Password (British game show)

*Password*
Password
Genre	Panel game
Created by	Bob Stewart
Presented by	Shaw Taylor; Brian Redhead; Eleanor Summerfield; Esther Rantzen; Tom O'Connor; Brian Munn; Gordon Burns; Stephen Mangan
Narrated by	Simon Greenall (2024-)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1 (ATV); 3 (BBC); 1 (Channel 4); 3 (UTV); 1 (revival)
No. of episodes	27 (ATV); 39 (BBC); 26 (Channel 4); 70 (UTV); 7 (revival)
Production
Running time	30 mins (1963–88); 45 minutes (2024)
Production companies	ATV (1963); Thames in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions (1982–83); Ulster (1985–88); Talkback (2024–)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	12 March –; 10 September 1963
Network	BBC2 (1973); BBC1 (1974–76)
Release	24 March 1973 –; 3 January 1976
Network	Channel 4
Release	6 November 1982 –; 14 May 1983
Network	Ulster (1985–87); ITV (1988)
Release	2 September 1985 –; 29 July 1988
Network	ITV1
Release	31 August 2024 –; present
Related
	Password

Password is a British panel game show based on the U.S. version of the same name. It originally aired on ITV from 12 March to 10 September 1963, hosted by Shaw Taylor, then was revived by BBC2 from 24 March to 28 April 1973, hosted by Brian Redhead, BBC1 from 7 January 1974 to 3 January 1976, first hosted by Eleanor Summerfield in 1974 and then hosted by Esther Rantzen from 1975 to 1976, Channel 4 from 6 November 1982 to 14 May 1983, hosted by Tom O'Connor, Ulster from 2 September 1985 to 13 March 1987, first hosted by Brian Munn in 1985, and then hosted by Gordon Burns from 1986 to 1987 and then finally on ITV from 20 June to 29 July 1988, also hosted by Burns. In 2023, it was announced that ITV would be reviving the show with Stephen Mangan as host. ^[1]

Gameplay

The gameplay is identical to the US version. Two celebrity-civilian teams compete, and after being given the password, the team in control has to decide whether to pass or play. Naming the password was worth 10 points minus one point for each additional clue. By the 1980s, teams only got three guesses each so that each password scored a minimum of five points. The first side to earn 25 points won the game, and celebrities switched partners after each game. On Channel 4, the first player to win two games continued as champion. In later series, teams played best-of-five matches.

On the Ulster series, after a team accumulated 25 points or more, the points were turned into cash, at £1 per point. The winning team then played the lightning round, where teams had to guess 5 passwords in 60 seconds. Each word earned the contestant an extra £5 per word or £50 if the team guessed all 5.

On the Channel 4 series, each player earned £2 per point and the first contestant to play two lightning rounds continued as champion. Winners of £500 retired until the semi-finals.

On the 2024 series, the first game would be played to 25 points. The second round featured a Super Password puzzle. The tiebreaker featured a puzzle on the buzzer. The first team to win two rounds played Alphabeticals for up to £10,000 won by identifying ten alphabetically arranged passwords within one minute. Otherwise, each password earned £500 which doubled if the player could guess one more password after only one clue word.

Transmissions

ATV era

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	12 March 1963	10 September 1963	27

BBC era

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	24 March 1973	28 April 1973	6
2	7 January 1974	27 August 1974	27
3	29 December 1975	3 January 1976	6

Channel 4 era

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	6 November 1982	14 May 1983	26

UTV era

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	2 September 1985	15 November 1985	20
2	5 January 1987	13 March 1987	20
3	20 June 1988	29 July 1988	30

ITV era

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	31 August 2024	12 October 2024	7

References

^ "Password heads to the UK on ITV1 and ITVX". itv.com. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.

External links

[1] "Password heads to the UK on ITV1 and ITVX". itv.com. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.

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