The format, which ran for 19 years on BBC One, has been revived by Channel 5. Keith Chegwin, already a veteran of knockabout shows like Cheggers Plays Pop, has taken over from legendary presenter Stuart Hall.

The original show, in which members of the public battled it out dressed as giants, penguins and damsels in distress, became a staple of Friday night viewing.

Contestants diced with danger in the original

At its peak the BBC show attracted an impressive audience of 19m. The Corporation finally pulled the plug on the show in 1982.

Channel 5 director Dawn Airey says the show's return is "a good excuse for the family to have a laugh at the misfortune of others".

Others misfortune was always a key element in the original BBC show.

Audiences were treated to a weekly feast of falls as teams form across the UK competed in a host of outlandish, often hazardous, events.

Channel 5 has said its version brings It's A Knockout "bang up to date without losing the well-loved elements that made it such a popular show for all the family in the 1970s".

Eddie Waring: the distinguished face of It's A Knockout

One of those "well-loved elements" being retained is the show's theme tune. Channel 5 have decided to stick with Beanbag, Herb Alpert's Tijauna Brass easy-listening classic, which became synoymous with show.

It's A Knockout made household names of Stuart Hall and commentator Eddie Warring, who died in 1986. In the absence of this star duo Channel 5 have line-up a new team.

Former boxing champ Frank Bruno, more familar with knockouts than many, is giving Keith Chegwin a hand keeping the contestants in order.

The pair are joined by children's TV prsenter Lucy Alexander and glamour model Nell McAndrew.

The idea for the show has its roots in Interville, a French programme which spread across the continent.

It's A Knockout "for the new millennium" - according to Channel 5

It's A Knockout regularly sent winning teams to represent the UK in European-wide competition, Jeux Sans Frontieres.

Channel 5 will be hoping to emulate Interville's success, which is still running on French TV.

Their revival is unlikely to match the audiences for the format in China though. More than 90m people there regularly tune in to a local version of the show.