The Master Game

The Master Game is a BBC production of televised chess tournaments that ran for eight series on BBC2 from 1976 to 1983. Presented by Jeremy James with expert analysis from Leonard Barden and, later, Bill Hartston, The Master Game was noted for its innovative style, in which a display board with animated figurines and move notation, shown centre-left of screen, was accompanied by footage of the players cogitating, their thoughts during the game heard in voice-over. As a theme tune, the later series of this programme used the Disco '78 version of Ennio Morricone's "Come Maddalena".