Yahoo News What’s The Best British Game Show To Appear On?
British TV is the home to some amazing game shows, from the trickiest, like Eggheads, where you practically have to be a genius to take on the professional quizzers, to Deal Or No Deal, which mainly involves being able to count and engaging in some banter with host Noel Edmonds.
But which current UK game shows are the easiest to get on? And which offer their contestants the best chance of earning money? We investigated…
Copyright [BBC]
Pointless
How do you become a contestant?
If you’ve got plenty of pointless knowledge then there is an application form to fill in on the show’s official website. But, sadly, at the time of writing the process is closed so you’ll have to wait for an opening.
Even a call to the Pointless HQ proved pretty, uh, pointless, as they were none the wiser and told us to check back on the website.
How easy is it to win money?
In a pair you’re competing against three other couples before working just as a pair in the final.
You’re not guaranteed to win on every episode but chances are when you do it will be for a large amount of money.
In May 2016 alone a pair scooped the jackpot of £11,000, which is great for them but nobody won in the previous 10 episodes.
In the last 20 episodes, there’s only been four winners.
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
The biggest jackpot ever won was £20,250 by Ivor and his daughter Lindsay in January 2013 when they successful picked out Phillip Pullman’s book The Shadow in the North when tasked with naming any books by the author.
Copyright [ITV/REX/Shutterstock]
The Chase
How do you become a contestant?
If you fancy your chances of taking on the Chaser then you can apply to be a contestant on the show on the ITV website, where they are currently recruiting for series 10 wannabes.
You’re required to fill in an extensive application form, which asks you to give examples of how competitive you are, rate how intelligent you are in various subjects, from music to politics, and indicate who would be most proud of you if you were successful. There are then regional auditions which involve mock Q&As and screen tests.
How easy is it to win money?
A team wins around one in six episodes and they tend to bank around £5,000 each on average for defeating the Chaser.
One thing you are guaranteed, though, is some laughs with comedian and presenter Bradley Walsh. He loves a laugh and a joke on the show but is not present during the whole shoot. Our insider said there was also good banter with “The Beast”.
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
The biggest prize pool ever won on the show was done so by a celebrity panel made up of Fiona Bruce, Rick Edwards, Kate Humble, and Joe Swash who won £120,000 for charity.
Aside from that, £90,000 was won against Chaser Shaun “The Dark Destroyer” Wallace, which was shared between three contestants in June 2015.
Copyright [BBC]
Eggheads
How do you become a contestant?
To apply to be a team on the show you need to head to production company 12 Yard’s website and download the application form, which then requires you to fill in the usual personal details for you and your team.
You’re also required to give your team name and answer how you came up with the moniker.
If you’re successful in the application stage process then you will get through to an audition - you select a potential date for this on the application form - and from there you will hopefully wow the producers with your knowledge and gain a place on the show.
How easy is it to win money?
Incredibly tough. Don’t go on this show if you’re really short of cash because chances are you will be returning home empty-handed. The Eggheads are a formidable bunch of professional quizzers and rarely get their answers wrong.
Expect to win around once every 10 or so episodes.
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
The record win was a cool £75,000 by a team from Oxford Brookes University way back in 2007, despite only two of them making the final round.
On the show, the challengers win £1,000 plus an additional £1,000 for every day of the Eggheads’ previous unbeaten run.
Copyright [ITV]
Tipping Point
How do you become a contestant?
You’ll need to complete an application form on the ITV website to be in with a chance of competing on Tipping Point.
This form is a less complex version of The Chase application form and tasks potential contestants with finishing this sentence “you may be surprised to know that I once…”, among the standard personal details you would expect to be quizzed on.
It also asks if you have any hidden talents or party tricks as well as the usual, such as state your criminal convictions, and medical conditions.
How easy is it to win money?
You have to answer questions correctly to win counters to put in the giant coin pusher machine so it’s not that tough but you require a bit of luck as sometimes the counters won’t fall how you want them to.
You can easily win money on every show as every counter that comes off in the final round wins you cash and even if you don’t win the jackpot at the first attempt you can gamble what you’ve won to have three more stabs at getting that starred counter over the line.
Expect to win the main prize around one in five times.
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
The biggest ever jackpot won is £10,000 as that’s the maximum. A contestant called Clare once scooped it with just five counters pushing the starred counter all the way to the end to win her the cash.
Copyright [ITV/REX/Shutterstock]
Deal or No Deal
How do you become a contestant?
It is a popular game show to get on and at the time of writing applications are currently closed.
The show’s official website posted a message last December stating they are not looking for applicants at the moment.
It read: “All submitted applications will be considered when we begin the next casting process. Be sure to check back here to find out when applications are open.”
After a call to Deal or No Deal didn’t provide us with any more info - we didn’t even get to speak to the Banker.
How easy is it to win money?
Incredibly easy. There are no questions to answer so as long as you can count then you can play. You choose a box at the start of the game which could have 1p in it or £250,000 and the aim of the game is to eventually sell your box to the Banker, who never appears on screen, for more than it’s worth.
It’s a game of complete luck so your chance of having a quarter of a million in your box is 1/22 - the same as your chance of having 1p in your box.
In 2014, an article on Den of Geek worked out the chances of winning the jackpot on Deal or No Deal, and it is of course 1/22. But if you consider the top five numbers to be a success then your chance of winning is 5/22, or 23 per cent.
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
Unsurprisingly, that is £250,000 as you cannot win more than that. It has been won by eight contestants in more than 2,900 episodes, meaning someone wins the jackpot around every 418 episodes on average.
These include stunned pensioner Ann Crawford, 75, who scooped a quarter of a million on a show in October 2015.
Copyright [ITV/REX/Shutterstock]
Catchphrase
How do you become a contestant?
You have to fill in an application form, audition, go down to the ITV studios and answer a couple of catchphrases and if you’re good enough you’re on.
Presenter Stephen Mulhern said last year: “It’s really odd because some people I’ve seen audition for the show, then when they’re in studio - I don’t know whether it’s the audience or being in a TV studio - but they just seem to lose it. It’s really bizarre.”
Sadly, At the time of writing, applications for the 21st series are closed but check back on the ITV website if you’re keen to apply.
A call to the show’s golden robot mascot Mr. Chips didn’t give us any more info, unfortunately.
How easy is it to win money?
It’s not hard to rack up a lot of cash by correctly guessing catchphrases, but you need to amass more money than your one competitor to make it through to the Super Catchphrase.
Winning the £50,000 main prize in that is difficult, but no matter how far you get on the finale you will win some money - £2,500/£5,000/£10,000/£25,000/£50,000.
So, the lucky contestant who makes it into the finale will win some cash, but the chances of winning the jackpot are slim to none.
Even if you don’t get through to the Super Catchphrase, this always looks like one of the most entertaining game shows to be on as contestants often exchange some banter with the presenter Stephen and on occasions Mr. Chips looks as though he is acting out something dodgy!
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
Quite incredibly, nobody has ever won the £50,000 jackpot!
Speaking to Digital Spy in June 2015, host Stephen said: “No-one has ever won the jackpot, the £50,000 prize has never been won… But will it be won this series?”
Copyright [Channel 4]
Fifteen To One
How do you become a contestant?
You need to fill in an application form to be in with a chance of competing on the show but with series six of the revived format set to air in the next few months and no word on a possible series seven the applications are currently closed.
Successful applications are granted an audition, but bear in mind this is one only, and you have to be 18 years old or over and a legal resident in the UK to apply.
How easy is it to win money?
Incredibly difficult. There didn’t used to be a cash prize for winning the show but after it was revived in September 2013, the victor of the Grand Final - which is made up of winners whose names are on the finals board at the end of the series - will take home a juicy £40,000.
So first you’ve got to get to beat off competition from 14 other contestants during your game to get to the Grand Final, and then do the business in the finale.
But you do get three chances to reach the final round so can effectively appear in four episodes in one series - three regular eps and again in the Grand Final.
What’s the biggest ever jackpot?
That’s £40,000, which is slightly better than the previous prize for winning the series - a classical artefact, such a Greek vase.
The most recent £40,000 recipient was Ailsa Watson, who won series four. Series five is nearing its final stages.
