Pointless Celebrities
| Pointless | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Also known as | Pointless Celebrities |
| Genre | Game show |
| Directed by | Nick Harris Julian Smith Stuart McDonald (celebrity) |
| Presented by | Alexander Armstrong |
| Starring | Richard Osman |
| Theme music composer | Marc Sylvan |
| Country of origin | England |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 16 (regular) 10 (celebrity) |
| No. of episodes | 894 (regular, as of 28 April 2017[update]) 139 (celebrity, as of 15 April 2017[update]) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Pam Cavannagh (BBC) Tom Blakeson and David Flynn (both Brighter Pictures then Remarkable Television) |
| Producer(s) | Michelle Woods |
| Location(s) |
BBC Television Centre (2009–12) Elstree Studios (2013–) |
| Editor(s) |
|
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | 45 minutes (regular) 50 minutes (celebrity) |
| Production company(s) | Brighter Pictures (2009) Remarkable Television (2010–) |
| Distributor | Endemol UK |
| Release | |
| Original network |
BBC Two (2009–11, 2014, 2016-17) BBC One (2011–) |
| Picture format |
576i (16:9 SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 24 August 2009 (regular) 4 July 2011 (celebrity) – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
Beat the Nation Family Fortunes |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Pointless is a British quiz show produced by Endemol UK for the BBC, hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman. Each episode of the quiz features teams of two contestants attempting to find correct but obscure answers to general knowledge questions in order to score as few points as possible, and become eligible to compete for the show's cash jackpot. All questions used were put forward to 100 people from the UK in pre-conducted public surveys, and all contestants seek to find the correct answers, termed as "pointless" that none of the survey participants found, with such answers increasing the game's jackpot by £250 during all rounds, with the exception of the final round where giving a pointless answer is required in order to win the jackpot.
Although it originally debuted on BBC Two on 24 August 2009, its success in its first three series led the BBC to broadcasting it on BBC One from 2011, though on occasions when the channel is to feature live broadcasts of major news and sporting events, the programme is aired on BBC Two as a direct result. To date, the programme has aired 16 series, and has had peak audience figures of over 7 million viewers. The show has spawned a celebrity edition entitled Pointless Celebrities in 2011, which to date has had ten series, with the format being exported to a number of European countries, and set to include an American version in 2017.
The object of the game is for contestants to provide answers that are not only correct but also as obscure as possible, with each game consisting of teams of two contestants; previously the programme featured five teams to begin with, but this was later reduced to four teams. Prior to each show, 100 people are given 100 seconds to provide as many answers as they can to a series of general knowledge questions as part of a pre-conducted survey, and in each round, contestants are asked these same questions. Giving a correct answer scores one point for every participant that gave it, though if none of the survey participants gives a correct answer that a contestant provides, the team scores zero points for providing a "Pointless" answer, while giving an incorrect answer scores 100 points. In all rounds, host Alexander Armstrong provides contestants with the rules they must adhere to, as well as the category and question they will be answering, while his assistant Richard Osman elaborates on what answers they will accept with the current question, provides information on any answers given (whether right or wrong), and showcases a list of all the Pointless answers a contestant has provided/could have used and the top three high-scoring answers for the question.
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