Greatest Game Shows
Revision as of 12:00, 22 December 2009
[[Mastermind|
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Polls and voting are all very well, but how do people vote with their feet? No, not by holding pencils between their toes, but by visiting the various nooks and crannies that make up the conurbation of UKGameshowsopolis.
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Our backroom boys and girls have been re-programming CECIL to come up with the most popular pages on this site. And, after poring through yards of ticker tape, this is what we've come up with - a list of the top 100 shows based on what you lot are actually reading.
And a surprisingly good list it is too, taking in all areas of the genre. Over the coming weeks, we'll be highlighting these shows in our main indexes to make them easier to find, as well as sprucing up these articles and providing extra background information, pictures and other gubbins wherever we see fit.
The Top 100
The following is an alphabetical list of the Greatest Gameshows, as measured by visits to the UKGameshows website between July 2006 and January 2009. It reflects searches on our website, visits from dedicated search engines, and links from other web pages.
| The Adventure Game | Dragons and an aspidistra set taxing puzzles. |
| Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? | Primary-school children help adults win money |
| Ask the Family | Perennial smarty-pants quiz. Dah! |
| Banzai | Off-the-wall betting show. Bet now! |
| Bargain Hunt | Antiques arbitrage with David Dickinson and Tim Wonnacott. |
| Best of Friends | Treats and challenges for a group of chums. |
| Big Break | Snooker-based quiz with Jim Davidson. |
| Big Brother | Isolation reality show. |
| The Biggest Loser UK | Competitive dieting. |
| Blankety Blank | How did Beryl Reid fill in the blank? |
| Blind Date | Cilla Black goes in search of true love, or not. |
| Blockbusters | "I'll have a P please, Bob." |
| Brainstorm | Bonkers science quiz with Kenny Everett. |
| Bullseye | Darts-based quiz with Jim Bowen. |
| Call My Bluff | Definitions of words we've never heard of. |
| Catchphrase | Roy Walker says what he sees. |
| Celebrity Squares | Noughts-and-crosses with celebrities. I agree! |
| Challenge Anneka | Anneka Rice does a lot of work for charity. |
| Cluedo | Small-screen adaptation of the murderous board game. |
| Countdown | Letters and numbers parlour game with Richard and Carol. |
| Crackerjack | Friday at 4.55pm entertainment for youngsters. |
| The Crystal Maze | Physical and mental challenges with Riff-Raff. |
| Dancing on Ice | ITV celebrities dance and fall over with Torvill and Dean. |
| Deal or No Deal | Noel Edmonds' big-money guessing game. |
| Dishes | Late-night cookery show with the neophyte Kate Thornton. |
| Don't Try This at Home! | Spectacular stunts and crazy challenges. |
| Double Your Money | 1950s general-knowledge quiz with Hughie Green. |
| Eggheads | Are these people the best general knowledge quizzers in Britain? |
| Eurovision Song Contest | Annual song-and-dance spectacular. |
| Family Fortunes | People complete to name popular answers to questions. |
| Fifteen-to-One | The Rolls-Royce of quiz shows. |
| 50/50 | Gunge-filled game for schools. |
| Fort Boyard | Physical and mental challenges off the coast of France. |
| Fun House | Pat Sharp has some children round to his house. |
| Game for a Laugh | Hidden-camera and offbeat stunt pioneer. |
| Gameshow Marathon | Recycling some of the best shows for a modern audience. |
| The Generation Game | Bruce Forsyth gives people silly things to do. |
| Get Your Own Back | Children take revenge on a parent or teacher. |
| Give Us a Clue | Charades with Una Stubbs and Lionel Blair. |
| Gladiators | All-action physical challenges with Ulrika and Wolf. |
| Going for Gold | Henry Kelly asks questions to puzzled Europeans. |
| Golden Balls | Big-money bluff and bluster with Jasper Carrot. |
| The Golden Shot | Live crossbows in a television studio. |
| The Great Egg Race | Contraptions and inventions with Heinz Woolf. |
| Have I Got News for You | Topical quiz with Paul Merton and Ian Hislop. |
| I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! | Ant and Dec ask celebs to eat witchety grubs. |
| Ice Warriors | Speed-skating challenges; the biggest flop of all time? |
| In It to Win It | Dale Winton is in the right place at the right time. |
| Incredible Games | A lift, some laundry baskets, a Dark Knight. |
| Interceptor | Man in black fires remote control at yuppies with cash on their backs. |
| It's a Knockout | Stuart Hall laughs as the Belgians fall over. |
| Jungle Run | Children's challenges set in a jungle. |
| Knightmare | Fantasy quest for young adventurers. |
| The Krypton Factor | Seminal test to find the United Kingdom Superperson. |
| Love at First Sight | Surprisingly popular satellite dating show. |
| Masterchef Goes Large | Competitive cookery programme. |
| Mastermind | Two minutes in the black chair on a specialist subject. |
| The Mole | Who is sabotaging the team's progress? |
| Mr and Mrs | How well do you know your wife? |
| Naked Jungle | Keith Chegwin and naturists play some games. |
| Name That Tune | Tom O'Connor invites people to name popular tunes. |
| Never Mind the Buzzcocks | Pop music comedy quiz. |
| New Faces | Talent show with added sideburns. |
| Noel's House Party | Saturday night entertainment from Noel Edmonds. |
| 1 vs 100 | Can one person know more than a hundred-strong mob? |
| Play Your Cards Right | Is the next card higher or lower, asks Brucie. |
| PokerFace | Million-pound bluffing game with Ant and Dec. |
| The Price is Right | Know the price of consumer durables. |
| A Question of Sport | Sportspeople answer questions about their sport. |
| Raven | Outdoor tests for young warriors. |
| Ready Steady Cook | Make a meal in 20 minutes, with Ainsley Harriott. |
| Robot Wars | Remote-controlled battle tanks beat each other up. |
| Runaround | Mike Reid gets kids to choose correct answers and shout a lot. |
| Sale of the Century | Nicholas Parsons flogs the entire country for a tenner. |
| Saturday Night Takeaway | Win a commercial break with Ant and Dec. |
| Scrapheap Challenge | Construction challenges with Kryten. |
| See it, Saw it | Observation quiz for the very young. |
| Shooting Stars | Vic and Bob's bonkers quiz. Eranu indeed! |
| Stars in Their Eyes | "Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be..." |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Celebrities strut their funky stuff. |
| Strike it Lucky | Touchscreen guesswork with Barrymore. |
| Supermarket Sweep | Dale Winton goes wild in the aisles. |
| Survivor | Island challenge for ITV where Mark Austin's career washed up. |
| Take It or Leave It (2) | Richard Arnold refuses to let anyone go back. |
| Take Your Pick | Will they take the money or open the box? |
| Takeshi's Castle | Japanese people do crazy stunts, and Craig Charles laughs. |
| They Think it's All Over | Sports-based comedy quiz with Nick Hancock. |
| 3-2-1 | Dusty Bin presides over entertainers and incomprehensible riddles. |
| Through the Keyhole | "Who would live in a house like this?" |
| Topless Darts | Darts played without the number 20, we think. |
| Treasure Hunt (2) | Anneka Rice terrorises the countryside. |
| University Challenge | Bamber and Jeremy ask some starters for ten. |
| The Weakest Link | Anne Robinson is mean to her victims. |
| Wheel of Fortune (2) | Spin the wheel, guess some letters, win a watch. |
| Who Wants to be a Millionaire? | Chris Tarrant gives away oodles of cash. |
| Whose Line is it Anyway? | Improvised comedy show with Clive Anderson. 100 points to everyone there. |
| Win Beadle's Money | Jeremy Beadle puts his show fee up for grabs. |
| Wipeout | Addictive 'complete the category' game with Paul Daniels. |
| The X Factor | Shouting, crying and throwing of water. With some singing involved. |
| You Bet! | Challenges and stunts show, with Matthew Kelly in a sumo thong. |
2009's Leaders
These were the most popular shows and people between July and September 2009:
| Kirsty Duffy | We remember her from Cruel Summer. Or was it winter? | |
| Kit Hesketh-Harvey | The Widow remains unlisted. | |
| For the Rest of Your Life | A previous step on Nicky Campbell's path to world domination. | |
| Jayne Middlemiss | Winner of Celebrity Masterchef | |
| Total Wipeout | Second run at the Big Balls. | |
| Only Connect (2) | Returned with even more fiendish questions. | |
| Lee Mack | Appeared on many panel games. | |
| Anton Du Beke | The new host of Hole in the Wall. | |
| The Cube | People do simple tasks in a perspex box. | |
| Malandra Burrows | Kathy Bates from Emmerdale. | |
| Win Beadle's Money | The late Jeremy staked his appearance fee. | |
| James McCourt | Bring on the balls! | |
| [[Captain Zep | Captain Zep | Space Detective]], Eighties sci-fi detective show. |
| Strip Masterbrain | A quiz for people who remove paint, we think. | |
| Dragons' Den | A new series went out over the summer. | |
| Hole in the Wall | Still really popular. | |
| Mark Franks | De-clutter your life. | |
| Pointless | Alexander Armstrong has the answers no-one knows. | |
| Mark Rumble | Television gambling for all. | |
| De Tha Seo? | Win, Lose or Draw in Gaelic. | |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Back for a Brucie bonus. | |
| Accumulate! | The best thing to come out of Reading in ages. | |
| Eliminator | Nasty man chases children for prizes. | |
| Topranko! | Anthony Wilson has the answers few people know. | |
| Victoria Coren | Host of television's toughest quiz. |
These were popular between April and July 2009:
| Beat the Star | Hammering nails into a plank of wood |
| Britain's Got Talent | Simon Cowell's televised variety show |
| Coach Trip | The round-Europe tour came back once more |
| Punchlines | Remember what you heard... and where you heard it! |
| Lucky Ladders | Connect a word to another word |
| Naked Jungle | Remarkably popular for a one-off show |
| E4 School of Performing Arts | Has one of them become famous and not told us? How rude! |
| Sun, Sea and Bargain Spotting | It's like Bargain Hunt, only in foreign parts |
| Ask the Family | ...as Eric will now show us |
| Mission: Paintball | You're emulsified? No, wrong show |
| Divided | Andrew Castle splits into three unequal parts |
| Hannah-Oke | Put your hawk in the sky, move side to side |
| Lennie Bennett | The much-missed funnyman |
| Stephen Mulhern | CITV's go-to presenter |
| Kirsty Duffy | The new face on The Wright Stuff |
| Melanie Sykes | A stunner in black |
| Katie Boyle | The voice of Eurovision |
| Jayne Middlemiss | The link between Celebrity Love Island and Celebrity Masterchef |
| Caroline Flack | Co-host of TMi and Gladiators |
| Joel Ross | But no listing for JK |
| Jenny Powell | Still best-known for turning letters on Wheel of Fortune |
| Annabel Giles | Telly star turned author |
| Simon Cowell | Proud owner of some kitchen utensils |
| Kirsten O'Brien | Bared all on BBC3 |
| Kelly Brook | Former host of The Big Break Fast, it says here |
| Steve Race | The late host of My Music |
| Kat Shoob | New host of the chart show on commercial radio |
And these were the greatest percentage gainers between January and April 2009.
| Total Wipeout | Bring on the balls! |
| Kerwhizz | Challenging fun for the under-fives |
| Battle of the Brains | Nicky Campbell's latest step to world domination |
| Genius | Daft invention show |
| Jade Goody | Doyenne of the tabloid press |
| Dave Lamb | Voiceover man for some cookery show |
| Last Man Standing | Contest for seriously hard men |
| The Ultimate Playboy | Seeking the last copy of a magazine |
| Stake Out | CBBC's rather good hidden camera show |
| Spin Star | Fruit machine silliness |
| Nigel Clarke | Clutter nutter |
| Jennie Bond | Correspondent on royals and jungles |
| Hole in the Wall | It's a wall. It's got a hole in it. |
| Are You an Egghead? | Spin-off for Daphne and her friends |
| Tim Wonnacott | Antiques expert |
| Perfect Recall | Terry Wogan's memory quiz |
| Come Dine with Me | Competitive dinner parties |
| Basil's Game Show | Goes "boom" a lot. |
| Simon Greenall | Man of a thousand voices |
| Eleri Sion | Welsh broadcasting sweetheart |
