Through the Keyhole

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Through the Keyhole
Format Comedy panel game
Starring Sir David Frost
(Host)
Loyd Grossman
(Co-host: 1987 - 2003)
Catherine Gee
(Co-host: 2004 - 2006)
Lisa Snowdon & Stefanie Powers
(Co-hosts: 2007 - present)
Country of origin Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Production
Producer(s) Yorkshire Television
(ITV)
Paradine Productions
(Sky One & BBC One)
Running time 60mins (inc. adverts)
(ITV & Sky One)
45 minutes
(BBC One)
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
(3 April, 1987 - 19 June, 1994)
Sky One
(1995)
BBC One
(7 April, 1997 - present)
Picture format 4:3
(1987 - 2000)
16:9
(2001 - present)
Original run 3 April 1987 – present

Through the Keyhole is a light-hearted panel game, hosted by Sir David Frost where panelists are given a video tour of a mystery guests property and attempt to identify them. The guests are people who are in the public eye. As of 1995 it is produced by David Frost's own production company, Paradine Productions at The Leeds Studios (having originally been produced by Yorkshire Television), and has been on air since 3 April 1987. It first aired on ITV from 3 April 1987 to 19 June 1994, then moved jointly to Sky One in 1995 and then moved to BBC One since 7 April 1997.

It is notable for its fixed format. At the start of each episode, David Frost introduces a panel of three celebrities, with the catchphrase "And what a panel they are...." and some gently humorous or mocking descriptions. He then hands over to the location presenter who gives the panelists a guided tour of the property, noting particular items, though there is typically a large amount of misdirection involved as the items pointed out by the presenter are not necessarily the most pertinent clues to the person's identity and items not specifically mentioned may provide much more useful clues. Once completed, Frost reveals the identity of the guest to the audience, and the panel are given turns at guessing their identity. The audience participate with varying degrees of clapping according to the accuracy of the panelists guesswork.

The panelists are either successful at identifying the guest, or Frost has to reveal their identity, after which they are interviewed and given a key-shaped trophy as a memento.

Due to the fixed length of the programme, when panelists have quickly discovered the owner, they delay revealing the identity and/or Frost has to pad out the proceedings.

Starting during Catherine Gee's reign as location presenter, the geographic spread of the properties was extended with one of the properties on each show being located in the US and one in Europe. When Stefanie Powers took over her role in 2007, she was based in the US and conducted the US property tours, whilst UK based Lisa Snowdon conducted the European property tours.

Contents

[edit] Transmissions

Series Start date End date Episodes
1 3 April 1987 26 June 1987 13
2 15 April 1988 15 July 1988 14
3 17 February 1989 12 May 1989 13
4 9 March 1990 8 June 1990 15
5 5 April 1991 12 July 1991 15
6 8 May 1992 31 July 1992 13
7 14 May 1993 13 August 1993 14
8 10 April 1994 19 June 1994 11
9 1995 1995  ??
10 7 April 1997 24 October 1997  ??
11 5 May 1998 5 October 1998  ??
12 29 March 1999 10 December 1999  ??
13 3 April 2000 7 December 2000  ??
14 14 May 2001 15 June 2001  ??
15 7 January 2002 9 August 2002  ??
16 3 March 2003 14 March 2003  ??
17 1 March 2004 2 August 2004  ??
18 27 February 2006 31 March 2006  ??
19 26 March 2007 9 May 2007  ??

[edit] Location Presenters

[edit] Catch Phrases

  • "and what a panel they are...."
  • "Who lives in a house like this? David, it's over to you."
  • "and remember – the clues are there."
  • "and now for our home and studio audience, but not for our panel, here's whose house it is."
  • "... will you come through the keyhole." or,
    "Let's see who's lives in a house like this. It's time to come through the keyhole"
  • "I'm guessing this is a male person? No? A female person then?" *CLAP**CLAP**CLAP**CLAP**

[edit] References

[edit] External links