Deal or No Deal (British game show): Difference between revisions

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/* 'Battle of the Sexes' *-corrected New York trip based on total given on show, and total by addign others up./
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{{Infobox British television|
| show_name = Deal or No Deal
| image = [[Image:DealUKLogo.jpg|200px]]
| size =
| caption = Deal or No Deal Logo
| format = [[Game show]]
| runtime = 45 minutes. Occasionally 60 minutes for prime time. (Including Advertisements)
| creator = [[Endemol]] UK/International
| presenter = [[Noel Edmonds]]
| country = {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
| channel = [[Channel 4]]
| first_aired = [[October 31]] [[2005]] — Present
| last_aired = (renewed until December 2007)
| num_episodes = 537 (<small>as of [[September 10]] [[2007]]</small>)
| producer = [[Endemol]] West (Oct 2005-Jul 2006) / ''Cheetah Television'' West (Jul 2006-present) (Series Producer [[Glenn Hugill]])
| related = ''[[Deal or No Deal]]''
}}

{{ otheruses4|the United Kingdom version of the game show|general format information|Deal or No Deal }}

'''''Deal or No Deal''''' is the [[United Kingdom]] version of the [[Endemol]] [[game show]], which began airing on [[Channel 4]] on [[October 31]], [[2005]]. It is presented by [[Noel Edmonds]] and normally airs from 4.15pm to 5.00pm on weekdays and early on Saturday evenings in a varying time slot, usually lasting 45 minutes and very occasionally an hour.

==Format==
''(For a more detailed description of the general format of the game, see [[Deal or No Deal]].)''

Contestants can win prizes ranging between 1p and £250,000 (very occasionally a top prize of £500,000 is offered).

The game is played using twenty-two identical sealed red boxes, each with an identifying number from 1 to 22 on the front. Inside each box is a label showing a different amount of prize money. All the boxes are sealed by an independent adjudicator; the value inside each box is not known to the presenter, the contestants, the Banker or the production team before the game.

The presenter, [[Noel Edmonds]], starts each show with the following words, which precede the opening titles:

<blockquote>
A quarter of a million pounds <br>
22 identical sealed boxes <br>
And no questions… except one – Deal or No Deal?
</blockquote>

This changed for the third series in [[August]] [[2007]] to
<blockquote>
22 Identical sealed boxes, <br>
in one of which is a quarter of a million pounds.<br>
Welcome to ''Deal or No Deal''.
</blockquote>

From the start of the third series Noel Edmonds would also include the date in the opening of each programme but since Richard and Judy concluded their series on 31st August 2007 the date has seemed to be edited out from the start. Maybe this was due to the fact that the programme was moved to 4:40pm for the three weeks before Paul O'Grady returned on 17th September 2007. The show will return to the 4:15pm slot on Monday 17th September 2007 and maybe the dates will be brought back.

At the start of each episode, one of the 22 contestants, each standing behind one of the red boxes is selected to be that episode's player. The selection appears to be random, though this is never stated and in fact selection is done by the production team <ref>http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/dealexplanation.htm</ref> (indeed, by 2007 it was being explicitly mentioned on the programme that contestant selection was non-random). In any case, the contestants themselves do not know who is to take the seat until it is revealed at the beginning of the show. They then take their box and walk to the centre of the set, taking their place at the main table, in what Noel often refers to as the "crazy chair". Once sat down the player introduces themselves, and after confirming that they selected their box at random, the game begins.

The player's box contains their (potential) prize. One at a time, the player chooses one of the 21 boxes remaining (other than their own) to be opened, eliminating the value inside it from the list of possible amounts in the player's box (displayed on a large screen opposite them). Clearly it is in the player's interest to uncover smaller amounts of money, hoping that their prize is a larger amount. Boxes are opened by the remaining 21 contestants; these contestants are also regularly spoken to by the host and offer support and advice to the player, though they play no active role in the game. These contestants, however, return for the following episode, along with a new contestant replacing the previous episode's player, so that all contestants eventually play the game, and the returning contestants build continuity between shows.

There are six rounds: in the opening round the player opens five boxes, then three in each subsequent round. After the required number of boxes have been opened in a round, the Banker (an unseen character who acts as the player's antagonist and whose money is notionally at stake in the game) offers to buy the player's box. The specific offer is made dependent on the remaining box values: if several larger amounts are gone, the offer is likely to be low, as the probability is higher that the player's box contains a small amount of money. Occasionally, the first offer (or on very rare occasions a later offer) has been replaced by an offer to the contestant to swap their box for one of the remaining unopened boxes. The Banker is never seen, relaying his offers to the presenter via telephone. The presenter tells the player the offer and asks the eponymous question. The player responds either "deal" or "no deal".

Responding "deal" means that the contestant agrees to sell the box for the amount of money offered, relinquishing the prize in their box. The game is now over, though play continues to show the hypothetical outcome had the player not dealt. Saying "no deal" means the player keeps their box, and proceeds to the next round, again hoping to reveal small amounts in the remaining boxes.

After six rounds, only two boxes remain. If the player rejects the final offer, they take the prize contained in their box (though often before the prize is revealed, the Banker offers the opportunity for the player to swap their box with the other remaining unopened box and take the prize contained in it instead).

==Box values==

These are the prizes contained in the 22 boxes on the programme (shown in a representation of the large display used opposite the player on the show, known as the 'game board' or simply 'the board':
<!-- Please don't add "PEANUTS" and £500,000 to the table. They were only there once or twice out of several hundred shows, and are mentioned in the text beneath the table anyway. -->
<center><div style="float:right; width:85%;">
<div style="float:left; width:55px;">

{|border=-2 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=1 width=50px|-
|bgcolor="#0000FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''1p'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0013FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''10p'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0026FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''50p'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0039FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£1'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#004DFF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£5'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0060FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£10'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0073FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£50'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0086FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£100'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#0099FF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£250'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#00ACFF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£500'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#00BFFF" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£750'''</span>
|}
</div>

{|border=-2 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=1 width=50px|-
|bgcolor="#FF8000" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£1,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF7300" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£3,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF6600" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£5,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF5900" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£10,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF4D00" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£15,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF4000" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£20,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF3300" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£35,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF2600" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£50,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF1A00" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£75,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF0D00" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£100,000'''</span>
|-
|bgcolor="#FF0000" align=center|<span style="color:#FFF;">'''£250,000'''</span>
|}
</div>
<br clear="all" /></center>

These have been the prizes offered in all but a few episodes of the show;
the prize 'PEANUTS' replaced the 1p as a joke in an episode during the [[Christmas]] [[2006]] period <ref>http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/dondstats2.htm</ref>(Edmonds often refers to games where only one large prize remains as being "all or peanuts"), and £500,000 was offered as the top prize in two shows over the same period (with the £15,000 removed). The £500,000 was similarly offered as the top prize on the 500th episode.

On the game board, the values in the left-hand column are displayed against a blue background, and those in the right-hand column against an orange-red background, and are frequently referred to by host and contestants alike as 'blues' and 'reds' respectively. Also, the highest five valued boxes are referred to as the 'Power Five', and the five boxes of lowest value are occasionally referred to as the 'Banker's Power Five'. Generally, removal of blues or "low reds" are applauded by the audience. The total of all the 22 sums of money is £565,666.61. With £15,000 removed and £500,000 added the total is £1,050,666.61.

==Special changes==

On occasion, certain cosmetic elements of the show have been altered to tie in with certain events such as [[Christmas]], [[Hallowe'en]], [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] and [[Eurovision Song Contest|The Eurovision Song Contest]]. Changes include different box colours (for example, the boxes were coloured green instead of red for an episode on [[St. Patrick's Day]] and were coloured yellow instead of red for [[Easter]] 2007, and gold for [[New Year's Eve]] and the 500th show), suitable music and sound effects, contestants and audience members dressing up festively and a change to the presenter's introduction at the beginning of the show.

===First Anniversary Special===
On [[October 29]] [[2006]] Deal or No Deal celebrated its first birthday, two days before the actual [[anniversary]] on the 31st. Two shows were broadcast, a normal episode at 5:55pm, and an hour-long anniversary special at 8pm. The special opened with [[Jon Culshaw]] impersonating Noel, as he had previously done in the [[BBC Two]] programme ''[[Dead Ringers (comedy)|Dead Ringers]]''.
[[Image:Noel Edmonds and Jon Culshaw.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Jon Culshaw (left) and Noel Edmonds (right)]]
Before any boxes were opened, The Banker called and said that he wanted to make sure that he had the right 'Noel' as Jon and Noel were almost identical with their matching outfits. The Banker also said that if the 1p was found in the first round then he would give £250 to each contestant and a bottle of [[Champagne (wine)|champagne]] to each member of the audience, as he had offered before in the 250th show. David Jones, the player, found the 1p in the second box.

At each break Culshaw did the voiceover for the viewer's competition along with [[Alex Lovell]]. The first and third breaks heard Culshaw's impersonations of [[George W. Bush]], with [[Ozzy Osbourne]] in the second. [[Glitter]] came down from the set to end the show.

In the game itself, the player David Jones was left with £10,000 and £250,000 on the game board in the closing stages. The Banker's final offer was £70,000 and Noel explained to David that the Banker was "testing his skill", as many would expect a higher offer in this position. David decided not to take the risk and dealt. In the event, his box contained £10,000.

===Christmas Specials 2006===

On [[December 25]] and [[December 26]] [[2006]], two hour-long special [[Christmas]] editions were broadcast in the evening, as well as the normal 45 minute shows in the afternoon.

During these Christmas specials, one of the boxes contained £500,000, with the £15,000 box being removed for this purpose, therefore doubling the value of the top prize. The two players selected for these shows were chosen by the contestants themselves in a vote; footage of the contestants finding out they would be playing for £500,000 was shown.

The Banker also promised that when the player was down to the last 4 boxes, he would make them an offer after each of the remaining boxes was opened.

For the episode in the afternoon of [[December 26]], the 1p box was removed and replaced with a box containing 'PEANUTS'. [[Peanuts]] were also the reward for people offering good advice. In this show, the Banker also offered items of food in addition to cash offers. Each offer that he gave to the players consisted of an amount of money and then a Christmas-related item of food, such as [[Satsuma]]s, a turkey sandwich and some stuffing.

In the episodes on the afternoon of December 25 and the evening of December 26, the Banker gave offers that included a choice of three gifts under the Christmas tree. In the first, the contestant won an extra £1,000 and a weekend for two in [[Paris]], (the other gift that was not won was a pair of the Banker's underpants). In the second, the contestant won an extra £10,000 and another two pairs of the banker's underpants.

===Comic Relief Special===
[[Image:Dealornodeal.png|thumb|right|150px|"Nan" talking to The Banker]]
During the [[BBC One]] [[Red Nose Day 2007]] event for [[Comic Relief]], ''[[The Catherine Tate Show]]'' did a spoof of ''Deal Or No Deal'' featuring [[Noel Edmonds]] and [[Catherine Tate]] as her character [[Joannie Taylor|Joannie "Nan" Taylor]]. In the [[sketch]], Nan played a game of ''Deal or No Deal'', in which she uncovered the five highest amounts in the first five boxes, blaming the players for picking such bad boxes. Being given an offer of £199 by the Banker, Nan accepted the offer happily, having already cheated and looked in her box (Box 1) and found it only to contain £50. This special was one of many Catherine Tate specials made for [[Comic Relief]]. The sketch was only a few minutes long but was visually almost identical to a normal episode of the show. While the five "contestants" who actually opened boxes were [[actors]] and [[actresses]], the remaining contestants who appeared in the sketch were the real contestants who were filming at the time, and appeared in episodes broadcast in April and May 2007.

===500th Show===
On [[June 29]] [[2007]], ''Deal or No Deal'' celebrated its 500th show. The audience was made up entirely of previous players. The top prize was raised to £500,000 as with the shows at [[Christmas]] [[2006]]. The day's player was selected randomly in a draw by Laura Pearce, the only contestant to have won the top prize on the show, who was among the previous contestants in the audience for the show. The contestant who played was Annie who won £10,000 (despite taking out the £500,000 in the first box).

==='Battle of the Sexes'===
==='Battle of the Sexes'===
{{Unreferencedsection|date=September 2007}}
{{Unreferencedsection|date=September 2007}}
Line 264: Line 113:
<td style="background-color:#9BC1DD">£17,974.18</td><!-- BREAK -->
<td style="background-color:#9BC1DD">£17,974.18</td><!-- BREAK -->
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD" colspan="2">Average Female Prize:</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD" colspan="2">Average Female Prize:</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD">£13,126.34</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD">£13,140.50</td>
</tr>
</tr>


Line 271: Line 120:
<td style="background-color:#9BC1DD">£215,690.10</td>
<td style="background-color:#9BC1DD">£215,690.10</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD" colspan="2">Total Female Prize:</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD" colspan="2">Total Female Prize:</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD">£157,516.02(as stated on show)</td>
<td style="background-color:#FFC1DD">£157,516.02</td>
</tr>
</tr>
</table>
</table>
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Instead of a cash award, Brenda was offered a trip to New York for two people (worth £2,170){{Fact|date=September 2007}}, which she accepted.<br />


====Conclusion====
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Instead of a cash award, Brenda was offered a trip to New York for two people (worth £2,000){{Fact|date=September 2007}}, which she accepted.<br />
At the end of Kathys' game, "Gregory", a member of the Deal or No Deal production team commonly portrayed as the Bankers' servant, came on screen and presented a "scroll" explaining that the men had won the 'battle of the sexes'. Following [[Noel Edmonds]] reading the text to the audience and contestants, fanfare music was played, and Gregory reappeared with a minuscule trophy bearing a "B" on each side, an abbreviation for "Banker". Another scroll was presented by Gregory at the same time, stating that all women who played in their fortnight - who took less money from the banker - would all be rewarded with a weekend spa break.

==Filming==
Deal or No Deal is filmed in [[Bristol]] <!--NOT Barnsley, so stop changing it - look at the website listed just after this comment if you don't believe me, and if you're still confident you're right, try to convince us on the talk page first.
-->
<ref name="DS behind">{{cite news
| last = Green
| first = Kris
| title = Behind the scenes of 'Deal Or No Deal' - Part 1
| publisher = [[Digital Spy]]
| date = [[2006-05-17]]
| url = http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a32919/behind-the-scenes-of-deal-or-no-deal-part-1.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-03}}
</ref>. Despite appearing to be filmed day by day, the producers of the show actually film three shows per day for two weeks<ref name="DS behind" />. This was made obvious during the show when Noel asked the audience whether, in the player's position, they would choose 'deal' or 'no deal'. At one audience member's apparent misunderstanding of the show's concept, when he suggested the player choose 'deal' ''and'' keep playing, Noel led the audience member from his seat to a [[fire exit]] and into a car park - showing that it was night-time when filmed, when at time of broadcast (April) the episode was shown in daylight.

The amount of time between the recording date and the broadcast date has varied. Many of the games broadcast during January 2006 had been recorded less than two weeks previously. But on [[June 2]] 2006, [[Noel Edmonds]] appeared on [[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]] on [[BBC One]]. Noel revealed that at that current moment in time (June), Deal or No Deal was filming for October, five months in advance of broadcast. Soon afterwards, filming of Series 2 ended and there was a four month break in recording shows until October.

During the same show he also joked that there have been 2 people who have won £250,000. He said that these two shows shall not be aired, but the players have been 'paid off' nonetheless. Noel has said the same thing at recordings of Deal or No Deal before saying to the audience, "obviously that's not true but just wait - it'll be on the internet within the hour!"

In June 2006, it was reported that Noel is suffering from [[repetitive strain injury]] brought about by his constant picking up and replacing the Banker's phone during recordings of the show <ref>
{{cite news
| last = Reynolds
| first = Nigel
| title = Raw deal! Noel Edmonds injures his elbow lifting the telephone
| publisher = [[Daily Telegraph]]
| date = [[2006-06-23]]
| url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/22/noel22.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/06/22/ixuknews.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}
</ref>. The handset, according to Edmonds, is heavier than it looks. Coming at a time when episodes were being recorded in advance of October screenings, filming was unaffected by Noel's ailment.

During the filming of Deal or No Deal, there have been a few incidents which have affected the normal running of the programme. On 29 April 2006 a contestant accidentally 'knocked a box open' resulting in all the boxes being taken back, and the amounts inside them being shuffled around by the independent adjudicator. Also, on 10 April 2007 there was a brief power cut, and for security reasons all the boxes were secured in a special locked cage until the problem was rectified.

==Predictable sequences==
In early 2006, it was discovered that the [[Frequency distribution|distribution]] of prizes was - for a time - ordered in one of several static sequences which soon became public knowledge. Any person spotting the sequences could determine the contents of every remaining box after a small number of boxes were opened. Had players known of these sequences, they could have guided themselves to the top prize in most circumstances<ref>http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/cellar/March2006.htm</ref>.
In fact, there were three instances in which at least two players' games had identical box contents, in that the same figures were in the same number boxes. These were:

Show 71, Ann ([[23 January]] [[2006]]) and Show 74, Andrew ([[26 January]] [[2006]])<ref name="dondstats" />

Show 81, Jim ([[3 February]] [[2006]]) and Show 93, Paula R. ([[17 February]] [[2006]])<ref name="dondstats" />

Show 84, John M. ([[7 February]] [[2006]]), Show 88, Daz ([[11 February]] [[2006]]) and Show 106, Sam ([[4 March]] [[2006]])<ref name="dondstats">http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/dondstats.htm</ref>

The sequences were due to the [[random number generator]] used by the independent adjudicators to load the boxes. This random number generator assigned the same patterns to boxes in various games during January and February 2006. The sequences were first publicly exposed on the website Bother's Bar <ref>http://www.bothersbar.co.uk</ref>, which offered the right of reply to the producers. This offer was taken up by Series Producer [[Glenn Hugill]], who revealed that the independent adjudicators, unaware of the potential problem they were causing, had been using the [[pseudorandom]] number generation function in [[Microsoft Excel]] to distribute the values among the boxes, and that it had not been properly seeded <ref name="March2006">http://www.bothersbar.co.uk/cellar/March2006.htm</ref>. Following the discovery of the patterns, the random number generation system was changed to a "balls in a bag" system <ref name="March2006" /> (the same method as is used to distribute the boxes among the contestants <ref>http://www.dealornodeal.com/show/faq.php#Q9</ref>, though because the show is recorded well in advance, games using Excel-generated sequences continued to air for some time. The last show to be recorded using the Excel-generated sequence method aired on [[March 7]] [[2006]]<ref name="March2006" />.

A [[Press Your Luck#Michael Larson|similar discovery]] was made in 1984 by [[Michael Larson]], a player of the US game show ''[[Press Your Luck]]'', and used to amass a record number of winnings. However, none of the contestants on affected Deal or No Deal shows spotted the (admittedly complex) patterns, and as such were not able to profit to any significant degree<ref name="March2006" />. That said, in Glenn's statement about the problem, it was revealed that more money was paid out over the course of these shows than the average<ref name="March2006" />.

===Live audiences===
The programme has increasingly included its audience of around 150 people in the fabric of the show. Because of the 'underground' feel of the set and the fact that the show is filmed in the round, audiences seem to get dragged into the drama of the game as it unfolds{{or}}. Afternoon audiences watch one show and evening audiences watch two but are shuffled around and reseated<ref name="DS behind" />. A lot of the audience members (whom Noel refers to as the "pilgrims") have also been included in various games, through Noel asking opinions or even on some occasions asking them to come down from the audience. Contestants have also been spotted in the audience before they play their first show.

===Prime time===
In January 2006, it was announced that due to the popularity of the show, a special Saturday night [[prime time]] series would start in the [[Spring (season)|Spring]]. The first ever prime time edition aired on [[March 4]] [[2006]] at 7.10pm. This version replaced the regular Saturday edition, and lasted for one hour rather than 45 minutes, with an extra advert break inserted near the end, although for some editions, it actually lasted for 45 minutes due to the programme scheduling, and one show (Morris' game on [[6 May]] [[2006]]) even lasted 65 minutes, the longest episode ever.

===Two-year deal for Deal or No Deal===

On [[March 17]] [[2006]], [[Endemol]] UK announced that [[Channel 4]] has agreed to keep the show running for another two years
<ref>{{cite press release
| title = Endemol secures two-year deal for Deal or No Deal on Channel 4 in the UK
| publisher = [[Endemol]]
| date = [[2006-03-17]]
| url = http://www.endemol.com/Press%20center/default.aspx?fID=7153&rID=13
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>, extending the already agreed one-year contract. It follows the success of the primetime Saturday night show of up to 4.66 million viewers, and the daytime show of up to 4.22 million. It has consistently been the most watched programme in its slot for all UK channels for both daytime and primetime.

This deal will run from January 2006 to December 2007. Rumours suggest that this contract is worth £3 million <ref>{{cite news
| title = Edmonds TV gameshow deal extended
| publisher = [[BBC News]]
| date = [[2006-03-22]]
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4832314.stm
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>.

===Double Deal Week===

In [[May 2006]] <ref>http://www.dealornodeal.co.uk/news/</ref> it was announced that Deal or No Deal would air twice daily for one week in June to coincide with the [[World Cup]], with a special episode on Sunday of that week also. It was also revealed that there would be a "Hall of Fame" feature with past contestants returning to reveal how their life has changed since playing the game, and clips of their game being shown. Double Deal week began on Monday [[12 June]], showing two shows per day, one normal time of 4.15pm, and a second show at 8.00pm.

==Awards==

''Deal or No Deal'' was named "Daytime Programme of the Year" at the [[Royal Television Society]] Awards on [[March 14]] [[2006]]<ref>{{cite news
| title = Royal Television Society Awards
| publisher = [[The Guardian]]
| date = [[2006-03-15]]
| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1731332,00.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>, and "Best Daytime Programme" in the TV Quick Awards on [[5 September]] 2006 <ref>
{{cite news
| title = Doctor Who lands three TV awards
| publisher = [[BBC News]]
| date = [[2006-09-05]]
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5314890.stm
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}
</ref>. The UK version also won the [[Rose d'Or]] award for Best Game Show at the 2006 [[Lucerne]] Television Festival <ref>http://www.frapa.org/news/FRAPA_Format_Award_2006/index.html</ref>. Noel Edmonds was also nominated in the Best Entertainment Performance category at the 2006 [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA Television Awards]]<ref>{{cite news
| title = The British Academy Television Awards: nominations in full
| publisher = [[The Guardian]]
| date = [[2006-03-27]]
| url = http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,1740648,00.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>.

The show was voted "Best Daytime Programme" at the 2006 National Television Awards<ref>{{cite news
| title = National TV Awards 2006 winners
| publisher = [[BBC News]]
| date = [[2006-10-31]]
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6104066.stm
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}
</ref>. As Noel Edmonds was on holiday at the time, the award was collected by two former contestants, Russell Cook and Sajeela Sarfraz {{Fact|date=March 2007}} <!-- statement not supported by previous reference to Sun -->. Noel was also nominated for "Best Entertainment Presenter" at the same awards <ref>{{cite news
| title = Edmonds makes TV award shortlist
| publisher = [[BBC News]]
| date = [[2006-10-16]]
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6056548.stm
| accessdate = 2007-03-03 }}</ref>.

==Largest won amounts==
*'''£250,000''' - Laura Pearce - [[January 7]], [[2007]] (Contestant's Box)
*'''£120,000''' - Jennifer Miller - [[November 18]], [[2005]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£110,000''' - Jonathan Bunney - [[January 31]], [[2007]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£107,031''' - Claudine Whyte - [[December 17]], [[2006]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£101,000''' - Graeme Garioch - [[May 4]], [[2007]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£100,000''' - Gary "Gaz" Hall - [[May 2]], [[2006]] (Contestant's Box)
*'''£87,000''' - Lance Warrington - [[August 30]], [[2006]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£85,000''' - Rodney Lyons - [[June 11]], [[2007]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£75,000''' - Germaine Williams - [[March 7]], [[2006]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£75,000''' - Kirsty Hardle - [[April 4]], [[2006]] (Contestant's Box)
*'''£75,000''' - Lynne Hackles - [[November 20]], [[2006]] (Contestant's Box)
*'''£75,000''' - Julie Worsley - [[January 4]], [[2007]] (Contestant's Box)
*'''£75,000''' - Doug May - [[March 15]], [[2007]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£75,000''' - Maria Andreou - [[July 8]], [[2007]] (Banker's Offer)
*'''£75,000''' - Daniel Zappkitcher - [[August 28]], [[2007]] (Banker's Offer)

<ref>http://www.dealornodeal.com/show/halloffame.php</ref>

The only winner of the £250,000 jackpot to date is Laura Pearce, a 24-year-old Bureau [[Administrator]] in the [[Criminal Justice]] Department at [[Gloucestershire Constabulary]] who took the top prize in a show broadcast on [[January 7]] [[2007]]. She rejected a final offer of £45,000 with the £250,000 and £3,000 as the last two amounts remaining, and her box (number 6) was opened to reveal the quarter million prize. <ref>http://www.dealornodeal.com/news/news9.php</ref>

==1p wins==

*Nick Bain - [[January 3]], [[2006]]
*Trevor Bruce - [[March 1]], [[2006]]
*Fadil Osman - [[April 14]], [[2006]]
*Dave Ellis - [[April 25]], [[2006]]
*Sally Kettle - [[July 14]], [[2006]]
*Connell Gibson - [[July 17]], [[2006]]
*Gerogio Felicini - [[July 22]], [[2006]]
*Sharron Coates - [[August 31]], [[2006]]
*Tony Wynne-Jones - [[February 13]], [[2007]]
*Paul "PJ" Johnson - [[May 13]], [[2007]] ''(who won additional £15,000)''
*Adam Field - [[June 15]], [[2007]]

==Viewers' competition==
Viewers are invited to phone in (at premium rate) or use the Channel 4 website or enter by post (free of charge) to enter the competition, in which an audience member selects one of three boxes (coloured blue and separate from the boxes used in the main game) and a selected entrant wins the amount of money written in that box. The amounts on offer in the competition vary from day to day, but typically comprise two amounts in the low thousands of pounds and a top prize of £10,000 or more. On occasion, a 'match play' competition has been run in which the winning entrant receives the same amount as the studio contestant instead of a prize being selected from the blue viewers' boxes. Entry is open from the beginning of the second part of the show, when the winning box is chosen, to noon the next day, with the winner revealed at the beginning of the show seven days later.

Previously, the competition was only open for the duration of the show, with the box containing the prize being opened at the end of the show, and the winners name announced thereafter. This was changed from the third season in August 2007, following the premium-rate services operator [[ICSTIS]] imposing a £30,000 fine on [[iTouch]], the company responsible for running the competition. It ruled that the competition was misleading since the impression was given that entrants stood a chance of winning any of the three amounts contained in the blue viewers' boxes, whereas in fact since the programme is pre-recorded, by the time of broadcast only one prize amount is possible.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6938800.stm</ref>. The altered format of the competition only opens the competition after the prize amount has been chosen. Previous to this, Channel 4 had announced that, following a spate of revelations of improper conduct regarding premium-rate phone services across British television (notably on the [[Richard & Judy]] programme which follows ''Deal or No Deal''), it was scrapping all premium-rate phone competitions, with the single exception of ''Deal or No Deal''. Profits from the viewer's competition will now be given to charity.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6926148.stm</ref>.
===Viewers' competition in the main game===

On [[May 13]] [[2007]], the player, PJ, was not offered any money for his box in the last round, (when it was known to contain either £75,000 or 1p) being only offered the opportunity to swap his box for the remaining unopened one. The Banker had originally offered PJ a swap on the first offer, PJ accepted this offer and swapped his box, number 19 for box 4, because that was his lucky number (Fittingly, PJ kept box 19 till the end). PJ rejected the offer second time around, and the prize in his box was 1p. Following this, the Banker called and thanked PJ for the birthday present. (It was revealed at the start of the show that the previous day was the Banker's birthday, and PJ had brought him a present.) He followed by saying that, as a thank-you, he would give PJ the amount of money won in the viewer's competition in addition to his 1p prize. The amounts available were £1,000, £2,000 and £15,000. Noel asked for a volunteer from the audience to choose the box containing the viewer's prize. The volunteer chose box 3, which contained £15,000. Despite his extra win at the end of the show, Noel still classes PJ as the tenth member of the 1p club.

==Superstition==
Superstition plays a large part in some games, with players variously bringing lucky charms, or selecting boxes according to a pre-arranged system. Boxes may be selected or avoided on the basis of what prizes they have previously held, or what prizes the contestant opening that box has previously revealed. The contestants and the audience may chant or hold hands when it is felt that it is a particularly important moment in the game. Chanting became a huge part of the show in early 2007, as the players and audience chanted "Blue, blue, blue" at almost every box in almost every game. Other chants to have appeared are "Penny, penny, penny", "3, 3, 3" (referring to the £3,000 which was the lowest amount remaining in the game at that point) and "Red, red, red" (after the deal when the player wants to find the large amounts). On 19th June 2007 (Michelle's game), when Michelle found a blue she asked the question "Who's the mummy?" Michelle encouraged the audience to chant back "You're the mummy!". This helps give a sense of individuality to every different game.

Players will sometimes ask fellow contestants how they feel about their box. For example the contestant may feel that their box contains a low number. Some contestants (such as 'Psychic' Sarah), have claimed to have [[psychic]] abilities, with some being more successful than others in justifying such claims. Also players often ask fellow contestants what previous numbers they have had in their box, and if they have had a sequence of several high reds then the contestant might say that they are "due a blue" (although statistically they are no more or less likely than any other contestant to be holding a box containing a low amount). This has sometimes been referred to as "Mally Logic" after contestant Mally Welburn who was one of the first to select boxes on this basis.

==Media image==

''[[The Observer]]'' interviewed Edmonds in relation to the show on [[January 29]], [[2006]], quoting Edmonds as saying that his scenes with The Banker bring out his "inner actor". He revealed his passion for the show and his admiration for the individual community spirit within it, as well as his ambition (now fulfilled) that it would eventually hold a Saturday evening [[prime time]] slot<ref>{{cite news
| last = Cooke
| first =Rachel
| title = Saturday night fever
| publisher = [[The Observer]]
| date = [[2006-01-29]]
| url = http://media.guardian.co.uk/bbc/story/0,,1697074,00.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-03}}</ref>. In fact, recording for the first Saturday prime time show began just a few days later, so it is not known whether Noel already knew about this move at the time of the interview or not.

In a review by columnist [[A. A. Gill]] the show was described as 'like putting heroin in your TV remote'.

''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' television reviewer [[Charlie Brooker]] called it 'a gameshow based on the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics'<ref>{{cite news
| last = Brooker
| first = Charlie
| author-link= [[Charlie Brooker]]
| title = New Deal
| publisher = [[The Guardian]]
| date = [[2006-01-28]]
| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/columnists/story/0,,1696369,00.html
| accessdate = 2007-03-03}}</ref>.

==The Banker==
{{ Details|The Banker (Deal or No Deal UK) }}

The Banker, whose role in the game is to offer to purchase the player's box (of unknown value) at various points in the game, is never seen, communicating solely through a telephone on the central table, which is answered by Edmonds (though occasionally the Banker may speak to the player).

The Banker's identity is never revealed (he is credited merely as 'Himself'), but through his discussions with Edmonds, his 'character' is often built upon. Similarly, it is unknown exactly how his offers for the boxes are calculated, though it is clear that it is not merely the result of a dispassionate calculation, with offers sometimes much higher or lower than would be expected (very occasionally even above the [[arithmetic mean]] of the remaining prizes), and sometimes not simply a monetary figure, including joke items, or in one case an amount of money for the previous game's contestant who had won very little.

On [[Christmas Day]] 2006, at the end of the show, a brief clip of the Banker was shown. A man in a suit and hat was seen switching off his television after watching the contestants sing Christmas carols. He then took out a mint humbug from a jar and grunted to himself. He was only seen from behind, so little could be seen of his appearance. However, he seemed to be old and well-built.

The [[Daily Mirror]] and [[Jo Whiley]] on [[BBC Radio 1]] reported on [[April 3]], [[2006]] that the actual offers made by The Banker were calculated by [[Glenn Hugill]] and two 'Executives' (believed to be executive producers Richard Osman and Richard Hague) but that Hugill has the final decision. This has not been officially confirmed or denied.

On 1st April, 2007, during the end credits, rather than being billed as playing himself, the Banker was billed as "Titus Aduxas", or "tight as a duck's ass".

==Criticism==
Deal or No Deal has been the subject of criticism from some as being a classic example of the apparent 'dumbing down' of modern television. The premise of the show has been criticised by some for having no intellectual content whatsoever (often described as consisting solely of "people opening boxes"). Other criticism arises from the prevalence of superstition among the players, and the sometimes seemingly-unfair offers made by the Banker, when in reality it is a game of complete chance and the only influence that any player can have on the game is through their decisions whether or not to accept the Banker's offers.

However, some say there is a great element of skill in attempting to manipulate the banker into making higher offers, with the player's relationship with the banker being of major importance. It has been seen that contestants who state a desire to "go all the way", or appear more certain and confident, can attract higher offers. Contestants can attempt to bluff the banker by appearing more confident than they actually are, or by pretending that they intend to go all the way, and will often be rewarded as the banker realises that higher offers must be made if he is to shift the player. Others feel that the banker is in exactly the same situation as the player; neither of them know what sums are in the boxes. Therefore neither of them can have any effect on the actual final sum won by the player. Similarly, the player cannot "beat" the banker and the banker cannot "beat" the player because the player's choice of which box to open is equally random to both the player and the banker. However, that fact that the offers can be so varied on identical boards illustrates that there is a clear opportunity for the player to elicit themselves high offers with the right attitude. For many, this psychological element is what sets it apart from other versions worldwide. In addition, while the contents of the box are purely random, to succeed, players seem to need an intelligent approach to balancing the risk, as well as having good luck. But since a player can only play the game once, there is no balancing or judging of risk, as risk can only be stated as an average over a large number of games. It must be remembered that many gameshows throughout television history have relied on varying degrees of luck.

Others have suggested that [[Channel 4]] is verging on Deal or No Deal overkill with the show being aired at least 6 days a week and during 'Double Deal' week twice a day. That said, the show was rested for 5 weeks in the Summer of 2006 and 2007.

Some contestants have had consistent poor offers throughout their game and then turned out to have a low amount in their box, leading to early suggestions the Banker actually knows the contents of the boxes - however, statistical evidence lends no support to this theory. In fact there are just as many occasions when consistently low offers are given to someone who turns out to have a high amount and, indeed, high offers to someone who turns out to have a low figure. After so many shows and with all data analysed, sources now agree that the declaration that the Banker does not know the contents of the boxes seems absolutely true.

The show has also had other criticism from religious groups, due to symbols which appeared on Edmond's hand (so as to be visible when he picked up the telephone receiver to talk to the Banker), which were widely taken to be connected with his belief in [[Cosmic Ordering]] as was widely reported at the time. However, it transpired that there was no such connection and the symbols were simply placed there by Edmonds as a joke.

The viewers' competition has also attracted criticism, given that it involves no element of skill and the expense of premium rate phone calls (though free online entry is available) it has been referred to on a number of fan sites for the show as a "legalised telephone lottery". However it was not suspended following the [[2007 British television phone-in scandal|controversy surrounding television phone-ins in early 2007]], suggesting Endemol and Channel 4 remain satisfied with its
integrity.

==Merchandise==
Due to the show's simple format, several games based on the show have been released in a variety of different formats. A book called '''Can You Beat The Banker?''' (ISBN 0-09-191422-1) was released on [[25 May]] [[2006]], which has descriptions of games from early episodes and the reader has to guess what The Banker's offers will be, and whether to Deal or No Deal. Drumond Park have also released three games, a board game, an electronic game, and a handheld electronic game.

'''The Official Behind the Scenes Guide''' (ISBN 0-09-192006-X) was published on [[26 October]] [[2006]], written by Noel and Charlotte Edmonds, Jane Phillimore, Richard Hague, and Glenn Hugill. It features interviews with Edmonds, The Banker, and contestants, and has statistics for all contestants' games from Season 1.

A [[DVD TV game]] was released on [[13 November]] [[2006]]. Filmed in the Deal or No Deal studio, it features Noel Edmonds, and 21 contestants from Season 1 playing themselves, who open the boxes and give the player advice. The game's three modes are Single Player (played like the show), Player Vs Player (two players play rounds in turn), and Player Vs Banker (one player is the contestant, the other is The Banker, and gives offers to the player).

A card game has also been released. The 22 sums of money are shuffled, and placed on top of the 22 box numbers. The gameplay is similar to the Player Vs Banker mode on the DVD with one player being the player and another the banker. Players then swap roles, and the one who takes more money is declared the winner. The card game is often sold in a special box-set alongside the DVD game.

Late [[2007]] will see Deal or No Deal video games released on the [[personal computer|PC]] in October [http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3440202/Deal-Or-No-Deal/Product.html] and the [[Nintendo DS]] on 9 November [http://www.play.com/Games/DS/4-/3432395/-/Product.html], as well as a second DVD game on 19 November, subtitled "Family Challenge" and featuring Season 2 contestants [http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3432340/Deal-Or-No-Deal-2/Product.html].

==Episode history==

*Series 1a, October 31, 2005 - January 17, 2006 (Episodes 1-66)
*Series 1b, January 18 - July 22, 2006 (Episodes 67-234)
*Series 2a, August 28 - October 25, 2006 (Episodes 235-285)
*Series 2b, October 26, 2006 - July 13 2007 (Episodes 286-512)
*Series 3 (current), August 13 - end 2007 (Episodes 513-635)
Episode details: [http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal_(UK)_Statistics_(Series_1) Series 1a], [http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal_(UK)_Statistics_(Series_1b) Series 1b] [http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal_(UK)_Statistics_(Series_2) Series 2a], [http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Deal_or_No_deal_(Uk)_Statistics_(Series_2b) Series 2b] [http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal_(UK)_Statistics_(Series_3) Series 3]

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
<!-- Before posting external lniks here please read WP:EL, there have been a spate of links to forums and other useless sites being posted here which are to be avoided. NO OTHER LINKS ARE TO BE POSTED HERE, UNLESS IT IS AN OFFICAL SITE. Please read talk page.-->

*[http://www.dealornodeal.com/ ''Deal or No Deal''] Official Endemol Site
*[http://www.channel4.com/deal/ ''Deal or No Deal''] at [[Channel 4#Channel4.com|Channel4.com]]

{{Deal or No Deal}}

[[Category:Channel 4 television programmes]]
[[Category:British game shows]]
[[Category:Deal or No Deal|UK]]
[[Category:2005 television program debuts]]
[[Category:2000s British television series]]

Revision as of 16:31, 21 September 2007

'Battle of the Sexes'

On August 24 2007, it was announced that all Deal or No Deal games for the next two weeks would only be played by male contestants. Following this fortnight, the next two weeks would be played by female contestants. At the end of the month of gender-orientated games, a comparison will be made to discover which gender is the luckiest in terms of average money won per game. The results so far are as follows[1]:

Show Date Player Name Prize Awarded Show Date Player Name Prize Awarded
August 26 2007 Alex £12,500 September 8 2007 Annie £25,000
August 27 2007 Jon G £50,000 September 10 2007 Siobhan £5
August 28 2007 Daniel £75,000 September 11 2007 Brenda 3 nights in New York
August 29 2007 Stevie £10,001 September 12 2007 Theresa £52,000
August 30 2007 Norman £15,000 September 13 2007 Kulwant £10
August 31 2007 Lee £50 September 14 2007 Irene 52p
September 2 2007 Ron £15,000 September 15 2007 Caroline £500
September 3 2007 James £100 September 17 2007 Zahida £34,000
September 4 2007 John £18,000 September 18 2007 Carol £1,000
September 5 2007 Stephen £20,000 September 19 2007 Alexandra £26,000
September 6 2007 Robin £39 September 20 2007 Viv 50p
September 7 2007 Pete 10p September 21 2007 Kathy £17,000
Average Male Prize: £17,974.18 Average Female Prize: £13,140.50
Total Male Prize: £215,690.10 Total Female Prize: £157,516.02

*Instead of a cash award, Brenda was offered a trip to New York for two people (worth £2,170)[citation needed], which she accepted.

Conclusion

At the end of Kathys' game, "Gregory", a member of the Deal or No Deal production team commonly portrayed as the Bankers' servant, came on screen and presented a "scroll" explaining that the men had won the 'battle of the sexes'. Following Noel Edmonds reading the text to the audience and contestants, fanfare music was played, and Gregory reappeared with a minuscule trophy bearing a "B" on each side, an abbreviation for "Banker". Another scroll was presented by Gregory at the same time, stating that all women who played in their fortnight - who took less money from the banker - would all be rewarded with a weekend spa break.

  1. ^ Show date, with amount won, can be found at Ilovedealornodeal.co.uk.(click on a date to see a guide of the game)
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