Double Your Money

Double Your Money began on British television in 1955, before that, its host Hughie Green had presented the show on Radio Luxembourg. Contestants on the show can win a top cash prize of £1,000 and they are given a choice of 42 subjects from which to choose their questions. The subjects for the questions include: football, opera, philately, geography, ballet and films and for each correct answer given by the contestant, their money doubles.

The questions begin at £1 and double with each successive correct answer up to a maximum of £32. However, if a contestant gives a wrong answer, they forfeit everything they have won thus far. With this in mind, you can say that like Party Poker tourneys and other card based contests, luck plays a key role in the contestants' chances of winning. The most successful contestants have the chance to enter the 'Treasure Trail', with possible winnings of up to £1,000. The qualifying contestants enter a sound-proof booth and put on headphones to enable them to hear the questions read by Hughie Green who is outside with his microphone linked to the booth.

The first-ever contestant to enter the sound-proof isolation booth, a Mr Plantagenet Fry, emerged as something of a celebrity. Plantagenet Fry, an Oxford post-graduate, became so popular and attracted so much media interest at the time that a fellow student acted as his press-officer. Fry did not win the £1,000, but instead decided not to risk the money already won, and stopped at £512, in today's money (2006) Fry's winnings would still have been worth about £8,000.

Double Your Money was devised by John Beard and this television version began in 1955 on Associated-Rediffusion, the London weekday broadcaster, a few days after the fledgling Independent Television (ITV) started regular scheduled programming. The show was made by Arlington Television & Radio Limited for Associated-Rediffusion (from 1964 after a name change by Rediffusion, London). The show was taken off the air in 1968 when Associated-Rediffusion lost its franchise. At the time the show was axed Double Your Money was still enjoying very good viewing figures.

The hostesses on the show include, Nancy Roberts, Julie De Marco, Valerie Drew, Jean Clarke and Sabrina (Norma Sykes). Hughie Green also brought back former contestants to act as hostesses, Alice Earrey was a 77 year-old charlady and Monica Rose, a junior accounts clerk. Monica would go on to become a hostess on Hughie Green's Yorkshire Television quiz show The Sky's the Limit, (1971-1974).

From 1955 until 1956, Alec Leader is the show's resident organist, followed by Robin Richmond and Jackie Brown respectively. The show's original theme music We're in the Money played by the resident organist, was composed by Ted Lewis and is from the film Gold Diggers of 1933. Later series' of Double Your Money open with a different theme, sung by a group of singers "Double Your Money and try to get rich, Double Your Money without any hitch, Double Your Money it's your lucky day, Double Your Money and take it away".