Rugby (GB) v. Anloo (NL) v. Gaeta (I) v. Muotathal (CH)

Team Members included:
Rugby (GB) - George Bust
Gaeta (I) - Rita Alicandro, Pasqualino Aceto, Silvio Casaburi, Angelo Ciccione, Elvira Franzoni, Daniela Ottavini, Mauro Ottavini, Patrizia Panciera, Sebastiano Patti, Giuseppe Romano, Giovanni Tomai, Patrizia Traniello

Games included: ‘Corn Sacks’, ‘The Bucking Bronco’ and ‘Escaping from the Jail’ (Fil Rouge)

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
2nd
2nd
5th
6th
7th

 D • Kempten im Allgäu l
 CH • Muotathal l
 GB • Rugby
 NL • Anloo
 I • Gaeta
 F • Lunéville
 B • Angleur

44
39
39
39
34
29
24

Did You Know? Dressed as a cowboy, Stuart Hall opened the show by descending from an actual stagecoach, shooting into the air with his pistol. However, he forgot to use his microphone and his voice was barely picked up by the on-site microphones. Within five seconds, he had realised his mistake and proceeded to repeat everything he had already said! When co-presenter Eddie Waring came out of the stagecoach, he went to throw his Stetson off his head and forgot he had the strap under his chin and almost choked himself!

Did You Also Know? Game 6, ‘The Bucking Bronco’ (far superior to the version played at the Dutch heat in 1973) involved a boy from each team having to sit on a ‘bucking bronco’ which was mounted on a multi-pivoted platform which could be rocked from side to side and up and down by opposing team members. The idea of the game was to simulate the ‘bucking’ action of a rodeo horse and the boy had to stay in the saddle for as long as he could, up to the 1 minute time limit. The team of Rugby, representing Great Britain, played its Joker on the game, and as none of the previous four competitors had stayed on for more than 15 seconds (including Britain’s strongest rivals in the heat - West German team Kempten im Allgäu), all the British competitor, George Bust, had to do was stay on for 15 seconds or more to secure a minimum of 10pts. Gennaro Olivieri blew the whistle to start the game, but no matter how hard the opposing team members tried, they could not unseat him. The cheers from the home crowd were so loud that they quite literally drowned out presenter Stuart Hall’s voice, even with his microphone. George stayed on the bronco for the full minute and secured 12 pts for the team.

Did You Also Know? Arthur Ellis stood in for Guido Pancaldi as co-referee with Gennaro Olivieri for this heat, as Guido had to return suddenly to Switzerland.

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives, and short excerpts from this edition also exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-13

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

Heat 7

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 13th September 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 4th September 1974

Venue: Gärten von Richard Wagner Straße (Richard Wagner Street Gardens),
Bayreuth, West Germany
Weather Conditions: Very Warm and Dry

Theme: Wagner’s Famous Operas

Teams: Marchienne-au-Pont (B) v. Senlis (F) v. Bayreuth (D) v. Ripon (GB) v. Gendringen (NL) v. Marostica (I) v. Carouge (CH)

Team Members included:
Marostica (I) - Micaela Basso, Marilisa Basso, Antonio Ceron, Lucia Comis, Giorgio dal Molin, Wilma Fontana, Gianni Gasparini, Mauro Liberalon, Luciano Mattesco, Claudio Mattesco, Maria Mazzariol, Stefano Miazzon, Manrico Parolin, Mariano Roman, Walter Rubin, Ruggero Stragliotto, Lucia Valente (Team Captain), Luciano Viero

Games included: 'The Dragon Slayers'

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th

 I • Marostica l l
 D • Bayreuth
 GB • Ripon
 NL • Gendringen
 CH • Carouge
 B • Marchienne-au-Pont
 F • Senlis

44
38
33
32
30
28
26

Did You Know? Lucia Comis, Wilma Fontana and Walter Rubin of the Italian team, Marostica, had previously participated in Jeux Sans Frontières. All three had been members of the Bassano del Grappa team in 1970 and Wilma Fontana had also represented Jésolo in 1971.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

1974-14

Jeux Sans Frontières 1974

International Final

BBC1 Transmission: Friday 20th September 1974, 7.45-9.00pm
Recorded: Wednesday 18th September 1974

Venue: Lammermarkt Vierkant (Lammermarkt Square), Leiden, Netherlands

Theme: Spanish War of Liberation, 1574

Teams: Vilvoorde (B) v. Nancy (F) v. Rosenheim (D) v. Farnham (GB) v. Zandvoort-aan-Zee (NL) v. Marostica (I) v. Muotathal (CH)

Team Members included:
Farnham (GB) - Janice Parry, Jill Simpson and Susan Wilkins
Marostica (I) - Micaela Basso, Marilisa Basso, Antonio Ceron, Lucia Comis, Giorgio dal Molin, Wilma Fontana, Gianni Gasparini, Mauro Liberalon, Luciano Mattesco, Claudio Mattesco, Maria Mazzariol, Stefano Miazzon, Manrico Parolin, Mariano Roman, Walter Rubin, Ruggero Stragliotto, Lucia Valente (Team Captain), Luciano Viero

Games: ‘Pot of Fire’, ‘Escape from Prison’, ‘The Angry Citizens’, ‘Pushing the Cannon’, ‘Setting Sail’, ‘Barrel Race’, ‘Castle Siege’, ‘Fishing the Seas’ (Fil Rouge) and ‘Liberation’

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
5th
7th

 CH • Muotathal l
 I • Marostica l
 F • Nancy l
 D • Rosenheim
 GB • Farnham
 B • Vilvoorde
 NL • Zandvoort-aan-Zee

40
39
38
36
30
30
24

Did You Know? This International Final almost never took place on the scheduled date of September 18th 1974. Just five days before the recording of this heat, four members of the Japanese United Red Army seized eleven hostages from the French Embassy in Den Haag (The Hague), including the French Ambassador to the Netherlands, Jacques Senard. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $1,000,000 and the release of Yutaka Furuya, a Red Army member who had been arrested on July 21st at Paris’ Orly Airport. The French team refused to participate whilst one of its internal dignitaries was being held in this manner. Dutch TV officials had decided that with the on-going situation, it would be inappropriate to continue their plans to record on the scheduled evening. This would have caused much trouble with other broadcasters as RAI (Italian broadcasters), the BBC (British broadcasters) and ORTF (French broadcasters) had scheduled transmission of the Final for the 19th, 20th and 21st September respectively.

On the morning of Tuesday 17th September, the demands of the terrorists were met and all hostages were freed. Rehearsals for the event were quickly rearranged, and instead of the normal two rehearsals on the preceding two days, the first rehearsal was staged later that afternoon (with very few spectators), whilst the dress rehearsal was staged that evening (in front of a larger crowd), but finishing well into the night.

This near-cancellation had a significant effect on the BBC’s subsequent scheduling. From 1975, the BBC scheduled the International series transmissions to take place much later into the Autumn to avoid such a complication reoccurring.

Did You Also Know? The Fil Rouge was presented separately by each country’s commentators on-site instead of their usual voice-over from the commentary boxes.

Did You Also Know? This edition celebrated the close of the 10th series of Jeux Sans Frontières.

Made in Colour • This programme does not exist in the BBC Archives, but short excerpts from this edition exist in the BBC compilation, Best of Knockout 1974. Details in Knockout TV.

It's A Christmas Knockout 1974

Commentators: Eddie Waring and Stuart Hall (GB); Dick Passchier and Barend Barendse (NL); Paule Herreman and Michel Lemaire (B) and Giulio Marchetti and Rosanna Vaudetti (I)

Referee: Gennaro Olivieri
Scorers: June Pickering and Karen Apted

Designer: Stuart Furber
Producer: Barney Colehan / Director: Bill Taylor
Produced by BBC North West (GB), RTB-BRT (B), NCRV (NL), RAI (I)

1974-15

It's A Christmas Knockout 1974

Christmas Special

BBC1 Transmission: Monday 23rd December 1974, 6.55-8.00pm
Recorded: Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th December 1974

Venue: The Aviemore Centre, Aviemore, Scotland, Great Britain
Weather Conditions: Cold (1st Night) / Not Applicable (2nd Night held indoors)

Theme: Festive Fun

Teams: Aviemore (GB) v. The Dutch ‘All Stars’ (NL) v. Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (B) v. Courmayeur Monte Bianco (I)

Result:

 Team:

Points:

1st
2nd
3rd
4th

 GB • Aviemore
 NL • The Dutch ‘All Stars’
 B • Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
 I • Courmayeur Monte Bianco

28
23
22
14

Games: ‘Santa’s Reindeer’, ‘Candles Off Wall’, ‘Finding the Snowballs’, ‘Building Snowmen’, ‘Angels and Snowballs’, ‘Fathers Christmas’, ‘Christmas Dinner’ and ‘Pulling the Crackers’

Made in Colour • This programme exists in the BBC Archives (with Italian commentary)

If you can add any information to this section, please contact us at