Wheel of Fortune is a ‘tried and tested formula’

We’ve also had Graham Norton at the helm of Wheel of Fortune, which span its way back on ITV1 at the beginning of January.

But why are TV bosses and viewers returning to old formats? According to Graham, the answer is pretty simple – they work.

He says: “It was lovely to be asked to do [Wheel of Fortune]. Over the years I have done gameshow pilots and they’ve always been new formats, there is always a moment when you are doing a new game show when you realise ‘oh that’s why this won’t work’.

“With the Wheel of Fortune, it’s a tried and tested formula. It’s been running for 51 years in America so that is what gave me the confidence to say yes, the game is really strong.”

Although it may not have made it to the 50-year mark in the UK, the original British version of the show did run from 1988 to 2001, which is still impressive. But for anyone who didn’t see that incarnation, what are the rules?

Graham says: “The game is a combination of skill and luck. So, the luck is all about the wheel and what it lands on, so there is nothing you can do as a player to get better at that. There are three contestants and they spin the wheel. They each get a turn and whatever it lands on is the monetary value of the letters. Then they’ve got to solve the [hangman-style] puzzles and the puzzles are where the skill comes in.”

He adds: “That’s what I like about the game play, it’s half luck. If it’s all luck what’s the point and if it’s all skill the best person wins. What’s good about this is the person who is best at solving the puzzle can still lose if the wheel doesn’t like them, so it’s a nice combination of those two things.”

Then of course there’s the added pressure of being on TV. Graham says: “It’s weird as I feel with word puzzles you either get them quite quickly or you really are just bamboozled. When you are looking at the three players you kind of know when one of them has got it (the puzzle) and they really want the wheel back as they know the answer.

“You feel like it’s obvious and they still get it wrong because there is kind of a snow blindness that takes over. It’s a bit like trying to parallel park when people are watching you.”

He adds: “You are trying to do a word puzzle and people are not just looking over your shoulder there are two banks of people and cameras all watching you.”

This week business strategist Mubeen, theatre technician Emma, and ambulance controller Paddy are the players hoping to hold their nerve and walk away with a potential £50,000 prize.