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Rumour: Celebrity Name Game to replace Pointless?

Whispers that Grant Denyer will be heading back to the 6pm timeslot for 10.

TV Tonight hears whispers Grant Denyer will be heading back to the 6pm timeslot with Celebrity Name Game.

10 announced the series, based on a US format, late last year and has filmed 12 episodes produced by Fremantle. It is now casting for further episodes from February – July.

But with chatter persistent that Pointless is to discontinue production, the network is looking to its replacement.

The format sees both celebrities and punters tested on pop culture and parlour games, including mixing up teams. It aired in the US for three seasons from 2014, hosted by Craig Ferguson and produced by Courteney Cox & David Arquette.

10 is hoping broad family appeal is their best foot forward in the timeslot after Pointless has proven too niche. At 6pm it goes up against News on Seven & Nine, and current affairs discussion with The Drum. SBS is also preparing intellectual quiz Mastermind for the slot.

Returning Gold Logie winner Grant Denyer to the 6pm slot will please his big fan base, but will it be enough to push the network back to healthy numbers?

With Pointless episodes still set to screen in the short term, 10 declined to comment.

31 Responses

  1. I suppose there is no way of getting UK Pointless, David? ABC ran 2 series, they told me the budget would not support any more. That is due to their excessive salaries, check what Media Watch man gets. So they repeated them, pretty ridiculous for a quiz show.

  2. Over and over…it feels like talking to a brick wall, 10. Pointless is a good show, the problem is having your News at 5pm and trying to have game shows at 6.00. You will never find a hit game show if you persist with this madness.

  3. I am always surprised these days when Game shows do so well. It feels like they’re a thing of the past. I’d be curious to know the audience breakdown of game shows. Are they mainly old people, or a mix of everyone?

    1. A subjective comment. “Feels like”? To whom? You, your friends? But you are right to seek an audience breakdown of successful quiz shows. It would be most interesting.

  4. Noooo I really enjoy Pointless. It gives me a laugh at 6 rather than the depressing news. I think Mark is funny and he and Andrew bounce off each other really well.

  5. Maybe pointless could be made a bit longer and air into TBandTB at 4pm. It surely cant be that expensive then try selling on the episodes overseas. Im meh about whatever they try at 6pm. Cant see celeb name game toppling 7 or 9

  6. I am sure Grant is a decent person but he always seems relentlessly dull and cloying in his hosting duties. If they do proceed with this show a woman host might be a good choice – I’m not one for quotas but games shows are so often hosted by solo men that a female host might bring something different. I have no idea who though (not Julia Morris please!)

  7. Another over exposed channel 10 celeb. Why not someone fresh? They’ve got Chris, Julia, Grant and Amanda on high rotation. They’re just too much. The Sunday Night Takeaway was going to be great until the hosts were announced. I just can’t watch due to them but i guess 10 have to try something.

  8. Pointless UK has a charm the Australian version doesn’t for whatever reason – it does feel a little rushed within the 22 minutes of actual airtime it receives.

    CNG US was fun for a while but it got a bit boring. And how many celebs can 10 Australia give us without repeating the same faces over and over again. Still, no harm in trying and I have nothing but love for Grant as a host.

    1. I agree that Celeb Name Game gets boring pretty quick. Plus Australia doesn’t have many celebrities who would be willing to do this show to sustain it as a nightly series.

      1. I would guess that 10 may use Celebrity Name Game (and the celebrities they use) as Cross-Promotion, particularly for their main reality shows.

        Eg: “On Celebrity Name Game, it’s Survivor/Bachelor/Masterchef Week – We got your favourites from the island/kitchen/mansion as they will help our contestants win some serious money.” Then they plug the promoted show in question on the Name Game.

  9. Grant is such a lovely guy. Too nice is sometimes a turn off.
    Another overseas game. Same Same. Haven’t any Australians got the nous to make local games and sell them back overseas. That way the format might be something that would interest us more.
    And now for something Completely different.,,,,,,to coin a phrase.

    1. Last year, ABC aired the UK version of Pointless at 4.15pm weekdays. If they do that again this year, I don’t think 10 would want to compete their Australian version with that.

  10. Having seen Celebrity Name Game I am not impressed and couple that with Grant Denyer means I won’t be watching. They never should have shortened Pointless it just doesn’t work well.

  11. As much as I enjoy Pointless, it’s been getting on my nerves lately. Some of the board answers are so simple, but still only 20 people know the answer. In the UK it’s more realistic as some answers will be 80 – 90, but here simple answers can still get 20 – 30 points. Who are they asking?
    I love Celebrity Name Game and think this would be a great fit for 6:00pm. I hope it airs after Easter, if Pointless wrap up.

  12. Honest to God are they going back to Grant Denyer? Instantly I won’t be watching. And what is concerning is that this show has potential for over saturation in special one hour episodes etc. just like a certain other show that was “rested” and hosted by the same guy… hmmm

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