Poll of the Year 2017
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| - | <div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square Vote.jpg]]</div> Halley's Comet comes round about every 75 years. The FIFA World Cup comes round every four years. Parsley blooms every two years. However the UKGameshows.com/Bother's Bar Poll is even better than those things because incredibly it happens | + | <div class="square" style="float:left">[[Image:Square Vote.jpg]]</div> Halley's Comet comes round about every 75 years. The FIFA World Cup comes round every four years. Parsley blooms every two years. However the UKGameshows.com/Bother's Bar Poll is even better than those things because incredibly it happens every year, and now it is time to run it again for the shows of 2017. |
| - | As is traditional we | + | As is traditional we wanted to know your favourite new formats of the year, your least favourite, the best show currently being broadcast and any of your stand-out moments of the year. As ever readers were entitled to five votes in each category and may give a double vote to a show they feel particularly strongly about. This was a record breaking year in terms of ballots cast. |
| - | + | This year's poll is dedicated to the memory of ITV2 scheduler and regular Bother's Bar contributor David Cooper. | |
| - | + | === [http://youtu.be/F4TKi5x5Mm4 Watch the results live stream on YouTube] === | |
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| - | == | + | == Hall of Fame 2017 == |
| - | + | In what evidently felt like a pretty boring year for the genre from your comments, there were clearly a good handful of shows that stood out as being above average. 36 different shows received at least a vote (which is three down on last year), of which the ten that attracted the most love were: | |
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| - | + | 9= [[Raven]], [[Bigheads]] | |
| - | + | 8- [[Lego Masters]] | |
| - | + | 7- Harry Hill's [[Alien Fun Capsule]] | |
| - | + | 6- [[The Boss]] | |
| - | == | + | === 5- [[5 Gold Rings]] === |
| - | + | Possessed's Spot The Ball quiz performed pretty, if not outstandingly, well on Sunday nights earlier this year and certainly offered a purely visual quiz mechanic that's slightly different and certainly managed to offer up more variety in questions than I think a lot of people were expecting. Emphasis on playing along with the app knobbled by way of everyone instead just pointing at the telly and putting the pictures on Twitter. Series two with some very logical (i.e. it's no longer two solitaire games) tweaks on the way but they're still bigging up the app because TV people love hidings to nothing. You said: | |
| - | + | * ''"One of the most 'solid' new ITV shows in ages, with a genuinely innovative question style, even if the uber-format was underpowered."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"While the actual game-play can be a bit of a slog and the format surrounding the concept doesn't seem to work perfectly, the visual quizzing provided by 5 Gold Rings sells the show all on it's own. While an over reliance on memory puzzles suggests that there isn't a particularly deep question bank for the series, the style of the questions allows everyone watching to get involved and makes it a really enjoyable watch."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Bit of a grower this one, I especially like the dynamic between contestants when placing the rings. Nice to see ITV take a risk on a very different, very engaging idea for a show."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"A nicely tactile way of presenting what amounts to a 'spot the ball' sort of quiz, but the range of questions helps, although repetition did kick in earlier than I'd have liked. That said, I'm interested in seeing how the changes for the second series pan out."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Slickest new show by a mile. Schofe is the professional's professional."'' | |
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| - | + | === 4- [[The Crystal Maze]] === | |
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| - | + | Ooh, well now. This ought to have been a shoo-in for top spot, a remake of a hugely beloved show, off the back of a successful one-off special in 2016. Instead it looks like the divisive tone (and obvious lack of budget) have put a lot of people off - this only ''just'' placed fourth and if you scroll down you'll note it features in the Shame Top 10. Our favourite bit was reading comments on Twitter suggesting it "reminded them of [[Jungle Run]]", which just makes us hate the youth even more. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"I wasn't a huge fan of the charity special in 2016, due to the small set and Merchant's hosting, but I certainly feel this series definitely gave me a reason to watch. The games are all varied, though it would be nice to see a few more rather than chatting to the contestants and I am a big fan of Ayoade's humour."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"I'm going to say it: it's not as bad as some people have said. When the original set such a high standard, it was inevitable that any remake would get a mixed reaction. For me, the star attraction is Richard Ayoade who has a deliciously aloof persona as Mazemaster. Good call, C4!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"This got so much criticism but to be able to make a show like this on 21st century budgets, I think they did a pretty good job and made it look better than any other recent game show."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Whilst not everything has been done to my tastes, a watered down version of the greatest yawning opera of a gameshow is still going to make this list. Plus it had one of the funniest gameahow episodes ever, certainly the most I've laughed at a TV this year. For that alone it deserves a place on this list."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"It's a real diamond in the rough, this. For all its flaws (of which there are many!) I can't deny that I did get a bit tingly when I heard the theme tune again. The zone hubs themselves look amazing, Jarhead was a fun alternative to Mumsie, I liked the prize throwback, and some of the games were rather good. It's not as good as the original, but going in knowing that in advance helped a lot."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"A decent revival that's deserved better viewing figures than it's got."'' | |
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| - | + | === 3- [[Armchair Detectives]] === | |
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| - | + | Well this will please some of the UKGameshows.com staff, Susan Calman's murder-mystery show popped up at the end of last year to decent acclaim, but rather low numbers. Still, the evidence points to the people who liked it ''really'' liking it so perhaps that will be enough to get recommissioned. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"On paper sounded very dull, but an enjoyable 45 minutes overall. Susan Calman really helps making this show what it is."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Probably the only show that I actively seemed out to watch all the episodes. Susan was brilliant, the contestants were very enjoyable and actually quite good at guessing the killer. Hopefully, if there is a second series, Susan will get a notebook and be able to officially guess the killer herself."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"For the five of us who are fans of both game shows and camp police procedurals, this was amazing. Totally understand if other people didn't feel this way, though."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"I suspect this is a bit of a marmite show, but those who like it *really* like it, and I'm one of those. The mysteries are crafted reasonably well, it never quite feels like it strays into "I had no chance of getting that" territory. And Susan's a fine host, both in terms of engaging with the contestants and with the game itself."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Something very different yet somehow obvious in hindsight. A fantastic idea, a great format, and a wonderful show."'' | |
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| - | + | === 2- Richard Osman's [[House of Games (3)|House of Games]] === | |
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| - | + | Now this is quite interesting - when Richard advertises this poll to his half a million Twitter followers, which we thank him for, it's usually enough to push a show he's involved with to the top. This year? His followers seemed to mostly stay at home. We were surprised to see this not at the top although it certainly deserves its place around the top. Celebrities take part in a variety of quizzes across the week - really the first show to tap into the current "being a bit like [[Taskmaster]] whilst not being [[Taskmaster]]" feeling, and one that works quite well. Coming back for a further 50 episodes in 2018, hopefully it insulate itself against the minigame law of diminishing returns. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"Probably the nearest thing we're going to get to our version of ''Slimste'', and not a bad one at that. Questions were written with some wit."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Great fun. Good variety of games and fun to play along with. Tone was perfect - not too serious or trying too hard to be funny. Celebrity guests actually trying and wanting to win was a refreshing change of pace, and it's fun to play at home vs "normal" people rather than quizzers."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"While not all of the games hit the mark, this was easily the best play-along at home show this year."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"As a lover of simple parlour games, there was a lot here to like. Repetition was a mild problem, although the range available was pretty good - even if it did feel like "here's a collection of ideas that aren't quite solid enough to be a full format', but they're *good* ideas! Keeping the same bank of players over a week led to a nice line in ongoing rivalry. I'll happily watch a second run... To see what else they might swipe from Schlag...''" | |
| - | + | * ''"Quizzy Taskmaster works very nicely as teatime fun. Needs to add to its games bank for a long series two ahead, but had a decent roster for a first go – a few more puzzly games wouldn’t go amiss."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Unmissable. The variety of puzzles was very good, and the celebrities got into the spirit of things which is always a boon. Appointment to view teatime telly, and I'd love to watch a second series.''" | |
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| - | + | === 1- [[!mpossible]] === | |
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| - | + | Whereas Mighty Productions (Twitter follower count at time of writing: 390) have followers who are far less flakey, although it's interesting to point out that some of the traditional [[Pointless]] for Golden Five voters gave this Hall of Fame votes and not to House of Games. !mpossible might have been impossible to find on iPlayer with its stupid punctuation titling but what was there was an entertaining multiple choice quiz with proper jeopardy, each question leading to potential hilarious moments when three-quarters of the players can and do eliminate themselves, occasionally after the first question. A show that rewards knowing ''something'' with safety even if the answer's not quite right which might end up being enough if everyone knocks themselves out. A multiple choice quiz with an element of nuance then, and drily and well-hosted by Rick Edwards. It's your top show, you said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"From it's initial pitch as a quiz show "with the third dimension", !mpossible has an interesting proposition: What if some wrong answers are wrong-er than others? It is the most refreshing and innovative take on a straight A/B/C quiz in quite some time, and does enough variations on the initial concept to keep things lively. The Exclamation Mark set-piece is the pound-coin filled cherry on top."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"By far the best new show this year. Great format with an innovative idea."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Some excellent question setting, a very clever gimmick, and ooh at that lovely set on daytime BBC!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"A 45-minute rollercoaster of emotions. Laughing at contestants getting out on an easy-peasy question (especially if Question 1), celebrating with the finalist winning £10,000. Also enjoyable: Rick Edwards' "dry" presentation and the wacky theme tune."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"It wasn't hard for me to put this top of my list. A clever question mechanic is a rare thing and I really enjoyed it's innovative structure."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Right at the start of the year, but this stuck in my head throughout. It's a painfully simple concept, but executed so well. Rick Edwards took a little time to get going, I felt, but by the second half of the first series he too added a lot to proceedings; it's always memorable when a carnage question comes along and removes half the players!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"A decent twist on a general knowledge quiz, even if the 'cash building' part manages to overcomplicate a simple idea."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Excellent format, little stop start at first but has worked the problems out over the three series shown. Wouldn't work in primetime but best effort by BBC Daytime since [[Pointless]]."'' | |
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| - | + | == Hall of SHAME 2017 == | |
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| - | + | But for every decent show that makes it onto television the law says someone must make a baffling commission of something rubbish purely to keep the nation on its toes, thanks David Cameron. 37 different shows earned your derision this year (significantly down from 45 last year), the ten that you felt strongest about were: | |
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| - | + | 10- [[The Crystal Maze]] | |
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| - | + | 8= [[Don't Ask Me Ask Britain]], [[Bigheads]] | |
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| - | + | 7- [[Let It Shine]] | |
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| - | + | 6- [[Don't Say It, Bring It]] | |
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| - | + | === 5- [[Cannonball]] === | |
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| - | + | A person flies into the air and lands in the water. Amusing enough a few times, incredibly nobody bothered sticking around for the other nine hours and 55 minutes of broadcast. Slickly produced for what it was but what it was was at best a one-off Summer special. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"People sit on inflatables and let physics happen to them. And that's it."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Obvious to everyone apart from ITV this would get canned within weeks."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"I was never the biggest fan of Total Wipeout so it wasn't looking good for this wet knockoff. Rather than moan as others probably will, though, I'll be objective - ITV could improve this show by removing just five elements: Flintoff, Radzi, Frankie, Ryan and the games. (Being a longtime Maya Jama supporter is what pulled me into watching this in the first place!)"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"You’ve seen everything you’re going to see for about the first 45 mins within the first 5 mins – once you’ve seen a couple of rounds of each game you’ve seen them all. As for the hosting, it must have been 2 for 1 on presenters that week – Radzi, in particular, deserves better."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Total Wipeout in wetsuits - and about 5 years too late. None of the panache, wit, or any of that 'we know this is naff, you know that its naff - but lets pretend that it's actually serious' in-joke that Wipeout had with it's viewers. The audience saw this show drowning, and refused to lob in a rubber ring to save it."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Yet another practice of stretching out one possibly-OK part of a show to a full length and pretending to be surprised when nobody wants to watch."'' | |
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| - | + | === 4- [[Cheap Cheap Cheap]] === | |
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| - | + | This one ''almost'' made the Top 10 Hall of Fame (11th in fact) making Noel the anti-Ayoade effectively. Unlike many of the shows on the list this was at least an interesting swing and a miss and worth a try, format issues aside (and it had many), making the show effectively a sit-com proved divisive, with the dividing line lieing somewhere around how much you liked Trevor and Simon on ''Going Live''. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"A good idea spoilt by no atmosphere, an over-worn Millionaire-lite game style, and weird directing that took us out of the sitcom make-believe."'' | |
| - | + | * ''" A Noel Edmonds fever dream made real, ''Cheap Cheap Cheap'' is apt name for describing every quality of this show. A nonsensical money ladder paired with the exact same question over-and-over makes for unpleasant viewing, and the comedy skits are confusing at best. This feels like a parody of a gameshow."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"A car crash for Noel Edmond's that only comes bottom of my top five for at least trying something new however much it was ill advised it was. It's main sin is that the game is simply boring and uninspiring to look at."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"If there were a more compelling game at the heart of this, I feel like it might have worked for me. But there wasn't, so it didn't."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Sat for an age on the shelves of the Channel 4 warehouse and at first watch easy to see why. The gameshow element was too weak to shoulder the weight, and the improv comedy was at times just not funny enough to paper over the cracks in the flimsy conceit. When it worked, it worked. When it failed to - it stank the place out."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Great idea, terrible execution, could have been a really good show, but apart from other problems the slot seemed odd to me, felt more like a late-night-ish show."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"This was so awful, I was taking the mick before the opening titles had finished. After about 15 minutes, I'd decided this was easily the tackiest thing I'd ever seen. Yet, by quirk. I kept watching. Day. After. Day. I had to see the next one. I was hooked by the woeful acting, the jokes too obvious for a Carry On film, Noel Edmonds thinking he's on House Party and the wafer thin format. This show was special. Shit and special can mean the same thing, right?"'' | |
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| - | + | === 3- [[Letterbox]] === | |
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| - | + | Not much in the top three votes wise, for now we have ''Hangman'' without any sort of tension and that appears to be that. Use of words with obscure letters looks quite clever until you realise it just means dragging the game out to excessively tedious levels whilst the contestants keep picking more common letters. A clip of two people not knowing how to spell Quasimodo apparently got 50m views, that's almost the entire population of England, and yet it consistently underperformed the slot by a large amount. Obviously then it's been picked up for a second run. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"Could've been good in a [[Catchword]] kinda way, but there's only so many times Mel can go "You want an M, my loves? M it is, then. We're looking for an M. Ok, is there... an... M?""'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Unassuming, almost too unassuming. If a game show is going to be quite lo-fi on the show side of things, the game part better be able to pick up the slack, and a game of guess-a-letter isn't going to do that. The overall enterprise may not have been offensive, but it was boring. Jury's out as to which is worse."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Here's a new password for them 'ZZZ'."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"This show makes me angry. Boring, and completely lacking in any imagination. The whole 'that'll do' attitude of this show stinks in an industry full of real talent."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Totally devoid of any concept, boring to watch, shameful that it's been given a second series."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Mel Giedroyc is the only saving grace of this utterly thread-bare show. The game-play is repetitive and uninspired, there is barely any interaction between the contestants and no jeopardy at any point. Taxpayer funded hangman."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"How poetic that in the month that the NHS announced it was discontinuing homeopathy, the BBC picked it up in TV form."'' | |
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| - | + | === 2- Len Goodman's [[Partners in Rhyme]] === | |
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| - | + | Len exhibiting attitudes, doing adverts for Farm Foods. We've played ''Obama Llama'' after a few drinks at a party and it was mildly good fun. The TV show of the same concept rather misjudged the tone and the audience, not helped by the fact that [[Catchphrase]] is already doing a perfectly decent job out of basically the same idea and has done for 30 years now - visual puzzles describing a thing - that there didn't really seem much point in this existing whether it's fronted by the undisputed King of Rhymes Len Goodman or not. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"It made my parents hate Len Goodman. Slick in the worst possible way."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Someone knows something about someone in BBC commissioning for that to have ever got made." | |
| - | + | * ''"Lowest common denominator gutter tripe aimed at simpletons and it doesn't even do that well. Talks down to it's viewers more than any kids show I've seen."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Ever wondered what Catchprase would be look like if production was halted by a wildcat animators strike, and the production team had to make the graphics using 4 weeks worth of pictures cut out of 'Heat' and the Radio Times on the floor? This. A repetitvely flimsy duff one idea streched over a series. Disgraceful."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"I like Len and obviously it’s all a bit of fun but from a format point of view, the show starts with TWO “rounds” which don’t affect the scores, Rhyme Watch requires a cartoon Len to indicate the bits of the VT we’re meant to be paying attention to and News At Len doesn’t allow buzzing till Len finishes speaking, turning it into a pure reaction test."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Staggeringly, offensively, relentlessly terrible. As the old saying goes, you can't polish a turd, and nor can you overlay canned laughter on tedious drivel and hope to end up with a programme worthy of Saturday night."'' | |
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| - | + | === 1- [[Babushka]] === | |
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| - | + | Most people, if they were to see what the format was, would immediately go "oh, so they keep losing all the money every five minutes? No-one will stick with that." An emotional rollercoaster stuck on ground level for most of the ride. But not ITV! Who were so confident in this they ordered four weeks worth of episodes to fill [[The Chase]]'s slot. To be fair it had production values that were a cut above the usual daytime fare - great directing, great music - and Rylan Clark-Neal proved he could handle running something like this to a decent standard, but the format was so frustrating to watch there didn't seem to be much point in bothering. So the audience didn't. You can't just add simple (to the point of being irrelevant) true or false questions to [[Deal or No Deal]] and assume what comes out the other end is a winner. It's your worst new show of 2017, you said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"Babushka is a harsh format. It does not have sympathetic or deserving contestants and uses the wrong name for Russian dolls. Some of them certainly didn't look like grandmothers!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Very nearly redeemed by the set and Mr. Vye’s music, but the format just doesn’t work."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"It was like watching a slow motion car crash, but one that you could have seen coming from when the car rolled off the production line. The first clue should have been the decision that the words "Babushka" and "Matryoshka" were close enough. Nothing about this show worked. Nothing about it could ever have worked. At least it kept the local dry ice supply company busy."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Planet Earth may be concerned about Putin wanting to take over the world - but here is one Russian themed invasion which made sure you would have had panic attacks in the middle of the night for weeks later. A perma-tanned, bleachedtoothed grinning host reading which expression of shock/tension/empathy he should do next off the autocue. A format designed not to give the contestants anything in prize money - And if they did get close to winning, made sure ultra conservative play beat risk and reward everytime. Simply awful."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Worst promo campaign in many a long year, social media damn near destroyed it. Lost 3/4 of [[The Chase]] audience in three weeks. As it is a painful show to watch very poorly thought out. Gorgeous props though."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"The production, set and host was great, but the format was entirely broken and shouldn't have made it to air."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"The music and Rylan are the only things to commend here. There’s barely a proper decision to make - You may as well really push your luck on the first few dolls as your bank is very likely to be wiped later anyway (potentially through no fault of your own). Also takes the prize for Most Staggering Production Decision Of The Year for opening CGI dolls on the screen in the endgame then just opening the real ones as a proveout."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Rylan did try. And it did look and sound pretty. However, the format's paper thin and designed to be as miserly and anti-climactic as possible. They should have called it Губная помада на свиньи." | |
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| - | + | == The Golden Five 2017 == | |
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| - | + | Given a free pick of any UK game show that had a first run episode broadcast in 2017, what did our voters go for? 63 shows received at least one vote. | |
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| - | + | === 5- [[Tenable]] === | |
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| - | + | This came tenth in the 2016 vote so to improve so dramatically is a pretty good sign of quality and hopefully longevity - in fact the last show to climb like that between series one and two was [[Pointless]], which just proves our theory that this is heavily aping the Pointless style. Twenty new episodes went out towards the end of last year and forty more are yet to be broadcast at time of writing. Question sources are a potential worry but we're happy to enjoy it whilst it lasts, and Warwick Davies is cementing himself as a teriffic host. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"Still good fun, and some inventive question editing have kept this watchable, if a little uneven at times."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Warwick Davies has found a perfect quiz show home in Tenable. Despite only serving a handful of questions every episode, the top 10 lists still prove addictive, and the second series has alleviated any fears of production running out of questions."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Good, but they still need to be stricter with their lists and sources."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Sometimes the simple ideas are the best - and when allied to the warm wit essayed from the host's pod, you end up with a show that's outshining [[Pointless]] on the other side. The 'less is more' approach helped too, just one repeat run AFAIK (compared to [[Pointless]] being on a seeming endless loop...)"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Question quality became a little more variable in its second series but looks set to become a fun afternoon staple for ITV."'' | |
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| - | + | === 4- [[Taskmaster]] === | |
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| - | + | After a couple of years where digital channels started seriously contending for top spots in these polls it's only Taskmaster that's really still standing - this is a non-mover compared to last year. Another two successful series this year, as well as a Champion of Champions, but there's a sli-i-i-ght feeling that extending the runs from five/six episodes to eight is beginning to work against them. There are surely an infinite amount of ideas (and indeed comedians) but an increasingly small amount are going to make memorable television. You said: | |
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| - | + | * ''"Taskmaster remains the best show on TV, it's funny, clever, and never fails to bring joy to my household. Alex Horne is a national treasure, long may Taskmaster reign."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"They're getting a bit complacent, the Champion of Champions lacked the creativity of the previous series, but it's still fantastic. Keep the series short and the competitors outlandish."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"I'm still glad that Taskmaster is doing well for itself, five and a half series on. It still doesn't quite have another moment as good as the Pie Whisperer was, but at this point it doesn't really need one."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Not as good as 2016. But easily the most enjoyable show on television. If this were on BBC/ITV/C4, people would be talking about the show in the same breath as some of the top programmes on TV in general atm. But it's on Dave, so it's a nice little gem tucked away, albeit with a growing audience. Best game show in 2017 by far."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Funny, silly, challenging, great casting, great entertainment. Created by little Alex Horne, who plays a great straight man to both Greg Davies and the contestants."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Hit after hit after hit. Not only one of the top five game shows, but also one of the top five funniest television programmes currently in production."'' | |
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| - | + | === 3- [[Only Connect]] === | |
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| - | + | The year-long move to Fridays hasn't hurt its Golden Five positioning too much (although it's down a place, for what it's worth), this is still high in your affections. | |
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| - | + | * ''"Tough, challenging, baffling and I wouldn't have it any other way. With Mastermind having got progressively easier and UC becoming a chore, the VCM showcase remains the place to go for your 'Blimey, I actually answered one!' satisfaction. I just wish BBC2 would give it a consistent place in the schedules!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"It lost something moving to Friday nights but still the thinking quizzers game of choice."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Strong favourite of mine and many it seems. Another good year and VCM continues to impress."'' | |
| - | + | * ''Being removed from and then returning to its Monday night home and missing weeks due to FA Cup games suggest that the BBC don’t see this show as a big enough deal. It is. And Victoria Coren-Mitchell is still the best quiz host on British TV."'' | |
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| - | + | === 2- [[Pointless]] === | |
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| - | + | Wowsers, really? Number one in the Golden Five being one of the few things [[Pointless]] hasn't repeated this year. Still, it's still flying pretty high, especially on Saturday nights. Flashier set incoming soon. You said: | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | * ''"Considering we all thought they would've run out of questions long before now, this juggernaut continues to surge forward. With good reason too - I just wish BBC1 would stop broadcasting so many repeats!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Xander and Osman's partnership is brilliant. Though the questions are approaching barrel-scraping level, it's still fun, watchable telly anyone can play at home with mum/dad/kids etc."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Still a good watch when you get home from work. Still managing to keep the show fresh after over 1000 episodes and long may it continue."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"STILL immensely frustrated by the number of repeats broadcast instead of new episodes. Also, I wish they would include audio questions (song clips etc) on the regular show, not just on the celebrity version!"'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Still enjoyable but had the wind taken out of its sails a bit in 2017 by the sheer number of repeats. However, they do get some credit for beginning to schedule them in longer blocks of new ones/repeats rather than their previous “3 weeks on, 3 weeks off” policy."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"It's hard to know if it's still in production given the sheer volume of repeats... Joking aside: [[Fifteen-to-One]] was once called the Rolls-Royce of game shows. Pointless is more like a Jaguar: reliable, built to last, and quintessentially British."'' | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | === 1- [[The Chase]] === | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | The Chase didn't even make the Hall of Fame Top Five back when it started in 2009, finishing seventh ([[Pointless]] finished second that year). In 2010 it placed just outside the Golden Five, in sixth place. In 2011, when the teatime shows properly put their foot down, it finished third. Since then 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd and 3rd. Always the bridesmaid, this year The Chase is the beautiful bride. It's a situation that mirrors how it's doing in real life as well, after eight years it's become the dominant tea time show and still seems to be going up. Not bad going really. | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | * ''"The Chase remains as steady as ever, every episode is crammed full of questions and promises a tense final, and it's been great fun watching the Chasers develop their personas."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"The Chase just seems to get more watchable every day - gone from passive tea time viewing to something I sit down and actually watch."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Despite the slightly disappointing Family editions, this is still a great show. Bradley and co. consistently entertain and waiting for him to corpse at a question is a joy! Shame Challenge think this is the world's only gameshow, though!''" | |
| - | + | * ''"For me, this has overtaken Pointless as the number one daytime quiz full stop. The Family Chase was a nice twist, and I hope there are more episodes of that to come."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Again nothing needed to be added apart from still enjoying the celebrity versions and also with The Family Chase added to the line up as well I have a sneaky feeling The Chase will be around on ITV for years to come."'' | |
| - | + | * ''"Love Bradley Walsh. Love The Chasers. You're now bigger than [[Blockbusters]]. Congratulations.''" | |
| - | + | * ''"The show seems to only be getting stronger as the years roll on - a real beast. Always entertaining."'' | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | '''Bubbling Under: 6- [[!mpossible]], 7- [[Tipping Point]], 8- Richard Osman's [[House of Games (3)]], 9- [[The Crystal Maze]], 10- [[Countdown]]''' | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | As ever a quick glance to see how last year's shows have held up, last year's battle of the nerds might have been won by [[Go 8 Bit]] but that only finished joint 29th in this year's Golden Five, whereas [[Robot Wars]] had a pretty strong year finishing 11th. [[The Code]] joint 18th and [[Cash Trapped]], which might be worth keeping an eye on given its successful second run, 16th. Of last year's strong finishers, [[The Great British Bake Off]] and [[University Challenge]] finished 12th and 13th respectively, [[Who Dares Wins]] placed joint 22nd after a surge last year. | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | As ever radio is under-represented, [[Fighting Talk]] the nominal winner with votes also going to [[Just a Minute]] and [[The Unbelievable Truth]]. Every year we keep meaning to to a Radio Five and every year we keep forgetting, so remind us in the lead-up in December, thanks. | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | == Magic Moments of 2017 == | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | We finish as always with a selection of the year's best moments, with links where we can find them. | |
| - | + | ||
| - | + | May as well start with the viral sensation: | |
| + | |||
| + | * ''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trjCmZUOp-0 "Guessing Quasimodo on Letterbox"]'' | ||
| + | * ''"That video of both teams taking ages to work out the correct answer that everyone else (including the audience) knew that went viral."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Quasimodo-gate on Letterbox. It's Boxing Da_ on Lucky Ladders for the new millennium!"'' | ||
| + | * ''"The "viral" Letterbox clip was really quite funny."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | The <s>furry</s>, sorry, "cosplay" episode of [[The Crystal Maze]] invited a lot of comment, in particular the Planet Walk game: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbhnmwosgBo "The Crystal Maze contestant who was completely unable to escape the red planet's orbit. I don't think leaving the room is supposed to be part of the challenge..."]'' | ||
| + | * ''"The Cosplayers' horrendous trip around the Crystal Maze, especially Rob and that Planets game!"'' | ||
| + | * ''"The whole cosplay episode of Crystal Maze, specifically the automatic lock-in which got featured on Gogglebox and brought to mind the Cardinal Burns spoof from a few years back."'' | ||
| + | * ''"The most ridiculous moment was the episode of The Crystal Maze with the team of furries, on the spinning-hanging-planets game, with the most unbelievable display of clumsiness and hesitation."'' | ||
| + | * ''"The cosplay Crystal Maze episode from beginning to end. A slow burning comedy masterpiece worthy of Spinal Tap."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Of course this year we lost a legend: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VxviCvN5sU "The Bruce Forsyth tribute on Strictly. He really was a true legend of the genre."]'' | ||
| + | * ''"Strictly's brilliant tribute to Sir Bruce Forsyth."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Bruce Forsyth’s passing – A sad moment which reminded us how loved he was and how great he was."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Some impressive explosions on [[Robot Wars]] this year: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''''[https://youtu.be/XpFIkSxbV0c?t=5s "Bar spinner Apex suffering a dramatic self-destruction, its 40kg weapon separating from the rest of the machine – and helicoptering through the bulletproof arena wall."]'' | ||
| + | * ''"Apex falls apart and smashes the freaking bulletproof glass up."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Apex fantastically destroying itself against Track-tion."'' | ||
| + | * ''[https://youtu.be/-gwOb57XNvU?t=24m20s "Rapid, a meticulously-engineered £30,000 marvel, being torn to shreds before erupting into flames."]'' | ||
| + | * ''"When the robot called Rapid went on fire resulted in smoke flowing out of the arena, the commentary when it burst into smoke then fire was priceless."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | We could probably fill an entire section with your favourite [[Taskmaster]] moments, as it's a show that features many short funny items by design, but by far the thing that seemed to make you giggle the most was: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''"The Rosalind task. How swiftly we segued from [https://youtu.be/ZQxDyceIdK4 Nish Kumar's sweet ballad] to [https://youtu.be/H-XofhvgRcI Bob Mortimer's revelation that Rosalind was actually a f***ing nightmare.] Outrageously funny."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Compose and perfom a song about a women named Rosalind, who they've never met until a hour before. But I doubt no-one working on the show thought this unprovoked lyrical assult would be one of the songs."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Almost everything on Taskmaster is hilarious entertainment, but the oddity added by Bob Mortimer and Sally Phillips this season were surprising and great!" | ||
| + | * "The songs from the final episode of Taskmaster S5. We were all expecting them to be terrible, but they were all brilliant."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Bob Mortimer on Taskmaster - calling a member of the public a f***ing moron in song to their face for one. Also when he repeated the apple slicing in two party trick from [[Would I Lie to You]], rather than tip-toeing around the fact another TV show exists, they addressed it head on by saying "loads more people watch that"."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Rosalind's a f-ing nightmare (with an honourable mention to The Diverse Stripes)."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | And the best of the rest: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o2r5YOGYSc "The Chasers winning Let’s Sing And Dance For Comic Relief"]'' | ||
| + | * ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7J3AQxZ1k8&t=299s Richard Osman & Alexander Armstrong switching places in Pointless's 1,000th episode. It was huge fun but proved (as they said themselves on the show & in other places) how simple the other person makes his job look, whereas in reality it is anything but.]'' | ||
| + | * ''"Cannonball - Discovering "Premium Economy" was a worthwhile thing to highlight in the viewer phone-in competition for a holiday."'' | ||
| + | * ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT9F8ftKtWU "Duncan James beating the Chaser to take home over £100k in his individual chase - the most unexpected and most tense chase ever. (The Chase)"]'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''"Prue Leith revealing the Bake Off winner before it has aired."'' | ||
| + | * ''"Some of my colleague's anger at the Bake Off result being ruined made for an entertaining afternoon."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZExOicH-2_Q "Paris and Pointless - We all love an awful answer, but seeing the reaction of her partner and the media publicity afterwards was priceless."]'' | ||
| + | * ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMh-i31VZCE "Harry Hill back to his best in Fun Capsule - particularly the Coventry Market song sequence."]'' | ||
| + | * ''"Who Dares Wins - two guys losing on the final rung of the 'sandwich fillings' money ladder by risking piri piri chicken while the entire viewing public screamed "CHEESE!!!" at their TV screens."]'''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | And finally: | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''"Burn of the Year goes to Cheap Cheap Cheap's cheap shot at itself as early as episode three: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''Kelly: So, is this the same game as yesterday?'' | ||
| + | * ''Noel: Sorry?'' | ||
| + | * ''Kelly: ‘Cus are you just going to do this all the way through, just guess which is cheapest?'' | ||
| + | * ''Noel: Yeah, that’s the game.'' | ||
| + | * ''Kelly: I don’t think people will watch it, Noel, but give it a go."'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | Thanks for all your suggestions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == And it doesn't end there! == | ||
| + | |||
| + | Thanks for all your votes and comments, we imagine we'll do it all again next year. [http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=10698 In the meantime, Bother's Bar has longer lists and facts awaiting on the red button.] | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Category:Polls]] | ||
Current revision as of 22:48, 20 June 2024
As is traditional we wanted to know your favourite new formats of the year, your least favourite, the best show currently being broadcast and any of your stand-out moments of the year. As ever readers were entitled to five votes in each category and may give a double vote to a show they feel particularly strongly about. This was a record breaking year in terms of ballots cast.
This year's poll is dedicated to the memory of ITV2 scheduler and regular Bother's Bar contributor David Cooper.
Contents |
Watch the results live stream on YouTube
Hall of Fame 2017
In what evidently felt like a pretty boring year for the genre from your comments, there were clearly a good handful of shows that stood out as being above average. 36 different shows received at least a vote (which is three down on last year), of which the ten that attracted the most love were:
8- Lego Masters
7- Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule
6- The Boss
5- 5 Gold Rings
Possessed's Spot The Ball quiz performed pretty, if not outstandingly, well on Sunday nights earlier this year and certainly offered a purely visual quiz mechanic that's slightly different and certainly managed to offer up more variety in questions than I think a lot of people were expecting. Emphasis on playing along with the app knobbled by way of everyone instead just pointing at the telly and putting the pictures on Twitter. Series two with some very logical (i.e. it's no longer two solitaire games) tweaks on the way but they're still bigging up the app because TV people love hidings to nothing. You said:
- "One of the most 'solid' new ITV shows in ages, with a genuinely innovative question style, even if the uber-format was underpowered."
- "While the actual game-play can be a bit of a slog and the format surrounding the concept doesn't seem to work perfectly, the visual quizzing provided by 5 Gold Rings sells the show all on it's own. While an over reliance on memory puzzles suggests that there isn't a particularly deep question bank for the series, the style of the questions allows everyone watching to get involved and makes it a really enjoyable watch."
- "Bit of a grower this one, I especially like the dynamic between contestants when placing the rings. Nice to see ITV take a risk on a very different, very engaging idea for a show."
- "A nicely tactile way of presenting what amounts to a 'spot the ball' sort of quiz, but the range of questions helps, although repetition did kick in earlier than I'd have liked. That said, I'm interested in seeing how the changes for the second series pan out."
- "Slickest new show by a mile. Schofe is the professional's professional."
4- The Crystal Maze
Ooh, well now. This ought to have been a shoo-in for top spot, a remake of a hugely beloved show, off the back of a successful one-off special in 2016. Instead it looks like the divisive tone (and obvious lack of budget) have put a lot of people off - this only just placed fourth and if you scroll down you'll note it features in the Shame Top 10. Our favourite bit was reading comments on Twitter suggesting it "reminded them of Jungle Run", which just makes us hate the youth even more. You said:
- "I wasn't a huge fan of the charity special in 2016, due to the small set and Merchant's hosting, but I certainly feel this series definitely gave me a reason to watch. The games are all varied, though it would be nice to see a few more rather than chatting to the contestants and I am a big fan of Ayoade's humour."
- "I'm going to say it: it's not as bad as some people have said. When the original set such a high standard, it was inevitable that any remake would get a mixed reaction. For me, the star attraction is Richard Ayoade who has a deliciously aloof persona as Mazemaster. Good call, C4!"
- "This got so much criticism but to be able to make a show like this on 21st century budgets, I think they did a pretty good job and made it look better than any other recent game show."
- "Whilst not everything has been done to my tastes, a watered down version of the greatest yawning opera of a gameshow is still going to make this list. Plus it had one of the funniest gameahow episodes ever, certainly the most I've laughed at a TV this year. For that alone it deserves a place on this list."
- "It's a real diamond in the rough, this. For all its flaws (of which there are many!) I can't deny that I did get a bit tingly when I heard the theme tune again. The zone hubs themselves look amazing, Jarhead was a fun alternative to Mumsie, I liked the prize throwback, and some of the games were rather good. It's not as good as the original, but going in knowing that in advance helped a lot."
- "A decent revival that's deserved better viewing figures than it's got."
3- Armchair Detectives
Well this will please some of the UKGameshows.com staff, Susan Calman's murder-mystery show popped up at the end of last year to decent acclaim, but rather low numbers. Still, the evidence points to the people who liked it really liking it so perhaps that will be enough to get recommissioned. You said:
- "On paper sounded very dull, but an enjoyable 45 minutes overall. Susan Calman really helps making this show what it is."
- "Probably the only show that I actively seemed out to watch all the episodes. Susan was brilliant, the contestants were very enjoyable and actually quite good at guessing the killer. Hopefully, if there is a second series, Susan will get a notebook and be able to officially guess the killer herself."
- "For the five of us who are fans of both game shows and camp police procedurals, this was amazing. Totally understand if other people didn't feel this way, though."
- "I suspect this is a bit of a marmite show, but those who like it *really* like it, and I'm one of those. The mysteries are crafted reasonably well, it never quite feels like it strays into "I had no chance of getting that" territory. And Susan's a fine host, both in terms of engaging with the contestants and with the game itself."
- "Something very different yet somehow obvious in hindsight. A fantastic idea, a great format, and a wonderful show."
2- Richard Osman's House of Games
Now this is quite interesting - when Richard advertises this poll to his half a million Twitter followers, which we thank him for, it's usually enough to push a show he's involved with to the top. This year? His followers seemed to mostly stay at home. We were surprised to see this not at the top although it certainly deserves its place around the top. Celebrities take part in a variety of quizzes across the week - really the first show to tap into the current "being a bit like Taskmaster whilst not being Taskmaster" feeling, and one that works quite well. Coming back for a further 50 episodes in 2018, hopefully it insulate itself against the minigame law of diminishing returns. You said:
- "Probably the nearest thing we're going to get to our version of Slimste, and not a bad one at that. Questions were written with some wit."
- "Great fun. Good variety of games and fun to play along with. Tone was perfect - not too serious or trying too hard to be funny. Celebrity guests actually trying and wanting to win was a refreshing change of pace, and it's fun to play at home vs "normal" people rather than quizzers."
- "While not all of the games hit the mark, this was easily the best play-along at home show this year."
- "As a lover of simple parlour games, there was a lot here to like. Repetition was a mild problem, although the range available was pretty good - even if it did feel like "here's a collection of ideas that aren't quite solid enough to be a full format', but they're *good* ideas! Keeping the same bank of players over a week led to a nice line in ongoing rivalry. I'll happily watch a second run... To see what else they might swipe from Schlag..."
- "Quizzy Taskmaster works very nicely as teatime fun. Needs to add to its games bank for a long series two ahead, but had a decent roster for a first go – a few more puzzly games wouldn’t go amiss."
- "Unmissable. The variety of puzzles was very good, and the celebrities got into the spirit of things which is always a boon. Appointment to view teatime telly, and I'd love to watch a second series."
1- !mpossible
Whereas Mighty Productions (Twitter follower count at time of writing: 390) have followers who are far less flakey, although it's interesting to point out that some of the traditional Pointless for Golden Five voters gave this Hall of Fame votes and not to House of Games. !mpossible might have been impossible to find on iPlayer with its stupid punctuation titling but what was there was an entertaining multiple choice quiz with proper jeopardy, each question leading to potential hilarious moments when three-quarters of the players can and do eliminate themselves, occasionally after the first question. A show that rewards knowing something with safety even if the answer's not quite right which might end up being enough if everyone knocks themselves out. A multiple choice quiz with an element of nuance then, and drily and well-hosted by Rick Edwards. It's your top show, you said:
- "From it's initial pitch as a quiz show "with the third dimension", !mpossible has an interesting proposition: What if some wrong answers are wrong-er than others? It is the most refreshing and innovative take on a straight A/B/C quiz in quite some time, and does enough variations on the initial concept to keep things lively. The Exclamation Mark set-piece is the pound-coin filled cherry on top."
- "By far the best new show this year. Great format with an innovative idea."
- "Some excellent question setting, a very clever gimmick, and ooh at that lovely set on daytime BBC!"
- "A 45-minute rollercoaster of emotions. Laughing at contestants getting out on an easy-peasy question (especially if Question 1), celebrating with the finalist winning £10,000. Also enjoyable: Rick Edwards' "dry" presentation and the wacky theme tune."
- "It wasn't hard for me to put this top of my list. A clever question mechanic is a rare thing and I really enjoyed it's innovative structure."
- "Right at the start of the year, but this stuck in my head throughout. It's a painfully simple concept, but executed so well. Rick Edwards took a little time to get going, I felt, but by the second half of the first series he too added a lot to proceedings; it's always memorable when a carnage question comes along and removes half the players!"
- "A decent twist on a general knowledge quiz, even if the 'cash building' part manages to overcomplicate a simple idea."
- "Excellent format, little stop start at first but has worked the problems out over the three series shown. Wouldn't work in primetime but best effort by BBC Daytime since Pointless."
Hall of SHAME 2017
But for every decent show that makes it onto television the law says someone must make a baffling commission of something rubbish purely to keep the nation on its toes, thanks David Cameron. 37 different shows earned your derision this year (significantly down from 45 last year), the ten that you felt strongest about were:
10- The Crystal Maze
8= Don't Ask Me Ask Britain, Bigheads
7- Let It Shine
5- Cannonball
A person flies into the air and lands in the water. Amusing enough a few times, incredibly nobody bothered sticking around for the other nine hours and 55 minutes of broadcast. Slickly produced for what it was but what it was was at best a one-off Summer special. You said:
- "People sit on inflatables and let physics happen to them. And that's it."
- "Obvious to everyone apart from ITV this would get canned within weeks."
- "I was never the biggest fan of Total Wipeout so it wasn't looking good for this wet knockoff. Rather than moan as others probably will, though, I'll be objective - ITV could improve this show by removing just five elements: Flintoff, Radzi, Frankie, Ryan and the games. (Being a longtime Maya Jama supporter is what pulled me into watching this in the first place!)"
- "You’ve seen everything you’re going to see for about the first 45 mins within the first 5 mins – once you’ve seen a couple of rounds of each game you’ve seen them all. As for the hosting, it must have been 2 for 1 on presenters that week – Radzi, in particular, deserves better."
- "Total Wipeout in wetsuits - and about 5 years too late. None of the panache, wit, or any of that 'we know this is naff, you know that its naff - but lets pretend that it's actually serious' in-joke that Wipeout had with it's viewers. The audience saw this show drowning, and refused to lob in a rubber ring to save it."
- "Yet another practice of stretching out one possibly-OK part of a show to a full length and pretending to be surprised when nobody wants to watch."
4- Cheap Cheap Cheap
This one almost made the Top 10 Hall of Fame (11th in fact) making Noel the anti-Ayoade effectively. Unlike many of the shows on the list this was at least an interesting swing and a miss and worth a try, format issues aside (and it had many), making the show effectively a sit-com proved divisive, with the dividing line lieing somewhere around how much you liked Trevor and Simon on Going Live. You said:
- "A good idea spoilt by no atmosphere, an over-worn Millionaire-lite game style, and weird directing that took us out of the sitcom make-believe."
- " A Noel Edmonds fever dream made real, Cheap Cheap Cheap is apt name for describing every quality of this show. A nonsensical money ladder paired with the exact same question over-and-over makes for unpleasant viewing, and the comedy skits are confusing at best. This feels like a parody of a gameshow."
- "A car crash for Noel Edmond's that only comes bottom of my top five for at least trying something new however much it was ill advised it was. It's main sin is that the game is simply boring and uninspiring to look at."
- "If there were a more compelling game at the heart of this, I feel like it might have worked for me. But there wasn't, so it didn't."
- "Sat for an age on the shelves of the Channel 4 warehouse and at first watch easy to see why. The gameshow element was too weak to shoulder the weight, and the improv comedy was at times just not funny enough to paper over the cracks in the flimsy conceit. When it worked, it worked. When it failed to - it stank the place out."
- "Great idea, terrible execution, could have been a really good show, but apart from other problems the slot seemed odd to me, felt more like a late-night-ish show."
- "This was so awful, I was taking the mick before the opening titles had finished. After about 15 minutes, I'd decided this was easily the tackiest thing I'd ever seen. Yet, by quirk. I kept watching. Day. After. Day. I had to see the next one. I was hooked by the woeful acting, the jokes too obvious for a Carry On film, Noel Edmonds thinking he's on House Party and the wafer thin format. This show was special. Shit and special can mean the same thing, right?"
3- Letterbox
Not much in the top three votes wise, for now we have Hangman without any sort of tension and that appears to be that. Use of words with obscure letters looks quite clever until you realise it just means dragging the game out to excessively tedious levels whilst the contestants keep picking more common letters. A clip of two people not knowing how to spell Quasimodo apparently got 50m views, that's almost the entire population of England, and yet it consistently underperformed the slot by a large amount. Obviously then it's been picked up for a second run. You said:
- "Could've been good in a Catchword kinda way, but there's only so many times Mel can go "You want an M, my loves? M it is, then. We're looking for an M. Ok, is there... an... M?""
- "Unassuming, almost too unassuming. If a game show is going to be quite lo-fi on the show side of things, the game part better be able to pick up the slack, and a game of guess-a-letter isn't going to do that. The overall enterprise may not have been offensive, but it was boring. Jury's out as to which is worse."
- "Here's a new password for them 'ZZZ'."
- "This show makes me angry. Boring, and completely lacking in any imagination. The whole 'that'll do' attitude of this show stinks in an industry full of real talent."
- "Totally devoid of any concept, boring to watch, shameful that it's been given a second series."
- "Mel Giedroyc is the only saving grace of this utterly thread-bare show. The game-play is repetitive and uninspired, there is barely any interaction between the contestants and no jeopardy at any point. Taxpayer funded hangman."
- "How poetic that in the month that the NHS announced it was discontinuing homeopathy, the BBC picked it up in TV form."
2- Len Goodman's Partners in Rhyme
Len exhibiting attitudes, doing adverts for Farm Foods. We've played Obama Llama after a few drinks at a party and it was mildly good fun. The TV show of the same concept rather misjudged the tone and the audience, not helped by the fact that Catchphrase is already doing a perfectly decent job out of basically the same idea and has done for 30 years now - visual puzzles describing a thing - that there didn't really seem much point in this existing whether it's fronted by the undisputed King of Rhymes Len Goodman or not. You said:
- "It made my parents hate Len Goodman. Slick in the worst possible way."
- "Someone knows something about someone in BBC commissioning for that to have ever got made."
- "Lowest common denominator gutter tripe aimed at simpletons and it doesn't even do that well. Talks down to it's viewers more than any kids show I've seen."
- "Ever wondered what Catchprase would be look like if production was halted by a wildcat animators strike, and the production team had to make the graphics using 4 weeks worth of pictures cut out of 'Heat' and the Radio Times on the floor? This. A repetitvely flimsy duff one idea streched over a series. Disgraceful."
- "I like Len and obviously it’s all a bit of fun but from a format point of view, the show starts with TWO “rounds” which don’t affect the scores, Rhyme Watch requires a cartoon Len to indicate the bits of the VT we’re meant to be paying attention to and News At Len doesn’t allow buzzing till Len finishes speaking, turning it into a pure reaction test."
- "Staggeringly, offensively, relentlessly terrible. As the old saying goes, you can't polish a turd, and nor can you overlay canned laughter on tedious drivel and hope to end up with a programme worthy of Saturday night."
1- Babushka
Most people, if they were to see what the format was, would immediately go "oh, so they keep losing all the money every five minutes? No-one will stick with that." An emotional rollercoaster stuck on ground level for most of the ride. But not ITV! Who were so confident in this they ordered four weeks worth of episodes to fill The Chase's slot. To be fair it had production values that were a cut above the usual daytime fare - great directing, great music - and Rylan Clark-Neal proved he could handle running something like this to a decent standard, but the format was so frustrating to watch there didn't seem to be much point in bothering. So the audience didn't. You can't just add simple (to the point of being irrelevant) true or false questions to Deal or No Deal and assume what comes out the other end is a winner. It's your worst new show of 2017, you said:
- "Babushka is a harsh format. It does not have sympathetic or deserving contestants and uses the wrong name for Russian dolls. Some of them certainly didn't look like grandmothers!"
- "Very nearly redeemed by the set and Mr. Vye’s music, but the format just doesn’t work."
- "It was like watching a slow motion car crash, but one that you could have seen coming from when the car rolled off the production line. The first clue should have been the decision that the words "Babushka" and "Matryoshka" were close enough. Nothing about this show worked. Nothing about it could ever have worked. At least it kept the local dry ice supply company busy."
- "Planet Earth may be concerned about Putin wanting to take over the world - but here is one Russian themed invasion which made sure you would have had panic attacks in the middle of the night for weeks later. A perma-tanned, bleachedtoothed grinning host reading which expression of shock/tension/empathy he should do next off the autocue. A format designed not to give the contestants anything in prize money - And if they did get close to winning, made sure ultra conservative play beat risk and reward everytime. Simply awful."
- "Worst promo campaign in many a long year, social media damn near destroyed it. Lost 3/4 of The Chase audience in three weeks. As it is a painful show to watch very poorly thought out. Gorgeous props though."
- "The production, set and host was great, but the format was entirely broken and shouldn't have made it to air."
- "The music and Rylan are the only things to commend here. There’s barely a proper decision to make - You may as well really push your luck on the first few dolls as your bank is very likely to be wiped later anyway (potentially through no fault of your own). Also takes the prize for Most Staggering Production Decision Of The Year for opening CGI dolls on the screen in the endgame then just opening the real ones as a proveout."
- "Rylan did try. And it did look and sound pretty. However, the format's paper thin and designed to be as miserly and anti-climactic as possible. They should have called it Губная помада на свиньи."
The Golden Five 2017
Given a free pick of any UK game show that had a first run episode broadcast in 2017, what did our voters go for? 63 shows received at least one vote.
5- Tenable
This came tenth in the 2016 vote so to improve so dramatically is a pretty good sign of quality and hopefully longevity - in fact the last show to climb like that between series one and two was Pointless, which just proves our theory that this is heavily aping the Pointless style. Twenty new episodes went out towards the end of last year and forty more are yet to be broadcast at time of writing. Question sources are a potential worry but we're happy to enjoy it whilst it lasts, and Warwick Davies is cementing himself as a teriffic host. You said:
- "Still good fun, and some inventive question editing have kept this watchable, if a little uneven at times."
- "Warwick Davies has found a perfect quiz show home in Tenable. Despite only serving a handful of questions every episode, the top 10 lists still prove addictive, and the second series has alleviated any fears of production running out of questions."
- "Good, but they still need to be stricter with their lists and sources."
- "Sometimes the simple ideas are the best - and when allied to the warm wit essayed from the host's pod, you end up with a show that's outshining Pointless on the other side. The 'less is more' approach helped too, just one repeat run AFAIK (compared to Pointless being on a seeming endless loop...)"
- "Question quality became a little more variable in its second series but looks set to become a fun afternoon staple for ITV."
4- Taskmaster
After a couple of years where digital channels started seriously contending for top spots in these polls it's only Taskmaster that's really still standing - this is a non-mover compared to last year. Another two successful series this year, as well as a Champion of Champions, but there's a sli-i-i-ght feeling that extending the runs from five/six episodes to eight is beginning to work against them. There are surely an infinite amount of ideas (and indeed comedians) but an increasingly small amount are going to make memorable television. You said:
- "Taskmaster remains the best show on TV, it's funny, clever, and never fails to bring joy to my household. Alex Horne is a national treasure, long may Taskmaster reign."
- "They're getting a bit complacent, the Champion of Champions lacked the creativity of the previous series, but it's still fantastic. Keep the series short and the competitors outlandish."
- "I'm still glad that Taskmaster is doing well for itself, five and a half series on. It still doesn't quite have another moment as good as the Pie Whisperer was, but at this point it doesn't really need one."
- "Not as good as 2016. But easily the most enjoyable show on television. If this were on BBC/ITV/C4, people would be talking about the show in the same breath as some of the top programmes on TV in general atm. But it's on Dave, so it's a nice little gem tucked away, albeit with a growing audience. Best game show in 2017 by far."
- "Funny, silly, challenging, great casting, great entertainment. Created by little Alex Horne, who plays a great straight man to both Greg Davies and the contestants."
- "Hit after hit after hit. Not only one of the top five game shows, but also one of the top five funniest television programmes currently in production."
3- Only Connect
The year-long move to Fridays hasn't hurt its Golden Five positioning too much (although it's down a place, for what it's worth), this is still high in your affections.
- "Tough, challenging, baffling and I wouldn't have it any other way. With Mastermind having got progressively easier and UC becoming a chore, the VCM showcase remains the place to go for your 'Blimey, I actually answered one!' satisfaction. I just wish BBC2 would give it a consistent place in the schedules!"
- "It lost something moving to Friday nights but still the thinking quizzers game of choice."
- "Strong favourite of mine and many it seems. Another good year and VCM continues to impress."
- Being removed from and then returning to its Monday night home and missing weeks due to FA Cup games suggest that the BBC don’t see this show as a big enough deal. It is. And Victoria Coren-Mitchell is still the best quiz host on British TV."
2- Pointless
Wowsers, really? Number one in the Golden Five being one of the few things Pointless hasn't repeated this year. Still, it's still flying pretty high, especially on Saturday nights. Flashier set incoming soon. You said:
- "Considering we all thought they would've run out of questions long before now, this juggernaut continues to surge forward. With good reason too - I just wish BBC1 would stop broadcasting so many repeats!"
- "Xander and Osman's partnership is brilliant. Though the questions are approaching barrel-scraping level, it's still fun, watchable telly anyone can play at home with mum/dad/kids etc."
- "Still a good watch when you get home from work. Still managing to keep the show fresh after over 1000 episodes and long may it continue."
- "STILL immensely frustrated by the number of repeats broadcast instead of new episodes. Also, I wish they would include audio questions (song clips etc) on the regular show, not just on the celebrity version!"
- "Still enjoyable but had the wind taken out of its sails a bit in 2017 by the sheer number of repeats. However, they do get some credit for beginning to schedule them in longer blocks of new ones/repeats rather than their previous “3 weeks on, 3 weeks off” policy."
- "It's hard to know if it's still in production given the sheer volume of repeats... Joking aside: Fifteen-to-One was once called the Rolls-Royce of game shows. Pointless is more like a Jaguar: reliable, built to last, and quintessentially British."
1- The Chase
The Chase didn't even make the Hall of Fame Top Five back when it started in 2009, finishing seventh (Pointless finished second that year). In 2010 it placed just outside the Golden Five, in sixth place. In 2011, when the teatime shows properly put their foot down, it finished third. Since then 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd and 3rd. Always the bridesmaid, this year The Chase is the beautiful bride. It's a situation that mirrors how it's doing in real life as well, after eight years it's become the dominant tea time show and still seems to be going up. Not bad going really.
- "The Chase remains as steady as ever, every episode is crammed full of questions and promises a tense final, and it's been great fun watching the Chasers develop their personas."
- "The Chase just seems to get more watchable every day - gone from passive tea time viewing to something I sit down and actually watch."
- "Despite the slightly disappointing Family editions, this is still a great show. Bradley and co. consistently entertain and waiting for him to corpse at a question is a joy! Shame Challenge think this is the world's only gameshow, though!"
- "For me, this has overtaken Pointless as the number one daytime quiz full stop. The Family Chase was a nice twist, and I hope there are more episodes of that to come."
- "Again nothing needed to be added apart from still enjoying the celebrity versions and also with The Family Chase added to the line up as well I have a sneaky feeling The Chase will be around on ITV for years to come."
- "Love Bradley Walsh. Love The Chasers. You're now bigger than Blockbusters. Congratulations."
- "The show seems to only be getting stronger as the years roll on - a real beast. Always entertaining."
Bubbling Under: 6- !mpossible, 7- Tipping Point, 8- Richard Osman's House of Games (3), 9- The Crystal Maze, 10- Countdown
As ever a quick glance to see how last year's shows have held up, last year's battle of the nerds might have been won by Go 8 Bit but that only finished joint 29th in this year's Golden Five, whereas Robot Wars had a pretty strong year finishing 11th. The Code joint 18th and Cash Trapped, which might be worth keeping an eye on given its successful second run, 16th. Of last year's strong finishers, The Great British Bake Off and University Challenge finished 12th and 13th respectively, Who Dares Wins placed joint 22nd after a surge last year.
As ever radio is under-represented, Fighting Talk the nominal winner with votes also going to Just a Minute and The Unbelievable Truth. Every year we keep meaning to to a Radio Five and every year we keep forgetting, so remind us in the lead-up in December, thanks.
Magic Moments of 2017
We finish as always with a selection of the year's best moments, with links where we can find them.
May as well start with the viral sensation:
- ''"Guessing Quasimodo on Letterbox"
- "That video of both teams taking ages to work out the correct answer that everyone else (including the audience) knew that went viral."
- "Quasimodo-gate on Letterbox. It's Boxing Da_ on Lucky Ladders for the new millennium!"
- "The "viral" Letterbox clip was really quite funny."
The furry, sorry, "cosplay" episode of The Crystal Maze invited a lot of comment, in particular the Planet Walk game:
- ''"The Crystal Maze contestant who was completely unable to escape the red planet's orbit. I don't think leaving the room is supposed to be part of the challenge..."
- "The Cosplayers' horrendous trip around the Crystal Maze, especially Rob and that Planets game!"
- "The whole cosplay episode of Crystal Maze, specifically the automatic lock-in which got featured on Gogglebox and brought to mind the Cardinal Burns spoof from a few years back."
- "The most ridiculous moment was the episode of The Crystal Maze with the team of furries, on the spinning-hanging-planets game, with the most unbelievable display of clumsiness and hesitation."
- "The cosplay Crystal Maze episode from beginning to end. A slow burning comedy masterpiece worthy of Spinal Tap."
Of course this year we lost a legend:
- ''"The Bruce Forsyth tribute on Strictly. He really was a true legend of the genre."
- "Strictly's brilliant tribute to Sir Bruce Forsyth."
- "Bruce Forsyth’s passing – A sad moment which reminded us how loved he was and how great he was."
Some impressive explosions on Robot Wars this year:
- ''"Bar spinner Apex suffering a dramatic self-destruction, its 40kg weapon separating from the rest of the machine – and helicoptering through the bulletproof arena wall."
- "Apex falls apart and smashes the freaking bulletproof glass up."
- "Apex fantastically destroying itself against Track-tion."
- "Rapid, a meticulously-engineered £30,000 marvel, being torn to shreds before erupting into flames."
- "When the robot called Rapid went on fire resulted in smoke flowing out of the arena, the commentary when it burst into smoke then fire was priceless."
We could probably fill an entire section with your favourite Taskmaster moments, as it's a show that features many short funny items by design, but by far the thing that seemed to make you giggle the most was:
- "The Rosalind task. How swiftly we segued from Nish Kumar's sweet ballad to Bob Mortimer's revelation that Rosalind was actually a f***ing nightmare. Outrageously funny."
- "Compose and perfom a song about a women named Rosalind, who they've never met until a hour before. But I doubt no-one working on the show thought this unprovoked lyrical assult would be one of the songs."
- "Almost everything on Taskmaster is hilarious entertainment, but the oddity added by Bob Mortimer and Sally Phillips this season were surprising and great!"
- "The songs from the final episode of Taskmaster S5. We were all expecting them to be terrible, but they were all brilliant."
- "Bob Mortimer on Taskmaster - calling a member of the public a f***ing moron in song to their face for one. Also when he repeated the apple slicing in two party trick from Would I Lie to You, rather than tip-toeing around the fact another TV show exists, they addressed it head on by saying "loads more people watch that"."
- "Rosalind's a f-ing nightmare (with an honourable mention to The Diverse Stripes)."
And the best of the rest:
- ''"The Chasers winning Let’s Sing And Dance For Comic Relief"
- Richard Osman & Alexander Armstrong switching places in Pointless's 1,000th episode. It was huge fun but proved (as they said themselves on the show & in other places) how simple the other person makes his job look, whereas in reality it is anything but.
- "Cannonball - Discovering "Premium Economy" was a worthwhile thing to highlight in the viewer phone-in competition for a holiday."
- "Duncan James beating the Chaser to take home over £100k in his individual chase - the most unexpected and most tense chase ever. (The Chase)"
- "Prue Leith revealing the Bake Off winner before it has aired."
- "Some of my colleague's anger at the Bake Off result being ruined made for an entertaining afternoon."
- "Paris and Pointless - We all love an awful answer, but seeing the reaction of her partner and the media publicity afterwards was priceless."
- "Harry Hill back to his best in Fun Capsule - particularly the Coventry Market song sequence."
- "Who Dares Wins - two guys losing on the final rung of the 'sandwich fillings' money ladder by risking piri piri chicken while the entire viewing public screamed "CHEESE!!!" at their TV screens."]''
And finally:
"Burn of the Year goes to Cheap Cheap Cheap's cheap shot at itself as early as episode three:
- Kelly: So, is this the same game as yesterday?
- Noel: Sorry?
- Kelly: ‘Cus are you just going to do this all the way through, just guess which is cheapest?
- Noel: Yeah, that’s the game.
- Kelly: I don’t think people will watch it, Noel, but give it a go."
Thanks for all your suggestions.
And it doesn't end there!
Thanks for all your votes and comments, we imagine we'll do it all again next year. In the meantime, Bother's Bar has longer lists and facts awaiting on the red button.
