Steve Smith
This is the Fifteen to One experience of Steve Smith, starting with the contestants on his first show.
| Pic | Name | Occupation | From | Notes | Performance |
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Richard Slegg | Charity Voulenteer Worker | Andover | He used to work as a railtrack inspector, He stood to close to the rails one day and a train chopped his toes off. | Position 1, Knocked out in first round. |
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William G. Stewart | The world's best quizmaster | and a true British Gentleman. | ||
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Babs Clark-Frew | Housewife | Canvey Island | I talked to Babs for quite a while before the show as she comes from the same place as my favourite group Dr. Feelgood. | Position 3, Knocked out in first round. |
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John Tabor | Civil Servant | Stockport | Can't remember much about him. Very quiet man. | Position 5, Knocked out in first round. |
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Steve Smith | Warehouseman | Chilwell | Position 12, Winner! | |
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Tom Steel | Production Manager | Devizes | Very softly spoken quiet man. Very nervous. | Position 15, made the final 3. He admitted later to me after the final that he really did NOT want to be standing there and took questions so he could get out as quickly as possiable. |
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Graham Muir | Retired Food Distributer | Port Stewart | Can't remember anything at all about this man. | Position 14, Round 2. |
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Tony Hirons | Public Relations Officer | Lutterworth | Very nice man. No nerves. Unlucky to get a question about Coronation Street. | Position 13, Last one out before the final 3. |
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Charles Luft | Retired Management Accountant | Liverpool | Brilliant elderly fellow, very clever must be one of the eldest to appear on 15-1. I think he was around 75. | Position 10, Round 2. |
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Gray Melville | Retired Social Worker | Pontewan | Very pleasent man. | Position 9, Knocked out in first round. |
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Antonia Rutherford | China Repairer | Robertsbridge | The previous winner, with 21 on her earlier show. Slightly Toffee nosed. | Position 11, Round 2. |
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Lindsay Taylor | Nurse | Bedlington | Never said a word to him. He never said any on the show either. | Position 7, Knocked out in the first round. |
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Ken Williams | UNEMPLOYED | Chesterfield | I did not like this man one little bit. So i picked on him three times in the 2nd round. First time it worked. Second time it didn't. So he went for me. But i got him in the end. HA HA HA. | Position 8. |
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David Robinson | Student | Cannock | Decent young lad. | Finalist, Position 6. |
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Jim Aitchison | Ambulance Man | Peebles | Nice man, the first fellow contestant to shake me by the hand after the show. | Position 4, Round 2. |
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Carole Slater | Communications Officer | Chesterfield | I can't remember much about her at all. Apart from the fact that I unknowingly picked on her more than once in the second round. | Position 2. |
The finalists
David (looking happy), William G. Stewart, Steve Smith (I had a bit more hair then), Tom (he really did not want to be there, he was shaking like a leaf).
I can't remember how exactly I came about writing off to Regent Productions for an audition for the programme. As I had never done anything like this at all. I certainly never had any stage-fright as I had played drums in rock groups since about the age of 14. I had appeared in rather large halls ( 1000 - 1500 capacity ) in Nottingham and Grantham.
The audition letter came back and I was to audition at the YMCA Shakespeare St. Nottingham. A rather old and scruffy building about 5 miles from where I lived at the time.
I was asked four questions, I remember getting 2 correct so I thought I may have a SLIGHT chance of getting on the programme. But I think the thing that got me on the programme was my response to my last question.
Q: "What was a Jongulers?" Well i did not have a clue so I blurted out "A medievel form of torture." It made William G Stewart smile, so I think that may have done the trick for me. As I think they like people to have a wild stab in the dark rather than just say nothing.
The Recording Day
Louise my wife and I had a early start, as we had to be at Ewarts by 11 in the morning, we got the 6.30 train out of Nottingham, to St Pancras arriving at London at 8.45 from there the rather long tube journey to Putney. We managed to have a quick look around Wandsworth and a McDonalds before reporting to the studio.
It was a very dark and dismal day, but it was very warm in the studio. Some of the other contestants were friendly and some were not. Others were showing a degree of nerves. I was just happy to be there, just hoping to get a decent question first to enable me to get to the second round. We had a good dinner, Roast Beef I think. Then on to the make up department. Then the draw. I picked no 12.
I can't remember much about the recording. I do remember thinking that the studio was rather small. As I had been to a recording of Blockbusters a couple of months before at Central studios just a couple miles from us. Also I remember having a cup of water out of a warm polysterene cup, before the final.
Tom really did not want to be in the final, he was shaking like a leaf, and took questions so he could knock himself out.
David looked like he was going to be the winner at one stage as he had 31 points and all 3 lifes left. while as I had 1 point and and only 1 life left. But I got a buzzer question correct about Horse Racing (I used to be a bit of a betting man) and I nominated David 3 times in a row and he got all 3 wrong.
So there I am 11 points and 1 life left, with 17 questions to go. Not much of a chance to make the grand final I don't think.
William G. Stewart says when you are ready we will continue. I say, when you are Bill (A bit cheeky i know but i had always wanted to say it). Anyway I answered the next 3 questions correctly and I'm thinking maybe I could get a bit further than I thought. NO a question about which county are the isles of Grain & Thanet, I said Essex. I should have known it was Kent. I would have got the next question wrong anyway as it was about Religion....Not something I'm well up on.
It was a fantastic experience to get to the final, even better to win it. After the recording we left the studios and it was absolutely throwing it down. We talked to a man at the bus stop who had just finished work. We couldn't resist telling him. He said it was his favourite quiz programme shook me by the hand and asked me what I had won. You'd think they'd give you a nice radio or something wouldn't you he said after I told him nothing.
We had a train ticket which meant that we could not get a train back home until after 7 in the evening. So we had a quick look around the London sites. So we got back home at around 9.30 and immediately rang up a restaraunt to see if we could have a celebration meal. We managed to get in. And we had a bit to drink as well.
Some of the upshots of appearing on the programmes was that the Purchasaing Manager was a fan of the Programme and I got promoted into the offices. And in my final biography I stated that I played Darts and followed the band Dr. Feelgood. I also wore some pin badges on the shirt i was wearing. So a few weeks later we went to see Dr. Feelgood at Leicester University. All the group had seen the programme as I had contacted them as to when the show was to be broadcast. Lee Brilleaux the singer with Dr. Feelgood presented me with two 1989 tour Sweatshirts and thanked me for promoting the group. And would I be kind enough to wear the sweatshirt when I reappeared on the programme.
And that's what I did.
The Reappearence.
To be honest I have few recollections of my second appearence on the programme.
I don't remember talking to many people as I kept out of the way a bit in the studios.
But when we were all waiting to go into the studios somebody guessed that I was the previous winner as I seemed to know my way around.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this was just before the draw was made I was sitting in the chair nearest the door.
I had to visit the toilet, and when I came back a chap called Terry Williams from Leeds was sitting where I had previously been sitting. They came in minutes later to make the draw. Terry got number 1. I got number 15. And I was knocked out in the first round with questions about animals and religion. NOT my strong subjects.
If I had stayed put and not answered the call of nature, and drawn number 1. Judging by the questions Terry got I would have made it to the final again.
But whatever my 15-1 appearences made me a VERY minor local celebrity for a couple of weeks.
I even had a old lady who caught the bus with me say. I saw you on the telly the other day.
That my story.
I hope I haven't bored you too much.
Steve Smith