Duel (UK game show)
Encyclopedia
Duel was an ITV
game show based on a format by Francophone production company French TV, hosted by Nick Hancock, broadcast on Saturday evenings. It ran from 19 January 2008 to 5 April 2008.
Each player also had two 'Accelerators' (similar to the 'press' in the U.S. version of the show
) at their disposal. If used, an Accelerator forced their opponent to answer any given question within seven seconds of it being pressed; when those seven seconds expired, any marked answers were automatically 'locked down'. Players had to 'lock down' before playing an Accelerator, however; doing so before 'locking down' resulted in the immediate sounding of a short harsh error-tone played twice quickly and the accelerator being wasted. If they still had their second accelerator available, Hancock would inform the player that they could still lock down and play the other accelerator if they wish.
At any point in the game, if a player did not cover the correct answer, the 'Duel' was over. If both contestants were wrong on the same question, they were both eliminated.
If a player won their 'Duel', they played again with a new opponent, whom they selected from three candidates.
For the first four shows of the series, after a second consecutive 'Duel' victory, the contestant was presented with two choices: to leave for a cash sum or to play on (entitled Cash or Chips). They were asked to randomly select one of two chips, which, once turned over, were marked "£" - representing a fixed total (worth £10,000 for two 'Duel' victories, £20,000 for three) and "%" - (worth 10% of the rolling jackpot for two 'Duel' victories, 20% of the jackpot for three - although money was never deducted from the jackpot total). The player then decided whether to bail out with the money offered to them or to continue their game, with the potential to increase their winnings should they successfully complete their next 'Duel'. If a contestant elected to leave the game, the two potential opponents who had waited the longest to play were automatically selected for the next Duel.
The rules were then modified (as of show five): after a second consecutive 'Duel' victory, the winning contestant was posed a bonus question via the 'Accelerator' (with seven seconds to respond), and given a further three chips to play with. The fewer chips used meant a higher guaranteed payout: £10,000 for one chip used, £5,000 for two and £2,500 for three. After a third consecutive 'Duel' victory, the rules were the same except that the values were doubled (£20,000 for one chip, and so on). Regardless of answers selected, however, the contestant played another Duel by virtue of having won the previous one. If they didn't cover the correct answer, they played on, but did not win any cash.
Four consecutive 'Duel' victories won a contestant the rolling jackpot. After this, the jackpot was reset to £100,000.
A game was said to be a 'Pure Duel' when both players were down to one chip with no accelerators left. A finished game was also known as a 'Perfect Duel' if an opponent was knocked out losing all ten chips.
in Lancashire
, who correctly identified that the US Masters is the only golf tournament to be held at the same venue each year. He won the £470,000 jackpot that had built up since the start of the series, and also took home his accumulated accelerator wins of £12,500, giving him a total of £482,500.
On 29 March 2008, the jackpot was won for the second time by banking lecturer Rob, scooping £215,000 (£190,000 jackpot plus £25,000 accumulated accelerator wins).
A week later, on the final show of the series, firefighter James won the third Duel jackpot of £166,000, plus his accelerator win of £20,000; a total of £186,000.
From show 5 onwards, following Maurice Daniels' accident (according to the rule changes outlined above):
were the first network to purchase the rights to Duel in September 2007, swiftly followed by ABC
in the U.S., who launched their first series of the show, hosted by sport broadcaster Mike Greenberg, on 17 December 2007.
The Duel format was optioned by television networks in Australia
, Belgium
, Brazil
, France
, Germany
, Hungary
, Indonesia
, Italy
, Mexico
, the Netherlands
, Poland
, Portugal
and Spain
, but, with the exception of Hungary and Duel's native France, never made it to production in those territories.
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...
game show based on a format by Francophone production company French TV, hosted by Nick Hancock, broadcast on Saturday evenings. It ran from 19 January 2008 to 5 April 2008.
Format
Each 'Duel' consisted of two players, who each began the game with 10 poker chips, which in turn each have the same monetary value. They were asked multiple-choice general knowledge questions without time limits, each with four possible answers, one of which was correct. The players were asked to select the answer they believed to be correct; if they were unsure, however, they were permitted to cover up to four answers with their chips, to ensure that they had a chip on the right answer when revealed. Once satisfied they had done so, each player was asked to confirm their answer by pressing the 'Lock Down' button, at which point the further placement or removal of chips was halted. Players retained chips placed on correct answers. Each chip placed on a wrong answer was collected by the house and added £1,000 to the rolling jackpot, which began at a base £100,000.Each player also had two 'Accelerators' (similar to the 'press' in the U.S. version of the show
Duel (U.S. game show)
Duel is an American game show hosted by Mike Greenberg that first aired from December 17 to December 23, 2007 on ABC. The show aired as a week-long six-episode tournament at 8:00 PM from Monday through Friday with the finale on Sunday....
) at their disposal. If used, an Accelerator forced their opponent to answer any given question within seven seconds of it being pressed; when those seven seconds expired, any marked answers were automatically 'locked down'. Players had to 'lock down' before playing an Accelerator, however; doing so before 'locking down' resulted in the immediate sounding of a short harsh error-tone played twice quickly and the accelerator being wasted. If they still had their second accelerator available, Hancock would inform the player that they could still lock down and play the other accelerator if they wish.
At any point in the game, if a player did not cover the correct answer, the 'Duel' was over. If both contestants were wrong on the same question, they were both eliminated.
If a player won their 'Duel', they played again with a new opponent, whom they selected from three candidates.
For the first four shows of the series, after a second consecutive 'Duel' victory, the contestant was presented with two choices: to leave for a cash sum or to play on (entitled Cash or Chips). They were asked to randomly select one of two chips, which, once turned over, were marked "£" - representing a fixed total (worth £10,000 for two 'Duel' victories, £20,000 for three) and "%" - (worth 10% of the rolling jackpot for two 'Duel' victories, 20% of the jackpot for three - although money was never deducted from the jackpot total). The player then decided whether to bail out with the money offered to them or to continue their game, with the potential to increase their winnings should they successfully complete their next 'Duel'. If a contestant elected to leave the game, the two potential opponents who had waited the longest to play were automatically selected for the next Duel.
The rules were then modified (as of show five): after a second consecutive 'Duel' victory, the winning contestant was posed a bonus question via the 'Accelerator' (with seven seconds to respond), and given a further three chips to play with. The fewer chips used meant a higher guaranteed payout: £10,000 for one chip used, £5,000 for two and £2,500 for three. After a third consecutive 'Duel' victory, the rules were the same except that the values were doubled (£20,000 for one chip, and so on). Regardless of answers selected, however, the contestant played another Duel by virtue of having won the previous one. If they didn't cover the correct answer, they played on, but did not win any cash.
Four consecutive 'Duel' victories won a contestant the rolling jackpot. After this, the jackpot was reset to £100,000.
A game was said to be a 'Pure Duel' when both players were down to one chip with no accelerators left. A finished game was also known as a 'Perfect Duel' if an opponent was knocked out losing all ten chips.
Jackpot winners
The first ever Duel jackpot winner was Robert, a social worker from BlackpoolBlackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, who correctly identified that the US Masters is the only golf tournament to be held at the same venue each year. He won the £470,000 jackpot that had built up since the start of the series, and also took home his accumulated accelerator wins of £12,500, giving him a total of £482,500.
On 29 March 2008, the jackpot was won for the second time by banking lecturer Rob, scooping £215,000 (£190,000 jackpot plus £25,000 accumulated accelerator wins).
A week later, on the final show of the series, firefighter James won the third Duel jackpot of £166,000, plus his accelerator win of £20,000; a total of £186,000.
List of winners
| Show | Date | Contestant | Duels won | Chip revealed after duel 2 | Prize won | Jackpot total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 January 2008 | Matt | 2 | £ | £10,000 | £155,000 |
| 2 | 26 January 2008 | Donna | 2 | % | £17,000 | £206,000 |
| 4 | 9 February 2008 | Maurice | 2 | £ | £10,000 | £303,000 |
From show 5 onwards, following Maurice Daniels' accident (according to the rule changes outlined above):
| Show | Date | Contestant | Duels won | Accelerators won | Prize won | Jackpot total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16 February 2008 | Wanda | 2 | 1 | £10,000 | £332,000 |
| 8 | 8 March 2008 | Robert | 4 | 2 | £482,500 | £470,000 |
| 11 | 29 March 2008 | Rob | 4 | 2 | £215,000 | £190,000 |
| 12 | 5 April 2008 | James | 4 | 1 | £186,000 | £166,000 |
International versions
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...
were the first network to purchase the rights to Duel in September 2007, swiftly followed by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in the U.S., who launched their first series of the show, hosted by sport broadcaster Mike Greenberg, on 17 December 2007.
The Duel format was optioned by television networks in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, but, with the exception of Hungary and Duel's native France, never made it to production in those territories.