Wanted (game show)
Encyclopedia
Wanted was a British 1990s game show
on Channel 4
, although more similar to modern Reality Television
than the classic gameshow format. Conceptually, it was similar to an advanced game of hide and seek
. It is also somewhat similar to the game show featured in Stephen King's novel The Running Man
.
(travel to other areas of the UK, including British islands, and Northern Ireland
, was banned) on the run from a Tracker, with limited funds available for their travel and upkeep. For every day they managed to travel at least one square of the British national grid reference system
, take a ten minute video diary, complete a task of some description, and avoid being spotted by their tracker; the team received £1,000. Every morning, their tracker was told where they had spent the previous night. The public were encouraged to phone in information to the trackers, but natural sympathy with the runners made information somewhat sparse and in the second series a bribe of a £1,000 reward was added to encourage people to phone in. The runners themselves could, and did, arrange for their friends and family to send in false leads.
At the end of every week, the runners had to spend 1 hour in a specific phone box of their own choice, connected by video link to a central studio, while their Tracker attempted to find them live on air. The tracker was told which grid square on the map the runners were in. If the door of the phone box was opened by the tracker, the runners were eliminated; if not, even if the Tracker managed to see them but not open the door of the phone box, they won the prize for that week.
as presenter, and a former KGB
double agent
Oleg Gordievsky
as a co-host and analyst. The second series, which had its in-studio content lightened slightly, was presented by Ray Cokes
. Both series lasted for 8 weeks of 1 hour shows. The rules were slightly altered in the second series, allowing the Tracker to bribe the Runners on the final show of the week.
While the series was popular, it was also extremely expensive to run - videophone links, camcorders and mobile phone technology all being extremely costly technology in 1997; and the cost of paying the "bribes" for information from the public as well as other logistical challenges mounted, so a third series was not commissioned. The format was sold internationally, with ABC
spending $2 million on a pilot series (which did not air) in the United States
.
The Swedish version of "Wanted" was called "På Rymmen". The three seasons where broadcasted by TV4 during 1997-1999.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, although more similar to modern Reality Television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
than the classic gameshow format. Conceptually, it was similar to an advanced game of hide and seek
Hide and seek
Hide-and-seek or hide-and-go-seek is a variant of the game tag, in which a number of players conceal themselves in the environment, to be found by one or more seekers.-Variants:Numerous variants of the game can be found around the world...
. It is also somewhat similar to the game show featured in Stephen King's novel The Running Man
The Running Man
The Running Man is a science fiction novel by Stephen King, first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. It was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books...
.
Format
It entailed three teams of two runners travelling throughout Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(travel to other areas of the UK, including British islands, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, was banned) on the run from a Tracker, with limited funds available for their travel and upkeep. For every day they managed to travel at least one square of the British national grid reference system
British national grid reference system
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, different from using latitude and longitude....
, take a ten minute video diary, complete a task of some description, and avoid being spotted by their tracker; the team received £1,000. Every morning, their tracker was told where they had spent the previous night. The public were encouraged to phone in information to the trackers, but natural sympathy with the runners made information somewhat sparse and in the second series a bribe of a £1,000 reward was added to encourage people to phone in. The runners themselves could, and did, arrange for their friends and family to send in false leads.
At the end of every week, the runners had to spend 1 hour in a specific phone box of their own choice, connected by video link to a central studio, while their Tracker attempted to find them live on air. The tracker was told which grid square on the map the runners were in. If the door of the phone box was opened by the tracker, the runners were eliminated; if not, even if the Tracker managed to see them but not open the door of the phone box, they won the prize for that week.
Series
Two series of the show were produced, one in 1996 and one in 1997. The first, more serious series featured Richard LittlejohnRichard Littlejohn
Richard William Littlejohn is an English author, broadcaster and journalist. He is noted for his Conservative views and currently writes a twice-weekly column for the Daily Mail....
as presenter, and a former KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
double agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky , CMG , is a former Colonel of the KGB and KGB Resident-designate and bureau chief in London, who was a secret agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1974 to 1985.-Early career:Oleg Gordievsky attended the Moscow State Institute of International...
as a co-host and analyst. The second series, which had its in-studio content lightened slightly, was presented by Ray Cokes
Ray Cokes
Ray Cokes is an English television presenter. His father was an officer in the Royal Navy, who was stationed at various navy bases around the world. At age 15 they permanently relocated back to the UK...
. Both series lasted for 8 weeks of 1 hour shows. The rules were slightly altered in the second series, allowing the Tracker to bribe the Runners on the final show of the week.
While the series was popular, it was also extremely expensive to run - videophone links, camcorders and mobile phone technology all being extremely costly technology in 1997; and the cost of paying the "bribes" for information from the public as well as other logistical challenges mounted, so a third series was not commissioned. The format was sold internationally, with ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
spending $2 million on a pilot series (which did not air) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Swedish version of "Wanted" was called "På Rymmen". The three seasons where broadcasted by TV4 during 1997-1999.