Fridays, 8pm,
Sky 1 (HD)
Also on Sky On Demand.
Mel Giedroyc is your jovial host as eight families battle it out across the series to be declared Relatively Clever champions. It’s a bit Ask the Family, a bit University Challenge (Pass the Baton era), and a little bit Only Connect, but in honesty quite a bit easier than any of those three shows – the material isn’t really all that challenging but it’s all quite warm which it does make it a quite an easy thing to watch.
Families answer general knowledge questions on the buzzer for ten points each, when a family has given three correct answers (and lit all three of their “pips”) they get an “advanced question” which can’t be thrown across for a twenty point bonus which are a bit more brainteasery – spot what these people have in common, what does this sequence represent, what sport can you make from the initials of these people, that sort of thing. After two races there’s an individual head-to-head round – subject is given, families pick who would be best on that subject, then there’s a 10 question head-to-head buzzer quiz in THE HEAD TO HEAD ZONE at ten points apiece. Rinse and repeat for part two, part three is slightly different, “Four to Score”, each member of the family must give one of four correct answers from a list to score the points and light a pip. The final part is one last head to head with the last remaining family member, and then a three minute (!) quickfire double points round because it’s the 1980s.
I’m not entirely sure who’d be watching this on a Friday night but I can’t say I was bored watching it, there’s not much in the way of padding, family chat gets to the comedy point quite quickly each time and doesn’t feel overlong. Mel’s very “nice”. You’ll be able to answer almost all the questions but they’re quite well pitched so they don’t feel like obvious gimmes. There’s not much to dislike about the show really, but on the other hand there is nothing here that’s going to blow you away. It’d be quite nice if the visual cue for seeing who buzzed in was clearer. Or indeed in any way evident.
If you’re one of the perennial complainers that gameshows are too dark these days and too dramatic and you don’t watch this then it’s YOUR FAULT the situation is not going to change, this is basically as old-school as you’re going to get.