The £100K Drop (formerly The Million Pound Drop) is a BAFTA-winning game show which broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The show was first aired on 24 May 2010 and ended on 20 March 2015 with Davina McCall having presented the show's eleven series.
The show used social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find contestants, and also to promote the show. David Flynn, managing director of Endemol's Remarkable Television, which produced the show, said: "The plan was to create buzz and an air of mystery around the show by trickling information about auditions via Twitter and Facebook, giving fans a level of exclusivity."
On 8 March 2016, Channel 4 revealed that they had axed the show, in a bid to save money. However on 14 July 2017, it was announced that they would be bringing back the format in the daily afternoon slot of 2018 but with a lower prize fund of £100,000 and would change the name of the show to The £100K Drop. Davina McCall will present 60 episodes of the show.
Video The Million Pound Drop
Format
Contestants, alone or in pairs for the first series, or only in pairs from the second through the ninth series, are given one million pounds in £50 notes at the start of the show, banded in 40 bundles of £25,000. They must then answer eight questions in an effort to keep as much of their money as possible. Many questions are heavily focused on current or recent events (even events that occur during the airing of the show) with the words of "this week", "today" even "right now", to push the fact that the show is broadcast live.
At the beginning of each round, the contestants have to pick a category of two choices they are given. If the contestants take too long to choose, a coin is flipped to decide. Each question is multiple-choice, with the first four questions having four choices, the next three questions having three, and the final question having just two choices. Unlike a traditional quiz where the contestants pick one answer, however, it is possible for the contestants to hedge by placing money (in multiples of £25,000) on multiple answers in proportion to how confident they are on the answer. However, one answer must always be left with no money on it, which ensures that on the final question, only one answer can be chosen. Contestants who leave the money on all of the answers are generally disqualified from the game, except in some international versions of the show. After the answers and question have been read out, the contestants have one minute to physically move their money onto trapdoors (called "drops") corresponding to the answer(s) they choose. If contestants are sure of their answer, they may choose to stop the clock before the time limit is up to carry on with the answers.
After the end of the time limit, the trapdoors relating to incorrect answers open (sometimes one by one, and with varying delays to increase suspense), and any money placed on those answers is no longer available to be won by the contestants, being picked up by security guards underneath the stage. In addition any money not placed by the end of the time limit is also lost. If they have any money left, they proceed to the next question where the process is repeated. However, if they lose all their money, they are out of the game.
Episodes usually last between 60 and 90 minutes, although the last episode of the series may end slightly sooner or later depending on the contestants' performance. On 23 June 2012, for the first time in the show's history, the episode was extended to 120 minutes. The following week's episode on 30 June 2012 was 100 minutes.
For the 2010 Christmas specials, any contestants who lost all their money and would otherwise have left empty-handed were presented with multiple doors corresponding to bonus prizes. The contestants would choose which door they wanted and would win what was 'behind' that door. From the 2011 Christmas specials onwards, a new feature was introduced where online players can now play against each other and also a money counter on the drops themselves which shows how much money is placed on each drop instead of the players having to count the money.
On 2 January 2012, as part of the Channel 4 Mash-up, Davina played the game with Andrew, her father; the show was hosted by Phil Spencer from Location, Location, Location. A second Channel 4 Mash-up happened in 2013, the show this time being hosted by Alan Carr.
2013 changes
Significant changes to the format were made in summer 2013 for the tenth series. Teams of four, rather than just being strictly pairs, can now play the game. At each question, the player(s) can swap positions with their teammates - two backstage watching, the other two at the Drop answering the questions. Unlike previous series, there are now just seven questions and no question categories (if a team is playing).
Contestants are now be able to win cash if they make it to (and answer) question seven correctly. At this point, the contestants will be shown two possible answers to question eight (known as the "Final Drop") and if they proceed with the question, they have the chance to double their prize fund (so a perfect game is now worth £2,000,000). If they gamble and get the question correct, they walk away with double of their original winnings; but if they get it wrong, they'll lose everything and leave with nothing.
2014 changes
Starting from summer 2014, contestants can play as individuals again after four years. Prior to that, only Gemma in the very first UK series, and five contestants in the Chinese version, had played the Drop as individuals in their countries. This is also the first regular series to be pre-recorded due to time constraints.
Maps The Million Pound Drop
The £100K Drop
On 14 July 2017, it was announced that they would be bringing back the format in the daily afternoon slot of 2018 but with a lower prize fund of £100,000 and would change the name of the show to The £100K Drop. Davina McCall will present 60 episodes of the show.
Transmissons
Interactivity
As the show is broadcast live, viewers are encouraged to play along on their smartphones via the iOS and Android apps, or on the Channel 4 website. Aggregated statistics of the audience performance appear on screen during the broadcast and being read out by McCall. Online players receive no prize money but are sometimes given the chance to apply to be on the show. Bookmakers also take bets on which stage of the game the contestants will leave and how much money will still be in play at various stage of the game. Often on the show, if there is a question relating to a particular online source, Davina will announce that the website in question has crashed due to a large amount of online players looking up the answers. Later series added the show's application for them to play on their tablets. The interactivity is provided by London second screen company Monterosa.
In 2011, The Million Pound Drop became the first TV show to serve a second screen advert to the online playing audience. It was a 3 minute video featuring rapper Tinie Tempah. The full advert was watched by 20% of the online playing audience according to Dean Donaldson, Global Head of Media Innovation at DG, responsible for the technology.
The last few series of the show were not broadcast live.
Celebrity contestants
Since series two, celebrity contestants regularly appear on the show playing for charity. Celebrity contestants that lose their whole £1,000,000 are given £5,000 for their charities.
Celebrities who have appeared on the show include the following:
Specials
The Channel 4 Mash-up
On 2 January 2012, a special version of the show aired as part of The Channel 4 Mash-up. The special edition was hosted by Phil Spencer and featured Davina and her father, Andrew, as contestants. This special edition was not broadcast live, as the show usually is, but instead was shown in three pre-recorded 20 minute chunks spread throughout the 'mash-up night' at 18:35, 19:55 and 21:40. Davina and her father made it through to the final question with £50,000 but placed their money on the incorrect answer and lost.
The show returned on 4 January 2013 with Alan Carr as host. The contestants were: Sherrie Hewson, Lisa Maxwell, Jane McDonald, Denise Welch, Alexander Armstrong and Richard Bacon.
Stand Up to Cancer
On 19 October 2012, a special version aired live as part of Channel 4's UK telethon, Stand Up to Cancer. For this show, the million pounds was doubled (thus making it The Two Million Pound Drop) and a special 16-player celebrity relay team took on the drop for cancer-related charities. A different pair of celebrities handled each question, with the show airing in two segments -- questions 1 to 4 at 21:00 and questions 5-8 were later in the evening. Each pair was given just 30 seconds, instead of the usual 60 seconds, for their question.
McCall switched back and forth between the live telethon, hosted alongside Alan Carr and Dr Christian Jessen, and the two Drop segments. The celebrity relay banked £200,000 for Stand Up to Cancer, with the final four pairs wagering the entire amount on a single answer on each question. This special was included in the ninth series of the show (as that series was in progress), unlike the Channel 4 'mash-up' which was a separate edition.
Incident
During an episode on 5 November 2010, contestants Johnny and Dee were faced with the options Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. They were then asked "Who played Dr Who for the longest period?". The contestants did not know the answer so decided to split their remaining £650,000 between McCoy and McGann. The answer was then revealed to be Tennant and they lost all their remaining money. Tennant played Doctor Who from 2005-10. However, viewers began to query the accuracy of this question, saying it was open to interpretation as McCoy played the Doctor from 1987-89, but also appeared in the charity special Dimensions in Time in 1993 and in the beginning of the Doctor Who television film in 1996, making his time playing Doctor Who technically nine years uninterrupted. After producers spoke to the BBC, it became apparent that McCoy was the correct answer. Channel 4 therefore allowed Johnny and Dee to return and continue with the £325,000 that would have remained. They came back on 12 November 2010, to continue the game. They got all the way to the final question and managed to win £25,000.
The catchphrase
According to UKGameshows.com, in the original British series, the show's catchphrase is "Let's see what's going to drop." by Davina McCall. If several trapdoors are open and more than one trapdoor do not drop, Davina says: "Let's reveal the final answer to drop."
In other versions, there are other variants to this catchphrase, here is the collection (not entirely included):
Note: In the Malaysian version, the host A.C. Mizal uses both English and Malay to shout out the catchphrase, the one in the table is it in English.
Merchandise
A board game was released by Drumond Park in November 2010.
Transmissions
Regular
Christmas
Celebrity
Notes
- On 2 January 2012 and 4 January 2013, two special programmes aired as part of The Channel 4 Mash-up.
- Celebrity was the first time a series had been pre-recorded.
- The eleventh series onwards will be pre-recorded, while it is also the first pre-recorded regular series.
Ratings
The series' highest-rated episode was 4 February 2011, which was seen by 2.79 million viewers and received a 14.4% share. Ratings for the current series (series 10) dropped but remained respectiable; the first episode (14 June 2013) was seen by 1.57 million viewers and received a 7.6% share.
International versions
Legend: Currently airing No longer airing Future version Unknown
Notes: 1. The two Chinese versions are produced without Endemol's permission.
2. According to Endemol's official website, the format has recently been sold to Niger, but all the exact information is unknown yet.
3. Arturo Valls hosted an episode as a cross-over between Atrapa un millón and his own game show Ahora caigo, which was hosted by Carlos Sobera that afternoon.
4. The Thai version's top prize is in Thai baht. However, in fact, the cash on the stage is in United States dollars, equal to 2 million baht.
5. Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakhstan version (except Belarusian version) are take shooting in Moscow (Gorky Film Studio), and under production by Weit Media, Although they are using Russian language (including Belarusian version) as their conversation language, however in the Ukrainian and Kazakhstan (only first season by the host) version, the host used their native language for the introduction, greeting and closing caption. The Ukrainian and Kazakhstan (first season only) version are also offered the SMS game during the program. Unlike Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh version which are using Russian language for the question and answer, Ukrainian version is prefer to use Ukrainian Language for the question and answer instead using Russian Language.
Rules variations
Pass
In some versions in the Eurozone, like the German version, if the contestants choose the question that is difficult in their opinion, they can "Pass" and switch to the other category which they did not originally choose. The "Pass" can be only used once during the game.
Quick Change
In some versions, as lifelines, there are "Quick Change(s)" (or similar words in local language), which allows a pair of contestants have 30 seconds (in the Brazilian and French versions, 10 seconds instead) to change their answers, only once in all the questions except for the last question. This lifeline is also used automatically if contestants do not leave one trapdoor empty on a question.
However, in the second series of the Slovenian version, there are two Quick Changes for each pair of the contestants, but they can't use both of them in a single question. In the French version, though the rules are similar to the UK version, if contestants have made their way to question number five, one more Quick Change is given. In the Chilean version, there are 105 seconds for the final all-or-nothing question's betting, with a bonus Quick Change given by the host (prior to that, there are 75 seconds on the clock, if the contestants are confident enough for the answer, they can refuse the bonus).
Starting from autumn 2014, in the Vietnamese version based on the British format, the Quick Change rule was introduced. The rules were still unchanged, however, sometimes the game features three boxes randomly contain 5 million VND, 3 million VND or 1 million VND. After the first question, whatever boxes left on the table will be guaranteed and taken away after the game. Generally speaking, the top prize was slightly increased to 209 million Vietnam dong.
Final Fact
This was also introduced in the American version along with Quick Change. In the final all-or-nothing question, there is no time limit for placing the money on the trapdoor. Then the host Kevin Pollak will give an extra fact about the question, often with the following words: "These are not meant to change your mind, just give you one more thing to concern." Then the contestants are given 60 seconds to decide whether switch the answer or not after the extra notice given by host.
The Final Fact was later removed in most of the versions.
First Chinese version
In the Chinese version, no real money is used. Since the episode aired on October 2011, there are 30 iPads which stand for three different routes to travel - one is to Europe, one is across Asia, and another one is going around China.
There were three questions in a row, and 30 seconds were given to spread the prizes for each question.
If the contestants answer the third all-or-nothing question correctly, the prizes are listed as follows:
Specials in Chinese version
In episodes 3, 4, 6 and 9 of the Chinese franchise, the game used special modes.
In episodes 3 and 4, there are three contestants on the stage with pre-existing relationships. One goes down the stage to the separated room beneath the stage watching the game playing on the stage, and the other two play against the Drop. The game uses the American format, and the only "litigant"(the contestant sitting in the special room) choose the correct answer that based on his or her life.
There are no quick changes in the game, and each question's time limit is 60 seconds. After revealing the answers, the hidden contestant would be also revealed on the screen and he or she might be asked about the background to the question.
In episodes 6 and 9, the contestants must answer five questions in a row, and all the questions are about the hidden contestant beneath the stage.
Second Chinese version
The second Chinese version allows the contestant put money on ALL the trapdoors, but if the remaining cash amount is lower than (or equal to) 5,000 yuan, they can only put the cash on one single "drop", but they can eliminate a random wrong answer before the clock begins. Only 5 questions for each pair of contestants, and they can choose one out of ten sets of questions. They can hand out 5,000 yuan to use a lifeline to ask a relative who is watching the live broadcast show, but it can be used only once in a game. It is broadcast every weekday at 20:00 in Shandong Province only.
Also, "Double or Nothing" introduced in UK series 10 also used in the second Chinese version.
Twists in the Spanish version
This is introduced on 27 September 2013, in the Spanish version. As the winning of the top prize in the Spanish version, a new rule whereby the contestants can earn more money is introduced.
The first twist is "Double or Triple the Money". In the eighth question, the security team brings up the prize money, which is double their current prize. The final all-or-nothing question contains four choices. Before the 60-second clock begins, the pair can choose to take the question with all four options or not in 20 seconds. If not, one wrong answer is removed, and they can choose to play the question or not within 10 seconds. If not again, another wrong answer is removed, and they must play the original two-option final question. However options left in play, they must choose only one answer. If they choose the correct one, they can walk away with double(with three options in the game) or triple(with four choices), whilst they go home with nothing.
Second twist is "Single play" (Spanish: Solo uno, literally "only one"). The "Single Play" question may be exist in all the question categories except the final two. If the contestants choose "Single Play", one of the pair must leave the stage for several minutes beneath the floor, and the remaining contestant must answer the question by him/her own. If he/she survived the question, they could win an extra EUR5,000 and put it to the prize pot. In this question, they could not use the "Pass".
So the theoretical top prize in the daily Spanish version is EUR615,000 if the contestant play excellently and take "Single play" well.
Phone a Friend
This is introduced in the Russian version. Similar to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"'s lifeline with the same name, in the Drop's "Phone a Friend", the contestants can make a telephone call to one of their relatives before the clock starts. They can only make one phone call in the game.
If the contestants get stuck on one of the questions, they can use the lifeline and make a telephone call to one of their relatives, friends, or somebody else. After the presenter greet him/her over the phone, the contestants must read out the question and all the answer options. The 1-minute clock begins after the question and answers are read for the first time, while the question and answers on the main screen are disappeared.
Eliminate wrong answer(s)
This lifeline is also introduced in the Russian version, also adapted from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"'s lifeline called "Fifty-Fifty", if the contestants are not quite sure about the final answer, they can use this lifeline after the clock runs out.
The lifeline can be only used once before the last question. If this is into play, one or two incorrect answer(s) are randomly delected from the table, only leave one correct and one wrong answer, the money must be on one of the two answers. If they placed the money on the correct answer, they can bring back the money they lost in this question; otherwise, they are eliminated with nothing.
Top prize winners
This list does not include two French winners who did not win the top prize, but their total prizes were more than EUR250,000.
Notable events outside the UK
- In the Japanese version, a pair of contestants take their whole JP¥20 million into the final question without using the lifeline "Quick Change" (the show used British settings but American rules), but they lost all the jackpot in the ultimate question 7. This was broadcast on 31 October 2012. When they returned on 10 January 2013, they went out on question 1.
- Both the youngest and the oldest contestants have appeared on the Chinese version. The oldest contestant was Chen Lan, 82 years old when the show aired on Guizhou TV on 4 December 2011. The youngest one was Tutu (nickname), just 1 year old when she attended the show's filming, and broadcast on 18 December 2011.
- The Chinese version is also the first to use two presenters in one episode worldwide. This happened on 23 October 2011, when Wang Qiao, a host currently working in Hunan TV, acted as a guest host with his friend, and the show's actual host, Ma Ke.
- In the Singaporean version, the show's first set of contestants in the premiere episode - Izam and Eugene - lost all the Jackpot - one million Singapore dollars on the very first question. What's worse, this happened again in the Portuguese version's premiere, broadcast on 30 March 2015: the very first pair of contestants lost all EUR100,000 on the very first show's very first question. Jokingly, when the first three set of contestants in the premiere episode decided to split the prize cash, the all lost everything.
References
External links
- The Million Pound Drop on IMDb
- British version website at channel4.com
- Production website
- The Million Pound Drop at UKGameshows.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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