It’s a Royal Knock Out

The Grand Knockout Tournament was the brainchild of Prince Edward and marked his first attempt at television production. Whilst the tournament took place on the main lawns of Alton Towers, the amusement park did not feature in the broadcast.

The Grand Tournament was hosted by Lord and Lady Knock of Alton, portrayed by Rowan Atkinson and Barbara Windsor.

Lord and Lady Knock were ably assisted by a commentary team made up of the regular It’s A Knockout commentator, Stuart Hall, alongside Su Pollard and Les Dawson. Paul Daniels and Aled Jones also took part as Timekeeper and Herald respectively

Whilst the tournament was in full swing on the main lawns at the foot of Towers Street, the park continued operating around the games arena.

The celebrities were split into four teams, each led by a junior member of the Royal Family. The tournament bought together an eclectic mix of famous faces from a host of different disciplines. It’s not every day that the likes of John Travolta and Meatloaf find themselves on the same stage as Cliff Richard and Anneka Rice or Gary Lineker and Nigel Mansell.

The teams taking part were as follows:

Prince Edward’s Team

Prince Edward’s Team also featured Nicholas Lyndhurst, Peter Blake and Duncan Goodhew.

Duke of York’s Team

The Duke of York’s Team also featured Griff Rhys Jones, Sharon McPeake and Judy Simpson.

Princess Anne’s Team

Princess Anne’s Team also featured Kevin Kline and Jackie Stewart.

The Duchess of York’s Team

The Duchess of York’s Team also featured Chris de Burgh, Vijay Amritraj and Ben Cross.

If you want to relive one of the more surreal events to take place at the Towers, much of the broadcast can now be found on Youtube:

Charities

The Grand Knockout Tournament was a fundraising event that supported the following charities:

The event raised over £1 million for the charities involved.