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Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow

Pretty much a retake on Gameshow Marathon in my opinion. (May 2020)

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JO
Jon
Josh posted:
Do we know if The Price is Right will be using the US music as shown in the promo or the UK music as it was?

Which UK music? IIRC the UK versions all used different music with the Brucie one using a version of the US music.
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
Jon posted:
Josh posted:
Do we know if The Price is Right will be using the US music as shown in the promo or the UK music as it was?

Which UK music? IIRC the UK versions all used different music with the Brucie one using a version of the US music.


Yes, Brucie's 1990s version was a total transplant of the format.
The original Leslie Crowther version was probably relatively close to the US format, but the regulator apparently didn't like the wheel prior to the Range Finder so it had to come out, but that aside I believe it was relatively faithful.
Less said about Joe Pasquale's version the better IMO...
JO
Jon
I’m not sure that’s true. The Leslie Crowther episodes I’ve seen on YouTube had the wheel and the two person showcase (as in the US). I’m not sure the US version has ever used the one person showcase as featured in the Brucie and Pasquale versions?
SW
Steve Williams
Jon posted:
I’m not sure that’s true. The Leslie Crowther episodes I’ve seen on YouTube had the wheel and the two person showcase (as in the US). I’m not sure the US version has ever used the one person showcase as featured in the Brucie and Pasquale versions?


The Crowther version did initially have the wheel, but it was removed very early on, coinciding with a break in production due to a strike at Central.

I enjoyed this, I thought the final was better than in the Brucie era - it certainly looked a bit clearer on screen without them giving the contestants extra money "out of the goodness of our hearts".
JO
Jon


The Crowther version did initially have the wheel, but it was removed very early on, coinciding with a break in production due to a strike at Central.

Ah, I thought something like that may have been the case. How did they determined who got to play the showcase then?

Also things must have been relaxed a bit for the Bob Warman version as I’m sure I’ve seen the wheel was back for that. I guess Wheel of Fortune was probably on air by this time so it would be pretty hard to argue against or maybe different regulation for satellite channels at the time?
JO
Jonwo
Did anyone watch the The Price is Right special that Alan did for Channel 4 a few years back? I remember thinking it was good and probably was a precursor to Epic Gameshow but it was such an odd commission for Channel 4.
Last edited by Jonwo on 31 May 2020 3:27pm
SW
Steve Williams
Jon posted:
Also things must have been relaxed a bit for the Bob Warman version as I’m sure I’ve seen the wheel was back for that. I guess Wheel of Fortune was probably on air by this time so it would be pretty hard to argue against or maybe different regulation for satellite channels at the time?


That's right, anything went on Sky in those days - there's an episode on YouTube which is stuffed with product placement, and the wheel itself is sponsored.

They did a couple of different games in the Crowther era to decide who went to the Showcase, I always remember the Supermarket game where they'd all be challenged to choose a selection of items up to a given total. I always remember this because some of our toys for years after had stickers attached to them with a price because we'd used them to play our own version of Supermarket. What great kids we were.

Then after that, circa 1986 (as I found an episode from that year on a collection of old videos I acquired) they did a different game where the six contestants were asked how much things cost in the past, with the furthest away being eliminated each time until they were down to the final two.

I like how on the Wikipedia page they always refer to Range Finder as if it's a game in itself, rather than a piece of gaming equipment. It's like referring to a round of Bullseye as Dartboard.
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
I believe Sky of the late 1980s and the start of the 1990s (prior to the merger) wasn't as heavily regulated as ITV would have been at the time so they could get away with a lot more and it was an anomaly of the system. I think it was the 1990 Broadcasting Act that closed this loophole and subjected the channels after the merger to the same standards as everybody else under the then new ITC.
BA
bilky asko
Jon posted:
Josh posted:
Do we know if The Price is Right will be using the US music as shown in the promo or the UK music as it was?

Which UK music? IIRC the UK versions all used different music with the Brucie one using a version of the US music.


The Brucie version used the music from "The New Price Is Right", a syndicated version of the show that lasted from September 1994 until January 1995.

BH
BillyH Founding member
I remember some odd quirks from the Joe Pasquale version in 2006-7, such as an episode where a rowdier audience than usual clearly decided they were watching a comedy sketch instead of a gameshow and giggled and laughed at the prizes whenever they were shown, causing Joe to suddenly turn to the audience and tell them, rather seriously, to stop laughing at the prizes as they’re good products that the contestants would want - possibly either fearing some controversy with the companies who donated them, and/or the contestants deciding not to take the show seriously in response and losing any kind of drama or tension in the show. The audience were much more subdued for the rest of the episode.

Some of the contestants in the Pasquale version could also be seen on Deal or No Deal which was on just beforehand on Channel 4, clearly regulars of the circuit.
GM
Gary McEwan
It's actually quite refreshing to see a primetime ITV show not hosted by the usual suspects.

I'm actually looking forward to see Alan Carr do Strike It Lucky. He's kinda similar to Barrymore in his flamboyance and silliness and doesn't take himself to seriously.
JO
Jonwo
If they do a second series of Epic Gameshow, they should have Blankety Blank and Family Fortunes as they would play to Alan's strengths.

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