Hit UK TV Game Shows We Need To Bring Back Now
Game shows are a guilty pleasure for many, even if they won’t admit it. Whether it’s indulging in a bit of schadenfreude at arrogant contestants failing miserably, or genuine happiness at the success of plucky players, game shows can be an emotional rollercoaster.
We all have our favourite shows, therefore, and unfortunately not all of them grace our TV screens forever. Here are five beloved shows we waved goodbye to which we’d love to see back on the air.
Blankety Blank
https://youtu.be/zk8uMiQCXg8
Presented by the late, great Sir Terry Wogan, this simple game became a BBC staple in the 1980s. Two contestants went head to head to match the answers of a team of celebrity panellists by filling in the blanks, hence the name and the format produced some genuinely hilarious results.
The BBC has listened to calls to get this great show back on telly on a few occasions, most recently on Christmas Eve 2016 as fronted by David Walliams of Little Britain fame, but fans who fondly remember Blankety Blank’s hey-day would love to see more consolation cheque books and pens handed out. For those of you feeling nostalgic, some lovely soul has uploaded a bunch of the episodes to YouTube!
Deal or No Deal
The Deal or No Deal franchise actually originated in the Netherlands before hitting UK screens in 2005, but host Noel Edmonds managed to bring a uniquely British charm to proceedings. We’re not sure what we enjoyed more, Noel’s dealings with the mysterious Banker over the telephone, or a bold contestant gambling on their box containing a quarter of a million, before being revealed to amount to a solitary penny.
However, it’s clear this show has been sorely missed since it left British screens in 2016 and there have since been dozens of incarnations of this box-based gameshow that have popped up in recent years. You can find Deal or No Deal game apps for your smartphone or PC and there’s even a Deal or No Deal casino version that has been heralded as one of the most popular free slots no deposit win real money titles currently available.
The Weakest Link
https://youtu.be/ylfr2Xhk8Ws
First airing on TV nearly two decades ago, this noughties tea-time staple was one of the last great game show favourites, not least because of the rapier wit of sarcastic host Anne Robinson. Most of us didn’t tune in to The Weakest Link to see hopeful contestants trade their general knowledge, but rather to watch the scathing verbal takedowns provided by the fierce red-head.
Such was Robinson’s fearsome reputation that the show was even parodied in a 2005 episode of Doctor Who, featuring a killer robot game show host (the “Anne-droid”…) who exterminates contestants for their incorrect answers.
Exterminating contestants notwithstanding, The Weakest Link is one we’d pay to see return to screens.
Hole in the Wall
When we’re talking about guilty pleasures, they don’t come much guiltier than Hole in the Wall. You’d be forgiven for not having too many memories of this raucous show, as it was originally broadcast for just one year from 2008-2009, but the basic premise included pitting teams of Z-list celebrities against each other, and forcing them to contort into ridiculous shapes to fit through a literal hole in a wall, or else be pushed into a swimming pool below. Not exactly a complex show, but it’s one which shone all too briefly on our televisions.
