Make Your Play was a live, interactive quiz show, showing in the UK on the ITV Network, from Monday to Saturday, beginning after midnight. The show was launched on Friday 29 September 2006 on ITV and ITV Play.
| Make Your Play | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Several presenters |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time | Various |
| Production company | Granada Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV, ITV Play |
| Release | 29 September 2006 – 23 December 2007 |
The prizes were greater than usually available on ITV Play (often exceeding £20,000), but as a result of this, callers are usually taken less often.
In order to win money, viewers had to either call in at a cost of 75p from a BT landline, or enter through the ITV website. If they were successful, they would have been placed on hold, then transferred live to the studio if they was lucky, where they then went on to deliver their answer.
Make Your Play had given over £3 million. It went over the £3 million mark on 1 July 2007, when a contestant by the name of Mr Joseph Percy said "next day". An on screen graphic was then shown saying "£3 Million Given Away" accompanied with a siren sound effect.
Controversy
editA game where viewers were invited to "add the pence" was criticised for providing a solution which was all but impossible to reach.[1]
In February and March 2007, ITV Play and all shows associated with it were suspended after allegations that consumers were being cheated. ITV decided to suspend these services – which included phone-in votes and competitions on shows such as Dancing on Ice and This Morning – while an independent review was carried out to see if members of the public were getting a fair deal when they rang in. The problem was shortly resolved, and the ITV Play channel was closed down "permanently".[2]
An announcement on 12 September 2007 confirmed that the show, along with similar late night phone ins, would be phased out by the end of 2007.[3]
ITV Play's Glitterball ended on 30 September 2007. As a result, Make Your Play was extended, running six nights a week until the closure of ITV Play, with the last Make Your Play being broadcast on the morning of 23 December 2007.
On 1 July 2009, former presenter Ben Baldwin announced via his Twitter page that Make Your Play would launch as a stand-alone channel on Freeview and Sky on 19 January 2010.[4] So far, Make Your Play has yet to return to the air.
Presenters
editPresenters at time of original demise
edit- Ben Baldwin
- Zö Christien
- Yolly Koppel
- Charlie McArdle[5]
- Russ Spencer
Other presenters
edit- Emily Booth[6]
- Alex Kramer
- Dave O'Riley
- Katy Pullinger
Guest Presenters
- Anna Fowler
- Mel Peachey
References
edit- ^ Kennedy, Dominic (12 March 2007). "Even the best thinkers can't solve question on premium-rate TV quiz". The Times. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2007.
- ^ Deans, Jason (13 March 2007). "ITV Play digital channel axed". Media Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2007.. It has gone back on air as of July 2007
- ^ "ITV Play programming to be 'phased out'". Digital Spy. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2007.
- ^ "Make Your Play to make return in 2010". Twitter. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ^ "CharlieMcArdle.com". April 2007. Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2007.
- ^ "Bouff.tv". 2006. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2007.