The Vault (game show)

The Vault is a game show created in Israel (known as HaKassefet, Hebrew: הַכַּסֶפֶת‎), by Erez Tal. It was later a British hit on ITV, running from 2002 until 2004. It was hosted by Davina McCall (Series 1), Melanie Sykes (Series 2 and 3) and Gabby Logan (Series 3). Logan stepped in for Sykes on 6 July 2004 when she went on maternity leave partway through Series 3 due to her pregnancy.

The Vault
Logo from quizshow 'The Vault'.
Starring	Davina McCall (2002) Melanie Sykes (2003–04) Gabby Logan (2004)
Country of origin	Israel
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	31
Production
Producer(s)	Carlton Television Kingworld
Running time	60 minutes
Distributor	Keshet International
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	16:9
Original release	11 May 2002 (2002-05-11) – 31 August 2004 (2004-08-31)

Format

Seven contestants competed per episode in the first series, eight in the second, and nine in the third. Each contestant guessed a four-digit combination for the Vault, which held a cash jackpot that began at £100,000 after being won and increased by that amount for every game it went unclaimed. The four whose guesses were farthest away became "brokers," who could offer to sell correct answers, while all others played for a chance at the jackpot.

Brokers were referred to only by their occupation. Starting with the second series, eight home viewers who had called in to the studio were chosen at random to play as brokers in addition to the four in the studio. A new set of call-in brokers was chosen for each round.

Round 1

Each player individually had three minutes to answer up to 10 questions, with all other players sequestered in soundproof booths backstage. Players were spotted £1,000 to start the round, could offer multiple guesses without penalty, and could pass as often as desired.

Once a player had answered or passed on all 10 questions, they could negotiate with the brokers to get answers to any questions that had stumped them. Each studio broker could press a button to illuminate a light on their podium and signal their readiness to make an offer. However, the player would not know if a particular call-in broker might know an answer until/unless they called on that person. If the player and a broker agreed on a price, the broker then stated their answer; if it was correct, the price was paid to them out of the player's winnings for the round.

Each correct answer awarded £100 to the player, regardless of whether they or a broker had given it. Answering all 10 questions correctly awarded a £5,000 bonus. After all players had taken a turn, the two high scorers kept whatever money they had accumulated and advanced to Round 2. All others were eliminated from the game with no winnings.

Round 2

The two remaining players were each spotted £1,000 to start this round. The host asked alternating questions for four minutes, starting with the high scorer from Round 1. After the host finished a question, the player in control had 15 seconds to respond, and could immediately turn to the brokers for help. If time ran out, the opponent had a further 15 seconds to answer. If both players missed the same question, the host gave the correct answer and moved on to the next one.

Questions were now worth £200 each, and the player who gave more correct answers won a £5,000 bonus. The player with the higher combined total from Rounds 1 and 2 advanced to Round 3, while the other player was eliminated with only their Round 1 winnings.

Round 3

In the final round, which was broadcast live, the player had two minutes to answer 10 questions, each of which added to their total winnings. They could turn to the brokers immediately, and could use any or all of their accumulated money over the course of the entire game (including this round) to purchase answers. Each question had to be answered correctly before the player could move on to the next one.

Question values were as follows:

Question #	Question value	Total Round 3 winnings
1	£250	£250
2	£250	£500
3	£250	£750
4	£250	£1,000
5	£1,000	£2,000
6	£3,000	£5,000
7	£3,000	£8,000
8	£7,000	£15,000
9	£10,000	£25,000
10	N/A	Jackpot

If the player answered the first nine questions correctly, the clock was stopped and they chose one of three categories. After the host read a question in the chosen category, the clock began to run again and the player had to answer with no help from the brokers.

If the player answered all 10 questions correctly before time ran out, the Vault opened and they won the entire jackpot in addition to their accumulated winnings from the first two rounds. If not, they kept only their accumulated money from all three rounds and a call-in player was chosen at random. This player could win the jackpot by answering six questions in 60 seconds, including two that had been correctly answered during the game.

If both the studio and call-in players failed to win the jackpot, it rolled over to the next episode.

Jackpot-winning contestants

In Series 1, Kwan Loo, a business/management consultant, won a jackpot of £100,000 in the studio. There were two home viewers wins; Anne Parkinson, winning £200,000, and Leah Nichols, who won £300,000.

Gemma Connor won £100,000 as a home viewer in the first show of series 2. Later in this series, 18-year-old music technology student, Mary Swain, reached the tenth question with nine seconds remaining, and after choosing 'Language', from 'Language' 'Science' and 'Literature' for her final question, correctly identified that 'arctophiles' collect teddy bears, and won a jackpot of £700,000.

Karen Shand, a home viewer in Series 3, answered the six questions correctly within the time limit and won £1,000,000. This marked the first time a live television programme gave away £1,000,000.

Jackpot questions

£100,000 – Of what are phasmophobics afraid? (Answer: ghosts) – won by Kwan Loo, studio player, Series 1

£300,000 – What is the longest river in the United Kingdom? (Answer: River Severn) – won by Leah Nichols, phone winner, Series 1

£100,000 – What nut is used to flavour the drink Amaretto? (Answer: almond) – won by Gemma Connor, phone winner, Series 2

£700,000 – What does an arctophile collect? (Answer: teddy bears) – won by Mary Swain, studio player, Series 2

£1,000,000 – What was the maiden name of the former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy? (Answer: Bouvier) – won by Karen Shand, phone winner, Series 3

Cancellation

Series 1 and Series 2 were both broadcast on Saturday evening primetime slots and were hugely popular. However, Series 3 was broadcast on a Tuesday evening and had a fierce competition from a BBC One drama Holby City. It was revealed shortly after Series 3 ended that ITV intended to halt the production of a fourth series due to declining ratings.

International versions

     Original version
     Non-broadcast pilot

Country	Name	Host	Channel	Premiere/air dates
Israel (original version)	הכספת HaKassefet	Erez Tal (2000–2004) Gabi Gazit (2006–2007)	Channel 2 (Keshet)	2000–2007
France	Le Coffre	Nagui	France 2	2003–2004
Hong Kong	群雄奪寶 Kwàhn Hùhng Dyuht Bóu	Jaclyn Chu	ATV	2002
Greece  Cyprus	Θησαυροφυλάκιο Thisavrofilakio	Andreas Mikroutsikos	ANT1	2001–2004
Portugal	O Cofre	Jorge Gabriel	RTP1	2005–2006
Romania	Destept si bogat	Octavian Saiu	România 1	2002
Russia	Обратный отсчёт Obratnyj otsčót	Andrey Boltenko	TV6	2001–2002
Thailand	The Vault เจาะเซฟ	Panadda Wongpoodee	iTV	2004
United States	The Vault	-	ABC	Planned for 2003 but was never produced
Vietnam	Vượt qua thử thách	Quang Vinh and Thu Hương (2004, 2006) Long Hoàng (2005 - 2007) Trần Lập (2006) Hạnh Dung (2008 - 2009)	HanoiTV	2004 – 2009

Catchphrase

"Do you have the knowledge to unlock the Vault?"

Theme music

The theme music used on 'The Vault' was the score from the original Israeli version of the quiz, composed by Tomer Biran Music.

Transmissions

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes	Presenter
1	11 May 2002	22 June 2002	7	Davina McCall
2	28 June 2003	9 August 2003	7	Melanie Sykes
3	11 May 2004	31 August 2004	17	Melanie Sykes, Gabby Logan

External links

• The Vault at UKGameshows.com
• The Vault on IMDb