Those 1970s CALL MY BLUFF episodes on the iPlayer

[worrisomeasset]

I’m loving these. They’re the original iteration, with Frank Muir and Patrick Campbell as team captains. I was such a nerd as a kid that I used to watch this back then and I think it’s stood up well. There’s no ‘bantz’, no heavily rehearsed ‘ad libs’ and the female panellists aren’t patronised or leched over like they were in comedy panel games in the ‘90s and ‘00s. Patrick Campbell (I know nothing about him outside of Call My Bluff) is utterly adorable and so funny.

Having said that, it’s clear that, of the 2 female guests every episode (very progressive compare to what came later), one was always the eye candy. Weirdly, when I clicked on the episode that said the guests included Penelope Keith and Felicity Kendall, it took me to an episode in which the female guests were Jilly Cooper and Lesley-Anne Down. I have to say that Lesley-Anne is quite unfeasibly beautiful in that episode. Anyway, watch it if you can.

They're currently being broadcast on one of the digital channels.

I saw an episode with Noel Edmonds, Joan Bakewell, Edward Woodward and an actress whose name I can't remember. Two of them lit up cigarettes on set!

I seen the one with Lesley anne Down, she was extremely beautiful. Also seen the one with jilly cooper.

I remember watching with mum and dad.

Them were days.

The actress was Judy Geeson. I reckon she had the eye candy role, but the presence of Joan Bakewell made that distinction a bit less clear cut.