ITV Play
Contents |
Host
Various
Broadcast
ITV Productions (Granada), Big Game TV Productions, Ludus, Fremantle Media, Hammaa + Glamma Productions, Two Way TV for ITV Play, 19th April 2006 - 6th March 2007
Synopsis
Cashing in on the success of Channel 4's Quiz Call, ITV came up with their own gaming channel, principally made up of other channels gaming shows such as Quizmania, as well as home grown ITV spin-offs such as This Morning Puzzle Book and a quiz set in Coronation Street's Rovers Return.
It was interesting, but only because there seems to be a deluge of minor hosts from years past turning up to host, such as Emma Lee from Reactive and Simeon Courtie.
But the controversy surrounding the whole channel never did go away. Neither did it make much of a profit and thus, ITV plc caved in and closed it down for good just under a year later. The station had already been off air for a week whilst a review of ITV's premium-rate phone-ins was taking place.
Programmes
This Morning Puzzlebook (first programme to be broadcast): 19th April 2006 - December 22nd 2006
The Daily Quiz: 19th April 2006 - 19th May 2006 (see Big Game TV)
Extra Mint (think The Mint, but cheaper): 19th April 2006 - 14th May 2006
Quizmania: 19th April 2006 - 14th January 2007. (N.B. Quizmania started on ITV1 on 16th December 2005. Beforehand, it appeared on various digital channels from 12th August 2005)
The Mint: 1st April 2006 - 14th February 2007. (N.B. This series began on ITV1 before the launch of the ITV Play channel.)
ITV Playalong: 20th April 2006 - 5th March 2007
Friends Reunited: The School Run: May 2006 - 30th July 2006
Rovers Return Quiz Night (later Rovers Return Pub Quiz): May 2006 - 13th October 2006
The Common Room: 31st July 2006 - 10th November 2006
The Mint Extra (same as Extra Mint!): 9th September 2006 - 14th February 2006
Make Your Play: 29th September 2006-present (still broadcasting on ITV1)
Playalong Live (think ITV Playalong, except with a live voiceover from Nigel Mitchell): October 2006 - 9th December 2006
The Call: October 2006 - December 22nd 2006
Play DJ: 11th December 2006 - 5th March 2007
Play DJ Late (think Play DJ, except it's on late!): 15th January 2007 - 4th March 2007
Glitterball: 19th February 2007-present (still broadcasting on ITV1)
Glitterball Extra: 20th February 2007 - 5th March 2007
The Zone: 26th February 2007 - 5th March 2007
The Debbie King Show: 5th March 2007 (that's it, just one programme! - see Trivia below)
Trivia
Ironically on it's last full night of transmission (though we didn't know it at the time), a dismal new series called The Debbie King Show starring Quizmania presenter Debbie King (you see what they did there, clever isn't it?) began.
If that wasn't enough, the ultra-cheap text-based show Play DJ made much out of it's new look studio on the same night. Well, it wasn't a new look at all. They just painted the wall, stuck a few more bits in and that's it!
