[James2001]

What was the story behind the name change?

I think it was due to the IBA limits on prizes at the time, so "strike it rich" would sound a bit odd when the jackpot was only £2000 when the show began.

[AaronLancs]

And then - for our perspective - the even further the oddity that "restored" the 'Rich' name was down to a switch in production companies. Thames who had created the 'Lucky' name didn't want to hand it over to LWT. So LWT had to use something and given the increase in jackpots used the "original" format name.

Also thinking on. Yet another example of a US format taking hold over here than in its home country.

[Brekkie]

But yes, nobody watched Strike It Lucky for the set, and it could probably be argued nobody watched it for the gameplay either, because the format's wafer thin and the only saving grace was the host milking any comedic value out of anything that happened.

Yes - that episode posted earlier shows that with nearly half the episode being the contestant introduction, and even the strange intro not from the episode recording itself but Barrymore introducing it telling us to watch for the special contestants, then a hard cut to them being introduced.

[Neil Jones]

Yes - that episode posted earlier shows that with nearly half the episode being the contestant introduction, and even the strange intro not from the episode recording itself but Barrymore introducing it telling us to watch for the special contestants, then a hard cut to them being introduced.

need to be careful if its based on Challenge airings, as it may have been edited from what originally went out on ITV back in the day (the posted example is from the time when Challenge for some reason chopped out all the original break bumpers).

And then - for our perspective - the even further the oddity that "restored" the 'Rich' name was down to a switch in production companies. Thames who had created the 'Lucky' name didn't want to hand it over to LWT. So LWT had to use something and given the increase in jackpots used the "original" format name.

Also thinking on. Yet another example of a US format taking hold over here than in its home country.

At this time Blockbusters was the other major format we adopted and ran away with, and while they've had two stabs at that in the US without much success, we keep reviving it every decade or so.

[James2001]

Catchphrase is another- flopped in the US after one series, hugely successful here.

[iloveTV1]

Speaking of catchphrase, the revival going for 10 years has gone under the radar somewhat - even if the normal version was only in production for 4 years, the celebrity version appears to be a particularly solid performer for ITV on a Saturday night, and I wonder if they’ll make it to the point when it goes for longer than the original.

[tellyblues]

Was Strike It Rich axed in the end? MB had other newer shows going (My Kind Of Music, Funniest Things etc, Bob Martin) which bound to have taken up a lot of time but Barrymore came back in 2000 for one final series.

[Neil Jones]

Was Strike It Rich axed in the end? MB had other newer shows going (My Kind Of Music, Funniest Things etc, Bob Martin) which bound to have taken up a lot of time but Barrymore came back in 2000 for one final series.

The final series of Strike It Rich aired in 1999, but there was no indication it was the end (unlike what happened in 1992 when Thames lost their licence, though we know now it carried on).

I always presumed ITV decided they'd had enough of it (or it had dropped in the ratings), after all by that point it had been on the air for 13 series worth, and nothing lasts forever.

Though of course Barrymore had other work, and as things panned out if SiR/SiL had still been on the air two years later, it wouldn't have survived (not with him as host anyway)...

[Bluecortina]

And then - for our perspective - the even further the oddity that "restored" the 'Rich' name was down to a switch in production companies. Thames who had created the 'Lucky' name didn't want to hand it over to LWT. So LWT had to use something and given the increase in jackpots used the "original" format name.

Also thinking on. Yet another example of a US format taking hold over here than in its home country.

Was this show an LWT production? I clearly recall the set in TLS studio 1 but I’m not sure it was actually produced by LWT. Perhaps a commission of some sort or perhaps I am just simply mis-remembering? I guess the Colour Prod would be definitive.

Barrymore recorded an entire series of People/Children do the funniest thing in Studio 1 just before the furore erupted around him. I don’t think it was ever broadcast.

[AaronLancs]

Was this show an LWT production? I clearly recall the set in TLS studio 1 but I’m not sure it was actually produced by LWT. Perhaps a commission of some sort or perhaps I am just simply mis-remembering? I guess the Colour Prod would be definitive.

Barrymore recorded an entire series of People/Children do the funniest thing in Studio 1 just before the furore erupted around him. I don’t think it was ever broadcast.

Saw an episode on YouTube earlier and it had both the Grundy and LWT Logos on the endcap. Plus it being copyrighted to both Worldwide Grundy Productions Ltd - as they own the format - and LWT Ltd. Here are the screenshots of the applicable sections.



(Images sourced from YouTube screenshots and hosted on the posters own Metropol Uploader Account)