Gameshows of yesteryear

I think it ended because when Ed Tudor Pole took over the show lost alot of ratings because of Richard O Brien's departure. Plus it also cost Channel 4 alot of money, even when it started it costed a couple of million for the set!

I was watching TV Years 1989 on Sky Mix the other night and it reminded me of another game show, Interceptor , odd yet very good, very late 80's, more of a next generation of Treasure Hunt. (Plus it was also on ITV)

It was a couple of million that C4 didn't expect to pay!
They were banking on Fort Boyard (which was going to be a Channel 4 show and a French tv co-production) being made ready for filming so the show could run over the Winter schedules. The French were going to run it's series during the summer so the shooting schedule for UK transmission was very unrealisitic and the plan had to be abandoned as work to get the fort into a workable tv set slipped from the original timescale.

The Crystal Maze was the re-drafted format (on a Soho restaraunt napkin, If I remember correctly) that was that. Bye-bye Western French fort and hello a Shepperton studio and a dis-used hanger at RAF North Weald.
Also TCM finished as Chatsworth Television wanted to start production moving on the follow-up show 'The Magic Carnival' - a unbroadcast pilot was made and the idea never got further into the commissioning machine.

The final episode of Interceptor is still the highest rating non news event/sports show ever broadcast in daytime in this country. New Years Day 1991 (I think) it got over 8 million viewers. Which ironically was more than the show got when the full series aired in peaktime on a Wednesday evening!

I'm surprised it pulled so many viewers as I thought "Interceptor" was by far and away the worst of the Chatsworth gameshow trio. I watched one on Challenge recently and it was a bit painful. The concept was quite good, but the execution was poor. The preseter (Anabelle Croft?) didn't come across very well at all, and had a really high squeaky voice which didn't help. The "bad guy" was just cheesy and reminded me of Lesley Garrett in Fort Bouyard!

I can see why it wasn't recomissioned. Even Zack Laurence didn't come up with a belting theme tune like he did with the other 2!!

Bugger and I can't edit the post now because you've quoted it! Yeah had too much to drink last night and today's been a bit tricky...

Of course I meant GRANTHAM!

Dare I say it, but based on the Challenge reruns, The Golden Shot !

Who could take over from Sir Bob of Monkhouse though ?

(Ant & Dec, in the hope one or both get in the way of the target ! )

I think it was 1st January 1990, as they only made one series of 12 or 13 episodes which as you said where broadcast on Wednesday nights in 1989 on ITV. I've seen a few episodes of it when it has been shown on Challenge TV, it was a good show, but hardly something you'd watch on a Wednesday night.

Good God! You're actually telling me that we got The Crystal Maze by chance?
For once, the French had a positive effect on something!





That was truly hysterical - i'm just imagining it right now...

er...Catchword with Paul Coia?

Punchlines with Lennie Bennett
Today's The Day with Martyn Lewis
That's My Dog (from TSW for the network!)

The Crystal Maze definitely! The Krypton Factor definitely! Cluedo definitely! Knightmare definitely! You Bet with Matthew Kelly definitely!

Also, what about Busman's Holiday, Tarby's Frame Game and Full Swing?

Why don't programming executives that read this forum listen to us all for once and do the decent thing here and reinstate these classic game shows? ITV has way too much drama on at the moment and rubbishy reality shows. Its schedule was way better in the 80's and 90's.

As I have said in the past, THE ONLY WAY THESE GAMESHOWS COULD REALLY MAKE A SUCCESSFUL COMEBACK IS TO PUT EMMERDALE BACK ON TO 2 NIGHTS A WEEK! THEN:-

Monday would be Krypton Factor night at 7.00pm
Wednesday would be Cluedo night at 7.00pm
Friday would be Family Fortunes/Catchphrase night at 7.00pm

and this schedule could change many times during the year so that we have a decent quota of quiz programming onto our screens!

But putting quiz shows on at random times like 5.30pm or on ITV Day Lunchtime at 1.00pm or 5.30pm on a Saturday WILL BE AN UTTER WASTE OF TIME!

Why doesn't anyone listen to us out there? You Hoo!!! Anyone in?

Incidentally, will The Vault not be returning this Summer? :

Many of the gameshows mentioned in this Thread used to be on after TV-am at 9.25am! [/Nostalgic mode]



Nope, not a hope in Hell, as ITV pulled it Last Summer, they didn't even get through all of the episodes comissioned. It wasn't a bad idea for a show, it was badly executed, first Davina McCall, then Mel Sykes then Gabby Logan.