Just a Minute first transmitted

As the sound of Chopin's Minute Waltz - played at breakneck speed by Arthur Rubinstein - faded away on 22 December 1967, the first edition of Just a Minute began.

Paul Merton has 60 seconds to talk about 'Man of the People'.

The basic idea came to him when he was at school. Told off for inattention, he was asked to repeat what his master had been saying for the previous minute, without repetition or hesitation. The programme has thrived for over forty years with the benefit of contributions from Peter Jones, Kenneth Williams, Linda Smith, Paul Merton, Ross Noble, Stephen Fry, and Graham Norton, amongst many others.

Just a Minute has remained essentially unchanged, with Parsons remaining as host and straight man for almost every episode until his death in January 2020. Sue Perkins then took on the mantle as host in 2021, for its 87th series. The show’s simple but flexible format has been reinvigorated with each generation of comedians, and it remains one of Radio 4's most popular programmes, with tickets for recordings are in such demand they are allocated by ballot.