Sell Me the Answer was a British 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...

 which aired on Sky1. It aired from 9 November 2009 to 29 January 2010 and was hosted by Gethin Jones

Gethin Jones

Gethin Clifford Jones is a Welsh television presenter who has co-presented the BBC children's programme Blue Peter....

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Format

The game is played by one person at a time. The player approaches from the front of the set to stand at a podium, opposite Gethin Jones. After a brief introduction, the player is given a £50 start and introduced to their first of ten questions, each of which increases in value. The player must answer all ten questions correctly in order to win this money - an incorrect answer at any stage means the player leaving the game with nothing.

To assist the player, the studio also houses 60 "traders" in a position normally reserved for an audience. On any one question, one of these traders can offer their knowledge at a prearranged price. If the player feels the need to ask for help, they must shout "Sell Me the Answer!" to the traders. At this point, the traders must try to attract the player's attention. The player then chooses two traders from the crowd. These two traders each have ten seconds to convince the player that they know the answer, before the player selects one of them. This trader then approaches the podium. A 30-second haggle now ensues in which the player and trader must decide on a price for the trader's information. If a deal is made, this amount is deducted from the player's pot and is given to the trader (whether they actually know the answer or not) and the players exchange information. If no deal is made, the trader leaves empty-handed and the player must answer on their own. Each trader may only be used once in the game, and the player may only use one trader per question.

Once the player has settled on an answer, they must "lock-down" on that answer using an oversized plunger on the podium. Jones then tells the player if they are right or wrong.

Once a player answers all 10 questions correctly, they face another choice: They may take all the money acquired so far (the sum of all question values, including the £50 start, minus the cost of all trades) or can choose to gamble everything on the Jackpot question. On this question, no help may be sought from the traders, so the player must answer on their own. A correct answer rewards the player with £25,000. An incorrect answer sees the player leaving with nothing.

Prize structure

The prizes from each question is as follows:

Question No	Question Value
Starter	£50
Q1	£75
Q2	£125
Q3	£250
Q4	£500
Q5	£1000
Q6	£1200
Q7	£1400
Q8	£1600
Q9	£1800
Q10	£2000

If all questions are correctly answered without the use of any traders, the player can accumulate £10,000 before deciding on whether or not to play the Jackpot round. If traders are used to the maximum extent, a player will still acquire £2000 at this point.

The Jackpot round, if the player chooses to play it, is always worth £25,000 and negates any money won to that point.

Example

Bob starts the game with £50 in his trading pot. After question 4, he has not used any traders and has accumulated £1,000. On question 5, Bob can't answer and needs help. He shouts "Sell Me the Answer". The traders start to cheer for attention and Bob selects traders #23 and #44. Trader #23 has 10 seconds to convince Bob to choose him. #44 then has 10 seconds to do the same. Bob selects #44 who approaches th podium. After some haggling, Bob agrees to buy the answer for £400. This is given to the trader in cash and is deducted from Bob's trading pot leaving £600. The trader gives Bob the correct answer which he locks-down. Gethin Jones reveals that Bob is correct, and awards an additional £1000. Bob now has £1600 in the trading pot and the game continues with question 6.