The Krypton Factor (1983)

A 'Great Britons' Special!
Hosted by Gordon Burns.
with the voice of Charles Foster.
Contestants - Julie Tullis, Richard Crane,
Liz Hobbs & Peter Bird.
A Granada Television Production.

[@philnewton-england7795]

This was my number one go-to quiz show.......until The Crystal Maze came along in 1990 !!!!!

[@WhatALoadOfTosca]

Back when TV specials had genuinely talented and remarkable people on them... rather than "celebrities"

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Exactly.

[@MrDunkiep]

Well said. Celebrity editions of attic shows every week now with dumbed down questions.

[@dvknig252]

Yep, being thick gets you ahead now

[@glencampbell8668]

Happiest times of growing up in the 80s school the next day

[@Voxac100b]

The musics great for this episode. It's also nice to see a good spirit amongst the four contestants, Gordon Burns topman great host,

[@muhammadalieesaa3379]

Voxac100b Gordon Burns is a Krypton Factor legend.

[@vinaymulukutla358]

My Dad used to watch this show religiously and wouldn't take his eyes off the TV. It fascinated him. I now understand why given that he himself was a keen sportsman and must have liked seeing the way the contestants would handle the challenges presented. I always felt that Gordon Burns and Glenn Tipton (guitarist and principal songwriter of British heavy metal icons Judas Priest) resembled each other somewhat.

[@ratsochicknlove]

You're right, they do look alike. I love Judas Priest!

[@vinaymulukutla358]

@@ratsochicknlove They're my favourite band of all time. So when I saw Glenn Tipton for the first time, especially photos of him in the 80's, the resemblance was striking.

[@ratsochicknlove]

They look like they could be related!

[@K-o-R]

That first round made my brain hurt.

[@richardhough3265]

You were not alone lol.. mine too !

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

Still trying to work out the Maggie question!

[@mark-andrews]

Doing that 1st round, 40-years later, the answers were simple general knowledge, but the tautology and word play, yeah as an 8-Yo that would have beaten me, but yeah after the example, so easy- pay attention!

[@ClydeRowing]

It did not make my brain hurt unless I wasn't not listening

[@rajnirvan3336]

Memories of Monday night when TV was great and different shows each day. Remember when Ross King done a version for kids called Young Krypton exactly the same way as this

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

They need to bring this back and certain other old shows like Going for Gold. That was fantastic.

[@Aerojet01]

@@TheFakeyCakeMaker I agree. Timeless. I would like to see the return of Block Busters.

[@thomasdambiec8783]

I wish the young krypton at the same music and titles

[@emward6858]

As a kid I used to enjoy watching this programme

[@RhythmEmotions]

Loved this show

[@lauramolony]

This show blazed a trail decades before Ninja Warrior and Wipeout!

[@Squab1972]

Great memories thank you for sharing

[@patrickstocks3986]

That was the time that I was born

[@muhammadalieesaa3379]

Patrick Stocks I was born in 1980.

[@michaelbitofallsortschanne7996]

awsome quiz show

[@AllenJeremy]

In the late 1980s Richard hosted a children's game show called Survival Challenge for the BBC that ran for 2 series.

[@GeorgeASFTHM]

The Intelligence round reminds me of a Sudoku puzzle. Great that it reminds us which year it was from!

[@fionag.3621]

Aiiii, nothing like watching this on New Year's Day to make one feel super flabby & thick...

[@drsteele]

Julie Tullis died on K2 in 1986 and Peter Bird was lost in the Pacific in 1996.

[@phillipbonner9944]

Very sad to hear this news

[@fionag.3621]

QuincyMD Very sorry to hear that news.

[@theivhorsemen-urbanexplora1070]

Ah this is horrible news. I was working out how old they'd be now when this popped up and when I saw your comment I was saddened.

[@marksawyer3876]

@@theivhorsemen-urbanexplora1070 yes so was I :(

[@TheFakeyCakeMaker]

:-( how sad to learn.

[@amybruton7053]

His commentary is hilarious love it

[@vhssnippets1799]

Broadcast on ITV 19th December 1983

[@geometron3646]

Can you imagine Joe Biden as a contestant on this?

[@Aperegrine90]

Let alone Trump! He wouldn’t even find his way to the studio. No idea why the US has such a failed political system.

[@Tonystony1984]

Didn't know the show went that far back 😎👍

[@80sandretrogubbins25]

Started in the 70s.

[@ABCDEF-yf4yu]

Julie Tullis died nearly three years later in an accident descending the K2 mountain in the Himalayas on August 7, 1986.

[@natm7932]

That's really sad

[@CARLIN4737]

magic

[@darren2514fv]

Could have been shown on either 19th December 1983 or Tuesday 27th December 1983 If the latter could be the only time that The Krypton Factor was shown on a Tuesday

[@elainethomas7291]

The obstacle course looks a bit tame now compared to Tough Mudder 🙈

[@antster1983]

Would this be the episode listed as the "Explorers Special" on Wikipedia? If so, this would have been first TX on 19th December 1983.

[@Nigel_The_Crab]

Did one of them run the Himalayas?

[@Nickrj3]

Round 2 reminds me of the eliminator on American gladiators.

[@dvidclapperton]

The women usually ended up with 2 points and 4 points on the Assault course round more often than not even though they started well ahead of the men.

[@vinniex3098]

Anybody remember the oldest ever contestant. I think he was a GP called Malcolm aged either 60 or 70…though I’m not sure because it was around 30-40 years ago!

[@antonspivack3928]

1983 KF? All right!

[@retroflashbackdude]

I think the trick to the intelligence puzzle was to work it out like a sudoku puzzle.

[@LIVERNIL723]

Monday's 7 o clock!

[@muhammadalieesaa3379]

LIVERNIL753 & Coronation Street always used to come on after.

[@AllenJeremy]

@@muhammadalieesaa3379 The first series aired on Wednesdays at 7pm, series 2 & 3 aired on Fridays at 7pm & from series 4 onwards it was on Mondays at 7pm

[@MrDunkiep]

Scouts started at 7.30. I used to run like hell as soon as the closing titles started!

[@dvidclapperton]

No advert break in the middle. Unusual for a programme on ITV.

[@ACNC1]

Nevermind the buzzcocks 18:12 bit

[@bridgethighwood]

Has anyone got any idea if K Factor 1976-80 are accessible anywhere ?

[@AllenJeremy]

bridgethighwood The Krypton Factor began in 1977 not 1976.

[@muhammadalieesaa3379]

bridgethighwood Yeah I been searching KZbin for the full episode of 1977 Krypton Factor.

[@bryanhiggins1995]

There's a full episode from the 1977 series on my channel.

[@AllenJeremy]

The full series from 1978 is on KZbin along with a 1979 edition & a couple of editions from 1982.

[@John-yf7iy]

How come Harry Enfield, Fry & Laurie, Smith & Jones, NTNON, and so forth, never parodied this show, especially the physical challenge (or "assault course", if you prefer that obnoxious misnomer, because there are no assaults taking place on the course). Surely it's ripe for parody.

[@veter953]

I think Fry & Laurie made their statement in this bit: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZyadYNmd9R9pZo

[@gwishart]

Armstrong & Miller did a pretty good parody: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIibaq1tmrdkepo

[@dvidclapperton]

A tough round the observation round trying to correctly answer the questions Gordon Burns asked the contestants trying to memorise everything from the clip. I could never get any of them right. You had to be capable of appearing on the show to be able to answer all of them correctly. Remembering that the colour of a certain background had suddenly changed or something suddenly missing that was there earlier in the clip, remember the telephone number on the board when he gave a multiple choice of 3. The whole show waa akin to University Challenge and Mastermind. Then there was the identity parade trying to memorise who appeared on the clip. That was near impossible just after havlng had to answer all those queations.

[@ChrisATV301]

Can you get any KF from 1979-1982 ?

[@AllenJeremy]

There is an edition from 1979 & 2 editions from 1982 here on KZbin.

[@rajnirvan3336]

Were those Adidas originals tracksuits

[@ChrisATV301]

Any KF from 1980-1982 ??

[@Rlotpir1972]

ChrisATV301 There was an 1981 US version starring Dick Clark aired Thursday nights on ABC.

[@kaitlinbilous4605]

Not that I know of but @bryan higgins has 2 full episodes from 1977

[@AllenJeremy]

There are 2 editions from 1982 here on KZbin.

[@rezelkins]

gosh i was 12.. hated it as i knew ide got o bed before dreadful skool

[@brendandarkside1207]

Winner gets to be prime minister

[@detectiveh7399]

Benjamin Franklin 🤣

[@d8456]

Now days we have tough mudda

[@patrickstocks3986]

Did Liz kiss Richard at 26:12?

[@antonspivack3928]

I was confused by #9 in Mental Agility, "don't choose unless Steve Cram came in front of the man in front of the man in third place." though I got all four. Since Cram won the 1983 World Championship, does that mean don't choose unless Cram won? And in GK the round is only about 83 seconds and the answers aren't linked to the questions like usual. Also when Gordon read "Denver Boot" it sounded like "Denver Boat."

[@ASProductionsLLC]

That was the mile race held in Crystal Palace in 1983, which Cram won. So again I think test #9 should have been corrected.

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

Nowadays "hetes susan a 21 year old activist who spends 23 hour a day voicing their displeasure on twitter" 😂

[@dementednun1175]

The host let a lot of wrong but close answer pass.

[@BenjaminAshmead]

i didn't see gene simmons in that clip

[@claregrant2280]

Not that gene simmons. One of the womens name is jean simmons. Why would the kiss singer be in a sitcom ffs

[@BenjaminAshmead]

@@claregrant2280 it was a joke mate

[@angstBali]

An utterly shit show. Julie Tullis had not climbed K2 when she was on this show although she made it to the top eventually. She spent 3 days in the Death Zone and died while holed up in Camp IV to sit out a storm. She had already slipped and fallen and had probably suffered a head injury so would have been very prone to a HACE (pardon the spelling).

[@stephen2583]

Coming to the 6 foot wall ?? bloody hell, how tall was she, it was up to her waist.