Wheel of Fortune (UK game show)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wheel of Fortune (UK) | |
|---|---|
 Wheel of Fortune (UK) Logo (1995 - 1998) |
|
| Format | Game Show |
| Created by | Merv Griffin |
| Starring | Hosts Nicky Campbell (1988 - 1996) Bradley Walsh (1997) John Leslie (1998 - 2000) Paul Hendy (2001) Co-Hosts Angela Ekaette (1988) Carol Smillie (1989 - 1994) Jenny Powell (1995 - 2000) Terri Seymour (2001) |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | SMG Productions |
| Running time | 30mins (inc. adverts) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1988 - 2000) 16:9 (2001) |
| Original run | 19 July 1988 – 21 December 2001 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Wheel of Fortune was a British television gameshow which ran from 19 July 1988 to 12 December 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, Carol Smillie, Jenny Powell and Terri Seymour. Steve Hamilton was the announcer.
[edit] UK Format
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 determine 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. There were up to three chances for players to win cash; two in the main game, and one in the grand finale.
In the grand finale, just like in America, the contestant could pick from envelopes, but there were only three ("A", "B", or "C"), later reduced to two ("A" or "B"). During the early years, the prizes were a trip, £5,000, and a new car. Starting with Bradley Walsh's run, the prizes became the car and £20,000. In the final season with Paul Hendy, the car remained, but the cash prize was dropped to £2,000. As with most international versions of Wheel, rather than being given "RSTLNE", the contestant picked five consonants and a vowel. As in America, though, the contestant had 10 seconds to solve the puzzle to win the prize.
The top point space was 1,000, although values were doubled beginning from round 3 onward. One puzzle would contain a red letter that would net players £100 if they solved the puzzle immediately after finding the letter. 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. It is true that the puzzleboard's shape was the same as the American board. Also, the puzzleboard had a blue background on it (whereas the background on the American puzzleboard was green).
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 these gears, forcing filming of the show to be postponed until the next day.
