Deal or No Deal

Deal or No Deal is a United Kingdom Endemol game show hosted by Noel Edmonds, based on the format which originated in the Netherlands. First broadcast on Channel 4 on 31 October 2005, it aired six days a week excluding Saturdays for the entire year for its first eight seasons. The show used to include a summer break of a month during July and August, but this has dropped. In the show's ninth season, the Sunday programme was dropped. Filmed in the round, the game is a simple game of chance and nerve, it features a single contestant trying to beat the Banker, as they open 22 identical sealed red boxes assigned to potential contestants in an order of their choosing. The boxes contain randomly assigned sums of money inside ranging from 1p to £250,000. The day's contestant is selected at the beginning, bringing their box to the chair. As the boxes are opened over a number of rounds, the Banker makes offers of real money to gain possession of their box. The gameplay is coordinated by Edmonds, who communicates with the unseen banker by telephone. Contestants can either 'deal' to take the money, or play to the end, settling on the amount in their box. The objective is for the contestant to obtain the highest amount of money they believe they can, whilst the banker is trying to minimise the amount they have to pay out. As the game progresses and more possible final values are eliminated, both the banker and the contestant have more information to offer deals or accept deals. The contestant faces the risk of not accepting a deal may lead to smaller deals later or the final amount being lower than previous deals offered. The banker faces the converse, the offers made may ultimately end up being greater than the contestant would have won should the whole game be played out.