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Jeux
Sans Frontières ran in Continental Europe until 1999, when it was dropped for the
second time in its history (it had previously endured a five year hiatus
after the 1982 series). In Britain, the Channel 5 revamp of It's A Knockout
limped to a conclusion a year later, the good reviews it received not being
reflected in viewing figures.
On
the Continent, things were looking extremely positive for a new series
commencing in the summer of 2007, with the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU) announcing that Jeux Sans Frontières was finally to return.
As many as thirteen countries expressed an interest in being involved,
with eight countries shortlisted to have been involved - Belgium, Croatia,
Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. The games
were planned to be held in one country as per the 1996-1999 competitions,
presumably as a cost saving measure. Unfortunately, around Christmas 2006,
cracks in the plan started appearing, as the Greek television station ERT
announced that they were pulling out. Four months later, in April 2007,
the EBU announced that the series was not to return after all. The reason
given was, not exactly unexpectedly, financial. Just as it was in 1982 and
1999, Jeux Sans Frontières was, once more, too expensive to stage.
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While the EBU stated that the cancellation of the 2007
series was definite, their announcement did include a ray of light in that
they have not ruled out the possibility of their plans being re-evaluated
in 2008. Whether this is merely a bit of 'spin' to soften the blow for
JSF fans remains to be seen. Quick to react, fans started a 'Bring
Back Jeux Sans Frontières' campaign, including an online petition,
which JSFnetUK supports and encourages visitors to sign. It can be
found here -
Bring Back Jeux Sans Frontières Online Petition.
In the meantime, it looks as though after the elation of
the announcement of the return of JSF, reality has kicked in.
JSF has always been an expensive
programme to stage. This may, in the end, be the reason that as an annual
television series, JSF may well not ever return and be consigned to
television history.
However,
a quick search of the internet will show you that while the series may not be on
television at the moment, there is still a public appetite for the fun and
games of It's A Knockout. Many companies offer It's A Knockout
events to business, local authorities and the public. Among these is www.itsaknockout.net
from Off Limits Leisure Ltd., which is sanctioned by Stuart Hall and uses
original props from the series. For the ultimate It's A Knockout
experience, you can even have Stuart Hall commentate on your event!
It's
ironic that Jeux Sans Frontières was produced originally at a time
when Europe was still recovering from a conflict that tore it apart.
Recent events have seen splits in the United Nations, with European
countries again falling out with each other. Back in the 1960s, there is
no doubt that Jeux Sans Frontières was responsible (in a small
way, of course) for encouraging friendship among European nations - and
through whimsical games, it allowed Europeans to see their neighbours
without prejudice, as real people, much the same as themselves. It helped teach us how to get on with each other - and
have a whale of a time while we were doing so.
It
must be said that in many respects, the day of JSF is past. Television
today is forever looking at the dark side of human nature, for
sensational, often unpalatable contests which will grab modern audiences
who seem to voyeuristically revel in the suffering, discomfort and
embarrassment of others. It's A
Knockout and Jeux Sans Frontières were, in essence, basic good
fun - a bit of light-hearted slapstick mixed with sporting prowess - and
there seems little room for such fare these days. Maybe it's best for both
these programmes to rest in peace and take their place in television
history's hall of fame and live in the fond memories of viewers?
by
Alan Hayes
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