Hole in the Wall (UK game show)

Hole in the Wall
Genre	Game show
Developed by	TalkbackTHAMES Scotland
Written by	Ivor Baddiel Adam Bostock-Smith Les Keen Steve Parry
Directed by	Jonathan Bullen
Presented by	Dale Winton (Series 1) Anton du Beke (Series 2)
Starring	Anton du Beke (Series 1) Darren Gough (Series 1) Austin Healey (Series 2) Joe Swash (Series 2)
Voices of	Jonathan Pearce (Replay) Peter Dickson (Intro)
Theme music composer	Simon Darlow
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	21 + 1 unbroadcast episode (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	BBC Scotland
Location(s)	BBC Television Centre, London (Series 1) BBC Pacific Quay, Glasgow (Series 2)
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Picture format	576i 1080i (Series 2)
First shown in	Japan as Brain Wall
Original run	20 September 2008 (2008-09-20) – 12 December 2009 (2009-12-12)
External links
Website

Hole in the Wall was a game show that airs on BBC One in the United Kingdom. This game is an adaptation of the Japanese game Brain Wall (also known as "Human Tetris") in which players must contort themselves to fit through cutout holes of varying shapes in a large polystyrene wall moving towards them as they stand in front of a swimming pool. Each week, two teams of television personalities compete for £10,000 in prize money to be donated to their chosen charity.

Dale Winton served as the original host while Strictly Come Dancing ballroom dancer Anton du Beke and former international cricketer Darren Gough were the team captains for the first series. Additionally, Jonathan Pearce comments on the replays and Peter Dickson provides the opening voice-over. The wall is activated by the presenter shouting, Bring on the wall!

On 3 July 2008, the BBC announced that the show had been commissioned for BBC One. A second series was confirmed, with Anton du Beke giving up his captain role to take over from Dale Winton as host, and new team captains in the shape of former rugby player Austin Healey and actor Joe Swash. Anton Du Beke has announced he may be a guest as well as hosting on the last show of the series. BBC announced that the show would not return for the third series in 2010 due to budget cuts.

Format

The game is split into four rounds as well as the final "Great Wall".

The first round is "Solo Wall" which sees each team's guest players take a turn to face a wall just on their own. For each wall, 10 points is given to the player for a pass while a fail can be given up to 5 points depending on the host's whim.

Next is the "Captain's Challenge" or "Captain's Mate" which can be one of a number of games:

• Doubles - The captain and a chosen team mate of his choosing (usually the one they are encouraged to do so by the studio audience) both attempt a wall. A maximum of 20 points is on offer.
• Props - The captain must complete the wall with a prop. This round made its first appearance when Anton Du Beke successfully cleared a wall on a space hopper.
• Mirror Wall - The captain must attempt a wall backwards (facing the swimming pool) leaving his two team-mates communicate to him about the shape he needs to make.
• Blind Wall - The captain is blindfolded and his team members have to instruct to him the shape he needs to make.

The third round is "Mystery Guest or Killer Question", the team leading being offered the choice which game they wish to play and the currently losing team playing the other challenge . A maximum of 20 points is on offer.

• Killer Question - Two players face a wall without cut-outs with a question written at the top and two answers marked as doors. The "door" with the correct answer on it is perforated on the reverse side and so gives way. The players must pass through the correct door.
• Mystery Guest - One of the team attempts a wall with a mystery guest (or several).

The fourth round is the "Team Wall". All three players face the wall with a maximum of 30 points on offer.

The programme's finale is the "Mega Wall". The leading team gets to choose to attempt the wall or nominate the opposition. All three players on the team attempt the wall, which travels at double speed - if they clear the wall they win the show (and the £10,000 to donate to a charity of their choice), while if they fail the opposing team wins.

Hole in the wall uses a specialised crane made by Street Crane Company of Chapel-en-le-Frith to move the wall.

Series 2 changes

Series 2, which started on 26 September 2009, contains all new challenges. Solo Wall returns with the Captain's Challenge changing its name to Captain's Mate, as now the captains have to be blindfolded. The Mystery Guest section was eliminated (although it has made appearances in Anton's Twist). Killer Question is now named Wonder Wall, and a new challenge named Anton's Twist débuts. Team Wall also returns, while the Mega Wall has been renamed the Great Wall.

There has also been a third series, where celebrity contestants try and fit through different shaped holes in moving walls, also presented by Anton Du beke. With a host of esteemed celebrities and a few d-listers including Ben Clarke, who infamously "claimed" he went to Sandhurst in the Apprentice.

Hosts

Years	Host	Series
2009	Anton Du Beke	Series 2
2008	Dale Winton	Series 1

Captains

Years	Captain	Team	Series
2009	Joe Swash	Red Team	Series 2
2009	Austin Healey	Blue Team	Series 2
2008	Anton Du Beke	Red Team	Series 1
2008	Darren Gough	Blue Team	Series 1

Production

Series 1 was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London, with series 2 seeing the show relocating to BBC Pacific Quay in Glasgow as part of an out-of-London production plan. For series 2, the show will also be shot in high-definition.

Episode guide

     -- Won by red team (Anton Du Beke / Joe Swash)

     -- Won by blue team (Darren Gough / Austin Healey)

Series 1

Episode	Original airdate	Anton's team	Mystery guest(s)	Points	Darren's team	Mystery guest(s)	Points	Mega wall
1	20 September 2008	Dave Myers Zöe Salmon	-	49	Andi Peters Sherrie Hewson	Dancing Dollies	39	Anton's team pass
2	27 September 2008	Vic Reeves Vanessa Feltz	The Cheeky Girls	27	Nancy Sorrell DJ Spoony	-	22	Darren's team fail
3	4 October 2008	Phil Tufnell Nell McAndrew	Glenn Ross	43	Iwan Thomas Josie D'Arby	-	42	Anton's team fail
4	11 October 2008	Amy Lamé Sam Nixon	Nouska Hanly	40	Siân Lloyd Mark Rhodes	-	43	Anton's team pass
5	18 October 2008	Marcus Brigstocke Sarah Cawood	Neil Fingleton	36	Bobby Davro Michelle Heaton*	-	43	Darren's team pass
6	25 October 2008	Vanessa Feltz Joe Swash	-	39	Alex Wotherspoon Angellica Bell	Pat Warner	62	Anton's team fail
7	1 November 2008	Phil Tufnell Nancy Lam	-	49	Carrie Grant Tony Marshall	Brian Big	54	Anton's team pass
8	8 November 2008	Christine Hamilton Martin Offiah	-	47	Neil Hamilton Lady Isabella Hervey	Ross Brewer	37	Anton's team pass
9	15 November 2008	Jennie Bond Rav Wilding	-	32	David Spinx Emma Rigby	-	33	Darren's team pass
10	22 November 2008	Ninia Benjamin Dominic Littlewood	-	39×	Cleo Rocos Scott Mills	London Wasps Women's Rugby Team	38	Anton's team fail
11	20 December 2008	Best of Series 1 Retrospective

• In episode 5, Michelle Heaton managed to remain dry by not failing a task but this resulted in fellow team mates Darren Gough and Bobby Davro pushing her into the water.

× In episode 10, Anton's team were deducted two points for cheating (shouting an incorrect call) during Darren's Captains Challenge (Darren being blind folded).

Series 2

This series started on 26 September 2009, presented by Anton du Beke.

Episode	Original airdate	Joe's team	Points	Mystery guest(s)	Austin's team	Points	Mystery guest(s)	Great wall
1	26 September 2009	Comedy Dave Anne Diamond	35	-	Sophie Anderton John Altman	50	-	Austin's team fail
2	3 October 2009	Kristian Digby Alison Hammond	65	-	Graham Cole Gemma Merna	27	-	Austin's team fail
3	10 October 2009	Lil' Chris Kelly Dalglish	27	-	Matthew Chambers Gemma Bissix	44	-	Austin's team pass
4	24 October 2009	Ian 'H' Watkins Linda Lusardi	80*	-	Ricky Groves Abi Titmuss	65	-	Joe's team fail
5	31 October 2009	Rufus Hound Ninia Benjamin	48	-	Dennis Taylor Jessica Taylor	82	-	Joe's team fail
7×	14 November 2009	Annabel Croft Sam Nixon	70	-	Beth Tweddle Mark Rhodes	69**	Erin Boag	Joe's team fail
8	21 November 2009	Kate Lawler Jonathan Ansell	45	-	John Partridge Siân Reeves	85***	-	Austin's team fail
9	28 November 2009	Zaraah Abrahams Simon Rimmer	45	Joe's mum	Toyah Willcox Barney Harwood	77	-	Austin's team pass
10	5 December 2009	Martin Roberts Verity Rushworth	39	-	Ben Clarke Caprice	85	-	Austin's team fail
11	12 December 2009	Best of Series 2 Retrospective

* In episode 4, Joe's team were deducted ten points because Joe attempted to push Ricky Groves into the water as Ricky was struggling to stay on his feet after going through Team Wall.

** In episode 7, Austin bounced a ball on Anton's head, and then he admitted it was meant to bounce on Joe's head, which because of that, 1 point was deducted.

*** In episode 8, Austin's team were deducted 10 points because Austin pushed Jonathan into the pool when he was helping Kate and Joe go through Wonder Wall.

× For reasons unknown, Episode 6 was not broadcast. It is not known if or when this episode will ever be shown. It was to involve Danielle Lloyd and Mark Foster playing for Joe and Debbie McGee and Ben James-Ellis playing for Austin.

Syndication

• - The show began showing from episode 1, series 1 in the Republic of Ireland on 20 June 2009 on TV3.

External links

• Hole in the Wall at BBC Programmes
• Hole in the Wall at TV.com
• Hole in the Wall at UKGameshows.com
• Hole in the Wall at the Internet Movie Database
• Review, Leicester Mercury