Winner Takes All (game show)
Encyclopedia
Winner Takes All was a popular game show that was produced by Yorkshire Television
and ran for 13 years on the ITV
network from 1975 until 1988 but returned in 1997 on the cable and satellite channel Challenge.
The original host of Winner Takes All was comedian Jimmy Tarbuck
, who hosted the show from 1975 until 1986. For series 13, Geoffrey Wheeler replaced Jimmy Tarbuck as the host and the show went into a 5 day a week daytime show (twice a week for the 1987 series). Geoffrey also devised the format for Winner Takes All and was the voiceover reading the questions in the Jimmy Tarbuck era. The Challenge version (Series 15) was hosted by Bobby Davro
with Yorkshire Television news journalist Gaynor Barnes
as the voiceover reading the questions and was produced by Yorkshire Television for Challenge.
The two winners played for cash in the final with a maximum of £1,000 to be won but only the winner took the money home while the loser took home a consolation prize of £100, the winning contestant was given the option of returning on the next show to add to his or her winnings but if they returned and lost they would lose all but £100 of their winnings.
ident where the chevron would spin toward the screen revealing the four contestants who appeared on that weeks edition. The final ITV
series in 1988 was a Television Techniques production for Yorkshire Television.
The Challenge version was recorded at the former TVS
studios at Vinters Park in Maidstone, but was produced by Yorkshire Television.
During his run as host Jimmy Tarbuck
would at the start of some editions come out carrying a briefcase containing £1000 in £1 notes which was the top prize on Winner Takes All.
In 1989, Iorworth Hoare was jailed for rape after being identified from a photo he submitted to the show when applying to be a contestant.
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
and ran for 13 years 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 1975 until 1988 but returned in 1997 on the cable and satellite channel Challenge.
The original host of Winner Takes All was comedian Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE or Tarby is an English comedian. Growing up he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game...
, who hosted the show from 1975 until 1986. For series 13, Geoffrey Wheeler replaced Jimmy Tarbuck as the host and the show went into a 5 day a week daytime show (twice a week for the 1987 series). Geoffrey also devised the format for Winner Takes All and was the voiceover reading the questions in the Jimmy Tarbuck era. The Challenge version (Series 15) was hosted by Bobby Davro
Bobby Davro
Bobby Davro is a British actor and comedian. He is mainly known for his work as an impressionist...
with Yorkshire Television news journalist Gaynor Barnes
Gaynor Barnes
Gaynor Barnes is a British television presenter and journalist currently employed by ITV Yorkshire since 1991.From January 2007 to February 2009, she was a co-host of the South edition of Calendar alongisde John Shires...
as the voiceover reading the questions and was produced by Yorkshire Television for Challenge.
Gameplay
The two contestants started with 50 points each (30 points when it became a daytime show in 1987) and were asked multiple choice questions with six possible answers but each answer had some odds (Evens, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-1 & 10-1) and after each question was asked the contestants were asked how many points they would like to bet and then they selected the odds that corresponded to the answer they thought was correct, if they got the correct answer they won the points the odds were worth, if they gave a wrong answer they lost the points, the contestant with the most points won through to the final while the loser left the show with nothing. In later series, the losers took home a filofax (except the 1988 series where they took home an encyclopedia). In the Challenge TV version, the losers took home a Winner Takes All T Shirt. Then they played again with two different contestants and the winner of that met the winner of the first game.The two winners played for cash in the final with a maximum of £1,000 to be won but only the winner took the money home while the loser took home a consolation prize of £100, the winning contestant was given the option of returning on the next show to add to his or her winnings but if they returned and lost they would lose all but £100 of their winnings.
Production
From 1980 until 1987 Winner Takes All started with an alternative version of the Yorkshire TelevisionYorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
ident where the chevron would spin toward the screen revealing the four contestants who appeared on that weeks edition. The final 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...
series in 1988 was a Television Techniques production for Yorkshire Television.
The Challenge version was recorded at the former TVS
Television South
Television South was the ITV franchise holder in the south and south east of England between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 1992. The company operated under various names, initially as Television South plc and then following reorganisation in 1989 as TVS Entertainment plc, with its UK...
studios at Vinters Park in Maidstone, but was produced by Yorkshire Television.
During his run as host Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck
Jimmy Tarbuck OBE or Tarby is an English comedian. Growing up he was a schoolmate of John Lennon.His first television show was It's Tarbuck 65! on ITV in 1964. He has also hosted numerous quiz shows, including Winner Takes All, Full Swing, and Tarby's Frame Game...
would at the start of some editions come out carrying a briefcase containing £1000 in £1 notes which was the top prize on Winner Takes All.
In 1989, Iorworth Hoare was jailed for rape after being identified from a photo he submitted to the show when applying to be a contestant.