'Don't laugh and you'll win a top prize'; South Shields woman's TV challenge
Margaret Fleck was given a task with a definite difference when she appeared on a comedy show.
The South Shields woman was one of the contestants in a 1980s show called Make Me Laugh.
Don’t laugh and you win a top prize
It was a pretty simple concept. The show host was Bernie Winters and he had to get his guests to lose by getting them to crack a smile.
The short-lived Tyne Tees game show was on the air in 1983 and Margaret found herself in the show’s hot seat.
Margaret worked as a nurse in the South Shields district at the time but her job that day was to watch a barrage of gags and stunts from Bernie.
No giggles, smiles or smirks
She couldn’t ‘giggle, smile or smirk’ if she wanted to scoop a top prize.
We want to know how she did and if you remember the show.
Let’s give you some more reminders of life on South Tyneside back then.
If you wanted more laughs, Roy Chubby Brown was the headline act at a ‘boys night’ at Boulevard that year.
Also on in 1983
Tickets were £1 but they were in limited supply.
If you preferred to keep yourself busy, there was plenty to recommend for the keen worker.
Mackays DIY superstore in Frederick Street was selling two-tone corner baths for £150.
Share your memories of the early 1980s and the entertainment you enjoyed back then.
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