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Game On. The toughest creative challenge in TV.

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‘Nobody knows anything’. So goes the famous quote from screenwriter William Goldman, suggesting that it’s impossible to predict public taste. It’s a theory that would certainly be supported by the haphazard history of the British game show.

There’s no doubt we Brits love our game shows. Indeed, they continue to occupy a fair old slab of contemporary television airtime. Despite the fantastical distractions and challenges of the games consoles, there’s still something reassuringly compelling about the sight of a handsome chap or glamorous dame, clutching a handful of cards and urging a pack of civilians through a string of tests, towards some glittering reward.
Broadcasters are pretty fond of the form too. However sizeable the prize, these programmes are reasonably cheap to produce. And should a channel uncover a hit format, the revenue from overseas licensing deals can be spectacular.

Ah! But discovering a twist, hook or gimmick capable of transfixing the audience, rather than driving them away in their hordes, is an inexact science to say the least. A plan which appears, on paper, to have it all – famous host, boundless excitement, catchphrases and more – can, in execution, confound, bore and repel viewers all too easily.

When Channel Four commissioned Chris Evans to front his concept ‘Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush’ in 1995, the gamble wasn’t restricted to the contestants. Evans was still pretty inexperienced, had no game shows on his CV and was better known for ‘zoo’ format breakfast larks and local radio. Nevertheless, despite a modest budget and no cash prize (just an instant holiday), it was a huge hit. 25 episodes ran across two series.
So when the fiery-headed star brought them another idea, the channel reasonably figured they couldn’t lose. 2005′s ‘Boys And Girls’ was a disaster. Costing half a million pounds an episode, and fronted by Vernon Kay, viewers remained steadfastly unimpressed. Perhaps it was the show’s sexist leanings, or drawn-out, complicated rules – or maybe it was just over marketed before it aired – whatever the cause, it tanked. There was no second series and the flop marked the beginning of Evans’ fallow period.

Even the enchanted hand of Simon Cowell, steering the unassailable Ant & Dec, is no guarantee of game show gold. It must have seemed like pure dynamite in the production meetings, but ‘Red Or Black’ was dire and no amount of hype or primetime placement could rescue it. Mention those three words to an ITV executive today, and watch them turn puce, perspire and call their therapist.

On the other hand, David Briggs – a producer of quizzes for Capital Radio – initially struggled to convince ITV that his idea, ‘Cash Mountain had any worth. Only when he urged producers to play the game with him at a meeting, did they realise he was onto something. ‘Cash Mountain’ was quickly renamed ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ and conquered the planet. It ran in the UK from 1998 to 2013, an incredible innings for a quiz, and can still be seen on networks worldwide.

"The Chase? I'm a committed and unashamed fan."

It has been pointed out that ‘Millionaire’ succeeds because the process is incredibly simple. Essentially, answering fifteen multiple-choice questions correctly, delivers the largest jackpot in British TV history. So is this the key to any game show’s massive popularity? Sadly not. The quiz currently leading the pack is ‘The Chase’ – also on ITV. Hosted brilliantly by the actor and comic Bradley Walsh, its pre-evening news slot draws very impressive audience numbers (myself included), even as it faces tough competition from BBC1′s surprising triumph ‘Pointless’. Although the gameplay of ‘The Chase’ is quite complex, convoluted even, it has an undeniable attraction. The expert, or ‘chaser’, against whom the team must prevail, changes every day, until all four have appeared. With their idiosyncrasies and banter with Walsh, we come to anticipate the forthcoming battle as the afternoon winds on. Well, we do if we’re freelances working from home. I’m a committed and unashamed fan.

Unfortunately, the notion that such programmes engage us because we relish the battle of wits, doesn’t quite hold water either. Just as ‘Millionaire’ was starting to lose its thrill, Channel Four stuck their necks out again, to secure the services of Noel Edmonds, who had left the BBC under something of a cloud a few years earlier. The show for which he had been recruited was, of course, Deal Or No Deal; and its unique selling point was the complete lack of general knowledge questions. This wasn’t a quiz, it was an experience of pure chance – like Pass-The-Parcel or roulette. So, although there was obvious jeopardy (an essential game show ingredient) is was uncontrollable. Regardless of skill or intelligence, anybody could win and anybody could lose. Many worthy contestants have left ‘Deal’ with nothing more than a penny – all because they failed to predict the contents of a locked box. Sounds tedious, but has actually become a mainstay of the channel’s daytime output. A hit, in other words.

So, clearly, there is something frustratingly elusive in the creation of triumphant TV game shows. For every ‘Generation Game’ there’s a ‘Brain Box’, and for every ‘Family Fortunes’ there’s an ‘Anything Goes’. Because the returns can be so financially magnificent, the networks will certainly go on testing and trying new concepts for decades to come. But which shows will take the money and which will be chucked in the box, nobody knows.

Magnus Shaw is a blogger, consultant and copywriter

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