[Jon]

Would have been a lot better as a 30 minute show, rather than a 45 minute, then hour, one.

Then it really would just be a show about opening boxes and it’s the decision making and weighing up the odds that the show is actually about. I agree that it probably worked better over 45 minutes than an hour, but at the same time a half an hour show would have taken out much of the drama, the viewers investment in the contestants and of course the fun. 

People who say “it’s just people opening boxes” don’t really understand what the show was about. It’s not University Challenge I’ll grant them that, but it wasn’t meant to be.

The production that went into that daytime show was amazing and a lot of success was down to Edmonds ability as not only a host but also basically director of the programme.

[XIII]

The show is very different internationally than it was over here so I expect ITV's version will be different. Having cases instead of boxes would be one way to be different.

The Australian version was 30 minutes and faster paced, it also had the fellow contestants guessing what was in their case and if they were correct when they opened it, they got $250.

I fully expect it'll be an hour but also think the format will be tweaked so that it's faster.

[all new phil]

Would have been a lot better as a 30 minute show, rather than a 45 minute, then hour, one.

Then it really would just be a show about opening boxes and it’s the decision making and weighing up the odds that the show is actually about. I agree that it probably worked better over 45 minutes than an hour, but at the same time a half an hour show would have taken out much of the drama, the viewers investment in the contestants and of course the fun. 

People who say “it’s just people opening boxes” don’t really understand what the show was about. It’s not University Challenge I’ll grant them that, but it wasn’t meant to be.

The production that went into that daytime show was amazing and a lot of success was down to Edmonds ability as not only a host but also basically director of the programme.

Exactly. Shows like this are less about the game and more about everything else around it. The Wheel is just a vehicle for Michael McIntyre, The 1% Club is a vehicle for Lee Mack, etc etc. DOND really hammed up the contestants’ stories, the deliberation over what to do… it was as much as drama as it was a gameshow. I can’t imagine why you’d want to watch a show that was ruthlessly efficient in its use of time and cut out any of the chatter.

[Johnr]

...Or as Noel mentioned about 1000000 times per week it was an 'entertainment drama'

Perhaps the biggest difference our version had was all the contestants were on the wings, staying together for days / weeks in a hotel (I remember Lucy being on for 50 games before she got her chance...and won a fiver!), building up a connection with each other

Interestingly the original route Channel 4 seemed to want was a comedy angle as Brian Conley did the pilot

Box 23 and the Offer Button certainly don't need to make a return although I appreciate they were just trying to keep the show fresh, Channel 4 just seemed to randomly decide they had done enough one day and it was shoved in a random lunchtime slot before Countdown before deciding to 'send it off' with the On Tour specials (I suspect this was a Noel idea to show how flexible the format could be if someone else wanted to pick it up!)

[bkman1990]

The idea that this show is coming back on our screens again in the near future is a very big surprise to me. I would have thought that when the show ended back in 2016; that was it.

There is a lot of let's say unrealistic speculation from The Sun that Stephen is reportedly trying to go after Phillip Schofield's job as host of Dancing on Ice. That would mean that Stephen would have to potentially do that job as well as doing his current run of shows like Catchphrase, In for a Penny, the promotional ads for The National Lottery and then doing some side work on Ant & Dec's SNT as well as doing the potential job of hosting Deal or No Deal on top of it.

All I can say is Good Lord. That level of work is nuts.

That kind of workload to try and undertake daily while all under one contract for ITV1 is going to be huge for him. You have to wonder if Stephen is going to have to give up presenting some of his other current shows on ITV1 to prevent him from getting burnout in the future.

His workload with ITV at the moment is insane. I personally could not even consider trying to carry out that level of work for one broadcaster alone.

I would think that something has got to give way here and it has to happen soon.

[WhisperOfCinnamon]

...Or as Noel mentioned about 1000000 times per week it was an 'entertainment drama'

As tacky as this phrase is (and it's even worse when being spouted out of a DOND arcade machine on a Blackpool pier), it sort of was the key. For many, Noel was Deal. He made it seem like the next box you opened would either be the best or worst moment of your life. 

Excessive? Absolutely. Entertaining? No doubt about it.

Can Mulhern capture this sort of atmosphere? Potentially, but I suppose it also depends on what ITV are going for. I could see them going down a  route where the positive moments of the game are accentuated over the negatives. When someone lost on C4 Deal, the atmosphere in the studio completely changed and the energy was sucked out of the place for those last 5/10 minutes of the show - I suppose ITV most likely don't want that as it doesn't fit with the vibe of their other entertainment shows.

[Neil Jones]

Perhaps the biggest difference our version had was all the contestants were on the wings, staying together for days / weeks in a hotel (I remember Lucy being on for 50 games before she got her chance...and won a fiver!), building up a connection with each other

I seem to remember Lucy only hung on for 50 games worth because she didn't live too far away from where the show was filmed (was it Bristol?) - as it otherwise seemed unreasonable for somebody who lived in Edinburgh to camp out in Bristol for effectively what may have been all their annual leave entitlement, though I appreciate they were knocking the show out production wise at some ridiculous rate, something like 15 episodes a week at its peak, so most people probably didn't have to wait for games on end to get their turn.

There is a lot of let's say unrealistic speculation from The Sun that Stephen is reportedly trying to go after Phillip Schofield's job as host of Dancing on Ice. That would mean that Stephen would have to potentially do that job as well as doing his current run of shows like Catchphrase, In for a Penny, the promotional ads for The National Lottery and then doing some side work on Ant & Dec's SNT as well as doing the potential job of hosting Deal or No Deal on top of it.

All I can say is Good Lord. That level of work is nuts.

That kind of workload to try and undertake daily while all under one contract for ITV1 is going to be huge for him. You have to wonder if Stephen is going to have to give up presenting some of his other current shows on ITV1 to prevent him from getting burnout in the future.

His workload with ITV at the moment is insane. I personally could not even consider trying to carry out that level of work for one broadcaster alone.

I would think that something has got to give way here and it has to happen soon.

I believe most TV presenters are effectively self-employed (quite a few radio presenters are as well), so if they don't work, they don't get paid. The pay is quite high compared to more regular jobs because it is more stressful, longer hours and generally knackering (it was either Ant or Dec who said hosting a 2.5hr live final for BGT was exhausting on its own on an episode of BGMT).

Remember most gameshows are block recorded, so Catchphrase will only be probably two, three weeks out of a schedule. Most adverts (if the Apprentice is anything to go by) can be filmed in one day (editing can be done later), and the side work is probably relatively cheap and quick to do.

I do remember the late Mark Speight was all over children's TV in the 90s (often on both CBBC and CITV) and other programming with a similar workload and he managed to cope with it all, disregarding the fact he later took his own life not because of work but because of a relationship breakdown.

[Ash101]

There is a lot of let's say unrealistic speculation from The Sun that Stephen is reportedly trying to go after Phillip Schofield's job as host of Dancing on Ice. That would mean that Stephen would have to potentially do that job as well as doing his current run of shows like Catchphrase, In for a Penny, the promotional ads for The National Lottery and then doing some side work on Ant & Dec's SNT as well as doing the potential job of hosting Deal or No Deal on top of it.

All I can say is Good Lord. That level of work is nuts.

That kind of workload to try and undertake daily while all under one contract for ITV1 is going to be huge for him. You have to wonder if Stephen is going to have to give up presenting some of his other current shows on ITV1 to prevent him from getting burnout in the future.

His workload with ITV at the moment is insane. I personally could not even consider trying to carry out that level of work for one broadcaster alone.

I would think that something has got to give way here and it has to happen soon.

I doubt that very much. Stephen's current ITV commitments only take up a set number of weeks in the year.

As above, Catchphrase is bulk filmed and I doubt it takes much more than a week or so (considering they film multiple episodes day). In For A Penny is probably a couple of weeks work, but I don't think they spend more than 2/3 days in a place which makes up 1 episode. Plus the SNT stuff is basically just 4 or 5 Saturday evenings (as he doesn't always appear on all episodes).

He's certainly got space in his diary considering he has done stuff like BGMT & Rolling In It in the past and they haven't really been replaced like for like.

[Jon]

Perhaps the biggest difference our version had was all the contestants were on the wings, staying together for days / weeks in a hotel (I remember Lucy being on for 50 games before she got her chance...and won a fiver!), building up a connection with each other

I seem to remember Lucy only hung on for 50 games worth because she didn't live too far away from where the show was filmed (was it Bristol?) - as it otherwise seemed unreasonable for somebody who lived in Edinburgh to camp out in Bristol for effectively what may have been all their annual leave entitlement, though I appreciate they were knocking the show out production wise at some ridiculous rate, something like 15 episodes a week at its peak, so most people probably didn't have to wait for games on end to get their turn.

There is a lot of let's say unrealistic speculation from The Sun that Stephen is reportedly trying to go after Phillip Schofield's job as host of Dancing on Ice. That would mean that Stephen would have to potentially do that job as well as doing his current run of shows like Catchphrase, In for a Penny, the promotional ads for The National Lottery and then doing some side work on Ant & Dec's SNT as well as doing the potential job of hosting Deal or No Deal on top of it.

All I can say is Good Lord. That level of work is nuts.

That kind of workload to try and undertake daily while all under one contract for ITV1 is going to be huge for him. You have to wonder if Stephen is going to have to give up presenting some of his other current shows on ITV1 to prevent him from getting burnout in the future.

His workload with ITV at the moment is insane. I personally could not even consider trying to carry out that level of work for one broadcaster alone.

I would think that something has got to give way here and it has to happen soon.

I believe most TV presenters are effectively self-employed (quite a few radio presenters are as well), so if they don't work, they don't get paid.  The pay is quite high compared to more regular jobs because it is more stressful, longer hours and generally knackering (it was either Ant or Dec who said hosting a 2.5hr live final for BGT was exhausting on its own on an episode of BGMT).

That’s not really the reason they get paid the amounts they do though. The big TV and radio stars are getting paid the big money because they have a unique asset in themselves that can bring in the audiences. If ITV were paying Ant & Dec minimum wage they wouldn’t be on ITV and ITV’s big shows wouldn’t bring in the audiences they do. Whilst I’m sure it can be hard work and have lots of negative effects I’m not sure it’s anymore stressful than a nurse working 9 hours days on a hospital ward for example.

[Neil Jones]

I believe most TV presenters are effectively self-employed (quite a few radio presenters are as well), so if they don't work, they don't get paid.  The pay is quite high compared to more regular jobs because it is more stressful, longer hours and generally knackering (it was either Ant or Dec who said hosting a 2.5hr live final for BGT was exhausting on its own on an episode of BGMT).

That’s not really the reason they get paid the amounts they do though. The big TV and radio stars are getting paid the big money because they have a unique asset in themselves that can bring in the audiences. If ITV were paying Ant & Dec minimum wage they wouldn’t be on ITV and ITV’s big shows wouldn’t bring in the audiences they do. Whilst I’m sure it can be hard work and have lots of negative effects I’m not sure it’s anymore stressful than a nurse working 9 hours days on a hospital ward for example.

However stressful it is (or isn't) probably doesn't change the basic fact that (to stay with Ant & Dec and BGT) the ITV presenting job doesn't start at 7:30pm and finish at 10pm when you walk off the stage. BGT rehearses (with the acts at least) in the day in preparation for the live show, and I think its probably safe to assume the talent don't get paid by the hour either. It'll almost certainly be a lump sum for the duration of the show/series/production I'd have thought.

Its the same argument for footballers wages - "oh they get paid <some insane amount> a week to kick a ball around a field for 90 minutes". Except their work week is not confined 90 minutes of action on a Saturday afternoon. Training sessions for one are (I believe) pretty much most other weekdays, then you have all the travelling for away matches, press conferences, other obligations, etc.