First Class (game show)

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Debbie Greenwood, presenter (1988).

First Class was a 1980s BBC TV game show hosted by Debbie Greenwood. The show was broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC 1 and ran for at least three series^[1]. Two teams of three students (each team representing a particular school) would take part in a multi-format quiz featuring questions on both general knowledge and popular culture, as well as innovative video game rounds. Rounds such as the "Spinning Gold Disc" made use of a simulated computer display similar to other game shows of the same era, such as Blockbusters and Catchphrase. Other rounds such as "Word of Mouth" used a real computer display from a BBC Micro^{[citation needed]}. This computer also provided the on-screen captions and scores and was nicknamed Eugene, after the show's original programmer Eugene Crozier ^[1].

The competition was a knockout tournament; the eventual winners of the series would be presented with a computer (usually a BBC Master) for their school. Celebrity episodes of the show were also aired, featuring cast members from Grange Hill and Eastenders.

First Class was notable for its use of video games; such footage (of arcade games in particular) was a rarely seen on UK television at the time and the show aired several years before GamesMaster. The designated contestant from each team would earn points by beating the other player's score; rounds would be either turn-based and head-to-head depending on the game / event. The games were often referred to by their events as opposed to their titles, for example the "spring and vault" round or the "clay pigeon shooting".

The music used for the programme's titles was "Airborn" by Mike Oldfield, from his 1979 album Platinum.