Challenge Anneka

Challenge Anneka is a British reality game show that aired on BBC1 from 8 September 1989 to 15 October 1995 and was hosted by Anneka Rice.

Challenge Anneka
GenreReality game show
Created byAnneka Rice
Malcolm Heyworth
Presented byAnneka Rice
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original language(s)English
No. of series7
No. of episodes61 (inc. 5 specials) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time40–60 minutes
Production company(s)Chatsworth Television (1987)
Mentorn (1989–95)
ITV Productions (2006–7)
DistributorTinopolis
Release
Original networkBBC1 (1987, 1989–95)
ITV (2006–7)
Picture format4:3 (1987, 1989–95)
16:9 (2006–7)
First shown in27 November 1987 (1987-11-27) (pilot)
Original releaseSeries:
8 September 1989 (1989-09-08) – 15 October 1995 (1995-10-15)
Specials:
26 December 2006 (2006-12-26) –
6 June 2007 (2007-06-06)

It was announced in 2006 that the series was returning, but this time on ITV. The first of the two specials was shown on Boxing Day 2006. The second was transmitted in June 2007.

Format

The series was devised as a vehicle for Anneka Rice, who had previously appeared on Treasure Hunt, one of the first big hits for Channel 4. It was produced by Tom Gutteridge of Mentorn, who also produced the US version with Erin Brockovich.

The format of Challenge Anneka involved Rice being given a task to accomplish within a certain period, usually two or three days. She was supposed to have no knowledge of what the task of each particular episode would be before it began, and would have to organise its accomplishment by persuading companies and people to contribute their time and resources for free. The task would usually be in aid of a charitable cause, for example building a play area for children within the local community, or something similar.[1]

The format was tested in 1987's Children in Need.

Rice would be based during the 'challenges' in a large blue truck, and for her frequent trips to persuade companies and people to take part she initially employed the use of a Volkswagen based beach buggy, and then went on to use a kit built Dakar 4x4 vehicle in the 1990s. For series 6 and 7, she had a dog called Pedro. She was also distinguished by her frequent use of her mobile phone to organise the projects, years before they became common everyday objects for people in Britain.

Another trademark aspect of the series would be the frequent on-screen presence of Rice's soundman, Dave Chapman, part of the camera team who followed her around as she attempted to accomplish the challenges and who often found himself having to lend a helping hand.

Most of the popularity of the series came from the tension of whether Rice and her teams of volunteers would accomplish their tasks before the deadlines set. Sometimes they would fail, but usually on such occasions those who had agreed to help out would carry on the following day to complete the work.

The format was sold to many European countries, each with a different host. In the late 90s, the show was produced by Mentorn in the United States as Challenge America (ABC), hosted by Erin Brockovich.

Get Well Soon: 500 Ways to Make You Feel Better

Get Well Soon: 500 Ways to Make You Feel Better (ISBN 0-563-38726-2) is a BBC book published in 1995, the production of which was undertaken as part of the show. Proceeds from its sale were donated to the Women's Royal Voluntary Service. The book was written for people who are themselves, or have friends, in hospital. It included contributions from British celebrities including Susan Hampshire, Maureen Lipman, Jeffrey Archer, Ronnie Barker and Jo Brand.

Problems following challenges

Due to the rushed nature of the tasks, a few of the projects undertaken by the show needed subsequent repair. In one case, a hastily built children's playground had to be closed and renovated after it was found to be dangerous; In a similar vein, filming on an intended 1991 episode which would see the overhaul of some derelict wasteland in Brixton into a youth adventure park, was aborted when it was decided that the programme would not be able to carry out the project of an adequate enough standard to meet safety requirements, with the project instead downsized and handed over to a local charity. However, of the 61 projects undertaken, many, like the Romanian orphanage renovated in just 10 days, survived for many years.

ITV revival

Challenge Anneka returned in 2006 with a 'one-off' special on ITV, on Boxing Day and featured the team helping World Vision to rebuild a maternity clinic, a cricket pavilion and a children's play centre in Sri Lanka after the 2004 Tsunami disaster.

There were plans for two more UK specials in 2007 - Rice walked on stage, along with television crew, during a McFly concert in Cambridge, and asked the band if they would record a single for charity - this formed part of the Challenge Anneka challenge recording an album to raise money for Children's Hospices around the UK, broadcast on 6 June 2007 on ITV. The album, Over the Rainbow was released on 4 June 2007. The two specials gained 3.34m (26 December 2006) and 2.8m (6 June 2007) viewers on ITV. A third special, reported in the press at the time of the revived format, was never completed, as ITV dropped their plans to revive the series in a frequent format.

Following ITV abandoning their plans of a full revival, in 2009 Rice approached the BBC about a proposed revival as part of Children in Need night (where the format of Challenge Anneka had first been tested in 1987) to mark the 20th anniversary of the series. The BBC did not proceed with the proposal, citing that the series was no longer in the public consciousness.

Transmissions
Main article: List of Challenge Anneka episodes

Regular
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodesPresenters
Pilot27 November 1987[2]1
18 September 1989[3]10 November 1989[4]10Anneka Rice
210 November 1990[5]12 January 1991[6]10
314 September 1991[7]16 November 1991[8]10
418 September 1992[9]27 November 1992[10]8
54 September 1993[11]16 October 1993[12]7
63 September 1994[13]15 October 1994[14]7
727 August 1995[15]15 October 1995[16]8

Specials
DateEntitle
3 January 1992[17]Special Report
11 September 1992[18]Series 1, 2 & 3 Highlights
27 August 1993[19]Live Special
26 December 2006[20]Tsunami Appeal Special
6 June 2007[21]McFly Special
gollark: I can't type that easily.
gollark: The δodecahedron itself.
gollark: That would cause problems because it's already semitransparent.
gollark: The limit of my image editing skills is using ImageMagick to replace backgrounds.
gollark: I'm not a graphic designer.

References
  1. "My Life In Media: Anneka Rice". 17 September 2007.
  2. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 27 November 1987". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  3. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 8 September 1989". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  4. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 10 November 1989". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  5. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 10 November 1990". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  6. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 12 January 1991". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  7. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 14 September 1991". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  8. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 16 November 1991". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  9. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 18 September 1992". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  10. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 27 November 1992". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  11. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 4 September 1993". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  12. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 16 October 1993". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  13. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 3 September 1994". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  14. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 15 October 1994". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  15. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 27 August 1995". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  16. "Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 15 October 1995". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  17. "Challenge Anneka Special Report - BBC One London - 3 January 1992". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  18. "The Best of Challenge Anneka - BBC One London - 11 September 1992". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  19. "Challenge Anneka Special - BBC One London - 27 August 1993". BBC Genome Project. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  20. "Challenge Anneka (Challenge Anneka: Tsunami Appeal)". ITN Source. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  21. "Challenge Anneka (Challenge Anneka: The Album)". ITN Source. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
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