Give Us a Clue is such a glorious, fun, friendly show, that part of me doesn’t want to do what I’m about to do. Can we not just enjoy a fun show without dragging it through the mud, or worse yet, perilously close to the dreaded “culture wars”? Why don’t I write an article about how the timing of the cue dots spoils the outcome of some of the rounds instead?
Sadly, in this case, I can’t help being annoying. Out of the first 105 episodes of the show, seven episodes are missing on the 2022 DVD release.1 Well, we weren’t going to get through 105 episodes of the show without a few disgraced celebrities, were we?
Our three problems are Dave Lee Travis (one episode), Rolf Harris (three episodes), and Freddie Starr (three episodes). The editions missing from the DVD are the following:
| Ep | TX | Guests |
|---|---|---|
| 2.7 | 10/12/79 | Elizabeth Estensen, Yootha Joyce Dave Lee Travis, Richard O’Sullivan |
| 4.1 | 1/9/81 | Michele Dotrice, Jill Gascoine, Lucinda Prior-Palmer, Rolf Harris, Glenn Hoddle, Edward Woodward |
| 5.6 | 21/9/82 | Avril Angers, Isla Blair, Ruth Madoc, Rolf Harris, Vince Hill, Christopher Timothy |
| 5.13 | 9/11/82 | Suzanne Danielle, Anna Dawson, Jenny Lee-Wright, Derek Griffiths, Roy Kinnear, Freddie Starr |
| 5.16 | 30/11/82 | Leslie Ash, Lucinda Green, Dilys Watling, Rolf Harris, Tom O’Connor, Shaw Taylor |
| 5.18 | 26/12/82 | Suzanne Dando, Elaine Paige, Susannah York, Christopher Biggins, Patrick Mower, Freddie Starr |
| 6.19 | 10/4/84 | Janet Brown, Sheila Ferguson, Fiona Fullerton, Peter Gordeno, Gareth Hunt, Freddie Starr |
I don’t know whether righteous anger about the above is especially helpful. For a start, it’s worth remembering that it is utterly ludicrous – and yet utterly wonderful – that Give Us a Clue ever got such a comprehensive release in the first place. When faced with a boxset of 98 episodes which feel like some sort of miracle, the missing seven episodes have to be put into some kind of perspective.
And yet one missing episode in particular is very disappointing. The episode broadcast on 21st September 1982, featuring Rolf Harris, also featured… Avril Angers. Not only a reliable character actress, but also an extremely early female stand-up comedian. Give Us a Clue was a rare example to see her appearing as herself on a commercial DVD release, and it’s been given the chop.
Crucially: this was her only appearance on the show. Meaning she isn’t represented anywhere else on the set.
I don’t have a perfect solution. Even with Give Us a Clue being a boutique DVD release, rather than transmitted directly into your home, I do understand that some people just wouldn’t want to be surprised by an appearance by Rolf Harris. An appearance which wouldn’t have the context of current affairs or news, but would be asking us to laugh heartily at a charismatic man.
But robbing us of our sole Avril Angers appearance? That doesn’t exactly feel like a win for how we deal with old TV programmes featuring wrong’uns either. It’s not really the safe, controversy-free option to chop funny women out of your TV shows. Women who are entirely blameless.2
* * *
Still, here on Dirty Feed, we like to do more than just general whinging. Sadly, I can’t provide you with the Avril Angers episode of Give Us a Clue itself. But I can present her absolutely glorious appearance in the Are You Being Served? episode “Mrs. Slocombe – Senior Person”, broadcast on 9th November 1979:
Even in 2024, I think that final punchline retains the power to make you gasp. It’s incredible.
So, of course, Gold censored it the other day. Oh well. Sorry Avril, people are determined to screw you over, what can I do?
Most sources say eight episodes are missing, but there appears to be a dummy episode in some guides dated 14th May 1981, which was probably a repeat rather than a new episode. With thanks to Billy Smart for clarification on this. ↩
It’s worth noting here that it may well not have been Network DVD’s choice not to release these episodes, God rest their soul. It’s very possible that ITV just refused to licence them in the first place. ↩
7 comments
Dan Webb on 13 June 2024 @ 10pm
Regarding note 2 at the bottom, Give Us A Clue was made by Thames Television, so wouldn’t it be Fremantle Media (owners of Thames) who would have licensed it to Network and decided whether to exclude any episodes, rather than ITVplc, or does ITVplc also retain the right to a say on the release of anything that once aired on the ITV network even if it was made by a former franchisee that left the ITV network before the creation of ITVplc?
John J. Hoare on 13 June 2024 @ 10pm
A very good question. The reason I went for ITV is that I believe Network’s overall licence was with ITV. But the intricacies of the contracts is a mystery to me, and they’re often not as obvious as they initially look, I agree.
John Williams on 13 June 2024 @ 11pm
Network had two contracts – one with Fremantle and the other with ITV. The latter didn’t include everything we would naturally associate with ITV. Southern and STV weren’t included but I can’t recall the nuances. As for Give Us a Clue – which is magnificent – as I understand it Network didn’t even receive the “dodgy” episodes. No debate, just withheld.
John J. Hoare on 13 June 2024 @ 11pm
Lovely, cheers John. That makes total sense.
This is exactly why I keep comments open on here!
Stuart Burns on 13 June 2024 @ 11pm
How did Network handle the omissions? Did they just not mention them at all in the documentation in such a way that a casual viewer wouldn’t know they were missing?
David Parson on 14 June 2024 @ 6am
The outer packaging makes no reference to being in any way complete or even the number of episodes. The booklet lists broadcast dates but makes no mention of series or episode numbers. Of course, the VT clocks are on the start of the episodes, showing how far out of recording order they were transmitted, and possibly, if you had the will to do so, maybe highlighting the unreleased episodes.
I should imagine the decision wasn’t Network’s – it would reflect a real change of ethos. It had always seemed to be: give us access to the best materials and everything related to it in the archive or we’ll walk away from releasing it. However, though GUAC was released 2022, whoever’s policy did change, it appears to have happened between 2018 and 2021. In 2018 Network released David Nixon’s Magic Box (Thames/Fremantle) complete with Rolf Harris, but by 2021 their release of Morecambe & Wise at ITV (also Thames/Fremantle) had cuts.
Steve Williams on 16 June 2024 @ 10pm
14th May 1981 was the day of the FA Cup Final replay, so presumably the confusion comes from it being rescheduled after the TV Times went to press.
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