From consistent bumper ratings & simple nostalgia to no sex or scandal – why ITV’s 24/7 quiz channel is a no brainer
YOUR starter for ten: Why has a major broadcaster decided to dedicate an entire TV channel to game shows?
Answer: Because it’s a no-brainer, of course.
This week saw the announcement of ITV Quiz, where game shows will air 24/7.
From June, all our favourites — including The Chase, Tipping Point, The 1% Club and Jeremy Clarkson’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? — will feature alongside a whole host of other puzzlers.
The news had some scratching their heads, but to me it makes perfect sense, because Britain’s love for game shows is unwavering.
Let’s look at the ratings.
Game shows consistently dominate the daily top ten, with long-running format The Chase, hosted by Bradley Walsh, regularly reaching 3million viewers and often second only to Coronation Street on weekdays.
On Saturdays, ITV newcomer The 1% Club averaged 5.4million under Lee Mack last series.
Compare that to big-budget shows like Gladiators, which managed to lure in 3.5million for its grand final last weekend, and Love Island, which was chuffed to nudge 2million last summer by recruiting reality star Joey Essex.
Quizzes get the kind of numbers big bosses in the boardroom dream of — and with relatively little effort.
A TV insider said: “Britain’s love for a quiz show endures, so creating a dedicated channel for ITV’s original programmes makes sense.
“More and more they are bringing in the biggest audiences.
“And game shows are also very cheap to make, with numerous episodes usually filmed in one chunk.
“They also bring with them relatively little scandal, or complaints, so are low-maintenance and only bring good things to the table.”
More evidence of their appeal lies in the endless regeneration of old favourites and the constant stream of new formats.
In recent years we’ve seen Deal Or No Deal, Wheel Of Fortune and Blankety Blank return.
Stephen Mulhern’s revival of Noel Edmonds’ box-opening Deal Or No Deal for ITV regularly gets 2.5million viewers since its launch in 2023, with two new series on the way.
Long-running classic Blankety Blank is going great guns under Bradley Walsh since its revival in 2022.
And there is a simple reason why old formats continue to do well even with new generations.
A source involved in commissioning said: “Game shows don’t need to be modern or trendy or technologically advanced to be successful.
“One of the biggest recent impacts has come from The 1% Club which, at its heart, is just a series of questions.
“It’s meant a solid format stands the test of time and what worked back in the 1970s, like Blankety Blank, still works today.
“There’s that simple nostalgia to it as well — folk remember watching with their parents when they were younger and can now watch with their kids today.
‘Simple nostalgia’
“It’s family telly at its finest, with everyone playing along at home. And there’s no conflict or aggression or sex to worry about, either.”
Perhaps the surest sign the genre has become the backbone of TV comes from the heavyweight talent now happy to pull on a sparkly jacket and play host.
Once associated with washed-up celebs desperate for a pay cheque, game shows now attract a galaxy of stars keen to land their own quiz.
Award-winning actor David Tennant is taking the reins of ITV’s The Genius Game and will act as The Creator who guides players as they navigate mind-bending challenges.
Its highbrow line-up also features a crime writer, forensic scientist, PhD student and two doctors — so should make for an intriguing addition.
Amanda Holden will have a 360 moment when she kicks off BBC newbie The Inner Circle soon.
In her early days, she appeared as a contestant on Wheel Of Fortune, but now she will be in charge as contestants use general knowledge and strategic thinking in a new game based on trust.
Dermot O’Leary is about to begin his quiz career, too, after years on daytime TV and The X Factor.
His new show, Silence Is Golden on U+Dave, will see contestants try to win a share of £250,000 by remaining silent while comedians attempt to make them laugh. Graham Norton is another huge name who is heading into the game show genre.
The Bafta-winner’s effort for ITV is called The Neighbourhood and is a street-sized challenge where households take on epic challenges, with a side order of domestic drama to add a reality TV flavour.
Stephen Fry, another lofty name, has already found his groove with his version of American hit Jeopardy!
ITV has got an ambitious project for Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins called Win Win, where viewers play along at home to win the same prizes as those in the studio.
And Ant and Dec’s Limitless Win has become a favourite on the channel too.
Other programmes lined up for ITV Quiz include Catchphrase, Lingo, Tenable, Beat The Chasers and Tipping Point.
But the real stars of these shows are often the folk who are brave enough to put their own knowledge to the test.
I’ve tried my hand at a fair few of TV’s biggest quizzes as part of my role here at The Sun, and I doff my cap to the courageous contestants.
I played Deal Or No Deal and fell into the trap of taking family members’ birth dates as inspiration for my box picks.
Unlike a quiz, where you fail or succeed based on your knowledge, success at Deal Or No Deal largely relies on luck — and luck was not on my side, with the banker offering me a pitiful £4,000, leaving me to crash out.
That was bad enough, but imagine all that in front of a studio audience or, gasp, millions watching at home.
The shame would have been even greater if the audience had watched my effort on Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel.
I played with a group of journalists and was handed the expert category of “fashion”, but I was far from expert when I was unable to name a certain designer.
The tension, the terror, the highs and lows for the contestants only make for better viewing for us at home, which means every episode has a brand new storyline to hook us.
There’s no doubt ITV Quiz will garner a steady stream of game show superfans when it launches in June.
The only real question is why it has taken this long.