Keynotes (Australian game show)

Keynotes was an Australian television game show broadcast on the Nine Network. Its original run spanned from 2 March to 5 June 1964, hosted by Alistair McHarg. The show was later brought back from 30 November 1992 until 26 February 1993 with Richard Wilkins serving as the presenter.

Format

The competition featured two teams—pink champions versus blue challengers—who competed to correctly fill in missing words from well-known songs by solving a bouncing ball puzzle.

First three rounds

Each round displayed nine squares, each concealing a note from a recognizable melody. The host would reveal notes 1, 5, and 9 in every round, adding note 7 specifically in the third round.

One player from each trio faced off at the central podium equipped with red, blue, and yellow buttons. A card indicating which note to uncover was drawn, offering three possible word choices for the next lyric. The contestant who quickly selected the correct word claimed that note. If both players failed to choose correctly, the note remained blank, and new participants competed for subsequent keynotes.

The team that secured the note then tried to name the main song using the uncovered notes along with a rhythm prompt. Successfully naming the tune awarded the round’s prize money, which doubled each successive round: $300 in round one, $600 in round two, and $1,200 in round three—accumulating up to $2,100 total. If the team could not identify the song after all nine notes were revealed, they lost that round’s prize. The team with the highest cumulative earnings at the conclusion of all rounds retained their cash and moved forward to compete for prizes valued at twice their winnings.

Bonus round

The victorious team had an opportunity to double their cash earnings from the initial rounds by uncovering nine notes of a final melody within a 30-second time limit. Players used a buzzer to halt a flashing light to select notes and then identified the correct next word as before. The final tune was played only once after the time expired. Any missed or incorrect notes were excluded from this playback. Correctly naming this final song doubled their total prize money.

Champions could remain on the show for up to five episodes; those who lasted all five earned a holiday trip. The maximum cash achievable per episode was $4,200, with an overall potential of $21,000 plus a holiday after five successful appearances.

See also

• Binnie Time - A musical quiz show broadcast on Melbourne’s Nine station during 1958-1959.