What is it with game shows and catchphrases

Q. 'You are the weakest link. Goodbye.' What's it all about
A. Short and not so sweet, but it rapidly became a countrywide catchphrase and has now spread to the USA - thanks to Anne Robinson, who thought it up on set in a flash of inspiration.

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Q. Why do game shows need catchphrases
A. Catchphrases help the show's success. They have provided us with decades of entertainment with such unforgettable catchphrases as 'Come on down', 'Points make prizes' and 'I've started so I'll finish . . .' Some presenters have given us more than one: Bruce Forsyth's time as host of the Generation Game seemed to consist almost entirely of catchphrases and running gags: 'Nice to see you . . . to see you, nice', 'Didn't he do well '. The fact that many game show presenters started out as comics or MCs - or both - in music hall, meant that they brought the catchphrase culture so often used on stage to the shows they hosted, both on radio and, later, TV. This, of course, was all in pre-irony days. Many of the hosts of today's 'postmodern' shows smirk furiously as they 'subvert' the genre: 'They think it's all over, it is now . . .' (Nick Hancock on They Think It's All Over); 'I've been Mark Lamarr and . . .' (Never Mind the Buzzcocks); or 'All of which means that today's . . .' (Angus Deaton on Have I Got News For You). But it's all the same thing really.

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Q. Catchphrases aren't confined to game shows, though, are they
A. Bandwaggon was the first British radio show to use catchphrases in a big way. The show was on at the same time every week so phrases could be repeated until they caught on. The first of these appeared in the very first show, when Arthur Askey said 'Big hearted Arthur, that's me,' a phrase he had been using on stage for some years. Another early catchphrase was 'Hello playmates.' Others included 'Ah happy days', 'Light the blue touchpaper and retire immediately', 'You silly little man' and 'Ay thang yew' - a pronunciation which Askey had picked up from London bus conductors - one many people still use today.

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However, the list is endless, and our capacity to take on new catchphrases doesn't diminish. In recent years The Fast Show ('Brilliant!' 'I'll get me coat', etc.), Ali G ('Booyakasha'), The League of Gentlemen ('This is a local shop for local people') are examples of comedies that have caught the public's attention. And advertising is another rich vein to be tapped: think of the unwittingly hammy Ferrero-Rocher adverts ('Ze ambassador is really spoiling us . . .'), for instance.

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Find out more about Phrases & Sayings here

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By Simon Smith