The ISIHAC
Sound Charades Introductions Page

Last Updated
27 Nov 2018

At the beginning of the Sound Charades round of the BBC Radio 4 panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, the chairman, will make a witty introduction describing the round, and its origins in the TV program, Give Us A Clue. Here are some of the teams' suggestions, along with some of my suggestions. If you have any ideas you would like included, please e-mail me here, and I will add the best ones (with full credit to you of course)

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Who will ever forget the show's, now famous, commonwealth tour, when Lionel Blair jumped up and displayed his Passage To India for the full two minutes! Milton Keynes
29 Nov 1999
The undisputed expert was Lionel Blair, but even he needed the whole two minutes on Harold Pinter's Caretaker! Birmingham
04 Jan 1999
No one who witnessed the event will ever forget the sparkle in Lionel Blair's eye as he received Free Willy from Michael Aspel for two minutes! Cardiff
21 Dec 1998
No one who witnessed the event will ever forget the sparkle in Lionel Blair's eye as he received Free Willy from Michael Aspel for two minutes! ISIHAC 5, Side 2
Who will ever forget the show's American tour including their special Whitehouse performance. That was the legendary occasion when Una Stubbs, her hands going like tiny steam-hammers, scored maximum points for pulling off All The President's Men in under 90 seconds! Greenwich
13 Dec 1999
Sound Charades is adapted from an ancient Chinese game called Miming, where the object was to describe a favourite 14th century porcelain vase. Our version of this highly amusing, highly entertaining and highly witty game differs only in a few areas...the ones just after 'highly' 1995 Xmas Special
25 Dec 1995
The round Sound Charades is a close relative of Sound Athletics, in which Barry describes himself running 100 metres, & the teams have to guess how long he'll be in hospital. Liverpool
16 Nov 1996
Fans still speak in hushed tones of the day Una Stubbs, her hands a blur, managed Three Men in a Boat in less than 90 seconds! Leeds
18 May 1998
Fans still speak in hushed tones of the day Una Stubbs, her hands a blur, managed Three Men in a Boat in less than 90 seconds! ISIHAC 5, Side 3
Who can possibly forget Lionel Blair & Una Stubbs doing All Kinds Of Everything against the clock?! Glasgow
07 Dec 1998
Sound Charades is based on Give Us A Clue, the seminal TV show which put Lionel Blair's name on the map...somewhere off the coast of Belgium Harrogate
02 Dec 1995
This is run on similar lines to the TV show that put Lionel Blair where he is today...visiting his aunt in Solihull Stratford-Upon- Avon
09 Dec 1995
Sound Charades is based on the erstwhile TV show called Give Us A Clue, starring Lionel Blair, who once worked in this very theatre. Indeed, backstage staff still consider the role he assayed here as the very peak of his professional achievement, when he spoke the immortal line "So, that's two with milk & one with sugar" Northampton
30 Nov 1996
Sound Charades is based on Give Us A Clue, the TV show where Lionel Blair & Una Stubbs got up off the sofa and performed against the clock Brighton
28 Jun 1997
Sound Charades was inspired by the popular TV show Give Us A Clue. Sadly, this program is no longer on our screens following an unfortunate, pre-watershed, incident in which one competitor was asked to describe An Audience With Bob Monkhouse using hand gestures alone Wimbledon
15 Nov 1997
The experts expert on Give Us A Clue, was Lionel Blair. Who can ever forget opposing team captain Una Stubbs sitting open mouthed as he tried to pull off Twelve Angry Men in under two minutes! York
15 Nov 1999
The experts expert on Give Us A Clue, was Lionel Blair. Who can ever forget opposing team captain Una Stubbs sitting open mouthed as he tried to pull off Twelve Angry Men in under two minutes! ISIHAC 6, Side 3
Give Us A Clue was made all the better by its resident expert Lionel Blair, who was particularly good at the films of Richard Gere. Who can forget the gleam of satisfaction in his eye when he was given Yanks by Michael Aspel for two minutes! 1999 Xmas Special - Golders Green
25 Dec 1999
In the original version, the players mimed a well-known book, film or song within a strict time limit after taking a card with the title. The master of the game was Lionel Blair. Who could forget the unbridled enthusiasm with which he picked up A Scottish Soldier to finish off against the clock! South Bank
26 Jun 2000
This is based on Give Us A Clue, the entertainment show that really was something else. Give Us A Clue was the show where players were given a song or film title to mime in under two minutes. Who will ever forget the grand master himself, Lionel Blair, winning in a world record time of 3.5 seconds, when he brilliantly mimed Anchors Aweigh, by signalling 'First Word', 'Sounds Like', and pointing to himself and Timmy Mallett. Bournemouth
20 Nov 2000
This game is based on Give Us A Clue starring Lionel Blair, the man who's talent made the show what it is today - padding for the schedule on cable channel 47. Coventry
04 Dec 2000
OK, let's try something else...anything else. The next game is a quickie round giving ample time for the teams to give vent to their full acting range. It's called Sound Charades, and it's played in tribute to that great TV show Give Us A Clue, where the players conveyed a film title without speaking and within a strict time limit. The undisputed mime maestro was, of course, Lionel Blair, & who can forget the look of relish on his face when he was given two minutes on The African Queen? High Wycombe
18 Dec 2000
The game is based on the TV show Give Us A Clue, where the teams score points by miming film titles against the clock, & who can forget that breathtaking finish when Lionel Blair came from behind and had Dirty Harry licked in under two minutes? Reading
04 Jun 2001
Who will ever forget the relish in Lionel Blair's eye as he got stuck into Howard's End for two minutes! Sheffield
18 Jun 2001
In the original, the ever energetic Lionel Blair would mime the titles of TV shows against a strict time limit, and who can fail to remember the occasion he scored double points by using both hands in different actions to finish off One Man & His Dog in under thirty seconds! Norwich
02 Jul 2001
The master of the genre was undoubtedly Lionel Blair, and who will ever forget him, exhausted and on his knees, finishing off An Officer And A Gentleman in under two minutes? Brighton
03 Dec 2001
The game is based on that TV classic Give Us A Clue. In the original, where the teams had to mime book, song or film titles against a strict time limit, the undisputed master of the genre was surely Lionel Blair. No one who saw it will ever forget the gleam of relish in Lionel's eye as he put everything he could manage into The Talented Mr. Ripley for two whole minutes. Bristol
17 Dec 2001
The game is based on that old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where players had to mime to titles given to them on cards by chairman Michael Aspel. The undisputed mime-master was Lionel Blair who used to get quite emotional at times. Who can ever forget the tear of pleasure in his eye as he bent over the chairman's desk to receive A Man Called Horse? 2001 Xmas Special
24 Dec 2001
We all recall how film titles were demonstrated in mime against the clock by the grand master of the game, Lionel Blair, who would use just his hands to delight his teams' members. None of use can forget the relish with which he once gave Melvyn Hayes and Christopher Biggins Yanks for two whole minutes. 30th Anniversary Special
13 Apr 2002
[ The master of the genre was undoubtedly Lionel Blair, who at the height of his powers could mime out a double bill of film titles in record time. No one will ever forget his stunning performance when he managed to knock off The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Their Lover and The Godfather II in under 30 seconds. Not broadcast] Wolverhampton
19 Nov 2001
The next game is Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile television favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams of players used to delight their audience by miming the titles of songs, films or plays against a strict time limit. The most highly skilled of all was Lionel Blair, but how the tears of frustration welled up in his eyes during their Italian tour, at not being allowed the use of his mouth to finish off Two Gentlemen Of Verona. Bradford
27 May 2002
Sadly Give Us A Clue hasn't been made recently, so we'll never know what team captain Lionel Blair would have done with modern films. Lionel used to get quite emotional, and no doubt after two minutes against the clock, The Talented Mr. Ripley would have put a lump in his throat. Leicester
10 Jun 2002
Give Us A Clue certainly provided many memorable moment as the players performed against a strict time limit. We particular recall one very early show when Una Stubbs scored maximum points after the teams took only a few seconds to recognise her Fanny By Gaslight. Hastings
24 Jun 2002
The next game is Sound Charades. This is the teams' fine homage to that TV classic Give Us A Clue. In the original, the teams scored points by miming book, song or film titles against a time limit. The undisputed master of the genre was Lionel Blair who would use every ounce of his mime acting skills. None of use will ever forget the gasps of amazement when he spent a frustrating two minutes trying to fit in the whole of The Man On The Flying Trapeze. Malvern
25 Nov 2002
[ The teams are going to do a spot of acting now, in the round called Sound Charades. This suits all of our players, as each of them has an extensive knowledge of the theatre, and in fact I'm told Graeme Garden is the country's leading Old Vic expert. According to {??? unreadable}, Graeme has the finest collection of Edwardian chest rubs he's ever seen. Also, Tim Brooke-Taylor recently completed a long run at The National. Next year they might let him try using a horse. Not broadcast] Sound Charades is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue. When it was first suggested we try a wireless version of the game, we were divided down the middle as to whether this would be a mildly amusing diversion, or a smash success. Well, half of us were very much mistaken...and so were the other half... Blackpool
09 Dec 2002
The next game is called Sound Charades. It's a specially adapted wireless version of the TV classic Give Us A Clue, where panellists used to mime the titles of books, songs or films. In the original version, the players' task was to perform in total silence, prompting a gale of ceaseless laughter from the audience. The teams' version is a clever reversal of the format. Give Us A Clue certainly provided many memorable moments as the players were given their titles on cards provided by their host, Michael Aspel. We particularly recall the unalloyed pleasure in Lionel Blair's face as he bent across the chairman's desk to receive Uncle Vanya... Sadler's Wells
23 Dec 2002
We're going on now to a delightful game called Sound Charades. If you've ever watched the TV game Give Us A Clue, in which a selection of celebrities and Lionel Blair take it in turns to provide a mime for the title of a well-known book, film, play or television programme, then please try and put it to the very back of your mind... Brighton
13 Jun 1992
Let's move on to Sound Charades. Listeners may not be aware that this was developed from the old TV show called Give Us A Clue, where the teams mimed titles of films or books against a strict time limit. Possibly the most versatile performer was Lionel Blair, and no one will ever forget the occasion he was given A Town Like Alice, when he chose to do a silent impression of the author. Such was the performance, Una Stubbs gasped in amazement when she saw Neville Shute in Lionel's face... In the TV original, the players had to perform in total silence. As that system would not be very entertaining on the wireless, the teams have been given permission to speak...not that it'll make a blind bit of difference... Darlington
02 Jun 2003
OK, the teams are going to do a spot of acting for us now, in the round called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue where teams mimed the titles of songs and books or films. In the original, the teams weren't allowed to speak, thereby causing gales of helpless laughter. In our version, the teams are allowed to speak... The master of the game for many years was Lionel Blair, who's skills became finely honed over the years. On one occasion, it took him but a matter of seconds to finish off Lucky Jim using only one hand... Buxton
16 Jun 2003
Time for some hot dramatic action now, with Sound Charades. This is the game based on the old TV favourite called Give Us A Clue where the players had to mime titles of books, films or plays against a strict time limit. Sadly, the show is no longer aired, but its stars still turn out at such events as celebrity cricket matches, which are not without their hazards. At The Oval last week, Una Stubbs nearly fainted in horror when she saw Lionel Blair receive a full toss on the chest from Christopher Biggins... Torquay
30 Jun 2003
The game is based on the TV show Give Us A Clue, where the teams score points by miming film titles against the clock, & who can forget that breathtaking finish when Lionel Blair came from behind and had Dirty Harry licked in under two minutes? ISIHAC 7, Side 1
The master of the genre was undoubtedly Lionel Blair, and who will ever forget him, exhausted and on his knees, finishing off An Officer And A Gentleman in under two minutes? ISIHAC 7, Side 2
The experts expert on Give Us A Clue, was Lionel Blair. Who can ever forget opposing team captain Una Stubbs sitting open mouthed as he tried to pull off Twelve Angry Men in under two minutes! ISIHAC 7, Side 4
Sound Charades is of course based on the TV programme Give Us A Clue, in which celebrity panellists would attempt to mime the titles of books, plays, and films in the shortest possible time. Sadly, the series was finally cancelled when Michael Aspel was hospitalised during Una Stubbs' attempt to set a new record for The Four Hundred Blows Dave Lockwood
Sound Charades is based on the TV programme Give Us A Clue, in which the panellists were given a card with the title of a book, play, or film to mime, and who can forget the practiced ease with which Lionel Blair sauntered over to pick up The Virgin Soldiers? Dave Lockwood
The team captains on Give Us A Clue were Lionel Blair and Una Stubbs, who were so skilled that they normally guessed the book, film or TV title well within the 2 minute time limit, but even Lionel took all his time to get her Open All Hours Kevin Hale
The next game is Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile television favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams of players used to delight their audience by miming the titles of songs, films or plays against a strict time limit. The most highly skilled of all was Lionel Blair, but how the tears of frustration welled up in his eyes during their Italian tour, at not being allowed the use of his mouth to finish off Two Gentlemen Of Verona. ISIHAC 8, Side 1
Let's move on to Sound Charades. Listeners may not be aware that this was developed from the old TV show called Give Us A Clue, where the teams mimed titles of films or books against a strict time limit. Possibly the most versatile performer was Lionel Blair, and no one will ever forget the occasion he was given A Town Like Alice, when he chose to do a silent impression of the author. Such was the performance, Una Stubbs gasped in amazement when she saw Neville Shute in Lionel's face... In the TV original, the players had to perform in total silence. As that system would not be very entertaining on the wireless, the teams have been given permission to speak...not that it'll make a blind bit of difference... ISIHAC 8, Side 3
Our next round, Sound Charades, was developed from the TV show Give Us A Clue. I should explain that 'developed' is a technical showbiz term, as used in the phrase: "That bastard developed my thunder!" In the original, the players mimed the titles of well-known songs or films given to them on cards by the chairman. The expert's expert was Lionel Blair, and none of us will ever forget the look of gleeful anticipation in his eyes when he was offered Howard's End across Michael Aspel's desk... Winchester
24 Nov 2003
The teams are going to try their hands now at acting, in the game called Sound Charades. This is derived from the erstwhile popular TV show called Give Us A Clue, where players mimed the titles of well-known books, films or TV shows. So expert was the grand master Lionel Blair, that he even managed to score points on an obscure TV documentary called Tales Of Thuggery by indicating 'third word sounds like' and calling for assistance from Christopher Biggins... Eastbourne
15 Dec 2003
The teams are going to display their acting skills now, in the round called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams mimed the titles of songs, books, or films. In the original, the teams weren't allowed to speak, making the show highly entertaining. In our version, there's one obvious modification...and also, the teams are allowed to speak. The undisputed experts' experts was Lionel Blair who was particularly good at Mickey Mouse cartoons. However, he occasionally had to save the day when he was let down by his team. Una Stubbs still recalls how amazed she was when Christopher Biggins failed miserably with Fantasia, and Lionel was straight in behind him with his Steam Boat Willy... Leeds
08 Dec 2003
The teams are going to give full vent to their acting skills now, in a game called Sound Charades. This has been cunningly adapted from the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which the teams mimed the titles of popular songs, books, or films within a strict time limit. The undoubted master of the genre was Lionel Blair, but even he occasionally struggled to convey a title in mime. No one will forget how he was caught out after performing an unusual act with An Officer And A Gentleman for two whole minutes... Dartford
07 Jun 2004
The teams are going to indulge their passion for acting now, in the game called Sound Charades. This was cunningly adapted from the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams mimed the titles of films or songs against a time limit. The most accomplished player was, without doubt, Lionel Blair, but on one fateful visit to entertain the troops, even he was caught out. Lionel was quite happy on The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy, but he was hard-pushed to finish off the rest Of Company B in under two minutes... Belfast
21 Jun 2004
The teams are going to perform mimes now, in the round called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where the players had to mime titles of books or films. It was conducted in silence, the performances were excellent, and the audience was delighted. Our teams' version differs in just three ways... Quite remarkably, the late Elvis Presley was a great fan of the original, and even invited them to Graceland. Elvis was amazed by the players' skills in conveying titles against a time limit. His biography records how Lionel Blair bent over backwards trying to fit in All The King's Men in under two minutes... Salford
05 Jul 2004
The teams are going to give full vent to their acting skills now, in a round called Sound Charades. This is a cunningly adapted version of the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where the players mimed a song or film titles in complete silence, which produced wave upon wave of unbridled, noisy laughter. Our version is similar in that the element of silence is retained, but in a novel twist, that's provided by the audience. Sadly the show is no longer aired, but regulars Lionel Blair and Christopher Biggins recently appeared on Stars In Their Eyes, where Lionel, singing Maggie May, came second to his old team mate. Biggins said Lionel's Rod was outstanding but he easily had it licked... Basingstoke
13 Dec 2004
It's time for a round of Victorian Sound Charades. This is a popular parlour game whose greatest exponent of the age is little Lionel Blair, the boy wonder, and what an extraordinary child he is, having only just turned forty-seven. In fact, Lionel is best known as a dancer who puts on grand ballroom evenings noted for the excellence of their light snacks. There isn't a fashionable young dandy in town who hasn't been seen enjoying a nibble at one of Lionel's balls... I'm Sorry I Haven't A Christmas Clue
Sound Charades is adapted from an ancient Chinese game called Miming, where the object was to describe a favourite 14th century porcelain vase. Our version of this highly amusing, highly entertaining and highly witty game differs only in a few areas...the ones just after 'highly' I'm Sorry I Haven't A Christmas Clue
Give Us A Clue was made all the better by its resident expert Lionel Blair, who was particularly good at the films of Richard Gere. Who can forget the gleam of satisfaction in his eye when he was given Yanks by Michael Aspel for two minutes! I'm Sorry I Haven't A Christmas Clue
The teams are now going to perform some Sound Charades, in a round based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue. In the original, mimes were performed in total silence. However, if our teams mimed their charades on the radio, the listeners at home might sit stoney-faced wondering what the audience was laughing at. By allowing the teams to speak, we neatly eradicate the problem of unexplained laughter. The grand master of Give Us A Clue was, of course, Lionel Blair, but even he had the occasional day when he was off-colour. However, Lionel could always rely on his loyal team-mate Christopher Biggins to lend a hand whenever he was feeling a little dicky... Hull
03 Jan 2005
The teams are going to treat us to a spot of acting next, in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which players mimed titles of songs, books and films. The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair, whose TV career has sadly waned of late. He did, however, recently audition for I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!. Lionel's challenge was to sail a raft across a river with a small crew, but sadly the raft hit a rock and sank, and what a look of horror there was on Ant's face when Lionel went down with both hands on deck... [ In the original version, the teams weren't allowed to speak, producing howls of laughter from the audience. In our version, the teams do speak, producing howls of protest under the Geneva Convention... Not broadcast] Tunbridge Wells
17 Jan 2005
Let's move on to Sound Charades. Listeners might be interested to learn that this was developed from the old TV show called Give Us A Clue. Then again, they might not. Ours is a spoken version of the original game, where the teams mime to title of songs and films. The past master of the game was, of course, Lionel Blair, who regularly amazed and delighted his team mates with his mime portrayals of the songs and movies of the so-called Blacksploitation genre. Una Stubb's eyes were out on stalks as she witnessed Lionel using his hands on Isaac Hayes' 'Shaft' for two minutes... Rhyl
20 Jun 2005
OK, we move on now to the round called Sound Charades, and this'll be a humdinger, or my name's not Pippa Greenwood. Listeners may not be aware that Sound Charades was developed from the old TV show called Give Us A Clue, in which teams mimed the titles of films. The show's virtuoso was, without doubt, Lionel Blair, but even he had his off days. His team mates recall their apprehension during one close-run contest when, in the dying minutes, Lionel was given Free Willy by Michael Aspel. Of course, he blew it... [ Well obviously, miming on the wireless would be a silent waste of time, so in our version, the teams speak, thereby transforming the game into a noisy waste of time... Not broadcast] Edinburgh
01 Sep 2005
The teams are going to give full vent to their thespian skills now, in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where celebrities mimed the titles of songs, books or films. The undisputed grand master of the game was Lionel Blair, but following the show's demise, it seems his fortunes may be at a low ebb. Christopher Biggins was saying recently how he met him in the street, and Lionel asked if he could bum him for a fiver... Brighton
05 Dec 2005
The teams are going to give full vent to their acting skills now, in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which players mimed the titles of films or books in complete silence, while the audience noisily enjoyed themselves. Our teams' version provides a neat twist to this concept. The grand master of the genre was, of course, Lionel Blair, who became so renowned internationally he was invited to Paris to work as a mime coach. In fact, when Marcel Marceau was looking to brush up his hand technique, it was Lionel who pointed him to Le Coq... Harrogate
26 Dec 2005
Time for some acting now, with the round called Sound Charades. This game is based on the popular erstwhile TV show Give Us A Clue, where players had to mime the titles of books or films against a strict time limit. It was played in silence, the teams were excellent, and the audience ecstatic. Our version differs in just three respects. The undoubted master was Lionel Blair who used to work himself to a frazzle leaping up to be given his films titles on cards. Even when Lionel collapsed over the chairman's desk receiving The Dirty Dozen, he could still cope with The Sting afterwards... Bristol
29 May 2006
The teams are going to indulge us with a spot of acting now, in the game called Sound Charades. This was inspired by the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which teams used to mime the titles of books or films against a strict time limit. The original version of this was conducted in silence. Happy days... However, silent mime would be hopeless and pointless on the wireless, so the teams are allowed to speak, thereby eliminating all but two of the problems. The undisputed master of the genre was Lionel Blair. Hopeful team members used to constantly badger Lionel with pleas to get a place on the show. Lionel relates how he once had Christopher Biggins on his back every night for a month before he finally got the part he wanted... Birmingham
12 Jun 2006
[ In the next round, the teams will be displaying their acting skills, in the game called Sound Charades. This is loosely based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which silent mimes had a delighted audience in floods of mirth. {???unreadable} in our version differs completely...and so do all the others. Give Us A Clue's past master was, of course, Lionel Blair, who's mimes of 1950s westerns were legendary. Lionel even tutored Christopher Biggins on how to do The Big Country actions, {???unreadable} Not broadcast] London Palladium
21 Nov 2005
The teams are going to indulge us with their acting skills now, in the game called Sound Charades. This is roughly based. [ Oh, wait a minute, there's more: Not broadcast] This is roughly based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams mimed the titles of films or books, against a strict time limit. In the original, the teams performed in silence and the audience went wild with enthusiasm. Our version is exactly the same, except for the bit about the teams being silent...and the bit about the audience going wild. The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair. His live performances were always loudly praised by his team mates. Una Stubbs recalls listening through the dressing room wall as Christopher Biggins and Melvyn Hayes were still gushing ten minutes after Lionel blew them away on tour... Halifax
26 Jun 2006
[ The teams are going to give full vent to their acting skills now, in the game called Sound Charades. This is played in homage to the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where players mimed the titles of books or films in total silence. It was this element of total silence that was vital to the audience's enjoyment. In our version, the teams speak. The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair. As a team captain, Lionel's management style operated at a democratic level. Christopher Biggins recalls how, rather than using top-down leadership, Lionel has always been a bottom-up man... Not broadcast] Southport
20 Nov 2006
[ Time for some dramatic action now, with the round known as Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite called Give Us A Clue, {???} mime the titles of films, books or plays against a strict time limit. It was conducted in silence, the players were excellent, and the audience ecstatic. Our version differs in only one way...{???unreadable} The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair. As team captain, Lionel's management style operated at a democratic level. Christopher Biggins recalls how, rather than using top-down leadership, Lionel has always been a bottom-up man... Not broadcast] Victoria Palace
04 Dec 2006
The teams are going to disply their Thespian skills now, in the round known as Sound Charades. This is similar to the erstwhile TV favourite called Give Us A Clue, which comprised three essential elements: silent mimes; expert players; and an ecstatic audience. The teams' version differs only slightly in the first respect but completely in the other two respects. The original programme is no longer aired, bu the undisputed mime-master of Give Us A Clue is still Lionel Blair. He now tours the country doing exhibition performances in bars and restaurants, but sadly, last week's show had to be cancelled . Lionel's van broke down on the M6, and he had to pay £50 to be pulled off into a Little Chef... Sunderland
18 Dec 2006
The teams are going to perform mimes now in the round called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which the players had to mime titles of films or TV shows against the clock. The actors were in total silence, while the audience enjoyed themselves noisily. The teams' version is a subtle and yet complete reversal of that. The undisputed master of Give Us A Clue was Lionel Blair, who could mime virtually any TV or radio programme. Lionel still does demonstration events, and recently guested at the Multi-faith Conference, improvising his mime of Thought For The Day. Eyes were out on stalks as he started his impressions of the lesser known presenters, before Lionel blew the Bishop of Bath & Wells, and the Chief Rabbi... London Coliseum
11 Jun 2007
The teams are going to give full vent to their acting skills now, in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where the players had to mime titles of books, films or plays against a strict time limit. [ It was conducted in silence, the players were excellent, and the audience were thrilled. Our version differs completely only in one respect{???} the other two. Not broadcast] The undoubted master of the genre was Lionel Blair whose unique skills were legendry. Sadly, the show is no longer aired here, but there are plans in Los Angeles to revive the show for American TV, so Lionel is to be put on a plane to see how he goes down on the pilot... Cardiff
25 Jun 2007
The teams are going to display their acting skills now, in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which teams mimed titles of films or books against a strict time limit. In the original, the teams weren't allowed to speak, and the audience couldn't have been happier. Our version is exactly the same...until the teams start to speak. The grand mime-master of Give Us A Clue was Lionel Blair, but since the show ended, he's confined to the occasional pantomime appearance, and they say he's becoming difficult to work with due to his mood swings. In this year's Snow White, they said one minute Lionel could be feeling Happy, and the next he'd come all over Grumpy... Wimbledon
09 Jul 2007
The teams are going to give us a display of their acting skills now, in the round called Sound Charades. This game is based on the old TV favourite called Give Us A Clue, in which the players had to mime titles of books, films or plays against the clock. It was conducted in silence, the players were excellent, and the audience were thrilled. The teams' version takes these three elements and plays a clever twist on the first, while dispensing with the other two. The undisputed mime-master of Give Us A Clue was team captain Lionel Blair. When the show was scrapped, his team was devastated to the point of tears, but ever the trooper, Lionel took a video round to Christopher Biggins, and they pulled themselves together over The Fabulous Baker Boys... Croydon
19 Nov 2007
[ The teams are going to demonstrate their acting skills now, in the round called Sound Charades. Hang on a moment - I just need to check something here. No, there's definitely no sign of any get out clause, so we carry on. The Sound Charades format is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue. In the original, the teams weren't allowed to speak, which made for great entertainment and endless laughter. The teams' version differs in just one respect - entirely. In the original, the teams mimed the titles of famous movies. The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair, who was particularly good at the Rocky series of movies. Christopher Biggins relates how Lionel visited his dressing room to hone his impression of Sylvester Stallone beating his opponent, often going down several times before knocking one out... Not broadcast] Manchester
03 Dec 2007
The teams are going to demonstrate their acting skills now, in the round called Sound Charades. [ Hang on a moment - I just need to check something here. No - definitely no sign of any get out clause, so we carry on. Not broadcast] The Sound Charades format is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue. In the original, the teams weren't allowed to speak, which made for great entertainment and endless laughter. The teams' version differs in just one respect - entirely. In the original, the teams mimed the titles of famous movies. The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair, who was particularly good at the Rocky series of movies. Christopher Biggins relates how Lionel would visit his dressing room to hone his impression of Sylvester Stallone beating his opponents, often going down several times before knocking one out... Peterborough
17 Dec 2007
This is called Sound Charades, and it's loosely based. Hang on - there's a bit more. It's loosely based on the popular music hall entertainment known as Give Us A Clue. The show's undisputed master of the mime genre was Lionel Blair, who was particularly expert at the Victorian novels which he read with alacrity. He liked nothing more than to be tucked up in bed holding a little Hardy, before getting stuck into the Mayor Of Casterbridge... Humph In Wonderland
25 Dec 2007
The teams are going to treat us to a spot of acting next, in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, in which players mimed titles of songs, books and films. The undisputed master of the game was Lionel Blair, whose TV career has sadly waned of late. He did, however, recently audition for I'm A Celebrity - Get Me Out Of Here!. Lionel's challenge was to sail a raft across a river with a small crew, but sadly the raft hit a rock and sank, and what a look of horror there was on Ant's face when Lionel went down with both hands on deck... ISIHAC 9, Side 1
The teams are going to perform mimes now, in the round called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where the players had to mime titles of books or films. It was conducted in silence, the performances were excellent, and the audience was delighted. Our teams' version differs in just three ways... Quite remarkably, the late Elvis Presley was a great fan of the original, and even invited them to Graceland. Elvis was amazed by the players' skills in conveying titles against a time limit. His biography records how Lionel Blair bent over backwards trying to fit in All The King's Men in under two minutes... ISIHAC 9, Side 2
OK, let's try something else...anything else. The next game is a quickie round giving ample time for the teams to give vent to their full acting range. It's called Sound Charades, and it's played in tribute to that great TV show Give Us A Clue, where the players conveyed a film title without speaking and within a strict time limit. The undisputed mime maestro was, of course, Lionel Blair, & who can forget the look of relish on his face when he was given two minutes on The African Queen? ISIHAC Classic Repeat
23 Jun 2008
The teams are going to give full vent to their acting skills in the round called Sound Charades. This is played in homage to the erstwhile TV favourite Give Us A Clue, and that's 'homage' as in the expression: 'Ronnie Biggs, the great train homager'. The original was a TV version, you may remember, of Charades, with mimes conducted in total silence to an appreciative audience. The teams' version is exactly the same except for the bit about the silence and the appreciative audience. The grand master of the game, of course, was Lionel Blair. He still holds the World Record for the most successful mime at just under three seconds. When given 'The Hunt For Red October', he indicated 'Second word sounds like' and pointed to Timmy Mallett... Haymarket
15 Jun 2009
The teams are going to display their acting skills now in the round called Sound Charades. Sound Charades is closely based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue. The undisputed mime master of Give Us A Clue was, of course, Lionel Blair. Lionel has graced our TV screens for over forty years, dancing, singing and telling jokes...are just three ways to keep yourself occupied when he's on... Milton Keynes
16 Dec 2013
Well, the teams are going to do a spot of acting for us now in the round called Sound Charades. This is based on the old TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams mimed the titles of songs, books or films against a strict time limit. The original Give Us A Clue mime master was, of course, Lionel Blair, but there are many people who have never heard of Lionel as a song-and-dance man, nor the people he worked with in the sixties - Sammy David Junior, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin were just four of those who never heard of him... Drury Lane
02 Dec 2013
The teams are going to demonstrate their acting skills now in the game called Sound Charades. This was developed from the old TV show Give Us A Clue. In the original version the players had to perform in total silence, causing endless laughter from the audience. Obviously no one's going to laugh at miming on the radio, so the teams will speak, allowing the audience at home to understand what no one's laughing at. Give Us A Clue's best known performer was, of course, Lionel Blair. No reference to the show can be made without giving the breadth of his talent the credit it deserves...so that's that done... Chesterfield
22 Jul 2013
The teams are going to demonstrate their acting skills now in the game called Sound Charades. This was developed from the old TV show Give Us A Clue. We say developed because 'plagiarised' is such an ugly word. In the original version, mimes were conducted in silence, the performances were excellent, and the audience roared with laughter. The teams' version differs in one respect...entirely. The original undisputed mime master was, of course, Lionel Blair. It was his performances on Give Us A Clue which put him where he is today, in London's West End, where he can be seen staring at the London Palladium. Sorry, there's a letter missing there. There are actually two 'L's in Palladium... Leicester
05 Aug 2013
The teams are going to do some acting now in the round called Sound Charades. This is the teams' version of the old TV mime show Give Us A Clue. It's difficult to see how you could improve on the original, but if anyone can, this four can't. Dunstable
19 Nov 2012
Well, it's time for some acting now as we move on to Sound Charades. This was developed from the old TV show called Give Us A Clue, where silent mimes never ceased to amuse the audience. This version is a reverse of that... Birmingham
03 Dec 2012
The teams are going to demonstrate their acting skills now in the game called Sound Charades. This is based on the TV favourite Give Us A Clue, where teams mimed the titles of films or books against a strict time limit. In the original the teams performed in silence, and the audience enjoyed themselves noisily. This version is exactly the same, except the other way round. One of the most popular team members on Give Us A Clue was the actor and gourmet Christopher Biggins, who is currently appearing in Wind In The Willows. Una Stubbs said she popped into his dressing room during a lunch break and surprised him enjoying Toad In The Hole... Preston
17 Dec 2012
The teams are going to do some acting now in the round called Sound Charades. This is their version of the old TV mime show Give Us A Clue. Now, when it was first suggested that the teams try a radio version of the game, it was difficult to see how it could be half as good as the original, but they managed it. Our scorer Sven worked as a researcher on Give Us A Clue. He recalls how the perfectionist Christopher Biggins endlessly rehearsed his mime of the boxing movie Rocky, even inviting Sven into his dressing room to practice exchanging blows... 2012 Xmas Special
24 Dec 2012
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