Pick a Box
| Pick a Box | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Bob Dyer |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 900 (approx.) |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | ATN-7 studios, Sydney |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | Macquarie Broadcasting Service, Seven Network |
| First shown in | 1948-1957 |
| Original release | 2 March 1957 – 28 June 1971 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by |
Ford Superquiz (1981 – 1982) |
Pick a Box was one of the first game shows to be broadcast on Australian television. Hosted by the husband and wife team Bob and Dolly Dyer, the program aired on radio from 1948 to 1957 and on television from 1957 to 1971.
Beginning initially as a radio program in 1948 on Sydney's 2GB, the program successfully made the move to the new medium. The show debuted at 8:00 pm on Saturday 2 March 1957, less than six months after television was launched in Australia.
The program was filmed in the studios of Sydney's ATN-7 and was broadcast ATN-7 and Melbourne's GTV-9, which were initially affiliated. This changed, however, when Frank Packer, owner of TCN-9, bought a controlling share in GTV-9 and formed the National Television Network, which later became the Nine Network. As a result, ATN-7 and HSV-7 later came together to form the Australian Television Network, now known as the Seven Network. The affiliation changes meant that Pick a Box became part of the newly formed network.
The program was initially broadcast on Saturday nights and sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. Three years later, on 4 July 1960, the show was moved to Monday nights at 7:00 pm and was sponsored by BP.
Bob Dyer, who produced and packaged the show for the Seven Network, decided in 1969 that it was time to start thinking about ending the show. After approximately 900 episodes, Pick a Box broadcast its final episode on 28 June 1971. As they owned the program, the Dyers then reviewed most of the archived episodes - kept a few as souvenirs and discarded most of them. The couple then retired to Queensland where Bob pursued his other great love, fishing.
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