Catchphrase (British game show)

Catchphrase
File:Catchphrase 2013 new host and set.jpg
Created by	Stephen Radosh
Presented by	Roy Walker (1986–99) Nick Weir (2000–02) Mark Curry (2002) Stephen Mulhern (2013–)
Narrated by	Andrew Lodge (1986) Nick Jackson (1987–94) Ted Robbins (1994–96, 1998) Charles Foster (1996) Robin Kermode (1998–99) Chris Jarvis (2000–02) Peter Dickson (2002) Roy Walker (2013–)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	19
No. of episodes	360 (inc. 4 Celebrity specials and 1 family special)
Production
Running time	30mins (1986–2002) 45mins (2013–)
Production companies	TVS (1986–92) Meridian (1993–94) Carlton (1994–2002) STV Productions (2013–)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	Original series: 12 January 1986 (1986-01-12) – 19 December 2002 Revived series: 7 April 2013 (2013-04-07) – present
Related
Family Catchphrase

File:Catchphrase1985.JPG

The 1986–1994 logo.

Catchphrase is a British game show based on the short-lived U.S. game show of the same name. It ran on ITV in the United Kingdom between 12 January 1986 and 19 December 2002, originally hosted by Northern Irish comedian Roy Walker; followed by Nick Weir and lastly, Mark Curry. In August 2012, it was announced that Stephen Mulhern is to host a revived version of the show beginning on 7 April 2013.

Two contestants, one male and the other female, would have to identify the familiar phrase represented by a piece of animation accompanied by background music. The shows mascot, a golden robot called "Mr. Chips", appeared in many of the animations.

Format

Main Game

In the main game, at the start of each standard round, one contestant stopped a randomiser consisting of money amounts by hitting his/her button. The value landed on would be the amount for the normal catchphrases in that round. In the Celebrity Specials, no money randomiser was featured. In the Nick Weir series, there was no money randomiser: the cash prize was set as default to £100 in Round 1 and £150 in Round 2. In Weir's third and final series, however, in Round 2, the amount for a normal Catchphrase was doubled to £200 and for the final series with Mark Curry, it was 200 points. Also from series 12-15, one contestant stopped a randomiser consisting of holiday destinations, this would be played for the Super Catchphrase. In series 16 and 17, contestants could choose anywhere they want to go in the world.

Normal Catchphrase

For the first round, the computer would slowly draw a catchphrase on the screen accompanied by background music. When most of the catchphrase had been revealed, a bell would sound and the contestants could then buzz in and try to guess the answer. If the player that buzzed in guessed incorrectly, the other player would be offered the chance to guess. If a player guessed correctly, he/she would win the predetermined amount and then have a chance to solve the Bonus Catchphrase. When Nick Weir took over as host in 2000, not only would contestants win the money allocated but they would also win spot prizes if a sound was played after the contestant guessed a catchphrase correctly. During the later Mark Curry series, this new feature was changed, with the (now different) sound to indicate a spot prize could be won being played before the catchphrase was shown. If one player got a normal catchphrase wrong and the other player incorrectly guesses the same catchphrase, the game would just continue with neither player getting the predetermined amount of money or a chance at solving the bonus catchphrase. There was no bell used for the first round of catchphrases for the Weir/Curry era. For the 2002 series, (which was the final series before the show was originally taken off air due to low ratings), Round 2 started contestants could choose a holiday anywhere in Europe.

Bonus Catchphrase

A correct answer won the contestant the predetermined money amount, plus a chance to solve the Bonus Catchphrase, which was hidden behind nine squares with the shows logo on each (or random shapes in the Nick Weir/Mark Curry era). The contestant chose a square by hitting his/her buzzer to stop a randomiser on one of them. That square was then removed, and the contestant had five seconds to come up with an answer. If they were right, they won the amount of money in the Bonus Bank. If not, another normal catchphrase was played.

In series 1, the Bonus Bank would start at £100 and increase by £100 each round. From series 2 until series 9, it would start at £50 and increase by £50 each round. In series 10 (the first Carlton series), it would start at £150 and increase by £50 each round, but £10 would be deducted for each square removed. From series 11 until series 16, it would start at £200 and increase by £50 each round, again with £10 deducted for each square removed but in series 17 (Nick Weir's third and final series), in the first half of the game, the Bonus Bank still started at £200 and would increase by £200 in round 2. In round 1, it would still eliminate £10 for every random shape removed and in round 2, it would eliminate £20. In the second half, it would start at £1,000 and increase by £1,000 in round 4. In round 3, it would reduce by £100 and in round 4, it would reduce by £200. For the final series (with Mark Curry), the pound values were replaced with corresponding point values.

If the Bonus Catchphrase was not solved after all nine squares had been removed, normal catchphrases would be played without the bell, the first contestant to buzz in and answer correctly winning the amount of money remaining in the Bonus Bank.

Depending on how long it took to solve the bonus catchphrase, another game would be played with a higher possible amount in the randomiser and a larger amount in the Bonus Bank.

Ready Money Round/Cash Countdown/Catchphrase Countdown

From series 2, (the Roy Walker era) a new featured which was not seen in the US version, the Ready Money Round, was introduced, which followed a similar structure to a standard round except that all normal catchphrases were worth a fixed amount of money (originally £50) and there was no bell, so the contestants could buzz in and answer them whenever they wished and as many times until the puzzle is solved or time runs out. In the TVS/Meridian series, this round was played only once (normally after the commercial break, but sometimes before-hand), subsequent rounds being played as standard with the bell and money randomiser. In the Carlton series from 1994 to 1999, however, all of the rounds in part two (up until the end of game klaxon) were Ready Money Rounds. Between 7 March 1996 and 27 December 1996, the amount for a normal catchphrase increased to £100. Between 3 January 1998 and 23 October 1999, it increased to £125 however if there was still time for another round, it would increase to £150. If the end of game klaxon sounds and the Bonus Catchphrase had yet to be solved, the panels would be gradually removed until a player buzzed in with an answer. If neither player guessed correctly, a normal catchphrase would determine who won the Bonus Bank money.

In 2000, when Nick Weir took over as host, this round was replaced by the Cash Countdown, in which the amount for each normal catchphrase started at £250 (later £500) before quickly counting down towards zero. The quicker the contestants could answer, the more money they would win, when 20 seconds are up its worth nothing and the game resumes with more Cash Countdowns. This round was retained in the Mark Curry series, but renamed the Catchphrase Countdown due to the show having abandoned pounds in favour of points.

The player with the most money won the game and played the Super Catchphrase. Both players kept their money. In one episode of Weir's second series, a contestant won £4,234 and the opponent in that episode won £1,087. In the Curry series, the player with the most points won £250 but the player who didn't win was given a consolation prize.

Super Catchphrase

In the Super Catchphrase, the winning contestant faced a 5x5 board of 25 squares, each marked with a letter from A to Y in ascending order. The contestant chose a square and attempted to solve a catchphrase behind it. During the Roy Walker era, the aim was to get five squares in 60 seconds.

In the TVS/Meridian years, if the contestant got five squares in such a way that they made a row or column (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) on the board, they would win a prize such as a TV or a microwave oven. However, if they could make a row, column or diagonal through the central "M" square (which Walker often claimed was the most difficult), they would win a holiday somewhere in the world. If they ran out of time, they won a smaller prize (such as a camera or a food processor) for each correct square. In series 1, if the contestant failed to make a column, row or diagonal through the M Square they win £25 for each correct square.

When Carlton picked up the show in 1994, the top prize remained a holiday, but the lesser prizes were replaced by cash. Each correct square was worth £50, while any five at random that did not make a row, column or diagonal through the "M" square earned a bonus £50. In early 1998, the amount for a correct square was doubled to £100 and the bonus was also doubled to £100. In late 1998, the bonus was worth £500.

When Nick Weir took over as host in 2000, the format of the Super Catchphrase changed considerably. Now, in a similar fashion as on Blockbusters, the contestant had to make their way from the left-hand side of the board to the right (in a horizontal line), making adjoining moves and passing on a square meant that they would be blocked and would have to find an alternative path. This format was also used in the Mark Curry series. As before, the top prize was a holiday, but during the Curry series this would be one somewhere in Europe. Plus, each square was worth £100 if the contestant was not successful in getting all the way across the board.

If the contestant won the Super Catchphrase, not only did they win a holiday but they also got the total of their prize winnings (from series 10 til 17). In series 10 and 11, the contestant was given an extra £1,000 to spend, in series 12, it was £2,000, in series 13, 14 and 15, it was £3,000 in cash. If the contestant failed to win the Super Catchphrase, the money that the squares were worth was added to the contestant's money he/she won in the main game. During series 18, Mark Curry the contestant also won £250 for making it across the screen as well as making it to the Super Catchphrase, so the contestant was given in total £1,000 as spending money.

Production History

Catchphrase was originally made by TVS in association with Action Time at their Northam studios in Southampton from 1986 to mid-spring 1988. The show was subsequently moved to their Maidstone facility, now known as The Maidstone Studios in Kent in late 1988. In 1994, the format was picked up by Carlton Television and fully produced by Action Time Productions, In 1996, the show moved to Carlton's (formerly Central Independent Television) Studios in Lenton Lane, Nottingham.

Roy Walker left the show in 1999 and was replaced by Nick Weir in January 2000, whose first moments as host saw him tripping on the stairs; the next moments were from when the taping resumed some time later, with Weir using a cast and crutches. After three seasons and three years of presenting, Weir was dismissed due to unpopularity and was replaced by ex-Blue Peter presenter Mark Curry. This was a move from weekly nighttime to a daytime series.

Catchphrase ended on 19 December 2002 after nearly 17 years (one series with Curry) due to declining ratings, and many viewers felt that Walker's departure had seen the quality of the show suffer. In 2003 and 2004, ITV aired some Weir episodes recorded for his final series in late 2001, often on Sunday evenings or Bank Holiday Mondays; this was followed by a Curry episode in early 2005. In Summer 2006, Challenge began showing Weir's first two series but its return is yet to be announced.

2013 Revival

There had been talk that ITV would bring back the show in late 2012. The successful pilot was made by STV Productions on 27 August 2012 at The London Studios. According to Broadcast, the original format will remain, although the show will be updated with new 3D graphics and a new concluding game.

On 9 October 2012, ITV announced that it had ordered a full series, with Stephen Mulhern as presenter. The series will contain nine episodes, each of 45 minutes in length, 3 contestants instead of the 2, and will begin airing from Sunday 7 April 2013 at 6.45pm on ITV.

Episode	Original Air Date	Contestant		Prize Money	Viewers (millions)	ITV Weekly Rank
1	7 April 2013		Hazel	£	TBC	TBC
			James	£
			Sophia	£
2	14 April 2013		Joe	£	TBC	TBC
			Debbie	£
			Ian	£

Transmissions

Original Series

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	12 January 1986	18 May 1986	19
2	4 January 1987	17 May 1987	20
3	9 January 1988	14 May 1988	18
4	8 January 1989	26 March 1989	12
5	2 September 1989	10 February 1990	23
6	1 September 1990	2 March 1991	24
7	19 October 1991	14 December 1991	9
8	27 June 1992	24 October 1992	18
9	28 August 1993	5 March 1994	26
10	30 September 1994	3 February 1995	15
11	2 March 1996	27 April 1996	9
12	27 September 1996	27 December 1996	14
13	3 January 1998	23 May 1998	19
14	24 November 1998	23 October 1999	16
15	7 January 2000	18 August 2000	26
16	13 January 2001	19 May 2001	16
17	4 January 2002	19 March 2002	24
18	24 June 2002	19 December 2002	52
19	7 April 2013	2 June 2013	9

Celebrity Specials

Date	Celebrities featured:
2 April 1988	Matthew Kelly, Jessica Martin Bob Holness, Debbie Greenwood
31 December 1988	Chris Tarrant, Maggie Moone Lionel Blair, Anita Harris
23 December 1989	Su Pollard, Ruth Madoc, Paul Shane Jeffrey Holland, Debbie Rix, Nick Owen Christopher Biggins, Steve Nallon
5 January 1991	Tessa Sanderson, Barry McGuigan Wayne Dobson, Linda Lusardi June Brown, Peter Dean Pamela Power, Kenneth Waller
2013	Rosemary Shrager, Kym Lomas and Steve Pemberton

Family Specials (Roy Walker era)

Date	Families featured:
1993	The Grant Family vs The Pepper Family

Car Park Catchphrase

In homage to the show, a popular radio spoof of Catchphrase, entitled Car Park Catchphrase was broadcast on The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 from January 2004 until December 2005. It returned to the airwaves on 8 January 2007. It was taken off the air again because of the phone-in competitions being suspended but later returned. The format in comparison to the TV show slightly changed and required callers to play from their cars and 'honk' their horns when they knew the catchphrase being described. Roy Walker himself records voice samples for the game.

Mr. Chips

The series' original mascot is a golden robot called "Mr. Chips". The figure often appeared in the animations for the catchphrases. Mr. Chips was originally depicted as being quite tall, but as the series progressed, he became a smaller figure. Variations of the mascot sometimes appeared in the animations, such Mr. Chips with a lemon for a head (for the catchphrase "Lemon Heads" on the episode broadcast 28 October 1994).

Along with Walker, the Mr. Chips character was not featured in the 2000 series. Instead, a family of a father, mother, son, and daughter, appeared. These characters were also featured in the opening sequence, showing the family trying to 'catch' the 'letters' of the phrase "Catchphrase", the family themselves as the letters of "Catch". This family were not as popular as Mr. Chips, but despite this, the family appeared until the series finished in 2002. Mr Chips appeared only at the end credits during this time, but he appeared in the catchphrases as well in the last series in 2002, using his 1998-1999 guise.

However, with the series returning in 2013 (following a 10 year hiatus), Mr Chips is once again the Mascot of Catchphrase.

Family Catchphrase (spin-off)

Main article: Family Catchphrase

Notable moments

"Snake Charmer"

One of the most famous moments of the show's history included a Ready Money bonus catchphrase where the answer to the puzzle was "snake charmer". However, the puzzle was revealed in such a way it appeared to show the partially revealed Mr Chips masturbating, which caused the audience, contestants and Roy Walker to laugh as the puzzle was revealed.