I’d like for things to be more exciting, but if ITV are repeating episodes of Deal of No Deal in the afternoons and it’s the end of November I’m not really sure what there is to be done really. Still, there’s always Netflix’s What’s In The Box? to look forward to (or not as the case may be) next month, and it’s interesting that the BBC are putting The Festive Finish Line in the Pointless slot for a bit, although a bit like when !mpossible took over, I think it’s a good auxillary player rather than a main event, although perhaps it’ll lean into fun more with celebrities playing.

Lots of Advent stuffs coming soon, Dealvent is returning, Daniel Hurst’s House of Games is returning, there may be some others as well so look out for those in the next few days.

Shaun Wallace off of The Chase has a new board game out, which isn’t The Chase but features the word Chase. I’ve just realised it’s from some guys who succeeded on Dragons’ Den, so that’s fun.

Yes there is still the intention for a Poll in January even if UKGameshows isn’t on its feet yet.

Edit: Oh! I’ve just been informed that Y Deis went out on S4C last night, so I’ll try and have a look tonight. It’s on BBC iPlayer with English subs, apparently.

…and nobody cares.

Series 3 was commissioned at the same time.

I thought I’d post this here mainly because I found it funny, Youtube comedy duo The Isolation Creations’ main schtick is dressing up as 80s and 90s celebs and taking them off and as such their main appeal is likely to be the older end of my audience, so if you enjoy this have a look at their other stuff on their Youtube channel.

It’s The Celebrity Traitors Unaired Pilot.

I went and saw Edgar Wright’s new adaptation of The Running Man earlier – I absolutely love the original (older viewers will remember we used to give away copies on DVD as competition prizes), we enjoyed this in a different way – pleased to see it has retained its dystopian TV show gags (including a running joke built around an unexpected reference to Holly Johnson’s 1989 hit Americanos) and it hits a lot of familiar beats in a remixed way, although it’s certainly feels much closer to the Richard Bachman book where it’s more of a long-form open-world reality show. There’s an element of having its cake and eating it with the ending, which without spoiling too much, looks like it might end the same way as the book but then… doesn’t. Some fun world building and direction (and an unusual bit where it basically turns into Home Alone), and fans of Glen Powell not wearing clothes are catered for.

For me I think I will always prefer the 80s futurism of the original, Arnie, the Faltermeyer soundtrack, Richard Dawson, Mick Fleetwood, but it’s pleasing that another version that has been made that’s both very similar yet completely different and is well worth a watch.

• Physical: Asia (the pan-Asian (and Australia) version of Physical 100) began on Netflix on Friday and thus far it is great – massively multiplayer wrestling on top of sand dunes and a game that’s basically the Final Abyss from Scavengers, except on a shipwreck and involving trying to nick six tonnes of stuff in twenty minutes. Unexpectedly going into it, I think, is how much I’ve enjoyed the international element – each of the eight teams have come with their own character, none of them alike, and watching the interplay, the banter in broken English, has been delightful.
• Squid Game: The Challenge 2 begins on Netflix tomorrow. We didn’t want to like the original, but it was actually really quite well done. This time around new games inspired by the second and third seasons of the drama (although no giant skipping rope or Starry Night maze, for shame). Doesn’t feel like much buzz around it this time but it might develop across the three Tuesdays of drops.
• And Bullseye‘s back on Sunday (at 8pm, which feels quite late) after its successful Xmas special that’s been seen by approximately 22m viewers now, probably. And it’s got a new round, apparently! Format development after forty years, you love to see it. It will be interesting to see how well it can stand on its own two feet now it can’t play the nostalgia card quite so hard. Also I note on ITVX it’s “Little” Richard Ashdown now, “Little” Alex Horne should sue.