If you have, or have recently had, children under four years old you will, at some point, have been forced to watch The Teletubbies. While watching the programme, the following game can be played.

The Rules

Any number of people can play, but the ideal number is four. In the four-player version, each player takes on the identity of a Teletubby and wins or loses according to previously defined criteria. With a different number of players, predictions are made by each person as to which of the Teletubbies will perform the 'ritual' actions in each programme.

Examples

In every programme, the four Teletubbies (Tinky-winky, Dipsy, Laa-laa and Po) run up a hill, collapse on their backs, and one of them is chosen to relay a film from Earth. If your adopted Teletubby is chosen, or the Teletubby you've predicted is chosen, you win!

Similarly, at the end of every programme, one of the group leaps up and says 'Boo!'. Again, if it is your chosen character, or the one you predicted, you win. There is, incidentally, a connection between the Teletubby who jumps up and says 'Boo!' and the Teletubby who jumps down the hole first at the end of the show.

Alternatively you can bet on other aspects of the programme. Which Teletubby will be the last to appear on screen after the opening credits? Which Teletubby will be the first to say 'Eh-oh'?

Stakes

The stakes will vary according to the level of the opposition. For example, when playing with a three-year-old, it's for fun. When playing against your partner, household chores are a useful stake. For example, the loser of the first prediction washes up; the loser of the second vacuums floor.

If playing against yourself for rewards and penalties, make them count. If you get it right, for example, treat yourself to a new pair of shoes; if you get it wrong, answer the door to the next caller in your underwear.

If playing in a group of four flat-sharing students, use your imagination for the stakes. The person 'adopting' the Teletubby that says 'Boo!' must say 'Boo!' every time they pass through a doorway that day, unless they are doing a Teletubby dance. The person who 'adopts' the Teletubby that gets the transmission can, at anytime in the next 12 hours, place their hand on their head like an antenna and say 'Eh-oh', at which point the others must lie on their backs and giggle like a Teletubby.

Remember at all times that The Teletubbies is a career choice for some people, not just a form of amusement for children. Also remember that gambling is addictive - should you find yourself tuning into CBBC to have a two-hourly fix, you are in need of treatment.