Just a Minute usually by mistake or for laughs. The game rewards those who make entertaining challenges, even if they do not speak for very long. If successful, last-second challenges can be especially rewarding, as they allow one to speak for a short time but earn two points—one for the challenge and one for being the last speaker. The game is then scored and a winner declared, but the attraction of the show lies less in the contest than in the humour and banter among participants and the chairman. Nicholas Parsons has chaired the show since its inception. On nine occasions he has
Ian Messiter Ian Messiter Ian Cassan Messiter (2 April 1920 – 22 November 1999) was a BBC Radio producer and the creator of a number of panel games, including "Just a Minute", and "Many a Slip". Messiter also brought the successful "Twenty Questions" format to BBC Radio. He was also the Programme Associate on "Family Fortunes". Messiter was born in Dudley, Worcestershire and educated at Sherborne School in Dorset. He acted as whistle blower on both "One Minute Please" and "Just a Minute". He appeared in the first series of the BBC science-fiction quiz show "The Adventure Game" in 1980 as the