50 Fun Facts About TV Catchphrases

When George Burns ended each Burns and Allen show with 'Say good night, Gracie', what did she actually reply?

Allen simply replied 'Goodnight', and never said 'Goodnight, Gracie' as legend has it. The pair closed every episode with a short vaudeville-style exchange.

Which Python first used 'And now for something completely different', though John Cleese made it famous?

Eric Idle first delivered the line in Episode 2, introducing a man with three buttocks; John Cleese's desk-bound announcer turned it into the show's catchphrase, and it became the title of the troupe's first film.

Which Rick and Morty character reveals that 'Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub' means 'I am in great pain, please help me'?

Birdperson explains that in his native language the catchphrase, first heard in 'Meeseeks and Destroy', means 'I am in great pain, please help me', a sign of Rick's depression. Justin Roiland created it by misreading a script.

Which accident-prone Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em husband, played by Michael Crawford, is remembered for 'Ooh Betty'?

Frank Spencer's supposed main catchphrase may actually have been said in only one episode, yet impressionists like Mike Yarwood made it his signature. The beret and mackintosh were his other trademarks.

On Are You Being Served?, who first said 'I'm free!' in the pilot, before John Inman's Mr Humphries adopted it?

Mrs Slocombe got the line in the pilot; John Inman is said to have used it backstage so often that Mollie Sugden suggested the writers give it to him, and it became his camp catchphrase.

Which Simpsons fourth-grader, voiced by Nancy Cartwright, answers authority with 'Eat my shorts'?

In a flashback to Bart's first day at school, Principal Skinner warned him about the path he was choosing and asked 'Now, what do you say?'; Bart replied 'Eat my shorts'. Nancy Cartwright first ad-libbed the line at an early table read.

Which US Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host borrowed 'Is that your final answer?' from Chris Tarrant?

Regis Philbin adopted the line from the UK original's Chris Tarrant; his matching dark shirt and tie on the show caught on too, spawning a short-lived Van Heusen clothing line called Regis.

Which One Foot in the Grave pensioner, played by Richard Wilson, met every setback with 'I don't believe it!'?

Victor Meldrew's 'I don't believe it!' was backed by 'Unbe-lieeeve-able!' and 'In the name of sanity!' when exasperation peaked. The role nearly went to Les Dawson before Richard Wilson.

On which Linda Lavin sitcom did diner waitress Flo snap 'Kiss my grits!' at her boss Mel?

Alice waitress Flo, played by Polly Holliday, made the line popular enough to earn her own spin-off, Flo; her other put-down was 'When donkeys fly!'

Which How I Met Your Mother womaniser, played by Neil Patrick Harris, drew out 'legen—wait for it—dary'?

Barney Stinson's 'Legendary' and 'Wait for it' merged into one catchphrase, later honoured by an 'LGNDRY' licence plate in the 2022 spin-off How I Met Your Father. 'Suit up!' and 'Challenge accepted' were his others.

On which 1970s sitcom did Jimmie Walker's J.J. yell 'Dyn-o-mite!', a line the director John Rich invented?

Good Times producer-director John Rich is credited by Walker with inventing 'Dyn-o-mite!', which the actor later used as the title of a stand-up album. Walker earned Golden Globe nominations for J.J. in 1975 and 1976.

Which child star's Arnold Jackson asked 'What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?' on Diff'rent Strokes?

Gary Coleman earned up to $100,000 an episode, yet in 1989 he sued his parents and former manager over his trust fund; a judge awarded him $1.28 million in 1993, and he filed for bankruptcy six years later.

On Mork & Mindy, the alien whose 'Na-Nu Na-Nu' greeting came with a Spock-like salute was sent from which planet?

Ork sent Mork to observe human behaviour, and the 'Na-Nu Na-Nu' salute paired a Vulcan-style hand sign with a handshake. Mork often mentioned that Orkan scientists grew him in a test tube.

Which boss on the US Office, played by Steve Carell, blurted 'That's what she said' even in legal depositions?

Michael Scott blurts the line whenever a remark can be twisted into a double entendre; it is the American stand-in for 'as the actress said to the bishop', the joke David Brent kept making in the British original.

Which 1960s sci-fi series' Robot warned 'Danger, Will Robinson!' and declared 'That does not compute'?

Lost in Space's Robot flailed his arms with each warning while protecting the youngest member of the crew. Bob May wore the suit and Dick Tufeld, the series narrator, supplied the voice.

Which 1970s family drama, set on a Depression-era Virginia mountain, ended episodes with 'Good night, John-Boy'?

The Waltons' closing sequence had the family calling good night to each other in the dark, and the BBC rated the 'John-Boy' farewell among the most common catchphrases of the 1970s. John-Boy was the eldest of seven children.

Which Friends palaeontologist insisted 'We were on a break!' after a fling with Chloe while split from Rachel?

Ross Geller's fling with Chloe was covered in only two Season 3 episodes, yet the 'We were on a break!' argument ran until the very end of the series. He later married Emily, the niece of Rachel's boss.

Which Game of Thrones family, whose sigil is a grey direwolf on white, has 'Winter Is Coming' as its words?

House Stark ruled as Kings in the North for thousands of years from Winterfell, one of the oldest castles in the Seven Kingdoms, until the Targaryen conquest. Bastards born in the North take the surname Snow.

Which Star Trek: The Next Generation captain, played by Patrick Stewart, ordered 'Make it so' and 'Engage'?

Jean-Luc Picard's third catchphrase was 'Tea, Earl Grey, hot', his standing order to the replicator. He is a fan of detective stories, Shakespeare and archaeology.

Which Chris Carter series ends its opening credits with the tagline 'The Truth Is Out There' on most episodes?

The X-Files swapped the tagline for episode-specific lines on occasion, starting with 'Trust No One' in the first-season finale, the dying words of Mulder's informant Deep Throat.

On which sitcom did middle daughter Jan wail 'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!' about her overshadowing older sister?

The Brady Bunch line came in the episode 'Her Sister's Shadow' and was later parodied in The Brady Bunch Movie and a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch. Jan was played by Eve Plumb.

Which actor's Robin interjected 'Holy ________, Batman!' throughout the 1960s Batman series?

Burt Ward, unlike his co-star in the cowl, had to do some dangerous stunts himself, told that Robin's costume showed too much of his face for a double; he voiced the Boy Wonder again in a 1977 cartoon.

Which CBS Evening News anchor signed off 'And that's the way it is', then the date, except on nights he gave opinion?

Walter Cronkite dropped the sign-off whenever he closed with commentary, to keep the line clear of opinion; during the Iran hostage crisis he added a running count of the captives' days, ending on Day 444.

Which SNL cast member's Church Lady, host of 'Church Chat', sneered 'Well, isn't that special?'?

Dana Carvey based the Church Lady on women from his childhood church who kept track of others' attendance, and later cast members like Chris Farley called him simply 'The Lady'.

Which sidekick opened The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for almost 30 years with 'Heeeere's Johnny!'?

Ed McMahon's booming voice and constant laughter earned him the nicknames 'Human Laugh Track' and 'Toymaker to the King'. He joined the NBC show on its debut on October 1, 1962.

Which NBC boardroom contest ended episodes with its host telling a contestant 'You're fired!'?

The Apprentice made 'You're fired!' the catchphrase of Donald Trump, host of its first 14 seasons; each week the losing team's project manager brought colleagues back to the boardroom, where at least one was sent home.

Which 1970s variety host's drag character Geraldine Jones excused everything with 'The Devil made me do it'?

Flip Wilson's Geraldine also gave America 'What you see is what you get!' and won him a Grammy for the album The Devil Made Me Buy This Dress; Time's 1972 cover called him 'TV's first black superstar'.

Whose 'yabba dabba doo!' was written into the Flintstones theme song from season three?

Fred Flintstone's yell arrived with 'Meet the Flintstones' in the third season; until then the show had opened with a wordless instrumental, 'Rise and Shine'.

Which Scooby-Doo sleuth exclaims 'Jinkies!' on spotting a clue?

Velma was modelled on Zelda Gilroy, the brainy girl of the sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, whose teenagers gave Scooby-Doo's writers the template for the whole gang.

Which pink Hanna-Barbera big cat, debuting on The Quick Draw McGraw Show, announces exits with 'Exit, stage left!'?

Snagglepuss phrases his departures as stage directions, 'Exit, stage left' or right, up or down, and tacks 'even' onto sentences for emphasis. In Yogi's Gang he is often called a tiger rather than a mountain lion.

On which animated series does Stan cry 'Oh my God, they killed Kenny!' after the hooded boy's latest death?

South Park killed Kenny in nearly every early episode, with Kyle adding a curse at the culprit, but the gag was largely retired after the sixth season in 2002. Kenny's muffled voice is co-creator Matt Stone's.

Which Family Guy neighbour of the Griffins, an airline pilot, punctuates innuendo with 'Giggity'?

Glenn Quagmire's rapid-fire voice began as Seth MacFarlane's souped-up impression of the breathless pitchmen he heard in the commercials on old radio dramas.

Which Hanna-Barbera cartoon's end credits have George yelling 'Jane, stop this crazy thing!'?

The Jetsons' George was voiced by George O'Hanlon, who had auditioned for The Flintstones and been turned down; Hanna-Barbera remembered him when it cast its next family, and he kept the part until his death in 1989.

Who does Prince Adam of Eternia become after raising his Power Sword and proclaiming 'By the power of Grayskull'?

He-Man owes his existence to a blunder: Mattel passed on the Star Wars toy licence in 1976, balking at the $750,000 fee, then hunted for a hero of its own until its designers came up with the barbarian of Eternia.

On which BBC sitcom did Clive Dunn's Lance Corporal Jones run around shouting 'Don't panic!'?

Dad's Army's Jones, the platoon's elderly butcher, also offered 'Permission to speak, sir?' and 'They don't like it up 'em!'; Clive Dunn was only 48 when he took the part, one of the youngest in the cast.

Which Only Fools and Horses market trader, played by David Jason, cheered deals with 'Lovely jubbly!'?

Del Boy's repertoire also ran to 'Cushty!', 'He who dares, wins!', 'This time next year we'll be millionaires' and 'You plonker!', the last usually aimed at Rodney. 'You know it makes sense' sealed his sales.

Which comedian's surly schoolgirl Lauren Cooper shrugged off every telling-off with 'Am I bovvered?'?

Catherine Tate's Lauren made 'bovvered' the 2006 Word of the Year, and when the character did work experience at Downing Street in a sketch, Tony Blair turned the line back on her.

On which sketch show did David Walliams's travel agent Carol Beer meet every request with 'Computer says no'?

Little Britain's Carol types each request into her computer, then deadpans the refusal and coughs, before offering a bizarre substitute. As a travel agent her alternatives were spectacularly unhelpful.

Which Paul Whitehouse sketch series had tailors Ken and Kenneth leer 'Suit you, sir!' at customers?

The Fast Show's Suit You tailors met every purchase with leering innuendo, and Johnny Depp, a fan of the series, turned up as their customer in its 2000 'Last Ever' farewell.

Which Blackadder dogsbody, played by Tony Robinson, is forever announcing 'I have a cunning plan'?

Baldrick's line first appeared in the pilot but was not used regularly until the third series, and Blackadder himself had said it twice in the first. The plans were usually ridiculed for their implausibility.

In which hotel sitcom does a concussed Basil tell staff 'Don't mention the war' as German guests arrive?

Fawlty Towers' episode 'The Germans' popularised the phrase, and John Cleese later turned it into a song, 'Don't Mention the World Cup', for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Basil still made numerous war references over lunch.

Which Doctor Who enemies, designed by Raymond Cusick, made 'Exterminate!' a phrase known even to non-viewers?

The Daleks were based by writer Terry Nation on the Nazis; designer Raymond Cusick, a salaried BBC employee, earned no royalties from the merchandise his design sold, while Nation did.

Which BBC double act signed off each show 'It's good night from me – and it's good night from him'?

The Two Ronnies' running order was fixed: a filmed serial, a Barker sketch, Corbett's monologue, a musical number and a guest, bookended by the newsreader desk. Corbett and writer David Nobbs titled a 2006 book after the line.

Which Bob Holness quiz, played on a hexagon grid, made 'Can I have a P please, Bob?' a much-repeated pun?

Blockbusters contestants asked for a letter to get a clue such as 'What P is a musical instrument with 88 keys?', and the phrasing entered the language via a urination pun. Holness hosted the first ten series.

Which emergency-pendant firm's TV ads had 'Mrs. Fletcher' cry 'I've fallen, and I can't get up!'?

LifeCall cast a real customer as Mrs. Fletcher: Edith Fore, a retired nurse, had used her pendant after a fall at home, and because she took a one-off fee the advert's fame earned her nothing more.

General Hospital's Chris Robinson opened 1984 ads with 'I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV' to sell what?

The cough syrup was Vicks Formula 44, and Robinson was replaced in the ads by Peter Bergman after his legal difficulties. The line has been quoted and parodied ever since.

Which British orangeade's 1992 'Orange Man' ad, by agency HHCL, coined the catchphrase 'You know when you've been...'?

Tango's orange man slapped a drinker around the face, and after a playground craze for 'Tangoing' brought reports of injured children the advert was withdrawn for versions without the slap.

Which camp comic's 'Shut that door!' is said to date from a sea draught through a Redcar theatre's side door?

Larry Grayson, then billed as Billy Breen, played a summer season at Redcar's seafront New Pavilion, the theatre that claims the line; another account has him first saying it in a sudden draught on a Brighton stage in 1970.

Which Futurama scientist's 'Good news, everyone!' usually introduces a delivery that is really a suicide mission?

Hubert Farnsworth opens with 'Bad news, everyone!' on the rare occasions he has actual good news, and admits he only says the phrases to make Fry feel better about his job.

Which actor's Tenth Doctor on Doctor Who favoured the French 'Allons-y!' and the Italian 'Molto bene!'?

David Tennant's Doctor also planned a joke about Rose Tyler's accent 'like a chick hatching from an egg' that was cut from the final episode. 'Allons-y' simply means 'let's go'.