It’s been a long time coming but according to The Mirror Deal or No Deal is finally being let go with the final unaired episodes being shown in the Autumn.

Whatsmore is the suggestion that it will be getting a two week “farewell tour” which sounds like quite a fun idea and it’s a shame they didn’t think about taking the show on the road in the wake of the very successful live shows they did.

The UK version is/was one of the most successful versions in the world, based on the Italian version of the format (which is still running but has been axed and bought back in the interim) it has run for eleven years.

So! The other night I discovered someone had uploaded several episodes of Bother’s Bar mid-90s favourite Incredible Games after a recommended link chain going through The Alphabet Game, Andrew O’ Connor’s Joke Machine and Mouse Trap. They’re all from the David Walliams fronted first series which was certainly the funnier of the two, but the second series probably had slightly better games. None of them were hosted by the late Mark Speight, contrary to popular belief and Bother’s Bar in-joke lore.

 

I always loved Incredible Games‘ aesthetic, even if the music sounds like it took thirty seconds to create (although I’m a sucker for this sort of spacesynth, so).

Of course the link with this and the recent Alphabetical is that Andrew O’ Connor co-devised it. He really was one of my favourite TV people growing up, you’d think if there were any TV execs who’d have a grasp of what a daytime quiz requires and it’d be worth tempting out of presenting retirement it’d be him.

Do you remember back in the good old days of 2010 we had a brief love affair with the Canadian show Mantracker (“the Interceptor your Dad would like”)? It was on the Extreme Sports Channel, I don’t know if that still exists, I can’t be bothered to look it up.

Recently I found myself trying to remember what it was called, then looking it up on Youtube and it turns out there’s loads of episodes on Youtube, here’s a random one:

That’s from Season five, there were seven made (with a different guy for the final series).

Speaking of Interceptor, it occurred to me recently how highly GIFable it would be with the kids if it was around today. I would make some myself but I can’t be bothered.

And speaking of shows we had forgotten about but briefly remembered etc etc it looks like hot on the heels of a reasonably successful Match Game reboot in the US ITV want to bring back Blankety Blank, although they don’t have a host in mind for it yet (Stephen Mulhern).

Of course the recent Celebrity Squares revival didn’t work out too well, but we’ll see.

There’s another 24 hour gameshow marathon happening today, this time in Las Vegas whilst the Trivia Championships of North America are in town. This one is promising international quiz celebrities as well as a load of geeks.

It starts Noon PDT, which is 8pm UK time, details of the line-up are here, the Twitch stream is here, you can donate to Extra Life here.

Things happening in the next fortnight:

• Alphabetical with Jeff Stelling takes over the The Chase slot from Monday promising 200+ questions an episode. It’s based on Pasapalabra (itself quite an extreme European reversioning of The Alphabet Game) which has a legendarily difficult endgame with a jackpot that rollsover when it isn’t won which has gone into seven figures several times. It will be interesting to see if they’ve modified it to make it a bit easier for this test run, otherwise don’t expect a winner.
• The Big Fat Quiz of Everything – It seems a bit odd starting a three episode run of this during the second week of the Olympics but there we are. 9-10:30pm on C4.
• Spotless – a “one-off Summer special” where contestants must do challenges whilst avoiding getting covered in paint, as measured by the ICONIC Spotless Scanner (it says on the embargoed press release you’re not allowed to look at until the 16th August despite being freely findable on the ITV Press site) for big cash prizes. That’s on Saturday 20th at 8pm against the last proper day of the Olympics. It’s also by Possessed.
• Murder in Successville – Our favourite “look, it is sort of technically a gameshow even if it isn’t really in the spirit of one” leaps from online only BBC3 to Sunday nights on BBC 2 from August 21st at 10:30. We now prefer Chief Gordon Ramsey to the actual Gordon Ramsey.

Lots of things apparently starting on the 22nd August (MEGA MONDAY):

• Think Tank – New series of reasonably agreeable if unexciting quiz, although it’s now going out at 3:25pm which probably counts as a promotion of sorts. BBC1.
• Debatable – Patrick Kielty and three celebrity guests try to persuade a plucky contestant hoping to walk away with thousands of pounds that they know best. 6pm, BBC2.
• Make Me An Egghead – The artist formerly known as Are You An Egghead? returns after Debatable, it’s a quiz tournament for people who want to join the Eggheads. 6:30pm, BBC2.
• 500 Questions – Yes! Finally the UK version of throw things at a wall and hope it sticks format starts its four episode run at 9pm on ITV with none other than popular ITV personality Giles Coren in charge. To be fair, it’s not set the US alight but it sounds like it’s done pretty well in Germany, and by the sounds of it it’ll be similar to the German version, so.