Want to try out a future format? David Bodycombe is BACK:

LABYRINTH LAB – GAME 2

Many thanks to everyone who took part in the first, very successful “Labyrinth Lab” – a series of new formats being tested by Labyrinth Games Ltd via the internet.

Our second run-through will take place on MONDAY 28th OCTOBER, from 9pm until a maximum of 11.30pm. (As a guide, our first show finished at 10.45.)

The show is called PEN-DAMONIUM and it’s a drawing game. As such, you will require a decent input device on your computer (e.g. mouse, track pad, drawing tablet etc.). Something like a laptop’s “pointing stick” wouldn’t be good enough.

To apply, you must:

– be able to commit to the date/time. Dropouts will cause problems.
– be over 18
– play from the UK
– not be an employee of a TV production company
– have a stable broadband connection (5Mb+ or thereabouts)
– have a webcam, and be prepared to appear ‘on screen’

The following are helpful:

– a headset (with microphone), or otherwise some headphones
– a second screen, or the ability to flip between two windows easily.

£30 will be paid to every contestant, with a further £10 bonus to members of the winning team.

The finished programme may be put online in the future.

TO APPLY: Send an email to thelab@qwertyuiop.co.uk with “GAME 2” as your subject heading. In the main body, state your full name, age, usual location, any quiz experience (TV or otherwise) and a couple of sentences about your background.

Sorry, but we can’t guarantee replies for unsuccessful applicants, but we will try to update this advert once all the places are filled. Everyone, successful or not, is welcome to reapply for future shows. Details of upcoming formats will be posted on Bother’s Bar in due course.

Thanks for reading.

David J. Bodycombe
Labyrinth Games Ltd.

The first one, Windfall, seemed to go down well and I’m informed there may be an edit going up soon.

I wonder what happened to Draw It?

In other news, BBC4 trialling three new shows to replace Only Connect when it moves to BBC2 next year: The Knowledge (BBC in-house), Enigma (Parasol, who make OC) and Eliminate the Impossible (Victory Television).

This might be mildly interesting, CBBC has commissioned a twenty episode run of sci-fi fantasy adventure show Ludus, the channel’s first attempt at a show which has a playalong app. The contestants must complete six levels to “rescue their family” then “win their ticket home”.

The show sounds a little bit like the Welsh S4C kids show Y Lifft (The Lift) and it’s probably no coincidence that the show is co-devised by Cube Interactive who did the app for Y Lifft. The app is pretty good fun – it’s a series of short games played against the clock, most of which work well, much of the appeal being you could play the same games at the same time as the television contestants. The app is free.

Cube Interactive are also responsible for the pretty good fun Catchphrase: Say What You See app which we were very happy to suggest shelling out 69p for, so there’s some pedigree here.

If you can’t wait until the new year for that, the new series of Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge begins on ITV and CITV at 8:30am on Sunday. This year featuring tigers!

Surely it’s time for a Raven reboot soon?

Dutch? Like getting naked? Good at word games? Why not apply for Nudist Lingo? (link safe for work, thanks to Squared Eyes for the tip).

I hope they avoid the red balls.

In other news, the exciting looking Release the Hounds will go out on Monday 28th October at 10pm on ITV2.

Tipping Point is looking for contestants!

All the details are here, closing date 20th December. Good luck!

Still waiting for a contestant call for series two of C21/FRAPA’s best international game show of the year Take On The Twisters, but as soon as we hear anything we’ll be sure to let you know.

We looked at some Dutch shows last week, this Sunday let’s look at a French one. It’s one we’ve mentioned in comments before, but because France tends to geoblock its stuff it’s difficult for people in the UK and abroad to watch. It is likable word game Harry.

Broadcast weekdaily on France 3 and hosted by one-time weather forecaster and Richard Ayoade lookalike Sébastien Folin, Harry is basically that round of Brainteaser where the words are split up into bits and rearranged and you’ve got to find the word done as a half hour show and led by cheeky computer character Harry.

Four players compete, one of whom is the current champion who will select the category in the first round. In round one Harry will flash up bits of words in moving rings, the contestants must piece together the word on their touchscreen and confirm it as fast as possible – twenty seconds max, and a clue is given halfway through the time. Contestants are scored 5, 3, 2 and 1 point if they are correct based on speed of response – 0 points if you are wrong. The sixth and final question in the round is worth double points, the lowest score is eliminated and the points are reset between rounds.

Round two changes from show to show. It plays similarly to round one but there will be an added wrinkle – instead of letters one of the rings will show a picture and you’ll have to translate what letters it represents in your head when coming up with the word. Or the letters in one of the rings will be invisible. Or one of the rings will be fake. Wiki suggests one variation they introduced recently is a round where you make words without vowels. The category for each question is given before the letters comes up and again a clue is given halfway through the time.  Points are 5, 3 and 1 point, doubled for the final question. Lowest score leaves.

Round three (the semi-final) is a buzzer round. A clue is given before each word, but now the elements of the word appear every few seconds. Buzz in if you think you know what it is, a right answer scores a point, a wrong answer lets your opponent see the rest. It’s best of nine.

The winner is the day’s champion and gets to come back tomorrow. For now they will play the final where they can win up to €2,000. Harry will flash words played straight for 80 seconds. Every time the contestant gives a right answer they move up the money ladder, every time they give a wrong answer or don’t respond within eight seconds they go down the ladder. Wherever they are at the end of the 80 seconds is what they get to keep. It’s actually fairly difficult, but the show’s best player (Michèle) won €24,100 across 27 attempts.

It’s fairly stylish for a daily show. Youtube!

It’s a shame there’s no real call for 30 minute shows over here at the moment really, it’d be too sleight for a longer timeslot. I tried to find the show’s original pitch tape which seemed to have quite different rules, where the amount of points you got converted into a better chance of being drawn in a lottery to decide who went forward through the next round, but I can’t find it now. Which may be for the best.

Unfortunately France Televisions geoblocks their catch-up service. But if you can get round it, new episodes are available to watch here.

If you missed any of the Going Dutch series this week, you can use our exciting catch-up service to watch again:

Monday: Met het Mes op Tafel
Tuesday: Twee voor Twaalf
Wednesday: Per Seconde Wijzer
Thursday: Lingo
Friday: Wie Ben Ik?

I’m hearing reports that a year after being filmed, it’s being tentatively pencilled in for Sunday nights beginning the 27th.

I bet despite the wait it’s not as good as Take On The Twisters.