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2025-06-22T00:15:13Z

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{{short description|1980s UK game show}}
{{For|the computer and video game genre|Adventure game}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox television
| image =
| genre = [[Game show]]
| producer = {{ubl|[[Patrick Dowling (producer)|Patrick Dowling]] (s1-2)|Ian Oliver (s3-4)}}
| director = Ian Oliver
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| theme_music_composer = {{ubl|[[Ferdinando Carulli]] (s1, 3-4)|[[Edvard Grieg]] (s2)}}
| opentheme = {{ubl|Duo in G, Op. 34 No. 2: Rondo, (s1, 3-4)|Norwegian Dance Opus 35 no. 2 (s2)}}
| num_series = 4
| num_episodes = 22
| runtime = 26-45 minutes
| company = [[BBC]]
| channel = {{ubl|[[BBC One|BBC1]] {{small|(1980)}}|[[BBC Two|BBC2]] {{small|(1981-6)}}}}
| first_aired = {{start date|1980|5|24|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{end date|1986|2|18|df=yes}}
}}

'''''The Adventure Game''''' was a [[game show]] originally broadcast on [[British television|UK television]] channels [[BBC One|BBC1]] and [[BBC Two|BBC2]] between 24 May 1980 and 18 February 1986. The story in each show was that the two celebrity contestants and a member of the public had travelled by spaceship to the planet Arg. Their overall task varied with each series. For example, the team might be charged with finding a crystal to power their ship to return to Earth. The programme is often considered to have been a forerunner of ''[[The Crystal Maze]]''.<ref name="metro">{{cite web |last1=McEwan |first1=Cameron |title=Forget The Crystal Maze, BBC cult classic The Adventure Game is back |date=21 October 2016 |url=https://metro.co.uk/2016/10/21/forget-the-crystal-maze-bbc-cult-classic-the-adventure-game-is-back-6202612/ |publisher=Metro |access-date=3 April 2022}}</ref><ref name="Eurogamer">{{cite news |last1=Whitehead |first1=Dan |title=Evil aspidistras and Noel Edmonds - how an obscure quiz show helped shape gaming in the 80s |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-02-14-argons-aspidistras-and-noel-edmonds-revisiting-bbcs-the-adventure-game |newspaper=Eurogamer.net |date=14 February 2021 |access-date=3 April 2022}}</ref>

==Background==
The programme was devised by experienced BBC producer [[Patrick Dowling (producer)|Patrick Dowling]] (who also introduced episodes of series 2). Dowling was interested in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' and wanted to televise a show to capture the mood. The programme had a similar [[sci-fi]] feel influenced by [[Douglas Adams]]; Dowling asked Adams to write the show, but he was working on the television production of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]''. The first two series were written and produced by Dowling and directed by Ian Oliver, who wrote and produced the final two after Dowling retired.<ref name="OTT interview">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Ian |title='I Was Deaded by the Rangdo!' : Off The Telly |url=http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/?page_id=535 |website=www.offthetelly.co.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113032601/http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/?page_id=535 |archive-date=2010-01-13 |date=August 2004 |access-date=2017-10-13}}</ref> [[Peter Hawkins]] provided the opening narration for series one and four.

==Characters==
Arg was inhabited by [[shapeshifting]] [[dragon]]s known as Argonds. As a reference to this, most proper nouns in the programme (including ''Argond'') were [[anagram]]s of the word ''dragon''. Argonds commonly shifted form, primarily to human, to avoid scaring contestants a few minutes before the contestants arrived.

Notable characters within the game included:
* The ''Rangdo'' was the ruler of planet Arg and was initially referred to as "Uncle" by the other Argonds. In the first series, his human form was played by [[Ian Messiter]], who appeared as an old professor in a velvet jacket, but in later series, he became one of the few Argonds not to appear as a dragon. In series 2 and 3, he became an [[Aspidistra elatior|aspidistra]] on a plant stand. In series 3, he could move around the room and roared and shook when he was angry (the Rangdo was controlled by [[Kenny Baker (English actor)|Kenny Baker]]). Any human meeting the Rangdo had to placate him by bowing while saying "Gronda! Gronda!". In the last series, the Rangdo became a [[teapot]] instead, spouting steam when displeased.
* ''Darong'' (series 1, played by BBC newsreader [[Moira Stuart]]).
* ''Gnoard'' (series 1 – 3, played by [[Charmian Gradwell]]), whose job it was to explain the initial stages of the game to the contestants.
* ''Dorgan'' (series 4, played by [[Sarah Lam]]), who took over from Gnoard in the final series.
* ''Gandor'' (series 1 – 4, played by Chris Leaver), an ancient, half-deaf [[butler]] who took the contestants through most of the puzzles and refereed the Vortex and Drogna games. In some episodes, he could only hear when he was wearing his [[spectacles]], which he continually (and conveniently) misplaced.
* ''Rongad'' (series 3 & 4, played by [[Bill Homewood]]), because he was Australian, spoke English backwards, and could only understand the contestants if they did the same. Noted for singing ''[[Waltzing Matilda]]'' in reverse and exclamations of "Doogy Rev!" when the contestants did well. He appears in every episode of series three and episode 2 of series four.
* ''Angord'' (series 4, actor unknown) was an Argond who never seemed to turn into a human. She always misbehaved when Gandor and Dorgan were checking the puzzles.
* ''[[mole (espionage)|The Mole]]'' (series 2, played by [[Lesley Judd]]), pretended to be one of the regular contestants but was working against them. The actress had been a genuine contestant in the first series.

The look of the characters in Argond form was different in the various series. In Series 1, they looked like dragons, and each was distinct. In Series 2, they didn't look like dragons, but were furry, with no tails and mask-like faces, and primarily differed in colour. In Series 3 and 4, their heads returned to looking like dragons, with ruffs, though they had furry bodies and monkey-like tails and were almost identical to each other.

Notable contestants included [[Keith Chegwin]], [[Sue Cook]], astronomer [[Heather Couper]], [[John Craven]], [[Paul Darrow]], [[Noel Edmonds]], [[Sarah Greene]], [[Bonnie Langford]], [[James Burke (science historian)|James Burke]], [[Elizabeth Estensen]], [[Janet Fielding]], and [[Richard Stilgoe]].

The credits for the series listed the human characters as being played by Argonds rather than the other way around.

==Common tasks==
The contestants had to complete several tasks to achieve their overall goal (i.e., regain their crystal and return to their ship). Many tasks involved the ''drogna'', a small transparent plastic disc containing a solid geometric figure, which was the currency of Arg. The value of a drogna was its numbered position in the [[visible spectrum]] multiplied by the number of sides of the figure (though the contestants usually failed to work this out). For example, a red circle is worth one unit, an orange circle is worth two units, a red triangle and a yellow circle are both worth three and so on.

Tasks that often appeared included:
* Interaction with a computer, in series 1 a 2D [[dungeon crawl|dungeon-crawl]]-type game on an [[HP 9800 series|HP 9845 Technical Desktop]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5I9_v9uXxM|title=The Adventure Game S01E04 part 1 of 3, 14 June 1980, Denise Coffey, Dr. Garry Hunt, Toby Freeman - YouTube|website=[[YouTube]] |date=2009-12-24|accessdate=2016-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=149|title=HP Computer Museum: Technical Desktops: 9845|accessdate=2016-06-24}}</ref> then later a text chat with an [[Apple II]] that generally failed to provide any useful information until the password was revealed elsewhere and entered into the computer,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBPyIjinr9U|title=The Adventure Game S02E02 part 4, 9 Nov. 1981 Madeline Smith, David Yip, Derek Gale - YouTube|website=[[YouTube]] |date=2010-01-04|accessdate=2016-06-23}}</ref> then in series 3 and 4 a pseudo-3D first-person POV dungeon crawl on a [[BBC Micro]] to find the password in the maze.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX-cNDr9RLs|title=The Adventure Game S03E03, Part 3, Adam Tandy, Sandra Dickinson, Chris Serle - YouTube|website=[[YouTube]] |date=2010-06-11|accessdate=2016-06-24}}</ref> In series 3, the players were guiding an alien doglike creature called a ''Dogran'' (voiced in a [[Cockney#Cockney speech|Cockney]] accent) down his "Dogran-hole" after meeting him in person. In series 4, the radio-controlled dog puppet was eliminated, and the players guided an unseen entity speaking in a [[Scouse]] accent to find the password "somewhere in the north" of the maze.
* The Drogna Game usually came in the middle of the programme. The game's rules of play, format, and result were changed frequently, always with each series, and sometimes from one episode to another. Two players played one variation from series three: one player was a contestant, and the other a creature known as the Red [[Salamander]] of Zardil. This became so popular that [[Acornsoft]] released a home version for the BBC Micro, written by Patrick Dowling.
* "How many Argonds are around the pond?" This game was played predominantly in Series 4 just before the Vortex game. Every player had a chance to win, and winners received a "Green Cheese roll" or, in later episodes, a "Great Crystal of Arg" to fanfare. The green cheese roll was of use when playing the Vortex. Gandor compèred the game; it started on a table with several ''Drogna'' inside a velvet bag. He shook the bag, withdrew some drognas, placed them on the table, and asked the first contestant, "How many Argonds are around the pond?". The contestants would usually either count the drognas or the non-blue drognas (assuming the blue one represented the pond), add the sides or points of the geometric figures on the drognas, and fail to guess the correct number. The key was that Gandor placed his fingers on the tabletop as he said, "How many Argonds are around the pond?" The number of fingers he placed on the table was the right answer.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

[[File:Adventurevortex.jpg|right|thumbnail|220px|Gnoard demonstrates the Vortex task.]]
* The Vortex (series 2 - 4). This was the last task in the programme. To return to their ship, the players had to jump between a grid of points, taking turns with their opponent, the Vortex. The Vortex was represented by a video-effect-generated pulsating column in series two and a computer-generated flashing column in series 3 and 4. If the human player jumped into the Vortex (which they could not see), it would explode, and the human was said to have been "[[evaporated]]," losing the game and making a long trip back to Earth which had to be walked by foot along the interplanetary highway. Patrick Dowling devised the game, saying that his inspiration was probably [[Nine men's morris]].<ref name="OTT interview" />

==Episodes==
Episodes with a dagger (†) after the number are missing from the BBC archives.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tvbrain.info/tv-archive?showname=The+Adventure+Game&type=lostshow |title=TV Archive |website=www.tvbrain.info |access-date=14 January 2019}}</ref> However, some of these 'missing' episodes do exist as off-air recordings and are included on the DVD version of the show.

===Series 1===
Originally broadcast in 1980 on BBC1 on Saturday mornings.

They were repeated in 1980 on BBC2 on Saturday mid-afternoons.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Episode !! Broadcast date !! Repeat date !! Duration (minutes) !! Participants !! DVD
|-
| '''1''' || 24 May 1980 || 27 September 1980 || 26 || [[Elizabeth Estensen]], [[Fred Harris (presenter)|Fred Harris]], Mark Dugdale || Disk 1-1
|-
| '''2'''† || 31 May 1980 || 4 October 1980 || 37 || [[Liza Goddard]], [[Michael Rodd]], Stephen Cox || N/A
|-
| '''3''' || 7 June 1980 || 11 October 1980 || 37 || Pat Cater, [[Maggie Philbin]], [[James Burke (science historian)|James Burke]] || Disk 1-3
|-
| '''4''' || 14 June 1980 || 18 October 1980 || 29 || [[Denise Coffey]], Dr. Garry Hunt, Toby Freeman || Disk 1-2
|-
| '''5'''† || 21 June 1980 || 25 October 1980 || 45 || [[Lesley Judd]], Robert Malos, [[Paul Darrow]] || Disk 1-4
|}

===Series 2===
Originally broadcast in 1981 on BBC2 on Monday early evenings.

It was repeated in 1982 on BBC1 on Friday late afternoons.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Episode !! Broadcast date !! Repeat date !! Duration (minutes) !! Participants
!DVD
|-
| '''1''' || 2 November 1981 || 28 May 1982 || 45 || [[Graeme Garden]], [[Carol Chell]], [[Nicolas Hammond]]
|Disk 2-1
|-
| '''2'''† || 9 November 1981 || 4 June 1982 || 45 || [[Madeline Smith]], [[David Yip]], Derek Gale
|Disk 2-2
|-
| '''3''' || 16 November 1981 || 11 June 1982 || 45 || [[David Singmaster]], [[Sue Cook]], Philip Sheppard
|Disk 2-3
|-
| '''4'''† || 23 November 1981 || 18 June 1982 || 44 || Tessa Hamp, [[Nerys Hughes]], [[Derek Griffiths]]
|N/A
|-
| '''5''' || 30 November 1981 || 25 June 1982 || 45 || [[John Craven]], Bill Green, Kirsty Miller<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1534271/ |title=Kirsty Miller |website=[[IMDb]] |access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref>
|Disk 2-4
|}

===Series 3===
Originally broadcast in 1984 on BBC2 on Thursday early evenings.

It was repeated in 1985 on BBC2 on Thursday early evenings.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Episode !! Broadcast date !! Repeat date !! Duration (minutes) !! Participants
!DVD
|-
| '''1''' || 2 February 1984 || 5 September 1985 || 39 || [[Sarah Greene]], Anne Miller, [[Richard Stilgoe]]
|Disk 3-1
|-
| '''2''' || 9 February 1984 || 12 September 1985 || 38 || [[Sue Nicholls]], [[Duncan Goodhew]], Emma Disley
|Disk 3-2
|-
| '''3''' || 16 February 1984 || 19 September 1985 || 40 || [[Adam Tandy]], [[Sandra Dickinson]], [[Chris Serle]]
|Disk 3-3
|-
| '''4''' || 23 February 1984 || 26 September 1985 || 39 || [[Paul McDowell (actor)|Paul McDowell]], [[Bonnie Langford]], [[Christopher Hughes (quiz contestant)|Christopher Hughes]]
|Disk 4-1
|-
| '''5''' || 1 March 1984 || 3 October 1985 || 39 || [[Janet Fielding]], Nigel Crocket, [[Neil Adams (judoka)|Neil Adams]]
|Disk 4-2
|-
| '''6''' || 8 March 1984 || 10 October 1985 || 45 || [[Fern Britton]], [[Noel Edmonds]], Ray Virr
|Disk 4-3
|}

===Series 4===
Originally broadcast in 1986 on BBC2 on Tuesday early evenings.

Repeated in 2002, 2003, and 2004 on the digital TV channel [[Challenge TV|Challenge]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Episode !! Broadcast date !! Duration (minutes) !! Participants
!DVD
|-
| '''1''' || 7 January 1986 || 39 || [[Sheelagh Gilbey]], Roy Kane, [[Ian McNaught-Davis]]
|Disk 5-1
|-
| '''2''' || 14 January 1986 || 39 || [[Johnny Ball]], [[Barbara Lott]], Liz Hobbs
|Disk 5-2
|-
| '''3''' || 21 January 1986 || 39 || David Sandeman, [[Fiona Kennedy]], [[Ian McCaskill]]
|Disk 5-3
|-
| '''4''' || 11 February 1986{{efn|The broadcast of this episode was postponed from 28 January 1986 due to coverage of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster]].}} || 38 || [[Joanna Monro]], Val Prince, [[George Layton]]
|Disk 6-1
|-
| '''5''' || 4 February 1986 || 38 || Prof. [[Heinz Wolff]], Deborah Leigh Hall, [[Ruth Madoc]]
|Disk 6-2
|-
| '''6''' || 18 February 1986 || 39 || [[Heather Couper]], [[Keith Chegwin]], Adam Gilbey
|Disk 6-3
|}

==Signature tune==
* Series 1, 3 & 4: Duo in G, Op. 34 No. 2: Rondo, composed by [[Ferdinando Carulli]] and performed by classical guitarists [[Julian Bream]] and [[John Williams (guitarist)|John Williams]] (it also appears on their album ''Together''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Julian-Bream-John-Williams-Together/release/2027397 |title=Julian Bream & John Williams (7) - Together |website=[[Discogs]] |access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref>)
* Series 2: Norwegian Dance Opus 35 No. 2, composed by [[Edvard Grieg]] and performed by a [[brass band]]

==Home video releases==
In 2016, the show was made available to purchase for the first time, with seven episodes from the first two series available digitally from the online BBC Store.<ref name="Metro article">{{cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2016/10/21/forget-the-crystal-maze-bbc-cult-classic-the-adventure-game-is-back-6202612/ |title=Forget The Crystal Maze, BBC cult classic The Adventure Game is back! |website=metro.co.uk |last=McEwan |first=Cameron K |date=2016-10-21 |access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref> The store and apps were discontinued on 1 November 2017, making purchased programmes no longer playable.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://store.bbc.com/help |title=BBC Store: Help and Support |website=store.bbc.com |access-date=2019-08-12}}</ref>

A six-DVD box set of the series was released on 12 June 2017, [[British Board of Film Classification|rated U]].<ref name="DVD boxset">{{Citation|title=The Adventure Game|date=2017-06-12|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Adventure-Game-DVD/dp/B06XFHTCVB|publisher=Simply Media|language=English|accessdate=2017-08-21}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=Amazon is not a reliable source|date=August 2023}} The DVDs are region 2–encoded, with a total running time of 665 minutes. The artwork on the discs represents five different colours and shapes of Drogna.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==See also==
* ''[[The Crystal Maze]]'' - considered to be ''The Adventure Game'''s successor.
* ''[[Incredible Games]]'' - Children's BBC version of ''The Adventure Game'', which used many of the same games.
* ''[[Knightmare (TV series)|Knightmare]]'' - virtual reality children's game show.

==External links==
* {{BBC programme|p0452x2z}}
* {{BBC Online|cult/love/tv/adventuregame|''The Adventure Game''}}{{dead link|date=September 2023}}
* [https://www.simplyhe.com/products/the-adventure-game-series-1-4-dvd The Adventure Game at Simply Media]
* {{IMDb title|id=0283701|title=The Adventure Game}}
* {{UKGameshow|The_Adventure_Game}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010815133332/http://www.btinternet.com/~m.brown1/advgame.htm ''The Adventure Game'' at Missing-Episodes.com]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCcO_yFJZxw Drogna game on the BBC Micro]
* [https://www.anorakzone.com/adventuregamerank.html The Adventure Game ranked]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventure Game, The}}
[[Category:1980 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1986 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s British children's television series]]
[[Category:BBC children's television shows]]
[[Category:British children's game shows]]
[[Category:1980s British game shows]]
[[Category:Lost BBC episodes]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]

The Adventure Game - Revision history

imported>Fort esc: /* See also */