Sundays, 8:30am,
ITV and CITV
Laura Hamilton and Andy Akinwolere are back with series four of the teen version of the legendary adventure game.
It’s a pretty good version of the show’s duel format done as a series long tournament which mitigates the lack of surprise in determining the episode’s winners somewhat. If you’ve not seen this version of the show, whilst some of the more extreme terrifying games played by adults aren’t used, that’s not to say this show pulls all of its punches.
If you have watched the French or other international shows this year, there will be a few games you won’t have seen before.
We’re hoping they’ve fixed the thing that they have them shouting for them to get out of timed rooms despite the fact there appears to be no actual penalty for outstaying your welcome, even if it’s just a small penalty. We DO know that Fort Boyard’s legendary tigers are now guarding the treasure room, so that’s nice.
Hammocks is quite funny – surprised they didn’t adapt it for a single player game in the French show really. Thry have amusingly taken away the casino element of The Casino, Dizzy Dash now has them collecting falling pearls, there’s no slot machine.
It was quite nice to be surprised by the new series this morning. I’ve jumped ship to ITV2 and my old channel strategy coordinator refused to tell me anything about the new series except for the tigers being included. Not that he used to tell me much before!
Presentation-wise little has changed, although to the trained eye its now obvious that the programme was made in the right number of parts to begin with, unlike last year where there was some hasty editing. Laura now seems to be really into her role and appears to be genuinely enthusiastic about the events on the fort, she may of course just be a good actress, but thats good enough for TV. Andy is a bit more chilled out, but I’d rather that than Geno any day of the week.
Nice to see another game in our version that’s not in the french, two technically if you count the variation on the Lobster Pot although that might have been used last year. I am inclined to think that the time limit in Snake Pit is still a bit harsh, but I’ve thought that about the French version for a while too. There are an awfully lot of snakes to check, and they no longer seem to be told to only check the pythons.
I am surprised they didn’t keep the falling Boyards in the casino, although it was obvious that the gambling theming would be gone for a UK Junior version. (I once got ID’d for the board game Jenga Casino in Woolworths!)
Overall I’m quite happy with it and am interested to see what other games they pull out of the bag. Good Sunday morning television.
I certainly expect in the French show they get a bit longer in the snake pit and edit it down a little for the attention span of youths. Therefore it’s ironic they let it run a bit longer for kids!
Quite surprised they ditched the older kids – always assumed the 18 year olds were there for the tougher challenges.
Still prefer the 30 minute format myself – it’s far too repetitive at an hour long – essentially had three jump into the sea and get the code challenges today.
Honestly im starting to feel dissapointed with the UK series. While its nice for it to be on. Games like Casino had way more than 1 second on the clepsydre (around about 30). Also didnt like the fact they brought the tigers back but actually had very little mention of them apart from in Face to Face.
I don’t think i got to see any of this years French series, but to me it seems like the first S4 UK episode had a lot of water based challenges. Is that some kind of focus this year or just the way the games fell?
I am continuing to enjoy it, still think it could do well if they did it early evening on a Saturday on ITV1.
I am informed that there was some awful weather during filming for the series so challenges were switched around a bit. No water based challenges at all in episode two.
Nice to see Pyramid hanging on as a UK game as I quite like it. Also, has anyone seen the reverse hanging onto ropes game before, called Sand Trough? I thought it might be a UK exclusive but it might have made an appearance in the French duals season?
I am also reliably informed that Laura is genuinely enthusiastic about it all; which is nice to know.
Never been seen in France, although it might have been used in the recent Azeri series.
The green team clearly having a ringer with them is both massively unfair and also quite funny.
Interesting episode today, the team with a thirty second time penalty thrashing the other team spectacularly which is unusual. If nobody can improve the technique you’d have to assume the Silver Dragons have the series in the bag, really.
It was a really surprising result, I didn’t think technique made that much difference in the treasure room, beyond not using a person as a bucket obviously, but clearly it is possible to refine the process quite a lot.
What room were they in for ‘Balls on a Plank’?, I thought it was interactive at first, but they used that later as it had the grey circles on the walls, for giant catapults. It was notably another week without sea challenges, presumably awful weather again.
It’s Judge Blanche’s antechamber. In the French show they set the cameras up on the other side of the room.
I’ve just noticed on Creature Code the numbers are all beneath the boxes! I wonder if they get a screen.
I’ve just watched this weeks and you’re right. The team are clearly looking at a screen but didn’t appear to have any knowledge of the code before it was described. I’ll mention it at work as someones bound to complain about it.
On another note the music played on tightrope may be my favourite of all time, in fact the music has been excellent throughout the series so far.
I also note with amusement that I described a game above as ‘sand trough’ which my dyslexic mind thought made perfect sense, I discovered this evening that it is called ‘stand tough’. Sigh.
I see we had an automatic lock in game in todays episode. It was the laser beam game, if the player hits 5 beams it was a lock in. They also had to return through the lasers. I am not sure if that element was introduced because the team were so far ahead or it maybe a regular thing on that game
They introduced it as a rule in the French show this year, after everyone deemed it a bit too easy last year, I think.
Presumably the ‘lock in’ would have just meant they couldn’t keep they key but still got to come out – not dislike Boiler Room and Cold Room.
I did wonder if we were going to see a perfect game today but as it has in a couple of other episodes, the final dual went to the trailing team.
Taking the series as an almost whole, I feel like we’ve had a much better variety of games this year. I do wonder what they’re going to pull out for the final as we’ve had all the ‘fear’ games that they’ve ever used before already this year. I can’t imagine Stretcher making it in, maybe Head Inspector with something less horrible in cell five, although they’d need something equally challenging for the other team.
It’s still keeping my attention anyway, which is nice.
I have really taken to the series since it was expended to an hour a couple of series back. Can’t believe it has not been moved to Saturday early evening. Everybody knows the You’ve been framed reruns need a rest.
No less than five new games for the final including the debuts of Submarine Training and Balancing Brollies – can’t remember the French name. Still should be called The Funambulist.
Deadly Drop is a UK exclusive and would have been pretty good if someone hadn’t fallen off so quickly. Would make an entertaining adventure for the adult version if they could get a longer rope.
The air powered cylinder rocket duel made an appearance for what I think is the first time this year. Trapdoor (Hazing) made it’s first showing of the year and finally we had our very first lock-in in Library.
No consequences to it, he was let out but had to forfeit the key he had collected.
Overall it was a bit of a white-wash as the Jaguars, with boy-mountain Elias leading the charge.
Great series and just as fun as always, it will definitely need five or six new games next year to keep it interesting though.