The Alphabet Game
Host
Broadcast
Objective Productions and BBC North for BBC1, 5 August 1996 to 27 March 1997 (74 episodes in 2 series)
Synopsis
Amiable, if unoriginal, celebrity word game which filled the BBC1 lunchtime pre-news slot. Alphabets being something of an international requirement, it has subsequently sold to bucketloads of countries - most notably in Spain where Pasapalabra ran as a big money game show - and then back to us as Alphabetical. Why Andrew O'Connor hasn't bought Trinidad and Tobago from the proceeds, we don't know.
Inventor
Created by Rebecca Thornhill, Mark Maxwell-Smith and Andrew O'Connor.
Theme music
A version of "A, You're Adorable"
Trivia
The aforementioned Pasapalabra was the subject of a very long-running series of court cases in Spain, after the local TV production company made so many changes they didn't feel they needed to pay format fees for the original Alphabet Game. During the various trials and hearings, this very web page was introduced as evidence. Weaver's Week summarised the story and verdicts as they stood in July 2026.
Web links
Pictures
A bevvy of guests. Top row: Allan Stewart, Sian Lloyd, Andrew O'Connor, Heather Couper. Bottom row: Michaela Strachan, Bill Tidy, Steve Punt, Sarah Vandenburgh.
Rick Wakeman buzzes in to claim he can think of something to do at night beginning with "A".Videos
Part 1 of a 1997 episode.