Network: CTV Television Network
Broadcast Run: 1961 to 1965
Broadcast Medium: Television
Roy Ward Dickson started life in London, England in 1910 as Richard del Valle.
He emigrated to Canada at age 16, and after a varied career which included jobs as farm-hand, chemist, stores manager and teacher, he one day persuaded the Vancouver Sun to publish a series of puzzle competitions. These proved very successful, and launched him into what was to be a lucrative broadcasting career as host of many game and quiz shows, first for radio and later for television.
Several of Roy’s “quizz shows” as he liked to call them, made it to prime time in the first few years of what at the time was somewhat unkindly described as ‘the game show network’. Take a Chance was the first of these; it was in the first CTV schedule in the fall of 1961, at 9:30pm on Mondays, and retained that time period for a very successful five years. It was produced at CFTO-TV Toronto.
Written by Pip Wedge – November, 2002