Early last year in May, my friend Shay and I traveled to North London to make our game show debut! Having seen that BBC’s Pointless was looking for contestants we had already been vetted on a previous crisp early Saturday morning. Turns out we made a good pair and so we were asked to do the real thing. I’ve wanted to do a game show for quite some time but lots of them are incredibly hard! The BBC’s Pointless however seemed fun, challenging and I had never heard anyone get called out for silly answers or seen them becoming a meme or worse, get recalled in those horrendous top 40 worst TV game show moments programs!!!
Shay and I were part of the afternoon intake which meant we were not guaranteed to play that day. After introductions with the other six contestants we shared our wardrobe choices with a runner and then sat down to learn.all.the.rules. So many. To be honest halfway though I blanked and when I refocused was completely lost! I figured I’d rely on Shay who was still smiling and appeared to have stayed awake. Plus we were told that there was no rush and to ask if we had forgotten!
Down the corridor we were shuttled to Hair and Makeup which I loved. My make up artist was bubbly and we chatted for ages. I was the first in and last out getting a lot of extra attention and gossip that the others didn’t. We were told to come makeup free which I did. Some of the other ladies hadn’t and they didn’t get to try the airbrush foundation machine (such fun) or have their hair curled. Top tip. If a professional is offering to do your face and hair, come bare and let them work their magic. You will learn lots and its great fun for free. Even Shay had his foundation sprayed on!
Then we waited in a special tent next to the studio to see if the producers wanted to put us forward for the afternoon schedule. Each pair of contestants get two episodes to try and become pointless champions however if they get to the final round in their first episode there is no second go. This means that sometimes entire episodes rotate with contestants and equally another episode may only have one couple leave. It all depends on the final round. The producers are also wanting to have a mix of age, race and sex on screen so they review who is coming back to the next episode and slot in a pair that complements and adds diversity.
We chatted to some of the other contestants as we waited. Everyone was lovely and we even played a few rounds of Jenga. One couple had been on many shows before and won so we were all secretly glad when they were first called up. One of them had previously won mastermind! The postmen who appear in the episodes before us were lovely, cheerful friends who we had great conversation with. One mother/daughter pairing came out of their second episode in a storm of anger. Someone had clearly made a mistake and the other was not happy about losing! Two call times went by and we were told we wouldn’t be filming that day. We were given the option to stay at the local Ibis however I decided I would prefer to go home and be in my own bed.
The next morning we arrived and headed straight into hair and makeup. I had the same lovely lady who told me all about yesterdays gossip! For our first round Shay and I did not fair well with a major celebrity blunder on my part! Minnie Driver you have a double! I feel better about it now having had a Pointless devotee at work tell me her and her husband thought the same as me when they saw the pictures to choose from. After some choice lunch that we had selected from a menu earlier that morning our second round was happening. We had a much better time and got some great low scoring answers. Bowing out at a very close head to head Shay and I went home with some great stories and memories of the days.
If you are interested in going on a gameshow give it a go. You will have heaps of fun and if its is on BBC’s Pointless I guarantee it is one of the nicest shows you could appear on!
Have a lovely weekend. PF xo
