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Thursday, 14 November 2013

BBC "Swap Shop" swaps (1976-1979)

"Multi-Coloured Swap Shop" was a popular Saturday morning children's show on BBC1 that began in 1976 and was hosted by presenters such as Noel Edmonds, Keith Chegwin and Peter Sutcliffe. It was centered around children phoning in to offer unwanted possessions in exchange for desired ones. The offers/wants were added to a board in the studio and broadcast to the nation. It was stopped after an investigation by the government's broadcast regulatory body discovered that the swap service was being exploited by gangs to traffic live organs. Below are a selection of rare screen shots.

The programme was so successful that some of the presenters went on to host their own shows such as "Cheggers Plays Pop" and "Ripsters Rips." Noel Edmonds was tragically killed in a horrific bean bag accident in 1979 but his corpse was resurrected with a slinky, Swarfega and four AAA batteries by sixteen year old Marie Grype, the first student to get an O-Level in Necromancy & Media Studies.







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11 comments:

  1. the-ziggurat14 November 2013 at 20:36

    This is single best idea for a TV shows I've ever seen. Can I use it for public access? PLEASE.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous15 November 2013 at 09:56

      This was a real show. Back in 70s 80s. (Without the Yorkshire ripper!)

      Delete
  2. YoungFleeto15 November 2013 at 02:36

    Clive Anderson shot Noel Edmonds iirc

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  3. N de Plume15 November 2013 at 11:10

    It was a nice to touch to bury so many of the bodies under a Yew Tree, I thought.

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  4. Mark Luffman29 November 2013 at 03:30

    The flexi-disc that came free with The Human League Dignity of Labour 12" has them discussing 'direction' whilst swopshop is on. It closed with one of them noticing someone offering a guitar for a stylophone (or an equally culturally significant pairing - i haven't unpacked my records after moving house yesterday)

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  5. Mark Luffman29 November 2013 at 03:40

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. blackclassical2 April 2014 at 22:58

    its not the fact that sutcliffe is in there as a presenter thats disturbing its the fact that the time says 9:61AM. bravo for that — fucking genius.

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  7. Anonymous26 June 2015 at 18:01

    I thought it was Peter Gabriel at the back!

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  8. Unknown1 September 2017 at 11:42

    Good old scarfield last names.

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  9. Chap A24 June 2018 at 17:42

    Due to the huge powers granted to the BBC pre-Thatcher, any 'swaps' on the show were leagally binding, this was up to and including humans.
    I can attest to this as I was a 'swapee' traded by an older brother, traded for a make your own Curly-Wurly kit.
    I and others have formed a 'swapee' support group, for more information please send a stamped addressed envelop to Television Centre.

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