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Author Topic: A couple of UK GS questions  (Read 4773 times)

tommycharles

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A couple of UK GS questions
« on: June 22, 2003, 12:53:50 PM »
Many of the people here have tapes of UK gameshows, and so I felt the questions are not too off topic. If I'm wrong please let me know.

Anyway - has anyone seen the new Countdown set? Pink, purple, and dark wood - hideous!!

Also, which UK game should be the next one to rear its head this side of the Atlantic? My vote goes to Playing for Time.

davidbod

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A couple of UK GS questions
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2003, 02:07:38 PM »
I would be disappointed if UK shows are off topic.

The Countdown set is one of things where they stick around for years and you hate whatever they put in its place. The current one was designed by Andy Walmsley of Millionaire fame. I like it better than the \"dead pigeon\" look they had last time.

I doubt Playing for Time will make a US appearance, although the similar Grand Slam (where former game show \"professional\" contestants pay £1000 to play) might.

David
David J. Bodycombe, Labyrinth Games

Author of How To Devise A Game Show

tommycharles

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A couple of UK GS questions
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2003, 04:39:17 PM »
[quote name=\'davidbod\' date=\'Jun 22 2003, 01:07 PM\'] I would be disappointed if UK shows are off topic.

The Countdown set is one of things where they stick around for years and you hate whatever they put in its place. The current one was designed by Andy Walmsley of Millionaire fame. I like it better than the "dead pigeon" look they had last time.

I doubt Playing for Time will make a US appearance, although the similar Grand Slam (where former game show "professional" contestants pay £1000 to play) might.

David [/quote]
 Ok - I personally hate it, but not in a \"I hate the new Pyramid set because I'm a traditionalist and how dare someone follow trends\" way, but in a \"god, that's ugly\" way. I will agree that it is more interesting than the set they had before (even though I don't understand the dead pigeon reference).

The original blue set will always be my preference. One nifty feature of the new set, however, is that one of the camera shots used finally enables viewers to see what the clock looks like when it is completed. Before, they always cut straight to Richard when the clock hit :30

As for Grand Slam, the format is fast paced and with good playalong value, and I would like to see the \"past GS winners\" idea come to the US - but are there enough quiz shows to support it? Once you go through J!, WWTBAM, and WBSM, there aren't any hard quizzes left. Even then, I doubt that a $5000 WBSM winner who got home with $3000 would put up one third of that for a chance at the big prize.

vtown7

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A couple of UK GS questions
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2003, 11:10:29 PM »
I like the idea of \"Grand Slam\" coming over here - I think that would be an interesting summertime show, for example.

In addition to J!, WWTBAM and WBSM winners, we could always recruit people from the past, such as $ale... or maybe even see if some $64KQuestion people (who weren't coached) would come give it a go.

Mind you, we just had the J! Million dollar masters, so I don't know how easily \"Grand Slam\" would sell.  Maybe a short series for GSN?

Cheers,

Ryan V.

TheInquisitiveOne

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A couple of UK GS questions
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2003, 11:22:29 PM »
I hate to really stray off-topic, but after reading the idea of bringing back $ale contestants...

Does anyone have a remote idea of the whereabouts of $ale Super Winners Barbara Phillips, John Gose, Helaine Lowery, Cindy Barr, and Alice Conkwright?

The Inquisitive One
« Last Edit: June 22, 2003, 11:23:03 PM by TheInquisitiveOne »
This is the Way.

leszekp

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A couple of UK GS questions
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2003, 01:13:18 PM »
When Michael Davies was pitching a US version of Mastermind back in 2000, the original idea was that he would select contestants who had done well on J!, Ben Stein, or WWTBAM. After ABC passed on the idea, it was supposedly shopped to (and rejected by) GSN, A&E, and USA. Pity - I think there's an audience for a fast-paced straight-ahead quiz show with high-caliber players, but everyone these days thinks a show needs a gimmick to succeed.