The Edge (game show)

The Edge is a BBC quiz show that aired on BBC One since 16 March 2015, hosted by Mark Benton. On the show, contestants answer quiz questions and bowl balls to get prize money, but if the ball rolls over the Edge, the player is out. As Mark Benton describes at the start of every episode, "it's about brains and balls."

Gameplay

Four contestants start the game. One is eliminated in each round. Each contestant maintains a 'personal bank' consisting of the cash they banked in each round; the surviving finalist plays for the contents of their own bank (the cash accrued by eliminated players is lost). Players are permitted offscreen practice rolls before playing the game proper.

The lanes

There are four lanes - coded green, blue, yellow and red - of increasing length. The length of the initial run-up zone, worth £1 on all lanes, varies with the lane length; the 'cash zones' from £10 to £950, and The Edge, are the same on all lanes. Going over the Edge at any time means that roll is worth nil. Guard rails between each lane prevent rolls straying into neighbouring lanes. At the end of each round, the shortest lane remaining in play is shut off, with the final played only on the red lane.

Round one

The four contestants take part in the first quiz round. Here, each question requires one correct answer, and the first player to answer four questions correctly releases their ball and gets to choose which of the four coloured lanes they will roll on. After a player releases their ball, the other contestants' counts are reset and they play again in the same way for second and third choice, with the remaining player taking the last remaining lane.

After the quiz, the players take to their lanes, and each rolls once, with the order of rolls being shortest (green) lane first through to longest (red) lane last. The Edge is worth £1,000 in this round. The three highest-rolling players bank their roll value into their Personal Bank; the lowest-rolling player is eliminated.

Round two

The three remaining players face a new quiz round, with each question requiring two correct answers. The first player to release their ball gets first choice of lane, and won't face any Danger Zones. The second contestant to free their ball chooses second, and will have one Danger Zone. The remaining player will face two Danger Zones on the remaining lane.

On the lanes, each player rolls twice, with play order again running shortest to longest lane. Players with Danger Zones to face will set the location of these randomly ahead of their first roll by pushing a button, and the Zones remain in the same place for their second roll. The Edge is worth £2,000, all other cash zones are as before and Danger Zones are worth £1. The two players with the greatest combined scores from their two rolls add these values to their Personal Bank, and the lowest scorer in the round - regardless of what is in their Personal Bank - is eliminated.

Round three

The two remaining players take part in a third quiz round; each question requires three correct answers. The first player to release their ball chooses which lane - yellow or red - they roll from, and also has the power to set a Danger Zone on their rival's lane.

On the lanes, the players each roll three times; the player with no Danger Zone rolls first, then chooses which of the opponent's cash zones to place the Danger Zone on - the second player then rolls. The first player can, after each of their own rolls, move their opponent's Danger Zone to another value if they wish. The Edge is worth £3,000 in this round. The player with the highest combined score after three rolls each takes the money won into their Personal Bank; the lower score is eliminated.

Final round

The remaining player now plays to win the contents of their Personal Bank; all other cash values are blanked. To win the prize, the contestant has to stop a ball on The Edge. Before they roll, they face a final quiz round, 75 seconds of questions, each requiring four correct answers. For each question correctly answered, the Edge is enlarged by the equivalent of two cash zones. Once on the red lane, the player can choose to roll once for the full bank amount, twice for half the amount or three times for one-third the amount; they choose how many rolls they want to wager ahead of rolling, and are not reimbursed if they succeed in fewer rolls than nominated. If all their rolls fail to stop in the winning area - either by coming up short or by going over the Edge - the player wins nothing. The maximum a player can win is £14,000; in order for that to happen, the player must roll all six balls exactly on the Edge in the first three rounds (£1,000 + £2,000 + £2,000 + £3,000 + £3,000 + £3,000 = £14,000) and choose to roll only one ball in the final round and land it in the winning area.

External links

• The Edge at BBC Programmes
• The Edge at UKGameshows.com