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Tipping Point (game show)

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For other uses, see Tipping point (disambiguation).

Tipping Point
GenreGame show
Created by
  • Hugh Rycroft
  • Matthew Boulby
Presented byBen Shephard
Theme music composerMarc Sylvan
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series
    • 13 (Regular)
    • 9 (Lucky Stars)
    • 4 (Best Ever Finals)
No. of episodes
    • 1,495 (Regular; as of 20 October 2023)
    • 82 (Lucky Stars; as of 3 September 2023)
    • 10 (Specials; as of 8 June 2023)
    • 29 (Best Ever Finals; as of 17 March 2023)
Production
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company
    • RDF Television (2012–2014)
    • Fizz (2015–present)
Original release
NetworkITV
Release2 July 2012 (2012-07-02) –
present

Tipping Point is a British quiz show that is broadcast on ITV1, although repeats are shown on W (part of UKTV) and Really (part of Warner Bros. Discovery). First airing on 2 July 2012, the programme is presented by Ben Shephard and features three players (four players in Series 1-11) answering questions on the subject of general knowledge to win counters which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine.[1][2] Only the winner at the end has a chance to take home any money; the others leave with nothing except any non-cash prizes they may have won during the game.[3]

Gameplay

The machine consists of two shelves filled with flat circular counters; the upper shelf slowly extends and retracts, whilst the lower one is stationary. The rear face of the machine is divided into four drop zones, each of which contains a pegboard similar to those found in pachinko machines. Contestants answer questions to win counters, then choose a drop zone and press their buzzer to release one counter at a time into that zone. The goal is to have the counters land flat on the upper shelf so that its retraction will cause them to push other counters over its front edge, leading them in turn to push still others off the lower shelf and into a collection trough referred to as the "win zone". Contestants win £50 for each counter that drops into the win zone during their turn. Any counters that bounce out of the machine and land on either the floor or the lip of the win zone during a turn are still credited toward that contestant's score.

Three "mystery counters" were introduced in Series 2, each labelled with a question mark. If one mystery counter enters the win zone, the contestant in control of the machine wins one prize (e.g. monthly flower bouquets, weekend holiday) which is theirs to keep regardless of the game's final outcome; if more than one mystery counter falls on the same drop, the contestant wins a prize for each of them (two prizes if two of them drop or three prizes if all three of them drop). Two "double counters" were introduced in Series 5, each labelled "x2". If one double counter enters the win zone, all counters falling on that same drop are scored for double value (£100 each); if both double counters fall on the same drop, the total is quadrupled (£200 each). As of Series 9, the mystery and double counters are respectively coloured green and yellow to more easily distinguish them from the others in the machine. Typically, the game begins with one counter of each type on the lower shelf and the other ones on the upper shelf.

Counters that enter the win zone when the machine is not in play are "ambient drops" and are removed from the machine with no effect on scoring. If such a drop occurs after a contestant has chosen a drop zone but before they have pressed the buzzer to release a counter, they are given the option to play from that zone or select a different one. Any mystery or double counters that fall into the win zone as an ambient drop are put back in the machine as near as possible to the position they occupied before falling.

A "ghost drop" occurs when a counter drifts forward as it falls through a drop zone and its face makes contact with the clear plastic sheet covering the front of the zone. The resulting friction can greatly slow the counter or even stop its descent altogether for a very short period of time. Ghost drops, mistimed drops and unexpected bounces can lead to a counter landing on the upper shelf so that it partially overlaps or "rides" on others; such plays rarely trigger falls into the win zone and can adversely affect a contestant's turn.

In Series 1 to 11, with four contestants per episode, the lowest-scoring contestant at the end of each round is eliminated from the game and forfeits all their money. In the event of a tie for low score, a sudden-death toss-up is used to break the tie. A correct buzz-in answer allows the contestant to advance while a wrong answer eliminates them. If more than two contestants are tied for low score, the toss-ups continue until either one has been eliminated or all but one have advanced. As of Series 12, with three contestants per episode, eliminations occur only at the end of Rounds 2 and 3.

Contestants who are blind or visually-impaired are allowed to have a helper stationed backstage, who can see the machine on a monitor and give advice through an audio earpiece as to where and when to play each counter; however, the helper may not assist with answering the questions. Contestants who are deaf or hearing-impaired are allowed to have an interpreter on stage who can interpret between spoken words and sign language; however, the interpreter may not assist with answering the questions.[4]

Round 1

Each contestant is given three counters at the outset. The host asks a series of toss-up general knowledge questions and the first contestant to buzz-in may answer. A correct answer allows the contestant to either play one of their own counters or force an opponent to play one instead, based on their judgement of how likely the machine is to pay out on that particular turn. Once a contestant has used all of their counters, they may not answer any more questions. When only one contestant has any counters remaining, they need not buzz-in, but must continue answering questions correctly in order to use their counters.

A contestant who gives a wrong answer or no answer at any time loses one counter, which is placed into a penalty pot. If this pot contains any counters by the end of the round, they are put at stake on one final toss-up open to all contestants. A correct answer awards all the counters, while a miss freezes the contestant out for a new question asked to the others. If no contestants miss any questions, the round ends once they have all used the three counters they were given.

Round 2

Each contestant answers 45 seconds[1] (30 seconds in Series 1 to 11) of rapid-fire general knowledge questions and receives a counter for each correct answer. Once the time is up, the contestant uses the counters they earned in an attempt to win more money. The contestant in the lead after Round 1 decides who will play first and then after the chosen contestant has finished their turn, the higher-scoring of the two remaining contestants decides who will play next. In case of a tie before their turn, the contestant who gave a correct answer in Round 1 first has priority.

Round 3

The two remaining contestants are asked six questions; three directed to each contestant alternately. After hearing the question, the contestant in control may either answer or pass to their opponent. The contestant who answered receives a counter for a correct answer, while their opponent receives one for a wrong answer. Each counter is used as soon as it is earned. The contestant in the lead after Round 2 decides who will have the first question. If the contestants are tied going into this round, the contestant leading at the beginning of Round 2 has priority.

Final

The last remaining contestant is given a jackpot counter (larger than the others used in the game and coloured gold with a red star) and chooses a zone from which to drop it into the machine. The goal of this round is to win a £10,000 jackpot by getting the counter into the win zone. In order to do so, the contestant must earn counters by answering one multiple-choice question from each of six categories in any order desired. Questions have three answer options and may be played for one, two or three counters, with higher-value questions being more difficult. The correct answer awards the chosen number of counters, which the contestant immediately plays into the machine.

Counters that enter the win zone during this round are worth £50 apiece, including any that fall during the initial playing of the jackpot counter. The mystery and double counters are still in effect. Once the jackpot counter is in the machine, ambient drops are not voided, but are added to the contestant's winnings; however, they are voided before the jackpot counter goes in and after the last category has been used. If the jackpot counter enters the win zone, the contestant's cash total is augmented to £10,000; as of Series 8, the jackpot is doubled to £20,000 or quadrupled to £40,000 if one or both double counters fall with the jackpot respectively.

If the contestant fails to win the jackpot after using up all six categories, they may either trade the accumulated money for three more counters or end the game at this point and keep all winnings. If the contestant trades, all the counters except the jackpot counter award no money and they forfeit all their winnings if it remains in the machine; however, the double and mystery counters remain in effect only if they fall with the jackpot. If the contestant ends the game and the jackpot counter is on the bottom shelf, they play the three additional counters to see if they would have been able to win the jackpot by trading.

Tipping Point: Lucky Stars and Specials

Title-card for Lucky Stars.

A celebrity version under the title Tipping Point: Lucky Stars where celebrities are playing on behalf of a selected charity. In the celebrity version, each episode (except ones filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Soccer Aid Specials) has a live audience. The episodes are broadcast in a primetime slot.

The celebrity episodes feature some changes to the ordinary format:

  1. All cash values are doubled (normal and mystery counters are worth £100 and the jackpot is £20,000) (except for the Soccer Aid Specials).
  2. There are no double counters in the machine (except for the Soccer Aid Specials).
  3. Mystery counters award either a joke prize (e.g. a Tipping Point themed T-shirt, a Tipping Point themed backpack), a cash bonus or a question relevant to the contestant in control that allows them to play a bonus counter by giving the correct answer. In the Soccer Aid Specials, the prizes are donations to help people in need and the counters have the Soccer Aid logo on them instead of the question mark.
  4. The time limit in Round 2 is 30 seconds (except for the Soccer Aid Specials).
  5. The contestants who don’t make it to the Final still take home the money they have accumulated for their chosen charities and even if a contestant is eliminated with a total of £0, a donation is still made to their charity.
  6. In the Final, if the contestant takes the trade at the end but fails, their charity still receives £1,000.

Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals

Tipping Point: Best Ever Finals is a half hour spin-off that is shown at times when the Regular or Lucky Stars episodes are neither first broadcast nor repeated (e.g. during ITV Horse Racing coverage). The programme showcases the best and most dramatic finales from previous episodes of Regular Tipping Point and as of Series 2, they also included some dramatic finales from previous episodes of the primetime celebrity spin-off Tipping Point: Lucky Stars.

Transmissions

Regular

Series Start date End date Episodes Notes
1 2 July 2012 27 July 2012 20[3] Debuted as one of the summer replacements of The Chase with the other being Don't Blow the Inheritance. Series 1 did not take any breaks.
2 2 January 2013 26 February 2013 40 First series to feature the mystery counters. Series 2 did not take any breaks.
3 20 May 2013 8 November 2013 70[5] Series 3 took breaks on: 1 July–6 September and 28 October–1 November 2013.
4 17 February 2014 29 August 2014 70[6] Series 4 took breaks on: 21 April, 28 April–6 June and 10 June–1 August 2014.
5 5 January 2015 4 December 2015 125[7] First series to feature the double counters. Series 5 took breaks on: 16–27 March, 4 May–4 September, 23–24 September, 1 October, 7 October, 16 October and 9–20 November 2015.
6 7 December 2015 21 October 2016 150[8][9] Series 6 took breaks on: 21 December 2015–1 January and 23 May–26 August 2016.
7 2 January 2017 10 November 2017 150[8] Series 7 took breaks on: 20 January due to Donald Trump becoming US President, 14–17 March, 22 March, 6–7 April and 1 June–1 September 2017.
8 8 January 2018 17 May 2019 165 First series where the double counters double the jackpot as well as the last series to feature the black mystery and double counters. Series 8 took breaks on: 12–16 March, 9–13 April, 23 April due to the birth of Prince Louis of Cambridge,[10] 28 May–30 August and 10 December 2018–10 May 2019.
9 1 January 2019 9 December 2020 165 First series to feature the respective green and yellow mystery and double counters. Series 9 took breaks on: 12–15 March, 1–5 April, 13 May–30 August, 9 December 2019–31 August and 14 September–8 December 2020.
10[11] 1 January 2020 12 March 2021 165[12] This series contained the show's 1,000th episode.[13] Series 10 took breaks on: 9–13 March, 23 March–11 September, 9–31 December 2020 and 20 January 2021 due to Joe Biden becoming US President.
11 19 April 2021 1 June 2022 165 This series had 18 episodes filmed shortly before the first COVID-19 lockdown regulations took place. After lockdown, the filming production resumed with COVID-19 safety measures in place (including social for the host and contestants), which involved the other 147 episodes using a new setup (10 May 2021 was the start date for the “new setup” episodes). Last series to feature four contestants and to use the 30 second time limit in Round 2. This series started a week later than originally planned due to the death of Prince Philip. Series 11 took breaks on: 4 June–27 August, 2 September, 13–27 December 2021 and 14 March–27 May 2022.
12 11 April 2022 2023 165 First series to feature three contestants and to use the 45 second time limit in Round 2.[1] This series still used COVID-19 safety measures. Series 12 took breaks on: 30 May–2 September, 6 September due to Liz Truss becoming UK Prime Minister, 9–19 September due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, 21 November–27 December 2022, 13 March–12 May, 2–5 June, 7–8 June, 12 June–25 August and 11 September 2023–present.
13 17 April 2023 TBA 100 Series 13 took breaks on: 15 May–8 September, 22 September and 23 October 2023–present. No episode on 22 September 2023 because of live coverage of the 2023 Rugby World Cup game between Argentina and Samoa which aired from 4:00 p.m. (4:45 p.m.) kickoff on that day.

Lucky Stars

Series Start date End date Episodes Notes
1 9 June 2013 25 August 2013 12 Series 1 did not take any breaks.
2 5 July 2014 23 August 2014 8 Series 2 did not take any breaks.
3 15 October 2016 3 December 2016 8 Series 3 did not take any breaks.
4 3 September 2017 29 October 2017 8 Last series to feature the black mystery counters. Series 4 took breaks on: 8 October 2017.
5 7 July 2019 22 September 2019 11 First series to feature the green mystery counters. Series 5 took breaks on: 1 September 2019.
6 13 September 2020 29 November 2020 12 Series 6 did not take any breaks.
7 4 April 2021 16 May 2021 7 This series was filmed with COVID-19 safety measures in place (including social distancing for the host and contestants and no audience). Series 7 did not take any breaks.
8 3 April 2022 24 July 2022 9 This series still used COVID-19 safety measures. Series 8 took breaks on: 17 April, 29 May–3 July and 17 July 2022 due to Britain looking for a new prime minister.
9 16 July 2023 TBA 9 Series 9 took breaks on: 6 August and 10 September 2023–present.

Specials

Title First broadcast Notes
2014 Text Santa Special 19 December 2014
2015 Text Santa Special 25 December 2015
2018 Christmas Special 29 December 2018
2019 Christmas Special 25 December 2019
2020 Christmas Special 24 December 2020 This episode was filmed with COVID-19 safety measures in place (including social distancing for the host and contestants and no audience).
2021 Soccer Aid Special 2 September 2021 This episode still used COVID-19 safety measures.
2021 Christmas Special 24 December 2021 This episode still used COVID-19 safety measures.
2022 Soccer Aid Special 9 June 2022
2022 10th anniversary special 2 July 2022 A special which was aired to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of the very first episode of the show which was aired on 2 July 2012. The special featured a full repeat of the episode.
2022 Christmas Special 17 December 2022
2023 Soccer Aid Special 8 June 2023

Best Ever Finals

Series Start date End date Episodes Notes
1 12 March 2019 17 November 2019 5 Series 1 took breaks on: 16 March–16 November 2019.
2 10 March 2020 14 June 2021 12 First series to show finales from Lucky Stars. Series 2 took breaks on: 14 March 2020–19 January, 21 January–15 March, 20–27 March, 29 March–5 June and 7–13 June 2021.
3 15 March 2022 29 August 2022 8 Series 3 took breaks on: 19 March–16 August and 20–28 August 2022.
4 14 March 2023 TBA 8 Series 4 took breaks on: 18 March 2023–present.

International transmissions

  • Australia Australia – the Nine Network first broadcast the original British version on 2 December 2019, replacing its 3:00 pm news bulletin, Nine News Now, which went on hiatus during the Australian summer non-ratings period.[14] Episodes air at 3:00 pm weekdays (except in Western Australia where it airs at 4:00 pm weekdays) in direct competition with rival ITV-produced game show The Chase on the Seven Network. A repeat of the same day's episode is shown sometime after midnight the following day.[15][16][14] For a brief period in January 2021, episodes also aired in prime time, at 7:30 pm Saturdays.[17] In April 2023, it was announced that a localised Australian version, produced by Endemol Shine Australia was in the early planning stages, and would be filmed on the UK set.[18] On 10 August 2023, it was announced that Nine would be ending Millionaire Hot Seat in 2024 and would replace it with a local version of Tipping Point to be filmed in Melbourne and hosted by Todd Woodbridge.[19][20]
  • Republic of Ireland Ireland – Virgin Media Two airs episodes Monday to Friday at 4:00pm and 5:00pm.
  • New Zealand New Zealand – TVNZ airs episodes of the original British version as well as its celebrity Lucky Stars counterpart Monday to Saturday at 10:00am and Monday to Friday at 3:00pm.[2]

International versions

Legend:

  Currently airing     Future version

Country Local name Network Presenter Aired
 Australia[21][19] Tipping Point Australia[20] Nine Network Todd Woodbridge 2024
 Cyprus[22] Tipping Point Alpha TV Cyprus Tasos Tryfonos 10 September 2023-present

Merchandise

The official Tipping Point app for iOS was released by Barnstorm Games on 30 March 2014. The Android version was later released on 3 April 2014.[23] An electronic board game based on the show was released in 2015 by John Adams under its Ideal Games brand.[24][25] Another Tipping Point app was released in 2020 called Tipping Point Blast!

References

  1. ^ a b c Nisbet, Megan (13 April 2022). "ITV Tipping Point new rules explained as fans react to 'different show'". WalesOnline. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b Rampton, James (17 March 2021). "Tipping Point: Host Ben Shephard shares the secret to game show success". Stuff. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b "NEW QUIZ COMMISSION FOR ITV DAYTIME". RDF Television. 18 June 2012. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  4. ^ "Tipping Point praised for inclusivity as ITV show adapts for deaf contestant". Digital Spy. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  5. ^ "ITV Daytime commissions third series of RDF quiz show Tipping Point". RDF Television. 26 March 2013. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Tipping Point – Series 4". Zodiak Rights. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Series 5 – Episode 125 – Tipping Point – The ITV Hub". The ITV Hub. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b Fletcher, Harry (18 June 2015). "Ben Shephard's Tipping Point gets a whopping 325 new episodes from ITV". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  9. ^ @benshepard (4 December 2015). "175 shows, 7788 questions, over 700 contestants £0.5m in prize money - series 6 of @TippingPointITV is done #boom" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Tipping Point fans aren't happy about the royal baby news". Heart. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Tipping Point Series 10". itv.com. 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Tipping Point back in production at The Bottle Yard Studios". The Bottle Yard Studios. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  13. ^ @benshepardofficial (3 April 2019). "Wow so today was quite a landmark for us. We recorded the 1000th show of @itvtippingpoint !!!!! It's an incredible achievement. We've given away over £4millon, we've had 4000 contestants, asked over 65000 questions, and still the joy, delight, frustration and triumph the machine brings us isn't dimmed. Here's a little snap shot of the team that makes there show- we have 90 on the production at any 1 time. It's an absolute privilege to host this show, so thank you to everyone that helps make it the gem that it is- and most of all to our viewers all over the world (we're very big in South Africa 😜) who join us daily for their Tipping Point fix. We could do it without you!!! Happy 1000th show!!! #tippingpoint #daytimetv #quiz #" – via Instagram.
  14. ^ a b Knox, David (21 November 2019). "Nine News Now to rest over summer for Tipping Point". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  15. ^ McKnight, Robert (9 August 2019). "Is Nine looking to replace MILLIONAIRE HOT SEAT with a UK game show?". TV Blackbox. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  16. ^ Knox, David (10 August 2019). "Tipping Point coming to Nine". TV Tonight. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  17. ^ Knox, David (28 December 2020). "Tipping Point goes primetime". TV Tonight. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  18. ^ McKnight, Robert (20 April 2023). "Aussie version of TIPPING POINT set to begin production". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  19. ^ a b Knox, David (10 August 2023). "Tipping Point ripe to replace Hot Seat". TV Tonight. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Nine Upfront 2024: Tipping Point Australia joins next year's program lineup". MediaWeek. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  21. ^ Abdullah, Immy (6 September 2023). "Everything you need to know about Tipping Point Australia coming to Channel 9 and 9Now in 2024". nine.com.au. Nine Entertainment. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  22. ^ "Tipping Point: Ολοκληρώθηκε το πρώτο γύρισμα – Έτσι είναι η μηχανή με τα κέρματα | AlphaNews.Live". AlphaNews.Live (in Greek). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  23. ^ Games, Barnstorm. "Tipping Point". Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  24. ^ Loveday, Samantha (6 February 2015). "Zodiak Rights strikes deal for Tipping Point board game". licensing.biz. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Ideal Tipping Point". Amazon UK.
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