The Old Grey Whistle Test Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys – doormen in grey suits. Any song they could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test. On 23 February 2018, a one-off three hour special of The Old Grey Whistle Test was broadcast on BBC Four, hosted by Bob Harris to mark 30 years since the final episode aired. The show's focus on "serious" rock music, rather than chart hits covered on BBC1 by
Test the Nation could play along using interactive television, log onto the BBC website, or just use a pen and paper to keep score. The first show, in May 2002, was an IQ test and the six groups of 50 studio participants included blondes, brunettes, teachers and students. They were pitted against a group of 10 celebrities including "EastEnders" star Adam Woodyatt, pop music presenter Fearne Cotton, Olympic athlete Jonathan Edwards and former "Sunday Times" editor and broadcaster Andrew Neil. The teachers came out on top. The last IQ test in the UK was shown on 27 August 2007, when the studio groups