Come Dine With Me has provided us with many iconic television moments during its run of over forty series and is set to continue to entertain us with
Come Dine With Me has provided us with many iconic television moments during its run of over forty series and is set to continue to entertain us with culinary delights and disasters. Another spin-off will be with us soon with Come Dine With Me: The Professionals set to air later this year.
This series will concentrate on local eateries in competition to be labelled the greatest restaurant in their respective area. Beloved narrator Dave Lamb returns for a run of twenty episodes and this new concept will undoubtedly prove a hit for those that enjoyed the original Come Dine With Me and Couples Come Dine With Me.
With this iconic game show going beyond two thousand episodes we thought it would be a good time to examine the British love affair with game shows and look at the widely accepted formats we love so much.
Say what you see
While our love of puzzle-orientated game shows began on TV, the internet has taken our affection for this entertainment medium and gone supersonic. Consider, for example, the vast expanse of online casinos that feature notable titles inspired by famous TV game shows. Those that play online casino at Paddy Power are privy to titles such as Money Drop Live, Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt Live and Spin a Win Live, which offer punters the game show experience from the comfort of their own home, for instance.
The puzzle-orientated game show was standard fare on UK TV for many years with titles such as Catchphrase and Wheel of Fortune weekly favourites. These game shows required some knowledge and skill from the contestants but were also largely about good fortune.
The answer is
One of today’s more popular genres of game shows is the quiz format seen with The Chase, Pointless and Only Connect. We have become a nation of quiz-obsessed folk and many of us have developed an insatiable desire to play along with a variety of different quiz formats.
While playing along at home is amusing, just a brave few would wish to put their reputation on the line by actually answering questions in front of a live audience, in an intimidating studio and with the knowledge that a befuddled answer could result in a lifetime of ridicule.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was the quiz format that grasped TV audiences as never before and is perhaps responsible for our continued obsession with quizzes. Unsurprisingly, the format proved equally successful in innumerable other countries and has also spread to other media with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? casino games, board games and the critically and commercially successful film Slumdog Millionaire.
Action
The before mentioned Come Dine With Me falls somewhere between the activity-based and reality genre of game shows and each of these has high stakes for the valiant contestants.
The popular Total Wipeout was very difficult to participate in without looking a fool and the show’s potential for injury appears to be the reason it’s no longer on our screens. Ninja Warrior UK was of a similar theme, but the reason for its cancellation has never truly been revealed. Other less strenuous activity-based game shows include the short-lived Hole in the Wall and the action-packed The Crystal Maze, which can now be played with friends as The Crystal Maze Live Experience venus are located in Manchester and London.
The Apprentice has some oddballs but is up there with Come Dine With Me as being the best game shows with a slice of reality thrown in. Generally, the reality genre of game shows tend to favour celebrities rather than the general public, with Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! prime examples of the big hitters.
Some great shows revisited and while they might not reach the number of episodes seen by Come Dine With Me, there are quality moments of truly British television from each of them.
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