FRANCE: INTERNATIONAL HOSTS OF SMASH TV SHOW "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?" MEET AT MIPCOM 2000.

Record ID: 390110

  • Title: FRANCE: INTERNATIONAL HOSTS OF SMASH TV SHOW "WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?" MEET AT MIPCOM 2000.
  • Date: 3rd October 2000
  • Summary: ANTIBES, FRANCE (OCTOBER 3, 2000) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN PRESENTER OF 'MILLIONAIRE' EDDIE MCGUIRE SAYING: "I think I get more tense for the people I've formed an affinity with even though we just met them for a few moments on the set, particularly if they are battlers if you see that they need to win some money to change their life. If they're heading
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: CANNES, CAP D'ANTIBES, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVADQADY5CZQJ6M3TKRIEKA14BNT
  • Story Text: Do you want to be a Millionaire? Are you sure? Is that your final answer? As the main players in the world of new technologies and entertainment converge at MIPCOM 2000 in the south of France, some 24 of the international hosts of the global television phenomenon "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
    have gathered for the first time at the Hotel du Cap, a few miles down the coast in Antibes.
    When the UK television host of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", Christ Tarrant, first uttered the immortal line 'is that your final answer?' on September 4, 1998, no-one could have predicted that it would become a global catchphrase.
    Two years later, the hit television quiz is appearing in living rooms from South Africa to India and Australia to Canada.
    This week, the programme's creators - Celador - have brought 23 of the hosts of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
    together for the first time at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, France.
    They're in the south of France to participate in a celebration of the show's international success at MIPCOM 2000.
    Since making its debut on UK television channel ITV, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" has become a worldwide hit.
    It is licensed in 80 countries and is currently on air in 35 of them.
    The popular format of the show has been a huge hit with the public and media alike, drawing unprecedented audiences.
    Two examples of its success are that in America it was credited with single-handedly reviving the game show format and in India the programme broke all television viewing records within weeks of the programme's launch.
    So what's the secret of the show's worldwide success? According to the show's producers, its gone beyond anyone's wildest dreams - the result of three years of a complex and intense planning process .
    The concept was originally taken to Celador by David Briggs - now a producer of the show - who'd scribbled a vague idea down on a scrap of paper.
    It was then developed by producers Steve Knight, Paul Smith and Mike Whitehill at Celador with Briggs. But even at the pilot stage, Tarrant says, the producers still had no true idea of the impact the show would have.
    "I think we all thought that it would do quite well because of the big prize, the money or whatever and I think when we made our first two pilots in London, we didn't realise the drama of the big close ups and people going 'huh' and playing for serious money, life-changing money before your very eyes and I don't think we really understood that until we were on air in London and we'd been running for maybe three or four shows and you suddenly realise I sat there as the host going 'my god what are you going to do' and it's extraordinary the tension."
    Others believe it's down to the fact that audiences across the board tune in to watch the show from young children to pensioners.
    The Canadian presenter Pamela Wallin said "I think it does a couple of things it really allows people to participate, this is interactive television before everybody started using that as a buzzword.
    "The other thing I like about it is that families are watching the programme together.
    "The kids are watching with mum and dad and we have very few programmes that actually bring families together in front of the television set so it's a positive thing, it requires people to use their minds and use their brains and have some fun doing it so I'm really pleased to be part of it."
    Whatever the magic ingredients are, viewers across the globe no doubt can expect to see the show for many years to come - but never again will the question "do you want to phone a friend?' have the same meaning.
    And that is our final answer.
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