Twenty-four episodes were recorded for Series 21, but ITV only aired the first ten episodes within the schedule. The remaining fourteen episodes were not transmitted until Challenge started broadcasting this series, although they did eventually air on ITV during the 2004 Christmas season. In the 2020 revival, the top answers were not revealed until after the second contestant gave their answers and their point values were shown, an element that was previously seen in the All-Stars version of the show. Monkhouse era) "The question will appear at the bottom of the screen for viewers who are hard of hearing" If the opposing team then guessed an answer not yet found they won the money (a pound for every person that replied to that answer). If not, any found money went to the first team.

One player is selected to be the host. Divide the remaining players into two teams of equal numbers. If this is an odd number one team will have an extra player. Set up the board with the front side facing the two teams. Remove battery tab from electronic unit. Play: The game involves two families providing answers to 'everyday questions' that were surveyed by 100 members of the British public before the show (e.g., 'Name something usually done in the dark.') to win cash prizes (and sometimes mystery prizes for giving a correct answer). The top answers to the surveys are displayed on a large electronic board, christened by Bob Monkhouse as "Mr. Babbage". The host then passes down the line of the controlling team, asking for an answer from each member. After each answer, the board reveals whether it features. If not or if they can not come up with an answer in time, the family is charged with a strike (marked with an X), losing control of the board upon their third strike (officially known as striking out in the official rules) in the round. If a family manages to come up with all the answers before striking out, they win the amount in pounds of the total number of people who had given the answers. The host asks the player giving the highest answer if their team would like to play or pass. If they pass, the other team will play. The team that plays chooses another player from their team to give a different answer to the same question. If it is also a scoring answer, the host writes it in the relevant position on the board with its score as before. If the answer is not a scoring answer, the host has the pleasure of pressing the wrong answer button in the middle of the sound unit and writes a cross on that team's side of the scoreboard. In the big points round, if one team hits all five top answers and the other doesn't, then that team wins the game. Otherwise, the team with the highest overall score wins. Rules for 3 or 4 playersThis article is about the British TV show. For the Irish show, see Family Fortunes (Irish TV series). For the history book, see Leonore Davidoff.

For all you out there in TV land, the nation's most popular family game show can be played in the comfort of your own home!Rejoin your family - no conferring - but the (whichever) family, think of some answers in case you get a chance to steal..." As Paul Merton said in Have I Got News for You - "they'll get asked to name something with a motor in it and they'll say something like... 'a cat' " and it was so true! The team that was leading after the first five rounds now selects two of its players to play their big points round with a new set of five questions. The points scored are then added to their score. Winning: Elstree – ATV & BBC". TV Studio History. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 . Retrieved 25 July 2020. Carlton in association with Pearson Television for ITV, 25 September 1999 to 30 December 2004 (130 episodes in 4 series + 14 unaired)

The computer which runs the electronic board is called Mr. Babbage named after Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first programmable computer. If you’re only interested in receiving the newest games this is the box for you; guaranteeing only the latest games! Buy New Releases Box » The host will continue to ask different players in turn, chosen by the team, for another answer. If the team fills in all the answers before receiving three crosses, they win the total points on the board for the round. This is written in the total score box on that team's side of the scoreboard. All players must take turns at answering. Teams cannot confer in answers but any player can say if they think they have a good answer.

In an interview some years after he'd finished hosting the show, Les Dennis said that he used to fear for his life when a family won the Big Money game, because they'd be going so wild with delight that they'd almost strangle him when trying to hug him - and the fact that he was often doing his final piece to camera at the time can't have helped much. One would imagine that one of Les's former fellow-gameshow hosts, the late Leslie Crowther, would have sympathised, because some of the latter's contestants on The Price is Right tended to do the same. Oh, and during one of the shows, Les revealed that people used to react to seeing him in the street by calling out, "Uh-uhh!" - very similar to the late Richard Whiteley having the Countdown catch-tune, "Da da da da, da-da-da-da, BOOM!" shouted at him in public places. If a family strikes out, the opponent is given the chance to "steal" by coming up with an answer that may be amongst those missing. Only the head family member (the first family member or the designated captain) may give the answer after consultation. If the answer is present, this family wins the round and is said to have "stolen" the money. Otherwise, the family that plays the board keeps the money.

By an unfortunate coincidence, the episode broadcast on 21 May 2023 had a question that asked "Name somebody who regularly appears on the TV show This Morning", this edition aired a mere 24 hours after Phillip Schofield announced he was leaving the show, although in fairness, it was the last episode to air from the second series of 20 episodes recorded in 2021, they were starting the second series of Sitting on a Fortune the following week, and there were no other episodes on the shelf. ATV in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions for ITV, 6 January 1980 to 4 September 1982 (81 episodes in 3 series) Les Dennis): "If that answer's there, I'll give you the money meself" (On a few rare occasions, when the answers were particularly daft, Les would take it one step further and say "If it's up there, I'll give you the car meself!") However, we do wonder rather whether they perhaps ought to have waited to produce the series; one lesson which definitely should have been learnt from Andy Collins' version is that you need a full audience to squeal in case of ridiculous answers. An audience of 50 in an auditorium of 350 is just too quiet, and canned laughter was clearly applied a little too liberally (as evidenced by Gino ignoring one round of applause, since he clearly didn't hear it).

Les Dennis): "You could do this on your own!" Frequently said when the first contestant in Big Money achieves a high score Bob Monkhouse on the other hand saved over 80 episodes in his private collection of video cassettes he recorded off-air. In the closing moments of one end-of-series episode from the late 1990s, Les and the winning family were waving at the camera when Mr. Babbage repeatedly sounded the wrong answer noise whilst flashing the words 'Les Dennis Tonight…'. An understandably confused Les looked round (whilst continuing to wave!) only for Michael Aspel to emerge from the side of the set to explain that the full, uncut sentence was 'Les Dennis, tonight This Is Your Life'. Under the sound of the applause, Les could be just about heard to say 'I'd better not open that, had I?' to which Aspel laughed, 'That's the empty one!' You're giving away trade secrets, man!