Trapped! (TV series)

Trapped!

Trapped! is a children's TV gameshow created by Rob Hyde and broadcast on CBBC on BBC One on Fridays at 5:00pm and has also been shown on Sundays at 4:30pm on the CBBC Channel. It involves 6 children in a tower who have to sabotage tasks without being found out in order to escape. Only one child can leave the tower (actually they all leave and none of the kids are tortured by the woman).

The Voice

The Voice starts the tasks, decides the Saboteur (see below), ends the challenges and traps the Unfortunate. The Voice is a woman who wears purple lipstick, has pale, powdered skin and dirty teeth. The Voice's mouth is all we ever see of her. We don't know what the purpose of trapping the children are or where she lives. She talks to the Unfortunates through a device attached to their ear called the Whisper Clip. Played by Eve Karpf (series one) and Faith Brown (series two).

The Caretaker

The host/presenter character is played by Simon Greenall who can be fairy annoying at times. He has a Northern accent which really does grate away at you after a bit. First he listens to which game the Voice requires next, then he tells us about how it is played (voiced over Wiley Sneak's demonstration). He also tells us about the children in each episode, the (vague) story behind it and generally plays the narrator for us, so the audience know what's going on.

Like Wiley Sneak (see below), the Caretaker is also trapped, and has been there for a very long time (in one episode he mentions being around in 1604, in another being around in the war, then mentioning Romans and in a third, 1945). He must trap as many children as the Voice deems worthy before he can be freed. in episode 10, it is revealed that he secretly plotted to escape the tower himself.

His ongoing joke is saying that if the children make it out, he'd then say something like they'd be home in time for tea with a wormy roll or something else disgusting. His catchphrase is said when the saboteur is chosen, he would say "I know who it is, you know who it is, but the rest of them don't".

Wiley Sneak

A child who was trapped 100 years ago, Wiley leads children to the tower to play the games. He is in turn trapped by, 'the Voice', and must trap as many children as he can to be freed. Although Wiley Sneak may seem evil, he is just a pawn in the whole charade and is only trying to earn his freedom any way he can. Wiley Sneak is kind of the Demonstrater, who shows you how you are meant to pass each game, with narration from the Caretaker. Played by Olly Pike.

The Saboteur

A saboteur is assigned on each floor, except on the bottom floor. His/Her job is to make sure the team fail the challenge without getting caught. In episode 8, all saboteurs were trapped.

The Tower Rules

The Tower is 5-levelled with a game on each level. After the game is completed the kids all vote Weakest Link - style as to who they thought the Saboteur was.

Task Failed

If the task is failed, the person with the most votes is trapped on that particular floor. In the event of a tie, the tied Unfortunates draw sticks. Whoever draws the short stick is trapped.

Task Passed

If they pass, the Saboteur will automatically get locked in the room and no matter who has got the most votes in the game.

The Games

6 Unfortunates

Series 1

• Black Widow (The Unfortunates must use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the spiders eggs in a room in 90 seconds. However, some have spiders on them, and if they are sucked up more eggs fall from the ceiling.)
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• Wall Of Sorrow (The Unfortunates must build the wall before the time runs out, the Saboteur uses blackouts to destroy the wall.)
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• Toxic Treats (The Unfortunates must open 3 'good' presents before they open 3 'bad' ones.)
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• Goblet of Ice (The goblet must be filled with ice. Stepping on the floor tips the goblet))
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Introduced in Series 2

• Body Shock (The Unfortunates have 2 minutes to recreate a zombies body. Power cuts happen throughout the challenge. When the lights go off, the Saboteur will release the Botherers, who will pull apart the body. Similar to Wall of Sorrow)

• Poison Harvest (The Unfortunates have 1 and a half minutes to collect berries and put it into each other baskets. The saboteur will try to pick poison berries and put them into someones elses basket. 2 or more baskets poisoned and they fail. Similar to Poison Banquet)

5 Unfortunates

• Feed Me Lies "This game is all about truths and lies. On this floor is a magical garden. In it's centre are two plants; Phyllis, who loves the truth, and Madge, who loves lies. Unfortunates must pick a seed and put it under the magnifying glass. Phyllis will read out the statement that is written on it. Is it true? Or is it a lie? The Unfortunates must choose which plant to feed. They need to feed the correct plant 3 seeds to pass. Get it wrong 3 times, and they fail." (The Unfortunates select beans from a bag and place them under a microscope like device, which allows a talking plant puppet to read out a statement. If this statement is true, it must be fed to the left plant (Phyllis); if false, to the right plant (Madge). 3 correct feedings are required; 3 wrong feedings results in failure.)
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• Freaky Factory (The Unfortunates must fill 5 egg boxes which come through a conveyor belt-this is possibly the hardest challenge to sabotage.)
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• Deadly Medley (The Unfortunates must get 3 words that the pianist (called Boris) likes, using the letters A, B, C, D, E, F or G. The Voice specifies to the Sabotuer which specific letter the pianist doesn't like.)
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Introduced in Series 2

• Septic Sewers (The Unfortunates must plug up a drain, and then hide in sewer pipes. The Saboteur emerges to pull out some of the plugs, then 5 seconds later the Unfortunates come out to plug up the drain again. If the drain is not completely blocked at the end of the game, they fail. This game is similar to Wicked Wardrobes and Sleeper Creepers.) No. of times played:
• Spooked! (The Unfortunates have to choose a book and give it to the librarian, but some books are 'spooked' and will make the librarian scream. The Saboteur is told which books are 'spooked'. If they choose three 'spooked' books, they fail.) No. of times played:
• Fairy Trials (The Unfortunates must exterminate fairies. Blow up 3 good fairies to pass or release 3 bad fairies they will fail) No. of times played:

4 Unfortunates

Series 1

• Snake Attack (An unfortunate will put their hand into one of three holes. In one of the holes a child-eating python lies in wait. 3 bites and the team fail.)
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• Witch's Brew (The Unfortunates must help the Caretaker's cousin, Ethal the witch by fetching ingredients. 3 wrong ingredients (most imes, just 2) and they fail.)
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• Horror Heads (The Unfortunates control remote-controlled cars which they must use to push a ball across a pit in 90 seconds)
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• Exploding Toad in the Hole (The Unfortunates put their hands into a hole. If they find 3 food items they pass. 3 exploding toads and they fail)
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Introduced in Series 2

• Green Fingers (The Unfortunates place their hands into plant pots and pull out either magic bulbs or the monster Green Fingers. If they pull out Green Fingers three times, they fail.) Similar to Snake Attack and exploding toad in the hole.
• Two-faced Liar (A lady/Madame Dervasage, sits in front of a mirror, and her reflection reads out statements. The Unfortunates have to guess whether each statement is true or false. They must guess correctly three times to pass. (Similar to Feed Me Lies))

3 Unfortunates

Series 1

• Poison Banquet (The Unfortunates face a big banquet. In each course there are three cakes one of them contains poison. 3 poisons and they fail.)
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• Sleep Creepers (8 ringing alarm-clocks are arranged around the room, which the Unfortunates attempt to switch off. Once all the alarm-clocks are off, the Unfortunates hide in their respective beds. The Saboteur emerges from their bed to reset the alarm clocks, which go off after 3 seconds, prompting the other Unfortunates to come out of hiding and switch them off again. All alarm-clocks must be off after 90 seconds to pass the challenge.)
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• Wicked Wardrobes (Lights are arranged on the floor, which the Unfortunates attempt to switch on. Once all the lights are on, the Unfortunates hide in their respective wardrobes. The Saboteur then emerges from their wardrobe to switch off the lights. 3 seconds after switching off a light, a gramophone starts playing, prompting the other Unfortunates to come out of hiding and switch them on again. All lights must be on after 90 seconds to pass the challenge. This game is similar to sleep creepers(see above.)
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Introduced in Series 2

• Extraction (The Unfortunates have to pull teeth out of a wailing werewolf. They can only pull out unhealthy teeth. Pull out three healthy teeth and they fail.)

• One-Eyed Watcher (The One-Eyed-Watcher does a 'cups and ball' game with an eyeball. The unfortunates have to guess which cup the eyeball is under - three wrong guesses and they fail.)

• Camp Fear (The Unfortunates has to buid a camp fire and hide in the tents before the moon howler.similar to Wicked Wardrobes Sleeper Creepers and Septic Sewers.)

• Forbiten Chambers (They have to move the colored boxes in the chambers they have to stack the same color: purple yellow green and orange)

2 Unfortunates

• One Way Out and There Can Only Be One Winner (At the bottom floor The Voice asks questions about the episode. The Unfortunate who gets the most questions right is freed.)

1 Unfortunate

The winner is released out the bottom of the tower. The loser is Trapped!

Tower Layout

• Roof - This is where the Caretaker lives

• Floor 7 - This is where the Unfortunates enter via a Bridge

• Floor 6 - This is where the 1st game is played

• Floor 5 - This is where the 2nd game is played

• Floor 4 - This is where the 3rd game is played

• Floor 3 - This is where the 4th game is played

• Floor 2 - This is where the two remaining Unfortunates answer questions related to the episode

• Floor 1 (Exit Slide) - This is just a slide that the Winner exits via

Other Tower Locations

• Bridge - This connects Floor 7 with the Lift

• Lift - This is what the Unfortunates arrive in lifted by the Caretaker

Trapped! Equipment

• Whisperclip - This is a hearing aid type object that the Voice can talk to the Saboteur with.

Production

DIRECTOR James Morgan
PRODUCER Rob Hyde
WRITERS Carl Carter & Tony Cooke
ART DIRECTOR Catherine Land
SET DESIGN Richard Drew
LIGHTING DIRECTOR James Campbell

Music

The music is written by Dobs Vye, a composer who specialises in writing for television.

Titles

The animated title sequence is produced by Tandem Films, it describes how the children are led by Wiley Sneak on the journey to reach the tower. The chant that is played over the top is Eve Karpf.

External Links

• Trapped title sequence