| Genre: | Game show |
| Presenter: | Alistair Divall |
| Voices: | David Hopewell |
| Composer: | Bill Sharpe (theme) Keith Chegwin (tunes) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 5 |
| Num Episodes: | 205 |
| Runtime: | 30 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Company: | Reg Grundy Productions in association with HTV West |
| Channel: | ITV |
| Related: | Keynotes |
Keynotes is a British game show that aired on ITV from 13 March 1989 to 18 December 1992 and hosted by Alistair Divall. The aim of the game was for "two teams of players, to try to put the right words in the right songs and see how well they can follow the bouncing ball to solve our puzzle song."
Each show has two teams of three players (usually two women and a man), on the left side are the champions (green) and on the right side is the challengers (yellow). To start the game – there are three general rounds, which each follow the same format:
A series of nine squares are presented – with each square hiding a note in a "familiar" tune. The host gives the contestants notes 1, 5, and 9 in all 3 rounds with note 7 being added as an extra free note in round 3 from series 2 onwards.
A member of each team joins the host at the central podium, where they'll have three coloured buttons each. A card is randomly selected from the host, which represents the note which is set to be revealed. Three words are provided which could represent the next word in a given tune. The contestant which is quickest to select the correct word after hearing the start of this tune is given the note represented by that selected card. If the first contestant picked the wrong word and his/her opponent choose the right one then his/her opponent gets that note. If neither contestant is able to select the correct word, the note goes in as a blank and two new players are brought up to play for two keynotes (and so on).
The team that the winning representative came from then has the opportunity to guess the main tune by listening to the already-revealed notes and following the rhythm of the bouncing ball. If the team can correctly name that tune, they'll win the round and receive a cash prize, which is doubled up in each round. The first round was worth £50, doubling up to £200, a maximum of £350 to be won. From series 2 onwards, the money reduced to £30, doubling up to £120, for a maximum of £210. If not, the round continues, rotating through the various members of both teams. If neither of the teams can work out the song before all nine notes are revealed – then the prize for that round is lost and the players go on to the next round. Both teams kept their earnings and the team that won the most money played the final round to double those winnings. If a team won five games in a row, they earned a £500 bonus and would immediately retire from the show.
The winning team attempts to double their cash winnings from today's edition. The team must attempt to uncover the nine notes of the final tune over the course of 30 seconds, by using a buzzer to stop a random flashing light in order to choose a note, and then picking the correct next word, as in the main rounds. However, the final tune is only played once at the end of the 30 seconds. If any of the questions representing the notes are not answered correctly within the time limit, they will not be revealed in the playing of the final tune. If the team can correctly identify the final tune, their money will be doubled. The maximum a team can win on Keynotes was £4,000 (£2,600 from series 2 onwards).
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 March 1989 | 12 May 1989 | 45 | |
| 2 | 23 October 1989 | 8 December 1989 | 35 | |
| 3 | 29 October 1990 | 21 December 1990 | 40 | |
| 4 | 6 January 1992 | 21 February 1992 | 35 | |
| 5 | 12 October 1992 | 18 December 1992 | 50 |