Face the Clock
 |
| Face the Clock | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Paul Gilheany |
| Directed by | Jeanette Goulbourn |
| Presented by | Rory Bremner |
| Theme music composer | Marc Sylvan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 35 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Paul Murray |
| Producer | Debi Roach |
| Editor | Paul Griffiths Davies |
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | 30mins (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | Objective Scotland |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 7 January – 22 February 2013 |
Face the Clock is a game show that was broadcast on Channel 4 from 7 January to 22 February 2013, and was hosted by Rory Bremner.
Set-up
Six contestants compete in each show. The studio is designed like a clock, with Rory at one end with his podium, which has 7 lights on it, and the six contestants are spread out on the other half with a small podium for each of them.
Gameplay
Rounds 1 to 4
Before the show begins, lots are drawn to decide who goes first. That person then uses their buzzer on their podium to "stop" one of the lights in front of Rory's podium.
Each of the 7 lights refers to a time between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The times are 30 seconds/45 seconds/1 minute/1 minute, 30 seconds/1 minute, 45 seconds/2 minutes/2 minutes, 30 seconds. This time refers to the length of time of each round.
Once a time has been selected, the viewers at home see the time, but no-one in the studio, including Rory, knows what the time is until the time is up. The only hints that the contestants get is that after every 30 seconds, a noise is made in the studio. When the time is up, the lights in the studio flash and the contestant who is in play is removed from the game.
The aim of the game is to try and build up as much money as possible, while trying to avoid being in control when the time is up. The more questions that you answer in a row, the more money they're worth. The first question is worth £50, the second £100, the third £150, the fourth £200, and the fifth and every subsequent question after that is worth £300. After you get a question right, you get the choice of answering another question or pass it to another contestant by saying their name, but it can only be passed after Rory says that the answer is correct.
When the clock runs out, Rory reveals what the time is and the person who passed the clock over to the eliminated person (known as "The Killer Pass") takes all the money that the eliminated person accrued and gets added to their own total. If the eliminated person has not been passed to, or has not had the chance to pass, then the money that they accrued is lost from the game. Passing to players who have accumulated a lot of money is generally regarded on the show as being a winning strategy, although it could actually backfire, as having more money usually means that a contestant is picked on more.
This process is repeated for the next 3 rounds. The only difference is that the person who has the least money after each round picks the clock for the next round. If there is a tie, then it's the person who is on Rory's left who does the picking.
Face-off
Round 5 is known as the "Face-off". There are 2 players remaining, and the winner gets to play for all the money available in the final round.
Both players get a clock that has 1 minute on it. The person who brought the least amount of money to this stage starts the "Face-Off". Once they get a question right, control is passed to the other contestant. This continues until the clock of one of the contestants has run out.
Final Round
The final round involves the remaining contestant trying to answer 5 questions correctly within 1 minute. The quicker they do it, the more money they get. If they don't do it in the time, then they leave with nothing.
If the player answers gives 5 correct answers within 30 seconds, they receive the full amount of money. If they need another 10 seconds, the money is halved, and if they need another 10 seconds, the money is halved again, and if they need the final 10 seconds, the money is halved again.
e.g. If the jackpot is £1,850, then the contestant receives £1,850 is they complete it between 0 and 29 seconds, they get £925 if they complete it between 30 and 39 seconds, they get £465 if they complete it between 40 and 49 seconds and they get £235 if they complete it between 50 and 60 seconds. (Note: If the money halving doesn't give a round number, then the money is rounded up to the nearest £5, e.g. if the money is £1,225 and it's then halved, it drops not to £612.50, but to £615.)