Password

Current revision as of 20:49, 29 September 2024

Host

Shaw Taylor (1963)

Brian Redhead (1973)

Eleanor Summerfield (1974)

Esther Rantzen (1975-76)

Tom O'Connor (1982-83)

Brian Munn (1985)

Gordon Burns (1987-88)

Stephen Mangan (2024-)

Co-host

Dinah May

Announcer:
Simon Prebble (1982-83)
John O'Hara (UTV)
Simon Greenall (2024-)

Team captains:
Alan Carr and Daisy May Cooper (2024-)

Broadcast

ATV for ITV, 12 March to 10 September 1963 (27 episodes in 1 series)

BBC2, 24 March to 28 April 1973 (6 episodes in 1 series)

BBC1, 7 January 1974 to 3 January 1976 (33 episodes in 2 series)

Thames in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions for Channel 4, 6 November 1982 to 14 May 1983 (26 episodes in 1 series)

Ulster (regional), 2 September 1985 to 13 March 1987 (40 episodes in 2 series)

Ulster in association with Mark Goodson Productions and Talbot Television for ITV, 20 June to 29 July 1988 (30 episodes in 1 series)

Talkback for ITV1, 31 August 2024 to present

Synopsis

Word game with the added bonus (if we remember correctly) of sometimes not having any adverts midway through the show, a bit like This Is Your Life (when it was on ITV, that's not something to be too impressed by on the BBC, is it?).

The most '70s image on our website

Based on the American show that's a bit like The Pyramid Game (indeed, the French show Pyramide probably has more to do with Password than it has to do with The Pyramid Game), two teams consisting of celebrity and real-life person compete in guessing passwords. If anything, though, 'Password' was even more like Three Little Words, which definitely did involve one-word clues.

One person gives a one word clue and their partner has to try and guess from that what the password is. If they don't then their opponents get a go but for less points. Keep going back and forth until someone gets it; keep going to a certain amount of points are reached then something good is bound to happen.

The team decide to resort to navel gazing

Lasted a couple of years but eventually made way for the behemoth that was Chain Letters and the underrated excellence of Talkabout.

Enter in a new Password

The password is "Gladiator"? We'd say, "Awooga!"

After over three decades in relative obscurity, a pilot of the show was filmed for ITV in March 2023, with Alan Carr and Daisy May Cooper reported to be hosts. The non-broadcast pilot was positively received and a full series was commissioned a month later; Cooper and Carr were now captains, Stephen Mangan the host. Episodes were filmed in June 2023 at Television Centre in London, and eventually went out the following year.

The format was simple: first round is a race to 25 points, second round is a Super Password where all the answers are linked; if these rounds are split, a tie-break is one further Super Password on the buzzer.

Winning contenders play Alphabeticals, 60 seconds to give clues to ten words beginning with ten consecutive letters of the alphabet. There's £500 for each correct answer, doubled to £10,000 on a clean sweep. Miss anything and they play The Final Word, Alan and Daisy give a clue, contestant gets one guess to the word and doubles their money if successful.

Four right, and nine seconds before the changeover. This looks good.

Viewer reaction was neutral-to-negative - there's no chance to play along at home (but there never was, it was The Pyramid Game where they didn't announce the word), and the show tended to be slow and ponderous. Too much game to be a chat show between Stephen, Daisy, Alan, and some interesting people; too much wittering and filling to be entertaining. Viewing figures fell and fell, at one point barely 600,000 people watched the broadcast.

Inventor

Based on a classic US Mark Goodson-Bill Todman game show.

Theme music

Channel 4 version composed by Mr. Lovejoy himself, Denis King. A clip can be found on the relevant page of TV Ark.

The 2024 revival composed by James Poyser and Robert Israel

Trivia

Password is the only game show (at the time) to have broadcast on all four terrestrial channels. It also appeared in vastly different schedule slots. The ATV series aired on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. The first BBC series aired on Saturday evenings at 8.30pm on BBC2. The second and third BBC series moved to BBC1; the second series started on Monday afternoons at 3.30pm before moving to Tuesday evenings at 6.50pm, the third series was stripped across the week in the Christmas/New Year schedule in late mornings. The Channel 4 series aired on Saturday afternoons at 4.35pm. The first and second Ulster series were only aired in the Northern Ireland region, two episodes each week on Mondays and Fridays at 3.30pm (6.30pm for the second series). The third Ulster series was networked from Mondays to Fridays at 9.25am just after TV-am had finished. For more information on the ITV 9.25 slot, we have a complete guide to ITV's 9.25 shows.

One of the contestants on the second episode of the 2024 run was Me'sha Bryan, who had previously been a vocal coach on Change Your Tune.

Web links

Wikipedia entry

Opening titles from the BBC Motion Graphics Archive

Feedback

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Eleanor Summerfield (1974)
-[[Esther Rantzen]] (1974-75)
+[[Esther Rantzen]] (1975-76)
 [[Tom O'Connor]] (1982-83)
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 [[Gordon Burns]] (1987-88)
+[[Stephen Mangan]] (2024-)
 == Co-host ==
@@ Line 23: / Line 25: @@
 Announcer:<br>
-Simon Prebble (1982-3)<br>
+Simon Prebble (1982-83)<br>
-John O'Hara (UTV)
+John O'Hara (UTV)<br>
+[[Simon Greenall]] (2024-)
+Team captains:<br>
+[[Alan Carr]] and Daisy May Cooper (2024-)
 == Broadcast ==
@@ Line 32: / Line 38: @@
 BBC2, 24 March to 28 April 1973 (6 episodes in 1 series)
-BBC1, 7 January 1974 to 3 January 1975 (33 episodes in 2 series)
+BBC1, 7 January 1974 to 3 January 1976 (33 episodes in 2 series)
 Thames in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions for Channel 4, 6 November 1982 to 14 May 1983 (26 episodes in 1 series)
@@ Line 39: / Line 45: @@
 Ulster in association with Mark Goodson Productions and Talbot Television for ITV, 20 June to 29 July 1988 (30 episodes in 1 series)
+Talkback for ITV1, 31 August 2024 to present
 </div>
@@ Line 44: / Line 52: @@
 == Synopsis ==
-Afternoon word game with the added bonus (if we remember correctly) of sometimes not having any adverts midway through the show, a bit like ''This Is Your Life'' (when it was on ITV, that's not something to be too impressed by on the BBC, is it?).
+Word game with the added bonus (if we remember correctly) of sometimes not having any adverts midway through the show, a bit like ''This Is Your Life'' (when it was on ITV, that's not something to be too impressed by on the BBC, is it?).
 <div class="image">[[Image:Password estherrantzen.jpg]]''The most '70s image on our website''</div>
-Based on the American show that's a bit like ''[[The Pyramid Game]]'' (indeed, the French show ''Pyramide'' probably has more to do with ''Password'' than it has to do with ''The Pyramid Game''), two teams consisting of celebrity and real-life person compete in guessing passwords. If anything, though, 'Password' was even more like [[Three Little Words]], which definitely did involve one-word clues.
+Based on the American show that's a bit like [[The Pyramid Game]] (indeed, the French show ''Pyramide'' probably has more to do with ''Password'' than it has to do with ''The Pyramid Game''), two teams consisting of celebrity and real-life person compete in guessing passwords. If anything, though, 'Password' was even more like [[Three Little Words]], which definitely did involve one-word clues.
 One person gives a one word clue and their partner has to try and guess from that what the password is. If they don't then their opponents get a go but for less points. Keep going back and forth until someone gets it; keep going to a certain amount of points are reached then something good is bound to happen.
@@ Line 54: / Line 62: @@
 <div class="image">[[Image:Password team.jpg]]''The team decide to resort to navel gazing''</div>
-Lasted a couple of years but eventually made way for the behemoth that was ''[[Chain Letters]]'' and the underrated excellence of ''[[Talkabout]]''.
+Lasted a couple of years but eventually made way for the behemoth that was [[Chain Letters]] and the underrated excellence of [[Talkabout]].
+=== Enter in a new Password ===
+<div class=image>
+[[File:Password 2024 what is the password.jpg|400px]]
+''The password is "Gladiator"? We'd say, "Awooga!"''
+</div>
+After over three decades in relative obscurity, a pilot of the show was filmed for ITV in March 2023, with [[Alan Carr]] and Daisy May Cooper reported to be hosts. The non-broadcast pilot was positively received and a full series was commissioned a month later; Cooper and Carr were now captains, Stephen Mangan the host. Episodes were filmed in June 2023 at Television Centre in London, and eventually went out the following year.
+The format was simple: first round is a race to 25 points, second round is a Super Password where all the answers are linked; if these rounds are split, a tie-break is one further Super Password on the buzzer.
+Winning contenders play Alphabeticals, 60 seconds to give clues to ten words beginning with ten consecutive letters of the alphabet. There's £500 for each correct answer, doubled to £10,000 on a clean sweep. Miss anything and they play The Final Word, Alan and Daisy give a clue, contestant gets one guess to the word and doubles their money if successful.
+<div class=image>
+[[File:Password 2024 final in progress.jpg|400px]]
+''Four right, and nine seconds before the changeover. This looks good.''
+</div>
+Viewer reaction was neutral-to-negative - there's no chance to play along at home (but there never was, it was [[The Pyramid Game]] where they didn't announce the word), and the show tended to be slow and ponderous. Too much game to be a chat show between Stephen, Daisy, Alan, and some interesting people; too much wittering and filling to be entertaining. Viewing figures fell and fell, at one point barely 600,000 people watched the broadcast.
 == Inventor ==
@@ Line 63: / Line 91: @@
 Channel 4 version composed by Mr. Lovejoy himself, Denis King. A clip can be found on the relevant page of [http://www.tv-ark.org.uk/mivana/mediaplayer.php?id=21906e7e54d27b0b0b2a86f86d5d137b&media=password1982&type=mp4 TV Ark].
+The 2024 revival composed by James Poyser and Robert Israel
 == Trivia ==
-Password is the only game show to have broadcast new episodes on BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4.
+Password is the only game show (at the time) to have broadcast on all four terrestrial channels. It also appeared in vastly different schedule slots. The ATV series aired on Tuesday evenings at 7pm. The first BBC series aired on Saturday evenings at 8.30pm on BBC2. The second and third BBC series moved to BBC1; the second series started on Monday afternoons at 3.30pm before moving to Tuesday evenings at 6.50pm, the third series was stripped across the week in the Christmas/New Year schedule in late mornings. The Channel 4 series aired on Saturday afternoons at 4.35pm. The first and second Ulster series were only aired in the Northern Ireland region, two episodes each week on Mondays and Fridays at 3.30pm (6.30pm for the second series). The third Ulster series was networked from Mondays to Fridays at 9.25am just after TV-am had finished. For more information on the ITV 9.25 slot, we have a complete guide to [[ITV's 9.25 shows]].
+One of the contestants on the second episode of the 2024 run was Me'sha Bryan, who had previously been a vocal coach on [[Change Your Tune]].
 == Web links ==
 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_(UK_game_show) Wikipedia entry]
+[http://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/bbc-motion-graphics-archive/password-1973 Opening titles from the BBC Motion Graphics Archive]
+== See also ==
+[[Weaver's Week 2024-09-29|Weaver's Week review]] (2024)
 [[Category:Puzzle]]
@@ Line 79: / Line 117: @@
 [[Category:Regional]]
 [[Category:Northern Ireland]]
+[[Category:Talkback Productions]]
+[[Category:Current]]