Challenge TV is Britain's first all game-show channel, for which it is to be commended, but is it any good?
You can catch Challenge TV on satellite or cable between 1700 and 0030hrs.
Here's the web-site address: www.challengetv.co.uk
It has to be said, I haven't had the chance to watch it in depth yet but this is what I think of what I've seen.
The things that are exclusive to Challenge I will go into detail on whilst other things I'll only give a brief synopsis and may review properly some other time.
Challenge Prize TIme
First, the gameshows don't just come one after another. Inbetween, there is a thing called 'Challenge Prize Time' which is basically a short 15 minute slot where viewers can phone in live to the studio and play little mini versions of proper gameshows. These bits are presented by people who used to be on mainstream or children's television but aren't anymore (Andy Crane, Pat Sharp and Andrea Boardman). They are actually quite good and hold the show together well.
The aim is win prizes which aren't of the high standard you'll see on mainstream TV but aren't bad nonetheless (Video recorders, TVs, 'phones etc...). To get a chance to play for these you have to phone up and answer a qualifying question, then a couple of callers are selected at random after a show is shown and play a game.
By getting selected you also get a chance to play for 'The Big One', a big prize (by their standards) that is played for every Sunday evening and hosted by the erm... 'odd' Question Mark (who I can't decide if he's funny or tragic but there you go). At the time of writing, the prize is 3 exotic holidays. Unfortunately, you get the adverts for 'The Big One' every 15 minutes which gets on your nerves BIG TIME.
These bits are important and usually good fun to watch although like I said, advertising the Big One gets on your nerves, Except they don't do it anymore, hurrah! (8/10)
Treasure Hunt
I like this a lot. Quite possibly the original action gameshow now gets repeated at 2200 on Challenge. Anneka Rice (in the helicopter) is guided by a team of two people and Kenneth Kendall (with Wincey Willis - remember her?) to solve the cryptic clues and find the treasure at the end. The show was and still is great fun to watch with some tremondously funny bits in at times.
Although it has to be said (they're into the Annabel Croft days now), everyone say's that Anneka Rice was the better skyrunner and at the time I agreed. Now I'm watching it again (at 16), Annabel Croft wasn't NEARLY as annoyingly cheerful as Anneka Rice (who was just irritatingly bubbly). So everyone was wrong at the time. Nyer. Although about two months later, you get used to the bubbliness, so nyer again.(7/10)
Whittle
Do you remember Everybody's Equal? Well this is an almost carbon copy of that, except that there are now only 100 people, less prize money (£500 as opposed to £2000) and a different presenter (Tim Vine off of Fluke). The format is very simple but surprisingly good and is very addictive whilst humour is added by Tim Vine's surreal comedy and laughing at the one person who picks a completely stupid answer. On at 2315 weekdays. (7/10)
Say the Word
This is a Challenge TV 'in-house' show (ie, they make it themselves). It is a word game presented by Andy Crane where 4 contestants play various games in order to win huge (cough) prizes. The four contestants are whittled down to 1 contestant who has the option of keeping the prize they've won or gambling it for a better prize the next day (cheap!).
The first round involves the contestants finding words hidden inside phrases (Catchword style), where it is first on the buzzers, 3 points for a correct answer. The second round also involves finding words but this time in a 3x3 grid where all the letters are connected and there is a clue to the word trying to be found.Again, 3 points for a correct answer and at the end of it all the person with the lowest score drops out (altogether now... Ahhhhhh!).
THEN it's the Word Rack where contestats have to think of three words, first one that starts and ends with letters announced by Andy, then a word which starts and ends with the above letters but with a letter in the middle and finally a word that uses the above letters and two more in the middle which have to be used in that order. The other stipulations are that the words must be at least 7 letters long and the contestant has only 15 seconds to think of the words which if got wrong at any time (ie aren't 7 or more letters or don't exist) are thrown open to the opponents who can finish the rack and get a bonus. Following me? Here's an example...
Eg. (where the letters given are in capitals)
DisposablE, DiFuseablE, DeFenSE.
Or something like that.
There are 3 points for a completed word rack but absolutely nothing if not finished and each contestant gets two.
The next round is called Hide And Speak which is exactly the same as the first round except that a word in the phrase is missing and the key hidden word is part of that missing word. The contestants must find the missing word and from that find the key word. Here's an Example
OUR TEACHER MRS HOPE --- A PIECE OF WORK FOR US.
That's a really rubbish example but it'll do. The missing word is SET and the key word is PESETA (The players would be notified of the theme beforehand, in this case it would be currencies). At the end of this round, another contestant bites the metaphorical dust and is out.
I'm led to believe that there are a few different games for the final round but I've only seen two shows both with the same one so I'll describe that. The two people that are left play a quick fire contest which in this case is called Rephrase it. The words in a phrase have been changed to something which means the same thing laterally and the players have to sort it out. EG. SUMMER VOUCHER becomes SEASON TICKET. Geddit? Good. It's three points for a correct answer and whoever wins wins and can come back the next day.
There a some good points to the show but I think Catchword just outshines it because of a better 'feel'. Anyway, it can have 5/10. It's absorbing enough for the half-hour but it seems to lack something although I can't put my finger on what.
Winner Takes All
This is the Challenge TV version of the old ITV show presented by Bobby Davro and Gaynor (the voice who's second name I can't remember) instead of Jimmy Tarbuck and Geoffrey Wheeler. The idea is to bet your points on answers to multiple choice questions where each of the answers are given different odds. As a show it's all right but the format is a bit boring, even with Bobby Davro (4/10).
3-2-1
This almost got into Room 101 on the programme but didn't quite and I think that was the right decision, it's not the worst thing you'll ever see and it does grow on you. The show made famous with Ted Rogers' dodgy 3-2-1 fingerwork and, of course, Dusty Bin. Players had to solve riddles to determine what their prize was (basically). (5/10)
Sale of the Century The new Challenge version with Keith Chegwin is actually smartly done with some half decent prizes and well presented. Good work Challenge and Grundy (7.5/10)
And now of course there is Endurance UK!
To be continued...
I've found the clue!!!
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