Family Fortunes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Family Fortunes |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Bob Monkhouse (1980–1983) Max Bygraves (1983–1985) Les Dennis (1987–2002) Andy Collins (2002) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 22 |
| No. of episodes | 545 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30mins (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) | ATV (1980–2) Central (1982–99) Carlton (1999–2002) |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 (1980–2002) (2002) |
| Original release | 6 January 1980 – 6 December 2002 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Family Feud All Star Family Fortunes |
Family Fortunes is a fun British television game show. It's based on an American show called Family Feud. This show has been on TV in different ways since 1980. The version you might see now is called All Star Family Fortunes. Vernon Kay hosts it, and it's on ITV on Saturday nights.
How to Play Family Fortunes
Two teams of five family members play against each other. They try to guess the most popular answers to survey questions. These questions were asked to 100 people.
The answers appear on a big board. This board is named Mr. Babbage. It's named after Charles Babbage, who thought up the idea of a computer.
Each correct answer is worth points. If a family gives an answer that wasn't in the survey, they get a "strike". You'll hear a funny "Eh-uh" sound effect when this happens! If a family gets three strikes, the other family can "steal" their points. They do this by giving one correct answer from the survey.
After three rounds, the game moves to "Double Money". In this round, each answer is worth twice as many points. There are usually fewer answers to guess. The first team to reach 300 points gets to play the final round, called "Big Money".
The Big Money Round
In the "Big Money" round, two members from the winning family play. They are asked five survey questions, one at a time. One family member is on the stage, and the other waits off-stage.
They have a time limit, usually 15 or 20 seconds, to answer the five questions. After they answer, or time runs out, their answers and points are shown.
Then, the second family member comes on stage. They are asked the exact same five questions. But they must give different answers from the first player! After they answer, their points are added up.
If the family gets 200 points or more in total, they win the top prize! If they manage to give the number one answer for all five questions, they also win a special bonus prize. If they don't reach 200 points, they still win some money. They get £2 for every point they scored. In the newest version of the show, it's £10 per point!
Family Fortunes History
Family Fortunes first aired on ITV from 1980 to 2002. Many different hosts have presented the show over the years.
- Bob Monkhouse was the first host. He presented the show from 1980 to 1983.
- In 1983, Max Bygraves took over. He hosted until 1985.
- The show returned in 1987 with Les Dennis as the host. Les Dennis was the longest-serving host, staying until 2002.
- In 2002, Andy Collins hosted for a short time before the show ended that year.
The current version of the show, which started in 2006, is hosted by Vernon Kay.
