Get Ahead

Overview

Get Ahead was a BBC Television programme running from 1958 to 1962 which offered a prize of £5,000. This was awarded to a contestant's idea for an entrepreneurial project for a profitable business. It was an early forerunner of programs such as Dragons' Den on BBC2. The program was sponsored by the News Chronicle, a form of indirect advertising which would not have been permitted for commercial stations, as this is prohibited by the Television Act 1954. The programme was presented by Peter West. A panel of senior business experts judged the merit of the award and included Sir Miles Thomas, who had been chairman of BOAC and the British offshoot of Monsanto, the American chemical company at the time.