Talking Pictures TV has announced they will be airing another repeat run of the classic Southern TV game show Runaround. This follows the recent airing of the Christmas episode during the festive period.
What is Runaround?
Based on an American format and produced by Southern Television between 1975 and 1981, it was broadcast on ITV. Runaround ran for twelve series and included Mike Reid, Stan Boardman, and Leslie Crowther as hosts at various times. Christine Webber announces prizes offscreen, while Tim Edmunds later joins the series onscreen as a Richard Osman style moderator.
As with a lot of series from this period, there are episodes missing. 103 were made, but only around 33 survive. Most, if not all, of these episodes come from the Mike Reid eras. An extract from another era has been seen via Talking Pictures‘ The Footage Detectives series.
How Does Runaround Work?
Mike Read asks a question with three possible answers. A group of children then run to the answer of their choice. They are given the chance to change their answer when Mike yells “Runaround now!” Inbetween rounds, a special guest appears to demonstrate a subject of interest; This can range from falconry to classic cars and silhouette drawing. There are also occasionally music guests.
Watch out for the earliest surviving episode, which features exhibits from what would become known as the Great Dorset Steam Fair. Also the moment where Read is intimidated by an inflatable dinosaur. Lastly, anytime Edmunds buzzes Reid for an incorrect pronunciation. ‘eadache!
How to Watch Runaround
Existing episodes of the show have previously aired on the channel over the last four years, and are available to watch via TPTV Encore.
The show will air just before Talking Pictures’ Saturday Morning Pictures strand, which has been a fixture on the channel since 2021. It has featured a number of classic kids shows, movies and serials including Larry the Lamb, The Cisco Kid, The Adventures of Robin Hood and Cup Fever.
Talking Pictures TV is available free-to-air on Freeview and Freesat in the UK. Its channel allocation is 82 for Freeview and 306 for Freesat. It is also available on subscription platforms, channel 328 on Sky Digital and 445 on Virgin. The channel is dedicated to vintage film and television, often highlighting forgotten treasures and classics.
