Weeknights, 7pm,
Channel 5
First there was Puzzling with Lucy Worsley and nobody really watched it and now a few years later there is Celebrity Puzzling with Jeremy Vine, which appears to be revamped to the point where the only thing in common with the original seems to be one of the words in the title.
Oh and puzzles of course, it looks from the adverts like this is less “multiplying the numbers of bricks in two igloos” and more Jeremy Vine’s House of Games, more puzzles with cultural references (music, films, TV shows etc), seemingly fewer maths and IQ-style questions and of course, the contestants are celebrities – Carol Vorderman and Face of Five Sally Lindsay are team captains, each joined by a different celeb every night.
It might be quite a canny change, ROHoG regularly pulls in a million plus at 6pm, Five has been overnighting 300-500k at 7pm lately depending on what’s on, although launching in quite a hot week is a pity and it’s fair to suggest Vine doesn’t have quite the same comedy appeal as Osman. It almost feels like the sort of thing Five should have held back to piggyback the return of Quizzy Mondays, as it is there’s not much like it on Five as it stands so whether people would think to tune into it I don’t know.
Better than the original? A worthwhile reboot? Let us know in the comments!
Regardless of whether it succeeds, I do like the idea of this sort of show for Channel 5, including scheduling it when there’s nothing similar on. Still, it’s incredibly tough to launch a new show like this in 2025, especially away from the BBC or ITV, so I give them credit for trying. I really hope they’ve put together a compelling format that doesn’t come across as an ersatz House of Games; it didn’t help the original Puzzling that it felt like an ersatz Only Connect.
Before the show begins – Here is a rundown of some changes which have been made in the celebrity version
– New set design (looks like the set of blockbusters)
– New host (Jeremy Vine)
– Introducing regular team captains (Carol Vorderman and Sally Lindsay)
– Having pairs of celebs rather than threes
– New rounds such as Join The Dots, Thirdle, Shapeshifter, Heat Map, Cinema Cypher, Song Cypher – Returning favourites are back In Other Words and Memory Bank. Much better variety compared to S1
– The PI suggests every episode has new stuff. In series 1 the rounds were the same in every single episode which got boring the new celeb version has a more varied running order so it won’t get as repetitive there is always something different to look forward too and a decent line up of celebs too.
– New timeslot 7pm which is good in my opinion – Doesn’t clash with any ITV/BBC1 daytime quiz show or any big prime-time show all it’s up against is the news meaning hopefully a boost in ratings.
– Episodes getting stripped across the week everyday rather than airing them one a week. Most viewers like a daily fix and the fact this is on daily will hopefully keep viewers coming back for more.
– Oh and also we are fast approaching ITV’s silly season where they dig through their stash of repeats and films. Because their content is so rubbish and lazy this time of year at least channel 5 have logic airing a new quiz show to provide entertainment lovers with something fresh to watch.
I’ll say it again – I’m taking it that at no point did C5 and Potato consider the other Vine brother for this, and that is both a shame and a missed opportunity.
It *is* fair to suggest that Jeremy doesn’t have quite the same comedy appeal as RO – and it is *also* fair to suggest, isn’t it, that he doesn’t have quite the same comedy appeal as Tim?
Also, Tim and Vorders playing off of each other… correct me if I’m wrong but this is still to happen, isn’t it? (He made his Dictionary Corner debut in 2009, during Rachel’s first series.) If indeed it is still to happen, it’s a tantalising prospect (at least for me).
And think of the potential headlines that we could have got, too, like “Tim Vine makes TRIUMPHANT return to C5 after TWENTY-EIGHT YEARS”.
I’ll also say again that when it came to Eggheads I always preferred Dermot – and best wishes to him after his cancer diagnosis.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8mql4j8e8o
Watched it today: this was rather nice. A no-frills, fun quiz at 7pm… a nice change from C4 News. Jeremy Vine isn’t perfect for the host’s role here, but apart from Lucy Worsley I can’t really think of anyone better who would have the time and relationship with C5 for the job.
I’ll watch again because I enjoyed today’s episode after just running through the channels. It’s friendly, there’s no stakes and it might pick up some viewers who enjoy it as there’s nothing else on.
Quite enjoyed it. The set looks so much more like a quality quiz show drew me in straight away the old set felt lame and too serious. The team captains give a good dynamic great competitive flare.
Like how Fast-Paced it was no faffing about.
Honestly, Not my favourite quiz show (Think others will agree) But at this point in the year when TV is limited for new programming this is a great scheduling decision. Especially into next week when the Tennis and Football is on brilliant alternative those that prefer family entertainment.
Thirdle was my favourite felt very fresh and unique, Word puzzles are a stronger point of mine challenges the brain. I like the top shot allows me to play along. Felt more exciting seeing them get up off their seats and do something more active rather than just speaking answers
I feel there could have been more jeopardy on the line. Maybe £5,000 for a charity of their choice rather than just winning.
Jeremy Vine was okay much better fitting than Lucy Worsley. Can’t say he was the absolute best pick but I didn’t at one point feel like switching off really got into it as soon as the letter box games got going.
Good Slot. Hope the ratings come out well considering all it’s up against is the news who needs to listen to depressing stories when there is something better on. I’d say it’ll get 900K
Channel 5 need more trust in these type of shows.
It’s fine but will get compared to House of Games and it’s not as good.
Do like the fact they are using physical tiles for some rounds but unlike House of Games, there’s no reason to watch every day as each episode has different contestants so no week-long thread to follow.
Inessential but fun. A better, more rounded version of the sort of thing Channel 5 used to put on at lunchtimes in spirit and for me a more successfully entertaining hour than the original Puzzling. I thought some of the point modelling was a bit off (12 points for Thirdle were pretty easy and early in the show, compare to the Movie Cypher game later, for example) – thought the puzzles were pretty well pitched in the main – Heat Map a surprising success given how difficult it looked as an idea. Vine was fine, seemed to be hosting as if he had no neck for some reason.
Just under 560k for the launch of Celebrity Puzzling I’m being told – they’ll be happy with that, especially if that sort of number holds throughout the week. Typically Motorway Cops on Mondays does around half a mill, 7pm the rest of the week typically about 300k lately.
It was decent. The rounds with the tiles made a nice change but in the second of these where its anagrams and all the tiles get moved about is a bit annoying with arms in the way and not being able to see all the letters.
Best show of 2025 for me.
Yes that’s fair, less of a problem with Thirdle, more of an issue with Funundrum.
I read Ian Hyland’s review where he wrote a great deal about this, but I didn’t think it was as awkward as that. Maybe it might have been wise to print the puzzles as a caption along the bottom. Nothing that you probably couldn’t fix anyway.
A bit more surprised that one of the break bumper puzzles was something they hadn’t done on the show yet.
My gut says that if this was once a week or in daytime it’s a go-er, but there’s not enough bite to it for me to be tuning in every night at 7pm.
Some sort of caption would be good as there have been a few times now where contestants have lifted the tiles and they can’t be seen then either.
It’s mainly down to the lack of space on the letterbox, which could have been intentional to make the game more difficult, but the top word getting pushed up after it’s been solved and Jeremy constantly having to fix tiles suggests not as I don’t imagine anyone would have wanted the show to look that messy. Although it does give it some charm.
The obvious tactic for Funundrum (for me anyway!) would be to, once the clock starts, move the tiles for the first word off to the side to create space then when solved slide the letters back in order. Repeat the process. Being able to jumble the letters up more should also make the anagrams easier to solve.
Similarly, Pathwords is quite easy to work out in your mind but an absolute nightmare with the tiles.
Shapeshifter is such a genius idea for a game. Combining a mix of Tetris and BBC1’s Impossible. An easy concept to follow and play along think they’ve executed it very well actually one of my new favourite games – seemed sparked a lot of conversation in the studio and at home.
Have to admit there are some really good puzzle ideas in this reboot it deserves to do well. Work Block is has potential as well would have preferred the word block to get bigger every time rather than stay as three words . The letter box provides another element to the game and I like it.
I’d go as far to say this could fit well on Saturday nights on C5 – If it comes back for Season 2 Summer Saturday Night Slots would be perfect. BBC1 and ITV1 have toss films and repeats and 5 has a new quiz ideal to draw in viewers.
Let us know how it rates in the morning please
I’ve discovered Jeremy’s slightly bizarre anti-cadence hosting this which I can’t say I’ve noticed before and now I can’t unhear it, the random bits of sped up speech, the bits where he seems to take a breath before the end of a sentence, and somehow I think it suits.
Also quite enjoyed ‘don’t rotate the shape!’ as an attempted catchphrase.
386k for Celeb Puzzling ep 2. Two ways to look at that: 1) Quite a drop. 2) Well up on what C5 usually gets on Tuesdays at 7.
Sally Lindsay? Yes, please! Carol Vorderman? HELL YEAH! Jeremy Vine? HARD PASS!
Watched the first episode, agree with a lot of the other comments. The atmosphere has improved a bit, though the show is now somewhat “house of games lite”. Is “rule breaker” coming back, that was always the highlight of the old series.
Main problem I have is with playalongability. Others have mentioned the annoyance of having arms blocking the anagrams when we’re trying to solve them. Two of the other games were very hard for me to play along with, as I am colourblind. The pace of the first round was glacial.
I’m not normally an attention-seeker, but…
The lack of responses to my comments (on both this thread and the “5 going ALL-IN on Sally Lindsay” one) about the idea of Jeremy’s brother hosting this, rather than Jeremy himself, is making me wonder: is it *really* the case that no-one else here is on board with this idea, and is it *really* the case that no-one else here considers it a shame that Tim was (in all likelihood) not considered for the role, as well as a missed opportunity?
If these are indeed the cases, then – truth be told – I will be quite surprised, since I’ve been led to believe that Tim is that bit more popular than Jeremy here on the Bar. I *will* respect it, however.
And may I make clear that I have nothing against Jeremy whatsoever.
I’m not quite sure what you want me to say. Of course I suspect Tim Vine would be a better/funnier host, but Jeremy Vine’s a Channel 5 face already so was always the most likely to be one getting the job (and we’ve no idea if Tim would even want it anyway).
Well, I *will* say now that the idea of Tim hosting this came to me when Brett L said on the earlier thread, “Yet another quiz hosted by the less likable Vine sibling… be more imaginative, 5!”
(No disrespect intended whatsoever, Brett.)
*Obviously* Jeremy is an established C5 face, so was easy to turn to (I don’t think comparisons with Stephen Mulhern and ITV are unreasonable). And just as obviously, the only way for us to know if Tim would want the job is if he was actually asked in some way – and in all likelihood he has *not* been asked in some way (yet, anyway).
Come to think of it now… Vorders could have hosted this, couldn’t she, instead of merely being a team captain? She’s hosted plenty of brainy game shows in the past, of course – and having presented many programmes on the other four national terrestrial channels (and Sky One before it closed), this could *finally* have been the first C5 programme she presented. So a missed opportunity there, too… and maybe even a *bigger* missed opportunity than with Tim.
(Though, again, we’ve no idea if she would actually want to host – it may well be that she *prefers* to be a team captain, and if that is indeed the case, one has to respect it.)
Preferring someone else to host instead of Jeremy Vine is fair enough, but in terms of making a huge difference to the ratings I don’t think either Carol or Tim hosting would have.
319k last night – still OK, but that’s now in the realms of typical average for the slot.
These ratings look better or worse depending on what you think the show is.
If it’s a primetime show airing as a strip as a special event (like Millionaire back in the day) then it’s a bit of a disaster. If it’s a low-cost daytime/early-evening-style stripped game show that’s airing later in the day then, even with some pretty meh numbers, you could make the argument for committing to an extended second run and seeing if they can grow the audience over time.
Launching this sort of lower-concept game show is so tough these days, especially outside of BBC/ITV, that anything new is going to take a while to catch on.
I think it’s a decent show and I’d be happy for it to have another chance.
I think the person at Five who said ‘do you know what people who have just got home from work want with their dinner five nights a week? An hour’s more work!’ is absolutely crazy.
388k last night! A stunning rebound. Also well up on the slot.
351k for the last Celebrity Puzzling of the week. Not stellar numbers, but if the object is to beat what’s normally in the slot then week one mission accomplished.
Week 2 numbers pretty good so far! Not on on Monday, but both eps this week over 400k.
Final episode 463k. Would expect it to come back!