Secret Fortune
Contents |
Host
Broadcast
Wild Rover and BBC Northern Ireland for BBC One, 12 February 2011 to present
Synopsis
The inevitable hybrid of Deal or No Deal-style elimination game and In It to Win It-style multiple choice quizzery. A set of cheques in sealed envelopes are eliminated one by one and the last one contains the player's "secret fortune".
We start with 24 envelopes, each containing a ceremonial cheque made out to the players for one of 24 sums ranging from £100 to £100,000. Rather like Deal or No Deal, the precise location of each individual amount is unknown, only to be revealed as each envelope is eliminated from the game.
The first part of the show reduces the 24 envelopes to six through a series of multiple-choice questions. For each question, the players select four numbered envelopes to put into play. They are then given a "put these things in the right order" question, though they don't have to put them all in order, just decide which one is the "top" answer (e.g. which of four films grossed most at the box office, or which football team has won the FA cup the most times). Each answer is associated with an envelope, with the top answer being associated with the highest value, the second-top associated with the next highest, and so on. Three envelopes are rejected, one at a time, with Nick revealing what is in each envelope as it is dumped. The final selected envelope is placed on the rack in front of the players, unopened.
After six of these questions, eighteen envelopes will have been transferred to the players' table, and eighteen to the bin. At this point, there is a break for the national lottery draws. When we return, it's down to the serious business of reducing the six envelopes to two. This is done in a similar way to the earlier questions, except that now all the remaining envelopes are in play, the questions have the requisite number of possible answers (six if six envelopes are in play... oh, you get it) and the players only have to eliminate one envelope on each question. Since it is now possible for a player with their wits about them to have a pretty good idea of where some of the amounts are, the numbers of the envelopes are no longer displayed next to the answers on screen, but otherwise the same ordering principle applies - top answer, top amount, bottom answer, lowest amount. Once we're down to two envelopes, and therefore two sums of money, there is another lottery insert before the end game, which is... well, it's the same as the rest of the game, but with only two envelopes left. This time the contestants are asked to pick the higher answer, and the envelope associated with this contains their (ta-dahhhh!) Secret Fortune. Nick reveals this amount (and for the only time in the show, actually removes the cheque from its pouch), everybody claps politely, roll credits.
Catchphrases
Your Secret Fortune tonight will not be...
Inventor
Kieran Doherty and Matthew Worthy
