Ant and Dec are churning out another game show – why? The genre has already peaked

Creativity has no limits, so there will always be opportunities to go further with new game show ideas. Still, argues Laura Denby, that doesn’t mean broadcasters actually need to do so

Ant and Dec attending the National Television Awards 2021 (Gareth Cattermole/Getty)

ITV recently commissioned a new game show Limitless Win, created and hosted by Ant and Dec. It’s the latest in a steady stream of additions to an overflowing genre that is dominating television. But it’s time to leave the format alone.

Game shows are a staple of our British TV experience, featuring in schedules every day from noon until night. Beat The Chasers, a spin-off to ITV’s The Chase, has just won the National Television Award for “Quiz Game Show”; so their universal popularity is obvious.

But the fact that broadcasters have these established hits on their hands should encourage them to retain their status by nurturing them. This may not be possible when, instead, every channel is continuously introducing the next big production.

Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel did well for the BBC, but I know I’m not the only one wondering when it will return as it took a hiatus in the middle of its second season. Existing shows appear to be sidelined, and yet plenty of other plans have been made.

For example, the BBC will be launching The Tournament and The Bridge of Lies, hosted by Alex Scott and Ross Kemp respectively. Channel 4 has announced two shows of their own, too. Strictly Come Dancing co-host Claudia Winkleman will front One Question; while comedian and Mock The Week star Dara Ó Briain will present One & Six Zeros.

Yes, they are all fantastic hosts, but we simply don’t need any more contestant-based entertainment. Why not expand on the variety show, which certainly deserves a stronger presence on the small-screen? This is an area that has been lacking of late, with the exception of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Emily Atack’s midweek stand-up sketch combination.

The presenters mentioned above would be perfect in this role, whether through their comedic talent or engaging screen presence. There isn’t much competition between the rival channels in that respect, but this is not the case regarding TV game shows.

Traditionally, Saturday evenings deliver prime-time battles as the BBC and ITV go head-to-head. But these scheduling clashes could lose their advantage if there isn’t a cut-off point soon. There’s a risk of overwhelming audiences with too much choice, affecting target ratings and leading to the whole genre dying out altogether.

The likes of Pointless and Beat The Chasers regularly compete on weekends, and they are both still earning impressive viewing figures. So why disrupt the race with new entries within what is becoming a tired format?

When a long-running show takes a break, alternative options are constantly delivered to fill the gaps rather than using the breathing space to build suspense for the next series. Fans haven’t been shy in voicing their opinions on these shows, and their reactions have raised an important point.

Earlier in the year, BBC premiered I Can See Your Voice; and its strong similarities with ITV’s The Masked Singer did not go unnoticed. The public later decided that The Void was a copycat of previous action-based instalments like Ninja Warrior UK and Total Wipeout.

These are just a few examples of the repetitive nature of game shows, an unavoidable pitfall when we are constantly adding to the genre. The same can be said of another branch of the game show format. Televised dating is now a permanent feature and also comes with that coveted cash prize – and no programme is more notorious for this than Love Island.

Beloved and controversial in equal measure, some fans are hooked on the drama while others condemn the manipulative tactics involved. Still, there are countless shows trying to replicate the overriding excitement that Love Island generates.

From autumn arrival Ready To Mingle and The Cabins on ITV2, to Netflix’s own Too Hot To Handle and Love Is Blind; there are now too many identically structured shows to keep up with and, so far, none of them have overshadowed the one that inspired them all. For those that enjoy this brand, surely just one of its kind is enough?

Of course, creativity has no limits; so there will always be opportunities to go further. Still, that doesn’t mean broadcasters actually need to up the ante.

Watching someone win a life-changing amount of money can be thrilling; but we only need to study the daily listings to see that game shows are taking over, proving we can definitely have too much of a good thing.

This isn’t a request to cancel game shows altogether, merely a suggestion that it’s time to press pause on the endless production line. From dating to quizzing, to physical challenges with a cash incentive; it’s high time we had a rest.

Let’s see the powers that be committing more time to keeping those programmes we favour on the air. There are plenty of them to prioritise, after all. So please, no more new game shows; instead look after the gems we’ve already got and branch out into other forms of entertainment.