Chris Tarrant joins Jackie Brambles to chat about his time on Tiswas
Listen back to their chat
Broadcaster Chris Tarrant joined Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio to talk about his time on children's TV programme Tiswas, which he presented from 1974 to 1981, including what it was like to work there and some of the best moments,
Chris, who went on to host Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? for more than a decade, spoke to Jackie about appearing on Tiswas, saying: "You can get university doctorates now on Tiswas – it’s quite extraordinary the analysis they do about it, but really and truly it was just a few blokes and a very silly girl just having a laugh. People are analysing it, talking about it and what we were trying to do – but we just didn’t like Blue Peter, we just mucked about every Saturday morning!"
Reflecting on some of the famous faces he got to meet while he was on the Saturday morning show, he added: "What I loved most is that I met all my heroes - I met McCartney, The Who, Queen. Everybody who had something to sell came on Tiswas because they loved it – Madness were on every other week, Status Quo were on whether we invited them or not…"
Chris also revealed one of the most memorable moments from the show: "One week I decided to try get a bit of publicity – not that we really needed it - and get a celebrity version of the ‘gunge cage’ in the studio. We had Lemmy from Motorhead in there, Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi from the Quo, a female rock group called Goldie and the Gingerbreads, we had John Peel.
"Then I’m halfway through a sketch with Lenny and I suddenly looked at him in horror, ran over to the cage and picked up about 10 buckets of water and just pelted the cage and everyone in it. Bear in mind that I’m the producer on Tiswas, as well as the presenter, of what is ostensibly a children’s TV show and while I’m in the middle of this sketch with Lenny I can smell what is unmistakeably marijuana. Someone was smoking a spliff in the cage! I’ve never ever revealed who it was…"
How can I listen to Chris Tarrant on The Evening Show with Jackie Brambles?
Listen back to Jackie's chat with Chris below.
Which TV shows has Chris Tarrant been on?
Chris started out his broadcasting career on children's TV show Today Is Saturday: Watch And Smile, which was referred to as Tiswas, from 1974 to 1981.
He has appeared on a number of TV shows over the years but is best known for hosting game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? from when it first launched in 1998 to 2013.
When is Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio?
You can catch Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio every Monday - Thursday from 7pm - 10pm where she hosts The Evening Show with Jackie Brambles.
How can I listen to Greatest Hits Radio?
There are plenty of ways to listen to Greatest Hits Radio, including on your traditional radio, on our website, on our app, on your smart speakers and on Freeview channel 716.
Take a look at all of the ways you can listen to Greatest Hits Radio here.
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