From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Opportunity Knocks was a UK television talent show originally hosted by Hughie Green.

The original radio version started on the BBC Light Programme in 1949 but moved to Radio Luxembourg in the 1950s. It was shown on ITV in 1956, produced by Associated Rediffusion, and from 1961 until 1978, produced first by ABC and then by Thames Television. Hughie Green presented a single episode of Opportunity Knocks for RTÉ in 1979. It was revived by the BBC from 1987 to 1990.

Unlike its rival New Faces, the winning acts on Opportunity Knocks were decided not by a panel of experts but by the viewing public. In the ITV version this took the form of a postal vote, the winner of which was announced the following week. In the BBC revival the result was decided by a telephone vote. In both versions the studio audience reaction to each act was measured by a "clapometer", but this did not count towards the final result.

Although Opportunity Knocks did produce a number of talented acts, the method of putting the contest to a public vote did sometimes result in victories for novelty acts, in particular those involving children or animals. On one notorious occasion the young Su Pollard was beaten into second place by a singing dog.

Entertainers who appeared included Mary Hopkin, Bonnie Langford, Les Dawson, Little and Large, Bobby Crush, Berni Flint, Peters and Lee, Lena Zavaroni, Frank Carson, Max Boyce, Pam Ayres, Tony Monopoly, Freddie Starr and Freddie Davies.

Bob Monkhouse presented the programme on BBC1 from 1987 to 1989, during which time it was called Bob Says Opportunity Knocks. A further series followed in 1990 fronted by Les Dawson. The theme song for the BBC version was Star by Kiki Dee.

Today, most of the elements of this show are visible on the American program America's Got Talent, which was created by British talent manager Simon Cowell. The method of deciding a winner by telephone is used on that show, American Idol, and many other similar programs in the U.S. and around the world.

This television program-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.