Tipping Point (game show)
| Tipping Point | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Also known as | Tipping Point: Lucky Stars (celebrity editions) |
| Genre | Quiz show |
| Created by | Hugh Rycroft Matthew Boulby |
| Directed by | Ollie Bartlett Nick Harris Richard Van't Riet |
| Presented by | Ben Shephard |
| Composer(s) | Marc Sylvan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 7 (regular) 3 (celebrity) |
| No. of episodes | 489 (regular; as of 19 January 2017) 28 (celebrity) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Hugh Rycroft Peter Usher |
| Producer(s) | Sara Doyle |
| Location(s) |
Regular series The London Studios (2012) BBC Television Centre (2013) Wimbledon Studios (2013–14) Twickenham Studios (2015–16) Fountain Studios (2016–present) Celebrity series Wimbledon Studios (2013) The London Studios (2014) Fountain Studios (2016) |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) | RDF Television |
| Distributor | Zodiak Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9 (HDTV) 1080i |
| Original release | 2 July 2012 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Spin Star |
| External links | |
| Production website | |
Tipping Point is a British television game show which began airing on ITV on 2 July 2012, and is presented by Ben Shephard. Four contestants answer general knowledge questions to win counters which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine. Only the winner at the end has a chance to take home any money; the others leave with nothing except any non-cash prizes they may have won during the game.
On 18 June 2015, Tipping Point was renewed until 2017.
The coin pusher machine consists of two shelves filled with flat circular counters; the upper shelf moves slowly back and forth, while the lower one is stationary. The rear face of the machine is divided into four "drop zones," each of which contains a pachinko-like pegboard. Contestants answer questions to win counters, then choose a drop zone to use in releasing them into the machine. The goal is to have the counters land flat on the upper shelf so that its motion will cause them to push other counters over its front edge, leading them in turn to push still others into a red "win zone" beneath the lower shelf. Contestants win £50 for each counter that drops into the win zone during their turn. Any counters that enter this zone when the machine is not in play, excluding the final round, are "ambient drops" and are removed from the machine with no effect on scoring. Counters that bounce out of the machine and onto the floor are treated as if they had landed in the win zone.
Additional "mystery counters" were added in series 2, coloured black and bearing a question mark. Three are present in the machine—two on the upper shelf, and one on the lower—at the start of the game. If any of these counters enter the win zone, the contestant in control of the machine wins a mystery prize (cases of wine, short holidays, etc.). Two counters marked "×2" were added in series 5, one each on the upper and lower shelves, which double the value of the counters that land in the win zone on that same drop. If any counters of either type fall into the win zone as an ambient drop, they are put back into the machine. If a contestant wins a mystery prize, it is theirs to keep regardless of the outcome of the game.
A "ghost drop" occurs when a counter drifts forward as it falls through a drop zone, until its face makes contact with the clear plastic sheet covering the front of the zone. The resulting friction can greatly slow the counter or even stop its descent altogether for a very short period of time. Ghost drops and mis-timed drops can lead to a counter landing on the upper shelf so that it partially overlaps or "rides" on others; such plays rarely trigger falls into the win zone, adversely affecting the contestant's turn.
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