BBC1 - Through the Keyhole

"Hello, good evening and welcome"

‘Through the Keyhole’ is a game show. I use the words ‘game show’ loosely as it is more like a pat on the back and free publicity for celebrities! I say this because the panellists celebrities trying to identify, by guessing, another celebrity’s identity from looking at and in their home. The fact that most of the celebrities are securely in the ‘minor league’ barely matters. Will we ever see into Posh and Beck’s home? I wonder! (or really cares anyway). Well ‘Through the Keyhole’ really appeals to the voyeur within us all and I would be willing to bet that the majority of the general public have seen this programme at one time or another (even if they deny it later).

This is not really a true game show in the sense that neither the panellists nor the guests are members of the general public. In a way it is more a like a strange type of chat show with celebrity guests being interviewed by David Frost. The panellists are the only people not to know celerity’s identity; their job is to guess. We as the audience are allowed help give clues to the panellist by clapping when they say a correct statement about the celerity in question.

**History**

‘Through the Keyhole’ first came to the television screens in the early 1990’s on ITV. It then stayed there for about five years before moving to Sky Television for a couple of seasons. Finally ‘Through the Keyhole’ moved to the BBC in the late 1990’s and remains there currently. I wonder where it will move to next; Challenge TV or Living TV. I wonder!

**Show Format**

Sir David Frost is the Interviewer and host of ‘Through the Keyhole’.

Loyd Grossman is the reporter from the home. Loyd treks through famous people's houses looking for clues as to who's house it is and he analysis’s the celebrity’s property with his most unique and tortuous voice. Sometimes giving cryptic clues, or red herrings and even some blatantly obvious clues for the panellists. Well “Who'd live in a house like this?" David, it's over to you!" in his over exaggerated ‘English accent’.

The Celebrity panel consists of three lesser-known celebrities or those wishing to get a little more television exposure. There is usually two mean an one woman on the celebrity panellists, for example Eve Pollard, Bill Oddie, Chris Tarrant. Then by making assumptions and asking questions have to guess who is guest. They cannot ‘phone a friend!’

Once guessed or not, the guest comes through a giant keyhole. A short interview commences, with Sir David Frost as the host. This conversation lasts for around five minutes. A tacky ‘gold’ key is given to the guest as a way of saying thank you for the personal invasion into their home. This whole process is then repeated when Loyd goes to another home.

‘Through the Keyhole’ can be seen on daytime television. It is currently on in the afternoons on a weekday just before children’s television commences. I find this show to have a tedious format but am also curious to know how others live. If you have nothing to do around three in the afternoon, then turn on your television to BBC1 and take a look. Then you can make up your own mind about ‘Through the Keyhole’.