Quizmania

For the Australian version of the show, please see Quizmania (Australia)

Quizmania
Quizmania logo
Format	Live phone-in quiz
Created by	Chuck Thomas, Debbie King, Simone Thorogood
Presented by	Debbie King (2005-2007), Greg Scott (2005-2007, 2008-2009) Lee Baldry (2005-2007), Chuck Thomas (2005-2006), Kirsty Duffy (2006, 2008-), Lottie Mayor (2005-2007, 2008), Tim Lichfield (2006-2007, 2008), Lee Clark (2005), Andy Jaye (2008-2009), Stuart Headlam (stand-in)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Producer(s)	FremantleMedia (televised version) Screen Pop Ltd. Illuma Digital (online version)
Running time	3 hours per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	Information TV, ITV, ITV2, ITV Play
Original run	12 August 2005 - 15 January 2007 (televised version) 17 July 2008 – present (online version)
Chronology
Related shows	My Games Fever

Quizmania was a popular British interactive game show. The show was devised by Chuck Thomas, Debbie King, and Simone Thorogood and produced by Fremantle Media for Information TV (between August 2005 and March 2006) and ITV (between December 2005 and January 2007). Currently, the online revival is produced by Screen Pop Ltd. in association with Illumina Digital. In a similar vein to other premium-line call-in shows, viewers on the TV version of Quizmania were encouraged to phone a premium-rate number in order to provide an answer to a quiz question.

Quizmania's most recent television broadcast was made on 14 January–15 January 2007, presented by Greg Scott and Debbie King. The show closed with a highlights montage and an emotional farewell sign off from Scott and King.

The series returned on Thursday 17 July 2008 as an online-only show on Quizmania's official website. Prior to official confirmation of the relaunch, rumour and hype had been escalating about the new series since December 2007 when the show's presenters and devisors were contacted about the then-possible revival.

Background

In 2003, while working for E4 as anchor presenter on the United Kingdom version of the German-produced live phone-in television quiz show 9Live filmed in Munich,^[1][2] presenter Debbie King joined with producers Chuck Thomas and Simone Thorogood to pitch a similar idea to UK production company Nation 217. After commissioning, the show was produced as Bowling For Bucks.^[1]

Approached by Fremantle Media, the trio were commissioned to create a similar new show, which was called Quizmania. Initially shown in the Autumn of 2004 in a five hour per night slot on satelitte channel Information TV, it was quickly picked up by ITV for their night time slot.^[3]

E4 continued with a new production team, which transmitted 9Live from late 2004 in the same timeslot as Quizmania, but stopped in early 2005 due to the success of Quizmania.

Overview

The original run of Quizmania was broadcast from 10pm to 1am, weeknights on ITV Play. In order to win money, viewers had to ring in at a cost of 75p from a BT landline (previously 60p). If they were successful they would be placed on hold, then transferred live to the studio if they were lucky, where they went on to deliver their answers. Prizes usually ranged from £50 to £25,000. The biggest prize to be won was £28,000 on 22 March 2006. Once £100,000 was available as a prize, but was not won. According to an article in The Times, Quizmania earned ITV over £1.2million during the first two weeks of transmission on the ITV Network.

The original TV series ended on 14 January 2007, but due to high demand from fans, the show was revived some 18 months later with a new mass participation format, streamed online. The first online season involved trivia games where players attempted to select correct answers to sets of multiple choice questions in the fastest time. The second online season features additional games from the first such as wordsearches, anagram solving and maths based games.

Broadcast times

Quizmania originally began broadcasting on 12 August 2005 on Sky channels 139 (Life Showcase) and 181 (Information TV) and completed a three-month run on terrestrial channel ITV from 16 December 2005 to 30 March 2006. After its last show on 31 March 2006, the show became solely shown on ITV as it disappeared from the schedules of the two Sky channels. The series began airing overnight on ITV2 from 1 April 2006. On 26 May 2006, Quizmania returned to ITV, airing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from midnight until around 4am. The programme also appeared on ITV Play and Men & Motors during weekday afternoons from 3pm until 6pm. On 27 August 2006, Quizmania concluded what was to be its last run on ITV and from the week beginning 4 September 2006, began broadcasting exclusively on ITV Play in the evening between 10pm and 1am. This arrangement continued until the last edition of the original series on 14 January 2007. In a 3pm show presenter Greggles exposed himself saying ' This show is nuts' to which the crew [high on drugs] laughed. As a result, presenter Greggles then got a gig at Blokestaion TV in Iran, but due to low call volumes quit to become a clown at Mcdonalds where he got free cheeseurgers.

TV closure

In early 2007, a series of scandals broke out in the UK involving allegations of phone-in segments of television programmes and quiz channels conning viewers.^[4] ITV suspended all programmes involving premium rate phone-ins on 5 March 2007, including its quiz channel ITV Play.^[5] This was to allow independent auditor Deloitte to conduct a review of programmes carried by ITV including Dancing on Ice, The X Factor and Quizmania which all used phone-ins to generate revenue, to ensure they are run fairly.^[6] ITV Play was taken off the air during the review, but for a few days it ran a limited after midnight service for only four hours before on March 13, ITV announced that ITV Play had been permanently closed down.^[7]

Online revival

The first online series consisted of 26 live shows between 17 July and 4 November 2008. A second, shorter series of occasional shows began on Wednesday 23 September 2009. The programme is available worldwide, although only UK residents are allowed to play for money.

Crew

Presenters

Debbie King (2005–2007) Greg Scott (2005–2007, 2008–present) Lee Baldry (2005–2007) Chuck Thomas (2005–2006) Kirsty Duffy (2006, 2008)

Lottie Mayor (2005–2007, 2008) Tim Lichfield (2006–2007, 2008) Lee Clark (2005) Andy Jaye (2008–present) Stuart Headlam (stand-in)

Chuck Thomas and Stuart Headlam, two of the programme's producers, presented only occasionally. Chuck Thomas's voice could sometimes be heard speaking or giving away clues, when invited by a presenter.

Tim Lichfield, Lottie Mayor & Kirsty Duffy returned for the first series of the online revival alongside former CITV continuity presenter Andy Jaye. Greg Scott returned to present a US election special on 4 November 2008.

Special guests include cardboard cut-outs of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sir Paul McCartney, Amy Winehouse, Lieutenant Columbo, a shark's head called Fergal Le Sharkey and an ape called Boris wearing a cut out of Boris Johnson's face, all voiced and performed by cameraman Flash.

Technical staff

Camera operator Flash (Ben Sawyer) was the most popular technical staff member and spent much on-air time in-vision. Flash and fellow camera operator Sky London (Stephen Ferret) are both members of a rock band called King Lizard, a fact which was often mentioned on the show. Flash and Sky returned to Quizmania for the online-only revival.

Other in-vision technical operators during the original run included:

Ben Birch Phil Bligh Dave Hayes Debbie Collins Deloris Collins Jess Corfield. Now presenting on Ask One as Jessica Barder.

Shaun Etienne Oli Frappe Emma Hardman Neil Horsman Paul Manzi

Jingles and sound effects

• The female voice often heard singing "It's a Speed Round!" during the show is that of Lottie Mayor, while the deep, male voice also heard singing "It's a Speed Round!" is presenter Greg Scott.
• Camera operator Flash provides the voice of the strange laugh sound effect, and the "b-b-b-b-bonus!" noise.
• Lee Baldry provides the voice for the "Triple Money" sound effect.
• A caller named Linda was asked if she wanted to make a jingle for Chuck A Duck and she sang the words and was used as a jingle.

"Make a Word with These Letters", and another which says "The game that takes ages that doesn't take ages".

Producers

The producers interacted with the presenters live on air, through an audio link from the control room. They were responsible for the games, and the sound effects that appeared in-game.

The programme's producers during the original run were:

Stuart Headlam Sky London David Rollins

Simone Thorogood Chuck Thomas

Featured players

One of the show's unluckiest players, "Tornado Tom", made it through to the studio on 97 consecutive shows without a single win. He eventually broke his losing streak with a £75 win on 12 December 2006.

On the other hand, regular player "Rob from Norwich" became the show's first big money winner, winning £6,700 on 14 January 2006.^[8] Some fifteen months later he went on Sky News to defend quiz TV channels and programmes amid mounting controversy of such output. Stuart King from East Calder was also a big winner in March 2005, winning £8000.

Crazy Nige rang the studio on a regular basis using his catchphrase, ' Loving the style of everything, except Greggles'

Studio set

The Quizmania studio reflects the show's main colour theme, bright pink with elements of blue. In the main section of the studio is a very large door, that is set in a low-angled pink wall. This door is normally where the presenters enter the show from at the start, and when another presenter arrives to take over.

From the viewer's perspective, to the left of the studio is a bar section, with various odds and ends on it. Going further to the right is a large noticeboard-like wall, which has a large gold frame (nicknamed "Quizframia") where viewer submitted photographs are pinned up. Also in the left section is a flat screen TV, where the animated Quizmania logo is displayed for most of the show. When special events happen in the show (e.g. Double money, speed round) large text is normally displayed on the screen. The screen is also used to display video clips as part of some games.

To the right of the main section, is another main bar section with a flat-screen television in the background, which displays the same picture as the other TV. The bar has traditionally had a gumball machine on it, and a large selection of random props and items that viewers have sent in. It also has two picture frames, for the "King and Queen of Quizmania". The bar also has some things underneath it that the presenters often get out, but the actual back of the bar has never been seen by viewers. Going further right, there is a 'podium of love' (a nickname started by Debbie) that the presenter will normally 'mount' when a speed rounds happens. The podium has a backdrop of large white bulb lights on a black background, and the lights are often flashing.

On 31 July 2006, the studio was redesigned into a summer theme. Items like the large door were painted yellow, the left side of the studio was turned into a seaside-like setting, complete with deckchair, bucket and spade, some artificial palm trees, and a barbecue. Meanwhile, the right side has also be changed, with the bar given a different colour, and the frame around the TV painted yellow. The podium/speed round area of the studio has received new blue and red lights and newly painted podium. Additionally, a large jukebox was placed at the back of the main studio area.

In December 2006, the set was changed again into a snowy, Alpine Lodge theme which was the last theme for Quizmania's run on ITV Play.

A smaller version of the original studio was built for the online series with the technical gallery regularly appearing in-vision.

Online revival

Due to high fan demand, Quizmania was revived as an online-only version. The first publicly released news of plans to revive the series was seen on the Quizmania website, on 18 December 2007 stating: "Yakkabakakkas! Quizmania could be on its way back like you've never seen before!".^[9]

On 11 January 2008, those who had signed up to the Quizmania mailing list received an e-mail offering "a huge fluffy pink thank you to everyone for getting in touch." As for the rumours of a return:

Well, it's true we're looking at ways we can bring back the show in a completely different (but hopefully equally wadgetastic) way. Its not 100% certain yet and there are still details we need to scratch our heads over ...

The show finally returned online on 17 July 2008. This show was preceded by a pre-launch pilot edition, which was streamed live on 12 July 2008, with 100 winners of an e-mail competition allowed to take part. The show was originally due to stream every Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 9 August 2008 as a test run. On 31 July 2008, it was announced that the programme would continue beyond that period, although the Friday and Saturday shows were axed at the end of the four-week test run. The final weekly edition of the present series was streamed on 16 October 2008 and was followed by two specials on 4 November 2008 to mark the USA presidential election. The second series of the online revival began at 12pm on Wednesday 23 September 2009.

Quizmania launched a beta version Facebook application of the show on the 8th February 2012 with straight quiz games and guess what the majority of players would choose games. This was closed when makers Screenpop were merged into ITV interactive at the start of April 2012.

Quizmania in different countries

Versions of Quizmania have also been produced and broadcast in various countries including:

• Australia (see Quizmania (Australia), no longer on air)
• Colombia
• France
• Poland — it was shown on Polsat, originating from the same studio used in the British version. Polsat has since replaced Quizmania with another program, Halo Kasa.
• Portugal Quizmania is currently broadcasting on SIC in Portugal under the name Quando o telefone toca, which translates as "When the phone rings".

References

External links

• Quizmania official website
• Quizmania Central fansite
• Screenpop website http://www.screenpop.co.uk/