The Price Is Right (UK game show)

The Price Is Right (also called The New Price is Right in the late 80s and Bruce's Price is Right in the 90s respectively) was a British adaptation that was based on the American game show of the same name and was hosted by Leslie Crowther (1984-1988), Bob Warman (1989-1990), Bruce Forsyth (1995-2001), Joe Pasquale (2006-2007) and Alan Carr (2017). It ran from 24 March 1984 to 12 January 2007 along with a "one-off" pilot that aired on 30 December 2017. The networks that have aired it were ITV (1984-1988, 1995-2001, 2006-2007) Sky One (1989-1990) and Channel 4 (2017).

In addition, the show was also used in a series of specials on ITV such as Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon in 2005, Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon in 2007 and Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow (also known as Epic Gameshow) in 2020 until 2021.

Early years

Crowther era (The Price is Right)

Crowther Era Logo

Leslie Crowther hosted the original UK version as it started airing on 24 March 1984 (March 24, 1984) by ITV, having beaten Joe Brown to the role of host after both recorded pilot episodes. The Crowther version is popular with fans of the show for its near-campiness, glamour, and endearing presenting skills of its host, not for its cheaper prizes (which were forced on it by the Independent Broadcasting Authority's prize limits). Its format was nearly identical to that of CBS's daytime show in the United States. It initially used the Big Wheel to decide who would go through to the Showcase, but the IBA forced Central to abandon this because of the lack of skill involved. In fact, the show had to go off air for a while during its first season on the IBA's instructions (the regulator was also unhappy that prize values had exceeded its limit of £1,750), so that the format could be adapted to fit into a much more tightly-regulated UK broadcasting environment.

After this ruling was made, the show replaced the Big Wheel rounds with a game called "Supermarket", in which each of the three people would select up to four of six presented grocery products; the one whose total was closest to £20, above or below, advanced to the Showcase Final.

Series 2 saw the Big Wheel return for a spin-off to see who would have the option of bidding or passing on the first showcase; each contestant had to take two spins. If a person scored 100, £400 would be donated to charity on their behalf, and Leslie would ask the person a consumer-related question to win £100 for him/herself. The winner was the contestant who came closer to 100 in either direction.

The Crowther version later used a game called "the Showcase Questions", where all six on-stage contestants played a series of estimated-guess questions and the person farthest away from the actual prize was eliminated. This was done until the last two contestants were left, and they then advanced to the Showcase Final.

The showcase was played largely the same way as on the American version. In the first season, the winner wouldn't win the largest prize in their showcase if their winning guess was not within 10% of the showcase total.

The original Crowther era ended on 8 April 1988 (April 8, 1988).

Pricing Games

• Any Number
• Bargain Bar ("Bargain Game" in the U.S.)
• Blank Cheque (Now known as "Check Game" in the U.S.)
• Bonus Game
• (The) Card Game
• Check-Out
• Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the U.S.)
• (The) Clock Game
• Danger Price
• Dice Game
• Escalator ("Walk of Fame" in the U.S.)
• Five Price Tags
• Give or Keep
• Hi Lo (played with small prizes instead of grocery items)
• Hole in One (or Two)
• Lucky Seven (Played with seven £1 coins for a prize with a three-digit price)
• Master Key
• Matchmaker (not based on any U.S. game; a pricing game in name only, as it actually involved no prices at all)
• Money Game (played for a vehicle with a three-digit price with the last digit given for free)
• Most Expensive (An original game later introduced in the U.S. as "Eazy az 1-2-3"; not the American "Most Expensive")
• One Away
• Partners (Player chose an audience member and played for three of six prizes. Player chose one prize from each pair and can agree or disagree with the partner’s choice of one of three prices. Each correct choice won that prize. The partner would win the most expensive of the six prizes.)
• The Penny Drops ("Penny Ante" in the U.S.)
• Permutation (not based on any U.S. game; played much like Balance Game)
• Pick-A-Pair (played with small prizes instead of grocery items)
• Punch-A-Bunch (Five slips with a top cash prize of £250 and other cash prizes from £25 to £100. Pulling out one of five slips with a zero ended the game.)
• Race Game
• Range Game
• Safecracker ("Safe Crackers" in the U.S.)
• Secret 'X'
• Side by Side (not based on any U.S. game; not related to the U.S.'s Side by Side in any way. The player must guess which two adjacent prices in a row of five possibilities matched the prices of two prizes.)
• Squeeze Play (players remove two numbers instead of one)
• Switcheroo (played for four two-digit prizes and one three-digit prize)
• Take Two
• Temptation
• Ten Chances (played for two two-digit prizes and one three-digit prize)
• 3 in a Row (not based on any U.S. game)
• 3 Strikes
• Tic-Tac-Toe (Player chose which of three prices was correct for a given item. The correct choice won that item won that item and three “toe” cards. The nearest choice earned only two cards and the furthest choice earned only one card. The player placed each toe card on one of four fruit machine reels, each with combinations of “tic”, “tac”, and fruit symbols. If any reel with a “toe” card stopped on “tic tac”, the player won a bonus prize.
• Time-Play (a variation on Clock Game but with three prizes to be won in 30 seconds.
• Trade Up ("Trader Bob" in the U.S.)

Announcer

• Simon Prebble (1984–1988)

Models

• Marie-Elise Grepne (1984–1985)
• Jacqueline Bucknell (1984–1986)
• Julia Roberts (1984–1986)
• Denise Kelly (1984–1988)
• Sandra Easby (1985)
• Cindy Day (1986–1988)
• Carol Greenwood (1986–1988)
• Gillian de Terville (1986–1988)
• Elsa O'Toole (1986)
• Judy Bailey (1986–1988)
• Laura Calland (1987-1988)
• Sarah Wynter (1988)

Warman era (The New Price is Right)

Warman Era Logo (Brighter)

Warman Era Logo

The second version hosted by Bob Warman airing 4 September 1989 (September 4, 1989) by Sky One is considered to be a precursor to the third version hosted by Bruce Forsyth, as it was a half-hour and used the Showcase range game. Having premiered shortly after Leslie Crowther's version went off the air, it retained many elements from the set and props, but was somewhat "Americanized". The show was hence called "The New Price is Right" and had a red, yellow, and green pound sign. The Warman version also had slightly better and more expensive prizes than the Crowther version due to the program's shorter length, in-show sponsorship, and lighter regulation of satellite television channels. The show also had a light border in the opening (mimicking the American version), used U.S. music (including the opening theme), and had more colour on the set.

The Showcase round was played considerably differently: After three games and a single Showcase Showdown at the Big Wheel (in which spinning 100 earned a bonus spin worth a bonus prize), the Showdown winner selected a range at random from £250 to £1,000; if the bid was within the selected range of the price of the presented showcase without going over, they won the Showcase.

The Warman era was very short-lived, partly due to Sky TV being relatively new and having very few subscribers at the time; only 30 episodes were produced, airing over a period in 1989. Despite this, its format and version of the Showcase since carried over to many other European versions of the show, including Bruce's Price Is Right. Warman's era ended on 31 August 1990 (August 31, 1990).

Pricing Games

• Bargain Bar
• Cliffhanger
• Danger Price
• Five Price Tags (Played with grocery items, and players are given a free pick at the start)
• Hi Lo
• Lucky Seven (Played with seven tokens)
• Money Game (Played for a car, as in America)
• Pick-A-Pair (Played with grocery items)
• Race Game
• Side by Side (Not based on any American pricing game, including "Side by Side")
• Switcheroo
• Ten Chances

Announcers

• Bobby Bragg
• Al Sherwin

Models

• Suzie Marlowe
• Tracie Williams
• Katrina Maltby
• Julie Broster
• Peitra Caston

Trivia

The theme song from The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was also used as a car cue and a ticket plug as a showcase cue for the American version of Price along with the 1986 revival of Card Sharks hosted by Bob Eubanks on CBS from 1986 until 1989 and Bill Rafferty in Syndication from 1986 until 1987 respectively. A revamp of the theme "Lottery" was used by WNEV-TV/WHDH-TV in Boston during the late 1980s and early 1990s as well as several local Illinois game shows, it can also be heard at The Price Is Right Live!.

31 years later, in 2020; the bonus round from this version was carried over in the limited series called Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow (or Epic Gameshow) airing on ITV and was now renamed as "Epic Showcase" except that there was no random range of any kind since it was a flat 3,000 pounds instead.

Forsyth era (Bruce's Price is Right)

Bruce's Price is Right

Bruce's Range Board

When it started on 4 September 1995 (September 4, 1995) by ITV, Bruce's Price is Right (named after the late Sir Bruce Forsyth) was one of the first shows to fully take advantage of the Independent Television Commission's lifting of the prize limits and the general deregulation of the UK broadcasting environment. The Showcase Showdown was played on the Big Wheel (objections to lack of skill no longer being a factor), with the highest-scoring contestant on one spin or a combination of two spins going through to the Showcase, and any contestant who scored 100 on one spin or a combination of two spins would win £1,000. The ranges for the Showcase in this version went from £1,000 to £5,000. Although it was only in a half-hour format with three pricing games per show (the Crowther show had been an hour long with six games) it still gave away more valuable prizes each week than the previous ITV version had done (for example, it was possible for a contestant to win two cars, one in a pricing game and one in the showcase, which would have been utterly unthinkable on British TV in the 1980s). Cars offered were usually superminis, from makers like Daihatsu and Daewoo, or models like a Ford Ka or Mazda Demio, but small sports cars like a Hyundai Accent or Vauxhall Tigra were offered on occasion.

On the Forsyth version, the game Plinko was played to very different rules from the U.S. version; considerably less money could be won, and contestants could risk their cash winnings on one final Plinko chip in hopes of adding a car or other large prize to their winnings (the cash spaces on the board were replaced with alternating "WIN" and "LOSE" slots).

Many European versions of the show that debuted after the Forsyth version based their games and sound cues on that show. The main theme, an update of the U.S. theme, and the "come on down" music are from the short-lived 1994 U.S. syndicated version hosted by Doug Davidson.

Forsyth would start some of these shows also with his trademark line of "Nice to see you, to see you...NICE!" (where the audience yells the word "nice" at the end).

This version ended its run on 16 December 2001 (December 16, 2001).

Pricing Games

Introduced Series 1 (1995)

• Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the U.S.; contestants were told that the prices increased as the game progressed)
• Clock Game (rules modified after Series 1 so that all prizes ended in either '0' or '5')
• Danger Price (contestant could not win the prize that cost the danger price)
• Double Price Tags ("Double Prices" in the U.S.)
• Hole in One (or Two) (played with four small prizes instead of six grocery products)
• Master Key
• Money Game
• Most Expensive (contestant only won the most expensive prize)
• One Right Price (regularly played for two cars, though the contestant could only choose one)
• Pathfinder
• Pick-A-Pair (played with the prizes themselves instead of with grocery products)
• Plinko
• Race Game (played with a 30-second timer)
• Secret 'X' (except on earliest playings, contestants had three chances to win the two additional Xs)
• Swap ("Switch?" in the U.S.; contestant could only win one prize)
• Switcheroo

Introduced Series 2 (1996)

• Check-Out
• Lucky Seven (modified so that no numbers appeared in the price more than once)
• Make Your Move
• Pick-A-Number

Introduced Series 3 (1997)

• Credit Card (contestant won the three prizes they picked, rules modified later on so that they also kept the remaining money on the card)
• Most Expensive (replaced original "Most Expensive" from Series 1; now a renamed version of "Eazy az 1-2-3")
• Split Decision (used the game's timed format)
• 3 Strikes ('one strike in the bag' rule implemented from Series 5 onward)

Introduced Series 4 (1998)

• Any Number
• Bruce's Bargain Bar ("Barker's Bargain Bar" in the U.S., contestant only won one of the prizes)
• Hi Lo
• Price Tags (known in the U.S. as "Barker's Markers" from 1994–2007 on the daytime version, and as "Make Your Mark" in the 1994 syndicated version and from 2008–2009 on the daytime version)

Introduced Series 5 (1999)

• Joker
• Side by Side

Introduced Series 6 (2000)

• Clearance Sale
• Let 'Em Roll (except on earliest playings, the number of rolls was determined using a grocery product and three price choices)
• Push Over (blocks went "to Australia")

Introduced Series 7 (2001)

• No new games were introduced.

Announcer

• Peter Dickson (1995–2001)

Models

• Kimberley Cowell (1995–2001)
• Emma Noble (1995–1997)
• Emma Steadman (1995–2001)
• Brian Tattersall (1995–1997)
• Simon Peat (1998–2001)
• Lea Kristensen (1998–2001)

Later years

Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon (The Price is Right)

On 17 September 2005 (September 17, 2005) as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary celebration on ITV, Ant & Dec (a.k.a. Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly respectively) hosted a one-off revival of The Price is Right as part of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon; they also hosted revivals of several other game shows that were once popular on the ITV network. The original titles was from the Central version, however the Yorkshire Television was used instead.

The other six classic game shows that were being played in this series were: Take Your Pick!, The Golden Shot (Based on a German format called Der Goldene Schuss), Sale of the Century, Play Your Cards Right (Card Sharks), Bullseye & Family Fortunes (Family Feud).

Contestants

• Eamonn Holmes (Sky News presenter)
• Vernon Kay (TV presenter)
• Patsy Kensit (Actress)
• William Roache (Coronation Street actor)
• Carol Vorderman (TV presenter)
• Ruby Wax (TV presenter, comedienne)

The winner of the show was Carol Vorderman, who as a result advanced to the quarter-final of the show. The five remaining contestants returned in the next week's show, Take Your Pick, to battle for the second spot in the quarter-final round

Announcers

• Peter Dickson (2005)

Pasquale era (The Price is Right)

Pasquale Era Logo

Talkback Thames debuted a revival on ITV on 8 May 2006, (May 8, 2006) this time with former "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" winner Joe Pasquale as host. It followed the same gameplay format as Bob Warman and Bruce Forsyth's versions, with Showcase ranges going from £500 to £3000, and the Showcase Showdown adapted the rules from the Warman version, with a car at stake; later on, the £1000 bonus was reinstated. It had a very "panto" feel to it, and it relies on nostalgia of the Crowther version, which was known for its cheap prizes because of the regulations of the time. Joe's tour manager, Ray Tizzard, made appearances as his "twin" in various pricing games.

The show expanded to an hour from 3 July 2006 (July 3, 2006). This involved three games being played, a Showcase Showdown, three more games, another Showcase Showdown, and then the winners from both showdowns take part in the 'Pasquale Finale', a spin-off on the wheel to see who will go through to the Showcase. During this format, spinning 100 in one or two spins won £1000; the player then spins for the car. In addition, prior to this, the maximum range in the Showcase increased to £4000, as the budget increased.

After the first three games and Showcase Showdown, Contestants' Row was cleared of people, and a new set of four contestants was called down.

In all versions of the programme, a perfect bid in Contestants' Row resulted in a £100 bonus in either cash or, in the Warman version, gift certificates.

Pricing Games

• Any Number
• Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the U.S.)
• Danger Price
• Deck of Cards ("Card Game" in the U.S.; introduced when the show went hour-long)
• Easy as 123
• Find the Lady ("Shell Game" in the U.S., played here with playing cards, including a Queen)
• Half & Half ("Money Game" in the U.S.)
• Hi Lo
• Hole in One
• Joe's Bargain Bar ("Barker's Bargain Bar" in the U.S. - 5 chances)
• Joe's Lucky Bags ("3 Strikes" in the U.S.)
• Joe Ker (introduced when the show went hour-long; known as "Joker" in the U.S.)
• Lucky 7 ("Lucky Seven" in the U.S.; introduced when the show went hour-long, follows the same rules as Bruce Forsyth's version)
• On the Nose
• 1 Right Price (not the U.S.'s One Right Price; actually more similar to the U.S.'s Double Prices, with three choices, so you could call it "Triple Prices".)
• One Wrong Price
• Pick-A-Number
• Pick-A-Pair (played with only four items)
• Plinko
• Price Tags ("Five Price Tags" in the U.S.; introduced when the show went hour-long)
• Push Over
• Safecracker ("Safe Crackers" in the U.S.)
• Side by Side
• Swap ("Switch?" in the U.S.)
• Take 2 (played with grocery products instead of the prizes themselves)
• Walk the Line (the grocery portion of Let 'Em Roll with five items; based on the high-low game on Play Your Cards Right with prices of grocery items instead of playing cards; to win, a contestant must correctly run the board with no mistakes)

Announcers

• Peter Dickson (2006–2007)
• Mike Hurley (2006–2007) (occasional cover for Peter Dickson)

Models

• Natalie Denning (2006–2007)
• Amanda Robbins (2006–2007)
• Richard Kyte (2006–2007)
• Natalie Pike (2006–2007)

Cancellation

ITV chiefs cancelled The Price is Right at the end of its latest run on 12 January 2007 (January 12, 2007).

While The Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 regularly attracts over 2.5 million viewers, Pasquale has only managed to pull in 800,000.

Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon (The Price is Right)

After the success of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon in 2005, ITV brought the show back for series (season) 2, this time hosted by Vernon Kay, a contestant in the first series. Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon began on 7 April 2007 (April 7, 2007) with The Price is Right.

The other seven classic game shows that were being played in this series were: Blockbusters, Blankety Blank (Match Game), The Golden Shot (based on a format from Germany called Der Goldene Schuss), Name That Tune, Mr & Mrs (based on a Canadian game show format of the same name), Bullseye & Play Your Cards Right (Card Sharks).

Contestants

• Michael Le Vell (Coronation Street actor)
• Jamelia (Singer)
• Graeme Le Saux (Footballer)
• Wendy Richard (Former EastEnders actress)
• Ben Shephard (TV presenter)
• Andrea Catherwood (The Sunday Edition presenter)

The winner of the show was Graeme Le Saux, who as a result advanced to the quarter-final of the show. The five remaining contestants returned in the next week's show, Blockbusters, to battle for the second spot in the quarter-final round.

Announcer

• Peter Dickson (2007)

Carr era (The Price is Right)

Carr era Logo

Prior to this, on 9 June 2017 (June 9, 2017), as Carr was announced as the new host of The Price is Right according to a press release by FremantleMediaCarr said "I'm so excited to be the new host of The Price is Right. It's proper bucket list territory for me as I loved it when I was growing up and now for me at the helm of such a legendary show is a dream come true. It just leaves me with one thing to say … COME ON DOWN!"

On 30 December 2017 (December 30, 2017) it was revived as a one-off pilot in a Christmas Special hosted by Alan Carr and has aired on Channel 4.

After five pricing games (i.e. Cliffhangers, Pay the Rent, Plinko, Bonkers and Clock Game) those five players spun the wheel with the winner going through to the Showcase Final which was played exactly as on Bruce's Price Is Right. Scoring exactly 100 on the wheel only won £100. In the event of a tie, it would be broken via spin-off with no bonus for spinning 100.

Encore! Encore!

On 31 December 2017, (December 31, 2017) it was announced that viewers have mostly praised Carrfor his hosting duties as they took it to Twitter by demanding it to become a full series, however it has never been fully commissioned ever since.

Announcer

• Tony Hirst (2017)

Models

• Nichola Dixon (2017)
• Dorretta Maynard (2017)
• Zoe Nicholas (2017)

Trivia

Pay the Rent was the only pricing game that has been barrowed from the current Carey version from America and Bonkers was the "new" pricing game to be played on this version.

Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow (The Price is Right)

On 30 May 2019 (May 30, 2019) ITV has ordered a series called Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow (also known as Epic Gameshow)hosted by Carr who has previously had experience hosting a revival of TPIR as a one-off pilot for Channel 4 in 2017, where like Ant & Dec's/Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon it would see five classic gameshows being supersized and brought together such as Play Your Cards Right (Card Sharks), The Price is Right, Take Your Pick, Strike It Lucky (Strike it Rich '86) and Bullseye. However, unlike GSM, this would feature civilian contestants hoping to win either a big-cash reward or top-of-the-range prizes instead of celebrities playing for their favorite charities along with a viewer-at-home, except in the first episode based on Play Your Cards Right where it does feature celebrity couples playing for their favorite charities but another edition which aired on 27 June 2020 (June 27, 2020) had regular civilians couples playing instead of celebrity couples. On 3 April 2021 (April 3, 2021), in series 2, five classic were being brought back just like in series 1, but while four of them have returned from the first series such as Play Your Cards Right (Card Sharks), Bullseye, The Price is Right & Strike it Lucky (Strike it Rich '86) only one "new" classic was added to the rotating roster which was Name That Tune.

according to a press release by ITV, Carr said "It is such a privilege for me to be involved in these truly iconic shows that have brought so much joy to my childhood. A little bit of nostalgia but a whole load of fun. Big shoes to fill I know, these shows should be back on telly for a whole new generation to sit down and enjoy with their family just like I did all those years ago!"

On 27 May 2020 (May 27, 2020)it has been announced that the seven part episode series will begin airing on 30 May 2020 (May 30, 2020). Additionally, the article also mentions that another Celebrity Edition of Play Your Cards Right (Card Sharks) along with another Christmas Edition of The Price is Right was also in the works.

The second episode the featured The Price is Right began on 6 June 2020 (June 6, 2020). additionally, this episode also sparked backlash on social mediadue to the top prize of a holiday to Mallorca/Majorca, Spain by a female contestant named Angela after winning a game of Cliffhangers with comments on Twitter such as "Angela on The Price is Right is still in Majorca with her friend, not been able to get back due to covid #epicgameshow #priceisright" another said "#epicgameshow You'll Be Heading off to Majorca..' Oh Really? When?! Not Anytime Soon.".

Just like the regular ITV versions from the 80s, 90s and the 2000s. This version featured civilian contestants with an exact bid in Contestant's Row earning that player 200 pounds. The five pricing games that were played in this episode from series 1 are:

Cliffhanger
Hole in One
Any Number
Plinko
Push Over

Showcase Showdown

The three contestants, who not only won their way up on stage, but also were closest to the ARP of each of the IUFBs faces-off against each other in the Showcase Showdown with "The Big Wheel". The contestant nearest to 100 went on to the Epic Showcase round but getting 100 in one spin or two won 1,000 pounds.

Epic Showcase

In the Epic Showcase, it works the same way as the Warman era from 1989-90 but the biggest difference here is that there were no random range choices of any kind as the range was a flat 3,000 pounds. Still, coming within that range without going over won the showcase.

Announcer

• John Sachs (2020)

Models

• Matt Peacock (2020)
• Rachel Trevaskis (2020)
• Kimberley Williams (2020)

Trivia

In Cliffhangers (or Cliffhanger), the face of the mountain climber is supposed to resemble a cartoony version of its host Alan Carr.
In Cliffhangers (or Cliffhanger), the price of the Popcorn Maker was never revealed after Angela's win. It was in fact 50 pounds.

Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow Christmas Special (The Price is Right)

On 5 December 2020 (or December 5, 2020)it was announced that a Christmas special of The Price is Right would air on 24 December 2020 (or December 24, 2020) on ITV. Along with the series itself returning for a second go around in 2021.

Like in series 1, the same five pricing games that were being played for this Christmas Special were:

Cliff Hanger
Hole in One
Any Number
Plinko
Push Over

Series 2

The second series that only featured The Price is Right (airing only in Episode 3) began on 17 April 2021 (or April 17, 2021). The other four were: Play Your Cards Right (Celebrity Edition only), Bullseye (Civilian & Celebrity Editions), Name That Tune (Civilian & Celebrity Editions) & Strike it Lucky (Civilian & Celebrity Editions).

The five pricing games that were being played in this episode from series 2 were:

Plinko
Any Number
Hole in One
Shell Game
Cliff Hanger

Trivia

Just like the current American version with Drew Carey, there were no studio audience members as well due to Corona/COVID-19/Pandemic.

Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow Christmas Special (The Price is Right)

This special aired on 23 December (December 21) 2021.

The Price format never returned for a third series at all since it endedon 25 December 2022.