Wheel of Fortune (UK game show)
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| Wheel of Fortune (UK) | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Run time | 30 minutes |
| Starring | Nicky Campbell (1988-1996) Bradley Walsh (1997) John Leslie (1998-2000) Paul Hendy (2001) |
| Channel | ITV |
| Production company | SMG Productions |
| Air dates | 1988 – 2001 |
| IMDb profile | |
Wheel of Fortune was a British gameshow which ran from 1988 to 2001, produced by SMG Productions (Scottish Television) for the ITV network. It was hosted by Nicky Campbell, Bradley Walsh, John Leslie and Paul Hendy. Co-hosts were Angela Ekaette (1988), Carol Smillie (1989-1994), Jenny Powell (1995-2000) and Terri Seymour (2000-2001). Steve Hamilton was the announcer. Unlike the American version where the numbers on the wheel correspond to the amount of money won by each contestant, the British version instead referred to these amounts as 'points'- they had no cash value, their only purpose was to detrmine the grand finalist, or to choose a winner for a particular round. The name Wheel of Fortune is a realistically a misnomer, as instead of cash prizes, successful spinners were rewarded with mundane household appliances and objects such as microwaves, dishwashers and sets of luggage, chosen from an array laid out in the studio. The only oppertunity to win cash occurred at the grand finale (except during a round where if a red letter was found, the player would win £100 is he/she solved it at the moment the red letter was revealed).
The top point space was 1,000, although values were doubled beginning from round 3 onward. Players could also win £100 by correctly solving a "puzzler". Unlike the board used on the American version at that time, the United Kingdom version's puzzleboard was not electronic, so the regular puzzle would be placed at the top portion of the board while the puzzler would fill any unused lines below.
One infamous incident occurred while filming the show whereby a contestant spun the wheel the wrong way. As the British wheel has a gearing mechanism to regulate its speed this action promptly stripped said gears, forcing filming of the show to be postponed until the next day.
