FRONT PAGE CHALLENGE (1957 - 1995)

How a game show about current events and celebrities became a Canadian TV staple 

With a star-studded guest list and a historic 38-year run, “Front Page Challenge” was a Canadian TV staple that put current events in the spotlight in an entertaining way. 

Initially ordered as a 13-week summer replacement series, “Front Page Challenge” first aired June 24, 1957 on CBC and became the longest running game-interview show of its kind in North America. It was a ratings darling, bringing in nearly 2 million viewers at its peak in 1978.

Each episode featured a hidden challenger, who was associated with a past news story. A panel of experts would ask the challenger a series of questions to try and figure out who this mystery guest was.

Often controversial, but always entertaining, the featured guests included prominent political figures and activists such as Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Indira Ghandi and Malcolm X, who appeared on the show in 1965, just weeks before his assassination.

It also featured six Canadian prime ministers including Pierre Trudeau, home-grown sports legend Gordie Howe, Canadian actor Eric Peterson and musician Stompin’ Tom Connors, who famously stumped the panel in 1978.  

The panellists, who became like characters in their own right, were made up of journalists Pierre Berton (1957 to 1995), Gordon Sinclair (1957 to 1984), Betty Kennedy (1961 to 1995), Allan Fotheringham (1984 to 1995), Jack Webster (1991 to 1995) and actress Toby Robins (1957 to 1961).

Robins became influential for appearing on the show while she was pregnant, something unheard of in 1950s era television.  

Created by Canadian comedy writer and performer John Aylesworth in 1957, the show was produced by Harvey Hart and later Jim Guthro. It featured three hosts over its almost four decade run – Win Barron, Alex Barris and Fred Davis. 

CBC officially cancelled “Front Page Challenge” on February 10, 1995.