I have been recording the BBC's latest day time quiz show Beat the Pack. As the series nears its end, I was wondering what other readers though of this show?
First things first, if you put into the factor that this 45 minute show now takes me around 10 minutes, if that, to watch on "speed-viewing" on Sky Plus it says a lot about how I see it. The show is presented by Jake Humprheys with a format I am not even going to try and explain.
As with all these shows the quality of the questions is what matters. Each round starts off with a £2000 questions, intended to be hard, and as the players pass it moves down so the questions get easier. There have been some cracking questions so far this series and most of the £2000 ones are reasonably decent but the multiple choice element takes some of the fun away. As the questions reduce in value the fun starts to decline.
There is way too much talking, waiting and deliberating in this section so in all not many questions get asked at all and you are left with only a handful per show.
The end reverts to a strange 1 vs 1 situation where the "winner" must answer 75 seconds worth of question every time they get one wrong, the opponent gets a chance to steal. If they get it right, and do this three times, they win the prize. The whole show basically ends on a whimper of easy questions. and even though I am far from being a decent quizzer, the fact that I have never got a question wrong in those final rounds shows the standard.
I will continue to watch this one speed-viewing on Sky Plus but could not stomach a full 45 minute episode.
I actually watch this on the iPlayer and speed through most of it - 10 mins at most per show for me too. I like the questions in the first part of the show, but I don't watch the final round as it is so exceedingly easy (and dull). An OK show that would be better if it had less faffing around and chat.
ReplyDeleteI just caught this show for the first time yesterday. I'll be honest, I was amazed that they let such a great quizzer as Andy Tucker onto the show - he was runner up to Gary in last Year's Mastermind, and was always going to be taking a big wedge home if he got so much as a sniff of a chance.
ReplyDeleteIt's not great. Too long by at least 15 minutes, and as you say, if you cut it down to just the questions it is actually considerably shorter than that. O I'm sorry, but it's a no from me.