'Television's toughest quiz!' was how Granada's 'The Krypton Factor' was sold to the public. It certainly was one of the longest running, lasting from 1977-95. The objective was to find the person with the 'krypton factor' ( named after the planet 'Krypton' in the 'Superman comics ) - someone possessed of incredible mental agility and physical prowess. Contestants drawn from all walks of life had to solve complicated mental agility puzzles, take part in strenuous runs on obstacle courses, have tested their powers of observation, fit together pieces of plastic to form the letter 'k', and answer interconnected general knowledge questions. It was basically 'Mastermind' with sweat.The same man presented the show for eighteen years, Gordon Burns, and I took to him because he made no attempt to crack lame jokes or hog the limelight from the contestants.I liked the show for another reason - the observation round usually showed clips of movies that were not yet on general release, such as 'Star Wars'. After seeing Luke Skywalker and co. escape from the Death Star in The Millennium Falcon, I lost interest in the quiz, and went to find my Dad's paper to check to see if George Lucas' film was currently playing in the local Odeon. Later on, they replaced the film clips with excerpts from 'Coronation Street' ( thanks, guys ). In the 90's editions, Steve Coogan appeared in sketches that gave no hint whatever of the talent that later spawned 'Alan Partridge'.The physical agility round was harrowing to watch, as you got the feeling the contestants were going through hell running about in track suits, climbing towers, swinging on ropes over pools of dirty water, crawling through concrete pipes etc. I used to pray that my sadistic P.E. teacher - Mr.Welch - never watched the show as I could well imagine him adapting the round for use at my school.The theme tune changed quite a bit over the years too. The one that sticks out in my mind was by 'The Art Of Noise'. Avant-garde but appropriate.Granada dropped the show in 1995, but it returned last year, with Ben Shepherd at the helm. I was generally pleased to find it true to the style of the original, with no attempt made to beef it up with celebrities trying to show off, and studio audiences booing as though they are watching a pantomime. A second season is planned for January 2010. I forgot to mention that the main prize was usually an expensive and beautiful Waterford crystal sculpture. No cash or holidays or cars or anything vulgar like that.

Ooh, now this was good. One of the few shows on ITV at this time that went out in its 30min slot commercial-free. Unlike most of today's trashy TV, this one demonstrated that brains are good.There were six rounds mainly, one of which was observation in which you get to see a short clip of a running drama and asked questions on it. Another one was mental agility in which you are shown something in some sort of grid pattern, asked to memorise it and then asked to navigate around it with tough questions like "what number is to the left of 3?" and going up to stuff like "starting at the bottom right, what is the number in the third up, two right and left one square?"Another round is the Physical round in which everybody gets to run along an army barracks training course. However the best round by far was the simulation round in which contestants could sit in a flight simulator and attempt to land some big powerful airplane. Superb stuff. The logic round was fun too, in which contestants build some obscure and wonderful shape from a load of bits but aren't told which order they go in. Apparently these went on for hours and was all condensed down into three minutes of film for the show. Then followed by a general knowledge quick-fire quiz.As is inevitable, the show was meddled with in later years and introduced some sort of obscure "climbing frame" structure which you went round and, I suppose, try to get out. of it. Not fun to watch. The show went bye-bye shortly after that and was was seen on Challenge although it hasn't been seen on there for a bit either. One of the show's highlights was the little sequence before each round in which the show's K logo morphed into something to do with the upcoming round, you'll know what I mean if you've seen it.A classic show which, up until the meddling of the early 1990s, was very good to watch, not too fast and not too slow. And you could join in with at least three of the rounds at home as well. Worth watching if it comes back to Challenge again. :)