Password (British game show)
Password is a British panel game show based on the U.S. version of the same name. It originally aired on ITV from 12 March to 10 September 1963, hosted by Shaw Taylor, then was revived by BBC2 from 24 March to 28 April 1973, hosted by Brian Redhead, BBC1 from 7 January 1974 to 3 January 1976, first hosted by Eleanor Summerfield in 1974 and then hosted by Esther Rantzen from 1975 to 1976, Channel 4 from 6 November 1982 to 14 May 1983, hosted by Tom O'Connor, Ulster from 2 September 1985 to 13 March 1987, first hosted by Brian Munn in 1985, and then hosted by Gordon Burns from 1986 to 1987 and then finally on ITV from 20 June to 29 July 1988, also hosted by Burns. In 2023, it was announced that ITV would be reviving the show with Stephen Mangan as host.[1]
| Password | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Panel game |
| Created by | Bob Stewart |
| Presented by | Shaw Taylor Brian Redhead Eleanor Summerfield Esther Rantzen Tom O'Connor Brian Munn Gordon Burns Stephen Mangan |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 (ATV) 3 (BBC) 1 (Channel 4) 3 (UTV) |
| No. of episodes | 27 (ATV) 39 (BBC) 26 (Channel 4) 70 (UTV) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins (inc. adverts) |
| Production companies | ATV (1963) Thames in association with Talbot Television and Goodson-Todman Productions (1982–83) Ulster (1985–88) Talkback (2024-) |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV (1963, 88) BBC2 (1973) BBC1 (1974–76) Channel 4 (1982–83) Ulster (1985–87) |
| Original release | 12 March 1963 – 29 July 1988 |
| Related | |
| Password | |
Gameplay
The gameplay is identical to the US version. Two celebrity-civilian teams compete, and after being given the password, the team in control has to decide whether to pass or play. Naming the password was worth 10 points minus one point for each additional clue. By the 1980s, teams only got three guesses each so that each password scored a minimum of five points. The first side to earn 25 points won the game, and celebrities switched partners after each game. On Channel 4, the first player to win two games continued as champion. In later series, teams played best-of-five matches.
On the Ulster series, after a team accumulated 25 points or more, the points were turned into cash, at £1 per point. The winning team then played the lightning round, where teams had to guess 5 passwords in 60 seconds. Each word earned the contestant an extra £5 per word or £50 if the team guessed all 5.
On the Channel 4 series, each player earned £2 per point and the first contestant to play two lightning rounds continued as champion. Winners of £500 retired until the semifinals.
Transmissions
ATV era
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 March 1963 | 10 September 1963 | 27 |
BBC era
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 March 1973 | 28 April 1973 | 6 |
| 2 | 7 January 1974 | 27 August 1974 | 27 |
| 3 | 29 December 1975 | 3 January 1976 | 6 |
Channel 4 era
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 November 1982 | 14 May 1983 | 26 |
UTV era
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 September 1985 | 15 November 1985 | 20 |
| 2 | 5 January 1987 | 13 March 1987 | 20 |
| 3 | 20 June 1988 | 29 July 1988 | 30 |