Ah yes Hughie Green the presenter of OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS who had the most ironic catchphrase " I mean that most sincerely folks " , ironic in the sense that he never did come across as being all that sincere except where politics was concerned .
Politics ? Yes politics , as this documentary shows Mr Green was a bit of a right winger . Witness the recollections of Jeremy Isaacs who mentioned that Green came up with the novel idea of having OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS take place in a different location every week " One week we'll hold it in a circus and the next week we'll hold it in a nuclear missile base " . Thankfully Isaacs saw that politics doesn't really belong in a TV talent contest but this didn't stop Hughie who in one remarkable edition of OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS in 1976 addressed the millions of viewers at home as to how the country of Great Britain would overcome the industrial strife tearing the country apart : " Guts ladies and gentlemen . Guts " . Cut to a massed chorus of brownies , sea scouts and army cadets . It was like something out of the Peter Watkins film Privilege and if this documentary hadn't broadcast this mindblowing clip I would have had great difficulty believing it had actually had taken place but it was and this alone makes THE REAL HUGHIE GREEN worth watching not to mention the only surviving clip where Little and Large are funny where Eddie Large laments " Pity the show wasn't on air during the Falklands war because we could have Hughie saying what Argie ship do you want us to sink next ? You spell The Belgrano B-E-L ... "
A fascinating documentary for all the wrong reasons