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Wheel of Fortune is a British television game show based on the American show of the same name created by Merv Griffin. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that contestants spin throughout the course of the game to determine their cash and/or prizes. The programme aired between 19 July 1988 and 21 December 2001 and was produced by Scottish Television in association with King World Productions^[a], and with for the ITV network - having effectively replaced Now You See It as STV's prime time game show offering for the ITV network. It mostly follows the same general format from the original version of the programme from the United States, with a few minor differences.

• 2Prizes
• 7Transmissions
  • 7.2Specials
    • 7.2.1Regional transmissions information

Gameplay[edit]

Unlike the American version, where the numbers on the wheel correspond to the amount of money won by each contestant, the British version instead referred to these amounts as 'points' – they had no cash value, their only purpose was to determine the grand finalist, or to choose a winner for a particular round. There was a reason for this: between 1960 and 1992, the Independent Broadcasting Authority and for the last two years its successor the Independent Television Commission imposed caps on the top prize game shows could give away per week, and standardising the prize on offer per episode ensured the programme did not breach the set limits.

Points earned from all players carried on to proceeding rounds, and only scores for the current round were susceptible to Bankrupts, meaning a winner could be crowned that never solved a puzzle, but acquired a large number of points. This rule would actually encourage sacrificing a player's turn if he or she did not know the puzzle rather than risking his or her points by spinning again.

For the first three series, before the recording of each episode, each contestant spun the wheel; the contestant with the highest score would start the first round. In the programme proper, the contestant was asked a 50/50 trivia question, and if the contestant answered correctly, they spun the wheel. If the contestant landed on a number, they had to pick a letter. If the letter appeared on the puzzle board, the contestant earned the value multiplied by the number of times the letter appeared. A player was allowed to purchase a vowel for a flat rate of 250 points for any number of repetitions as long as that vowel appeared in the puzzle. The contestant would then spin the wheel again, but the contestant's turn would end if the contestant either (a) landed on a number but picked a letter that did not appear on the puzzle board, earning the contestant no points (but not deducting the number the contestant landed on); (b) bought a vowel that did not appear in the puzzle (still costing the 250 points); (c) landed on the 'LOSE A TURN' space; (d) landed on the 'BANKRUPT' space, losing the contestant's total score for that round (but not from previous rounds); or (e) attempting to solve the puzzle but giving an incorrect answer.

If the contestant landed on the 'FREE SPIN', the contestant would be given a 'FREE SPIN' token and would spin the wheel again. If the contestant landed on a number but picked a letter that did not appear on the puzzle board, or landed on the 'LOSE A TURN' space or the 'BANKRUPT' space, the contestant could give their 'FREE SPIN' loop to the host and spin again. They could alternatively hand over play to the next contestant.

If the contestant answered the 50/50 trivia question incorrectly, they would not spin the wheel; play would move on to the next contestant.

In the speed round, the host would spin the wheel with the centre player's arrow determining the point value for each contestant. Vowels were worth nothing, and consonants were worth whatever the value spun. The left player would go first. No more 50/50 questions were asked.

From the fourth series onward, the 50/50 trivia individual questions were dropped. Instead, at the start of each round, the contestants would be asked a general knowledge question and the first contestant to buzz in and answer correctly would gain control of the wheel (this included the speed-up round).

Also from the fourth series onward, from Round 3 to the end, the points on the wheel were worth double (although the wheel did not show the values at double points).

The yellow (centre) player's arrow determined the point value for each consonant in the speed-up round (and during the final spin both Walsh and Leslie employed the catchphrase 'No more spinning, just winning!' while explaining how the speed-up round worked). Vowels were worth nothing, and consonants were worth the value spun. In case of a tie, each player tied for the lead spun the wheel and the player who spun the higher number went through.

In the Grand Finale, the winning contestant chose from one of three bonus prizes to play for: a car, a luxury holiday, or a cash prize. The series in 1994 differed, in that the prize the contestant won for solving the puzzle was a car plus the cash prize of £10,000. In one episode in 1994, the prize was two cars and £10,000.^{[citation needed]} From 1995 to 1998, the player chose one of two envelopes, one with the car and the other with £20,000. The prize chosen, the Grand Finale continued with the contestant choosing five consonants and a vowel. The contestant had 15 seconds to solve the puzzle to win the prize. Unlike other versions, the player could solve any one word individually, and then work on any other word in the puzzle. For example, if the puzzle was 'A CUP OF TEA', the player could solve 'OF', then 'A', then 'TEA', and finally 'CUP' to complete the puzzle.

In the final series, 'LOSE A TURN' was changed to 'MISS A TURN', for reasons unknown, and a '500 Gamble' wedge was added. If a player landed on the latter wedge, they had the option of going for 500 points per letter or gambling their round score. If they chose to gamble their points and called a correct letter, their score would be multiplied in for each of that letter in the puzzle with 1,000 (2,000 starting in the third round) added to the sum;^{[clarification needed]} an incorrect letter was the same as Bankrupt.

In the rare event two or all three players were tied for first place, the host had each player spin the wheel once, and the highest number spun won the game. Spinning a 'BANKRUPT,' 'LOSE A TURN/MISS A TURN,' or 'FREE SPIN' did not allow another spin and thus counted as a zero score.

Prizes[edit]

Unlike the original American version, instead of cash prizes, successful spinners from each round were rewarded with a choice of three prizes which might contain household appliances, a holiday, etc. In 1988 the prizes for the final were a trip (an oriental furnished living room on 6 September and a luxury bathroom on 13 September), a new car (or sometimes a new boat), or a cash jackpot at £3,000 (£2,000 on the last two episodes of the first series). In 1989, the cash value increased to £4,000, from 1993 the Cash value increased again to £5,000. On the celebrity specials, solving the final puzzle donated £5,000 to the celebrity's favourite charity. During the 1994 series, solving the final puzzle won both £10,000 and a new car. In some episodes in 1994 this was increased to two cars and £10,000. The prize was later increased to £20,000 or a car from 1995-1998, with the winning contestant randomly selecting his/her prize by choosing one of two sealed envelopes.

During the daytime series, winners of each round were able to chosen from an array prizes laid out in the studio, such as a CD player, dishwasher etc. The cash prize for the final puzzle was dropped to £2,000. Players also could pick the same prize more than once, and on some occasions contestants made requests for an opponent who had won nothing to pick a prize, and Leslie always upheld the request.

All contestants in all series, win or lose, went home with a Wheel of Fortune watch (and sometimes other Wheel-related merchandise).

In the final, the winning contestant had a free choice of five consonants and one vowel in order to help them identify the answer within 15 seconds to the puzzle and win the prize.

Special prizes[edit]

• During the peak time series, the second and third round began with the hostess presenting a special prize (usually jewellery) which could be won by landing on a prize star and going on to solve the puzzle. (prime time series).
• During Bradley Walsh's run, the first player in the third round to land on a special disc and also put a letter on the board won the contents of 'Brad's Box'.^[1] This bonus carried over into the prime time John Leslie series and was renamed 'Leslie's Luxury' but during Leslie's series, there were two boxes; one would be for the men, and the other one would be for the women (prime time series).
• Starting in 1996, one puzzle would contain a 'cash pot' letter (gold in 1996 and 1997, red thereafter) that would net that player £100 for solving the puzzle immediately after finding the letter (both formats).
• The winning contestant had a chance to win another £100 by guessing a special partially-revealed 'puzzler' related to the puzzle just solved. (daytime series).
• During the second round on the daily series, a mystery prize would be awarded to the contestant if he/she picked up the token and solved the round two puzzle.

Special episodes[edit]

In the ninth episode of the second series and the thirteenth episode of the fourth series, the contestants were brides and in the twelfth episode of the third series and the eleventh episode of the fourth series, the contestants (two women and one man) were retired.

One memorable episode took place in 1998, when Elizabeth Jensen took on the wheel. On her way to the final, Liz won a petrol lawnmower, but narrowly missed out on the main prize when she failed to work out the TV programme she was looking for was 'working lunch'. After filming, John Leslie was quoted as saying, 'Liz is the greatest contestant we've ever had. The fact she is such a looker was an added bonus'.

Studio designs[edit]

From 1988 to 1993, the host would emerge from the right stairs. Then as the presenter introduces the letter spinner, the letter spinner would walk down the left stairs. Between 1994 and 2000, the host and the letter spinner would emerge from the puzzle board that rotated clockwise. And in 2001, the host and the letter spinner would emerge from the prize pod.

The original design of the wheel was based on the American design, placed above ground on top of layers with lights. From 1994 to the end, the wheel was placed on the ground.

Wrong way spin outtake[edit]

One notable outtake from the show involved a man who spun the wheel in the wrong direction, forcing the show to be postponed until the next day. As the British wheel has a gearing mechanism to regulate its speed, this action promptly broke said gears, and the studio technicians spent hours trying to fix it.^[2]

Wheel configurations[edit]

The top point space was 1000 points, with one such space in round 1. One more space was added in round 2, along with a second Bankrupt, and a third 1,000-point space was added in round 3. Also, starting from series 4 in 1992, values were doubled beginning from round 3 onward, making the top point spaces worth 2,000 points.

Unlike the board used on the American version since 1997, the United Kingdom version's puzzle board was never electronic, so the regular puzzle would be placed at the top portion of the board while the puzzler would fill any unused lines below. The puzzle board's shape from 1994 to early 2000 was the same as the current American puzzle board. From 1988 to 1993, its border was styled like the one on the American puzzle board used from 1981 to 1993. The background colour for unused trilons on the UK's puzzle board was green from 1988 to 1993, after which it was changed to blue.

In 2001, Lose A Turn was renamed Miss A Turn and a 500 Gamble space was added. When 500 Gamble was landed on, the player had a choice of going for the regular 500 points or gambling their round score on a correct letter. Each appearance of a correct letter increased their score by 1,000 points plus their current score while an incorrect letter took away all the points they accumulated in the round.

Transmissions[edit]

Series[edit]

Specials[edit]

The two Hogmanay Specials were only broadcast to the Scottish and Grampian Television regions.^[3]

• 1988: With Amanda Laird, Teri Lally and Andy Cameron.^[3]
• 1989: With Andy Cameron, Paul Coia and Viv Lumsden.^[3]

Regional transmissions information[edit]

1988–1998[edit]

Wheel Of Fortune 2019 Episodes

For the first ten series, the show was broadcast once a week in a primetime slot. With series 8, a number of regional ITV stations did broadcast episodes a few days later including the last episode on 31 December 1996.

1999[edit]

During the eleventh series, the programme was moved to a five-shows-a-week daytime slot and it aired at 2.40pm each afternoon from 2 March, after the sixth series of Dale's Supermarket Sweep concluded its run. It took a break from 28 May to 10 September 1999.

2000[edit]

The twelfth series began at the start of the year, and lasted until the start of December. During this series, the show's slot varied in different ITV regions.

• Carlton (London and Westcountry), Grampian and Scottish aired the episodes at 5:30pm.
• Anglia, Border, Granada, Meridian, Tyne Tees, Ulster and Yorkshire aired the episodes at 2:40pm until 31 March 2000, then Friday afternoons only from 18 May to 9 June. From 12 June, it was moved back to five-times-a-week at 1.30pm and then from 17 July, it was moved to 2:40pm, so not all the episodes aired.
• HTV followed Anglia's pattern until 8 May before switching to the 5:30pm slot.
• Carlton (Central) also followed Anglia's pattern until 12 June before moving the show to 5.30pm.

Additional episodes were broadcast by all ITV regions on Sundays during May.

2001[edit]

During the thirteenth series, most ITV regions broadcast episodes at 5.30pm from 2 January to 22 June 2001, except for Meridian, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, before being switched to a Saturday afternoon slot until 4 August 2001. The final thirty episodes (series fourteen) were networked at 2.40pm, from 12 November to 21 December.

References[edit]

1. ^Bradley Walsh :: TV :: Wheel Of Fortune
2. ^http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Wheel_of_Fortune
3. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnopq}'Evening Times'. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
4. ^'04 June 1991, 36'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
5. ^'29 August 1991, 32'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
6. ^'18 May 1992, 36'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
7. ^'24 August 1992, 32'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
8. ^'07 June 1993, 70'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
9. ^'30 August 1993, 20'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
10. ^'11 July 1994, 59'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
11. ^'12 December 1994, 21'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
12. ^'30 August 1995, 40'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
13. ^'27 December 1995, 21'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
14. ^'24 July 1996, 43'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
15. ^'24 December 1995, 47'. Retrieved 5 October 2017.

1. ^Alongside King World, for the show's first two seasons, the show was co-distributed in association with The Walt Disney Company Limited and Action Time Productions, with Buena Vista International Television taking over for Seasons 3-4 before King World became the sole-distributor for the show from Season 5.

External links[edit]

• Wheel of Fortune (UK) on IMDb
• Wheel of Fortune (UK) at BFI
• Wheel of Fortune (UK) at UKGameshows.com

There are two Philippine versions of Wheel of Fortune. The first was aired on ABC aired from November 19, 2001 to May 2002. It was hosted by Rustom Padilla (main host) and Victoria London (puzzle assistant). The second and more recent one was a program that aired on ABS-CBN, with Kris Aquino as main host, while Zara Aldana and Jasmine Fitzgerald alternated as puzzle assistants for each puzzle.^[1] Aquino's version (known in this article from this point onwards as 'the ABS-CBN version') started on January 14, 2008.^[2][3]

Advertisements for the ABS-CBN version started during that station's coverage of the Mayweather-Hatton fight on December 9, 2007. It involved a puzzle that would reveal the title of the show. Then advertisements urged viewers to join via text messaging.

Despite Wheel of Fortune having two Philippine versions, the ABS-CBN version, as well as several of its advertisements and press releases, do not seem to recognize Rustom Padilla's version (known from this point as 'the ABC version').

The ABS-CBN version ended its run on July 25, 2008. Unlike the ABC version, which ended unceremoniously, this one formally had its last episode, with games competed by teams each composed of a child and an adult, with Aquino even making her Deal or No Deal gestures at the end. Aquino also hosts the Philippine version of the said program.

Common rules[edit]

For fuller rules, see the game play section of the article about the US version.

The format was generally the same as the US version. They follow the rules implemented at the time of showing: the ABC version following rules of the game as of 2001 while the ABS-CBN version looks at those implemented in 2006. Listed below are rules common to the two versions as well as their differences:

• In the ABC version, Red Player would start Round 1, Yellow Player would begin Round 2, Blue Player would commence Round 3, and so on. In the ABS-CBN version, Toss-Up Rounds, valued at P5,000, P10,000, and P15,000 respectively, are played. The winner of each toss-up gets to begin the next round (the person starting Round 2 is the winner of Round 1). In both versions, play passes from Red, to Yellow, to Blue, and back to Red.
• In the ABC version, the 24-wedged wheel originally had mostly three-digit amounts starting at P500, but they were later replaced with four-digit ones ranging from P1,000 to P4,000. In the ABS-CBN version, the basic amounts range from P3,000 to P15,000. There are also Bankrupt and Lose A Turn spaces in the Wheel in both versions.
  • Unique to the ABC version was a 'Surprise' Wedge. It was a detachable wedge to be won by the player who landed on it and guessed a correct letter. Unlike the Surprise wedge used on the American version, the Surprise was revealed if the player landed on it and called a correct letter. The player still had to solve the puzzle to keep the prize.
  • Unique to the ABS-CBN version are two unusual wedges.
    • The 'second' Bankrupt wedge is a one-thirds size P100,000 wedge, with two one-thirds size Bankrupt wedges between the special value. This space is not a detachable wedge, unlike the special value one-thirds space wedge ($10,000 won in a round if won until 2008, Million since 2008) in the US version. Whoever lands on the P100,000 space and correctly guesses a letter wins that value as spendable cash instead of a cash prize (pre-2008) or a chance to win a cash prize in the bonus round (2008-). In succeeding rounds, the one-thirds size P100,000 space is occupied by a Jackpot wedge in Round 2, and the Power Wedge in Round 3 and beyond (see below). A similar P200,000 one-thirds size wedge (again surrounded by Bankrupts) also appears in Rounds 4 and beyond. The P4,000 space acted much the same way in the ABC version, as it was placed between a Lose a Turn and one Bankrupt space, both regular-sized, to add excitement.
    • Another wedge exclusive to the ABS-CBN version is a 'Power' wedge. Anyone who lands on it and correctly guesses a letter can steal the earnings of the leading opponent in that round. The French version later followed suit with a wedge called Hold-Up, and the 2009 revival in the Netherlands used a similar wedge known as Overhaul.
• Both versions use a four-row 52-space puzzle board, with 12 spaces each on the upper and lower rows and 14 on each of the two middle rows. They both resemble the one the US version currently uses since 1997.
  • The ABC version's puzzle board was made up of translucent panes of glass. Panes that were part of a puzzle were illuminated blue on the sides. Such panes were then lighted green when they contained a correctly guessed letter. The pane revealed the letter as if it was a shadow of a cutout one illuminated from behind. Arguably, setting up puzzles in such a board was like the procedure used in the US version prior to 1997 when it used trilons in its puzzle board.
  • The ABS-CBN version's puzzle board closely resembles the one in the US version, using 52 monitors that reveal the spaces of a puzzle easily and quickly. While the two puzzle assistants do the same thing Vanna White does in baring the letters (seemingly touching the right side of the monitor), it is revealed that each monitor has a small button on its right side, seen while a puzzle assistant is being introduced close-up.
• Players have the option to buy vowels. In the ABC version, vowels cost P400; in the ABS-CBN version, they cost P2,500. As is the standard rule globally, the price is flat rate so the cost of the vowel is subtracted from the player's round total no matter how many of that vowel appears in the puzzle or if that vowel is in the puzzle at all.
• The 'Free Spin' could also be found in both versions. In the ABC version, it was an entire regular-sized orange detachable wedge. In the ABS-CBN version, it was a green oval token, similar to the one used in the US version until late 2000's rule changes eliminated the option.
  • Obtaining a Free Spin in the ABS-CBN version will also reward the contestant the value on which it is placed (in this case, P6,000) multiplied by the number of times the correctly guessed consonant appears in the puzzle.
• There was a Jackpot Round in Round 2 in both versions. Like the American counterpart, the Jackpot started at P5,000 and increased with each spin with the amount last landed on to be added. To win it, the player must land on it, correctly guess a letter, and immediately solve the puzzle. However, on the ABS-CBN version, the amount landed on would only be added to the jackpot, which now started at P100,000, should the player give a correct letter.
  • A slight difference in the ABS-CBN version was that a player was not given a choice of whether or not to solve (they must solve within five seconds), and should one be unable to, P3,000 per consonant will be added to the Jackpot and to the player's winnings for that round. Of course, the ABC version never implemented this rule.
• There are also Speed-Up Rounds in both versions. In the ABC version, each consonant revealed would earn a player a thousand pesos plus the amount landed on the final spin. Vowels were worth nothing. In the ABS-CBN version, the last spun amount becomes the worth of each consonant revealed. If the Wheel stops at the Power Wedge, the highest score earned by a contestant during that round would be the basis. Vowels would initially cost the contestant a flat rate of P2,500 (unless the contestant does not receive any money), but this rule was later scrapped. Sometimes in both versions, Speed-Up rounds are not played due to time constraints.
• Bonus Rounds are seen in both versions, wherein a player could win money or a car. In the ABC version, the 1989-2001 five-envelope format was used. In the ABS-CBN version, the format seen on the U. S. version since 2001 was used with cars and cash amounts from 50,000 to 2,000,000 pesos. After the Bonus puzzle is revealed, six predetermined letters are inserted, followed by three consonants and a vowel of the player's choice, and a ten-second time limit. The ABC version used the American-standard predetermined letters R, S, T, L, N, and E. The ABS-CBN version replaces R with K, since the latter occurs more in many Philippine languages than the former and the host's name starts with this letter.
• The three top winners from Monday through Friday competed on Saturday for a berth in the monthly finals, the winner of which would also win a brand new car.

Changes and additions[edit]

The ABS-CBN version also introduced additions to the format of the show that did not exist in the ABC version. Already mentioned under 'Common rules' section above are the Power wedge and the Toss-Up Rounds. Below are other additions.

• Originally the Toss Ups were inconsistent. However, after several episodes, they have been placed like so:
  • First Toss-up determines the first player in Round 1.
  • The winner of Round 1 plays first in Round 2.
  • Second Toss-up determines the first player in Round 3. But if Rounds 1 and 2 are finished earlier than usual, the winner of Round 2 starts Round 3 and the second Toss-up occurs before Round 4.
• In Round 3, one Mystery wedge is added, with the value of the non-Bankrupt wedge being P200,000. Contestants who reach the wedge have the choice of taking the multiple of cash written, which is P5,000, or looking what is behind the wedge. Also, the color of the Mystery wedge varies in each episode, as opposed to just one color or gradient in the American version.
• There is so far three uniquely Filipino categories. One is called 'Around the 'Bahay' (a play of the 'Around the House' category); Bahay (literally house) refers to the Pinoy Big Brother House, known among Filipino viewers as Bahay ni Kuya. The second is 'Tatak Pinoy' (Marked Filipino), referring to objects, traditions or persons uniquely Filipino. The third is 'School Life' (also known as 'College Life' in the US), referring to the things and doings in School.
• There have also been Prize Puzzles, regularly appearing in Round 2, but they are defined differently that those in the US version. After a puzzle has been solved, the prize is introduced. A question related to the puzzle is asked, in which if answered correctly could give the contestant the said prize. Normally, this special prize is not cash.
• House minimums are not given, but it is implied that contestants are given parting gifts for their time on the show.
• When celebrities play, it is not mentioned whether or not the winnings go to charity, but it seems implied. However, since they can also play for a car, it is not known where the vehicle will go to.

Wheel components[edit]

The gallery below shows a comparison between the Wheels used in the ABC version and the one seen in the ABS-CBN version, as well as the special wedges laid on each Wheel.

Wheel Of Fortune Tv Show

The ABC version's 2001 Wheel is shown below and styled like the one used on the Philippine show. The 2002 version shown, however, is just a simulation using the style of the American Wheel and does not actually picture the actual design of the Wheel. The same can be said with its special wedges. Each special wedge had its name printed twice, one vertically along the wedge's length and the other horizontally along the width. They were designed as such because such a wedge if won was placed in a holder beside the contestant, instead of in front like the American version does. Also of note: both the actual P4,000 space and the actual Jackpot wedge were decorated with gold sequins.

On the other hand, the ABS-CBN Wheel and its special wedges are also simulations, but they are faithful to the actual ones seen in the show. However, the actual P100,000 space and the actual Power and Jackpot wedges all have holographic backgrounds, which is difficult to be replicated in simulated conditions.

• A recreation of the Wheel used in the ABC version in November 2001.

• A simulation of the Wheel used in the ABC version in 2002. Shown here is the basic configuration as used for most of the show's run.

• A recreation the basic configuration of the Wheel used in the ABS-CBN version.

• The special wedges used in the ABC version. From left to right, the Free Spin wedge, the Surprise wedge, and the Jackpot wedge.

• The special wedges used in the ABS-CBN version. From left to right, the Power wedge, the Jackpot wedge, and the Mystery wedge.

Wheel Of Fortune 2019

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Philippine version of 'Wheel of Fortune' premieres on January 14
2. ^Game show replacing Deal or No Deal
3. ^Wheel of Fortune over ABs-CBN feature program

External links[edit]

• Wheel of Fortune at Telebisyon.net