- Who
- Spelling Bee
- What
- first
- Where
- UK (Alexandra Palace,London)
- When
Spelling Bee was first transmitted on BBC television at 10pm on 31 May 1938. Beamed live from Alexandra Palace, the 15-minute show involved the host Freddie Grisewood asking contestants to spell various words, and was based on a successful radio format adapted by the BBC from the US schools' Spelling Bee competitions. The show ran monthly for just five episodes.