Things happening in the next fortnight:
- Alphabetical with Jeff Stelling takes over the The Chase slot from Monday promising 200+ questions an episode. It’s based on Pasapalabra (itself quite an extreme European reversioning of The Alphabet Game) which has a legendarily difficult endgame with a jackpot that rollsover when it isn’t won which has gone into seven figures several times. It will be interesting to see if they’ve modified it to make it a bit easier for this test run, otherwise don’t expect a winner.
- The Big Fat Quiz of Everything – It seems a bit odd starting a three episode run of this during the second week of the Olympics but there we are. 9-10:30pm on C4.
- Spotless – a “one-off Summer special” where contestants must do challenges whilst avoiding getting covered in paint, as measured by the ICONIC Spotless Scanner (it says on the embargoed press release you’re not allowed to look at until the 16th August despite being freely findable on the ITV Press site) for big cash prizes. That’s on Saturday 20th at 8pm against the last proper day of the Olympics. It’s also by Possessed.
- Murder in Successville – Our favourite “look, it is sort of technically a gameshow even if it isn’t really in the spirit of one” leaps from online only BBC3 to Sunday nights on BBC 2 from August 21st at 10:30. We now prefer Chief Gordon Ramsey to the actual Gordon Ramsey.
Lots of things apparently starting on the 22nd August (MEGA MONDAY):
- Think Tank – New series of reasonably agreeable if unexciting quiz, although it’s now going out at 3:25pm which probably counts as a promotion of sorts. BBC1.
- Debatable – Patrick Kielty and three celebrity guests try to persuade a plucky contestant hoping to walk away with thousands of pounds that they know best. 6pm, BBC2.
- Make Me An Egghead – The artist formerly known as Are You An Egghead? returns after Debatable, it’s a quiz tournament for people who want to join the Eggheads. 6:30pm, BBC2.
- 500 Questions – Yes! Finally the UK version of throw things at a wall and hope it sticks format starts its four episode run at 9pm on ITV with none other than popular ITV personality Giles Coren in charge. To be fair, it’s not set the US alight but it sounds like it’s done pretty well in Germany, and by the sounds of it it’ll be similar to the German version, so.
Here is a promotional image for Alphabetical
http://images.radiotimes.com/remote/static.radiotimes.com.edgesuite.net/pa/61/04/webANXalphabetical5.jpg?quality=60&mode=crop&width=700&height=422&404=tv
22nd August sees the start of a new series of Think Tank (BBC1 3:25PM) Debatable (BBC2 6PM) Make Me An Egghead (BBC2 6:30PM) and 500 Questions (ITV1 9PM). Phew!
Thanks, will add all these in.
Jeff was on talkRADIO this morning discussing Alphabetical, where they also played its theme tune (presumably ripped from the preview tape Paul was given):
http://bit.ly/2bcw7eQ
Do you think that the ‘one off-special’ Spotless is actually a pilot for a full series they are airing?
I suspect it’s a pilot, I think it will struggle to make it to series in that slot.
The BBC are really trying to make Patrick Kielty a thing again, aren’t they? This’ll be the 3rd project they’ve given him so far, and the 2nd quiz related one after Bad Language.
Patrick Kielty manages to be both quite good at what he does, but also quite uncool. No idea why.
Well in the case of Bad Language, that was produced by Green Inc, which was a company Patrick Kielty co-founded. Make of that what you will.
500 Questions trailer has gone online:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=po3V2KQg1qk
Who do you think the host of Spotless will be? I’m going to guess either Stephen Mulhern, Ben Shepherd or Vernon Kay.
There is no host. There may be a voiceover, they’re keeping quiet.
Interesting…
Spotless previewed by Dan Wooton on Lorraine this morning…there’s a clip too 😉