What did I.T.V. used to show in the bad old days before it became obsessed with soap? The answer - sitcoms, U.S. imports, nature documentaries of the 'Survival' variety, and shows such as 'Don't Ask Me'. It was science for the masses ( some would say 'dumbed down' science, and it probably was ), but done with a knowing wink.
Three resident boffins - David Bellamy, Magnus Pyke and Miriam Stoppard - took it in turn to answer viewers' questions. These ranged from 'why does water taste minty after you've been sucking Polo mints for a couple of hours?' to 'how did the salt get in the sea?' and 'how do birds know when to migrate'?'. It was 'How!' for adults.
The first show drew complaints after Stoppard was seen hurling babies into a pool, apparently to prove they had a natural ability to swim. No-one drowned, but even so, it was a disturbing sight to behold. A couple of the toddlers looked really terrified.
The show probably would have been cancelled after one season were it not for one magic ingredient - the boffins themselves. Bellamy's mangling of the English language made him a boon to impressionists such as Lenry Henry and Stanley Baxter; Pyke dressed like William Hartnell's 'Dr.Who' and couldn't say two words without turning into a human windmill; Stoppard simply looked gorgeous.
The original presenter was actor Derek Griffiths. His successors included actor Brian Clover and future Labour M.P. for Grimsby Austin Mitchell. Allegedly Adrienne Posta auditioned for the job, only to be rejected on the grounds she was too young and trendy! What could have been a stuffy old science lecture peopled by boring old fogeys in cravats instead became a masterclass in English eccentricity. Every boffin had his/her fans. Mine was Pyke. 'Don't Ask Me' made him an overnight star, leading to appearances on 'Celebrity Squares' and 'Parkinson' etc.
I doubt whether anyone became a scientist as a result of watching 'Don't Ask Me', but it was a lot more fun than what's in that Wednesday 7 P.M. slot nowadays. And if it got kids asking questions such as 'what is the Ozone layer for?' then so much the better.
Three resident boffins - David Bellamy, Magnus Pyke and Miriam Stoppard - took it in turn to answer viewers' questions. These ranged from 'why does water taste minty after you've been sucking Polo mints for a couple of hours?' to 'how did the salt get in the sea?' and 'how do birds know when to migrate'?'. It was 'How!' for adults.
The first show drew complaints after Stoppard was seen hurling babies into a pool, apparently to prove they had a natural ability to swim. No-one drowned, but even so, it was a disturbing sight to behold. A couple of the toddlers looked really terrified.
The show probably would have been cancelled after one season were it not for one magic ingredient - the boffins themselves. Bellamy's mangling of the English language made him a boon to impressionists such as Lenry Henry and Stanley Baxter; Pyke dressed like William Hartnell's 'Dr.Who' and couldn't say two words without turning into a human windmill; Stoppard simply looked gorgeous.
The original presenter was actor Derek Griffiths. His successors included actor Brian Clover and future Labour M.P. for Grimsby Austin Mitchell. Allegedly Adrienne Posta auditioned for the job, only to be rejected on the grounds she was too young and trendy! What could have been a stuffy old science lecture peopled by boring old fogeys in cravats instead became a masterclass in English eccentricity. Every boffin had his/her fans. Mine was Pyke. 'Don't Ask Me' made him an overnight star, leading to appearances on 'Celebrity Squares' and 'Parkinson' etc.
I doubt whether anyone became a scientist as a result of watching 'Don't Ask Me', but it was a lot more fun than what's in that Wednesday 7 P.M. slot nowadays. And if it got kids asking questions such as 'what is the Ozone layer for?' then so much the better.
