Family Fortunes

This article is about the British TV show. For the Irish show, see Family Fortunes (Irish TV series). For the history book, see Leonore Davidoff.

Family Fortunes is a British television game show based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 30 December 2002. A celebrity version, All Star Family Fortunes, followed from 2006 to 2015. In 2020, the original version of the show returned after 18 years with Gino D'Acampo as host.^[3]

Family Fortunes
Genre	Game show
Based on	Family Feud by Mark Goodson
Presented by	Bob Monkhouse (1980–83) Max Bygraves (1983–85) Les Dennis (1987–2002) Andy Collins (2002) Gino D'Acampo (2020–)
Narrated by	Andrew Lodge Stephen Rhodes Peter Dickson Roger Tilling Penny Layden
Theme music composer	Jack Parnell & David Lindup (1980–85) Mike Alexander (1987–2002) Ash Alexander & Simon Darlow (2006–15) Marc Sylvan (2020–)
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	22 (original) 2 (revival)
No. of episodes	575 (original) 30 (revival)
Production
Production locations	ATV Elstree (1980–83)^[1] Central House (1984–89)^[2] Television House (1990–2002)^[2] Television Centre, London (2020) The Maidstone Studios (2021–)
Running time	30 minutes (inc. adverts, 1980–2002) 60 minutes (inc. adverts, 2020–present)
Production companies	ATV in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions (1980–1981) Central in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions (1982–1998) Carlton in association with Grundy Pearson Television (1999–2001) Thames (2020–)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	6 January 1980 (1980-01-06) – 6 December 2002 (2002-12-06)
Release	20 September 2020 (2020-09-20) – present
Related
Family Feud

The game involves two families providing answers to 'everyday questions' that were surveyed by 100 members of the British public before the show to win prizes (mainly cash). The top answers to the surveys are displayed on a large electronic board, christened by Bob Monkhouse as "Mr. Babbage".

Monkhouse was responsible for changing the name of the show to Family Fortunes as he felt that "feud" sounded too aggressive.^[4]

Hosts and presentation

Family Fortunes was first hosted by comedian Bob Monkhouse (1980–83), followed by singer and entertainer Max Bygraves (1983–85). The show returned on 27 June 1987 with Les Dennis as presenter and remained on air for the next 15 years.^[5] It was then moved to a daily daytime slot, hosted by Andy Collins.

The most well-known aspects of the show are the large computer screen (named "Mr Babbage" by original host Bob Monkhouse) and the famous computerised sound used when wrong answers are given. The computer screen name, "Mr Babbage", was in recognition of the English mathematician, philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer Charles Babbage, who originated the concept of a programmable computer. During the Monkhouse and Bygraves era, the board was also used to show the closing credits at the end of the episode. In 1987, a completely different board was used for the first Dennis series, however a board similar to the original Mr Babbage one (using flip discs instead) was used from the following year until its end in 2002. Both the All-Star and 2020 versions use a video wall for the board.

Format

Two family teams, each consisting of five members, are asked to guess the results of surveys in which 100 people would be asked open-ended questions (e.g., "We asked 100 people to name something associated with the country Wales" or "We asked 100 people to name a breed of dog"). Although rarely acknowledged during the programme, the 100 people surveyed are invariably audience members who have volunteered before the show or the families themselves who would be asked questions for the next series.^[6]

Each round begins with a member of each family (in rotation, meaning all players do this at least once) approaching the podium. As the question is read, the first of the two nominees to hit the buzzer gives an answer. If it is not the most popular answer, the other nominee is asked. If both nominees fail to give an answer that is on the board, the next members of each family are chosen to answer the question, starting in the same order as the first two nominees. The family with the more popular answer then chooses whether to "play" the question or "pass" control to the other family.

The host then passes down the line of the controlling team, asking for an answer from each member. After each answer, the board reveals whether it features. If not or if they can not come up with an answer in time, the family is charged with a strike (marked with an X), losing control of the board upon their third strike (officially known as striking out in the official rules) in the round. If a family manages to come up with all the answers before striking out, they win the amount in pounds of the total number of people who had given the answers.

If a family strikes out, the opponent is given the chance to "steal" by coming up with an answer that may be amongst those missing. Only the head family member (the first family member or the designated captain) may give the answer after consultation. If the answer is present, this family wins the round and is said to have "stolen" the money. Otherwise, the family that plays the board keeps the money.

On celebrity specials, each top answer adds a bonus of £200 (later £250) to that family's charity.

Double Money

Following three rounds before a commercial break (two rounds in series 1), "Double Money" is played. Gameplay is the same as in the first rounds, but each answer is now worth £2 for each person who said it, and there are generally fewer possible answers. The family who passed £300 (£200 in series 1) first goes through to play "Big Money" (known in some overseas versions as "Fast Money") for the jackpot. On the 2020 revival, the fifth and sixth questions score double points (for the sixth question, each family nominates one person to answer the question from the podium) and the losing family receives £2 per point and a "Family Fortunes buzzer" doorbell. The winning family would be guaranteed ten times their winning score.

Big Money

This involves two contestants (out of the five in the family team) answering five questions that fit with those given by the 100 people surveyed each within a narrow time limit. The first contestant answers the five questions within 15 seconds (20 in the revival). Then the second contestant (who was out of earshot) answers within 20 seconds (25 in the revival), the extra time being to allow for the likelihood of them repeating the first contestant's answer. If this happens, they are asked for another one. Each point gives the family £2 (£10 per point in the revival), up to £398 (£1,990 in the revival), and those points would be added to their earlier winnings. If they get 200 points or more from the ten answers, they then win the top cash prize.

From 1994 onwards, a bonus star prize was available for naming all five "top" (most popular) answers and scoring 200 points.

In the 2020 revival, the top answers were not revealed until after the second contestant gave their answers and their point values were shown, an element that was previously seen in the All-Stars version of the show.

Cash and prizes

The top cash prize in "Big Money" during the first series (1980) was £1,000. From the second series (1981), the prize started at £1,000, then rose by £500 weekly if no one won, to a limit of £3,000 (£2,500 from 1981 to 1982), which it could stay at for more than one week if it still was not won. Once the prize was won, it reverted to £1,000 for the next edition. In the 1987 series, it started at £1,000 and, if not won, rose by £1,000 per week to a maximum of £3,000. From the 1988 series, the prize was fixed at £3,000. After the abolition of the IBA's prize limits, the top prize rose to £5,000 from 1996. The money had to be shared out between contestants.

The bonus star prize was always a family car between 1994 and 1998. From 1998 to 2002, contestants had the choice of either a car or a holiday for up to twelve people. The car suppliers were Honda in 1994, SEAT in 1995 and Daewoo between 1996 and 2002. On the all-star specials, 200 points along with all five top responses donated £5,000 to both teams.

During the programme's brief daytime run in 2002, the prize values were reduced significantly. If the contestants scored over 200 points, they won £1,000 and if they found five top answers, it was increased to £3,000. As with the previous prizes, the £3,000 could only be won if the family scored 200+ points.

In the 2020 revival, the top cash prize is £10,000, which would be tripled to £30,000 if one or both contestants named all of the top answers.

From the second series in 1981 onward, spot prizes were available in the main game, turning up seemingly at random when certain answers were found.

Transmissions

Original

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Recorded	Presenter
1	6 January 1980^[7]	13 July 1980^[8]	26	1979–80	Bob Monkhouse
2	9 January 1981^[9]	11 July 1981^[10]	26	1980
3	12 December 1981^[11]	4 September 1982^[12]	29	1981
4	31 December 1982^[13]	24 June 1983^[14]	26	1982–83
5	14 October 1983^[15]	8 April 1984^[16]	24	1983	Max Bygraves
6	18 January 1985^[17]	31 May 1985^[18]	18	1984
7	27 June 1987^[19]	29 August 1987^[20]	26	1987	Les Dennis
	10 April 1988^[21]	31 July 1988^[22]
8	23 September 1988^[23]	16 December 1988^[24]	26	1988
	9 April 1989^[25]	2 July 1989^[26]
9	1 September 1989^[27]	22 December 1989^[28]	17	1989
10	31 August 1990^[29]	28 December 1990^[30]	18	1990
11	29 November 1991	18 April 1992	20	1991
12	10 July 1992	1 January 1993	21	1992
13	10 September 1993	31 December 1993	17	1993
14	1 October 1994	15 April 1995	22	1994
15	1 September 1995	26 January 1996	22	1995
16	31 August 1996	8 March 1997	26	1996
17	13 September 1997	21 February 1998	21	1997
18	31 August 1998	25 June 1999	26	1998
19	25 September 1999	11 July 2000	26	1999
20	16 September 2000	13 January 2002	24	2000
21	4 May 2002	31 August 2002	10^[a]	2001
22	2 September 2002	6 December 2002	70	2002	Andy Collins

Revival

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Recorded
1	20 September 2020	3 January 2021	10^[31]	2020
2	12 September 2021	27 December 2021	20^[32]	2021
	23 October 2022	20 November 2022
	16 April 2023	21 May 2023
3	TBA	TBA	10^[33]	2023

Ratings

Series 18

Episode no.	Air date	Viewers (millions)^[34]	ITV weekly ranking^[34]
1	31 August 1998	—	—
2	7 September 1998	—	—
3	21 September 1998	5.95	28
4	28 September 1998	6.47	29
5	3 October 1998	7.05	23
6	10 October 1998	7.17	25
7	17 October 1998	7.08	27
8	24 October 1998	7.38	29
9	31 October 1998	7.30	29
10	7 November 1998	7.34	27
11	28 November 1998	7.54	27
12	5 December 1998	8.23	26
13	12 December 1998	7.27	27
14	19 December 1998	7.20	29
15	23 January 1999	7.47	25
16	30 January 1999	7.71	29
17	6 February 1999	7.70	30
18	13 February 1999	7.87	30
19	20 February 1999	7.52	25
20	27 February 1999	8.04	25
21	11 May 1999	7.87	18
22	24 May 1999	7.97	13
23	31 May 1999	6.40	25
24	11 June 1999	—	—
25	18 June 1999	6.17	21
26	25 June 1999	5.40	27

All Star Family Fortunes

All Star Family Fortunes
Genre	Game show
Presented by	Vernon Kay
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	11
No. of episodes	126 (inc. 1 special)
Production
Production location	The London Studios
Running time	45 minutes (2006–2010, 2013–2014) 60 minutes (2011–2012, 2015)
Production companies	Talkback Thames (2006–2011) Thames (2012–2015)
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	28 October 2006 (2006-10-28) – 14 June 2015 (2015-06-14)

A celebrity revival of the show presented by Vernon Kay began airing on 28 October 2006 and ended on 14 June 2015 after its eleventh series.

Format

In this version, the game ends after four rounds (five during the hour-long series with two or three Single and two Double), ignoring the 'first to 300 points' rule that the previous incarnations employed, and the losing family receives a consolation prize of the greater of £1,000 or £10 times their score (£3 per point in series 1). Also in Big Money, the celebrity automatically plays the final, meaning that only one other member needs to be picked. If they get 200 points or more from the ten answers, they win £10,000 for their chosen charity, which would be tripled if they get all five top answers, and if they score less than 200 points, those points plus their earlier score would be multiplied by £10 (£3 per point in series 1).

Transmissions

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	28 October 2006	23 December 2006	8
2	27 October 2007	5 January 2008	10
3	13 September 2008	17 January 2009	13
4	20 September 2009	27 February 2010	17
5	11 September 2010	25 December 2010	15
6	20 August 2011	25 December 2011	11
7	11 February 2012	27 December 2012	15
8	6 January 2013	3 March 2013	9
9	29 June 2013	3 August 2013	6
10	28 December 2013	2 March 2014	10
11	28 December 2014	14 June 2015	11

International versions

Country	Local name	Host	Network	Air date
Australia	All Star Family Feud	Grant Denyer	Network Ten	2016–2018
Belgium	Familieraad (2014)	Chris Van den Durpel	vtm	2014
Germany	Familien-Duell - Prominenten-Special	Daniel Hartwich	RTL	2013
Ghana	Family Feud Ghana	Steve Harvey	TV3	2020–present
Indonesia	New Famili 100	Tukul Arwana	Indosiar	2013
South Africa	Family Feud South Africa	Steve Harvey	e.tv	2020–present
United States	Celebrity Family Feud	Al Roker	NBC	2008
		Steve Harvey	ABC	2015–present
	¿Qué dicen los famosos?	Rodrigo Vidal	Telemundo	2022–present

International versions which use similar elements to All Star Family Fortunes

Country	Local name	Host	Network	Air date
India	Family Fortunes	RJ Mantra	Big Magic	2015–2016
Indonesia	Super Family	Darius Sinathrya	antv	2009–2011
	New Famili 100	Tukul Arwana	Indosiar	2013–2015
Ireland	Alan Hughes' Family Fortunes	Alan Hughes	TV3	2012–2014
Myanmar	မိသားစုပြိုင်ပွဲ	Kaung Htet Zaw	Channel 7	2016-2022
Ukraine	Просто шоу	Yuriy Horbunov	1+1	2013

Notes

1. Twenty-four episodes were recorded for Series 21, but ITV only aired the first ten episodes within the schedule. The remaining fourteen episodes were not transmitted until Challenge started broadcasting this series, although they did eventually air on ITV during the 2004 Christmas season.

References

1. "Elstree – ATV & BBC". TV Studio History. from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
2. "Ex-ITV Regional Studios". TV Studio History. from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
3. Edwards, Chris (1 July 2020). "Family Fortunes reboot series with Gino D'Acampo officially announced by ITV". Digital Spy. from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
4. "Fortunes favours the brave". Leicester Mercury. 21 July 2020. from the original on 4 December 2022 – via PressReader.
5. "Les Dennis quits "Family Fortunes"".
6. Les Dennis, Fingers on Buzzers podcast, 30 October 2020
7. "05 Jan 1980, 16". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
8. "12 Jul 1980, 14". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
9. "09 Jan 1981, 18". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
10. "11 Jul 1981, 16". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
11. "12 Dec 1981, 16". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
12. "04 Sep 1982, 16". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
13. "31 Dec 1982, 24". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
14. "24 Jun 1983, 22". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
15. "14 Oct 1983, 26". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
16. "7 Apr 1984, 28". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
17. "18 Jan 1985, 24". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
18. "31 May 1985, 24". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
19. "27 Jun 1987, 30". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
20. "29 Aug 1987, 26". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
21. "9 Apr 1988, 39". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
22. "30 Jul 1988, 33". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
23. "23 Sep 1988, 40". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
24. "16 Dec 1988, 40". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
25. "Evening Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
26. "Evening Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
27. "1 Sep 1989, 38". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
28. "22 Dec 1989, 34". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
29. "31 Aug 1990, 34". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
30. "28 Dec 1990, 32". Retrieved 17 April 2018.
31. "Our survey says: Family Fortunes is back". Fremantle. 1 July 2020. from the original on 9 August 2020.
32. Darvill, Josh (15 December 2020). "Family Fortunes will be back with Gino d'Acampo for new series in 2021". TellyMix. from the original on 15 December 2020.
33. Darvill, Josh (2 October 2023). "Family Fortunes renewed for new series with Gino D'Acampo". TellyMix. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
34. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 27 December 2014.

External links

• Family Fortunes at IMDb  
• Family Misfortunes at IMDb  
• at BFI
• Family Fortunes at UKGameshows.com