So here’s something fun and interesting, our good friends at the terrific Knightmare.com (here’s their Twitter) tweeted us this morning alerting us to the fact that an episode of Broadsword’s short-lived BSB show The Satellite Game has been uploaded to Youtube. It’s the very first episode, and with thanks to the uploader (one of the contestants) here it is!
I know it’s the first episode and as such there’s going to be a bit of explaining of the set up, what I wasn’t expecting was the kids basically not doing anything meaningful until the last five minutes or so – it’s all very heavily led with the command computer (Freyja Westdal) and Lari the Droid (voiced by David Lerner of Pickle the Elf fame who in fairness is quite funny here given the constraints) basically not so much nudging the contestants in the right direction (of which there seems rarely more than one anyway) so much as using a full on tractor beam. It’s a bit dull. The graphics have a sort of charm although there seems a clear delineation between the led bits and the bits with the kids in direct control, which look a bit like an 8-bit Freescape game.
A curio, and one Tim Child admits wasn’t very good, but also that the lessons learnt from it meant Knightmare avoided a similar later fate.. Here’s some more information.
David Rowe did some of the artwork for this, you can still fund his Art of Knightmare Kickstarter.
In sad news, watching The Genius just got a whole lot harder as Bumdidlyumptious’ Youtube channel got taken down. However undeterred, it sounds like they are looking for another outlet, so fingers crossed we will be able to watch series two after all which began this weekend. You are advised to follow on Twitter for latest news.
Edit: And now 15 to 1 has got its series – 20 civilian shows with Sandi Toksvig and four celebrity ones with Adam Hills, so we will finally be able to put the “is it worthwhile?” question to bed next year.
The first 15-20 minutes might as well be one long cut scene, with the barely (at most generous!) interactive characters arguing with each other. Nevertheless, it’s up there on the list of things I never thought I would get to see, so it’s still rather a treat.
Basically, what you said.
Some stuff on Reflex in Mediaguardian’s interview with Objective’s Andrew Newman: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/08/andrew-newman-objective-derren-brown
Here’s what I thought of a recording:
https://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=7171
15-1 gets a full revival with Sandi Toksvig at the helm:
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-12-09/quiz-fifteen-to-one-to-return-to-channel-4-after-10-years—minus-william-g-stewart
Veeery interesting. Very intrigued to see how the civilian episodes do, my gut still says “not very well”.
The only good thing about this is that when it flops the internet will have to think up a response to any new daytime quiz show to replace “This is rubbish, they should bring back 15-to-One”.
Ha! Christ, yes – that irritates me no end.
I’m not optimistic about this. I also don’t really know where they could run the daytime version. Countdown and DOND are doing *okay* at the moment (former up to nearly 600k!!), it would seem an error to tinker with them yet again. 2:40 wouldn’t give much room to break ground, and I can’t see it being favoured by many after 5pm.
Pleased Adam Hills has been retained to a degree, mind. He did a fine job last time. Toksvig should be good, too.
Meh, really.
Yes I’m really fascinated to see how it all plays out – surely they can’t be thinking of sixty minute episodes at 5pm (I note we’re still waiting for Draw It!), so when? Similarly it’ll be a bit weird having celeb episodes in primetime of a show that goes out too early in the afternoon.
I am led to believe that ITV Daytime are trying out a short run (10 eps) of a new quiz called The 21st Question, from NBCUniversal. I can’t find anything about the format online besides some generic bumph here: http://www.todotvnews.com/scripts/templates/estilo_nota.asp?nota=eng%2FDistribuci%F3n%2Fformatos%2F2013%2F10_octubre%2F02_NBCU_Mipcom
According to a couple of StarNow profiles it looks like Gethin Jones is hosting.
It’s Millionaire: Not Seat!
I agree that 60min with civilians and the classic format would be suicide. Half an hour and no more – the hardcore fans will dislike it any other way.
Do you know if they even recorded a series of Draw It? I was thinking about that recently; couldn’t find a single mention of it after around May time.
On a similar note, I wonder about Million Pound Drop; there was supposed to be a series this autumn, but that has been quietly dropped.
Pretty sure, there were audience calls for it.
Yes, they recorded the series out here in Maidstone. Be interested to see it if and when they put it out. I actually reckon it’d have more of a shot at breaking through than a standard q & a quiz just because it’s a bit different. C4 don’t seem in too much of a hurry to try new stuff in daytime at the moment, though, with DOND, CDWM and Four in a Bed guaranteeing them a baseline of at least a million or so viewers.
I think at an hour long it’s dead in the water, Win Lose or Draw got away with bouncing off six people over half an hour, twice the length and half the people I’m really not sure.
Paul B – recorded what series?