was not much of a success, and Hatch had to make a stand and threatened to resign unless it got another go. This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. He also often wins points by challenging just before the whistle or for humorous challenges, another technique being to say the same word in the singular and the plural, for inexperienced panellists to challenge incorrectly.

Once again, there was a bonus disc with the box set which was not available with the separate volumes. Gazing out the window at Sherborne school during a class, Messiter was brought back to reality by a bellow from his master, Percival Parry Jones. After Just A Minute 8 in 2004, the following year's release was titled Just A Minute: The Best Of 2005 and an end-of-year collection has been released every year since with Just A Minute: The Best Of 2017 due for release on 2 November.

The format was first used in One Minute, Please, chaired by Roy Plomley, two series of which were broadcast on the BBC Light Programme between 1951 [8] and 1957. The format works on the radio, partially due to the interaction between the contestants, even going back to the days of Derek Nimmo and Kenneth Williams. A year later, the show left London for the first time; the first such shows broadcast were recorded in Bury St Edmunds [42] and Llandudno. A History of Britain in Just a Minute celebrates key moments, people and places from our past: kings and queens, heroes and villains, triumphs and disasters, inventions and events, battles and bonnets, art, science, literature, entertainment, sport, gossip, and more. Just A Minute 3 in 1999 saw the start of regular annual releases featuring 4 of the best episodes from the previous year.

The UK's main prizes for the airwaves, the Sony Radio Academy Awards, have been handed out in London. In 2004, the BBC began a separate annual series of double CD releases collecting older episodes covering the shows first 30 years entitled Just A Classic Minute: Volume 1. Join national treasure and Just a Minute regular Gyles Brandreth on a hilariously addictive romp through British history. Although executives at the BBC disliked the pilot, its producer, David Hatch, insisted on having Parsons as the chairman.

You’ll even find other Just a Minute panellists occasionally grabbing the pen to regale us with their witty takes on history.

A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End. After Williams' death in 1988, Merton (a long-time fan of the show) contacted the producer at Nicholas Parsons' suggestion and was invited to participate during the following year. It followed the same theme as its predecessor, this time focusing on five non-regulars who are frequent panellists, namely Sheila Hancock, Gyles Brandreth, Jenny Éclair, Stephen Fry and Graham Norton. For a time, broadcast of the show was to continue even following a nuclear attack as part of the BBC's continuation programming. There were no regular panellists but those appearing were Pam Ayres, Clare Balding, Isla Blair, Jo Brand, Gyles Brandreth, Ken Bruce, Michael Cashman, Barry Cryer, Stephen Frost, Liza Goddard, Tony Hawks, Peter Jones, Maria McErlane, Richard Morton, Tom O'Connor, Su Pollard, Steve Punt, Wendy Richard, John Sergeant, Brian Sewell, Linda Smith, Richard Vranch and Gary Wilmot.The chairman, currently Jack Dee who has himself been a guest on Just a Minute, imitates Nicholas Parsons' style.

Kenneth Williams was often the star of the show: his flamboyant tantrums, arch put-downs, and mock sycophancy made him the audience's favourite. Even letters may not be repeated; for example, the term "BBC" must be avoided, as it can be successfully challenged for repetition of "B". In 2015, a third box set entitled Just A Minute: A Further Classic Collection focused on Tim Rice, Wendy Richard, Tony Hawks, Sue Perkins and Julian Clary.Some entries are uninterrupted minutes, while others feature challenges for repetition and even, er. You'll even find other Just a Minute panellists occasionally grabbing the pen to regale us with their witty takes on history. You’ll even find other Just a Minute panellists occasionally grabbing the pen to regale us with their witty takes on history. Until 1989 he also sat on the stage with a stopwatch and blew a whistle when the sixty seconds were up. It was the first British game show seen in America, was nationally networked and attracted many US celebrities.