Very-much a tongue in cheek game show, The Masterspy starred the late actor William Franklyn, who arguably became most-famous for appearing in a series of adverts for Schweppes, and Jenny Lee Wright, who took part in various editions of The Benny Hill Show for Thames TV.

The idea of the series, which was devised and produced by Ronnie Taylor, and came to a premature end when he sadly died, was for various contestants to compete with each other, using various spy techniques, to track down the 'Villain'.

As with most quiz and game shows of the time, winners of The Masterspy did not walk away with huge cash prizes. Oh no, instead they were given the chance to choose one of the props from the set such as a black & white portable TV, radio cassette player or a pocket calculator. Imagine TV shows in this modern Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? world getting away with offering such prizes now!

Paul: Peter, can you please tell me how you actually came to appear as a contestant on The Masterspy?

Peter: I had watched the show regularly with my wife and children and decided to apply and see if I could take part. Much to my surprise, I got a reply saying my application had been accepted, together with a contestant’s pack, which I had to swot up on for the programme. The pack included a detailed map of London, and I had to memorise various landmarks, street names and buildings of the capital. These were all relevant for the edition of the show that I eventually took part in.

Paul: In which year did you make your appearance on The Masterspy?

Peter: I went to the ATV Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, to record the show in, I think, 1978 and the show was broadcast later that same year.

Paul: Were there any celebrity guests taking part in the edition you appeared on?

Peter: Yes, the guest star on my show was a highly made up Dickie Davies who tried to pretend to be an Arab Sheik, but I identified him in a split second by his voice!

Paul: The ATV Centre at Borehamwood was a very busy complex during the late Seventies, do you recall seeing any other celebrities at the studios when you were there?

Peter: Yes, I remember seeing Bob Monkhouse.

Paul: What are your strongest abiding memories of appearing on The Masterspy?

Peter: I recall just how professional all the production staff were on the series. We were handled so well from the second we arrived at the studios to the moment we went on to the set.

I also remember that they took all of us into a make-up room and informed us that we were going to have a 'dry run' and that we shouldn’t be nervous. Little did we know that it was not a rehearsal - but the real thing!

I really enjoyed appearing on the show and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

My special thanks go to Peter Wilson for taking part in this interview.

I would also like to thank Adrian Huckfield for assisting me with the video captures from the opening title sequence The Masterspy.

Feature: © Paul Burton 2009

To visit my unofficial website which is dedicated to ATV's years in Borehamwood (ATV Borehamwood), please click onto the link above right.