By Emma Morley

Published at 21:36, Wednesday, 08 October 2008

Known as the game show that encouraged couples to be nice to each other, the television show Mr & Mrs was hosted by Brampton’s very own Derek Batey.

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At the age of nine, Derek bought his first ventriloquist doll and performed in local village concerts and at charity events.

While it looked like he was heading for a career in entertainment, his dad thought he should learn a trade, so he started working for an accountancy firm in Carlisle until he moved into radio and then television, joining Border Television as a presenter and interviewer in September 1961.

It was in 1966/7 that Derek, now head of production at the TV station, saw the format for Mr & Mrs, which had been devised by Roy Ward Dickson, inventor of games and quizzes for television and radio.

He decided to run it for 13 weeks.

At first, it was aired on Border only, but Mr & Mrs was taken to the whole ITV network in 1973.

On the show couples were separately asked three multiple choice questions on their knowledge of their partner’s everyday habits. At the same time, the other half sat in a soundproof booth listening to music through big headphones.

If a couple got six out of six correct answers they won the jackpot prize, which rolled over by £10 with each unsuccessful couple.

Everyone who appeared on the show received a carriage clock.

Some of the early editions of the show were filmed on location in Dumfries, Langholm and Gretna Green, but when it started its network run, it was recorded at Tyne Tees Television’s studios in Newcastle.

Mr & Mrs regularly attracted nine million viewers from its first nationwide airing until it was cancelled by ITV in 1988.

It was revived briefly for a satellite channel in 1994 and ITV screened a 1999 version hosted by Julian Clary – but it was dropped after two shows.

n Don’t miss the Live the Dream Wedding Event’s own competition – Knowing Me, Knowing You – featuring the three finalists of the wedding ring competition in the Patterson Suite at 4pm.

Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk