Genre Game show Country of origin United Kingdom No. of series 1 | Presented by Jeff Stelling Original language(s) English No. of episodes 10 | |
Alphabetical is a game show that has aired on ITV since 15 August 2016 and is hosted by Jeff Stelling. It is one of two summer replacements for The Chase, the other being Cash Trapped. The game show represent a remake of the quiz show The Alphabet Game. A second series has been confirmed.
Contents
Format
Three challengers and a champion take part on each episode. Contestants start with 100 seconds to use in the final round and can earn more by correctly answering questions. During timed rounds, they may pass a question by saying "alphabetical."
First letter
Each contestant in turn has 60 seconds to answer as many questions as possible, with the correct answers all beginning with the same letter. The champion plays first, and a different letter is specified for each contestant. One second is added to the contestant's clock for every correct answer.
End letter
Gameplay is identical to the first round, except that all of a contestant's correct answers will end with the same given letter.
Starting letters
A category is named, and each contestant is given a set of initials referring to a term that fits it. They are given a maximum of three clues, and have three seconds to respond after each clue. Solving the initials correctly on the first clue awards five seconds; on the second clue, three; and on the third clue, one. Two categories are played, with each contestant having one turn per category and the champion always playing first. At the end of the round, the challenger with the lowest total time on their clock is eliminated. If there is a tie for lowest time, a "first letter" tiebreaker question is played on the buzzer to determine who advances, with no seconds at stake.
Thirteen letters
Thirteen letters are selected at random and placed in alphabetical order. One toss-up question is asked on the buzzer for each letter in order, which serves as the first letter of its answer. Two seconds are awarded for each correct answer, while a miss freezes the contestant out of the next question. Once all 13 questions have been asked, the challenger with the lower score is eliminated. In case of a tie, a "first letter" tiebreaker is played as before.
Final round
The contestants compete to answer separate sets of 26 questions, each starting with a different letter from A to Z in order (with the exception of X, which can appear anywhere in the word). Only one contestant plays at any moment, using the time on their own clock; the opponent's clock is stopped. Both contestants start at A and advance one letter at a time, with the champion playing first. When a contestant either passes or gives an incorrect answer, control goes to the opponent, who resumes play on the letter after the one on which they last passed or missed. A contestant may return to a passed question only by playing through the entire alphabet to reach it again.
Each contestant stops playing when they either run out of time or complete all 26 questions in their own set. If one contestant runs out of time, the opponent continues answering questions alone and may still pass as often as desired, but the clock will no longer stop on a pass. The first contestant to answer every question correctly wins a cash jackpot that starts at £5,000. A wrong answer at any time forfeits that contestant's chance at the jackpot. If neither contestant wins it, the one with more correct answers wins £250 and returns as champion, and the jackpot increases by £100 for each of that contestant's answers. Ties are broken in the champion's favor.
As of the end of the first series, the jackpot has gone unclaimed.