Team of 28 needed for Selwyn’s show

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 24

Team of 28 needed for Selwyn’s show

Getting TVl’s “It’s In The Bag” on air takes a great deal of work from a lafge number of people. When the show goes “on the road,” a team of around 28 is needed to ensure the smooth operation of the tour. At each venue two shows are recorded — they are the highlights of a 16 to 18-hour day for the technical, lighting, setting and production crews. With setting up and rehearsals out of the way, a break for a meal is taken and then it is back to the venue for another round of last-minute checks before the audience arrives and contestants are selected. While the technical checks are being done, Selwyn and Tineke are being made-up.

Even someone as experienced as Selwyn gets pre-show nerves. On stage, the cameramen _ are getting nervious too. They check and re-check their cameras, run through their shot lists and fidget, while the floor manager, David Clarke, checks the sets, making sure the post-bag barrel rotates properly and that all the lights on the prize board light up when they should. Finally, the theatre doors are opened and the audience swarms in.

The invitation is then extended to anyone who would like to compete to “come up on stage” for elimination quizzes.

Eliminations are carried out in a simple but effective manner. Selwyn asks a question to which he gives three alternative answers. The contestants who think answer A is correct are asked to stand in a particular place on stage; those Who choose answer B in another; and those who choose answer C in yet another.

There is only one correct answer so the people in the two incorrect groups are thus eliminated.

The process is repeated until the number of contestants is whittled down to around 20. Further “eliminations” are then held to determine a “batting order” — the order in which contestants will compete on the shows. At this point the contestants are led back-stage to have names, addresses and other relevant information recorded so that their yet-to-be-won prizes can be forwarded to them. While this is going on Selwyn is out front going through his warm-up with the audience.

An important part of the warm-up is selecting a member of the audience to come on-stage and ready the bags — in reality wooden boxes — containing an envelope identifying the prize. There are 7 15 bags — 12 major prizes and three booby prizes. The envelopes for each bag are shuffled by the person from the audience and put into the bags in random ordaa.

After the first part of the show is over, the same person is brought back on stage to choose the contestant to go on to “Superbag.”

All the bag numbers that have won prizes are on marbles which are put into a felt bag. The drawer then takes one out and the contestant who earlier chose that bag is

the one who gets a try for “Superbag.” With the prize in the current series being a $25,000 Xibis house, there is no shortage of people wanting to take part.