News Archive

Line 1: Line 1:
Old news stories are archived here. See the [[Main Page|main page]] for the latest news.
Old news stories are archived here. See the [[Main Page|main page]] for the latest news.
 +
 +
==2010==
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square Ready Steady Cook.jpg|Ready Steady Cook]]</div>5 November '''Ready... Steady... Gone!'''<br/>BBC2's long-running cookery challenge [[Ready Steady Cook]] is to be chopped, the BBC's head of daytime, Liam Keelan, has announced. The move is part of a far-reaching revamp of the BBC2 afternoon schedule. The show debuted in 1994 as part of Peter Bazalgette's Bazal Productions slate. Originally members of the public fought in the red tomato and green pepper kitchens, but recent years have mainly featured celebrity contestants.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[File:Square britains got talent.jpg|Britain's Got Talent]]</div>18 October '''ITV's Got the Cowell Factor'''<br/>ITV has announced it has agreed a deal with [[Simon Cowell]]'s Syco company and Fremantle Media, which will see [[Britain's Got Talent]] and [[The X Factor]] both broadcast until 2013. However, it remains to be seen whether [[Simon Cowell]] himself will appear in all the programmes due to his commitments in America.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square_TV_Set.jpg|Main Page]]</div>15 September '''Challenge to launch on Freeview'''<br/>It has been announced that game show channel ''Challenge'' is to launch on the ''Freeview'' digital TV platform, doubling the number of homes able to receive it. The channel, recently purchased by BSkyB, is home to classic episodes of game shows such as [[Bullseye]], [[Catchphrase]], [[Family Fortunes]], [[Strike it Lucky]], [[The Crystal Maze]] and [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire]].<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[File:Square_big_brother_2010.jpg|Big Brother]]</div>10 September '''Big Brother isn't watching'''<br/>After 11 years, 274 housemates, and thousands of hours of television, the daddy of reality TV shows [[Big Brother]] has finally come to an end, with series two winner [[Brian Dowling]] being voted the ultimate ''Big Brother'' housemate.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square robert robinson.jpg|Brain of Britain]]</div>3 August '''Robinson steps down'''<br/>[[Robert Robinson]] has left [[Brain of Britain]], of which he has been the official regular host since 1972. Russell Davies, who has stood in during Robinson's illness, now becomes the full-time host.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[File:Square brian fortuna.jpg|Strictly Come Dancing]]</div>9 June '''No Fortuna'''<br/>Professional dancer Brian Fortuna has left [[Strictly Come Dancing]] after changes to the format were revealed. Fortuna was one of five regulars asked to step down from competing and instead form part of a dedicated professional dance troupe, along with Ian Waite, Matthew Cutler, Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova. The others will not be competing this year but have yet to announce whether they will join the troupe.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square ray alan.jpg|Ray Alan]]</div>24 May '''Ray Alan'''<br/>The death has been announced of ventriloquist and presenter [[Ray Alan]] at the age of 79. Alan's hosting roles included [[Three Little Words]] and the travel quiz [[Where in the World?]], and with his dummy Lord Charles he was a regular guest on shows such as [[3-2-1]] and [[Celebrity Squares]].<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[File:Square davina mccall.jpg|Davina McCall]]</div>2 May '''Davina to host new show'''<br/>[[Davina McCall]] is to host Channel 4's live primetime game show, [[The Million Pound Drop]]. The programme, described by C4's Julian Bellamy as "live event meets game show", launches later this month and will offer a potential £1m prize. <br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square Hole in the wall fail.jpg|Hole in the Wall]]</div>23 April '''Hole in the Wall axed'''<br/>[[Hole in the Wall]] has been axed after two series, according to ''The Sun'' today. The first of a new wave of physical gameshows when it launched in 2008, it has since been overtaken in the ratings by the likes of [[Total Wipeout]] and [[The Whole 19 Yards]]. <br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[File:Square tarrant great pretender.jpg|Chris Tarrant]]</div>20 March '''Tarrant becomes #1 all-time UK host'''<br/>With the launch of ITV's [[The Door]] in April, [[Chris Tarrant]] becomes indisputably the [[UK Game Show Records#Most formats hosted|most successful UK game show host of all time]]. He will have 17 main hosting roles to his credit, and involvement in 18 different formats overall, beating the late [[Bob Monkhouse]] who, to our knowledge, had 15 main hosting roles. Tarrant's varied career has included two shows with diametrically opposite aims: [[Lose a Million]] and [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire?]] as well as board game conversions ([[Cluedo]], [[PSI]]) and the raucous [[Man O Man]].<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square a question of sport.jpg|A Question of Sport]]</div>16 February '''A Question of Sport to tour'''<br/>[[A Question of Sport]] is to mark its 40th anniversary year by going out on tour. It follows in the footsteps of shows as diverse as [[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]], [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire]] and [[Dancing on Ice]] which have cashed in on their popularity with non-broadcast variants. Host [[Sue Barker]] and team captains Matt Dawson and [[Phil Tufnell]] are all signed up to take part in the 15-date tour.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<!--Instead of deleting articles from the end, I think it might be worth putting into the comment tags below until we figure out what to do with them. A news archive, for example.-->
 +
<!--
 +
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[File:Square monkey.jpg|Noel Edmonds]]</div>15 February '''Beat the Monkey to make Noel Feel Good?'''<br/>[[Noel Edmonds]] has set up a new company, Feel Good Television, and is currently touting a number of potential formats. Feel Good will concentrate on exploiting format rights and will contract production out to other companies. Among the formats being shopped around are valuation game ''Bank It or Bin It'', which recently filmed a pilot, and the headline-grabbing ''Beat the Monkey'', in which questions will be selected by a monkey in recorded inserts. <br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[File:Square scorpion island.jpg|Escape From Scorprion Island]]</div>13 February '''CBBC cleans up at KidScreen Awards'''<br/>[[Escape from Scorpion Island]] has been honoured as Best Non-Animated or Mixed Series at the inaugural KidScreen Awards. It was one of five trophies picked up by CBBC at the awards, which aim to recognise engaging and entertaining children's TV from around the world.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square sun sea bargain spotting.jpg|Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting]]</div>30 November '''BBC Trust rules against Reef'''<br/>The BBC Trust has published the findings of its investigation into allegations of fakery against [[Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting]]. It found that Reef Television were in breach of BBC guidelines in allowing production staff to pose as members of the public, allowing staff to purchase items off-screen, and restaging events without the original participants. The Trust identified incidents across all five broadcast series of the show. Similar breaches were also found in other Reef productions, ''Trash to Cash'' and [[Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is]]. In some incidents, the outcome of the programme was affected. The affected programmes will not be repeated, however following the investigation, the BBC Executive has announced that it "is now satisfied that the company has compliance procedures and training of an appropriate standard" and the company's supension has been lifted.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square pat gibson.jpg|Eggheads]]</div> 23 November '''Yes, he is an Egghead'''<br/>Pat Gibson is the new [[Eggheads|Egghead]]. Gibson, a former [[Brain of Britain]], [[Mastermind]] champion, jackpot winner on [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire]] and 2007 IQA World Quiz champion, beat fellow ''Millionaire'' and ''Mastermind'' winner David Edwards to become the seventh member of "arguably Britain's most formidable quiz team".<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square max robertson.jpg|Going for a Song]]</div> 20 November '''Max Robertson'''<br/>The death has been announced of Max Robertson at the age of 94. Robertson hosted the popular antiques panel game [[Going for a Song]] for twelve years, 1965-77. He was also a commentator, associated particularly with tennis, and retired in 1986. <br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square Argumental sergeant.jpg|Argumental]]</div>10 November '''Auntie gets Argumental'''<br/>BBC Two is to trial the Dave-commisioned comedy debating show [[Argumental]]. It is the first time the BBC has picked up an entertainment show from the UKTV network. <br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square Alan Sugar.jpg|The Apprentice]]</div>10 November '''Apprentice put back to summer'''<br/>The BBC has confirmed that the 2010 series of [[The Apprentice]] will be moved from its usual March starting date to the summer. The move was recommended by the BBC Trust in July, due to concerns that Alan Sugar's position as a government advisor could cause a breach of impartiality rules if the series, currently filming, were aired during a general election campaign. The ''Junior Apprentice'' spin-off will also be delayed.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square jack dee.jpg|Jack Dee]]</div>16 October '''Dee to host ISIHAC'''<br/>[[Jack Dee]] is to be the sole host for the next series of [[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]. His appointment is for the next series only, and no decision has been made on a permanent host. Dee was one of three rotating hosts on the previous series, the first made since the death of long-serving chairman [[Humphrey Lyttelton]].<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square ian wallace.jpg|My Music]]</div>14 October '''Ian Wallace'''<br/>[[My Music]] panellist Ian Wallace has died at the age of 90 after a long illness. Wallace partnered [[Denis Norden]] on the panel game from 1967 to 1993, never missing a single episode. Wallace was also a bass baritone singer, best known for his performance of Flanders and Swann's ''The Hippotamus Song''.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square mock the week.jpg|Mock the Week]]</div>2 October '''Frankie Boyle quits MTW'''<br/>[[Mock the Week]] has been commissioned for a further two series, but Frankie Boyle will not be taking part. Boyle has been a regular on the show since the first series in 2005, when he was still considered an unknown. He has left to pursue other TV projects.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square five 2009.jpg|Name That Tune]]</div>1 October '''I'll name that tune on five'''<br/>Five has announced that it is to revive the classic format [[Name That Tune]] next year. The show will be made by Ant and Dec's production company Gallowgate but they will not host it. Five previously revived the show in 1998, in a short-lived version hosted by [[Jools Holland]].<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square wizard of oz 1939.jpg|Andrew Lloyd Webber]]</div>11 September '''Spoiler: He's not a real wizard'''<br/>The BBC has confirmed that next year's planned casting show for ''The Wizard of Oz'' will go ahead. [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] had been in talks to move to ITV.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square ant dec tvquick.jpg|Saturday Night Takeaway]]</div>8 September '''More prizes for Ant and Dec'''<br/>[[Ant McPartlin|Ant]] and [[Declan Donnelly|Dec]] were the big winners at last night's TV Quick & TV Choice Awards, picking up an Outstanding Contribution award as well as trophies for Best Entertainment Show ([[Saturday Night Takeaway]]) and Best Talent Show ([[Britain's Got Talent]]). Other game show winners were [[The Apprentice]] for Best Reality Show, and [[Deal or No Deal]] for Best Gameshow.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square Karren Brady.jpg|The Apprentice]]</div>30 August '''Brady takes on Apprentice role'''<br/>The managing director of Birmingham City FC, Karren Brady, has been confirmed as Margaret Mountford's replacement on [[The Apprentice]]. Brady has appeared as an interviewer in two previous series and as a contestant on the ''Comic Relief'' celebrity version of the show.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square Big Brother.jpg|Big Brother]]</div>26 August '''Big Brother axed'''<br/>C4 has confirmed that next year's [[Big Brother]] series will be the last. The channel's Director of Programmes, Kevin Lygo, said that the show was still profitable but that it "has reached a natural end point on Channel 4 and it’s time to move on." The station is planning to spend the money saved on commissioning more original drama.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square martina hingis.jpg|Strictly Come Dancing]]</div>25 August '''BBC holds press conference'''<br/>The celebrity line-up for this year's series of Strictly Come Dancing was announced at a press conference in London this morning. The full list, which includes former tennis star Martina Hingis (pictured) is now up on the [[Strictly Come Dancing#Participants|Strictly Come Dancing]] show page.<br/><br/>
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square_masterchef_spiral.jpg|Masterchef Goes Large]]</div>24 August '''Junior Masterchef'''<br/>CBBC has commissioned a full series of ''Junior Masterchef'' following a one-off competition for last year's ''Children in Need'' night. The show joins the regular, celebrity and professional versions of [[Masterchef Goes Large|Masterchef]], all of which have already been commissioned through 2011.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square sun sea bargain spotting.jpg|Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting]]</div>
 +
23 August '''Show pulled after fakery claims'''<br/>The BBC has suspended [[Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting]] after it emerged that a "member of the public" seen buying an item from contestants was in fact one of the show's cameramen. The series, the offending episode of which was repeated last Wednesday, has also been withdrawn from the BBC's iPlayer catch-up service.
 +
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:The X Factor logo.jpg|75px|The X Factor]]</div>
 +
18 August '''X Factor splits over weekend'''<br/>[[The X Factor]] is to move its results shows to Sunday nights for the forthcoming series. Unlike [[Strictly Come Dancing]]'s recently-abandoned Sunday night show, The X Factor's results show will be live.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square brendan sheerin.jpg|Coach Trip]]</div>
 +
18 August '''Coach Trip keeps travelling'''<br/>12 Yard's recently-revived [[Coach Trip]] has been recommissioned for a longer, 50-episode run in 2010. The show returned to Channel 4 daytime earlier this year after a 3-year break.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square alesha dixon.jpg|Strictly Come Dancing]]</div>
 +
9 July '''Strictly changes'''<br/>
 +
Judge [[Arlene Phillips]] has been dropped from the 2009 series of [[Strictly Come Dancing]], the BBC confirmed today. She will be replaced by the 2007 series champion, Alesha Dixon (pictured). Unspecified changes will also be made to the voting for the new series, which is to be launched with a special Friday night show.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square steve race.jpg|Steve Race]]</div>
 +
23 June '''Steve Race'''<br/>
 +
The death has been announced of the pianist, composer and broadcaster [[Steve Race]]. He was 88. Race's major contributions to game shows were hosting [[My Music]] on both radio and TV,  and appearing as the "musical mistakes man" in [[Many a Slip]].
 +
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square britains got talent.jpg|Britain's Got Talent]]</div>
 +
31 May '''Talent's Got Ratings'''<br/>
 +
Saturday night's final of [[Britain's Got Talent]] was the most watched British game show for ten years, and the highest-rated TV show of any kind for nearly five years. Overnight figures suggest that the programme, won by dance troupe Diversity, averaged over 18 million viewers and peaked at over 19m. The last TV show to rate higher was an England match in Euro 2004, and the last game show to do so was [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire?]] in March 1999.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square clement freud.jpg|Clement Freud]]</div>
 +
16 April '''Clement Freud'''<br/>
 +
Regular panel game contributor [[Clement Freud]] has died at the age of 84. The former restaurateur and MP was latterly best known for being a panellist on [[Just a Minute]], having regularly appeared on the show since its launch in 1967.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Square lennie bennett.jpg|Lennie Bennett]]</div>
 +
9 April '''Lennie Bennett'''<br/>
 +
Comedian and game show host [[Lennie Bennett]] has died at the age of 70. The star of [[Lucky Ladders]] and [[Punchlines]] died at Royal Lancaster Infirmary on Wednesday night after a fall at home.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">
 +
[[Image:Square_BAFTA.jpg]]</div>
 +
25 March '''BAFTA TV awards'''<br/>
 +
Game shows shortlisted for this year's BAFTA TV Awards are: [[QI]] and [[The X Factor]] (Entertainment programme); [[Masterchef Goes Large|Celebrity MasterChef]] and [[The Apprentice]] (Features) and [[Stephen Fry]] and [[Ant McPartlin|Ant]] & [[Declan Donnelly|Dec]] (Entertainment Performance).
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Jade_goody_headshot.jpg|75px]]</div>
 +
22 March '''Jade Goody'''<br/>
 +
It has been announced that [[Jade Goody]] has died at the age of 27. The former [[Big Brother]] contestant and star of [[Jade's PA]] was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year and died at home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">
 +
[[Image:Square_richard_holloway.jpg|Britain's Got Talent]]</div>
 +
18 March '''Royal Television Society Awards'''<br/>
 +
[[Bruce Forsyth]] has received a Lifetime Achievement award, and producer Richard Holloway (pictured) picked up the Judges' Award, at the RTS awards ceremony held last night. Holloway's credits include [[Supermarket Sweep]], [[New Faces]], [[Pop Idol]] and [[Britain's Got Talent]]. None of the nominated game shows won their categories, though Peter Kay's ''Pop Factor'' spoof won the Comedy Performance prize.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Square rose dor logo.jpg|Award Winners]]</div>
 +
11 March '''All, some, or none shall have prizes'''<br/>
 +
UK game show nominees for the prestigious Rose d'Or awards 2009 are [[Relentless]] and [[The Colour of Money]] in the Game Show category and [[Last Choir Standing]] for the Entertainment award. The winners will be announced at the Lucerne Television Festival in May.
 +
<!--Instead of deleting articles from the end, I think it might be worth putting into the comment tags below until we figure out what to do with them. A news archive, for example.-->
 +
<!--
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">
 +
[[Image:Square masterchef spiral.jpg|Masterchef Goes Large]]</div>
 +
10 March '''MasterChef poached for BBC One menu'''<br/>
 +
[[Masterchef Goes Large|MasterChef]] is to move to BBC One next year after achieving strong ratings for its most recent series on BBC Two. BBC One already shows the spin-off, ''Celebrity MasterChef''.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Square Generic News 2.jpg|University Challenge]]</div>
 +
4 March '''UC ruckus rumbles on'''<br/>
 +
Following Monday's disqualification of Corpus Christi College from [[University Challenge]], press investigations have turned up evidence of at least three previous winning teams fielding players who were not studying at the institutions they represented at the time of the finals. The programme's producers apparently did not consider these to be an issue, and the BBC have said that they did not act on these breaches of the rules because they were not made aware of them at the time. The decision to disqualify CCO has been widely criticised in the press as disproportionate.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">
 +
[[Image:Square RTS logo.jpg]]</div>
 +
4 March '''RTS Programme Awards'''<br/>
 +
The Royal Television Society programme awards shortlists have been published. Game show nominations are [[Masterchef| Masterchef: The Professionals]] for Best Daytime / Early Peak programme, [[Strictly Come Dancing]] and [[The X Factor]] for Best Entertainment and [[Britain's Missing Top Model]] for Best Constructed Factual Series. The winners will be announced on 17 March.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Square sam kay.jpg|University Challenge]]</div>
 +
2 March '''University Challenge: Corpus Christi stripped of title'''<br/>
 +
Corpus Christi College, Oxford, has been officially disqualified from the just-completed [[University Challenge]] series, and stripped of their champion status after it emerged that one of the team was not technically a student. Sam Kay applied for the Corpus Christi team in the expectation that he would be studying for a DPhil there, but funding fell through. The title has been awarded to Manchester.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">
 +
[[Image:Square dale winton.jpg|Dale Winton]]</div>
 +
25 February '''Dale deal'''<br/>
 +
[[Dale Winton]] has signed up for another two years as host of BBC [[National Lottery shows]]. The deal guarantees him two more series of [[In It to Win It]] and two of a new format, most likely ''We Know Where You Live'' which will be piloted next month.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Square tarrant great pretender.jpg|Chris Tarrant]]</div>
 +
24 February '''Tarrant becomes #1'''<br/>
 +
According to our records, the advent of [[Chris Tarrant]]'s new ITV game show [[The Colour of Money]] means he has become Britain's top game show host, with [[UK_Game_Show_Records#Most_formats_hosted|16 different shows]] under his belt. The previous record holder, the late great [[Bob Monkhouse]], had 15. 12 Yard's guessing game - dubbed the "most stressful" on TV - didn't stress BARB's ratings last Saturday, bringing in under 4 million viewers.
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">
 +
[[Image:Square kelly brook.jpg|Britain's Got Talent]]</div>
 +
13 January '''Britain's Got Talent's Got Brook'''<br/>
 +
[[Kelly Brook]] has been added to the judging panel for the new series of [[Britain's Got Talent]]. Brook was a last-minute addition, being signed up on Friday for series 3 which begins filming this week. ('''Update''' 20 January: And now she's been dropped,  Simon Cowell saying that "it's become clear the format doesn't support another judge".)
 +
 +
<div class="square" style="float:left">
 +
[[Image:Square david vine.jpg|David Vine]]</div>
 +
12 January '''David Vine'''<br/>
 +
The death has been announced of former [[Superstars]], [[It's a Knockout]] and [[A Question of Sport]] host, [[David Vine]]. He was 73 and died of a heart attack at his Oxfordshire home on Sunday.
==2009==
==2009==
 +
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square pat gibson.jpg|Eggheads]]</div> 23 November '''Yes, he is an Egghead'''<br/>Pat Gibson is the new [[Eggheads|Egghead]]. Gibson, a former [[Brain of Britain]], [[Mastermind]] champion, jackpot winner on [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire]] and 2007 IQA World Quiz champion, beat fellow ''Millionaire'' and ''Mastermind'' winner David Edwards to become the seventh member of "arguably Britain's most formidable quiz team".<br/><br/>
<div class="square" style="float:right">[[Image:Square pat gibson.jpg|Eggheads]]</div> 23 November '''Yes, he is an Egghead'''<br/>Pat Gibson is the new [[Eggheads|Egghead]]. Gibson, a former [[Brain of Britain]], [[Mastermind]] champion, jackpot winner on [[Who Wants to be a Millionaire]] and 2007 IQA World Quiz champion, beat fellow ''Millionaire'' and ''Mastermind'' winner David Edwards to become the seventh member of "arguably Britain's most formidable quiz team".<br/><br/>

Revision as of 18:39, 3 March 2011

Old news stories are archived here. See the main page for the latest news.

2010

Ready Steady Cook
5 November Ready... Steady... Gone!
BBC2's long-running cookery challenge Ready Steady Cook is to be chopped, the BBC's head of daytime, Liam Keelan, has announced. The move is part of a far-reaching revamp of the BBC2 afternoon schedule. The show debuted in 1994 as part of Peter Bazalgette's Bazal Productions slate. Originally members of the public fought in the red tomato and green pepper kitchens, but recent years have mainly featured celebrity contestants.

Britain's Got Talent
18 October ITV's Got the Cowell Factor
ITV has announced it has agreed a deal with Simon Cowell's Syco company and Fremantle Media, which will see Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor both broadcast until 2013. However, it remains to be seen whether Simon Cowell himself will appear in all the programmes due to his commitments in America.

Main Page
15 September Challenge to launch on Freeview
It has been announced that game show channel Challenge is to launch on the Freeview digital TV platform, doubling the number of homes able to receive it. The channel, recently purchased by BSkyB, is home to classic episodes of game shows such as Bullseye, Catchphrase, Family Fortunes, Strike it Lucky, The Crystal Maze and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Big Brother
10 September Big Brother isn't watching
After 11 years, 274 housemates, and thousands of hours of television, the daddy of reality TV shows Big Brother has finally come to an end, with series two winner Brian Dowling being voted the ultimate Big Brother housemate.

Brain of Britain
3 August Robinson steps down
Robert Robinson has left Brain of Britain, of which he has been the official regular host since 1972. Russell Davies, who has stood in during Robinson's illness, now becomes the full-time host.

Strictly Come Dancing
9 June No Fortuna
Professional dancer Brian Fortuna has left Strictly Come Dancing after changes to the format were revealed. Fortuna was one of five regulars asked to step down from competing and instead form part of a dedicated professional dance troupe, along with Ian Waite, Matthew Cutler, Darren Bennett and Lilia Kopylova. The others will not be competing this year but have yet to announce whether they will join the troupe.

Ray Alan
24 May Ray Alan
The death has been announced of ventriloquist and presenter Ray Alan at the age of 79. Alan's hosting roles included Three Little Words and the travel quiz Where in the World?, and with his dummy Lord Charles he was a regular guest on shows such as 3-2-1 and Celebrity Squares.

Davina McCall
2 May Davina to host new show
Davina McCall is to host Channel 4's live primetime game show, The Million Pound Drop. The programme, described by C4's Julian Bellamy as "live event meets game show", launches later this month and will offer a potential £1m prize.

Hole in the Wall
23 April Hole in the Wall axed
Hole in the Wall has been axed after two series, according to The Sun today. The first of a new wave of physical gameshows when it launched in 2008, it has since been overtaken in the ratings by the likes of Total Wipeout and The Whole 19 Yards.

Chris Tarrant
20 March Tarrant becomes #1 all-time UK host
With the launch of ITV's The Door in April, Chris Tarrant becomes indisputably the most successful UK game show host of all time. He will have 17 main hosting roles to his credit, and involvement in 18 different formats overall, beating the late Bob Monkhouse who, to our knowledge, had 15 main hosting roles. Tarrant's varied career has included two shows with diametrically opposite aims: Lose a Million and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? as well as board game conversions (Cluedo, PSI) and the raucous Man O Man.

A Question of Sport
16 February A Question of Sport to tour
A Question of Sport is to mark its 40th anniversary year by going out on tour. It follows in the footsteps of shows as diverse as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Dancing on Ice which have cashed in on their popularity with non-broadcast variants. Host Sue Barker and team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell are all signed up to take part in the 15-date tour.


A Labyrinth Games site.
Design by Thomas.
Printable version
Editors: Log in