CLASSIC 80s BRITISH TV - The Adventure Game 1986 - season 4 episode 1

The Adventure Game is a game show that was originally broadcast on UK television channels BBC1 and BBC2 between 24 May 1980 and 18 February 1986.

[@richardprice7763]

As a kid I used to be genuinely scared of the final game with the Vortex!

[@dalemint5768]

Glad it wasn't just me that feared the Vortex

[@johnmc3862]

Yes I think it was the sound(s).!

[@EVERTONFC.]

Me too ace isn't it.

[@markt1387]

Yep, as a young kid I used to think any celeb zapped by the vortex had been genuinely obliterated in real life forever 😂

[@barneschitown]

@@markt1387 yeah i was always troubled by where they went. haha

[@charlesuk5358]

Ahh,, this show, plus Knightmare and the great egg race and for the adults the Krypton factor. good days.

[@pete276]

crystal maze

[@thebrowns5337]

our CDT teachers with support of the PTA ran a greay egg race in the evening at school a couple of years running. Parents and kids got to make things using school tools and materials and compete. Awesome fun.

[@charlesuk5358]

@@thebrowns5337 That sounds amazing fun( and educational too)

[@PhyzzFizz]

@@thebrowns5337we did that too, in middle school, it was great fun, amazing how fast rubber band powered machines will go :)

[@lindaorr1805]

Most probably the best example of early escape rooms must have been a good time to watch this as a kid

[@jimherbert007]

I absolutely loved this as a kid

[@TheStevenWhiting]

It was. I loved it. I did however always wonder how they got home when they got left in space if they lost :)

[@jimjiminy5836]

Yeah it was cool

[@stainlesssteelfox1]

@@TheStevenWhiting They walked or hitched a ride.

[@8pool449]

Didn’t there used to be a bus stop in space? Or did I make that up? My sister turned the vortex into a board game that we used to play with our other sister- with a book propped up in the middle to hide where the vortex moved to- we used to love it.

[@timdogdawg4099]

The Adventure Game was a groundbreaking children's TV show, the likes of which we will probably never see again, unfortunately. It appealed to kids and adults alike, in a sort of similarity to Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy meets The Crystal Maze! I will always have fond memories of this programme, and so with those, I bid you "Gronda Gronda!" ❤ Thank you uploader 👌

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

thank you and "Gronda Gronda" to you too!

[@TheUluxian]

I actually used to have a Text adventure game of "Hitchhikers" on my old Commodore 64. Played out very much like the PC game these people played, without the animations.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

@@TheUluxian big C64 myself, and Amiga - love my retro gaming - thanks for subscribing too!

[@timdogdawg4099]

@@TheUluxian oldskool, love it! 👊😎

[@skylined5534]

​@@TheUluxian I had the same text based game on the Atari ST (still in the loft with several others including my Atari 2600) and it was a lot of fun!

[@31secondsorthereabouts86]

The original escape rooms. The music was spot on and the humor was perfect. Great 80s entertainment 👌🏻

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Yes I agree. I wish there were shows like this today

[@skylined5534]

​@@rustyjames_shortfilms Same here! I'm just glad you're letting us relive past better days 😊

[@wonderrob3225]

Did you guys see the Richard Ayoade version of Crystal Maze? I also want more creative shows like this.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

@@skylined5534 I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@TinaLouise73]

Use to LOVE watchn this! Back wen tv was worth watchn! Miss the 80s 😐

[@Whalewraith]

I used to watch this with my mum. Good memories. It feels like they refined this and came up with the 'escape room'

[@johnmc3862]

Little did I know as a 6 year old they could easily escape by walking off the set.

[@markylon]

Then they wouldn't get their appearance fee

[@Time2fly.]

Loved this as a kid. Maybe Crystal maze and later escape rooms got some ideas from Adventure game😊

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Totally agree - an early prototype for those shows

[@nodrama7264]

I used to LOVE this show ! Wow what a blast from the past this was 😂😂👏🏻👏🏻

[@gamingtherapy7587]

Same 😁

[@hc3932]

I’ll always remember Moira Stewart doing the wriggle.

[@ewaf88]

I hadnt realised Ian was an accomplished mountaineer. Great show when I was young

[@steveleadbeater8662]

Yes, even in the 80s this was F**king Weird. Probably why I liked it so much, Silly and smart at the same time with an oddball cast of characters and some puzzles and lateral thinking thrown in. Kids Telly in the 70s and 80s was wonderfully mental.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks for your comment. I've added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@IANC4EVER]

Monday night, 6pm, BBC2...loved it so much!

[@derrickmccall3032]

This program was doogy rev a very good program takes me back to my youth

[@lorainebolan1630]

Finally! Every time I talk about this show, I get blank looks from everyone! I'm so glad to see this and a sending this link to everyone I know. Thank you for proving I'm not making this programme up.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

thank you - and thanks also for sharing, much appreciated

[@JD-wn3cc]

I remember occasionally mentioning it to people across the 90s 00s and teens and always got blank looks. Started to think I'd imagined it.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

@@JD-wn3cc I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@HowardChegwyn]

I loved this as a kid. Thanks!

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks for the comment - You're welcome!

[@CasperUK31]

You missed out the second most memorable thing in this show, after the final game, that's them standing at a bus stop in space waiting to be returned home.

[@leearmstrong9763]

What the fuck is going on here

[@CasperUK31]

@@leearmstrong9763 😂😂😂

[@davidfearis7335]

That scene only happens in Series 2

[@jamesstewart7736]

​@@davidfearis7335 I love that you know this 🤣

[@tazzatamania]

Does that only happen if they fail at the endgame?

[@nealc.6927]

I seem to remember back in the late 70s this used to run back-to-back with The Great Egg Race with Professor Heinz Wolff.

[@80sandretrogubbins25]

The Adventure Game only started in 1980. But yes, both staples of an early 80s childhood for sure.

[@nealc.6927]

@@80sandretrogubbins25 That's cool. At 58 I'm getting 'senior moments' already . . . .

[@UKVampy]

Adsolutely fantastic TV from the past. Needs to be remade, also a little like Knighmare.

[@Chironseth1970]

“He used to be an aspidistra but one day he woke up and decided to be a teapot”. Who’d have thought you get people doing the same thing 37 years later?

[@macelven]

👏👏

[@jacklewis100]

His pronouns are tea and her...

[@apocrypha5363]

Do you think people with gender dysphoria didn't exist in the 80s? 🤔

[@chriswaring5565]

WAKING UP AND WANTING TO BE A TEA POT? HAVE THEY BEEN SMOKING WACKEY BACCY OR SOMETHING? GET A PUFF OF THIS MAN FFFFFF! HEY MAN I WANT TO BE A TEA POT

[@Han_Shot_1st]

Awesome !!! Nostalgic!! So so so good. I was a pre-teen watching this during its release schedule. Love it.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks for the comment. I recently added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@hikingwiththeshackletons]

Absolutely loved this show, I used to watch it every week when I was a kid.

[@mrlister2000]

I absolutely loved this programme!

[@TB.....]

All of this happened to me at work last Thursday.

[@mrlister2000]

Roy Kane (Coventry School Caretaker of the year who also won an Evening Telegraph's Pride of Coventry and Warwickshire Community Awards in 2004!). Sheelagh Gilbey (now aged 70) was a former presenter on several BBC children's TV programmes, including Play School, Play Away and Zig Zag. Ian McNaught-Davies was a British television presenter best known for presenting the BBC television series The Computer Programme, Making the Most of the Micro and Micro Live in the 1980s. He was also a mountaineer and alpinist. He was managing director of the British subsidiary of Comshare Inc. he sadly passed away in 2014 aged 84.

[@EddieG1888]

I loved this show, I used to watch it with my dad. Its beyond me why so many people don't even remember it being on the television! And Sheelagh Gilbey was great on "Do It".

[@skylined5534]

Do it! Thank you, I'd forgotten about that! I miss times like these!

[@davechristoffersen6633]

Such a shame that some of the earlier seasons are lost now. I alwaya preferred the first season. Thanks uploader a true timeless gem

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thank you Dave. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@angzukoavatar4845]

A must watch back in the day, totally loved the show

[@Roborron]

I LOVED the Adventure Game so much

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@SpacePlan10]

I watched this show every week but I’m sure the early series had a different set of puzzles each week. These really appealed to me as I was well into text adventures on my zx81 at the time.

[@phrixos2826]

cant believe i seen this, i watched it as a kid, loved the end level, what a blast from the past!

[@whatsupwithpchannel7329]

I loved this show, never missed an episode.

[@jonmortermusic]

One of the best shows to watch as a kid

[@BarryChumbles]

Nice to see the BBC Micro is also available in Arg.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I've added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@kellymarieangeljohnson114]

I remember this show thought it was great back in the day

[@squirrelhughes43]

Fantastic Show, I couldn't wait to get home from school to watch this :)

[@jgmediting7770]

Absolutely loved this show in the 80s.

[@twakka86]

Loved this was also a massive knightmare fan too!

[@EVERTONFC.]

Nightmare was boss.

[@craiggilchrist4223]

Roy was really shafted in this. Being a computer geek i loved Mac.

[@davedogge2280]

loved this show and its' Ian McNaught-Davis from Micro Live.

[@scottyoung2602]

Also the Computer Programme and the Old Man of Hoy live ascent 1967 (he was a keen climber in his youth).

[@safirahmed]

321 crossed with the Adventure Game would be fiendishly difficult.

[@Hbinky]

Ahh, an old BBC computer. Memories.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I had one and sold it - really regret it now!

[@mulletmcnugget]

I have this on DVD, such an awesome show from my childhood. I built my own cardboard Drogma Game too. Loved The Great Egg Race too.

[@EVERTONFC.]

Dvd where mate ? Cheers.

[@mulletmcnugget]

I got it from Amazon, I don't think it's official though.

[@EVERTONFC.]

@@mulletmcnugget giz a copy mate :) (please).

[@markylon]

Drogna!!

[@WifeMamaArtist]

LOVED this show as a kid!!! Thanks for the upload.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks too and you are most welcome!

[@thedarkknight1971]

Oh and the BBC Model B home computer too! Haha, I wanted a Commodore C64, or Sinclair Spectrum, but.. But Dad got me what the schools had (it cost him more though), but, I admit, with what you could do with it, it certainly became a very useful computer! IF anyone remembers a company called Viglen, we got a 'PC-kit' for it that converted the shape of the good old 'Beeb' to a twin front disk drive base unit and separate keyboard unit. Played hundreds of hours of Firebird software 'Elite' space game (the OG to the late trading/fighting/exploration online game 'Elite Dangerous'. It's one hell of a game! 🤔👍 😎🇬🇧

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Yes it's a very iconic machine. I recommend a short BBC TV film called MICRO MEN, which features the BBC machine and how it came to be, you can find the full film on KZbin - It's a trip down memory lane

[@thedarkknight1971]

@@rustyjames_shortfilms Yeah I've seen it. When I got it I also subscribed to a weekly subscription programming mag (for the Spectrum, C16/64, Amstrad CPC, Electron, 'Beeb' and others) that opened teens eyes to 'The world of home computing and programming' - ie, 'Input' (I built up all four complete binders). Had many hours of fun (and frustrations) of typing in the long lists of programs (to find that some failed due to typing errors of either mine or the magazine programmers etc). Ohhhh then were the days! Hahaha 🤔😉👍. 😎🇬🇧

[@davedogge2280]

the cheap dads bought their kid an Acorn Electron lolz

[@thedarkknight1971]

@@davedogge2280 Well, maybe haha, but, actually, the Electron came out before the 'Beeb', and it competed against the Sinclair ZX80/ZX81 and similar...

[@stuartcommon4651]

@@thedarkknight1971 if you're going to do a "well actually", then at least make sure you're actually right 🤔🤦‍♂️ The beeb came out before the electron, which was nothing like a zx81 (or 80). It was same generation as the zx spectrum

[@AllOuttaBubblegum123]

I absolutely loved this when I was a kid. The guy who only spoke backwards, and when the king became a talking plant, lol.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@Wilksey75]

Been looking for a whole episode for ages, Gronda Gronda Rusty😎takes me back😁

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

thank you Wilksey75 - it sure is a blast from the past!

[@ross2595]

Oh wow! I was too young to remember the name of this show, but I loved it! Scared to death of the vortex. Over 37 years later I finally see it again. Thank you for sharing.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

You're welcome Ross - thanks for your kind words much appreciated!

[@Thunderpuddle]

As a kid, I vaguely remembered this and when Crystal Maze started, I swore it was a remark of the same programme.

[@alexwells6876]

I could so imagine Inside No 9 doing an episode like this haha

[@alexangus9966]

I now work in a garden centre and call all aspidistra " your majesty "

[@jimisi7424]

Oh my god! This was pure magic when i was a kid. Drogmas are so more imaginative than im a celebrity stars. You actually needed imagination to make tv back then

[@markorollo.]

im about to jump down the 80's childrens tv rabbit hole aren't..........

[@mistofoles]

Shelagh Gilby - Blimey ! There's a name from the past !

[@pqrstzxerty1296]

2:10 See even in the 80 s people could choose what they want to be, Gronda Gronda wanted to be a teapot.

[@mungomidge1090]

This was shown with The Great Egg Race, what a double billing!

[@Eskatologist]

My dad nearly always watched the six o'clock news over on BBC1 so I very seldom got to see these, I liked the Aspidistra and the bed of nails... I think that was an earlier series though.

[@londonlady227]

Me too but then we got two tv's.

[@briankelly5816]

God i used to love this so much!!! Bring it back please!!!

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@briankelly5816]

@@rustyjames_shortfilms thank you so much

[@lindastone6868]

This, Now Get Out Of That, and The Great Egg Race! Terrific TV!

[@Kiinell]

Wonderful nostalgia. Can't believe how thick the players were on this one. Must have been heavily edited, or the programme would have been hours long.

[@ianskewis3466]

Thanks for posting this. I used to love this as a kid, especially the Vortex Game at the end!

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

You're welcome, yes it's one of my early TV memories too as a kid. Thanks for your comments

[@scottw.3258]

Used to love this show. I used to watch it on Monday evenings ( i seem to remember around 5pm - 5:30pm) before heading off to the Cubs.

[@pqrstzxerty1296]

18: 00 on BBC2

[@LittleDoris]

Thank you for this - we LOVED watching this as kids and I think about The Vortex a lot even now!

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

thank you and you are very welcome

[@deathrider7]

I remember this show well as I was always after a BBC micro for my birthday or Christmas. Looking back it looks like a precursor to the Crystal Maze, but less stressful.

[@gmann6269]

Crystal Maze was inspired by Fort Boyard, a French gameshow.

[@andrewtomlinson5237]

I once worked on a TV show with a guy named Mike Sutcliffe who was the lighting designer on Crystal Maze. I asked him why they always seemed to find the most incompetent planks to throw together as a team, and he explained that it was absolutely deliberate. There was an application form, and then an interview, and there was a very narrow margin for entry. Too dumb and you wouldn't make it, too smart and you weren't getting in either. The people they really wanted were big headed yuppie types who thought they were the mutts nuts, but were actually thick as two short planks. These days it would be referred to as something like the Dunning Kruger Sweet Spot. Once in a while they let someone with a brain in so they might have a chance of winning. They would also use yellow lighting on the final ticket game to make the silver tickets appear gold... Mike said that the crew became so good at gauging the contestants that they would be able to say "They'll win..." or "No chance!" after about 5 minutes with them before the show even started shooting.

[@gmann6269]

@@andrewtomlinson5237 The contestants always just seemed like very ordinary, bland middle class people aged 20-40 (but the young 20 somethings always looked a bit old and frumpy for their age - crap hairstyles and big glasses). Hardly any stood out as personalities, there was once this American guy who was a bit of a buffoon. There were never any spiky working class people (no one you might see on Big Brother) and but also there never seemed to be any cocky yuppies like you'd get on The Apprentice. I've seen repeats on Challenge over the years, and bits on KZbin, I'm not just going from distant memories from the early 90s. Some of those games weren't easy though, plus it was probably more stressful if you were actually there rather than just watching it on TV. But the teams often never worked particularly efficiently together, they'd shout useless, distracting things at each other.

[@gmann6269]

@@andrewtomlinson5237 Also, interesting to hear about that trick with the lighting to make the silver tickets look gold, but really there was rarely enough time for them to do anything but randomly grab whatever they could and shove it into the box.

[@mysticalmisty9772]

Omg I used to love this as a kid 😊 Thank for the nostalgia moment..

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

You're welcome and thanks too for your kind words

[@ColinJarrett]

Thanks for the post. I have fond memories of this show. Fear the Vortex!

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

thank you are you are very welcome!

[@Fifury161]

Loved this - thanks for the memories!

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

You're welcome!

[@jamestastic70]

I so loved this . Memories

[@colmhauser9532]

Wow, what a welcome surprise. I haven't seen this since it was on and completely forgot it existed. Nice one.

[@stevenwalters774]

Thank you. I have fond memories of this show

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

You're welcome Steven

[@meisterlymanu5214]

those 2 aliens though...the trauma. The vortex . The tension. The wait for bloody swap shop to come on...

[@sambrown9494]

Aww no intro music? Carulli duo in G rondo for anyone interested. It's rather lovely.

[@daveydave1940]

This and Knightmare were the two best back in the day, oh, and a nod to the Crystal Maze 😊😉🥰

[@dougie1968]

I didn't know Emma Raducanu was in the show and Ringo Starr voiced the computer. 😆

[@MrsGypsumFantastic]

I just spent ages trying to Google if that was Ringo and couldn’t find out. Thank you for confirming 👍

[@joannefalkinder393]

Forgot all about this. Thanks 👍

[@BitsBytesBobs]

I had a crazy crush as a teenager on the girl presenting. I remember the older guy too from BBC computer series.

[@YorkshireBusGuy]

They missed a trick not putting GARDON instead of GARDEN

[@bricksontoast8568]

absolutely loved this as a child. The Vortex was amazing and scared the hell out of me. Watched this alongside Monkey and Knightmare

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@noelht1]

This was ace. I remember it vividly in my memory from all those years ago

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks for your comment. I've uploaded another video dif you'd like to check it out

[@davidfearis7335]

My Favourite Games here were The Drogna Game, The Computer Maze, The Crystal Mine Of ARG & The Vortex

[@kidsgrove-spider8405]

This was brilliant as a kid. Ross kemp has a similar show out and I ended up here

[@Helsingfors]

I can't stop laughing when His Highness talks...... XDXDXDXD

[@Helsingfors]

Okay, so after watching this a million times, I've just realised His Highness is a teapot!

[@brianjohnson5063]

My childhood tv and the one that talks backwards.

[@happinesstan]

I used to love this show.

[@2323fifi]

Bloody LOVED this show

[@mistofoles]

I'm sure I've seen that Chinese girl before somewhere - I think she was also one of the presenters on YOU AND ME, and she played a nurse in ANGELS.

[@tracysmith-yv5lt]

thanks for sharing used to love this show the vortex

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

You're welcome Tracy. Glad you like the video. Thanks for your kind words

[@winstonchurchill6506]

19 years old at the time forgot all about this cheers

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks. I've just added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@Paul.Arnold]

I loved the end game vortex, thanks for uploading

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

you're very welcome - glad you like it!

[@recklessroges]

"How many gronders round the pond?"

[@queeg6473]

The Vortex. I had a recuring nightmare with that part. It went on everynight for Y E A R S. it terrified me. I was only 8 years old....

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

That was about the age I watched it for the first time too, on a small black abd white TV. I believe it was on late at night

[@Pizzpott]

This was brilliant, I remember watching these and it paved the way for the inferior 'Crystal maze'

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

I've added another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@SimonGoldberger]

I Loved this as a kid also, thanks

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

thank you Simon

[@ianoliver3879]

Heck! I've forgotten most of this. Thank you.

[@ianoliver3879]

Got any more?

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

@@ianoliver3879 thanks for the comment! Sorry, no more at the moment

[@ianoliver3879]

@@rustyjames_shortfilms Many thanks, anyway. I gave away all my tapes a thousand years ago. Cheers.

[@thedarkknight1971]

The shit we used to watch as kids eh? hahaha Oh the memories.... 🤔🤔🤔😏 😎🇬🇧

[@MorganJustGames]

I watched this last night. I thought I recognised the Programme, but I don't think I ever saw it. Mind is a blur. But enjoyed it. Was a bit like Crystal Maze with a hint of Knightmare.

[@gibbonduder182]

But before both.

[@selbalamir]

I was a kid when I used to watch this. I had no idea it was so genuinely bonkers.

[@rustyjames_shortfilms]

Thanks for your comment. I've uploaded another episode if you'd like to check it out

[@bobbybates2614]

I used to watch this show

[@elvisburgerking8675]

the days wen acting used to be closer to " improvising according " than acting.