Alright, it’s Schlag den Star this Saturday (join us in the Discord), and Password finally begins next Saturday on the 31st – we’ll have a Show Discussion post up, and you can read a recording report from all the way from June 2023 in the meantime if you want).
However recently on Youtube I came across not one, not two, but THREE episodes of 1980s… how would you describe it? Pro-celebrity motoring vehicle challenge show Driving Force, an annual event hosted by Mike Smith assisted by Stirling Moss and Murray Walker. I vaguely remember it for it’s trials segments, where you try and get an old car up up a hill course between flags but by and large lots of the events are quite inventive and fun.
The first one was from 1984 and features a gamut of 1984 celebrities competing – Rowan Atkinson! Anneka Rice! Nigel Mansell! Murray Walker not being very good but having a great time! And they do things like tank racing, digging and filling a ditch, rallying, artic truck reversing and of course the thrilling finale: tyre changing. It’s all rather jolly.
The next ep from 1987 is probably the weakest of the three in terms of events and celebs although does feature a more fun tank driving course and Gary Wilmot, and quite a fun blindfold driving event.
1989 is the best one of the lot, it’s set on Jersey and has the most fun 80s celebs (Barry McGuigan from boxing! Mark King from Level 42! Kathy Tayler from TV-am! Unfortunate disgraced celeb Philip Schofield!) has an excellent finale where not only do they have to change a tyre, but then pick a one of four different vehicles to make it across the causeway before the tide gets in and makes everything more difficult. Can be summed up with “Jonathan Palmer took his helicopter out last night to have a look at the course, but we got wind of it so we changed it.”
All rather good fun, and it’s quite sad that the none-more-80s-genre of “people racing around vehicles that you’ve never heard of” that things like this and Run The Gauntlet just sort of stopped around 1991. What the hell is a Hydrodisc (28 minutes in here)?
Oh wow, Combat with Emelyn Hughes, a bit like what if the Army had to do a The Challenge Final but in 1990, and five minutes in we’ve discovered the relationship status of all the soldiers, for some reason.
https://youtu.be/MeHZ5qVc4fM?si=f5qehanEl4RIZ8m8
This is hysterically unfollowable. Some stuff happens and then someone is declared the winner. 9 year old me loved it though.
Thanks for this, Brig – kept my petrolhead amused last night (we were both born in the 90s, so missed all this first time round). Seeing Stirling Moss clamber on a tank to interview Murray Walker was a hell of a sight. We found a couple of other Driving Force episodes on YouTube – a ‘Down Under’ edition from 1990 that featured no celebs we’d heard of, and a 1986 edition with a fresh-faced Martin Brundle.
It’s striking to see how no-nonsense, down-to-business it is, presentationally. Today we’d have endless VTs telling us about the celebs’ driving past and probably some charity jackpot at the end. I can imagine it as a glorified ad for some funky EV brand on Sky with loads of product placement, perhaps? Can’t imagine any of the current crop of F1 drivers bothering to lend their time to it these days, but Jenson Button and Damon Hill might be game.
Ooh there’s more? Brilliant!
It kind of feels amazing that so much effort goes into them given they’re a once-a-year 50 minute show, I can’t imagine anyone having a budget for it these days.