Ask the Family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ask the Family was a United Kingdom quiz show which originally ran from 1967 to 1984 on BBC One. In its original form it was hosted by Robert Robinson.
The programme involved two family teams, made up of a mother and father and two teenage children. They would be asked questions on a variety of subjects. Unusually, the quiz was not played in "rounds" as such - instead, questions were asked in a semi-random order, so there was no way of knowing what subject the next question might be on, or even what form it might take. Ask the Family became famous for its picture puzzles, especially for photographs of ordinary objects taken in extreme close-up - which became the programme's trademark - and animated caption slides prepared by Eric Ilett. It was also noted for its unusual theme music, a sitar piece called "Acka Raga" performed by the jazz musician Jon Mayer.
The programme has twice been revived on BBC Two. In 1999 it appeared in a slightly more hi-tech, but essentially unchanged format with Alan Titchmarsh as host. In 2005 it was revived again with Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood presenting; both revivals were axed after just one series.
