Sale of the Century (UK game show)
| Sale of the Century | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Al Howard |
| Presented by |
Nicholas Parsons (1971–83) Steve Jones (1981 celebrity special) Peter Marshall (1989–??) Keith Chegwin (1997) |
| Voices of |
Peter Marshall (1971–2) John Benson (1972–83) Mitch Johnson (1989) Martin Buchanan (1989–??) Robin Houston (1997) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 11 (ITV) ?? (Sky Channel) ?? (Challenge TV) |
| No. of episodes | 411 (ITV) ?? (Sky Channel) ?? (Challenge TV) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) |
Anglia (1971–83) Reg Grundy Productions (1989–??) |
| Distributor |
ITV Studios FremantleMedia |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ITV (1971–83) Sky Channel (1989–??) Challenge TV (1997–??) |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original release | 9 October 1971 – 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Sale of the Century |
Sale of the Century was a British game show based on a US game show of the same name. It was first shown on ITV from 9 October 1971 to 6 November 1983, hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Special edition Celebrity Sale of the Century aired occasionally, starting on 2 January 1981 with Steve Jones as a host. The first series was supposed to air only in the Anglia region, but it rolled out to other regions since 8 January 1972 and achieved full national coverage by the end of 10 May 1975, at which point it was one of the most popular shows on the network - spawning the often-mocked catchphrase "and now, from Norwich, it's the quiz of the week." Since Norwich was considered something of a compared to London, it was often used ironically.
It has been revived twice: first on Sky Channel from 1989 to ???? hosted by Peter Marshall and then on Challenge TV in 1997 hosted by Keith Chegwin.
The ITV and Challenge versions followed the rules of the original American version. Three contestants start off with £15. Questions are worth different values starting with £1, later increasing to £3, and finally £5; by the final season, the £1 questions were eliminated. The question is asked and players can buzz in at any time. Correct answers add the money to their score and incorrect answers subtract the money from their score with only one player allowed to buzz in on each question.
At six points during gameplay, all contestants would be offered the opportunity to purchase merchandise at a bargain price. The first player to buzz in after the prize was revealed purchased that prize. (In so doing, a "losing" contestant might not advance to go shopping at the end of the show, but could leave the show with a considerable haul for one day's play.) In the early days, the prices of all prizes offered were expressed much as one would hear in a department store, and would increase as the show progressed (e.g., £7.95, £11.95, £14.95, £21.95). All prize values were rounded up to the nearest pound before being subtracted from the score of the player who purchased the prize (later on, prizes were in full pounds, like £8, £12, £15, £22). Each instant bargain was hidden behind a curtain; the announcer would mention the price, and then the curtain would open as the prize was revealed. If a contestant buzzed in before the curtain opened, it was declared "No Sale", the contestant would have the price deducted from his/her score (but not win the prize), and the other contestants could then buzz in.
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