GYOB & Other 90s Kids Game Shows

[Beeth]

I'd put this in some sort of "General TV Thread", but there isn't one (as far as I can find), so I'm putting it down here.

Back in one of the show's earlier series, I'm really sure I saw a feature in one episode, a segment where the losing child would have a valued posession of theirs burned in a little cupboard before the final round of the game. I only ever remember seeing this the once; one of them had a teddy, the other a comic. The one with the teddy lost, had it burnt and was visibly upset by this. As in, actually crying. I remember I thought "bloody hell, that's a bit cruel" and was a little alienated by it.

Thing is, I never saw this in the show again, and have never since heard it mentioned. I've even searched up about it on the Internet, can't find a thing about it. I swear I'm not making this up, I'm sure I actually saw this. If not on GYOB, then some other children's show (I'm almost certain it was GYOB, as it was a head-to-head gameshow Dave-Benson Phillips was presenting). Can anyone validate this for me?

[Devo DrakeFox]

I remember this show well, but I've never seen any childhood-treasure-burning in it. Ever. Come on, that's downright evil and I'm sure the BBC would never condone child cruelty, because that's exactly what that is.

[Samface]

No, can't say I recall that, and I used to watch GYOB avidly. Ol' DBP presented a few different shows, didn't he? Might've been another one.

*gets his Wikipedia on*

No, no mention of it on the Wiki article, and it's a pretty in-depth one. Apparently the show ran until 2003! Blimey. That was the year I went to university, for heaven's sake.

[Tom J]

Everytime I pick socks out of a pile of laundry I count "ten, twenty, thirty... a hundred and sixty points"

[Beeth]

Found it! After doing further research, I found this snippet from a mirror wiki, on the 1995 series (it's been removed from the main wikipedia website for some bizarre reason):

This series attracted controversy for the (brief) addition of the forfeit furnace. The child that lost would supposedly have their prized possession burnt by the adult. However many parents wrote angry complaint letters to the BBC, and after a few episodes, the scenes of the forfeit furnace were cut, with Dave revealing on CBBC that the possessions were not actually burnt, and CBBC and himself actually held a competition inviting children to suggest what they really thought happened to the possessions.

www.websters-online-dictionary.net/definitions/Get+Your+Own+Back?cx=partner-pub-0939450753529744%3Av0qd01-tdlq&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=Get+Your+Own+Back&sa=Search#922

Like I say, I only saw it the once myself, and I used to watch GYOB a lot in those days, but the instance was clear in my mind for how shocking and controversial it appeared to be. Nobody I've asked about it remembers this happening, even people who claimed to watch the show a lot in those days. I'd scour youtube for it, but I can't be arsed right now.

[Samface]

Well fancy that.

Since this thread has now fufilled its mission, I vote we turn it into a shrine for brilliant '90s kids' games shows. Funhouse! Incredible Games! Finders Keepers! And the other ones.

Actually, what was that one they had on CITV where contestants had to ascend a giant Transylvania-y house? Did I imagine that one?

[Blizz]

Sounds a bit like Knightmare.

[Samface]

Nah, Knightmare was that cod-medieval one, wasn't it?

*Wikis it* Yeah, it's not that I'm thinking of.

Hey, look what I found.

*browses forever*

EDIT: And five minutes later, that site throws up the show I've been thinking of: Terror Towers. That's been mildly bugging me for several years. God bless you, Internet!

[madhair60]

Yes, I remember this VERY well. Traumatised me a bit, to be honest - as a child very given to anthropomorphising his cuddly toys, watching a beloved teddybear being slowly burned to a crisp as a watching child weeps openly for his destroyed innocence gave me the willies.

It was a Sonic and Knuckles cartridge once. Don't know why I remember that.

And also, I remember Terror Towers very well, because I always wanted the runner-up prize, the "Creepy Can". It looked like the best thing ever.

I got one from WH Smiths eventually. It wasn't particularly interesting.

[Beeth]

How about "Crazy Cottage"? The game show where everything was backwards. Often intrigued and amused me. Weirdly, my stand-out memory of the show comes from a rather obscure throwaway section where one of the contestants answered a ridiculously high number to the question "How many A's are there in banana?" Cue the presenter attempting an incredibly rapid stutter of "banananananananananananana....". This had me in stitches at the time. Great show overall.

I also remember 50/50 from CBBC back in the day. Specifically how the teams were specifically told at the start of every question round not to confer or they would forfeit the question, and they inevitably did so anyway.

According to the wiki, that ran until 2005. Blimey, didn't know it went on that long.

[Devo DrakeFox]

Ah, Terror Towers. I remember that show. I also remember on of the runner-up prizes being "a murky mug with a life of its own". Um, exactly how did it have a life of its own? Could it stir your tea for you or what?


Oh yes, another kid's game show I rather liked was Eat Your Words. Oh, those crazy forfeit rounds and their wacky food combinations. ;D

[Ringo (2015 Edition)]

Dec 23, 2010 16:28:13 GMT Devo DrakeFox said:

Ah, Terror Towers. I remember that show. I also remember on of the runner-up prizes being "a murky mug with a life of its own". Um, exactly how did it have a life of its own? Could it stir your tea for you or what?


Oh yes, another kid's game show I rather liked was Eat Your Words. Oh, those crazy forfeit rounds and their wacky food combinations. ;D

Terror Towers ruled. Too bad they cancelled it before the millenium.

[madhair60]

Not really, because I was a teenager by then and became more interested in fannies.