No, I did some research on this last years after reading this on a TAG website.

it seems that all episodes exsist, most are in the national film & television archive


>I heard recently a rumour that the BBC for some reason or another had junked most of the first three series of 'The Adventure Game' and only had in it's archives 'selected' episodes from the 4th and final series? Can anyone confirm this - if they were wiped, then I wonder why, as I thought the BBC junking policy had finished in the 70's?????? Also makes me wonder if any other BBC programmes from the early/mid eighties were wiped?
>

>it seems that all episodes exsist, most are in the national film & television archive

That's good news, because I live in hope of one day confirming that what was called "the vortex" in later episodes was known as "the evaporator" in the first series, at least.

"I live in hope of one day confirming that what was called "the vortex" in later episodes was known as "the evaporator" in the first series, at least."

I'm pretty definite it was, although it's not something I've given much thought to over the years.

And what the hell do people talk about in the forum of the TAG site?

As far as I remember, the vortex, by that or any other name, wasn't in the first season. I'm pretty sure that they just played the drogna game at the end.

I could be wrong on this, but several other people agree with me...

Typical guests on the series, incidentally, included John Craven/John Craven/John Craven/John Craven/John Craven

Ah. Maybe I meant second series then.

(See? I haven't given it that much thought either.)

Yes that's right. They'd start with that game where they had to step across different-coloured shapes, and if they trod on the wrong one a horn sounded. At the end of the game, they had to get back across, but the shapes had been swapped round to make it harder fo them to remember the correct positions. And if they made a mistake going back they got vaporised.

They also had John Craven on once.

Fair enough... it just seemed like he was on every single week...

SERIES ONE (1980)
Presenters: Moira Stuart, Charmian Gradwell, Chris Lever - no vortex game, players go straight into the drogna floor game as mentioned above, then solve two other puzzles, usually left in a room on their own, to earn back the 'crystal' that they need for their time machine. 'Uncle' Rangdo was actually in human form for this series.

SERIES TWO (1981)
Rangdo now an aspidistra. Guests now have to play rubbish BBC micro text adventure ("a small scarlet fish is on the floor") before crossing a water-based puzzle at the start, then solve drogna puzzles and rescue 'the prisoner', Lesley Judd, before facing evaporation in the vortex.

SERIES THREE (1984)
Series now takes the form of a transmission (English Version) from Arg-o-vision. Bill Homewood introduced as Dagnor, the backwards-talking fella. Linear path of the games now goes from right of screen to left and back, instead of the other way round as before. First use of the Dogran and Infra-red cams. Red Salamander now plays against the visitors in the drogna game.

SERIES FOUR (1986)
Charmian Gradwell replaced by Sarah Lam. Rangdo of Arg now a teapot. Drogna game reinstated to first game - pyramid format towards crystal in a sealed globe. Fishing pond game reinstated but with more options. 'How many drogna in the pool?' game (look at the Butler's fingers), and crappy vortex effect now seemingly generated by Acorn instead of BBC Vis FX.

More at http://www.joolsweb.co.uk/tag/index2.htm (some of it inaccurate).

Cheerio

Steve

I do vaguely remember the edition where several of the cast of 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide' took part in TAG, and Arthur Dent and (him who played Ford Prefect on TV but wasn't him in the radio version but then subsequently disappeared into the void and never appeared on TV ever ever again... or did he?) lost on the 'Vortex' game and had to hitch-hike their way home. In space.

I'm sure if I watched this today I'd be disappointed, but the impact on my young mind of that talking plant/teapot was considerable.
They don't seem to make this kind of kid's TV any more.

The bloke who talked backwards was brilliant - what happened to him?

"Doogy rev! Doogy rev!"

I can do a wicked Rangdo impression.

"The bloke who played Ford Prefect in the television version but wasn't him in the radio version or something" was last sighted in an episode of "The Bill" about seven years ago. He played a scruffy bloke who started hitting his own head against the tape recorded when being interviewed by Ted Roach and Tosh Lines. Bob Cryer was sadly not involved.

>I do vaguely remember the edition where several of the cast of 'Hitch-Hiker's Guide' took part in TAG, and Arthur Dent and (him who played Ford Prefect on TV but wasn't him in the radio version but then subsequently disappeared into the void and never appeared on TV ever ever again... or did he?)

David Dixon. He did do a 'space themed' advert for Malibu or something, where he was supposedly an intergalactic sophisticate, havng his hair stroked by beautiful laydeez on a space iceberg/oasis. He's still around, doing the odd Radio 4 play and, as mentioned elsewhere, guest slots on other show. Don't remember this edition of TAG though.

>lost on the 'Vortex' game and had to hitch-hike their way home. In space.

Yes, it should be pointed out that 'evaporation' on the Votrex board meant that you were dispatched to the wastelands of Arg space, and had to hitch-hike home on a passing ship. The last shot of the show was usually of someone like Keith Chegwin CSO'd over a spacefield (carrying a cheese roll) as his fellow companions zoomed by in their spacecraft.

The first series of recent kids' show 'Sub Zero' was based very heavily on TAG, 'cept it was set underground and there wasn't an aspidistra. The rest though, was very clearly influenced (collecting crystals, 'other-worldliness', characters interacting with contestants, geometric-shape-based games, and so on).

Cheerio

Steve

I remember Dr Who assistant Janet Fielding appearing in one of the 1984 episodes...
I also remember that either series one or two had different music to the familiar "zither"-style tune we all know and love. It was a brass band version of Norwegian Dance no.2 by Grieg.

As for the closing bit at the end where Chegwin, or whomever, stood chromakeyed onto a starfield while holding a cheese roll while erstwhile players zoomed past, the space craft was actually a 1930's London Underground train.... Very veird...