Something about our games: "Just a minute" and "The two-word tango"

If you are a regular listener of In Contact!, you must definitely be familiar with two of our sections (which are in fact two of our favourite ones!), Just a Minute and The Two-Word Tango. But were did these ideas come from?

Just a Minute is originally a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) radio comedy show that started in 1967. It was created by Ian Messiter, who is always aknowledged in the original show even after he passed away, and since its first emission it's always been hosted by Nicholas Parsons, who is a famous English TV presenter and comedian (right, he's hosted the show for 50 years). The mission of contestants in this game is to talk about a given topic (usually a very funny or odd one) for a minute without repeating words - apart from the ones given in the topic -, without deviating from the topic, from reality or from the right use of the language, and without pausing or hesitating. For any of the contestants commiting any of these faults, they will be challenged and give a point to their clever contenders. Something amazing about the original show is that it's been running for so many years, yet it is one of the funniest radio comedy shows - also because of the wit of the guests in the show. Here you have a bit of what Just a Minute is about, in a special TV edition:

Wow, speaking for a minute without hesitation, repetition or deviation... That's no small order! Anyway it's so much fun and, for English learners, it can be a very amusing way to improve your speaking abilities, including your fluency and your use of vocabulary and grammar. Definitely this game is a favourite one of the In Contact! team! And if you've ever wondered what the opening theme of the game is, it's The Minute Waltz by Frédéric Chopin, which has become iconical from the game.

Let's talk about The Two-Word Tango now. Our game has been adapted from the one in the Dick & Dom in da Bungalow show, which was a CBBC entertainment television series for children and which was broadcast from 2002 to 2006. In this show, the two presenters had very crazy games and challenges, including the Two-Word Tango in which contestants had to follow the tune of the music and, in the blank spaces, they had to say sets of two words. No brainer, right? Well, actually it's not that easy, mainly when the pace of the music gets faster and faster...

Years later, radio host Chris Moyles decided to adapt this game in the Celebrity Two-Word Tango: in this, contestants had to tell names of celebrities, films, characters and other things according to the given topic. For sure it was much more challenging:

Isn't it fun? Well, this is a perfect game to challenge yourself and test your vocabulary whilst having fun with classmates or friends!

Do you know any other game that we can start playing in our show? And would you like to participate in any of these games? Leave us your comment and help us with more ideas for our programme!

In Contact! It's time to celebrate our first 30 episodes!

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We've reached 30 episodes of In Contact! Yes, it's been a 30-episode journey full of hard work, learning and so much fun. May this be the time to thank all the people who have been involved in this project and have made it possible with their participation and their support. Over all, we hope you find this show as enriching as it has been for the In Contact! team and that you're having fun while learning English with us. 

Here you have a list of our last 10 episodes:

• 📻 Episode 21 - Australia
• 📻 Episode 22 - Regrets
• 📻 Episode 23 - Growing Up
• 📻 Episode 24 - Law and Justice
• 📻 Episode 25 - Transportation
• 📻 Episode 26 - Sports
• 📻 Episode 27 - Literature
• 📻 Episode 28 - The 90's
• 📻 Episode 29 - Duos
• 📻 Episode 30 - Humour

And in case you missed them: 🎙 Episodes 1-10 - 🎙 Episodes 11 - 20.

⚠️ IMPORTANT! If you are interested in downloading any episode or just a single section, please contact us and we'll be delighted to send you the file you request. Also, if you want to contribute with a post on our blog to recommend any learning strategies or resources, we'd be very happy to have your invaluable contribution! If you want to play a part in the show in any form, please contact us here.

We're looking forward to keep in touch with you. Don't forget to tune in and keep in contact!

In Contact! Episode 30: Humour

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It's time for a good laugh! In this episode of In Contact! we'll have a very fun time because we'll discuss humour and the way people express it around the world. And after all, who doesn't enjoy a good joke or, from time to time, in a normal situation, who doesn't have a good time with a punch line that surprises everyone and make them laugh? Or who doesn't remember an amusing and funny experience? In so many ways, we can spice our lives with some humour, yet it's not easy for everyone to come up with witty lines. Anyway, we'll see if we can make you laugh.

Yes, humour is a very serious matter for us! So get ready for tons of info and fun in this episode. We'll share some tips to help you tell a funny story in an interesting and amusing way; we'll be in contact with the world and with the ways humour is expressed in different places of the world (remember, laughter is universal, but humour is not!); of course our Top 5 will be packed with humorous song, and our idioms of the day will help us refer to funny situations and jokes. All this and much more (including a few jokes), coming in the next minutes.

Now let is see your sense of humour! Send us your comments and let us know what you think of this episode and topic.

• Are you good at telling jokes? And what kind of jokes do you enjoy most?
• Can you post a very good joke in English that you want to share with the In Contact! listeners?
• Is there any funny story or anecdote that happened to you or to a friend and that you would like to share with us?
• Is there any comedian or comedy film that you like most?

We hope you have a great time with this show. Until then!

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 WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

In Contact! Episode 29: Duos

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Good and bad, Adam and Eve, day and night, light and dark, salt and pepper, the moon and the sun... There are so many things that come in pairs to oppose each other or, even better, to complement each other. Today we'll talk about duos or things that always come together. Probably after this episode you'll find out that there are many important things in your life that come in pairs and that wouldn't be as exciting or good if they were separate.

And in this episode about duos we'll have lots of interesting information for all of you! For instance, you might have heard something about compound nouns and adjectives, but maybe you don't know how to use them. No worries, today we'll share useful tips for you to use them. Also, our idiom dose will come with expressions about partnership. Do not miss our recommended songs of famous duos in music and our historical facts about couples that have made history! Finally, we'll see how much and how fast you can think of vocabulary related to sets of objects that always come together.

We'll see double after this episode! 🤣🤣 Now it's your time to have your say and let us know what you think of the topic and the show!

• Do you have any person in your life who you consider your perfect complement (your couple, a sibling, a friend, etc.)? And what about people you know who have always been together and make a perfect pair?
• Can you think of sets of objects that you consider absolutely necessary in your life? What two things do you think that should always be together?
• Do you think that opposites attract? In what specific situations do you think this actually happens?
• What famous pairs can you remember in science, entertainment and history?

 WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here! 

In Contact! Episode 28: The 90's

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How not to remember and love the Last Great Decade? Many of our listeners were born or lived their childhood and/or teenage in the 90's, so they're very likely to have very fond memories of those times. And for sure you can't help feeling the nostalgia when remembering some of the games, TV shows, films, songs, fashion and trends of the time that made of this decade a remarkable one (also because it was the end of a millennium). In this episode of In Contact! we'll go retro and see why this period in time will never be equalled.

It's time to go back in time and remember that wonderful decade! To do so, we'll review three of the most important prepositions used to talk about time: in, at and on. We'll also remember some of the most important events in politics, entertainment, science and society that took place in the 90's (for sure you may be familiar with many of these!) and, in case you didn't know them, we'll share with you some cool expressions that became trendy by that time and which many people still use today. Our Top 5 will remind us of a few songs in different genres that were very, very popular some years ago. To finish, we'll challenge our In Contact! presenters to see how much they can talk about the 90's in a minute and what people in our university can remember of this decade.

Of course, we'd absolutely love to know how you experienced the 90's and how you feel about it! Don't forget to leave your message in the comment section and tell us where you are from.

• What are the best memories you have from the 90's? How old you were back then, and what were you doing by that time?
• What popular TV shows, cartoons, films and artists do you remember from that decade? Do you still like any of them today?
• What important national and international events can you recall from those years?
• If you could compare the 90's with today, do you think it was a better or a worse time and why?

Don't forget to keep in contact!

 WANT THE TRANSCRIPT? Click here!