Now You See It (British game show) facts for kids

Now You See It was a fun Scottish television game show that was mostly shown in Scotland. It was also seen a bit on other ITV channels across the UK. The show was based on an American version and even used the same theme music!

How the Game Was Played

The game was a mix of a word search puzzle and a trivia quiz. Four players would compete. The host would ask a question, and players would buzz in to find the answer hidden on a big board.

Players had to guess the line number and the position of the answer on that line. For example, if the answer was on Line 3, Position 7, they might score 10 points (3 + 7) or 21 points (3 x 7).

The Cryptic Round

When time ran out, the top three players moved to the "Cryptic" round. In this round, answers appeared one letter at a time. Players got a clue for each word. The first two players to get four correct answers moved on to the next stage.

Final Rounds and Prizes

The third round was like the first, but points could double! Later, points doubled for every other question.

By 1985, the winner received £500. They then played a special solo round. In this round, all the answers fit a certain topic. The player had to find seven out of twelve answers correctly to win a special "mystery star prize." This solo round was also used in the children's versions of the show in the 1990s.

Children's and Celebrity Versions

In 1993, Now You See It became part of a children's series called Wemyss Bay 902101. In these games, two teams of TV stars would play against each other. The "Cryptic" round was played first, and each correct answer gave two points.

The second round was like the solo round from 1985–86. Each team took turns finding answers for 60 seconds, and each correct answer was worth 5 points. The third round was played just like the main game show.

The children's series in 1993 had teams representing their schools. The four best teams went to the semi-finals. The winning team got a big prize package, and the runners-up (second place) also won a prize.

In the 1994-1995 series, each game started with the "Cryptic" round (two points per answer). Then, there were two "Big Boards." The second Big Board was played for one minute, and points doubled during the last 30 seconds! One game had two boys playing, and the other had two girls. The two winners then played in a final game. The winner of that game faced the "Super Prize Board." They chose one of two big prizes and had to find seven out of ten answers in 60 seconds.

What Prizes Were Won?

For the first two series, the winner received £100. In series 3, the prizes increased: the winner got £400, and the runner-up got £100.

By 1985, the winner received £500. The player who came in second won £100, and the player who was eliminated in the second round received £50. All contestants also got a special engraved crystal decanter and four glasses as a souvenir. For the celebrity and children's versions, players won fun prizes instead of money.

When Was the Show On TV?

The very first series of Now You See It was only shown on Scottish Television. However, the next series was also broadcast across the wider ITV network on Wednesday afternoons from July 1 to August 26. Scottish Television showed it on Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM.

The next seven series (from series 3 to 9) were only shown on Scottish Television. They were very popular! Two special celebrity versions were made in 1985 and 1986.

The ITV network picked up the show again in 1985. Series 10 and 12 were shown on Sunday afternoons or Friday afternoons at 5:15 PM. (Series 11 was only shown in the Scottish Television area.) Scottish Television later replaced Now You See It with other game shows like Split Second in 1987 and Wheel of Fortune in 1988. Wheel of Fortune became a very popular national show for ITV.

Now You See It returned as a children's series in 1993. It was about 10 minutes long and was part of Wemyss Bay 902101 on Sunday mornings. Sometimes, celebrity specials were also made. Grant Stott hosted the first children's and celebrity series.

The show then moved to weekday mornings during the school summer holidays for its second and third children's series in 1994 and 1995. These newer series had a new theme song, a new studio, and were hosted by Fred MacAulay. The show was also extended to 30 minutes. The children's and celebrity series were even repeated overnight on Scottish Television in 1997.

Original Series Broadcast Dates

Celebrity Series Broadcast Dates

Kids Series Broadcast Dates