Fort Boyard (game show) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Boyard |
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French logo of Fort Boyard from 2015 to 2018
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| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Jacques Antoine Jean-Pierre Mitrecey Pierre Launay |
| Presented by | France Patrice Laffont (1990–1999) Jean-Pierre Castaldi (2000–2002) Olivier Minne (2003–present) United Kingdom Melinda Messenger (1998–2001) Jodie Penfold (2003) |
| Starring | France Cendrine Dominguez (1993-2002) United Kingdom Leslie Grantham (1998–2001) Christopher Ellison (2003) Geoffrey Bayldon (1998–2001) Tom Baker (2003) |
| Theme music composer | Paul Koulak |
| Country of origin | France |
| No. of series | 173 (in total, all countries to date) 30 (French version) 5 (English version) |
| No. of episodes | 1,856 (overall total, all countries to date) 338 (French version, at the end of 2019 season) 78 (English version) |
| Production | |
| Production location(s) | Fort Boyard, France |
| Running time | UK: 60 mins (inc. adverts) France: 130 mins (2015–), 60–120 mins (1990–2010), 100 mins (2011–13), 110 mins (2014) |
| Production company(s) | Adventure Line Productions United Kingdom Grundy Productions (1998–2001) Thames (2001) Ronin TV (2003) |
| Release | |
| Original network | France 2 |
| Original release | 7 July 1990 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Crystal Maze The Desert Forges Fort Boyard: Takes On The World Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge Boyard Land |
Fort Boyard is a super exciting French game show! It first aired on July 7, 1990. The show is filmed on a real fortress called Fort Boyard off the coast of France. It's a bit like The Crystal Maze, where teams complete challenges to win money.
Fort Boyard is famous for its tough physical and endurance challenges. It was one of the first shows to combine adventure and fear. Over the years, it has added new twists to keep things exciting. It's one of the most popular French TV shows around the world. In fact, it's the fourth most exported adventure game show format globally!
Contents
History of Fort Boyard
How the Show Started
The idea for Fort Boyard came from Jacques Antoine, who also created the show Treasure Hunt. In 1980, a TV presenter almost drowned trying to reach the fort. This event inspired Antoine to imagine a game show set in a mysterious tower.
The plan for Fort Boyard began in 1986. The goal was to create a team game show. It was inspired by role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons. The idea was for teams to find a treasure in a fort filled with unique characters.
The actual fortress was bought in 1988. It's located between two islands in France. The fort needed a lot of work to be ready for filming. Construction of the sets happened in 1989 and 1990. The first episode aired on July 7, 1990.
Early UK Versions
The United Kingdom was the first country to buy the idea for Fort Boyard. Channel 4 planned to make a British version. A pilot episode was filmed in a London studio in 1989. This was because the real fort was still being fixed up.
The pilot cost a lot of money, about €304,900! It featured 18 game cells and even real tigers. However, Channel 4 wanted to make too many changes to the show's format. The French producers said that all countries had to follow the original rules strictly. So, Channel 4 decided to create a different show instead, called The Crystal Maze. It aired five months before the French Fort Boyard.
Later, Channel 5 in the UK bought the rights to Fort Boyard. Their version aired from 1998 to 2001. It was brought back briefly by Challenge in 2003. Then, in 2012, a new version for kids called Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge started on CITV. This version ended in 2014.
Meet the Cast
UK Presenters and Characters
In the UK, different people hosted Fort Boyard. Melinda Messenger and Jodie Penfold were the main presenters. They helped the teams and talked to the "Master of the Fort."
Other characters included:
- Boyard: The "Master of the Fort." He set the challenges. In the UK shows, he was often mean and enjoyed seeing contestants struggle. Leslie Grantham and Christopher Ellison played him.
- The Professor: An older scientist who gave riddles. If teams answered correctly, they got a key or a clue. If not, he'd throw the key into the sea! Geoffrey Bayldon played this role.
- Captain Baker: He replaced The Professor in 2003. He was an insane sea captain who also gave riddles. Tom Baker played him.
Fort Boyard's Regular Cast
The French version of Fort Boyard has its own special cast members. Many other countries, including the UK, used these characters too.
- Passe-Partout (André Bouchet) and Passe-Muraille (Anthony Laborde): These two small people guide the teams through the fort. Passe-Partout also locks up contestants who fail a challenge.
- Felindra (Monique Angeon): She is the tiger handler. She turns a tiger's head statue to release the gold in the Treasure Room. In 2022, the real tigers were retired from the fort.
- La Boule (Yves Marchesseau): He used to hit the gong to start and end the game. He also locked up contestants who didn't escape a room in time. He left the show in 2014.
- Mr Boo and Lady Boo: These are two wrestlers who appeared from 2011. Mr Boo took over La Boule's role of taking prisoners to the dungeon.
Famous People on the Show
Since 1993, the French version of Fort Boyard has featured teams made up entirely of celebrities. Many famous athletes, singers, and actors have played. For example, Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean and basketball star Tony Parker have been on the show.
The UK version also had celebrity specials. In 1999, boxer Frank Bruno and swimmer Sharron Davies played. They won money for charity. Other famous faces like Tim Vine and Craig Phillips (from Big Brother) also competed.
Many other countries, like Denmark, Sweden, and Russia, often have celebrity teams too.
Fort Boyard Around the World
Fort Boyard is a French show, but many other countries use the fort to film their own versions. They often use some of the same crew and characters. Filming happens during the summer months. Over 34 different versions of the show have aired worldwide since 1990.
Some countries, like Portugal, simply showed the original French version with subtitles. Others, like Azerbaijan and Poland, aired the French or other versions before making their own.
How the Game Works
The basic idea of Fort Boyard is always the same. A team of friends enters the fort to win gold. They must complete challenges set by the fort-master, who wants to keep the gold.
The game starts when the character La Boule hits a giant gong. This starts the game clock. The game usually lasts between 40 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the country and year.
Winning Keys
First, contestants play games to win a certain number of keys. These keys are needed to open the gate to the Treasure Room, where the gold is kept.
Challenges are in small cells around the fort. Each challenge has a time limit, shown by a water timer. If a contestant doesn't finish the challenge and leave the room in time, they get locked in! They are then taken to a cage and can't play until the end of this part of the game.
During this phase, one contestant goes to the Watch Tower. They try to solve a riddle to win an extra key.
Once the key-winning time is up, the team goes to the Treasure Room. If they have enough keys, the gate unlocks. If they don't have enough keys, team members are "sacrificed" for the missing keys. These sacrificed players are locked away and can't help the team anymore.
In recent French versions, if a team is short on keys, players can face "Judgment." They complete a skill or luck challenge. If they win, they are free. If they lose, they go to prison.
Some challenges include:
- Arm Wrestling: Contestants arm wrestle a strongman to grab a key.
- Burglary/Suction Cup: Players climb through a window into a "museum" and must get a key without touching the floor, or an alarm goes off.
- Cylinders: Contestants try to cross a series of rolling cylinders to reach a key. It's very tricky!
- Jars of Fear: Players put their hands into jars filled with creepy crawlies like worms or rats to find a key.
- Spin Cycle: Two players run inside a giant "washing machine" drum to fill a tube with water and raise a key.
Winning Clues
After winning keys, teams play "adventures" to win clue words. These games are usually more physical. The goal is to figure out a secret codeword that will release the gold.
Clue words are often written on paper inside canisters. If a contestant doesn't get the canister in time, the clue word explodes! Unlike key games, players aren't locked up if they fail a clue game.
The clue words combine with the codeword to make a common phrase. For example, if clues are "Hall" and "Line," the codeword might be "DANCE" (Dance Hall, Line Dance).
Some adventures include:
- Angel Jump: A contestant does a bungee jump off the fort's side and has to grab a clue while hanging upside down.
- Human Bell: One person is strapped into a giant swing. Their teammates pull a rope to swing them back and forth. The player must grab the clue when the swing is horizontal.
- The Searching Head: A contestant moves through small chambers with only their head exposed. Each chamber has creatures like frogs, rats, or cockroaches. They must shout out words to their team to find the clue.
- Snake Pit: A contestant is lowered into a pit full of snakes. They must find two halves of the clue word written on the snakes' bellies.
The Watch Tower
In the Watch Tower, a unique character gives riddles. If a contestant answers correctly, they get a key or a clue word. If they fail, the key might be "thrown" into the sea, and another player has to swim to get it!
The Treasure Room
The Treasure Room is the final part of the game. This is where the gold is kept, guarded by the fort's tigers (or models of them now).
When the game time ends, the gong sounds again. The tigers are moved, and the gate to the Treasure Room slowly opens. The gate stays open for a limited time, usually 2 to 4 minutes.
If the team hasn't figured out the codeword, they can "sacrifice" players for extra clues. These players put their hands into tiger-shaped traps and can't help collect gold.
The team then spells out the codeword on a giant alphabet grid on the floor. They stand on the correct letters or use cannonballs. If the word is right, the gold is released! The team has to grab as much gold as they can and put it into a bucket outside the room. Only the gold in the bucket counts.
When time is almost up, a bell rings, and the gate starts to close. Contestants must leave before it shuts completely, or they'll be trapped! If they guess the wrong codeword, the gold isn't released, and the gate closes right away.
The gold is weighed and turned into money. In most countries, this money goes to charity.
UK Show Rules Summary
| Series | Year(s) | Number of Keys required |
Game Play | Treasure Room Time |
Missing Keys | Extra Clues | Notes |
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| 1 | 1998 | 4 (1 free key after swim) |
40 minutes | 2:00 minutes | Dungeon (1 person per missing key) |
Sacrifies (Tigers head outside Treasure Room) |
arrival on boat |
| 2 | 1999–2000 | arrival on boat + open gate to enter Fort (before the gong) |
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| 3 | 2000–2001 | ||||||
| 4 | 2001 | arrival onboard helicopter | |||||
| 5 | 2003 | 5 (no free key) | 3:00 minutes | arrival on boat |
Behind the Scenes
The fortress was made into a huge outdoor TV studio. It has its own doctor, food services, and even a vet for the animals. There are many cameras, including underwater ones, to capture all the action.
The show started in a standard TV format (4:3). It switched to widescreen (16:9) in 2008 and then to high-definition (HD) in 2013.
Changes Over the Years
Fort Boyard has changed its rules and games many times.
- In 1996, a special "Fort Boyard at Night" mini-series was filmed.
- Some French and Russian versions even had contestants stay overnight in the fort!
- From 2006 to 2009, the number of keys affected how high the Treasure Room gate opened. Seven keys were needed to open it fully.
- The Council: In this part, teams play games to win extra time in the Treasure Room, not to free prisoners.
- Hall of Judgement: Since 2011, this section allows players to win missing keys or free prisoners. Challenges are set by the "White Judge."
Duel Format
Since 2003, many countries use a "duel" format. Two teams play at the same time, and only one wins. This was also used in the French version in 2010, but it wasn't very popular there.
Countries that have used this format include:
- Azerbaijan (2013–2014)
- Belgium (1991)
- Canada (2013–2014)
- Denmark (2009–2010, 2019, 2021–2022)
- Finland (2010, 2012, 2018–2019)
- Germany (2010)
- Netherlands (1991, 2011–2012, 2014)
- Norway (2010–2011, 2021–2022)
- Poland (2021–2022)
- Russia (2006, 2012)
- Sweden (2003–2004, 2010–17, 2019, 2022–)
- United Kingdom (2011–2014)
- United States (1991 pilot, 2011)
Recent French Changes (2020-2022)
- COVID-19 Impacts: In 2020, due to the pandemic, the number of team members was reduced to five. Players wore masks and kept their distance. Most two-player games became one-player games.
- The Cage: This area features challenges against the Fort's guards. Winning these challenges earns extra keys.
- Prisoner Escape: Prisoners can now escape by completing an obstacle course. If they take too long, time is taken away from the Treasure Room clock.
- Willy Rovelli: In 2021, a character named Willy Rovelli was "captured" and made to run events for prisoners, like taking mug shots or eating strange foods to earn freedom. In 2022, he became the "Deputy of the Fort Prison."
- Tigers: In 2022, real tigers were replaced with models and computer-generated versions for safety.
Music of Fort Boyard
The music for Fort Boyard was created by French composer Paul Koulak. His exciting music is used in almost every version of the show worldwide. There have been several different opening theme songs over the years. Some of the music has even been released on CDs!
Fort Boyard: Takes On The World
In 2004, a documentary called Fort Boyard: Takes On The World aired in the UK. It showed different versions of the show from around the globe. Comedian Tim Vine narrated it, adding funny comments.
Games and More
Video Games
There have been video games based on Fort Boyard.
- Fort Boyard: Le Défi (1995) was a PC game where you could be a team member.
- Fort Boyard: La Legende (1996) was an adventure game where you searched for treasure hidden by Napoleon.
Images for kids
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Fort Boyard, pictured in 1989, during refurbishment work with its original access platform already installed. The watchtower has not been rebuilt yet.
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The interior of the Fort north side, seen in May 2007.
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Fort Boyard, as seen from the air during the filming period (June 2021)
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