Show Discussion: The Exit List

By | January 10, 2012

8pm, ITV1

Matt Allwright challenges teams of two to enter a 26-room pyramid answering questions in each room for increasing amounts of money – £100,000 if they’re very lucky. But to keep the money the contestants must escape the maze by remembering every answer and their route.

I have been to a recording, I think is it quite a lot better than High Stakes that was in the slot previously, although I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of big winners (it’s the sort of end game where people are going to get stuck quite often towards the end), and I hope escaping the maze looks a bit more visually interesting on telly than it did from the audience.

Please leave your thoughts.

Playing it Straight

By | January 9, 2012

I am quite pleased this is back, although the first ten minutes did feel like a tribute act to the original UK series (there’s now a pair of troubadours). Is there really any need to show nudity in the pre-titles? Blimey, time and place. Alan Carr is quite a good fit for the voiceover replacing Alan Cumming, although as a show certainly the opener lacked some of the subtlety (and it wasn’t a hugely subtle show originally) of the original, a bit less Carry On and a bit more full on.

This said, I did get into it quite quickly.

Here is a fun interview I did with one of the original producers Peter Davey about five years ago. It is produced by different people now, although it is the same production company.

As a reality show with a fair amount of play along at home value, I’ve put my initial guesses under the cut. Green for right, red for wrong!

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Board of Excitement 7th January – 13th January 2012

By | January 8, 2012

Before we begin, we’ve just been alerted to the Whose Line Is It Anyway? archive. Amazing.

Secondly, tonight (Sunday night) at 8pm is the first MAIN EVENT in the Bother Series of Poker 2012. £5.50 buys your first step to winning a lovely trophy, a lovely medal, and a LIFECHANGING sum of money:


BUT THERE’S EVEN MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. Don’t want to play Hold ’em? Don’t want to play real money? then Mix It Up Real Good! The first event, Omaha Hi/Lo, is next Sunday night. You will have to click to see the wonderous trophy on offer.

Right now that’s out of the way:

  • Countdown – Stunt host Nick Hewer is parachuted in to increase the show’s fortunes. Will he be good or will he be rubbish? Expect some interest in the the ratings on Tuesday. (3:10pm, Weekdaily, C4)
  • Only Connect – The Crossworders vs The Masterminders. (8:30pm, Monday, BBC4)
  • Playing It Straight – We loved the first series of this over five years ago. Same production company making this one, but it’s not Hugill/Davey/Abela producing it which is a shame. This time round Jameela Jamil and Alan Carr are the new June Sarpong and Alan Cumming, let’s hope they’ve kept Brian the Troubadour. (9pm, Monday, E4)
  • The Exit List – I’m very interested to see how this comes across on screen. You can read our recording report here. Could this suceed in the Tuesday night flopzone? (8pm, Tuesday, ITV1)
  • The Million Pound Drop – Back for more. (9pm Friday, 9:30pm Saturday, C4)
  • Poll of 2011 – This closes Friday night at 11pm. Don’t miss out!

Saturday Night’s Alright for Writing – 7th January 2012

By | January 7, 2012

It’s Saturday! And it’s time for another round of Saturday Night’s Alright For Writing, a thing for things that are on on Saturday night that I don’t deem quite important enough to get their own Show Discussion posts. TER-NIGHT!:

I think that’s it!