It’s A Royal Knockout: The Untold Story (Channel 5 Saturday 23 September 2023)

It’s A Royal Knockout: The Untold Story airs Saturday 23 September 2023 on Channel 5.

What is this episode about

A young prince named Edward once wanted to ditch the restrictions of his royal position and pursue a career in the theatre. The Prince had a brilliant idea that would make him the talk of the kingdom, and it was inspired by an old TV show called It’s a Knockout, in which his subjects dressed in ridiculous costumes and chased each other along flimsy obstacle courses. He’d bring back It’s a Knockout, fill it with famous faces like John Travolta and Tom Jones and Cliff Richard, and have his sister Anne,  brother Andrew, and his wife the Duchess of York host the show.

Queen Elizabeth, the revered mother of Prince Edward, was interested. Perhaps the Royal Family’s relationship with the people would be strengthened in this way. Her courtiers all urged her to reject the proposal out of respect for her honour. But the young Prince was so enthusiastic, and the Queen was so loving, that she gave in.
Elizabeth gave her approval as long as Edward and his siblings were just team leaders and not expected to get their hands dirty. Therefore, the Prince went ahead with his Tudor-themed event on Monday, June 15th, 1987, calling it The Grand Knockout Tournament. That the royal family expressed interest in participating in a game show that the BBC had previously cancelled was a stroke of luck. They constructed a beautiful castle in Staffordshire and Prince Edward personally called many famous people to invite them to the celebration.

The poor prince’s plans quickly unravelled. The Tournament stage had become a mud pit after weeks of heavy rainfall. Su Pollard, the show’s host, tried to keep the mud out of her wellies, but no amount of string worked. Gary Lineker had his trousers caught in a winch, and Chris de Burgh lost his tights in a pond while Cliff Richard disguised himself as a turnip. The royal family was in fits of hysterical laughter, with the exception of Princess Anne, who was dead set on victory. It was like a fever dream in the pouring rain.

Her Majesty’s Press were locked in a separate tent away from the action so they wouldn’t see any embarrassing royal gaffes. As a result, they missed almost all of the wild antics. The young prince visited them and reprimanded them for their lack of interest and manners. The next day’s papers celebrated his royal walkout and dubbed him the Prince of Wails. Even though it was watched by 18 million people in the UK and helped raise £1.5 million for charities, the Tournament is now considered one of the worst TV shows in royal history.

Witnesses to this incredible true event have never told it in such vivid detail before. Presenter Su Pollard, page boy Aled Jones (who had to take an early Maths O-level so he could be at the arena), and young BBC producer Tony Nicholson (whose job it was to keep score of the mayhem) all share their stories in this entertaining documentary.

When can we see the episode

It’s A Royal Knockout: The Untold Story airs Saturday 23 September 2023 at 8:35pm on Channel 5

Featured Image Credit: Channel 5