Aussie TV networks hit the jackpot with one type of show
These productions have proliferated as commercial channels have basically abandoned investment in drama and comedy. Game shows aren't as much of a gamble, and they don't cost as much to make, especially ones that have been developed and road-tested elsewhere. Most require only a single set, so there's no need for expensive location shooting or months of writers' rooms brainstorming. And multiple episodes can be shot in a day. Seasons can be as short or long as the networks require and the enterprise can be jazzed up with celebrities, like Tipping Point's tennis special before Wimbledon, or Sandra Sully dropping in to try her luck with the golden briefcases on Deal.
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In the current crop, there are some originals, such as Nine's The Hundred, developed by Screentime with host Andy Lee. In addition to Spicks and Specks, the bouncy music quiz hosted by Adam Hills and inspired by Britain's Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the ABC has had a hit with local creation Hard Quiz and recent success with
Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont Spelling Bee which was imported from New Zealand. (Yes, Montgomery started the show in his homeland so we can't really claim it as our own).
Both of these shows are built around refreshingly idiosyncratic presenters. On Hard Quiz, Gleeson plays the grumpy anti-host. He doesn't welcome contestants and chat to put them at ease. Instead, he pokes fun at them and their special subjects. But after 10 seasons played in a tone carefully calibrated never to cross the line between funny and nasty, its contestants front up knowing what they're in for and ready to give as good as they get. On Spelling Bee, Montgomery presents a nerdy persona slyly undercut by his witty scripts and lightning-fast ad-lib responses.
Along with a clever concept and challenges that encourage viewer engagement – such as yelling the answers from the couch – an appealing host is a fundamental requirement for a successful game show. Others currently in the mix offer different qualities, but they're more conventional: Corser comes across like a smoothly amused ringmaster; Jefferies plays a brash ocker bloke; Emdur's an amiable everyman; Hills, a twinkly-eyed pal. In keeping with Deal's tone of barely contained hysteria, Grant Denyer is like an excitable, battery-powered bunny, while Woodbridge has a peppy geniality that recalls the spirit of the country's game-show master, Tony Barber.
Given the value-for-money attributes of game shows, it's no surprise that SBS is poised to get back into the action with Big Backyard Quiz, an original format created by Screenwest and NITV which it tested with a special last year and has now green-lit for a series (premiering July 12). Hosted by Narelda Jacobs and Steven Oliver, the playful production is tailored to meet the broadcaster's brief, focusing on Australian history and aspects of it you might not have learned at school.
Within this group, though, and reflective of the straitened times for free TV, the prizes ain't what they used to be: no one's going home a millionaire. The grand prize on 1% Club and Deal is $100,000; on The Floor, the season winner pocketed $200,000; on Tipping Point, it's $20,000, unless the player can manoeuvre that elusive double-jackpot counter to drop. On the public broadcasters, there's no money to be won – though Hard Quiz' s big brass mug is clearly a cherished trophy.
But even though the monetary incentives have shrunk, the endurance of this type of TV clearly hasn't lost its appeal for TV networks or many viewers. And, especially as free-to-air fights for ongoing relevance, bragging rights have their value too.
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