Twenty-One
Revision as of 03:19, 26 September 2004
Synopsis
Game loosely based on the game of pontoon. Contestants were given a category and asked for questions ranging from 1 (easy) to 11 (hard).
The player who reached exactly 21, or was closest to it when the game ended, won the money. A "returning champion" system enabled good players to rack up serious money.
Chris Howland (centre) with contestantsKey moments
Hit the headlines when Bernard Davies, a bit part actor, won a record £5,580. This is worth about £88,300 in today's money.
Trivia
Twenty One was the quiz show that caused the US television scandal of the decade, when Charles van Doren was found to have been rehearsed in the answers in advance. (This is is documented in the Robert Redford-directed film Quiz Show.) In addition, Twenty One was dropped by Granada when a contestant claimed he had been given "definite leads" to the answers.
