| Alt Name: | Keith Lemon's Through the Keyhole |
| Creator: | Kevin Sim |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Runtime: |
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| Network: | ITV |
| Network2: | Sky One |
| Network3: | BBC One |
| Network4: | BBC Two |
| Network5: | ITV |
Through the Keyhole is a British comedy panel game show created by the TV producer Kevin Sim and originally presented by Sir David Frost in the studio and Loyd Grossman on location. The location presenter goes around celebrities' houses and a panel of other celebrities in the studio try to guess who the famous homeowner is.
The show was originally produced by Yorkshire Television and was broadcast on ITV from 3 April 1987 to 1 May 1995, then on Sky One from 22 February to 23 December 1996 before moving to BBC One from 5 May 1998 to 2004 and its sister channel BBC Two from 26 February 2006 to 4 June 2008.
In 2013, the show was revived for ITV with Leigh Francis as the host.[1] In February 2020, it was reported that the programme had been cancelled after six series.[2]
Through the Keyhole originally started as a segment on TV-am, first being broadcast on its launch day on 1 February 1983.[3] The idea was created by Kevin Sim as a chance to look around some of the most influential homes with Grossman at the helm as the tour presenter. Grossman was mistakenly given the job after someone had confused him with another journalist.[4] It became a regular feature of TV-am throughout 1983[5] Until May 1985.
In Spring 1986[6] [7] Frost transferred the concept to Yorkshire Television who picked up format, to produced a full half-hour programme for ITV, where a celebrity panel tries to guess whose house is being looked at From 1987. It ran in primetime on Friday nights for eight years on ITV and was rarely out of the top ten entertainment programmes on TV. The executive producers were Kevin Sim and Chantal Rickards. From 1996, it was produced by Frost's own production company, Paradine Productions, at Yorkshire Television. That same year, the show also moved to Sky One for one series. It then moved to BBC One Daytime in 1998 until 2004. The final three series aired on BBC Two from 2006 to 2008, when it was finally cancelled by the BBC. However, a special aired in March 2011 for Red Nose Day 2011 as part of marathon panel show 24 Hour Panel People.
In 2013, the programme returned on its original broadcast channel ITV with Leigh Francis (in character as Keith Lemon) taking up the dual roles of studio presenter and house detective. The new series was filmed at Pinewood Studios until 2018, with series 6 filmed at the BBC Elstree Centre's Studio D in the latter half of the year.[8] [9] Dave Berry is a regular panellist. He appeared in all the episodes of the first series and has also made numerous appearances in subsequent series. Celebrity guests on the show are a closely guarded secret until transmission. The first episode of the revived series aired on the same day that former host Sir David Frost died, although the news did not break until the following morning.[10]
Before his death in August 2013, Frost gave his backing to ITV's remake, saying "I am delighted that the Keyhole format is now entering its fourth decade on TV. I know the pilot show went down very well with the studio audience and I wish Keith and his team the very best of luck for the series."[11]
At the start of each episode, Frost introduces a panel of three celebrities with the catchphrase "And what a panel they are ..." and some gently humorous or mocking descriptions. He then hands over to the location presenter who gives the panellists a guided tour of a property, noting particular items, though there is typically a large amount of misdirection involved as the items pointed out by the presenter are not necessarily the most pertinent clues to the person's identity. Items not specifically mentioned may provide much more useful clues. Once completed, Frost reveals the identity of the guest to the audience and the panel are given turns at guessing their identity. The audience participate with varying degrees of applause according to the accuracy of the panellists' guesswork.
The panellists are either successful at identifying the guest or Frost reveals their identity, after which they are interviewed and given a key-shaped trophy as a memento. Starting during Loyd Grossman's reign as location presenter, the geographic spread was extended with one of the properties on each episode being located in the US and one in Europe. When Stefanie Powers joined in 2007, she was based in the US and conducted the US property tours, whilst in the UK Lisa Snowdon conducted the European part.
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 April 1987[12] | |||
| 2 | 10 April 1987[13] | |||
| 3 | 17 April 1987[14] | |||
| 4 | Alan Coren Mary Parkinson Kenneth Williams | 24 April 1987[15] | ||
| 5 | Chris Tarrant Nina Myskow Lord Lichfield | 1 May 1987[16] | ||
| 6 | Willie Rushton Eve Pollard Chris Tarrant | 8 May 1987[17] | ||
| 7 | Alan Coren Moira Stuart Willie Rushton | 15 May 1987[18] | ||
| 8 | Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard Kenneth Williams | 22 May 1987[19] | ||
| 9 | Steve Blacknell Anna Raeburn Willie Rushton | 29 May 1987[20] | ||
| 10 | Alan Coren Moira Stuart Willie Rushton | 5 June 1987[21] | ||
| 11 | Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard Kenneth Williams | 12 June 1987[22] | ||
| 12 | Chris Tarrant Nina Myskow Lord Lichfield | 19 June 1987[23] | ||
| 13 | Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard Kenneth Williams | 26 June 1987[24] |
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Tarrant Emma Freud Willie Rushton | 15 April 1988[25] | ||
| 2 | Pattie Coldwell Lord Lichfield Eve Pollard | 22 April 1988[26] | ||
| 3 | Willie Rushton Clare Rayner Chris Tarrant | 29 April 1988[27] | ||
| 4 | 6 May 1988[28] | |||
| 5 | Willie Rushton Sarah Kennedy Alan Coren | 13 May 1988[29] | ||
| 6 | 20 May 1988[30] | |||
| 7 | Willie Rushton Clare Rayner Chris Tarrant | 27 May 1988[31] | ||
| 8 | Pattie Coldwell Lord Lichfield Eve Pollard | 3 June 1988[32] | ||
| 9 | Willie Rushton Sarah Kennedy Alan Coren | 24 June 1988[33] | ||
| 10 | Chris Tarrant Anna Raeburn Nigel Dempster | 1 July 1988[34] | ||
| 11 | Chris Tarrant Emma Freud Willie Rushton | 8 July 1988[35] | ||
| 12 | Willie Rushton Eve Pollard Alan Coren | 15 July 1988[36] | ||
| 13 | Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard Alan Coren | 5 August 1988[37] |
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Tarrant Alan Titchmarsh Eve Pollard | 17 February 1989[38] | ||
| 2 | Willie Rushton Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard | 24 February 1989[39] | ||
| 3 | 3 March 1989[40] | |||
| 4 | Sue Lloyd Bill Oddie Chris Tarrant | 10 March 1989[41] | ||
| 5 | Alan Coren Debbie Rix Chris Tarrant | 17 March 1989[42] | ||
| 6 | Willie Rushton Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard | 24 March 1989[43] | ||
| 7 | Clement Freud Anna Raeburn Willie Rushton | Victor & Marilyn Lownes Paddy Ashdown & Jane Ashdown | 31 March 1989[44] | |
| 8 | Chris Tarrant Eve Pollard Alan Coren | 7 April 1989[45] | ||
| 9 | 14 April 1989[46] | |||
| 10 | Judi Spiers Chris Tarrant Sue Lloyd | 21 April 1989[47] | ||
| 11 | Patti Coldwell Willie Rushton Ned Sherrin | 28 April 1989[48] | ||
| 12 | Willie Rushton Anna Raeburn Clement Freud | 5 May 1989[49] | ||
| 13 | Judi Spiers Chris Tarrant Bill Oddie | 12 May 1989[50] |
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Tarrant Stephanie Calman Alan Coren | 9 March 1990[51] | ||
| 2 | Katie Boyle Willie Rushton Chris Tarrant | 16 March 1990[52] | ||
| 3 | Willie Rushton Patti Coldwell Mike Read | 23 March 1990[53] | ||
| 4 | Willie Rushton Chris Tarrant Katie Boyle | 30 March 1990[54] | ||
| 5 | 6 April 1990[55] | |||
| 6 | Willie Rushton Hilary Kingsley Mike Read | 13 April 1990[56] | ||
| 7 | 20 April 1990[57] | |||
| 8 | Willie Rushton Nina Myskow Andrew O'Connor | 27 April 1990[58] | ||
| 9 | Chris Tarrant Stephanie Calman Alan Coren | 4 May 1990[59] | ||
| 10 | Willie Rushton Eve Pollard Lord Lichfield | 11 May 1990[60] | ||
| 11 | Lord Lichfield Eve Pollard Danny La Rue | Jeffrey Archer Glynn Christian | 18 May 1990[61] | |
| 12 | Willie Rushton Eve Pollard Mike Read | 25 May 1990[62] | ||
| 13 | 1 June 1990[63] |
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | Viewers (millions)[64] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 August 2013 | 5.13 | |||
| 2 | 7 September 2013 | 4.21 | |||
| 3 | 14 September 2013 | 4.25 | |||
| 4 | 21 September 2013 | 3.95 | |||
| 5 | Dave Berry Emma Bunton Larry Lamb | 28 September 2013 | 3.27 | ||
| 6 | 5 October 2013 | 3.64 | |||
| 7 | 15 December 2013 | 3.58 |
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | Viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 August 2014 | 3.35 | ||
| 2 | 6 September 2014 | 3.31 | ||
| 3 | 13 September 2014 | 3.61 | ||
| 4 | 20 September 2014 | 3.59 | ||
| 5 | Craig Charles Fearne Cotton Dave Berry | 27 September 2014 | 3.24 | |
| 6 | 4 October 2014 | 3.39 | ||
| 7 | Des O'Connor Myleene Klass Dave Berry | 11 October 2014 | 2.85 | |
| 8 | 26 December 2014 | 2.65 | ||
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | Viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 August 2015 | 2.85 | |||
| 2 | 5 September 2015 | 2.69 | |||
| 3 | 12 September 2015 | 3.09 | |||
| 4 | 19 September 2015 | 2.71 | |||
| 5 | 26 September 2015 | 2.01 | |||
| 6 | 3 October 2015 | Under 2.01 | |||
| 7 | Michael Buerk Ashley Roberts Dave Berry | Anthea Turner Ken Hom Georgia May Foote | 10 October 2015 | Under 2.13 | |
| 8 | 24 December 2015 | Under 1.91 |
A fourth series began airing on 7 January 2017, with a Christmas episode airing two weeks previously, on 24 December. Eight episodes were recorded at Pinewood Studios in July 2016.
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | Viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimberley Walsh Wayne Sleep Tony Mortimer | 24 December 2016 | Under 3.51 | |
| 2 | Pamela Anderson Sid Owen Lady Colin Campbell | 7 January 2017 | Under 3.42 | |
| 3 | Gok Wan Adam West Andrea McLean | 14 January 2017 | 3.87 | |
| 4 | 21 January 2017 | 3.58 | ||
| 5 | 28 January 2017 | 3.74 | ||
| 6 | 4 February 2017 | 3.65 | ||
| 7 | 11 February 2017 | 3.74 | ||
| 8 | David Haye Samia Ghadie Dave Berry | 18 February 2017 | 3.39 | |
A fifth series began airing on 13 January 2018. Prior to this, an I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! special aired in December 2017 instead of a Christmas episode.
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | Viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicky Pattison Derek Acorah Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag | 9 December 2017 | Under 3.46 | ||
| 2 | 13 January 2018 | 3.63 | |||
| 3 | Professor Green Caprice Bourret Jesse Metcalfe | 20 January 2018 | |||
| 4 | 27 January 2018 | ||||
| 5 | 3 February 2018 | ||||
| 6 | 10 February 2018 | ||||
| 7 | Ricki Lake Jamie Theakston Danielle Armstrong | 17 February 2018 | |||
| 8 | 24 February 2018 |
A sixth series began airing on 12 January 2019. Prior to this, a Christmas special aired on 14 December 2018.
| Celebrity panellists | Celebrity homeowners | Original air date | Viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julian Clary Sally Lindsay Kate Thornton | 14 December 2018 | |||
| 2 | 12 January 2019 | ||||
| 3 | 19 January 2019 | ||||
| 4 | 26 January 2019 | ||||
| 5 | 2 February 2019 | ||||
| 6 | 9 February 2019 | ||||
| 7 | 16 February 2019 | ||||
| 8 | 23 February 2019 |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 April 1987 | 26 June 1987 | 13 | |
| 2 | 15 April 1988 | 5 August 1988 | 13 | |
| 3 | 17 February 1989 | 12 May 1989 | 13 | |
| 4 | 9 March 1990 | 1 June 1990 | 13 | |
| 5 | 5 April 1991 | 12 July 1991 | 15 | |
| 6 | 8 May 1992 | 31 July 1992 | 13 | |
| 7 | 14 May 1993 | 3 September 1993 | 17 | |
| 8 | 10 April 1994 | 19 June 1994 | 11 |
| Date | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 August 1988[65] | The Best of Through the Keyhole | |
| 21 August 1988[66] | The Best of Through the Keyhole | |
| 28 August 1988[67] | The Best of Through the Keyhole | |
| 19 May 1989[68] | The Best of Through the Keyhole | |
| 11 January 1990[69] | The Best of Through the Keyhole | |
| 26 June 1994 | Classic Quiz | |
| 1 May 1995 | Classic Quiz |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 May 1998 | 5 October 1998 | 40 | |
| 2 | 19 April 1999 | 17 December 1999 | 45 | |
| 3 | 3 April 2000 | 16 June 2000 | 45 | |
| 4 | 14 May 2001 | 1 February 2002 | 25 | |
| 5 | 8 July 2002 | 24 March 2003 | 30 | |
| 6 | 1 March 2004 | 3 May 2004 | 30 | |
| 7 | 27 February 2006 | 31 March 2006 | 25 | |
| 8 | 26 March 2007 | 9 May 2007 | 20 | |
| 9 | 6 May 2008 | 4 June 2008 | 20 |
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 31 August 2013 | 5 October 2013 | 6 | |
| 2 | 30 August 2014 | 11 October 2014 | 7 | |
| 3 | 29 August 2015 | 10 October 2015 | 7 | |
| 4 | 7 January 2017 | 18 February 2017 | 7 | |
| 5 | 13 January 2018 | 24 February 2018 | 7 | |
| 6 | 12 January 2019 | 23 February 2019 | 7 |
| Date | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 December 2013 | Christmas Special | |
| 26 December 2014 | Christmas Special | |
| 24 December 2015 | Christmas Special | |
| 24 December 2016 | Christmas Special | |
| 9 December 2017 | I'm a Celebrity Special | |
| 14 December 2018 | Christmas Special |
In 2015, the Dutch SBS6 channel broadcast the Dutch version, called Met de deur in huis, hosted by Kees Tol. In this show, comedian Tineke Schouten visits the houses of Dutch celebrities. The panel (Maik de Boer, Patty Brard and Ruben van der Meer) have to guess whose house she is in. In 2016, a second series aired on SBS6.