Roy Ward Dickson (August 18, 1910 – September 16, 1978), born Richard Louis del Valle, was a pioneering Canadian

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television networks, but upon acce ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, and emcee. Dubbed King of Quiz by an Edmonton journalist, Dickson invented the

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

. His first show, ''Professor Dick and His Question Box'', debuted on radio in 1935, followed by ''The Quizz Club'' in 1936. Born in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Dickson moved to Canada where by 1929 he was a secondary school teacher in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. He moved to British Columbia by 1931, working in the ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...

''s advertising department. In 1934 he relocated to Ontario where he joined ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' and developed his first student quizzes. In the early 1950s, Dickson moved from radio to television with the TV show ''What d'you Know?'', followed shortly afterwards by the world's first panel game, ''Claim to Fame''. Over the next four decades, Roy devised and hosted numerous popular and successful television shows, in both

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Among his most famous shows were the long-running ''Fun Parade'', which successfully transitioned from radio to television. His television quiz show '' Take a Chance'' was broadcast on CTV from 1961 to 1965 where at one point 438,000 viewers participated in that program's contests. The popular TV game show ''Mr. and Mrs.'' tested couples' knowledge of each other, and which was the forerunner for dozens of similar shows. Roy invented, produced and hosted the original Canadian version of ''Mr and Mrs.'' which became a popular show in the UK throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Dickson died at

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

in 1978.

Bibliography

References

External links

Official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Roy Ward Canadian television producers Canadian game show hosts Canadian non-fiction writers Television pioneers 20th-century Canadian inventors British emigrants to Canada 1910 births 1978 deaths