Roy Ward Dickson

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Roy in 1960, on the set of Try for Ten!
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Roy in 1960, on the set of Try for Ten!

Roy Ward Dickson (August 18, 1910 - September 16, 1978) was a pioneering Canadian television producer, writer, and emcee. Dubbed King of Quiz by an Edmonton journalist, Roy invented the game show. Roy's first show, Professor Dick and His Question Box, debuted on radio in 1935, followed by The Quizz Club in 1936.

In the early 1950s, Roy moved from radio to television with the TV show What d'you Know?, followed shortly afterwards by the world's first panel game, Claim to Fame. Over the next four decades, Roy devised and hosted numerous popular and successful television shows, in both Britain and Canada.

Among Roy's most famous shows were the long-running Fun Parade, which successfully transitioned from radio to television, and the immensely popular TV game show Mr. and Mrs., which tested couples' knowledge of each other, and which was the forerunner for dozens of similar shows. Roy invented, produced and hosted the original Canadian version of Mr and Mrs. It was popularized in the United Kingdom by Alan Taylor and Derek Batey throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and is about to enjoy yet another revival.

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