Going for Gold
| Going for Gold | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Henry Kelly |
| No. of series | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 703 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 1987 – 1996 |
Going for Gold was a British television game show that aired on BBC One from 1987 to 1996. It was presented by Irish broadcaster Henry Kelly, and its defining concept was that it featured contestants from different European countries who competed against each other to answer questions (all in English) to win a prize. The show was shown on BBC 1 in the UK and on Super Channel (later NBC Super Channel) in continental Europe.
The show was a quiz show. Each week, seven contestants (each representing a different European country) would compete against each other for a place in the finals. The show followed a repechage format (now common, but then unusual), whereby unsuccessful contestants from Monday's show would return on Tuesday, and so on throughout the week. Each episode lasted for twenty-five minutes, including four rounds.
There were ten series in total (two in 1992). The first five series aired during the winter, split in half by the Christmas break. The (second) 1992 and 1993 series went out in the autumn, the last three aired during the summer. The 1996 series featured competitors from the UK only.
Layout of the Show
There were four rounds in every show.
Opening Round
Each edition began with a short general knowledge round to all seven contestants. Out of the contestants who started the show, four would go through to the next round (always referred to as the 'first round proper' by Kelly). These four would be the first who managed to answer each of the four general knowledge questions correctly. These questions would usually take the form of a twenty to thirty second description of an object, person, animal or place (usually beginning "who am I?", "what am I?" or similar), with progressively more details being revealed by Kelly until someone was able to identify it
'First Round Proper'
The 'first round proper' was a general knowledge round played with hands on buzzers. Questions were worth one, two or three points based on their difficulty. A contestant who gave a correct answer would be told the subject of the next question, and got to choose the value of that question. If nobody answered a question correctly, a general question worth 1 point was used to restart the game. The first three players to reach six points went on to play the next round.
Four in a Row
In this round, each of the remaining contestants were asked to pick a category (out of a choice of four). The order in which they picked the categories was based on the order in which they progressed from the previous round. Each would then have to answer questions on their chosen category for forty seconds.
Players scored based on the number of consecutive questions they got right - if an incorrect answer was given, their score returned to zero, the score taken from this round was the highest point reached over 40 seconds. After this round the two highest scoring players went through to the final round. A "first to two" general knowledge playoff was held if there was a tie.
Final Round
In the final, every question was worth between four and one points depending on how quickly they were answered. However only one player at a time was allowed to buzz in, as indicated by a timer graphic running down the centre of the screen. if a player gave an incorrect answer, their section of the time was passed over to their opponent and the time (and question) continued.
Progression to the Finals
The first player to reach nine points in this round won the daily game, and went through to the end of week final, from where the winner progressed to the later stages of the series. The losing players all came back the next day, starting with the same pool of players each weekday, minus the winner of the week's earlier shows.
Other Versions
The program has been adapted in France, where it became a very famous game: Questions pour un champion, which still airs today.
In the final British version of the show, the format was changed. The European dimension was dropped, and all the contestants came from the United Kingdom instead. Contestants then nominally represented their county instead.
The five quiz One To Win was a half-hour show whose format was effectively based on the latter three rounds of Going for Gold, repackaged and with a different host (Robin Houston, better known as the 'voice of the computer' on another five quiz show, 100%). Unlike Going for Gold but like 100%, One To Win featured low cash prizes for the winner - just £200 per episode but with a bonus for five consecutive wins - and offered its champions the option to return on the next edition of the show.
NBC tried their hand at a pilot for a US version of the show with Bill Rafferty, called Run for the Money, in 1987. It was shot on the BBC set. Sadly, the pilot did not sell.
Theme Tune and Opening Sequence
Going for Gold had a memorable theme tune, which was composed by Hans Zimmer, a German composer who has since carved a successful career in Hollywood, and Sandy McClelland. During the opening sequence, the theme tune would be sung, whilst the contestants would appear one by one on the screen and would wave, smile or gesture in various ways to introduce themselves to the audience.
The theme tune was a cheesy europop soft rock tune. From the start of the third series, lyrics were introduced:
- The heat is on, the time is right,
- It's time for you, for you to play the game.
- 'Cause people are coming, everyone's trying,
- Trying to be the best that they can,
- When they're going for... going for... Gold.
Only the first verse was ever used at the end of the show, but there were further verses to the song [1]. The only time these lyrics were used was during a clips compilation in the grand final of series 2.
Past Winners
The winners of the series included:
- 1987-1988 - Daphne Fowler (England). Fowler is a veteran of many British quiz shows, and can currently be seen as a regular team member on the BBC quiz Eggheads.
- 1988-1989 - Erik Matteson (Norway)
- 1989-1990 - Howard Atkinson (England)
- 1990-1991 - Luc Sucholtz (Belgium)
- 1991-1992 - Soren Bergman (Norway)
- 1992 (second series)
- 1993 - Jack Klugman
- 1994 - Atour Toma
- 1995 - Mieke Poelman (The Netherlands)
- 1996 - ? representing Kent
The prize in the first season were tickets for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. After that, prizes were always related in some way to gold, such as a gold-mining trip to Australia.
References in Popular Culture
The show inspired a number of parodies, notably one in A Bit of Fry and Laurie which speculated on how British contestants would manage if forced to answer questions in a language other than their first language, something which the mainland European contestants could easily manage.
Henry Kelly Quotes
During the shows, Henry Kelly used a variety of phrases on a regular basis in particular rounds, which have become regarded as catchphrases by many fans of the show:
- (opening round) Incorrect - out of the rest of the question
- (opening round) And now on to the first round proper
- (First Round Proper) The next category is... Cheese. Select
- (Final) Time passes to you, and continues....now!
- (Final) Pepe, you're playing catch up
Going for Gold was one of the vintage game shows featured on Challenge TV's nostalic game show revival shown at Christmas 2003 and repeated in 2005. A special introduction to the airings featured a brief history of the show with an interview with one of the producers Mark Noades, and some contestants.
