Strike It Lucky

Strike It Lucky
Also known as	Michael Barrymore's Strike It Rich
Genre	Game show
Created by	Kline & Friends
Presented by	Michael Barrymore
Voices of	John Benson Robin Houston Nick Jackson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	13
No. of episodes	209
Production
Running time	30 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company(s)	Thames in association with Talbot Television and Blair Entertainment's Kline & Friends Inc. (1986–94) LWT and Fremantle (UK) Productions (Grundy) (1996–99)
Distributor	FremantleMedia
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	4:3
Original release	29 October 1986 (1986-10-29) – 23 August 1999 (1999-08-23)
Chronology
Related shows	Strike It Rich (US version)

Strike It Lucky (Michael Barrymore's Strike It Rich! from 1996 to 1999) was a popular British television game show from 29 October 1986 to 23 August 1999, originally produced by Thames Television for ITV, and presented by the British comedian Michael Barrymore. It was based on the American show of the same name that aired in 1986.

In its formative years, it became well known for the outlandish and often highly eccentric contestants it featured – Barrymore would often spend over 5 minutes talking to them. The introductory footage of the prizes on offer were also noteworthy, often filmed in black-and-white with a slapstick style. In 1987, it was the fifth most watched programme on UK television. The Thames Television version of the show was recorded at Teddington Studios, and later Pinewood Studios.

From 1996, the new version aired under the title Strike it Rich!; this being the title of the short-lived American game show Strike it Rich! on which it was based, and it moved (with a re-designed set) to The London Studios.

The show is one of very few ITV programmes to have been produced by both Thames and LWT (weekday and weekend ITV franchise holders in London, respectively).

Main game

Three teams of two competed to win cash and prizes. One member of each team stood at the podiums to answer questions, while the other moved along a path lined with 10 television monitors. Each team had its own path, and the moving contestants started at the first monitor, needing a total of nine steps to reach the other end. The team in control was given a category (eg; Takeaways, Christmas Day Birthdays, Quizmasters, TV Ad Slogans, British Seaside Resorts, Seventies Number 1s & Made in Japan) and a list of six answers, and the answering contestant chose to play two, three, or four questions. If they answered all the questions correctly, their teammate gained the right to move one step ahead per question. An incorrect answer gave the next team in line a chance to steal control by answering the same question and any that followed it.

When a team finished answering the questions, the moving contestant advanced one step at a time and pressed the button below each monitor to reveal cash, a prize, or a Hot Spot (between five and eight altogether). If cash or a prize was revealed, the team could either bank it and end their turn, or risk it and take another step if they had earned any more. Finding a Hot Spot forfeited all un-banked prizes and ended the turn. If a team completed all their moves without finding a Hot Spot, all prizes found on that turn were automatically banked. Once a team's turn ended for any reason, the next team in line played.

If a team was on the sixth or seventh step of their path, they could not ask for any number of questions that would take them past the ninth one. A team on the eighth step could only play two questions. Once a team reached the ninth step, they had a choice to either end the turn and bank the prizes, or to attempt one final open-ended question for which conferring was allowed. If they attempted the question on that same turn and missed, they forfeited the un-banked prizes and had to answer a new question on their next turn. The first team to correctly answer their final question won the game, banked any prizes still at risk, and advanced to the bonus round.

Teams kept all cash and prizes they banked during the game. If a team finished with nothing in the bank, they received a consolation prize. In early episodes, this was a bottle of champagne. Later, Barrymore would either reveal the next two prizes along the team's path and award these, or allow the team to keep the last set of prizes they had lost to a Hot Spot.

Bonus round

The bonus round used all 30 monitors lining the three paths. Ten each of arrows, Hot Spots, and true/false questions were shuffled and hidden among the monitors. At the outset, the team bid on how few Hot Spots they believed they would hit during the round (two, three, or four); the lower their bid, the more money was at stake. They advanced one step at a time, choosing the top, middle, or bottom monitor at each step. Arrows represented safe moves, while a correct answer or miss on a question turned it into an arrow or Hot Spot, respectively.

If the team completed all 10 steps without exceeding their bid of Hot Spots, they won the cash prize for that bid. These prizes were £2,000/£1,500/£1,000 for the first three series of Strike It Lucky, increased to £3,000/£2,000/£1,000 for the fifth through eighth series, and again to £5,000/£4,000/£3,000 for the ninth. When the series was re-titled Strike It Rich, the prizes were £10,000/£7,000/£5,000.

From the fourth through the ninth series, teams who failed to win their jackpot received 10% of its value for every safe step they took before exceeding their bid (£300/£200/£100, then £500/£400/£300). On Strike It Rich, the consolation was 5% per step (£500/£350/£250).

Merchandise

In 1988, a home version of Strike it Lucky! was released by Parker Games.

An interactive DVD of Strike it Lucky! went on sale throughout the UK on 13 November 2006. Produced by Fremantle Home Entertainment, and with over 2,000 questions available, original host Michael Barrymore provides links to the game play, which stays loyal to the format of its television equivalent.

Transmissions

External links

• Strike It Lucky on IMDb
• Strike it Lucky! at BFI
• Michael Barrymore's Strike it Rich! at BFI
• Strike It Lucky at UKGameshows.com