Connections (game show)
Encyclopedia
Connections is a British
television game show
. It was produced by Granada Television
and aired on the ITV
network from 1985 to 1990.
, with young adults as contestants, in a similar vein to another ITV quiz, Blockbusters, with which the show was alternated. The programme ran for several series, and another version with adult contestants was unveiled with Richard Madeley
at the helm as part of ITV's new look daytime schedule in 1988. Simon Potter presented the final two series in 1989 and 1990. During the Richard Madeley period, a year after becoming the first female Krypton Factor
champion, Marian Chanter co-hosted in a segment in which she would appear somewhere in the UK and viewers had to phone in and guess the person connected with that particular area based on clues given.
Note: When Richard Madeley
& Simon Potter took over, this bonus became the final round of the main game.
Companies, but was shown at different times:
Anglia Television, Grampian Television, Scottish Television, TVS,and Thames Television: Broadcast: Monday/ Tuesday SOAP Then
TSW: No idea:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
. It was produced by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and aired on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network from 1985 to 1990.
Hosts
The show was originally presented by Sue RobbieSue Robbie
Sue Robbie grew up in the north-west of England and was educated at Keele University, where she read English and Psychology...
, with young adults as contestants, in a similar vein to another ITV quiz, Blockbusters, with which the show was alternated. The programme ran for several series, and another version with adult contestants was unveiled with Richard Madeley
Richard Madeley
Richard Madeley is a British television presenter and columnist. With his wife Judy Finnigan, Madeley has presented This Morning and later the weekday chat show Richard & Judy...
at the helm as part of ITV's new look daytime schedule in 1988. Simon Potter presented the final two series in 1989 and 1990. During the Richard Madeley period, a year after becoming the first female Krypton Factor
The Krypton Factor
The Krypton Factor was a British game show produced by Granada Television for broadcast on ITV. The show originally ran from 7 September 1977 to 20 November 1995, and was hosted by Gordon Burns and usually broadcast on the ITV network on Mondays at 19:00....
champion, Marian Chanter co-hosted in a segment in which she would appear somewhere in the UK and viewers had to phone in and guess the person connected with that particular area based on clues given.
Gameplay
The game involved two contestants (three in the final series in 1990) trying to make connections by virtue of clues given by the host.Connect the Clues
Contestants were asked questions, which they could answer by buzzing-in. Correct answers earned points, and revealed picture clues on a 3x3 gameboard (made up of 10 screens rather than 9 during Madeley and Potter's stewardships). Bonus points and the game could be won by spotting connections between the picture clues.Find the Figure
The "Find the Figure" round was where a correct answer revealed either a number or a mathematical symbol. The sum went in a clockwise direction around the board, ending with an equals (=) sign. The sum was hidden behind the centre square. The contestants job was to buzz-in to give the answer to that sum to score.Link the Letters
The winner played the "Link the Letters" end game. He/she got 50 seconds to answer eight questions. Each correct answer revealed a letter behind one of the screens (the first letter of the answer). After the eight questions, the winning player used whatever time he/she had left to identify the 8-letter word, arranged clockwise. It became hard to win if some of the letters were missing and without knowing where the word started. This changed in a later version of the show by having the eight letters arranged in circular form, but still without revealing where it actually started. Solving the 8-letter word won a grand prize.Note: When Richard Madeley
Richard Madeley
Richard Madeley is a British television presenter and columnist. With his wife Judy Finnigan, Madeley has presented This Morning and later the weekday chat show Richard & Judy...
& Simon Potter took over, this bonus became the final round of the main game.
The Final Connection
Later in the series, "Link the Letters" was dumped in favor of "The Final Connection" game. Now the winning player was given the first & last pictures on the board. The object was to connect the first picture to the last (with the help of three clues on each).Consolation Prizes
During the Sue Robbie era the losing contestants went away with a Connections camera and the points that they scored was turned into cash and donated to charity, when Richard Madeley became the host the losers left with a 'goody bag' and in the last 2 series with Simon Potter the losers left with a pocket TV.Transmission Guide
The show was broadcast by all the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
Companies, but was shown at different times:
| Series | Production dates | Time Slot | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| |
|
Day time | 50 |
| |
|
Day time | 35 |
| |
|
Day time | 50 |
| |
|
Day time | 50 |
| |
|
Peak time | 14 |
| |
|
Peak time | 13 |
| |
|
Day time | 70 |
Transmissions
Border, Central Television, Granada Television, HTV ,Tyne Tees Television, Yorkshire Television and UTV:- 1985: and 1986: April - May Broadcast: Monday - Friday at 17.15pm:
- 1987: and 1988: February - April: Broadcast: Monday - Saturday at 17.15pm:
- 1989: July - August: Weekdays at 15.00pm
Anglia Television, Grampian Television, Scottish Television, TVS,and Thames Television: Broadcast: Monday/ Tuesday SOAP Then
- 1985 and 1986: April - June Wednesday - Saturdays at 17.15pm.
- 1987: late April - ealry August Wednesday - Friday at 17.15pm.
- 1988: ?
- 1989: July - August: Weekdays at 15.00pm
TSW: No idea:
Presenters
- Series 1, 2, 3, 4 presented by Sue RobbieSue RobbieSue Robbie grew up in the north-west of England and was educated at Keele University, where she read English and Psychology...
- Series 5 Presented by Richard MadeleyRichard MadeleyRichard Madeley is a British television presenter and columnist. With his wife Judy Finnigan, Madeley has presented This Morning and later the weekday chat show Richard & Judy...
- Series 6 and 7 Presented by Simon Potter