Family Fortunes

Family Fortunes
Genre	Game show
Presented by	Bob Monkhouse (1980–83) Max Bygraves (1983–84) Les Dennis (1987–2001) Andy Collins (2002) Gino D'Acampo (2020–)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	22
No. of episodes	545
Production
Production locations	ATV Elstree (1980–83) Television House (1984–2002)
Running time	30 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companies	ATV in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions (1980–81) Central in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions (1982–98) Carlton in association with Pearson Television (1999–2002)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	6 January 1980 (1980-01-06) – 30 December 2004 (2004-12-30)
Related
Family Feud

Family Fortunes is a British television game show based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 30 December 2004. On 2 July 2020, it was announced that the show will return after 18 years later this year with Gino D'Acampo as the show's new host.

The game involves two families providing answers to 'everyday questions' that were surveyed by 100 members of the British public before the show (e.g., 'Name something usually done in the dark.') to win cash prizes (and sometimes mystery prizes for giving a correct answer). The top answers to the surveys are displayed on a large electronic board, known as "Mr. Babbage", which famously sounds a wrong answer "Eh-uhh" sound effect and its accompanying X to signal the strike, as well as a "ding" (for a right answer).

Hosts and presentation

Family Fortunes was first hosted by comedian Bob Monkhouse (1980–83) then by singer and entertainer Max Bygraves (1983–84). The show returned on 27 June 1987 with Les Dennis as presenter, and had a consistently successful run for the next 15 years. It was then moved out of peak time and became a daily daytime show hosted by Andy Collins and no longer having a studio audience, instead using canned applause (similar to Catchphrase when it moved to daytime), but it only had a short run in this format before being axed.

The most iconic aspects of the show are the large computer screen, named "Mr Babbage" by original host Bob Monkhouse and the famous computerised "Eh-uhh" sound used when wrong answers are given. Both were originally designed to appear high-tech but have since become regarded for being quite the opposite (as compared to the original US Feud, which has used a video board since its 1999 revival). The computer screen name, "Mr Babbage", was in recognition to the English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer, Charles Babbage. During the Monkhouse and Bygraves era, the board was also used to show the closing credits at the end of the episode. In 1987, a completely different board was used for the first Les Dennis series, however, a board similar to the original Mr Babbage one (using flip discs instead) was used from the following year.

Format

Two family teams, each with five members, are asked to guess the results of surveys in which 100 people would be asked open-ended questions (e.g. "we asked 100 people to name something associated with the country Wales" or "we asked 100 people to name a breed of dog"). Although rarely acknowledged in the show, the 100 people surveyed are invariably audience members who have volunteered before the show.

Each round begins with a member of each family (in rotation, meaning all players do this at least once) approaching the podium. As the question is read, the first of the two nominees to hit a buzzer gives an answer. If this is not the most popular answer, the other nominee is asked. The family with the more popular answer then chooses whether to "play" the question, or "pass" control to the other family.

The host then passes down the line of the controlling team, asking for an answer from each member. After each answer, the board reveals whether this answer featured. If not, the family is assessed a strike, and the family loses control of the board after accumulating three strikes (also referred as striking out) in the round. If a family manages to come up with all the survey answers (most commonly six in the early part of the show, reduced in number after the commercial break) before striking out, they win the amount in pounds of the total number of people who had given the answers. A strike is marked similar to tenpin bowling with an X on the board accompanied by a buzzer. In later versions with a colour screen, the strike is marked with a strike chip on another Fremantle game show in the United States (The Price Is Right, from the pricing game 3 Strikes, which used the chips prior to 2018). If a family strikes out, the opponent is given the chance to "steal" by coming up with an answer that may be among those missing. Only the head family member (the first family member, the designated captain) may give the answer after consultation. If this answer is present, this family wins the round and is said to have "stolen" the money; otherwise, the family that played the board keeps the money.

On celebrity specials, each top answer added a bonus of £200 (later £250) to that family's charity.

Often the hosts do not refer to the strikes as "strikes;" rather they will say that a "life is lost," and the family has "two lives left" or "one life left." In the early years of the show, the strikes were referred as "ducks".

Double Money

Following three rounds before the commercial break (two rounds in series 1), "Double Money" is played. Gameplay is the same as the first rounds, but each answer is worth £2 for each person who said it, and there are generally fewer possible answers. The family who passes £300 (£200 in series 1) first go on to play "Big Money" (known in some overseas versions as "Fast Money") for the jackpot.

Big Money

This involves two contestants (out of the five in the family team) answering five questions that fit with those given by the "100 people surveyed", with the questions asked within a narrow time limit. The first contestant answers the five questions within 15 seconds; then the second contestant (who has been out of earshot) answers within 20 seconds (the extra time is available in case the contestant repeats an answer already given). If they get 200 points or more from the ten answers they win the top cash prize.

From 1994 onwards, a bonus star prize was available if all five "top" (most popular) answers were found and they had reached 200 or more points. If the family did not earn 200 points, they won £2 per point, up to £398.

Cash and prizes

The top cash prize in "Big Money" in the first series (1980) was £1,000. From the second series (1981), the prize started at £1,000 then rose by £500 weekly if no one won, to a limit of £3,000 (£2,500 from 1981 to 1982) which it could stay at for more than one week if it still was not won. Once won, it reverted to £1,000 for the next edition. In the 1987 series, it started at £1,000, and if not won rose by £1,000 per week to a maximum of £3,000. From the 1988 series, the prize was stabilised at £3,000. After the abolition of the IBA's prize limits, the top prize rose to £5,000 from 1996. The money had to be shared out between contestants; by the end of its run even the top cash prize seemed relatively small compared to those available on other game shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

The bonus star prize was always a family car between 1994 and 1998. From 1998 to 2002, contestants had the choice of either the car or a holiday for up to twelve people. The car suppliers were Honda in 1994, SEAT in 1995, and then Daewoo between 1996 and 2002. On the all-star specials, scoring 200 points along with all five top responses donated £5,000 to both teams.

However, this often led the show to an anti-climax, as having won the cash prize with one or more questions unrevealed, the game had to continue to see whether the bonus prize had also been won. If not, the show would end on a low point, despite the family having won the main prize.

During the programme's brief daytime run in 2002, the prize values shrank significantly. If the contestants scored over 200 points, they won £1,000 and if they found 5 top answers on top, it was increased to £3,000. (As with the previous prizes, the £3,000 could only be won on top of the 200+ points)

From the second series in 1981 onwards, spot prizes were available in the main game, turning up seemingly at random when certain answers were found. Typically, these were music centres, televisions or video recorders (or in the later years, DVD players). Some were more unorthodox, such as a year's supply of beer, while the same short breaks away – an Agatha Christie Murder Weekend, a stay at a health spa or a canal holiday – were won on the show for many years. Notably, during Max Bygraves' era of the programme, if a music centre or Hi-fi system was won, he usually offered one of his LP albums as an add-on bonus. The actors showing the spot prizes in later series were Neil Hurst and Louise Cole.

Transmissions

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Recorded
1	6 January 1980	13 July 1980	26	1980
2	9 January 1981	11 July 1981	26
3	12 December 1981	4 September 1982	29	1981
4	31 December 1982	24 June 1983	26	1982–83
5	14 October 1983	8 April 1984	24	1983
6	18 January 1985	31 May 1985	18	1984
7	27 June 1987	29 August 1987	26	1987
	10 April 1988	31 July 1988
8	23 September 1988	16 December 1988	26	1988
	9 April 1989	2 July 1989
9	1 September 1989	22 December 1989	17	1989
10	31 August 1990	28 December 1990	18	1990
11	29 November 1991	18 April 1992	20	1991
12	10 July 1992	1 January 1993	21	1992
13	10 September 1993	31 December 1993	17	1993
14	1 October 1994	15 April 1995	22	1994
15	1 September 1995	26 January 1996	22	1995
16	31 August 1996	8 March 1997	26	1996
17	13 September 1997	21 February 1998	21	1997
18	31 August 1998	25 June 1999	26	1998
19	25 September 1999	11 July 2000	26	1999
20	16 September 2000	13 January 2002	24	2000
21	8 June 2002	30 December 2004	10	2001
22	2 September 2002	6 December 2002	70	2002

Many of the Bob Monkhouse episodes have been wiped from the archives with Episode 1 from Series 1, Episode 23 from Series 2, Episodes 2 & 5 from Series 3 and Episodes 1-12 and 15-26 from Series 4 surviving the wiping. However, Monkhouse saved over 80 episodes from his video tape collection.

Ratings

Series 18

Episode no.	Air date	Viewers (millions)	ITV weekly ranking
1	31 August 1998	—	—
2	7 September 1998	—	—
3	21 September 1998	5.95	28
4	28 September 1998	6.47	29
5	3 October 1998	7.05	23
6	10 October 1998	7.17	25
7	17 October 1998	7.08	27
8	24 October 1998	7.38	29
9	31 October 1998	7.30	29
10	7 November 1998	7.34	27
11	28 November 1998	7.54	27
12	5 December 1998	8.23	26
13	12 December 1998	7.27	27
14	19 December 1998	7.20	29
15	23 January 1999	7.47	25
16	30 January 1999	7.71	29
17	6 February 1999	7.70	30
18	13 February 1999	7.87	30
19	20 February 1999	7.52	25
20	27 February 1999	8.04	25
21	11 May 1999	7.87	18
22	24 May 1999	7.97	13
23	31 May 1999	6.40	25
24	11 June 1999	—	—
25	18 June 1999	6.17	21
26	25 June 1999	5.40	27

All Star Family Fortunes

All Star Family Fortunes
Genre	Game show
Presented by	Vernon Kay
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	11
No. of episodes	126 (inc. 1 special)
Production
Production location	The London Studios
Running time	45 minutes (2006–10, 2013–14) 60 minutes (2011–12, 2015)
Production companies	Talkback Thames (2006–11) Thames (2012-15)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	28 October 2006 (2006-10-28) – 14 June 2015 (2015-06-14)

A celebrity revival of the show presented by Vernon Kay began airing on 28 October 2006 and ended on 14 June 2015 after its twelfth series. In this version, the game ends after four rounds (five during the hour-long series with two or three Single and two Double), ignoring the 'first to 300 points' rule previous incarnations employed, and the losing family receives a consolation prize of the greater of £1,000 or £10 times per point (£3 per point in series 1). Also in Big Money the celebrity automatically played the final, meaning only one other member needed to be picked; if they got 200 points or more from the ten answers, they win £10,000 for their chosen charity, tripled if they get all five top answers, and if they score less than 200 points, those points plus their earlier score would be multiplied by £10 (£3 per point in series 1).

Transmissions

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	28 October 2006	23 December 2006	8
2	27 October 2007	5 January 2008	10
3	13 September 2008	17 January 2009	13
4	20 September 2009	27 February 2010	17
5	11 September 2010	25 December 2010	15
6	20 August 2011	25 December 2011	11
7	11 February 2012	27 December 2012	15
8	6 January 2013	3 March 2013	9
9	29 June 2013	3 August 2013	6
10	28 December 2013	2 March 2014	10
11	28 December 2014	14 June 2015	12

International versions

Country	Local name	Host	Network	Air date
Australia	All Star Family Feud	Grant Denyer	Network Ten	2016-2018
Belgium	Familieraad (2014)	Chris Van den Durpel	vtm	2014
Indonesia	New Famili 100	Tukul Arwana	Indosiar	2013
Germany	Familien-Duell - Prominenten-Special	Daniel Hartwich	RTL	2013
United States	Celebrity Family Feud	Al Roker	NBC	2008
		Steve Harvey	ABC	2015–Present

External links

• Family Fortunes at IMDb
• Family Misfortunes at IMDb
• Family Fortunes at BFI
• Family Fortunes at UKGameshows.com