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The Wall (British game show)

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This article is about the British game show. For the American game show, see The Wall (American game show). For the Australian game show, see The Wall (Australian game show). For the 2008 British comedy series, see The Wall (2008 TV series).

The Wall
GenreGame show
Based on
The Wall
by
Directed byRichard van't Riet
Presented byDanny Dyer
Voices ofAngela Rippon
Theme music composerMichael Lord
Opening theme"Behind the Wall"
Ending theme"Wall of Will" and "Trophies"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes37 (inc. 9 specials)
Production
Executive producerRichard Hague
ProducerStephen Lovelock
Production locations
Running time45 minutes
Production companiesRemarkable Television
SpringHill Entertainment
Glassman Media
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release12 October 2019 (2019-10-12) –
2 April 2022 (2022-04-02)

The Wall is a British television series hosted by Danny Dyer, broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One. It is based on the American version of the same name.[4] The first series of the show was filmed on the set of the Polish version, at Transcolor Studio in Szeligi near Warsaw[1] between 1 and 6 July 2019,[5] and the second was filmed at Wembley Arena due to travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[6][2] The questions are voiced by Angela Rippon.[7] The show was developed into a board game in December 2020 by Ideal Games.

Gameplay

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The Wall is a four storey tall pegboard, similar to a pachinko game or bean machine; it also is similar to the Plinko board used for that pricing game of the same name on The Price is Right. The bottom of the board is divided into 15 slots marked with various pound sterling amounts, some of which increase as the game progresses. Seven numbered "drop zones" are centred at the top of the board (above the centre seven slots), from which balls can be dropped into play.

A team of two contestants plays each game, with a theoretical top prize of £687,495 (series 1–3) or £977,495 (series 4–).[8][9] Green balls dropped on the board will add to the team's bank, while red balls dropped on the board will subtract from it. Throughout the game, the bank has a floor of £0.

Round 1: Free Fall

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In Free Fall, the team is asked a series of five questions, each with two answer choices. As each question is asked, three balls are simultaneously released from drop zones 1, 4, and 7. The team must select one answer and lock it in before the first ball crosses the threshold of a money slot. If the team's answer is correct, the balls turn green and their values are added to the team's bank. If the team answers incorrectly or fails to lock in an answer, the balls turn red and their values are subtracted from the team's bank.[10]

If the team's bank balance is zero at the end of this round, the game ends immediately and they leave with no winnings (such occurrences are excluded from broadcast). Otherwise, their earnings become part of a guaranteed payout to be offered to them at the end of the game.

Starting with Series 4, the team may choose to double the total value of any one question by pressing a gold "Doubler" disk while the balls are falling. The maximum possible amount that a team can bank in this round is £37,500 in the first three series; this was later increased to £45,000 for the fourth series.

The values on the board range from £1 to £2,500, and are arranged as follows:

£1 £500 £100 £2,000 £10 £1,000 £1 £2,500 £1 £1,000 £10 £2,000 £100 £500 £1

Round 2

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At the start of the second round, the contestants are separated from each other for the remainder of the game. One enters an isolation chamber behind The Wall, while the other remains onstage. Two green balls are played simultaneously, dropped from zones chosen by the onstage player. Three multiple-choice questions are then played, each with three answer choices. The onstage player is shown only the answers to each question and must decide which zone to use, based on how confident he/she is that the isolated player can answer correctly. The question and answers are then presented to the isolated player; after he/she responds, the ball is dropped from the chosen zone. A correct answer turns the ball green and adds the value of the slot it lands into the team bank, while a miss turns the ball red and deducts the value. The isolated player is not told which of his/her answers are correct or given any information on the team bank.

The onstage player is offered an opportunity to "Double Up" on the second question and "Triple Up" on the third; these options allow him/her to play two or three balls from the selected drop zone instead of one, respectively.[10]

After the third question, if the banked total is at least £3 (as the least that could be lost from two red balls is £2), two red balls are dropped simultaneously from the same zones that were chosen for the initial two green balls. The maximum possible amount that a team can bank in this round is £199,998. In the first three series, two initial green balls were played from different zones chosen by the onstage player, and a team could bank up to £199,998. Beginning with the fourth series, seven initial green balls are played in a "SuperDrop," one from every zone, and a team could bank up to £474,998. The values on the board range from £1 to £25,000, and are arranged as follows:

£1 £500 £100 £1,000 £10 £2,500 £1 £5,000 £1 £10,000 £10 £15,000 £100 £25,000 £1

Round 3

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The gameplay proceeds as in Round 2, but each of the three questions now has four answer choices. In addition, three green and three red balls are played at the start and end of the round respectively, and are dropped one at a time, rather than simultaneously. The "Double Up" and "Triple Up" options are available as before.[10]

The maximum possible amount that a team can bank in this round is £449,997.

The values on the board range from £1 to £50,000, and are arranged as follows:

£1 £2,500 £100 £5,000 £10 £10,000 £1 £15,000 £1 £20,000 £10 £25,000 £100 £50,000 £1

Final Decision

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After the third question in Round 3, the isolated player is sent a contract by the host and must either sign or destroy it. After the three red balls have dropped in Round 3 and the final bank is calculated (or after the last question if there is less than £3 banked), the isolated player returns to the stage to reveal his/her decision. Only at this point does he/she learn the number of correct answers given, the payout total, and the team's final bank. If the isolated player signs the contract, the team gives up the team bank in favour of a guaranteed payout, equal to the Free Fall winnings plus an additional £2,500 for every question answered correctly in Rounds 2 and 3 but if the isolated player destroys the contract, the team receives their final bank total instead.[10]

The maximum possible guaranteed payout is £52,500 (series 1–3) or £60,000 (series 4–), obtained by scoring £37,500 (£45,000 from series 4 onwards), in Free Fall and answering all six questions correctly in Rounds 2 and 3. The maximum possible bank total is £687,495 (£977,495 from series 4 onwards), obtained by answering every question correctly, having every green ball drop into the highest-valued slot, and having the five mandatory red balls each drop into a £1 slot.

Transmissions

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Series

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SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedReferences
First airedLast aired
1612 October 2019 (2019-10-12)16 November 2019 (2019-11-16)[11]
283 October 2020 (2020-10-03)17 July 2021 (2021-07-17)[11]
3827 February 2021 (2021-02-27)5 June 2021 (2021-06-05)[11]
4612 February 2022 (2022-02-12)2 April 2022 (2022-04-02)[11]

Series two and three were shown out of order. The first six episodes of series two were broadcast in 2020, followed by the whole of series three in 2021. Episodes seven and eight of series two were broadcast in July 2021.[11]

Versus Celebrities

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The celebrity editions of The Wall are titled as The Wall Versus Celebrities.[12]

No.ContestantsSeries [note 1]Original air date [11]Ref.
1Stacey Dooley and Craig Revel Horwood224 December 2020 (2020-12-24)[13]
2Sally Lindsay and Alex Brooker231 December 2020 (2020-12-31)[14]
3John Barnes and Chris Kamara320 February 2021 (2021-02-20)[15]
4James Bye and Maddy Hill423 December 2021 (2021-12-23)[16]
5Sarah Millican and Gary Delaney415 January 2022 (2022-01-15)[17]
6Ronan Keating and Storm Keating422 January 2022 (2022-01-22)[18]
7Shaparak Khorsandi and Ellie Taylor45 March 2022 (2022-03-05)[19]
8Katie Piper and Nicolas Hamilton49 April 2022 (2022-04-09)[20]
9Martin and Shirlie Kemp416 April 2022 (2022-04-16)[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Some specials appear in BBC’s episode guide as a part of a particular series, even though they are not subject to a standard episode count.

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Wall -International - MichaelLord.com". www.michaellord.com. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b Henry, Grace (2 October 2020). "Danny Dyer hints at shocks for The Wall viewers as show returns for series two". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  3. ^ "THE WALL HOSTED BY DANNY DYER". Lost In Tv. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  4. ^ "BBC – Danny Dyer to host BBC One's brand new game show, The Wall – Media Centre". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  5. ^ Rajani, Deepika (31 May 2019). "Danny Dyer to host new BBC game show The Wall: here's everything we know about it". inews.co.uk.
  6. ^ Kanter, Jake (22 May 2020). "'The Wall': Danny Dyer Game Show Poised To Shift Production From Poland To UK Amid Coronavirus". Deadline. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  7. ^ Hards, Shannon (13 June 2019). "Contestants wanted for Danny Dyer's new BBC game show". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  8. ^ "The Wall". NBC.com.
  9. ^ Pedersen, Erik (14 November 2016). "'The Wall': NBC Sets Premiere Date For Game Show From EPs Chris Hardwick & LeBron James". Deadline. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  10. ^ a b c d "BBC One – The Wall – About the Show". BBC.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "BBC One – The Wall – Episode guide". BBC. See appropriate series/episode(s).
  12. ^ "BBC One – The Wall, Versus Celebrities". BBC.
  13. ^ "The Wall – Versus Celebrities, Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  14. ^ "The Wall – Versus Celebrities, Episode 2". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  15. ^ "The Wall – Versus Celebrities, Episode 3". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  16. ^ "The Wall – Versus Celebrities, Episode 4". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  17. ^ "The Wall – Versus Celebrities, Episode 5". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  18. ^ "The Wall – Versus Celebrities, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  19. ^ "BBC One – the Wall, Series 4 – Versus Celebrities, Ellie Taylor & Shaparak Khorsandi".
  20. ^ "BBC One – the Wall, Series 4 – Versus Celebrities, Katie Piper & Nicolas Hamilton".
  21. ^ "BBC One – the Wall, Series 4 – Versus Celebrities, Martin & Shirlie Kemp".
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