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| Gameshow Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Ant & Dec Vernon Kay |
| Narrated by | Peter Dickson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 15 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60–90 minutes |
| Production companies | Granada andThames (series 1) ITV Productions andTalkback Thames (series 2) |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 17 September 2005 (2005-09-17) – 26 May 2007 (2007-05-26) |
| Related | |
| Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow | |
Gameshow Marathon is a British game show, broadcast onITV from 17 September 2005 to 26 May 2007. After a quick retrospective look at the history of the particular show, the show itself is recreated. This involves recreating the original set and using original opening programme titles, including the appropriate producerident (excludingBlankety Blank). All participants are celebrities, and any prizes won go into a "Viewer Prize Mountain" which is awarded to a viewer via a phone-in competition.[1][2]
Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon is a seven-episode special event aired in 2005 on Britain'sITV Network, as part of a celebration ofITV's 50th anniversary. In it, hostsAnt & Dec presided over recreations of seven classic game shows that had been seen on the network. Six celebrity contestants competed in a series-long tournament, receiving a donation to their favourite charity for their participation. In addition, home viewers were given the opportunity to win the cash and prizes each episode's winning contestant "won" via telephone.
The programme was co-produced byGranada Productions/ITV Productions andThames Television/Talkback Thames.[3]
The shows recreated were:
| Show | 50 Years aired on ITV | Original producer(s) | Date ofGameshow Marathon appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Price Is Right | 1984–1988, 1995–2001 | Central, Talbot Television, Fremantle,Grundy,Yorkshire | 17 September 2005 |
| Take Your Pick! | 1955–1968, 1992–1998 | Associated-Rediffusion,Thames, Central | 24 September 2005 |
| The Golden Shot | 1967–1975 | ATV | 1 October 2005 |
| Sale of the Century | 1972–1983, 1997–1998 | Anglia, Grundy | 8 October 2005 |
| Play Your Cards Right | 1980–1987, 1994–1999, 2002–2003 | LWT, Talbot Television, Fremantle, Grundy, Thames | 15 October 2005 |
| Bullseye | 1981–1995, 2024 | ATV,Central | 22 October 2005 |
| Family Fortunes | 1980–1985, 1987–2002, 2020–present | ATV,Central,Carlton | 29 October 2005 |
The celebrity contestants in series 1 were:
The series was run as a three-round tournament. In the first round, each show was played by every contestant who had not already won a show. The four winners from the first round then competed insingle-elimination format.
Carol Vorderman was the eventual winner of the series.The Golden Shot was broadcast live like the original show, andSale of the Century with organist Keith Beckingham and had a dedication at the end to comedianRonnie Barker, who had died five days earlier.
Following the series, several of the shows were revived;Bullseye returned on the game show channelChallenge, followed byThe Price Is Right andFamily Fortunes (in a celebrity format) on ITV, the latter hosted by one of theGameshow Marathon celebrities,Vernon Kay. (Ironically, on Kay'sFamily Fortunes, the Vorderman family would play the game again. They did not win on their second attempt, however.) However,Family Fortunes was brought back again in 2020 presented byGino D'Acampo.
Les Dennis presented the prizes each week to the winners of the home viewer competition.
| Round | Show | Winner | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | The Price Is Right | Carol Vorderman | No eliminations |
| Take Your Pick! | Patsy Kensit | ||
| The Golden Shot | William Roache | ||
| Sale of the Century | Vernon Kay | Eamonn Holmes, Ruby Wax | |
| Semi-finals | Play Your Cards Right | Carol Vorderman | Patsy Kensit |
| Bullseye | Vernon Kay | William Roache | |
| Final | Family Fortunes | Carol Vorderman | Vernon Kay (runner-up) |
Gameshow Marathon was presented by series 1 runner-upVernon Kay. The programme aired every Saturday night on ITV from 7 April to 26 May 2007.[4]
The shows that were played were:
| Show | Years aired on ITV | Original producer(s) | Date ofGameshow Marathon appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Price Is Right | 1984–1988, 1995–2001, 2006–2007 | Central, Talbot Television, Fremantle,Grundy,Yorkshire,Talkback Thames | 7 April 2007 |
| Blockbusters | 1983–1993 | Central, Talbot Television | 14 April 2007 |
| Blankety Blank | 2001–2002 | Grundy, Thames* | 21 April 2007 |
| The Golden Shot | 1967–1975 | ATV | 28 April 2007 |
| Name That Tune | 1983–1987 | Thames | 5 May 2007 |
| Mr. & Mrs. | 1964–1988, 1999 | TWW,HTV, ATV,Border, Action Time,Carlton | 12 May 2007 |
| Bullseye | 1981–1995 | ATV,Central | 19 May 2007 |
| Play Your Cards Right | 1980–1987, 1994–1999, 2002–2003 | LWT, Talbot Television, Fremantle, Grundy, Thames | 26 May 2007 |
* Was previously shown onBBC One, from 1979 to 1990 and 1997 to 1999.
Bold type indicates the pre-programme ident used.
The celebrities competing in series 2 were:
There was a slight change to the format for this series. As before, each show in the first round was played by those celebrities who have not already won a show. However, the remaining rounds were each a single show played by all celebrities still in the tournament: five in the quarter-final, three in the semi-final and two in the final.
The celebrity panellists forBlankety Blank wereAndrew Castle,Fern Britton,Joe Pasquale,Holly Willoughby,Vic Reeves, andLorraine Chase akaSteph Stokes.
The special guests onThe Golden Shot wereJo Brand andJim Bowen.
The celebrity conductor onName That Tune wasNoddy Holder. The celebrity instrument players wereAntony Cotton akaSean Tully on the tubular bells,Carley Stenson on the recorder,Adele Silva akaKelly Windsor on the xylophone andKelvin Fletcher akaAndy Sugden on the swanee whistle. The celebrity pianist in the Bid-a-Note round wasMyleene Klass.
InMr. and Mrs., the celebrities invited their real-life partners to play along.
OnBullseye, the celebrities were paired up with professional dart players. Andrea was paired withMartin Adams, Graeme was paired withPhil Taylor and Michael was paired withRaymond van Barneveld.Tony Green reprised his role as the scorer.
OnPlay Your Cards Right, each celebrity invited another celebrity to play with them. Graeme played withKyran Bracken and Michael played withKym Ryder.
On theBlankety Blank andMr and Mrs editions, the more recent revivals of both series were not mentioned on Gameshow Marathon, due toBlankety Blank having been presented byPaul O'Grady (no footage of him), who was then in a legal dispute with ITV.
Following the series, three of the shows were revived;Mr. and Mrs. (in acelebrity format) on ITV in 2008,Blockbusters onChallenge in 2012 for one series and then onComedy Central in 2019, andBlankety Blank revived as a Christmas special onITV in 2016 withDavid Walliams, and then from in 2020 onBBC One as a Christmas special and subsequent series, hosted byBradley Walsh .
Lionel Blair presented the prizes each week to the winners of the home viewer competition.
| Round | Show | Winner | Eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | The Price Is Right | Graeme Le Saux | No eliminations |
| Blockbusters | Ben Shephard | ||
| Blankety Blank | Michael Le Vell | ||
| The Golden Shot | Andrea Catherwood | ||
| Name That Tune | Jamelia | Wendy Richard | |
| Quarter-final | Mr. and Mrs. | Andrea Catherwood Michael Le Vell Graeme Le Saux | Jamelia Ben Shephard |
| Semi-final | Bullseye | Graeme Le Saux Michael Le Vell | Andrea Catherwood |
| Final | Play Your Cards Right | Michael Le Vell | Graeme Le Saux (runner-up) |
In Mexico, it also has its own version ofGameshow Marathon as well, as part ofTeleton's charity funds for 2007.Marco Antonio Regil hosts the marathon, which includes its versions ofThe Price Is Right (Atínale al Precio) andFamily Fortunes (100 Mexicanos Dijeron). The show was aired onTelevisa.
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