Aren't catchphrases brilliant

By Hermione Gray

WHEN did it all start, the TV catchphrase

As far back as 1958, the immortal, 'Here's one I made earlier,' was uttered by Blue Peter's first hosts Christopher Trace and Leila Williams, as they presented the first in a long line of gifts crafted from felt and sticky-backed plastic gifts. Later, John Noakes would add 'Get down, Shep', as he admonished the Blue Peter dog.

For years, TV catchphrases were thin on the ground. From the accidental (Magnus Magnusson's 'I've started so I'll finish') to the appalling (Bruce Forsyth's 'Nice to see you, to see you nice' and Bob Monkhouse's 'Bernie The Bolt').

Occasionally, a catchphrase hits home: 'Gissa job,' pleaded Yosser Hughes in The Boys From The Blackstuff, as Britain was suffering horribly from unemployment.

These days, the catchphrases are more superficial and as vital to a programme as its stars. Indeed, a measure of the success of a new TV show is hearing the catchphrase in the school playground within a couple of weeks.

Paygrounds were ringing recently with, 'Can we fix it ' (Bob the Builder), 'Boyakasha' (Ali G), 'Gonnae no dae that' (Chewin' the Fat).

However, the current king and queen of the TV catchphrase have to be Chris Tarrant and Anne Robinson. Who wants to be a Millionaire brought us, 'I don't want to give you that', ' Phone a friend ' 'Confident ' and 'Final answer ', while Robinson's succinct, 'You are the weakest link - goodbye!' was cackled by pantomime dames up and down the country over Christmas.

The Fast Show's Ron Manager

And, don't forget the show whose selling point is that it consists solely of catchphrases: The (late) Fast Show introduced a stunning array of memorable lines, including:

'Suits you, sir - oooh!'
'I wouldn't know about that, sir'
'It's like making love to a beautiful woman'
'Which was nice'
'A little bit wuurr; a little bit weyyy'
'It's the hardest game in the world'
'Jumpers for goalposts'
'N-i-i-i-i-ice'

'Bono estente'
'Aren't ... brilliant '
'You ain't seen me, right '
'Does my bum look big in this '
'Today I have been mostly...'
'Of course, I was terribly, terribly drunk at the time'.

Do you have a favourite TV or advertising catchphrase Share it on The Answer Bank's message boards. Click here