The programme, chaired by
Joseph Cooper, took the form of a quiz about classical music, with a panel of three music-loving celebrities, but without scoring or any winner. Each week there would be a special guest, who would also have to answer questions, with the focus being on topics that related to the guest's life and career, so as to lead to amusing anecdotes. The questions to the panel were asked in a series of rounds, each with a theme, such as "The Face, The Music", in which the panel would have to identify a composer from their picture, as well as the composer of the music played along with it. The most demanding round was the "Dummy Keyboard", in which Cooper would play a famous piece on a dummy (soundless) instrument, requiring the panel to identify it from hand movements alone. For the benefit of the audience at home, the music in question – which Cooper was hearing through earphones for the purpose of synchronisation – would be slowly faded in as the piece progressed. Another round was "Hidden Melody", in which Cooper would perform a popular tune in the style of a famous composer, while including extracts of works by that composer to help the listeners.
Robin Ray, if a member of that week's panel, would typically identify the
opus number of the quoted works. For opera lovers, the panel were shown a filmed performance of one opera with the soundtrack of a different one, and asked to identify both. Apart from Ray (the most prolific panellist) other regulars were
Bernard Levin,
Joyce Grenfell and
Richard Baker. ==Transmissions==