From 7:30pm on the red button and iPlayer.

I hope it’s a bit more exciting than John Lewis christmas advert.

ALSO the LANDMARK 51st episode of Fifty 50 is out, Lewis is joined by Dave Mattingly and Andrew Sullivan to chat about the news and Revenge of the Egghead.

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So the German version of Release the Hounds aired this evening on ProSieben, just shy of two hours long and with five contestants instead of three, and hosted by German The Voice host Thore Schölermann. It was filmed in the same location as the original.

Main differences (I won’t go into too much detail in case any future contestants do some research) – the team were split into a pair and three and sent on their separate ways, there was a bit with a car and another bit which was a treasure hunt in a graveyard which was fun, although as ever as the scenarios (which were otherwise basically the same as the UK one) can’t be lost it was rather tensionless. The way the team rejoined each other after splitting was thoughtfully handled.

Outrunning the dogs has become a bit easier – whereas before (correct me if I’m wrong) you had to cover 80m, 100m and 120m (60, 90, 120?) with the dogs starting at the 150m mark, now it’s a straight 90m dash with the dogs starting 70m behind and gaining ten metres after every scenario. This seems to feel much more doable, with someone winning big money with a 40m headstart (although the final round at thirty metres was a loss). There were five cases worth €70k total (about €20k from the first three cases, the same figures as our ones, then ~€20k and ~€30k for the last two). The losers just get up and talk to Thore straightaway and they all celebrate at the end which is honest if rather safe.

Overall whilst I thought it developed the ideas from the UK pilot fairly well but it’s still not hitting me in a way I really want it to. But if there’s anything we’ve learnt this evening, it’s that people shouting swearwords at surprise entities is universal.

Alright, if you’re not participating keep April 12th free. And if you DO want to participate…

Schlag den Baar

Following the rampant success of Schlag den Brig, the same gang are back with 15 more wacky and unpredictable games – and this time YOU could be part of the action!

Yes, reigning SdB champion Daniel Peake is up for a new challenge, and we’re opening the candidate poll to loyal followers of the game show fraternity.

You must be available on BOTH of TWO dates: March 29th and April 12th. For March 29th, you will need to be able to travel to a Zone 5 location in South-West London, arriving no later than 11am, and be prepared to spend most of the day with us. This is for a pre-recorded outside broadcast section. For April 12th, you will need to be available from 7pm onwards for a Google Hangout, to be broadcast over YouTube. The webcast might go on as late as 1am (but hopefully finishes earlier).

Because we need someone reliable and trustworthy, you will need to be a ‘known quantity’ to us. In other words, you need to be a long-standing member of the Bother’s Bar fraternity, a past guest on the Fifty50 show podcast, or someone that David Bodycombe, Daniel Peake, Nick Gates or Lewis Murphy know in real life personally. If you’re not sure whether you qualify, email schlag@ukgameshows.com in the first instance.

As well as being available on the required dates, in addition:
– You must be a UK resident.
– You must be 18 or over.
– You must own a PC/laptop (not a tablet).
– You must have a stable broadband internet connection; e.g. one that can handle downloading two YouTube videos at once.
– You must be physically fit and able. We won’t ask you to anything lung-busting but you might have to throw a ball, swing a cricket bat or do a jigsaw.
– In the spirit of Schalg den Raab, you must be willing to have a go at anything within reason. We won’t ask you to do anything unpleasant or dangerous – it’s meant to be fun.
– Every effort will be made to ensure you have a pleasant and safe time. However, participants must agree to participate at their own risk, and we may ask you to sign something to this effect.

No expenses are offered but we do offer you a fun experience in return.

Interested? Send an email to schlag@ukgameshows.com with:
– Your name,
– Age,
– Location,
– Email address,
– Contact number,
– Three sentences explaining why you’d be a good candidate.

You might be invited on Bother’s Bar and/or the Fifty50 Show podcast to talk about your application further.

Applications close on March 10th. If we receive more than 5 applications, the Schlag den Brig team will shortlist a Top Five. When the shortlist is announced, we’ll open a public poll to find the preferred candidate to take on the mighty Dan Peake.

If you have any queries, please ask them in the comments below.

Good luck! And remember, even if you’re not applying, keep the evening of April 12th free to see Schlag den Baar in action!

GO GO GO. If you want an idea of the sort of thing that might happen, you can watch the entire four hours of Schlag den Brig right here.

It’s time once again for the Bother’s Bar Open, of which I am the current champion. It’s open to anyone who can legally play (you will need to be a member of the Bother’s Bar Poker Club, all the details here), it costs $5.50 to enter (although you are also allowed ONE $5 rebuy within the first hour if you lose all your chips and a $5 add-on after level six if you’re still in play – my advice is to have money for two stacks but you’re not obliged and it’s winnable off of one) and it’s winner take all unless we get ten or more then it’ll pay out more. So tell your friends!

The game starts at 8pm on Sunday night, ten minutes late registration is available. Good luck!

New series starts on Challenge next Thursday, there’s a 2:30 sneak peek here.

We’ll have a show discussion post for it in due course, in the meantime you can read up on Lewis Murphy’s recording review of it.