Ultra Quiz
Ultra Quiz was an elimination game show series that was produced by TVS and aired for three series and a total of 24 episodes on the ITV network from 9 July 1983 until 17 August 1985. The British version was devised by Jeremy Beadle. Each series of eight editions was hosted by a different person: Michael Aspel hosted series 1, David Frost hosted series 2, and Stu Francis hosted the final series. The top prize for the winner at the end of the series was £10,000 in £1 coins. The programme is modelled after Japanese Nihon TV's program, Trans America Ultra Quiz aired from 1977 until 1992, and 1998.
Rules
At the start of the series, 500 contestants started off in the programme. In each episode, a number of the contestants would be eliminated and would go home with nothing, while the remaining contestants would play on until 8 remained. In the final episode, they played in two final rounds to whittle the 8 contestants down to 2. They played in a final head-to-head round, where the winner would get the £10,000, while the other seven finalists went home with some consolation prizes.
The first series was the most lavish. It featured Michael Aspel and Russell Grant in a television studio and was hosted by Jonathan King and Sally James in various locations around the world and was shot on video.
For the second series, the budget was somewhat less — it used film rather than videotape and did away with the studio audience format — but still took contestants around the world. In this series, 1,000 contestants assembled for the first programme, and were quickly reduced to 28. The remaining contestants set off on their travels in France and Belgium, and through a series of games, quizzes and tests were whittled down to the final 11, who then travelled to Los Angeles and on to Hawaii, with two more falling by the wayside in each show. The semi-final was held in Hawaii, and the final, with three remaining competitors, was held at Arundel Castle in Sussex. David Frost was the presenter, ably assisted by Willie Rushton.
By the third series, the budget was even less: they reverted to videotape and never left the UK. Auditionees for the third series were somewhat disappointed, as the farthest east they went was Kent and the farthest west was Hampshire. This third season was presented by Stu Francis and Sara Hollamby.
Transmission guide
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 July 1983 | 27 August 1983 | 8 |
| 2 | 7 July 1984 | 25 August 1984 | 8 |
| 3 | 29 June 1985 | 17 August 1985 | 8 |