Board of Excitement 1st January – 7th January 2012

2012, there.

• Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge – First British (sort of) episode in over eight years, and now with teenagers. If you missed it this morning, it’s repeated tomorrow at 5:00pm on CITV. New episodes 9am on Saturday mornings, repeated Mondays at 5pm. We saw the US broadcast and came to the conclusion it’s probably the best version of the show you’re going to do in 22 minutes, and the tournament structure helps the feeling that it’s not really all that exciting when one team goes into the end game with a massive advantage because it’s all about the long game.
• World’s Strongest Man – The Final (8pm, Sunday, Five)
• Perfection – Nick Knowles returns with the true or false quiz. (4:30pm, Weekdaily, BBC2)
• Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is – This won’t get another billing, but when I was very ill last year I ended up watching quite a lot of it and enjoying it, so. (5:15pm, Weekdaily, BBC2)
• Channel 4 Mash-Up Night –  To celebrate the channel’s 30th anniversary, er, in November, Channel 4 are doing a special event night where stars of C4 shows do different Channel 4 shows. Highlights from our perspective include Davina as a contestant on The Million Pound Drop (spread throughout the evening in typical C4 irritatingness) and 8 Out Of 10 Cats doing Countdown. (From 6:30pm Monday, C4)
• Only Connect – The Stainer vs Stainer Champion of Champion of Champions smackdown we’ve all been waiting at least a year for.  (8:30pm, Monday, BBC4)
• The Bank Job – Endemol’s newest hope – people answer questions and try and steal money from an apparent ACTUAL bank vault without being locked in it. The online game was fun, hopefully that will translate to the screen. Not sure about George Lamb though. (10pm weekdaily, 8:30pm Saturday, Channel 4)
• Pointless – All new episodes! It’s so difficult to keep track. They’re filming a ton of new episodes from this week, and a new round is promised. (Weekdaily from Tuesday, 5:15pm, BBC1)
• The Chase – New series, I think. (5pm, Weekdaily from Tuesday, ITV1)
• Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? New Year’s Special – Featuring Richard Madeley and Sara Cox, Lee Mack and Stacey Solomon (can’t wait to see that) and Tom and Douggie from McFly. This one isn’t live. (9pm, Tuesday, ITV1)
• The UKGameshows.com Festive Fifty – Why not come and play poker on Thursday for free, to win actual money? Fifty quid to be given away! All the details. (Thursday, 8pm, Pokerstars)
• Celebrity Big Brother – 12 celebrities go into the house on Thursday night, and some of them will still be there in three week’s time. (9pm, Thursday, Five then variously every day on Five)
• The Magicians – Well I didn’t think the first series was all that, but it was pulling good numbers and you can’t argue with success. This year Darren McMullen (from Minute To Win It) is the new host, and the show’s going LIVE! with lots of pre-records and a viewer vote. (6:35pm, Saturday, BBC1)
• Take Me Out – No likey, no watchey. Now has its own ITV2 spin-off show. (7:30pm, Saturday, ITV2)
• The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins – God knows? No, Nick Knowles! (7:50pm, Saturday, BBC1)
• Celebrity Juice – I’ve just noticed this is getting late night repeats on ITV1. Is this new? Anyway apparently the one on next Saturday is the one with Ant and Dec on, and is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. (10:45pm, Saturday, ITV1)

Blimey, what a lot there. AND IT DOESN’T STOP THERE EITHER, we’ll be launching the Poll of 2011 later this evening. Can you wait? Well you’ll just have to.