Weaver's Week
Each week, Iain Weaver gives us his take on the week's game show programmes and related news.
A companion guide to game shows on TV for the coming week is also published on a regular basis, usually on Thursdays.
Date | Topics |
29th April 2012 | School of Hard Sums |
22nd April 2012 | Wordaholics, Just a Minute |
15th April 2012 | Breakaway |
8th April 2012 | The Weakest Link says "Goodbye" |
Contents |
2012 archive
Date | Topics |
1st April 2012 | Forthcoming Attractions |
25th March 2012 | University Challenge final |
18th March 2012 | The Mad Bad Ad Show |
11th March 2012 | Fixtures of broadcasting - Countdown, Brain of Britain |
4th March 2012 | The $64,000 Question |
26th February 2012 | Jedward's Big Adventure |
19th February 2012 | Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge |
12th February 2012 | A Question of Taste |
5th February 2012 | The Exit List |
29th January 2012 | Celebrity Big Brother for 2012 |
22nd January 2012 | The Bank Job |
15th January 2012 | Bob Holness; Raise the Roof |
8th January 2012 | The Only Connect Championship of Champions of Champions |
2011 archive
Date | Topics |
1st January 2012 | The Week of the Year 2011 |
18th December 2011 | Countdown finals; Wall Night |
11th December 2011 | Only Connect 5 final; History Repeats Itself; Dilemma |
4th December 2011 | Sorority Girls - a non-review |
27th November 2011 | The X Factor |
20th November 2011 | Strictly Come Dancing |
13th November 2011 | Booing Big Brother |
6th November 2011 | 2.8 Hours Later |
30th October 2011 | Deal or No Deal Live |
23rd October 2011 | High Stakes |
16th October 2011 | Impossible? |
9th October 2011 | The Beat Goes On |
2nd October 2011 | Holding Out for a Hero |
25th September 2011 | Minute to Win It |
18th September 2011 | Red or Black |
11th September 2011 | Celebrity Big Brother 2011 |
4th September 2011 | Epic Win |
28th August 2011 | The Radio Shadow |
21st August 2011 | Robert Robinson |
14th August 2011 | Pop Up Pop Quiz, Camp Orange |
7th August 2011 | Born to Shine, Show Me the Funny |
31st July 2011 | Improvisation My Dear Mark Watson, Silent Library |
24th July 2011 | Quiz Trippers, Spam and Beans |
17th July 2011 | The Marriage Ref, Krypton Factor 1995 |
10th July 2011 | Copycats |
3rd July 2011 | Gory Games, Splatalot |
26th June 2011 | Compete for the Meat, Big Ask |
19th June 2011 | Four Rooms, Style the Nation |
12th June 2011 | So You Think Britain's Got Talent |
5th June 2011 | Countdown's finals week |
29th May 2011 | Don't Scare the Hare, Sing If You Can |
22nd May 2011 | Blue is not your colour - Eurovision review |
15th May 2011 | Scott and Sara's Eurovision |
8th May 2011 | Three from Radio Four |
1st May 2011 | A Brief History of Voting in British Game Shows |
24th April 2011 | Fighting Talk and Around the Horn |
17th April 2011 | Mastermind final, Gleusta |
10th April 2011 | University Challenge final, A Table |
3rd April 2011 | Them Next Door |
27th March 2011 | Great British Hairdresser |
20th March 2011 | Glee Club and Comic Relief |
13th March 2011 | Trade Your Way to the USA |
6th March 2011 | Push the Button 2.0 Live |
27th February 2011 | Secret Fortune |
20th February 2011 | A Farmer's Life for Me |
13th February 2011 | Tool Academy |
6th February 2011 | Perfection |
30th January 2011 | Michel Roux's Service |
23rd January 2011 | The Magicians; OC/UC challenge match |
16th January 2011 | Fool Us; Only Connect Championship of Champions |
9th January 2011 | Famous and Fearless |
2010 archive
Date | Topics |
2nd January 2011 | The Week of the Year 2010 |
19th December 2010 | Countdown finals week for series 63 |
12th December 2010 | Drop Zone |
5th December 2010 | 10 Jonathan, Voodoo Hussy |
28th November 2010 | Meet the Parents; The Love Bus |
21st November 2010 | Men's Television — Beer & Pizza Club, Mark Watson Kicks Off |
14th November 2010 | Celebrity Juice |
7th November 2010 | Fee Fi Fo Yum |
31st October 2010 | Ramsay's Best Restaurant |
24th October 2010 | Moments of Genius |
17th October 2010 | The King is Dead |
10th October 2010 | Secret Dealers |
3rd October 2010 | 71 Degrees North |
26th September 2010 | Glyph or No Glyph |
19th September 2010 | Quiz me well |
12th September 2010 | A Big Brother scrapbook |
5th September 2010 | Yet more cookery - Dinner Date, Great British Bake Off |
29th August 2010 | The Boss is Coming to Dinner, New New Millionaire |
22nd August 2010 | ...and don't stop believing |
15th August 2010 | ITV's summer Saturdays - Odd One In, Magic Numbers |
8th August 2010 | Mastermind Championship of Champions |
1st August 2010 | Escape in Time |
25th July 2010 | 101 Ways to Leave a Gameshow |
18th July 2010 | A Game Show Marathon - includes Antiques Master |
11th July 2010 | Cooking up something - Family Food Fight, Celebrity Pressure Cooker |
4th July 2010 | Umpires, Rollercoasters, and deities |
27th June 2010 | The Million Pound Drop |
20th June 2010 | The 62nd Countdown finals week |
13th June 2010 | Mission 2110 |
6th June 2010 | Eurovision Song Contest final |
30th May 2010 | Mastermind final, Eurovision semi-finals |
23rd May 2010 | The Adventure Game 1986 part two |
16th May 2010 | The Adventure Game series 4 |
9th May 2010 | Gameshow General Election exit poll |
2nd May 2010 | The Whole 19 Yards |
25th April 2010 | The Door |
18th April 2010 | The Third Only Connect final; also Four Weddings |
11th April 2010 | The University Challenge final |
4th April 2010 | Dating in the Dark |
28th March 2010 | Push-button shows |
21st March 2010 | Your Country Needs Help |
14th March 2010 | Minor British Institutions - Countdown, Raven |
7th March 2010 | Come ITV With Me - Dining Stars, May the Best House Win |
28th February 2010 | The Boys in The Bubble |
21st February 2010 | Popstar to Operastar |
14th February 2010 | Relic: Guardians of the Museum |
7th February 2010 | Augmented Reality Technology Rules! - Bamzooki |
31st January 2010 | What do children know? |
24th January 2010 | So You Think You Can Dance |
17th January 2010 | Take Me Out |
10th January 2010 | Tossers' Challenge - Heads or Tails |
2009 archive
Date | Topics |
3rd January 2010 | The Week of the Year 2009 |
20th December 2009 | It's Countdown finals week again! |
13th December 2009 | Weaver's Decade VI - Is that your identity? Was that your interaction? |
6th December 2009 | We Need Answers, not Argumentals |
29th November 2009 | Weaver's Decade V - Well done, young warrior |
22nd November 2009 | Keep Your Nevars Close |
15th November 2009 | Weaver's Decade IV - Singing for survival |
8th November 2009 | Britain's Best Brain |
1st November 2009 | Weaver's Decade III - Big Brother house, this is Davina. |
25th October 2009 | Design for Life |
18th October 2009 | Weaver's Decade II - who should be voted off the team? |
11th October 2009 | Clever v Stupid, Big Food Fight |
4th October 2009 | Weaver's Decade I - but we don't want to give you that! |
27th September 2009 | CBBC's Game Show Zone |
20th September 2009 | Pointless |
13th September 2009 | Cubed |
6th September 2009 | It's the Only Connect final! |
30th August 2009 | The Drogna Game |
23rd August 2009 | The Adventure Game 3 |
16th August 2009 | Knowalotts |
9th August 2009 | Tellyheads: You Have Been Watching, As Seen on TV |
2nd August 2009 | Guess or estimate |
26th July 2009 | University Challenges - Accumulate! |
19th July 2009 | Fused |
12th July 2009 | Chasers |
5th July 2009 | That's Totally Saturday! |
28th June 2009 | Obituaries - Patrick Dowling and Steve Race |
21st June 2009 | Finals for Countdown and Mastermind |
14th June 2009 | Scotland's Quality Shows |
7th June 2009 | Hannah-oke |
31st May 2009 | The Despicable Factor - Divided |
24th May 2009 | Eurovision final |
17th May 2009 | Eurovision semi-final |
10th May 2009 | Speak! - The Speaker |
3rd May 2009 | Tonight's the Night, The Generation Game '73 |
26th April 2009 | Wordplay |
19th April 2009 | Ego week - Clement Freud, Chris Moyles' Quiz |
12th April 2009 | A Question of Genius |
5th April 2009 | Raven: The Dragon's Eye |
29th March 2009 | The inevitable Jade Goody obituary |
22nd March 2009 | Pretty in Pink - Paris Hilton |
15th March 2009 | Seeing red - The Colour of Money |
8th March 2009 | Colour us flabbergasted |
1st March 2009 | That University Challenge Final in Full |
22nd February 2009 | Controlling any crisis |
15th February 2009 | Superheroes, Who Wants to be one |
8th February 2009 | Like, totally Wipeout |
1st February 2009 | Your Country Needs Something - Eurovision, Countdown, University Challenge |
25th January 2009 | Blast and Botheration Lab |
18th January 2009 | Jeff Chiffres et Rachel Lettres - the new Countdown team |
11th January 2009 | The Krypton Factor |
2008 archive
Date | Topics |
28th December 2008 | The Week of the Year |
21st December 2008 | The Last Millionaire |
14th December 2008 | Carol Singers - Countdown series final |
7th December 2008 | Raven once more - series 8 reviewed |
30th November 2008 | Election fever |
23rd November 2008 | Bachelorette - Spin Star |
16th November 2008 | The Eggheads crack'd: are you one? |
9th November 2008 | A little more stay-in-the-fight - Going for Gold in English and French |
2nd November 2008 | Don't Panic - Panic Attack |
26th October 2008 | Britain's Got the Pop Factor |
19th October 2008 | Natural Born Sellers |
12th October 2008 | SM:TV 2008 - Hot Rods, Scene Stealers |
5th October 2008 | Silhouette of Passage - Hole in the Wall |
28th September 2008 | The What, Why, How, and Who In the World Quiz |
21st September 2008 | The OC - Only Connect |
14th September 2008 | What are you like, eh? |
7th September 2008 | Recalling Wogan, Perfectly |
31st August 2008 | Conductor School - Maestro |
24th August 2008 | Sports desk |
17th August 2008 | Choiring the Pitch - Last Choir Standing |
10th August 2008 | Jam Spoons for All - Battle of the Brains |
3rd August 2008 | Superstars V; also Countdown and fines for the BBC |
27th July 2008 | This Time Tomorrow |
20th July 2008 | Who Dares Sings! |
13th July 2008 | How Television Changed Britain: Intelligence |
6th July 2008 | Dragons, dragons everywhere - Adventure Game 1981 |
29th June 2008 | It's a yellow one, sir, surely you can see that! - Adventure Game 1981 |
22nd June 2008 | Countdown series 58 finals |
15th June 2008 | Challenge daytimes - Crosswords, Wipeout |
8th June 2008 | It's Not What You Know |
1st June 2008 | Eurovision Song Contest post mortem |
25th May 2008 | Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Finals |
18th May 2008 | Young Musicians of the Year |
11th May 2008 | Beat the Star, Fleece the Public - ITV's fines |
4th May 2008 | Mournington Crescent - Humphrey Lyttelton, Banter |
27th April 2008 | All right, other half? - The Kids are All Right, Mr and Mrs |
20th April 2008 | Mark Speight, Come Dine with Me |
13th April 2008 | Words and Music - Book Quiz, Counterpoint |
6th April 2008 | Radio Activity - The Garden Quiz, ...Spanish Inquisition |
30th March 2008 | Mastermind final, Eurovision voting |
23rd March 2008 | Lightly foxed - Basil's Game Show, Stake Out |
16th March 2008 | Zed 53 - Bingolotto |
9th March 2008 | Finding champions - University Challenge, Eurovision Your Decision |
2nd March 2008 | Brain power |
24th February 2008 | Warriors, ready! - Raven |
17th February 2008 | Ding Dong |
10th February 2008 | ITV's weekends - Duel, Thank God You're Here |
3rd February 2008 | There goes our man from the council - Jeremy Beadle |
27th January 2008 | How We Used To Quiz - Spelling Bee 1938 |
20th January 2008 | Stars In Their Eyes Academy |
13th January 2008 | Finger of suspicion |
2007 archive
Date | Topics |
30th December 2007 | The Week of the Year |
23rd December 2007 | A big finals week - Countdown, Junior Mastermind |
16th December 2007 | Big Brother Book |
9th December 2007 | On the conveyor belt - The Generation Game Now and Then |
2nd December 2007 | Not By Strength, By Guile - Who Dares Wins |
25th November 2007 | Les Pretend - The Great Pretender, Codex |
18th November 2007 | Performance - Classical Star, E4 School |
11th November 2007 | 4OD - Big Fat Anniversary Quiz, Don't Call Me Stupid |
4th November 2007 | Saboteur Watch - Trapped, Dirty Rotten Cheater UK |
28th October 2007 | Dining Out - also Alan Coren |
21st October 2007 | Jiggy Pokey - Premium rate scandal continues, Mastermind analysis |
14th October 2007 | Paul Coia's Pleasure - Countdown 1982, Ofcom childrens enquiry |
7th October 2007 | Elven - The World's Greatest Elvis, also Ned Sherrin and Ronnie Hazlehurst |
30th September 2007 | Escape for Some - Premium rate scandal, Escape From Scorpion Island |
23rd September 2007 | Who are ya? - Identity, BBC fakery scandal |
16th September 2007 | Changes in the air - Millionaire, Brain of Britain, Deal or No Deal |
9th September 2007 | The Eurovision Song And Dance Contest, Without The Singing |
2nd September 2007 | Beat the Temple - Raven, also Test the Nation |
26th August 2007 | Is it all fitting together, in a stupid fashion? - The Adventure Game continued |
19th August 2007 | You are in a twisty maze of television studios, all different - The Adventure Game |
12th August 2007 | Wage seekers - Win My Wage, premium rate scandal rumbles on |
5th August 2007 | Slightly booked - The Book Quiz |
29th July 2007 | Challenge, lyrically - Sing It Back |
22nd July 2007 | Sorcery Today - The Sorceror's Apprentice |
15th July 2007 | Fine, then - ICSTIS and OFCOM reports on fakery scandals |
8th July 2007 | Feedback - Tycoon, Golden Balls |
1st July 2007 | Reasons to be grumpy - Brainteaser, People's Quiz, Britain's Got Talent |
24th June 2007 | Starter for Seven - Countdown finals |
17th June 2007 | Going Wild - People's Quiz Wildcard, Payday |
10th June 2007 | Naive? Nincompoop? Numpty? - Big Brother naughtiness |
3rd June 2007 | Repeat After Three - For the Rest of Your Life, That's the Question |
27th May 2007 | Think Big - Big Brother, Eurovision voting |
20th May 2007 | Flying the flag (upside down) |
13th May 2007 | Peer amid song contests |
6th May 2007 | Quiz Populi |
29th April 2007 | Four Against One Hundred |
22nd April 2007 | Headliners |
15th April 2007 | A brief history of 0898 |
8th April 2007 | We Blame Julia Bradbury |
1st April 2007 | Five, Ten |
25th March 2007 | Raising the Standard |
18th March 2007 | Here's one we made up earlier |
11th March 2007 | On the wreck of SS Premium Rate |
4th March 2007 | Checking it out |
25th February 2007 | Fame but no fortune |
18th February 2007 | Stranger and Stranger - also Junior Mastermind final |
11th February 2007 | Sought high and low |
4th February 2007 | Count Des |
28th January 2007 | Bread and Circuses |
21st January 2007 | A clash between pseudo-celebrity and real celebrity |
14th January 2007 | He educated us all - Magnus Magnusson |
7th January 2007 | View From Afar - some European shows |
2006 archive
Date | Topics |
31st December 2006 | The Week of the Year 2006 |
24th December 2006 | They think it's all over - Countdown |
17th December 2006 | Dying off |
10th December 2006 | Learning the hard way |
3rd December 2006 | X Marks the Code |
26th November 2006 | That's Numberplace! - Sudo-Q |
19th November 2006 | Star of Fortune - Mastermind Final, All-Star Family Fortunes |
12th November 2006 | Eight-one - Unanimous |
5th November 2006 | Charlie Five - In The Grid |
29th October 2006 | Take It or Not |
22nd October 2006 | Tooning In |
15th October 2006 | Those New Lottery Shows - Everyone's a Winner and 1 vs 100 |
8th October 2006 | Desperately Seeking Talent |
1st October 2006 | Bad News and Treasure Maps |
24th September 2006 | Is this entertainment? |
17th September 2006 | Alaunus Held Hostage |
10th September 2006 | Five Years On |
3rd September 2006 | Fore! |
27th August 2006 | Big Brother 7 |
20th August 2006 | Marlow and Maria |
13th August 2006 | Reviews in Brief |
6th August 2006 | Fort Boyard |
30th July 2006 | Sports Relief |
23rd July 2006 | ITV In Crisis, part two - Love Island |
16th July 2006 | ITV In Crisis, part one - Poker Face |
9th July 2006 | Full stop, question mark |
2nd July 2006 | Boss-beaters |
25th June 2006 | Scrambled X |
18th June 2006 | Winningest |
11th June 2006 | More long words |
4th June 2006 | Schulze-Condorcet, and other big words |
28th May 2006 | Eurovision Countdown |
21st May 2006 | "We are the winners. Of University Challenge" - also Eurovision semi |
14th May 2006 | The Price is Right? |
7th May 2006 | The category's still there - Bullseye, Sitcom Showdown |
30th Apr 2006 | Stat and More Stat |
23rd Apr 2006 | School Daze (2) - That'll Test 'Em, Top of the Form |
16th Apr 2006 | School Daze (1) - School's Out |
9th Apr 2006 | History Today - Classic Comeback |
2nd Apr 2006 | Front Page News - Countdown, Mastermind |
26th Mar 2006 | Ready... - The Games, Eurovision draw |
19th Mar 2006 | The West Lothian Question - Just the Two of Us |
12th Mar 2006 | Teenage Kicks - A Song for Europe |
5th Mar 2006 | The worst week of the Week |
26th Feb 2006 | Countdown, Deal, Poll |
19th Feb 2006 | Geekdom's only skin deep - Beauty and the Geek |
12th Feb 2006 | Iced Tea - Dancing on Ice |
5th Feb 2006 | Great shows |
29th Jan 2006 | Great hosts |
22nd Jan 2006 | Whose house is it? - Finders Keepers, Big Brother |
15th Jan 2006 | Do we have to spell it out? - Hard Spell, Spelling Bee |
8th Jan 2006 | The year ahead |
Columns from 2001-2005 are on a separate page.