TREASURE HUNT (UK GAME SHOW)

'''Treasure Hunt''' was a popular UK game show, based on the format of the French show ''La Chasse au Trésor'', created by Jacques Antoine. It appeared on Channel 4 between 1982 and 1989 and was revived by BBC Two in 2002-3.

Contents

The game

Presenters and crew

Broadcasts

Media clips

Spin-offs

Prior show of the same name

References

External links

The game

A team of two contestants, always in the studio, had to use a library of (deliberately relevant) maps and reference materials to solve up to five clues, and communicating instructions via a radio link to a ''skyrunner'' who had the use of a helicopter. The contestants were given the first clue for free, the solving of which would lead to the location of the second clue and so on until a trinket or other significant object was found by solving the final clue. The contestants won a higher cash prize each time they solved a clue correctly. This was all done "against the clock". Even once the contestants had solved the final clue, the skyrunner still had to confirm they were correct, by reaching the final target. On a few occasions, the contestants solved all five clues with time to spare, in which case a bonus clue was given to the contestants. This typically resulted in their winning a bottle of champagne. One such occasion was the North Yorkshire episode (4.10), in which the bonus clue instructed them to go to "Great British Hospital X-ray Unit". This was actually code for "return to the helicopter, registration G-BHXU", but Anneka alarmed the passers-by outside Skipton Castle by frantically asking "which way to the hospital"!
On closer inspection, the basic premise of the show – that the skyrunner was following the instructions of the contestants in real time – was revealed to be bogus. Although the pilot could to an extent request permission from airspace authorities to fly off-course, as happened on occasions, landings would clearly need to be agreed in advance with landowners of a suitable location near the clue. On occasions the helicopter would land in a clearly marked out area, especially at public places. It is open to interpretation how much detail of the route was known in advance by either of the studio presenters or even the skyrunner herself, and hence to what extent the contestants were helped to correctly direct the skyrunner to the approximate location. Kenneth Kendall has always stressed that he did not know the clues and locations in advance, and any help that he gave the contestants was from his own knowledge, though he may have been given occasional hints via the studio talkback if the contestants were having severe problems. According to a "making of ''Treasure Hunt''" programme, Anneka Rice was confined to the hotel on the day that the cameraman, video recordist and helicopter pilot undertook a rehearsal (typically the day before the programme was recorded), so she had no advance knowledge of the locations. This did not stop her carrying out research about the general area in order to have a stock of interesting facts to fill in any awkward silences that might arise while the contestants were thinking.

Presenters and crew

In the original version, the presenter was former BBC newsreader Kenneth Kendall and the skyrunner was broadcaster Anneka Rice. In the first series, Kenneth was joined briefly in the studio for the handover of the first clue by then clue-setter Anne Meo. She would later rejoin the contestants if they had been successful in finding the treasure to offer her congratulations or would appear as a voiceover if not to fill them in on where they had gone wrong. From the second series onwards this role was expanded, another studio based person acted as adjudicator, giving the contestents tips of
how they were doing against the scheduled time, and providing additional information about the locations visited. In series 2 this was Annette Lynton ("Nettie") and from series 3 onwards, TV-am weather girl Wincey Willis. In 1988, Rice left to have a baby, and her place was taken by tennis player Annabel Croft. Croft was billed as 'Special guest Skyrunner' for the series. Also with this series, the set was revamped due to a move to Thames Television's facilities (the original studios were at Limehouse in East London which was by this point earmarked for demolition to make way for Canary Wharf), and Willis was promoted to sharing main billing with Kendall. It was stated at the time that Rice would return after giving birth (supported by Croft's 'Special guest Skyrunner' billing), but it turned out to be the show's final series.
In the BBC's 2002-3 version, newsreader Dermot Murnaghan presented, the skyrunner was Suzi Perry, and there was no adjudicator. Advencements in broadcasting technology meant that this new version could come from a much greater range of locations; however, this new version was ultimately quite short lived. It is thought that the BBC felt the moderate ratings (not helped by a complete lack of promotion for the series) did not justify the budget required for the show.
Keith Thompson of Castle Air Charters was the usual helicopter pilot in both versions, though for overseas editions a local pilot was often used. There was always a "chase" helicopter which relayed radio signals back to London and, although this could never be used "tactically" by the contestants, it was not hidden from the viewers. The two crews would sometimes fly in formation to generate exciting footage. Both helicopters were usually Bell 206 JetRangers. There was no chase helicopter in the 2002-3 version, again due to the advancements in technology, leaving it unnecessary (though it was at the expense of the impressive flight footage).
A feature was made of the camaraderie between the female presenter and the male recording and flight crews. This extended to many infamous shots of the presenter's rear as she ran from clue to clue in a jump-suit, which became the main focus of the programme's portrayal in the satirical TV series, ''Spitting Image''. Cameraman Graham reaching in front of the camera to wipe away rain, sea spray, etc. with a cloth also became a well known image from the series.

Broadcasts

When first shown on Channel 4 in 1982, ''Treasure Hunt'' was one of the earliest major series on the then-new channel. The unusual format earned extra publicity for both the programme and the channel itself, which was striving to justify itself with new and different programming.^[1]
The 1982-9 series were later repeated on terrestrial television and the Challenge satellite and cable channel.
The original run of the first series was watched by up to 900,000 viewers; however, by the mid-1980s, ratings were some of the highest for Channel 4 at around seven million.
Two charity editions of the show were produced, one locally in the London area for the Thames Television telethon in 1985 and another broadcast across the UK as part of the ITV network's Telethon '88. The show was also featured in an edition of the BBC children's aspiration show Jim'll Fix It (in which a viewer got to join skyrunner Anneka Rice in the famous Treasure Hunt helicopter over the county of Surrey), The Paul Daniels Magic Show (BBC) and The Krypton Factor (Granada for ITV).
For all the UK series, the programme was a Chatsworth Television independent production in association with Tele Union Paris.

Media clips

Spin-offs

An eponymous board game based on the show was published in the UK. It involved moving pieces around a map of England and Wales.
A one-off Welsh language version, ''Helfa Drysor'' (Welsh for "Treasure Hunt"), was produced for S4C in 1985.^[2]
In 1989, Rice began her own BBC series, ''Challenge Anneka'', which saw her being set a different task to complete each week. This show contined to see her racing around the country against the clock, and in her famous jump-suit.
BBC Three Counties Radio (103.8FM) airs 'Treasure Quest' each Sunday from 12.00 mid-day until 3.00pm. Toby Friedner in the studio and Victoria Cook in the radio car help two contestants to solve 6 clues over the three hour period.

Prior show of the same name

There had previously been another game show called ''Treasure Hunt'', produced by former ITV franchise Westward Television, and which ran for most of the 1960s and 1970s. It was originally hosted by Kenneth Horne and later by Keith Fordyce. It was only ever shown in Westward's franchise area of south-west England and bore no resemblance to the Channel 4 show.

References

External links

★ Episode guide — with exhaustive locations and crew listings plus helicopter registration letters

★ UK game-shows website — section on ''Treasure Hunt''

★ Tribute site about La Chasse au trésor ''(site in French with parts in English)''

★ Rätselflug Forum about the German version of ''Treasure Hunt'' ''(in German)''

★ "Off The Telly" article