I've Got a Secret

Panel of celebs are goaded on by O'Connor to try and identify an obscure claim to fame that a member of the public has. A clue was given at the start to get them going in the right direction, and there was a "look away now" moment if you didn't want to know the answer.

Similar to What's My Line?, the panellists had 30 seconds each to question the contestants - during the 1980s version anyway. In the original 1950s version, the contestant won a crisp pound note each time the questioning passed from one panellist to another, up to a maximum of eight pounds (i.e. twice round the panel).

The forerunner to this show had been Top Secret, hosted by Barry Took.

One guest was the man who acted as a telegraph operator during WWII, and became the first person in Britain to know that the Germans had surrendered. He also later appeared on Tell the Truth.

Barry Cryer appeared as a celebrity guest in one edition: his secret was that he was squashing grapes with his feet while being questioned.

Based on a 1950s US game show, an early entry in the Mark Goodson-Bill Todman canon, though actually invented by Allen Sherman (of "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh" novelty hit fame).

Opening titles from the BBC Motion Graphics Archive

Top Secret