The Wheel

(McBear's a co-owned subsidiary of Bear, per https://www.hungrybearmedia.co.uk/about/ - would a clarifying note in the category page help?)
(Review based on the Week.)
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[[File:The wheel title.jpg|300px]]
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== Host ==
== Host ==
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== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
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Yet another sleb saviour show. Here's a BBC billing:
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Let's start with a BBC billing.
: Michael McIntyre hosts a game show packed with huge stars, big laughs and a colossal spinning wheel. Three contestants hope to answer their way to a fortune, guided by seven celebrity experts. Can the famous faces help them to win life-changing cash? That all depends on the spin of The Wheel.
: Michael McIntyre hosts a game show packed with huge stars, big laughs and a colossal spinning wheel. Three contestants hope to answer their way to a fortune, guided by seven celebrity experts. Can the famous faces help them to win life-changing cash? That all depends on the spin of The Wheel.
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{{notaired}}
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<div class=image>
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[[File:The wheel set.jpg|400px]]
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''The star of the show: this ginormous wheel.''
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</div>
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The Wheel is a huge construction. It's large enough to hold seven celebrites around its rim. And light entertainment fave Michael McIntyre prowling around the middle. And a contestant in the middle, rising up through a chair on a hydraulic arm.
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<div class=image>
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[[File:The wheel someone rises up.jpg|400px]]
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''Let's meet tonight's first player''
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</div>
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So, around the edge, are seven celebrities. Each has brought in a specialist subject. Some are obvious (Susie Dent on words, Rev. Richard Coles on religion), some are more left-field (Dermot O'Leary on World War II).
 +
 
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Beneath the main wheel is a contestant wheel, containing three members of the public. One of these three is randomly selected to rise up and join the game.
 +
 
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Our player picks the subject they'd like to tackle first. The expert on that subject is lit up in gold; the player picks another contestant to "shut down" and light in red. And then... let's spin the wheel.
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<div class=image>
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[[File:The wheel alison hammond.jpg|400px|The Wheel]]
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''&#9835;The wheel! The wheel!&#9835;''
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</div>
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It's twenty seconds of television joy. Paul Farrer's uplifting music plays, we see celebrities having the time of their life, and - just for a moment - everything's right with the world.
 +
 
 +
Eventually, the wheel comes to rest. If the contestant's unlucky, and landed on a "shut down" celebrity, then their turn is over and they descend back to the contestant pool.
 +
 
 +
But let's assume the contestant has landed on a valid celebrity - it may or may not be the subject expert. The player now sees a question with four possible answers, and has a little time to discuss the answers with the celebrity.
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<div class=image>
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[[File:The wheel sample question.jpg|400px]]
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''A sample question.''
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</div>
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Our contestant gives an answer. Got it wrong? The contestant's turn ends, and they descend back to the contestant pool. Got it right? Add £3000 to the prize pool - or £10,000 if it's the subject expert - and take the subject off the board.
 +
 
 +
If the player got the answer wrong, or hit a "shut down" celebrity, a new player will be selected from the pool. There's a 1/3 chance that it's the player who just left us.
 +
 
 +
All of the other celebrities have answered the question on multiple-choice keypads; they'll be ranked later.
 +
 
 +
There are a few other rules, introduced as and when they arise:
 +
* When a celebrity expert gets a question on their category wrong, they're automatically "shut down" on the next spin; the player must still pick someone else to "shut down".
 +
* On the final category, celebrities who haven't yet faced a question will add £6000 to the prize pool.
 +
* Should all seven celebrities give one correct answer each, a bonus £5000 goes into the prize pool.
 +
 
 +
<div class=image>
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[[File:The wheel sinking feeling.jpg|400px]]
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''Going down.''
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</div>
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Whoever answered the final category question correctly gets first dibs on the final round. The celebrities are ranked from best to worst. Only the top, middle, and bottom celebrities remain in play; they're worth half the prize pool, the full prize pool, and twice the prize pool.
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Our player picks their helper, and hence their prize amount. A category is spun from four on the board, and one final question is asked. Get it right, they win the money. Get it wrong, they go back into the contestant wheel and could come back out again.
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<div class=image>
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[[File:The wheel michael mcintyre.jpg|400px]]
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''Michael McIntyre.''
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</div>
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''The Wheel'' is a big show. Physically big, with a massive prop used throughout the game. It's a loud show, Michael McIntyre's style has always been full-on, relentless, loud and in your face. He has the most wonderful time, larking about with all his celebrity friends. If you like Michael McIntyre, you'll like this show.
 +
 
 +
It's a show with a lot of luck. A slim chance of spinning to the right celeb. A good chance of seeing the contestant go down and then come back up again. An excellent chance of Michael McIntyre saying something funny, or pointing out an absurdity. And those moments while the wheel is spinning are just [chef's kiss].
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''The Wheel'' struck well amongst the audience, scoring over 6 million viewers in its early episodes.
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== Key moments ==
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All of the celebrities singing "The wheel!" in time to the music.
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 +
Michael's tantrum when there's no winner on an episode.
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== Title music ==
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Paul Farrer, credited for "Music".
== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
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Hungry McBear Media is a subsidiary company of Hungry Bear Media, co-owned with McIntyre.
Hungry McBear Media is a subsidiary company of Hungry Bear Media, co-owned with McIntyre.
 +
 +
Andrew Scott's character was The Hot Priest.
== Web links ==
== Web links ==
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pzfz BBC programme page]
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pzfz BBC programme page]
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== See also ==
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Elements of this format were familiar from [[In It to Win It]] and [[It's Not What You Know]].
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[[Weaver's Week 2021-01-17|Weaver's Week review]]
[[Category:Family Game|Wheel, The]]
[[Category:Family Game|Wheel, The]]
[[Category:Hungry Bear Media Productions|Wheel, The]]
[[Category:Hungry Bear Media Productions|Wheel, The]]
[[Category:Current|Wheel, The]]
[[Category:Current|Wheel, The]]
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[[Category:Awaiting Review|Wheel, The]]
 

Revision as of 12:00, 17 January 2021

Contents

Host

Michael McIntyre

Broadcast

Hungry McBear Media for BBC One, 28 November 2020 to present

Synopsis

Let's start with a BBC billing.

Michael McIntyre hosts a game show packed with huge stars, big laughs and a colossal spinning wheel. Three contestants hope to answer their way to a fortune, guided by seven celebrity experts. Can the famous faces help them to win life-changing cash? That all depends on the spin of The Wheel.

The star of the show: this ginormous wheel.

The Wheel is a huge construction. It's large enough to hold seven celebrites around its rim. And light entertainment fave Michael McIntyre prowling around the middle. And a contestant in the middle, rising up through a chair on a hydraulic arm.

Let's meet tonight's first player

So, around the edge, are seven celebrities. Each has brought in a specialist subject. Some are obvious (Susie Dent on words, Rev. Richard Coles on religion), some are more left-field (Dermot O'Leary on World War II).

Beneath the main wheel is a contestant wheel, containing three members of the public. One of these three is randomly selected to rise up and join the game.

Our player picks the subject they'd like to tackle first. The expert on that subject is lit up in gold; the player picks another contestant to "shut down" and light in red. And then... let's spin the wheel.

The Wheel ♫The wheel! The wheel!♫

It's twenty seconds of television joy. Paul Farrer's uplifting music plays, we see celebrities having the time of their life, and - just for a moment - everything's right with the world.

Eventually, the wheel comes to rest. If the contestant's unlucky, and landed on a "shut down" celebrity, then their turn is over and they descend back to the contestant pool.

But let's assume the contestant has landed on a valid celebrity - it may or may not be the subject expert. The player now sees a question with four possible answers, and has a little time to discuss the answers with the celebrity.

A sample question.

Our contestant gives an answer. Got it wrong? The contestant's turn ends, and they descend back to the contestant pool. Got it right? Add £3000 to the prize pool - or £10,000 if it's the subject expert - and take the subject off the board.

If the player got the answer wrong, or hit a "shut down" celebrity, a new player will be selected from the pool. There's a 1/3 chance that it's the player who just left us.

All of the other celebrities have answered the question on multiple-choice keypads; they'll be ranked later.

There are a few other rules, introduced as and when they arise:

  • When a celebrity expert gets a question on their category wrong, they're automatically "shut down" on the next spin; the player must still pick someone else to "shut down".
  • On the final category, celebrities who haven't yet faced a question will add £6000 to the prize pool.
  • Should all seven celebrities give one correct answer each, a bonus £5000 goes into the prize pool.

Going down.

Whoever answered the final category question correctly gets first dibs on the final round. The celebrities are ranked from best to worst. Only the top, middle, and bottom celebrities remain in play; they're worth half the prize pool, the full prize pool, and twice the prize pool.

Our player picks their helper, and hence their prize amount. A category is spun from four on the board, and one final question is asked. Get it right, they win the money. Get it wrong, they go back into the contestant wheel and could come back out again.

Michael McIntyre.

The Wheel is a big show. Physically big, with a massive prop used throughout the game. It's a loud show, Michael McIntyre's style has always been full-on, relentless, loud and in your face. He has the most wonderful time, larking about with all his celebrity friends. If you like Michael McIntyre, you'll like this show.

It's a show with a lot of luck. A slim chance of spinning to the right celeb. A good chance of seeing the contestant go down and then come back up again. An excellent chance of Michael McIntyre saying something funny, or pointing out an absurdity. And those moments while the wheel is spinning are just [chef's kiss].

The Wheel struck well amongst the audience, scoring over 6 million viewers in its early episodes.

Key moments

All of the celebrities singing "The wheel!" in time to the music.

Michael's tantrum when there's no winner on an episode.

Title music

Paul Farrer, credited for "Music".

Trivia

Commissioned to give Michael McIntyre something to do, as the COVID-19 pandemic meant he couldn't do his usual Big Show.

Hungry McBear Media is a subsidiary company of Hungry Bear Media, co-owned with McIntyre.

Andrew Scott's character was The Hot Priest.

Web links

BBC programme page

See also

Elements of this format were familiar from In It to Win It and It's Not What You Know.

Weaver's Week review

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