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Everybody's Equal

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Everybody's Equal
Also known asWhittle
GenreGame show
Created byChris Kwantes
Mitchell Symons
Presented byChris Tarrant (ITV)
Tim Vine (Channel 5)
ComposersKeith Strachan (1989–91)
Rick Turk (1997)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2 (ITV)
2 (Channel 5)
No. of episodes17 (ITV)
130 (Channel 5)
Production
Running time30 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companiesCelador and Thames (1989–91)
Grundy (1997)
Original release
NetworkITV
Release7 June 1989 (1989-06-07) –
21 July 1991 (1991-07-21)
NetworkChannel 5
Release31 March (1997-03-31) –
30 December 1997 (1997-12-30)

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

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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.

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

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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

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ITV

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

Channel 5

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

International versions

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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)
France 2 (1992–1995; 2012–2015)
M6 (2024)
4 March 1991 – 1995
2012–2015
2024
 Hungary 100-ból egy Gálvölgyi RTL Klub 1997
 Italy Campionissimo Gerry Scotti Italia 1 1993
Vinca il migliore 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

References

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  1. ^ "Everybody's Equal revived in France". Broadcast. 6 June 2012. ProQuest 1018743018.
  2. ^ Blackburn, Virginia (2003). Chris Tarrant: The Biography. London: Metro Publishing. pp. 68–69. ISBN 1-84358-081-0. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ^ Kingsley, Hillary (20 July 1991). "Hillary Kingsley's Pick of the Day". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ Harper, Norman (17 June 1989). "TV review: Whizz of a quiz". The Aberdeen Press and Journal. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Harper, Norman (27 July 1991). "TV review: Bum notes and all that jazz". The Aberdeen Press and Journal. Retrieved 4 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ Anna Z. (24 July 2005). "Entertainment and Game Shows". euromediatv.com.pl. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
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