Get Your Own Back
Encyclopedia
Get Your Own Back is a British children's game show, which ran from 26 September 1991 to 31 March 2003. It has been presented throughout by Dave Benson Phillips with the addition of Lisa Brockwell as a co-host from 2001 to the programme's end in 2003.
Dave and the audience
always showed bias against the grown-up by booing
the oppressed as much as possible. The games were always designed to make things difficult or unpleasant for the grown-ups. They often had them dressed in embarrassing costumes.
Throughout every series the final round was called the "Gunk Dunk", where the losing adult was always thrown into a pool of colourful gunge
.
. In the series the adults played the "mangle" game where they scored points by answering questions. To get bonus points for each question answered, the grown up did a chore they always got the kid to do (e.g. washing up) and take the item the chore was practised on through mangle with the kid spraying them with gunge. The item must have got through in one piece or no points were awarded. The winning grown up left, with the losers facing another game (either a video game, an obstacle race with the kid, or a karaoke performance). The loser of this round (scores did not carry over from the first game) went to the gunk dunk. In the gunk dunk, it had sort of a creepy theme, but more cartoonish, and the adult and child sat over a cauldron-like tank. The grown up would get the child dunked if they answered five correct answers in under 45 seconds without using answers beginning with a particular letter (which all questions had obvious answers to). Failure (or eventually otherwise, despite Dave's assurance that winning would spare them) resulted in the grown up being Gunged. If the child was Gunged, the grown up took home a trophy; if not the child won it.
, Dodgems and The Contestants entrance, with people sitting (awkwardly) in the very middle. Four games were played - some were always played, others varied each week. The child with the highest score got to put the grown-up into the gunk dunk. The gunk dunk also changed for this series. As well as being in front of the usual pool of gunge, the adult sat under a large gunge tank with three compartments: Snot, Custard and R.A.W (Really awful waste). The grown up would be asked three questions. If they got a question wrong then the child would pull a lever (green for snot, yellow for custard and blue for R.A.W) and one of the types of gunge would be dropped on them. After the three questions were asked, the child would pull a fourth 'golden' lever, red gunge would fall on the grown up & the grown-up would be dropped into the gunk tank, regardless of how many questions they answered correctly.
that usually had fancy pictures and writing such as toadstools, cows or skulls and crossbones projected onto it. They were then asked questions, and for each question they answered incorrectly, the mechanism wound the adult's chair up further (and Dave shouted "Whatta we do?", to which the audience replied "Crank him/her up!"), increasing the force and impact when they were thrown in to the gunge pool. In later series' the child was sat over the gunk dunk in a special chair with levers to the side of the adult. In these episodes the kid had the opportunity to win prizes, pulling the right lever meant the child won the prize, pulling the wrong lever resulted in gunge being released over head - not the child falling into the gunk dunk like in previous series.
(or, if the winning margin was 60 points or more, a 2 notch head start). Dave would ask the children some questions on the buzzer and every question that was answered correctly allowed the child to move their adult up one notch. The first child who got their adult to the fifth and highest notch got the chance to gunge their adult by pulling a lever next to them.
Overview
The show consisted of two teams (the first series had three) where the child contestants and a parent/relative/older sibling/teacher/celebrity who in the child's eyes had committed some sort of crime, that they wanted to seek revenge for. These 'crimes' were usually trivial, such as singing badly or asking the child to tidy their room.Dave and the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
always showed bias against the grown-up by booing
Booing
Booing is an act of showing displeasure for someone or something, generally an entertainer, by loudly yelling boo! or making other noises of disparagement, such as hissing. People may make hand signs at the entertainer, such as the thumbs down sign...
the oppressed as much as possible. The games were always designed to make things difficult or unpleasant for the grown-ups. They often had them dressed in embarrassing costumes.
Throughout every series the final round was called the "Gunk Dunk", where the losing adult was always thrown into a pool of colourful gunge
Gunge
Gunge as it is known in the British Isles, or slime as it is known in America and other parts of the world is a thick, gooey, runny substance similar in consistency to paint. It has been a feature on many children's programmes for many years around the world and has made appearances in game shows...
.
1991
This is the only series with 3 teams (red, blue and green) The adults played as chumps whilst children played as challengersChallengers
is a shōnen-ai manga by the Japanese manga artist Hinako Takanaga, who also authored Little Butterfly and The Devil's Secret. The first volume was originally called before the series was retitled Challengers. The series is licensed in German by Tokyopop Germany under the title Küss mich, Student!...
. In the series the adults played the "mangle" game where they scored points by answering questions. To get bonus points for each question answered, the grown up did a chore they always got the kid to do (e.g. washing up) and take the item the chore was practised on through mangle with the kid spraying them with gunge. The item must have got through in one piece or no points were awarded. The winning grown up left, with the losers facing another game (either a video game, an obstacle race with the kid, or a karaoke performance). The loser of this round (scores did not carry over from the first game) went to the gunk dunk. In the gunk dunk, it had sort of a creepy theme, but more cartoonish, and the adult and child sat over a cauldron-like tank. The grown up would get the child dunked if they answered five correct answers in under 45 seconds without using answers beginning with a particular letter (which all questions had obvious answers to). Failure (or eventually otherwise, despite Dave's assurance that winning would spare them) resulted in the grown up being Gunged. If the child was Gunged, the grown up took home a trophy; if not the child won it.
1992 - 1994
The number of teams was reduced to two (red and yellow). The mangle game was played again first, with the second round always being an obstacle race. This time the adult's scores in the rounds were added together. In series 4, a third puzzle round (either a maze or 3-D jigsaw) was played as well, where the adult and child in opposite colours played together to win points for the grown up. This series had 2 "knock-down bonus" rounds added, where the kids played games to deduct the grown up's scores. The winning grown up got the "key to freedom" and left clean, with the loser being sent to the gunk dunk (via the ghost train). This gunk dunk was darker and had a creepier theme, and had the same game as the original, but the child got gunged in a tank rather the gunk dunk itself. The adult sat over a gunge tank, usually with their feet in the gunge. In several episodes where the grown-up answered all five questions correctly, Dave played a trick on them by going to hand them the trophy and then suddenly stating, "BUT...we cannot let you go away while you're nice and dry", before throwing them in the gunge.1995
This was the last of the fairground themed series. It was also the first series where the child played to score points rather than prevent the grown up from doing so, and the teams were red and blue. The scene looked like a bright blue circular space-themed set with (From Clockwise) The Gunk Dunk, A Kart Entry, Dave Appearing, A Cage, The house of funHouse of Fun
"House of Fun" is a song by British ska/pop group Madness, credited to Mike Barson and Lee Thompson. It was released as a one-off single on April 30, 1982, and reached #1 in the UK charts, spending 9 weeks in the charts. The song was re-released in 1992, reaching #40...
, Dodgems and The Contestants entrance, with people sitting (awkwardly) in the very middle. Four games were played - some were always played, others varied each week. The child with the highest score got to put the grown-up into the gunk dunk. The gunk dunk also changed for this series. As well as being in front of the usual pool of gunge, the adult sat under a large gunge tank with three compartments: Snot, Custard and R.A.W (Really awful waste). The grown up would be asked three questions. If they got a question wrong then the child would pull a lever (green for snot, yellow for custard and blue for R.A.W) and one of the types of gunge would be dropped on them. After the three questions were asked, the child would pull a fourth 'golden' lever, red gunge would fall on the grown up & the grown-up would be dropped into the gunk tank, regardless of how many questions they answered correctly.
1996 - 2000
This series still had two teams, but the colours were now yellow and blue and the kids (and the adults) now had the option to wear shorts or trousers instead of just trousers previously. The child who scored the most points won the show and was taken through, with their adult, to the final round - the Gunk Dunk. The adult was then sat on a seat attached to a mechanism, above a 2'6" deep pool of colourful gungeGunge
Gunge as it is known in the British Isles, or slime as it is known in America and other parts of the world is a thick, gooey, runny substance similar in consistency to paint. It has been a feature on many children's programmes for many years around the world and has made appearances in game shows...
that usually had fancy pictures and writing such as toadstools, cows or skulls and crossbones projected onto it. They were then asked questions, and for each question they answered incorrectly, the mechanism wound the adult's chair up further (and Dave shouted "Whatta we do?", to which the audience replied "Crank him/her up!"), increasing the force and impact when they were thrown in to the gunge pool. In later series' the child was sat over the gunk dunk in a special chair with levers to the side of the adult. In these episodes the kid had the opportunity to win prizes, pulling the right lever meant the child won the prize, pulling the wrong lever resulted in gunge being released over head - not the child falling into the gunk dunk like in previous series.
2001 - 2003
Lisa Brockwell was introduced, with the series still having the yellow and blue teams. The format was changed again so that both adults sat above the gunge tank with the winning child from the games being given a 1 notch head startHead start (positioning)
In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...
(or, if the winning margin was 60 points or more, a 2 notch head start). Dave would ask the children some questions on the buzzer and every question that was answered correctly allowed the child to move their adult up one notch. The first child who got their adult to the fifth and highest notch got the chance to gunge their adult by pulling a lever next to them.
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