Some dates for your diary

By | May 16, 2011

Buzzerblog have updated this afternoon with dates of forthcoming quite interesting US things of the sort we’re Very Much Interested In:

  • Wipeout returns for a sneak preview of the new season on June 21st (i.e. it’s an episode), then the season begins proper two days later on June 23rd, which is one of those baffling things that only happens in America. This is on ABC.
  • 101 Ways To Leave a Gameshow begins on ABC on June 21st after the Wipeout preview. I’m really looking forward to seeing the show that Endemol always wanted to make now it is free from the dictatorial constraints of the BBC.
  • Expedition Impossible follows Wipeout on Thursday June 23rd. This appears to be Mark Burnett’s Worldwide Adventure Racing EXTREME.
  • Take the Money and Run – law enforcement evading game codeveloped by Wild Rover of Secret Fortune fame begins on ABC on August 2nd.

Evidently The Million Dollar Drop proved so popular that Fox don’t want to air it as they feel it unfair on the other networks (joke idea nicked off of Lee and Herring).

Fingers crossed The Amazing Race Australia might be “available” from places this evening.

31 thoughts on “Some dates for your diary

  1. Travis P

    The plot thickens with Sky’s schedule for Challenge.

    It seems they have now pulled Pointless from the schedule and has been replaced by Weakest Link. Interestingly, both Digiguide and the Sky online guide have got unconfirmed listings for 4th & 5th June, where they are going to show older shows. For now, the schedule is this.

    3pm – Challenge Anneka
    4pm – Blockbusters X2
    5pm – Celebrity Squares X2
    6pm – 321
    7pm – Blankety Blank X2
    8pm – The Krypton Factor X2

    Reply
    1. Brig Bother Post author

      Oh wow, that’s a bit of a line-up. I wonder where they’re going with The Krypton Factor?

      Reply
    2. Daniel

      I wouldn’t take much notice of the Sky’s Challenge schedule as they seem to change it every day, and it’s full of errors. They’ve got “new” Takeshi’s Castle listed for weekend mornings at 7am (starting from yesterday), but they’re actually just the old hour-long episodes. They’re even titled wrong, calling them “Best of Takeshi’s Castle”.
      Lots of other TV guides have these wrongly listed as new Best Of episodes too.

      Reply
  2. Greg (not S)

    Pointless is due to start in July (assuming it does not get shifted again).

    I would imagine Challenge have had some rights issues with that and some other shows as Blockbusters have been put back (was due to start this week).

    Reply
  3. Greg (not S)

    TAR australia is up in the usual places just about to watch.

    Reply
    1. Brig Bother Post author

      Oh! Mine’s finished downloading surprisngly, will have to watch tomorrow. Don’t let that stop anyone chatting about it.

      Reply
  4. Chris M. Dickson

    Your Tweeting from last night was quite spooky; I had the tremendous themes from Catchphrase running through my head yesterday too. (And also the themes from The Chart Show, not least because my wife is at Alton Towers. Get the reference? Award yourself a banana.)

    Reply
    1. David B

      Interesting that there’s a clean version of it there. That must have come from the original staff or the composer. Wonder if there would be a way of wheedling out the question music? That would be the motherlode.

      On the subject of fan-made theme tunes, this isn’t an official track as claimed but it’s an awfully good attempt at modernising the theme:

      Reply
      1. Brig Bother Post author

        Mmm… I thought if F Zero decided to have a Crystal Maze based track then that would be its theme.

        Reply
      2. Chris M. Dickson

        We could just karaoke it, and everyone would know just which tunes we were talking about.

        (I do this gag, or a variation on it, every year. It’s Catchphrase question music as biscuits!)

        Reply
      1. Brig Bother Post author

        Having already predicted The Voice would be a flop in the States and been wrong I’m happy to give this a chance. DS suggesting they want Dannii Minogue for it, which is quite funny considering The X Factor is apparently trying to poach Alisha Dixon.

        Reply
        1. sphil

          actually if i remember right, didnt endemol joe say they were in advanced talks to take it here with a ‘leading broadcaster’?

          still i cant help feeling people only watched in the us cos of the big name judges, and i cant see the beed forking out for them.

          Reply
      2. David B

        The BBC already recognise they have too many dancing shows. To replace them with singing shows seems to lack a certain amount of ambition…

        Reply
        1. Jennifer Turner

          Too many dancing shows would be… two? Although they do both go on too long.

          Reply
          1. David B

            In recent memory, they’ve had:

            Dance Factory
            Dance Film Academy
            DanceX
            Dancing on Wheels
            Let’s Dance for Comic Relief
            Move Like Michael Jackson
            So You Think You Can Dance
            Strictly Come Dancing
            Strictly Dance Fever

            …of which three are still current.

          2. Jennifer Turner

            Oh, I’d forgotten Let’s Dance For Whatever (and so soon!).

  5. Brig Bother Post author

    I have it good authority (i.e. David B has just tweeted me) that UKGameshows.com is BACK ONLINE.

    Welcome home to ITV, etc.

    Reply
  6. Dan Peake

    I think several times Take The Money and Run has appeared in schedules but then been postponed, I had it written down for April 14th at one point.

    Reply
  7. Greg (not S)

    Yes i have been looking forward to it for a while shame that it keeps getting moved.

    On the subject of TAR Australia, what a great opener it was hard to fault anything. They have picked the right contestents, the show flows well, they had a good mix of tasks and even brought in the express pass which i was not expecting.

    Though to keep the costs down the speed bump is out and the 30 min time penalty is in, if the last place team do not finish first.

    Fantastic choice of presenter based on the first episode i am liking this just as much and maybe a bit more than the US version.

    Reply
    1. Brig Bother Post author

      Yes, just watched it and generally really liked it – likable teams, more tasks, fewer clues that are just gimmes (and indeed show a bit of imagination – hiding them in a red and yellow boat!) and a great host in Grant Bowler (who was also great when he did Aussie Mole).

      The only thing that annoys, and it is quite a big thing, is the US presentation. The time was Aussie TV would have Brit sensibilities with US ad breaks, now they go the full overblown route it just looks and feels decidedly out of character. There is no reason at all why Australia couldn’t imprint their own identity on this really.

      Reply
    1. The Banker's Nephew

      I wish they’d show more of the tower. I thought that was one of the most visually impressive sets ever.

      Reply
  8. Travis P

    You can now buy Stefan Raab’s Satellite (Rockabilly Version) from iTunes for 99p. His rocking remix is currently #6 in the German iTunes charts.

    Reply
    1. sphil

      lets not ignore the fact you can get Wadde Hadde Dudde Da? for the bargainous 79p!

      Reply
    1. Brig Bother Post author

      Mmm. The Frame looked… quite limited from the promo film I saw, although if it’s only going to be twice weekly then I’m sure they’ll be able to get a show out if it.

      Reply
  9. NJ

    A few videogame sites are reporting that a Hole in the Wall game is in the works for Xbox Kinect. I cannot see any possible way that could be screwed up.

    Reply

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