Weaver's Week 2024-10-13

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Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Most distinct episodes, repeats don't count, to the end of 2023. 500 episodes for the big list, 100 episodes for the primetime list.

Contents 1 Which game shows have had the most episodes? Part 14: P 1.1 Pencil and Paper 1.2 Play Your Cards Right 1.3 Pointless 1.4 Popmaster 1.5 Pot Black 1.6 The Price is Right 1.7 Pull the Other One (1) 1.8 Puzzle Corner 2 Scores so far 2.1 All episodes 2.2 Primetime episodes 3 In other news 3.1 Quizzy Mondays

Which game shows have had the most episodes? Part 14: P

And we'll mention some shows that don't quite make it. Parlour Games went out in various BBC radio programmes from 1939 to 1942. We've traced 87 episodes, and while it's possible there may have been a few more, we don't think that there were enough to warrant inclusion. Still, if the House of Games (3) writers want any inspiration...

Passport Quiz was a travel quiz for families, which only aired on STV in Scotland. Bryan Burnett hosted and devised the show. We have approximately 154 episodes – but only 26 of those were in primetime, the bulk of the series went out mid-afternoon.

Hard luck to Pen Campau, the sports quiz for schools in Wales: 88 primetime episodes on S4C from 2007-10.

Pencil and Paper

Shaw Taylor invites you at home to answer his questions in a manner not dissimilar to playing along with pencil and paper to Test the Nation forty-years later. A reader told us that Pencil and Paper was filmed at ATV studios in Birmingham. The first half of the show was IQ type questions just for the viewers. The second half was a general knowledge quiz between teams from rival towns.

Made 105 primetime episodes and then they invented the ballpoint pen.

Penn & Teller: Fool Us only ran for 9 episodes on ITV, but seems to have run forever in the States.

The People Versus manages not to qualify. The original, primetime, version was played for big money, surprisingly small stakes, and remarkably little jeopardy. Ten primetime episodes. Then it came back for daytime television, much faster, definitely more entertaining, but with the addition of the "bong game" to drag proceedings out needlessly. 115 daytime episodes, for a total of 125 episodes.

Another decent teatime show: Wogan's Perfect Recall, where twenty answers pop up in round one and remain for the entire show. 150 episodes.

Before he took up dancing, Nick Knowles hosted Perfection, a quiz where statements could be true or false, and they only rewarded a correct guess for every statement. Not one of this column's faves, it was a bit slow and plodding. 240 episodes; one can argue that each episode was two games bolted together, but they've never been shown in halves even on the Challenge channel.

Petticoat Line was an all-woman version of The Brains Trust, where the panel answer questions they've had no prior warning about, and try to make light entertainment. While its blokeish counterpart discussed some heavy topics, Petticoat Line wore its feminism more softly. Spawned the reply-guy spinoff Be Reasonable!, which lasted precisely one series, because the only sensible thing to do with reply guys is ignore them. About 270 episodes.

Pick a Number said Phil McKay, in a schools quiz for the Grampian region. At least 69 episodes, mostly around lunchtime at weekends. (Our records are not quite complete, and there could be a few more episodes, but no more than 75.) We also have a suggestion that the show ran in Border from 1984-6, but have been unable to verify this.

Playbox was one of the first children's shows, running in the BBC Television Service from 1955 to 1963. It had puzzle and game elements. 120 episodes, but in children's programmes not primetime.

Play Your Cards Right

Higher! Lower! A Brucie Bonus! Wow! What do points make? Prizes! Not in this game! Don't cut the pack, we'll be right back!

Let's be honest, this show had so many catchphrases it makes Stephen Mulhern jealous. Bruce Forsyth asks questions about life, for control of the board, where you predict whether the next card will be higher or lower than the one before. That's higher or lower in rank: all the cards are shown on a flat board, and should be of equal height, unless any have tumbled to the floor in an out-take to interest Denis Norden.

First couple to correctly turn over their last card wins the round, and a small prize. First couple to win two rounds wins the show, and plays for points that they can turn into a prize (or cash, in later years). Requires absolutely no brains to watch, not very many brains to play, not very many brains to host, and was fun precisely because we get half-an-hour with Bruce Forsyth acting the pillock on network television.

Revived in the Gameshow Marathon series, which was fun because Ant & Dec and Vernon Kay are almost as good as Bruce. Revived in the Epic Gameshow series, which was hosted by Alan Carr. We're waiting for the next revival attempt, probably hosted by Alison Hammond with some dishy men handling the team's packs.

Across the years, 264 primetime episodes. Good game, good game.

Pointless

We gave one hundred people one hundred seconds. Let's see if it's right, and how many people said it. Twelve in all to have a go at at home. Very good indeed. And by country, I mean a sovereign state that is a member of the UN in its own right.

Another show to have generated more than its share of catchphrases, and coveted trophies. Pointless features Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman (or whichever richardosman they've got in this week), asking people to give the answers nobody else knew. It's made a star out of the Central African Republic, dysprosium, and the city of Saint Asaph.

Ran on BBC2 from 2009, moved to BBC1 in 2011, with regular celebrity editions in primetime from that year. 1581 daytime editions to the end of 2023, plus 15 Pointless Celebrities made for the daytime slot. We reckon 328 Pointless Celebrities have aired in primetime (at least one vanished behind a BBC sofa), plus one bloopers show in 2019. And more in both slots during 2024, but we stop counting with the old year.

That's 329 primetime episodes, and 1925 episodes in total. Well done if you got that at home.

Pop Idol redefined the world of celebrity. The final chase between Darius, Will, and Gareth was the biggest conversation of the year; even people who claimed not to care for pop music cared that Gareth lost. Just 42 main series episodes.

But then we come to Pop Idol Extra, the filler show to encourage people to watch ITV2. In the first series, ran on Fridays to preview the live shows, and every night during the final week, for a total of 24 shows. By the second series, Saturday nights throughout the series, and Friday nights ahead of the live shows, for a total of 27 episodes. To add to our confusion, Pop Idol Extra was also the name given to ITV2 repeats of the auditions, and compilations of the live shows without the calls to vote.

We think that adds up to 93 primetime episodes; it is possible that we've missed some ITV2 shows with actual new material.

Pop Quiz gave Mike Read something to do, nerding out over the history of popular music from 1955 to the early 1980s. Revived here and there since, with a total of 71 primetime episodes.

Pop Score, a panel entertainment on popular music. Pete Murray hosted, Terry Wogan and Tony Blackburn were the team captains, joined by people who actually made music. David Hamilton, Ray Moore, Helen Shapiro, and Alan Freeman were involved in later years, with Ken Bruce and Phil Swern taking over in 1988. We reckon 255 episodes, and it's a failure of BBC radio as a whole that no station would commission the show today.

Popcall was Radio 5's phone-in quiz, ably hosted by Tim Smith. Something of a Friday night institution; the kids who listened then are probably the same ones who now watch vintage Top of the Pops on BBC4. Cut off when Radio 5 was occupied by the news division: 118 episodes.

Popmaster

One Year Out! Three in Ten! Abysmal question writing like "What type of island did Tight Fit sing about on the group's top 5 follow-up to 'The lion sleeps tonight'?"!

Ken Bruce and Phil Swern came up with the idea of Popmaster one lunchtime down the pub. When they'd sobered up, and remembered the key points of the format, they had struck radio gold. Ten questions, three bonuses, three points for a correct answer, one for a near miss. Two contestants play, the higher score wins, and if they can't be split in ten questions they'll play tie-break questions until they have a winner and Jeremy Vine can just shut up for one day.

Quietly seeped into the listening public's consciousness: when the public were barred owing to compliance problems, Popmaster continued with celebrities. Turned into a massive quiz, 2.5 million listeners a day would often make it bigger than any quiz on the television. Ken left Radio 2 early last year, and took Popmaster with him, on the quite reasonable grounds that he owns part of the format.

We reckon there were somewhere between 6350 and 6375 editions during the Radio 2 years: Popmaster didn't always go out on bank holidays, or the period around Christmas, and technical problems may have prevented an occasional episode (hey, it's live radio, anything can happen). After Ken moved to 107.4 Telford FM, there were another 190 episodes last year, and 6 on television. Given the uncertainty about the radio show, we're going to record 6550 episodes.

Pot Black

How can they best sell colour television? With a game designed for colour, of course. Pot Black was based on the existing sport of snooker. The matches were simple eliminations, winner of one frame advanced in the tournament, and the winner of the grand final won the title.

By giving snooker a regular spot in the schedules, Pot Black gave it a shot in the arm. It made stars out of Alex Higgins and Ray Reardon; the analysis after a short frame allowed John Virgo to show his analytical and comedy skills, and Steve Davies always had something to contribute.

Came off air in 1986, by which time Pot Black was one of about ten million snooker tournaments on the telly, and the sport was more popular than association football. Revived for a few years in the early 1990s, and again as a one-day tournament in the mid-2000s. We don't expect a revival, as snooker is still very popular on the telly.

271 primetime episodes in the 1970s-80s, then the 1990s revival for 50 daytime episodes. The 2000s revivals were one-day events, so 3 daytime episodes. There was also Junior Pot Black (26 primetime eps in the 1980s, 7 daytime eps in 1991, 5 daytime eps in the 2000s) and Seniors Pot Black (10 daytime shows in 1997). That's a total of 297 primetime episodes, and 372 episodes in total.

The Price is Right

Come on down! The most massive, cheering, loud crowd in game show history. The most prize-happy show ever seen on ITV. The lure of a trip on Concorde, or a brand new car, or just to meet Leslie Crowther.

All of these were on offer when The Price is Right came to ITV in early 1984. It caused a minor sensation, the chattering newspapers thought it was the worst thing on television ever, until they remembered they'd said the same thing about Channel 4 not five weeks earlier.

Came off air in 1988, after exactly 100 primetime episodes, only to return on KYTV the following year. Prizes were smaller, sponsorship was more blatant, and the host was a bloke off of regional news. Approximately 250 primetime episodes in the one-year run. Revived again in 1995, allowing ITV something to go up against The Eastenders, and Bruce Forsyth a second chance to appear in this week's column. 119 primetime episodes.

The Price is Right came back again with Joe Pasquale; it was a commission for 5pm, and ran for 124 episodes across almost a year. Alan Carr tried to explain the rules in a one-shot primetime revival on Channel 4 over Christmas 2017. Carr also hosted Epic Gameshow attempts at the format, four episodes in 2020-21. And there were editions in both series of Gameshow Marathon, two more episodes.

Pop those all together and we get approximately 476 primetime episodes, and 600 episodes in total.

Pull the Other One (1)

A precursor of Would I Lie to You?. Paul Coia invited D-list celebrities to tell a story about themselves – but was it true? Ran in primetime on the Carlton Select channel from 1997 to 2000, which wasn't well-covered in newspaper archives. Our best guess is that they made three series, and about 150 primetime episodes, but we could be well out.

Punchlines with Lennie Bennett was great fun. Lennie tells the set-up for a joke, and the contestant picks one of eight boxes that might contain the right comedy answer. Can you remember what you heard, and where you heard it? Later rounds moved the celebrities around, and got the contestants guessing with no knowledge of the punchlines. 80 primetime episodes on ITV; wonder if they might try a reboot.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is looked like it would be another daytime antiques show to run and run and run, except they found some of the footage had been faked, and Antiques Road Trip did the same thing a bit better. 347 episodes.

Puzzle Corner

A cosy playalong quiz on radio and television, with ideas like "spot the difference" and basic quizzes. Ran in Monday Night at Eight in the National Programme, then in Kaleidoscope in the Television Service.

An accurate episode count is remarkably difficult, as we cannot prove that the Corner was in a particular edition of the magazine programme – it's like "is Alex Jones on The One Show tonight?" Nevertheless, we'll assume that popular features are in most episodes, and take a punt on 600 primetime episodes. Could be out by 100 either way.

The Pyramid Game is another near-miss. Steve Jones (or Donny Osmond) asks celebrities to give clues to categories or phrases to their civilian contestants; best across the main game can go for a big jackpot.

Ran as part of Bruce Forsyth's Big Night (up to 13 episodes) and The Steve Jones Game Show (4 episodes), then as a standalone programme (46 primetime episodes, 80 in daytime). The Challenge revival with Donny Osmond added another 30 primetime episodes, for a total of 93 primetime episodes, 173 in total. A potential revival with Jane McDonald was filmed last year.

Scores so far

All episodes

Show	Episodes
Countdown	8732
Popmaster	6550
Bamboozle	5900
Big Brother	4183
Deal or No Deal	3011
Fifteen-to-One	2683
Come Dine with Me	2432
The Chase	2247
Eggheads	2239
Bargain Hunt	2085
The Big Quiz (1)	2000
Pointless	1925
Brain of Britain / What Do You Know	1592
Blockbusters	1586
100%	1546
Mastermind	1426
Masterchef Goes Large	1202
Brainteaser	1200
Just a Minute	1065
Four in a Bed	1058
Going for Gold / One to Win	1058
Call My Bluff	1047
The News Quiz	1041
Dickinson's Real Deal	1025
Antiques Road Trip	905
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!	846
Fighting Talk	835
Mr and Mrs / Sion a Sian	808
Love Island	746
Great British Menu	741
Family Fortunes	717
Mallett's Mallet	700
Let the Peoples Sing	695
The Brains Trust	691
Can't Cook, Won't Cook	685
ITV Play	650
Coach Trip	630
Have I Got News for You	613
Hold Your Plums	600
The Price is Right	600
Puzzle Corner	600
Games World	590
Catchphrase	583
Richard Osman's House of Games (3)	582
Going for a Song	569
Have a Go	567
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue	557
Opportunity Knocks	553
My Music	524
Criss Cross Quiz	508
Fame Academy	500

We have a new number two, though even if Countdown were to fall off air tomorrow, it would still take Popmaster almost a decade to overtake it. Pointless should move ahead of Eggheads in a couple of years.

Primetime episodes

Show	Episodes
Big Brother	4173
Mastermind	1384
Masterchef Goes Large	1025
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!	816
Love Island	746
Family Fortunes	647
Have I Got News for You	611
Puzzle Corner	600
Opportunity Knocks	553
Call My Bluff	542
Catchphrase	531
The Price is Right	476
Double Your Money	470
Great British Menu	469
The Apprentice	468
Only Connect	463
Juke Box Jury	461
Come Dancing	431
The Generation Game	425
Blind Date	416
The Brains Trust	416
Love at First Sight	400
Games World	390
Have a Go	390
Britain's Got Talent	383
Bullseye	369
The Great British Bake Off	368
Blockbusters	366
Mr and Mrs / Sion a Sian	361
It's a Knockout / Jeux Sans Frontieres	340
The Golden Shot	339
Pointless	329
ITV Play	321
Blankety Blank	320
Never Mind the Buzzcocks	301
Pot Black	297
The Krypton Factor	295
Celebrity Juice	271
Dragons' Den	269
Play Your Cards Right	264
Big Break	252
Fame Academy	251
Mock the Week	244
Dinner Date	242
One Man and His Dog	236
8 Out of 10 Cats	232
Jacpot	223
Ask the Family	221
Criss Cross Quiz	220
Noel's House Party / Saturday Roadshow	217
Celebrity Squares	210
New Faces	205
A League of Their Own	201
What Do You Know?	200
Masterchef	200
Dancing on Ice	189
Looks Familiar	180
Artist of the Year	175
Going for a Song	175
In It to Win It	172
Face the Music	166
The Chase	163
Eggheads	160
Gladiators	160
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown	157
3-2-1	154
Name That Tune	152
Joker's Wild	150
Pull the Other One	150
BBC New Comedy Award	149
Every Second Counts	142
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway	141
Cardiff Singer of the World	141
Jet Set	139
Britain's Next Top Model	138
The $64,000 Question	137
The Million Pound Drop Live	136
Laughlines	135
Night Fever	135
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral	131
Jeopardy!	130
Gamesmaster	129
Ninja Warrior (Challenge channel)	125
The Crystal Maze	124
Flying Start	123
Do I Not Know That?	121
Bob's Full House	117
Eurovision Song Contest	112
Ask Me Another	109
Pencil and Paper	105
Busman's Holiday	103

Puzzle Corner comes in at number 8, and who would bet against The Price is Right getting another revival to lift it up the rankings.

In other news

The Traitors is coming to RTÉ. Ireland's own version will be filmed at a secluded location, with the usual range of challenges and backstabbing. No word yet on who's going to host.

Quizzy Mondays

Dan Shoesmith won on Mastermind, after taking the Star Wars trilogy of films released in the last decade. Overcame a strong challenge from Morgan Bush, a student who had a very strong general knowledge but was less hot on Edward VI.

Hopsters took their place in the next phase of Only Connect, eliminating the Midlanders by 29-15. Definitions of words ending in different -ough sounds, ROFL, and more great missing vowels were the key to victory; Midlanders hit with ski races, but were just off the buzzer and so close on many answers.

Oriel Oxford won a back-and-forth University Challenge, beating Durham by 200-165. Very strong performances by both sides – two-thirds of their bonuses right, and overall accuracy (bonuses and starters) over 55%. Oriel did well on science and geography questions, Durham on arts questions. Some harsh adjudications: "St Bride" and "St Brice" are not interchangeable, the film It's a Wonderful Life cannot lose its opening article, and another of those narrow penalties. This column registers a disagreement: an unusual pronunciation of "Wittgenstein" was marked wrong on the first set of bonuses, we found it phonetically plausible.

Durham's 165 puts them second on the Tony Livesey Repêchage Table, behind UCL's 175, well ahead of Liverpool and UEA's 125. Five more heats to go.

Great news for our older readers, The Bidding Room is back (BBC1, weekdays). Tonight is decision night on Junior Eurovision (TG4, Sun). Never Mind the Buzzcocks returns (The Satellite Channel, Wed) with Joel Dommett and Courtney Love on the same bill. It's finals week for Masterchef Down Under (the Watch channel, weeknights).

Next Saturday has Gyles Brandreth on Celebrity Catchphrase (ITV), the semi-final of BBC The Voice (ITV), and The Wheel (BBC1) features Sabre and Dermot O'Leary and Clara Amfo and many more.

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