Double Your Money
1 9 5 5 - 1 9 6 8 (UK)
 Canadian
ex-pilot Hughie Green brought this show to TV from Radio Luxembourg in
1955. Contestants chose from 42 available subjects and doubled their
money every time they answered correctly.
This ultimately lead the winning contestant to the soundproof booth
for a chance at the 'Treasure Trail prize' of £1000.
Green (who went on to greater fame with Opportunity Knocks)
demonstrated his over-the-top showmanship as he clowned around, told
corny jokes and poked fun at the contestants.
A number of hostesses worked on Double Your Money, including
leggy 18-year-old Valerie Drew, Jean Clarke (who was famous for wiggling
her bottom), Alice Earrey (a 77-year-old former charlady who had
originally appeared as a contestant answering questions on cookery),
Nancy Roberts, Barbara Roscoe, Julie de Marco, Norma Sykes (the famous
40-inch chested 'Sabrina') and chirpy cockney teenager Monica
Rose.
Robin
Richmond and later Jackie Brown were the show's resident organists.
 Probably the most famous contestant was young footballer Bobby
Charlton, who won £1,000 with questions on pop music although he
flouted the rules by refusing to go in the soundproof glass box to
answer the jackpot question.
When the show was axed in 1968 Hughie Green was characteristically
bitter:
"For thirteen years we have been consistently in the Top Ten. My
only crime, apparently, is I have been popular for a long time. They say
they want more culture and that Double Your Money is too trivial.
But do people really want more culture? I very much doubt it".
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