Know it's off-topic as it wasn't a daytime show but surprised 'Test The Nation' has never made a comeback. It was always a good scheduling filler and felt ahead of its time as a show especially since with the rise of smartphones, broadband it'd be easier than ever for people to get involved and more relevant than ever. When you consider some of the rubbish BBC have commissioned (Don't Scare The Hare, 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow), it hasn't ever come back. The show did drag at times - especially when they chatted to the studio audience - but was a pretty decent format and I loved the theme tune.
I think Test The Nation was one of those "of its time" things. The concept of being always on (internet and phone) was still a few years away. Internet required your firing up a computer and dialling up typically at 56kbps. By the time you'd done all that they'd be three questions down the road.
No these days it wouldn't be a case of "Test The Nation", not on its knowledge anyway, more a case of who can Google the solution first. That on its own doesn't actually prove intelligence, seeing as smartphones seem to have taken away our ability to look before stepping into the road...
I think Test The Nation was one of those "of its time" things. The concept of being always on (internet and phone) was still a few years away. Internet required your firing up a computer and dialling up typically at 56kbps. By the time you'd done all that they'd be three questions down the road.
No these days it wouldn't be a case of "Test The Nation", not on its knowledge anyway, more a case of who can Google the solution first. That on its own doesn't actually prove intelligence, seeing as smartphones seem to have taken away our ability to look before stepping into the road...
With the rise of smartphones and apps it could make a comeback with a play along element which proved successful when the Million Pound Drop first started on Channel 4.
I think Test The Nation was one of those "of its time" things. The concept of being always on (internet and phone) was still a few years away. Internet required your firing up a computer and dialling up typically at 56kbps. By the time you'd done all that they'd be three questions down the road.
No these days it wouldn't be a case of "Test The Nation", not on its knowledge anyway, more a case of who can Google the solution first. That on its own doesn't actually prove intelligence, seeing as smartphones seem to have taken away our ability to look before stepping into the road...
Well the original Test the Nation was IQ based so hardly Googleable questions. And if you only give people 20 seconds to answer each question that is solved.
I think Pointless feels pretty tired now. The BBC have also finally axed the dire Eggheads.
Must have missed that! Wouldn't surprise me, it's been tired for years. Repeats are still airing, but not in the 6pm slot.
I think Pointless only has 2-3 years left, can see Xander and/or Richard wanting to move on, and they'll leave together. Think The Chase will last a little bit longer.
Where did you get the eggheads info from?
Bothers Bar.
I do think with all the half hour slots back in the weeknight primetime schedule on ITV it's a shame they're not going for more game shows. Something like Family Fortunes is just something they can record in bulk and throw pretty much anywhere when required, and nowadays airing them against EastEnders isn't the sacrifice it one was. Indeed I think ITV aired Lucky Numbers and The Price is Right at 8pm on Mondays in the 90s against the new Monday episode of EastEnders.
One show worth mentioning here is the Millionaire Drop - aka the 100k Drop when it moved to 4pm. For me that doesn't work so well at all. Deal or No Deal or course changed the game when it came to daytime winnings, offering a £250,000 jackpot and regularly paying out £15-£20k, when previously daytime shows had been around the £2000-£3000 mark. The Chase is a fairly clever format too for daytime - it appears to offer big five figure jackpots, but suspect the average payout per episode is less than £5000 (and those eps run at an hour compared to half an hour of the gameshows at the turn of the century).
(EDIT: Actually an article a few days ago was published on average game show winnings - The Chase average episode payout is just over £5k).
Last edited by Brekkie on 5 April 2019 9:11pm - 3 times in total
(EDIT: Actually an article a few days ago was published on average game show winnings - The Chase average episode payout is just over £5k).
I am guessing they got the statistics from http://www.onequestionshootout.xyz - which explains the error with lowest amount per contestant, which is actually £1,000 (the site lists games where no contestants got through, with the default pot being £4,000, and winning against the Chaser, meaning they get £1,000 each). If you exclude those games, the lowest amount is £1,575 per contestant.
The new Fifteen to One moved from prime time with Adam Hills, to daytime with Sandi Toksvig. Probably due to presenter salaries, yet Adam Hills wasn't really well known by then, yet he ends up with night time gig? Yet Deal or No Deal moved from daytime with Noel Edmonds, to prime time with Noel Edmonds. Probably one of the only shows which retained it's original presenter in a prime time move, likely as they probably couldn't another presenter bigger than Noel for the evening show.
I do think with all the half hour slots back in the weeknight primetime schedule on ITV it's a shame they're not going for more game shows. Something like Family Fortunes is just something they can record in bulk and throw pretty much anywhere when required, and nowadays airing them against EastEnders isn't the sacrifice it one was. Indeed I think ITV aired Lucky Numbers and The Price is Right at 8pm on Mondays in the 90s against the new Monday episode of EastEnders.
I think I said this before but ITV have unfortunately painted themselves into a corner with their primetime schedule which was just to load on more and more soap over the years. Very little else can get established. The days of a gameshow taking pride of place in a 7pm slot on ITV are gone unfortunately (looks like 5pm is the new 7pm on ITV). I suppose panel shows are the modern format of a game show, the likes of Question of Sport and I suppose Would I Lie To You, but I think I read on TV Forum they just don't get these in the States, they like to tack a proper quiz element onto them instead as opposed to just for laughs.
I suppose panel shows are the modern format of a game show, the likes of Question of Sport and I suppose Would I Lie To You, but I think I read on TV Forum they just don't get these in the States, they like to tack a proper quiz element onto them instead as opposed to just for laughs.
That’s why, when the US version of Whose Line Is It Anyway began, they made a big deal out of the motto “the points don’t matter”, in case the audience got confused by the arbitrary (and often comedic) numbers of points that were given.
Celeb specials have killed primetime gameshows to an extent too. On the whole I just don't find them special either - ITV have taken to running repeats of the celeb Chase episodes on racing weeks and I just find them so less engaging with "celebs" playing for charity than real people trying to win money for themselves.