Bob's Full House

Bob's Full House was a popular and influential quiz programme hosted by Bob Monkhouse which was based on the popular game Bingo. It aired on BBC1 from 1 September 1984 until 27 January 1990.

Bob's Full House
GenreGame show
Presented byBob Monkhouse
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series6
No. of episodes109 (inc. 8 specials)
Production
Production locationBBC Television Centre
Running time35 minutes
Release
Original networkBBC1
Picture format4:3
Original release1 September 1984 (1984-09-01) –
27 January 1990 (1990-01-27)

Gameplay

Four players were given separate Bingo-style cards and attempted to light up the numbers on them by answering questions. Cards had three rows of six spaces each, with one space per row already blanked out to leave 15 numbers showing; however, the numbers in the corners of each card were never blanked out. Numbers on the cards ran from 1 to 60. The winner of each round received their choice of three prizes that increased in value from one round to the next. On charity specials, each correct answer awarded £10 to a charitable cause nominated by the player who gave it.

Each episode began with a lengthy topical stand-up comedy routine from Monkhouse. Throughout the game, he and the players frequently used nicknames for the numbers, some of which became a call-and-response with the audience. For example, choosing 22 would bring a call of "Two little ducks" from Monkhouse and a "Quack, quack" from the audience.

Round One (Four Corners)

In this round, Monkhouse asked 50/50 toss-up questions on the buzzer, open to all. The correct answer allowed a player to light up the number in one corner of their card, while the wrong answer caused them to become penalized, or "wallied" - in this case, unable to buzz-in on the next question. The first player to light all four corners of their card won the round.

Round Two (Monkhouse Master Card/The Middle Line)

The players were shown a board with six categories, each corresponding to a range of 10 consecutive numbers. Each player in turn called a number off their own middle row and was asked a question unopposed in the corresponding category. A correct answer lit the number, but a miss allowed any of the other three to buzz-in (described by Monkhouse as "open to others"). A correct buzz-in allowed that player to light any number on their own middle row, while a miss caused them to become wallied. If a wallied player was next in line to choose a number, they lost their turn; otherwise, they could not buzz-in on the next question in case of a miss. The categories were changed out after each player had taken a turn.

The first player to complete their middle row won the round. In addition, one number on each card was secretly designated as a "Lucky Number." If the player in control chose their own Lucky Number and responded correctly, they won a bonus prize, which was frequently revealed as part of a short comedy sketch or in connection with a worthless joke prize. (E.g. a contestant might win a bag of popcorn and an ice cream cone, then be told that they could enjoy these snacks in combination with a dozen movie tickets.)

Round Three (Full House)

Gameplay proceeded as in Round One, but the goal was now to fill in all unlit numbers on the cards. Numbers were lit starting on a player's top row and proceeding left to right, then similarly on the middle and bottom rows. The first player to complete their card won the game and advanced to the bonus round.

Any players who finished the game without winning any prizes received a hamper of gifts as a consolation prize.

Bonus Round (Golden Card Game)

The player faced an electronic board laid out in the same manner as the cards used in the main game, with one space in each row marked off and numbers from 1 to 60 in the others. They had 60 seconds to answer up to 15 questions. The clock kept running on a pass or miss, but each correct answer stopped the clock and allowed the player to choose one number to be removed from the board. Some numbers had letters hidden behind them that spelled out the name of a holiday destination, while all others added their value in pounds to a bank. If the player uncovered all the letters, they won a holiday to that destination; if not, they received a small consolation prize. Regardless of the outcome, they won all the money in the bank.

Monkhouse frequently offered subtle hints to help players who were struggling with questions, such as bleating like a goat on an astrology-related question to lead a player to the sign of Capricorn. The letters were arranged in order from left to right in each row, and a player who figured out the destination could narrow down the possible locations of the missing letters.

Transmissions

Series
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
11 September 1984[1]1 December 1984[2]14
27 September 1985[3]21 December 1985[4]16
36 December 1986[5]25 May 1987[6]16
45 September 1987[7]30 January 1988[8]21
53 September 1988[9]4 February 1989[10]21
62 September 1989[11]27 January 1990[12]21

Specials
DateEntitle
26 December 1984[13]Christmas Special
8 April 1985[14]Easter Special
26 December 1985[15]Christmas Special
31 March 1986[16]Easter Special
27 December 1986[17]Christmas Special
26 December 1987[18]Christmas Special
24 December 1988[19]Christmas Special
23 December 1989[20]Christmas Special

International versions
CountryLocal NameHostNetworkYear Aired
 Finland Megavisa Jukka-Pekka Palo Kolmoskanavalla
MTV3		 1991-1992
1993-1995
 Germany Bingo Wolf-Dieter Herrmann Sat.1 1991-1992
Kinder-Bingo Thomas Gottschalk 1992
 Greece Mega Banca George Polyhroniou Mega Channel 1992-1994
 Portugal Casa Cheia Frenando Pereira (1990–1992)
Carlos Ribeiro (1992-1994)
Serenella Andrade (1995–1997)		 Canal 1
RTP1		 1990-1997
 United States Trump Card Jimmy Cefalo Syndication 1990-1991

Video games

References
  1. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 1 September 1984". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  2. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 1 December 1984". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  3. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 7 September 1985". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  4. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 21 December 1985". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  5. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 6 December 1986". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  6. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 25 May 1987". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  7. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 5 September 1987". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  8. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 30 January 1988". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  9. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 3 September 1988". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  10. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 4 February 1989". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  11. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 2 September 1989". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  12. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 27 January 1990". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  13. "Bob's Christmas Full House - BBC One London - 26 December 1984". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  14. "Bob's Easter Full House - BBC One London - 8 April 1985". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  15. "Bob's Christmas Full House - BBC One London - 26 December 1985". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  16. "Bob's Easter Full House - BBC One London - 31 March 1986". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  17. "Bob's Christmas Full House - BBC One London - 27 December 1986". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  18. "Bob's Christmas Full House - BBC One London - 26 December 1987". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  19. "Bob's Christmas Full House - BBC One London - 24 December 1988". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  20. "Bob's Full House - BBC One London - 23 December 1989". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
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