COME, PLAYMY GAMES
ALAN CARR INVITES YOU TO JOIN HIM AS HE REVIVES FIVE CLASSIC QUIZ SHOWS…
WE’VE SUPER-SIZED THE SHOWS – GIVEN THEM A KICK UP THE BUM”
Back in the 80s and 90s, ITV’S game shows ruled the airwaves. Everyone knew catchphrases such as, “You can’t beat a bit of Bully”, “You don’t get anything for a pair”, and “What is a Hot Spot not?” So, the channel has chosen to resurrect five of its most-loved quiz formats, and asked Alan Carr to host them – starting this week with a Play Your Cards Right celeb special. “It’s all very odd!” admits Alan, as Inside TV visits him on set (prior to lockdown). “You’re on this set, which you saw as a kid, with a glam assistant bringing out a Mini! So, it is odd, but it also makes you feel all weird and gooey inside!” As a childhood viewer of the shows making a comeback, Alan is well aware of the catchphrases that helped to popularise them, and he admits to finding it daunting now he’s tasked with saying them himself. Especially when he’s following in the footsteps of the king of game shows – the late, great Bruce Forsyth. “I realise now why Brucie went, ‘Didn’t they do well?’” chuckles Alan. “You sort of end up saying it like him, and you go, ‘I’m not taking the mick!’ We’re sticking with all that ‘higher or lower?’ stuff, obviously. But I’m not going to do a funny walk like Michael Barrymore, or say, ‘Alwight at the back?’ I have to bring my own little twist to it.” Happily, the spirit of the original shows also extends to the prizes. Yes, there are the shiny new cars and package holidays on offer, but some more eccentric booty, too… “Well, there are some that skew a bit to the retro,” admits Alan. “There are some funny ones that you’ll have a giggle about. But then you have the more modern prizes as well, which you’d be really pleased to take home. The prizes are pretty good – you’re talking brand-new cars and luxury holidays – and you really do want people to win them.” So while the shows remain essentially unaltered, there is
one significant change – they now have an ambitious ‘endgame’ for the final round. “Yes, we’ve basically super-sized it,” reveals Alan. “So, on Bullseye, for example, we now have four dartboards that come down out of the ceiling and rotate. It’s just given it a kick up the bum.” And if nothing else, it sounds as if Alan is keeping fit, racing about on the different game show sets. “I’m so jealous of Ben Shephard on Tipping Point,” he laughs. “He just stands next to that machine! I’m running up stairs, flipping over cards, and avoiding being hit in the face with a dart! After a day on set, I’m pooped!”