Everybody's Equal

*Everybody's Equal*
Everybody's Equal
Also known as	Whittle
Genre	Game show
Created by	Chris Kwantes; Mitchell Symons
Presented by	Chris Tarrant (ITV); Tim Vine (Channel 5)
Composers	Keith Strachan (1989–91); Rick Turk (1997)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2 (ITV); 2 (Channel 5)
No. of episodes	17 (ITV); 130 (Channel 5)
Production
Running time	30 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companies	Celador and Thames (1989–91); Grundy (1997)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	7 June 1989 –; 21 July 1991
Network	Channel 5
Release	31 March –; 30 December 1997

Everybody's Equal is a game show that originally aired on ITV from 7 June 1989 to 22 July 1991 and hosted by Chris Tarrant. It was later revived under the name Whittle and aired on Channel 5 from 31 March to 30 December 1997 with Tim Vine as host. Versions also existed in many European countries, plus Canada. Elements of the show resemble Tarrant's future hit Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, particularly its "Fastest Finger First" game; in addition, the US-based mobile game HQ Trivia.

Versions were broadcast in Canada, France and Japan.^[1]

Format

200 contestants were asked a question with four options and those who got it right were asked another.^[2] This continued until fewer than ten players survived, at which point they face four questions which were worth £50 each. If more than ten players remained after the sixth question, the ten fastest players went through. The player who correctly answered the final question the fastest went on to play the final round. The winning contestant was to place four things into the correct order, to win £1,000. If they got it wrong, the money was divided equally between all the other contestants.

On the original version of the show, Chris Tarrant would routinely "name and shame" the contestants who voted for the most outlandish answers – most memorably the first game of the first show where all but one contestant voted for the correct answer. At the start of each show, the host would introduce the “Four to Follow” contestants, pre-selected by the computer as the most likely to win the game, and regularly check in to see if they were still in the game as it progressed.

In the revival, likely due to lower budgets, the main prize is £250 or £500, depending if the contestant wanted to take on the offer. This time if one of the ten remaining contestants were out of the game, they would have to wear a "Whittle Mask", which consists of a purple "W" from the show's logo graphic on a yellow disc with eye holes to see out of.

Reception

Hillary Kingsley of the Daily Mirror praised the show, writing, "Everybody's Equal is good fun, the questions aren't too taxing, we can all play along at home and the contestants seem relatively normal, unlike the brain donors they sometimes get on Big Break. But the biggest plus is Tarrant himself. I'm not sure I'd want to buy a used car from him, but at least he doesn't take himself seriously. With some of the jackets he wears, he daren't."^[3]

In a 1989 review, the columnist Norman Harper wrote, "It is a novel idea and one which works rather well. It is a shame that people who answer wrongly are singled out for the glare of ridicule, but presumably they knew the risks before they agreed to take part. It is also worth watching for the vigorous and prolonged handshaking offered by host Chris Tarrant to each week's victor."^[4] In a 1991 review, Harper stated, "The format is as trite as every other gameshow and there is a flaw of sorts in that the audience can't develop a rapport with the contenders — because there are 200 contenders. The strength of Everybody's Equal is host Chris Tarrant. It was a colleague who pointed out that, alone among TV hosts, Tarrant doesn't patronise the participants, and it's true. He doesn't use them as foils for well-rehearsed wit and the show has a relaxed, matey, pleasing air as a result. Good stuff."^[5]

Transmissions

ITV

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	7 June 1989	19 July 1989	7
2	30 July 1990	22 July 1991	10

Channel 5

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	31 March 1997	27 June 1997	65
2	29 September 1997	30 December 1997	65

International versions

Country	Name	Host(s)	Channel	Dates aired
Canada (Quebec)	Que le meilleur gagne	Alain Dumas Grégory Charles	Radio-Canada	1993–1996 May 2007
France	Que le meilleur gagne	Laurence Boccolini Nagui Laurent Petitguillaume Philippe Lellouche with Anne-Sophie Girard	La Cinq (1991–1992) Antenne 2 (1992) France 2 (1992–1995; 2012–2015) M6 (2024–present)	4 March 1991 – 1995 2012–2015 2024–present
Hungary	100-ból egy	Gálvölgyi	RTL Klub	1997
Italy	Campionissimo	Gerry Scotti	Italia 1	1993
Italy	Vinca il migliore	Gerry Scotti	Canale 5 Italia 1	1996
Japan	クイズ!当たって25% Quiz! Atatte 25%	Shinsuke Shimada Wakako Shimazaki	TBS	28 June 1991 17 October 1991 – 26 March 1992
	オールスター感謝祭 All Star Thanksgiving Festival	Koji Imada Shinsuke Shimada Wakako Shimazaki		5 October 1991 – present
	テレビ進学塾 TV Prep School	Shinsuke Shimada Sato B-saku		1993
	オールスター後夜祭 All Star After Party	Hiroiki Ariyoshi Kazumi Takayama		2018–present
Lebanon	خليك معنا Khalik Mana	Serge Zarqa	MTV	1999–2002
Poland^[6]	Sto plus jeden	Grzegorz Halama	Nasza TV	1998
Saudi Arabia	كل يوم مليون Kil Youm Malyoon	Turki Al-Shabanah	Rotana Khalijia	2007–2008
Spain	Aquí jugamos todos	Miriam Díaz-Aroca Ramón García	TVE 1	1995–1996