RADIO SEASON 1 1967-1968
Season length: 16 shows.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Regular Panellists: Clement Freud (all shows), Derek Nimmo (all shows), Andree Melly (eight shows).
Semi-regular Panellists: Charmian Innes (three shows), Betty Marsden (three shows).
Guest Panellists: Aimi Macdonald (two shows), Isobel Barnett (one show), Lucy Bartlett (one show), Elisabeth Beresford (one show), Carol Binstead (one show), Barbara Blake (one show), Wilma Ewart (one show), Sheila Hancock (one show), Renee Houston (one show), Bettine Le Beau (one show), Marjorie Proops (one show), Beryl Reid (one show), Prunella Scales (one show), Millie Small (one show), Una Stubbs (one show), Eleanor Summerfield (one show), Anona Winn (one show).
Making A Debut: Isobel Barnett, Lucy Bartlett, Elisabeth Beresford, Carol Binstead, Barbara Blake, Wilma Ewart, Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock, Renee Houston, Charmian Innes, Bettine Le Beau, Aimi Macdonald, Betty Marsden, Andree Melly, Derek Nimmo, Nicholas Parsons, Marjorie Proops, Beryl Reid, Prunella Scales, Millie Small, Una Stubbs, Eleanor Summerfield, Anona Winn.
Commentary: Just A Minute has its origins as far back as the 1930s.
As a schoolboy, Ian Messiter was talking in class when he was hauled up by the schoolmaster and told to repeat what he had been telling the class without hesitation, repetition or deviation. Messiter failed the first ever round of Just A Minute but the germ of an idea formed in his mind.
Twenty years later while working at the BBC he used the idea to create a programme called One Minute Please. It was successful and he rejuvenated the idea in 1967 as the wonderful improvisation comedy show called Just A Minute.
The concept of the game is ridiculously simple, until you try it when you find that it is simply ridiculous, as Nicholas Parsons has said on more than one occasion. It doesn't sound too hard to speak on a subject for 60 seconds without hesitation, repetition or deviation... until you try it!
The original concept was that Just A Minute would have two regulars Clement Freud and Derek Nimmo who would be joined by female guests.
The first chairman of the show was to be another comic actor, Jimmy Edwards but he pulled out and was relaced by another actor, Nicholas Parsons.
The show was a particular favourite of a young producer at the BBC, David Hatch, regarded as highly promising. The pilot was panned by the BBC hierarchy, but Hatch told the bosses that if they didn't give the show another chance, he would leave the Beeb. They didn't want to lose Hatch so JAM had another chance and the rest is history.
The first season shows are more of interest today for curiosity value than as outstanding examples of JAM. The main reason is that the comedy of the game isn't really showing through. The challenges are far too pedantic, and the rules applied far too strictly. An additional hurdle for the panellists is rounds where they had to avoid words like "I" and "and". These rounds add another verbal challenge for the panellists but added little to the fun of the game. Clement Freud and Derek Nimmo are immediately involved in the sort-of sibling-like rivalry that they maintained for the next 32 years, eager to catch the other out, and establishing a fun banter. Of the women guests, Andree Melly is first to establish herself appearing in most of the shows in the second half of the season. Others with a long history ahead of them to make their debuts are Sheila Hancock and Aimi Macdonald.
1/1/1
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Broadcast date: 22 December 1967.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Wilma Ewart, Beryl Reid.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: Excuses for being late, knitting a cablestitch jumper, keeping fit, phrenology, the English nanny, things to do in the bath, what to buy in a jumble sale, the many uses of bubble gum, Chinese restaurants.
Winner: Derek Nimmo.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's debut, Clement Freud's debut, Derek Nimmo's debut, Wilma Ewart's only appearance, Beryl Reid's only appearance, first show produced by David Hatch, Ian Messiter's first appearance blowing the whistle.
2/1/2
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Broadcast date: 29 December 1967.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Sheila Hancock, Carol Binstead.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: Bedrooms, my life, horror films, my worst enemy, the art of winning at bingo, Derek Nimmo, gas.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's second appearance, Clement Freud's second appearance, Derek Nimmo's second appearance, Sheila Hancock's first appearance, Carol Binstead's only appearance.
3/1/3
Broadcast date: 5 January 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Betty Marsden, Elisabeth Beresford.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: ?
Winner: ?
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's third appearance, Clement Freud's third appearance, Derek Nimmo's third appearance, Betty Marsden's first appearance, Elisabeth Beresford's only appearance.
4/1/4
Broadcast date: 12 January 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Isobel Barnett, Bettine Le Beau.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: ?
Winner: ?
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 4th appearance, Clement Freud's 4th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 4th appearance, Isobel Barnett's only appearance, Bettine Le Beau's only appearance.
5/1/5
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Broadcast date: 20 January 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Prunella Scales.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: The brownies, chemist shops, the telephone, embarrassments, useless information, travelling by air, Northern Ireland, being absolutely sincere, my best enemy, ice, silence.
Winner: Derek Nimmo.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 5th appearance, Clement Freud's 5th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 5th appearance, Andree Melly's first appearance, Prunella Scales's first appearance.
6/1/6
Broadcast date: 27 January 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Marjorie Proops, Millie Small.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: ?
Winner: ?
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 6th appearance, Clement Freud's 6th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 6th appearance, Marjorie Proops's only appearance, Millie Small's only appearance.
7/1/7
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Broadcast date: 2 February 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Aimi Macdonald, Una Stubbs.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: My honeymoon, my bedroom, racing, the oldest joke in the world, your school days, cutting books, making a cheesecake, gatecrashing, what to sell at a jumble sale, this audience, holidays.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 7th appearance, Clement Freud's 7th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 7th appearance, Aimi Macdonald's first appearance, Una Stubbs's only appearance.
8/1/8
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Broadcast date: 9 February 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Lucy Bartlett, Anona Winn.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: Bloomer, things I throw away, getting ready to go to bed, bread and butter pudding, paying a visit to the dentist, what Gladstone said in 1894, things that make me blush, beauty competitions, Australia.
Winner: Lucy Bartlett.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 8th appearance, Clement Freud's 8th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 8th appearance, Lucy Bartlett's first appearance, Anona Winn's only appearance.
9/1/9
Broadcast date: 17 February 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Charmian Innes.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: ?
Winner: ?
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 9th appearance, Clement Freud's 9th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 9th appearance, Andree Melly's second appearance, Charmian Innes's first appearance.
10/1/10
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Broadcast date: 23 February 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Barbara Blake, Renee Houston.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: My first grown-up dress, what to take on a picnic, how to shrink a human head, bankers, greenhouse plants, things I must warn my children about, Derek Nimmo, snakes as pets, the people next door, ice cream sundaes, painting the kitchen.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 10th appearance, Clement Freud's 10th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 10th appearance, Barbara Blake's only appearance, Renee Houston's only appearance.
11/1/11
Broadcast date: 1 March 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Eleanor Summerfield.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: ?
Winner: ?
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 11th appearance, Clement Freud's 11th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 11th appearance, Andree Melly's third appearance, Eleanor Summerfield's first appearance.
12/1/12
Broadcast date: 8 March 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Betty Marsden.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: ?
Winner: ?
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 12th appearance, Clement Freud's 12th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 12th appearance, Andree Melly's 4th appearance, Betty Marsden's second appearance.
13/1/13
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Broadcast date: 15 March 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Charmian Innes.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: When I wear a top hat, introducing people, drunkenness, holiday brochures, an exotic dish, uniform, going to the hairdresser, writing thank-you letters, pantomimes, fingernails.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 13th appearance, Clement Freud's 13th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 13th appearance, Andree Melly's 5th appearance, Charmian Innes's second appearance.
14/1/14
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Broadcast date: 22 March 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Betty Marsden.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: Keeping wicket, favourite smells, being in bed with flu, how the spring makes me feel, the Entente Cordiale, what to take away for the weekend, the importance of art, doctor's prescriptions, how to perform a Cornish floral dance.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 14th appearance, Clement Freud's 14th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 14th appearance, Andree Melly's 6th appearance, Betty Marsden's third appearance.
15/1/15
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Broadcast date: 29 March 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Charmian Innes.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: Outdoor games, hay fever, photo finishes, easy ways to lose a man, indoor games, autographs, taking photographs, Hollywood, toothpicks.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 15th appearance, Clement Freud's 15th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 15th appearance, Andree Melly's 7th appearance, Charmian Innes's third appearance.
16/1/16
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Broadcast date: 5 April 1968.
Chairman: Nicholas Parsons.
Panel: Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, Andree Melly, Aimi Macdonald.
Whistle Blower: Ian Messiter.
Producer: David Hatch.
Venue: London.
Subjects: How to stay lovely, it, pocket money, gold shares, what I like about money, ornithology, nothing, throat sprays.
Winner: Clement Freud.
Notes: Nicholas Parsons's 16th appearance, Clement Freud's 16th appearance, Derek Nimmo's 16th appearance, Andree Melly's 8th appearance, Aimi Macdonald's second appearance.
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