Fort Boyard (TV series)

UK cast

In the UK, two sets of presenters have been used for Fort Boyard. The first set appeared during the first four series of the show, which were broadcast by Channel 5, with the second appearing in the 2003 Challenge-aired fifth series. The Channel 5 years were produced by Paul Kirrage and executive produced by Richard Holloway, later known for producing The X Factor and other high-profile shows on UK television. Although pulling in reasonable ratings for the channel, in March 2002 it was announced that Channel 5 had cancelled the show as part of a station revamp.

The leading presenters of Fort Boyard on Channel 5 and Challenge were Melinda Messenger (series 1–4) and Jodie Penfold (series 5). Their roles were to give advice and support for the teams, commentate for the viewers, and match wits with Boyard, the "Master of the Fort".

The other characters in Fort Boyard are:

Boyard (played by Leslie Grantham in series 1–4, Christopher Ellison in series 5) is the "Master Of The Fort", who sets the challenges that the team must complete to win. In the UK versions of the show, he is portrayed as a selfish, commanding, and malevolent character who takes great pleasure in ensuring that fear and failure plague the contestants. Grantham portrayed these traits slightly more strongly, with Ellison sometimes showing sympathy, or even being generous to the contestants.

The Professor (Geoffrey Bayldon, series 1–4) is an eccentric scientist who has become mad over the years as a result of being kept prisoner by Boyard in the 'Watch Tower'. His task is to ask the contestants riddles, which, if answered correctly, will give the team a key or clue word. Along with Captain Baker, he also talks to the contestants briefly before asking the riddles and to the viewers.

Captain Baker (Tom Baker, series 5), the replacement for The Professor, is an insane sea captain held captive by Boyard.

Fort Boyard cast

There is also the resident Fort Boyard cast, who first appeared in the French version, and were subsequently featured in most of the other international formats, including the original UK versions, however these were all excluded for Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge:

Jacques (1990–) and Jules (1990–2009) (André Bouchet and Alain Prévost respectively) are two dwarves who lead the team through the Fort to the next challenge. Deni (Anthony Laborde) later in the show replaces Jules, who retired in 2010. Deni has appeared in the foreign versions since 2000 (replacing Jules) and from 2004 in the French series. The three are called Passe-Partout, Passe-Temps, and Passe-Muraille respectively in the French version.

Jacques (Passe-Partout) is also responsible for locking the contestants in the cells of the Fort if they fail to get out within the time limit; whilst Jules (Passe-Temps), in later series, Deni (Passe-Muraille) takes contestants to the 'The Watch Tower'. In duel versions, Deni plays the same role of Jacques. This is because two teams are playing at the same time.

Monique (1991–1997, 1999–2005, 2007–) (Monique d`Angeon) turns a statue shaped as a tiger's head to release the gold or close the gate in the 'Treasure Room'. She is called Felindra in the French version and was absent in 1998 and in 2006, replaced by Kareen Le Portier (Thierry's daughter).

In 1998, the unnamed Tiger Master (Thierry Le Portier) performs this role. He is called Major in the French version.

La Boule (1994–2013) (Yves Marchesseau, 1952–2014) sounds the "gong" to indicate the start and end of time and locks the contestants in cages when they fail to get out of challenge rooms in time. La Boule is a whaler, who has possibly found refuge in the Fort. He left the show in May 2014 for health reasons. Marchesseau died of esophageal cancer and diabetes in September 2014 at the age of 62.

Since leaving Felindra, the tiger tamer, handles the sound the gong (now inside the Treasure Room) with her whip while Mister-Boo, the male wrestler, is responsible for taking the prisoners to the jails of the Fort.

As of 2014, there have been 41 characters in the French version. Most appeared in various games on the fort.

UK series

On 26 December 1999, a celebrity edition of Fort Boyard was broadcast, featuring Gabby Logan, Frank Bruno, Sharron Davies, Samuel Kane, and Glenda McKay as contestants. As a one-off, the show's length was extended to 80 minutes so that the team had to get five keys (instead of four) and the code word in sixty minutes. The team won £7,910 for their nominated charity.

Series 3 aired two celebrity editions of Fort Boyard following the success of the 1999 special; broadcast on 5 January and 25 August 2001, one edition featured Rhodri Williams, Lisa Rogers, "Handy" Andy Kane, Tricia Penrose and Phil Gayle as the contestants. Rhodri was the team captain and the team won £14,350 for charity. The other featured Anna Walker, Victor Ubogu, Annalise Braakensiek, Tim Vincent and Troy Titus-Adams. Anna Walker captained the team and they won £7,190 for charity.

Another celebrity edition aired at the end of series four (episode 14) in 2001 featuring Sally Gray, Scott Wright, Nell McAndrew, Keith Duffy and Tris Payne. Sally Gray was the team captain and the team won £10,130 for charity. Episode 4 of series 4, on 13 October 2001, was a special featuring contestants from series 1 of The Mole.

Celebrity editions were also broadcast during the 2003 series by Challenge. It featured Doug Williams, Nikita (now stars in TNA), Paul Burchill, James Tighe, and Sweet Saraya, all of whom were wrestling stars from British promotion FWA. Doug Williams captained the team. Other celebrities appearing in series 5 included Tim Vine and Craig Phillips, Big Brother 2000 winner. The team won £1,860 for charity, which was topped up by a further £5,000 because Tim Vine accepted a challenge to tell 10 jokes in one minute.

French series

Since 1993, teams on the French version of the show consist entirely of celebrities. These include: cyclist Laurent Fignon, figure skating champion Brian Joubert (appearing in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2012), Djibril Cissé, Omar Sy, R&B singer Leslie (in 2002, 2003 and 2013), Tony Parker and Eva Longoria in 2009, and many others. Many former/new hosts of the show have often appeared as contestants.

However, in 2010 the formula was dramatically changed and the squads, of four members each, did not consist of any celebrities. The "duel" format was used that year. The celebrities returned in 2011 playing for charity.

Other series

In most series of the Danish and Swedish versions, teams have consisted entirely of celebrities. In the 2010 and 2012 series of the Finnish version, team members were celebrities. Most (or all) episodes of the Russian series consisted of famous national singers, actors, TV presenters and sportsmen.

In the 2013 Canadian version, the teams consisted of 24 participants in total; 12 celebrities and 12 members of the public, divided into six teams of four equally.

In the Argentine version of the show, aired in 1999 and 2000, a celebrity joined the other 4 people to help them on their challenges.

In the Moroccan version, aired in early 2015 but filmed the previous year, 3 celebrities joined teams with 2 unknown people for the challenges. The first episode of Jazirat Al Kanz aired on 24 February and was watched by 6.4 million viewers, a record 59% audience share for 2MTV.

Fort Boyard around the world

Fort Boyard is a French game show first broadcast in 1990; but the fort is also used by television stations from other countries in order to produce their own versions of the show. Foreign versions of the show can last between 22 and 80 minutes, depending on the country and format used. In total, 31 foreign versions of the show have broadcast around the world since 1990.

Legend:      Currently airing        No longer airing        Non-broadcast pilot  

Some countries, such as Portugal and Romania, aired the original French version dubbed or with subtitles as opposed to producing their own. Azerbaijan (Lider TV, 2009–2010), Czech Republic, Poland, Finland (Yle TV1 in 1993), Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine also did this before producing their own versions in later years.

In France, reruns of their own version have aired on Gulli (2006–2014), TV5Monde Europe, 1ère, and France 4 since 6 September 2014.

Other versions have aired in a number of countries, including:

Production history

Each year, several episodes are recorded from May to July (or August in 2000; due to a large number of countries attending) for various television networks around the world, mostly in Europe.

Italy have only ever made a pilot for Fort Boyard, in 1991. In October 2010, it was reported that Brazil and Tunisia had signed on for 2011. However, no series was later produced for either country. A Chinese version of the show was confirmed to be filmed in mid-September 2015, however it was later cancelled due to censorship worries.

Returns to the fort

The United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden returned in 2011 to film new series' of the show. That same year, the Netherlands also returned after a 20-year absence. These have all adapted to the new "duel" version.

Finland and Russia returned in 2012, after a break of one and five years respectively. Canada returned to the fort in 2013, after an absence of 12 years since the last season was recorded in 2000 (broadcast in 2001) and produced their first "duel" version of the show.

Belgium, Denmark & Germany returned in recent years for a new series, but have not since 2011. Armenia and Bulgaria (as a solo nation) in 2009, Finland in 2010, Azerbaijan in 2013, Morocco in 2014 and the Czech Republic in 2016, joined to produce their own versions. Bulgaria previously took part in a Balkans tri-nations version during 2007 & 2008, with former participant Turkey (who last filmed a single-team version in 2000).

Figures

Currently, the year 2000 contains the most episodes filmed of any year (123 for eleven countries). To date, 2005 has the least (26), with just the French and Greek versions attending.

Here are the numbers (French version included):

Overall number of episodes filmed since 1990 = 1,689 (at the end of 2016 filming)

Overall number of French episodes filmed = 207 (in 27 seasons)

Productions for 2015

 China: 2015 (cancelled) France: 1990–present (26th season) Morocco: 2014–2015 Sweden: 1990, 1992–1997, 1999–2000, 2003–2004, 2010–2015 (17th season)

Productions for 2014

Did not return in 2015:

 Azerbaijan: 2013–2014 Canada (Québec): 1993–2000, 2013–2014 (10th season) Netherlands: 1990, 1991 (Joint production with Belgium), 2011–2012, 2014 (5th season) United Kingdom: 1998–2001, 2003; Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge: 2011 (Joint production with US), 2012–2014

In total, 71 episodes were produced in 2014.

Productions for 2013

In total, 53 episodes were produced in 2013.

Productions for 2012

Did not return in 2013:

 Finland: 2010, 2012 Russia: 1998, 2002–2004, 2006, 2012 (6th season)

In total, 64 episodes were produced in 2012.
^ The French series aired eight summer editions, followed by three night-time specials (for the first time since 1997); one at Halloween and two further were broadcast on 22 & 29 December 2012.

Productions for 2011

Did not return in 2012:

 Algeria: 2006, 2008–2011 (5th season) Norway: 1993–1996, 1999–2000, 2010–2011 (8th season) United States: 1991 (only a pilot was made for ABC), 2011 (Joint production with UK)

In total, 84 episodes were produced in 2011.

Format

Fort Boyard’s format varies from country to country, but the basics are the same. A team of friends enter the Fort with the intention of winning Boyard’s gold. To do this, the contestants have to successfully complete a series of challenges set by Boyard himself.

The first thing done in the game is the sounding of the Fort’s gong by French character ‘La Boule’. Once the gong sounds the game time begins ticking down. In the UK version the game lasted for 40 minutes, in the French version 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the year. As of 2013, most countries use the show's new "duel" version, except the French.

The show's original format is outlined in the following sections, starting with 'Phase One'.

Phase One

The first set of challenges the contestants have to complete is to win a certain number of keys (in series 1–4 of the UK version four keys were needed, whereas five were need in series 5; five were needed in the Canadian version, and seven in the Swedish and Danish versions. The current French version requires 9 keys). These keys, once won, are used to open the gate to the Treasure Room, a central room in the Fort where the gold is held.

The challenges that are set to win the keys are located in small cells around the Fort, with small water-timers (a Clepsydre) outside to give the contestant a time limit (around 2–3 minutes, depending on the game) to complete it; in the UK version, Boyard would start the timer upon saying to a contestant that "their time starts now", whereas in the 5th series, Boyard would start it after telling Jacques to open the door of a challenge room. If a contestant fails to leave the challenge room before the time runs out, he or she is locked in and then shortly after taken away to a cage (by La Boule) meaning they are not allowed to continue with the rest of the key games and must stay there until then end of Phase One. In the UK's 4th series, La Boule would give the contestant a large bunch of rusty keys. One of these keys would unlock the cage allowing the contestant to re-join the team.

During this phase of the game, one contestant goes up to the Watch Tower to win an additional key for the team (see below). This could be done twice.

Once the contestants reach the end of Phase One, usually towards the end of their game time, there is a trip to the Treasure Room with all of the keys that they have won so far. If they have enough to unlock the Treasure Room Door then the keys are entered and the gate is unlocked. However, it does not open until later in the show.

If they are short of keys to open the gate then team members are 'sacrificed' for keys, one team member for each key short. The 'sacrificed' contestants are then placed in an underground cell and locked in. These team members remain for the rest of the game, and are therefore unable to contribute any more for the team. Although this never happened, hypothetically at least in Series 5 in the UK, if no keys were won in Phase One, it would have been impossible for the team to continue the game since in Series 5 in the UK five keys were needed to open the treasure room door, and since there are only 5 contestants, and no one is allowed to swim for the Captain's keys, every contestant would have to make a sacrifice for all five keys leaving no contestants spare to get clue words to workout the code word and release the gold.

In the recent seasons of the French version, if a team is short of keys then team members could be 'sacrificed' by facing "Judgment" (Le Jugement), hosted by the character Blanche. In Judgment, each sacrificed team member would have to complete a challenge set by Blanche. If the sacrificed team member was successful in his/her challenge, Blanche would grant him/her their freedom and would be able to rejoin the team. However, if the team member fails the challenge, he/she would be sent to prison.

If the team has more keys than necessary to unlock the gate then any extra keys gained can be swapped for free clue words to assist the team in the next phase of the game.

Phase One challenges

From 1990 to 2014, there were 185 different events (key games). The name of the game may change, but the game itself usually remains the same; where possible, this list will use the names from Ultimate Challenge.

Note: This is NOT the full list of games that have been played. The years below are for when the game was played or last present at the fort, in the French version or Ultimate Challenge (some games are present but not played every year). A full list of games can be found here.

Here is a selection of some of these challenges:

New Games for 2011

Visual Enigma (cell 112)

New Games for 2012

Gagarin (cell 109) – A similar game, also using a gyroscope, was present on the fort between 1995–97.

Anvil (outside, between the fort and the platform)

Balance (outside, between the fort and the platform)

New Games for 2013

Cuisine de Willy (cell 215A) – First time this cell has been used since 1991. A new character, an Italian Chef, played by Willy Rovelli (a contestant in 2012) appears in the fort's kitchen. This cell is not used in international versions and is covered up.

Père Fouras Show (cell 215B) – Replaced the Code Braille in French version, known as Creature Code in Ultimate Challenge. In the international versions, Creature Code is still present on the fort.

Note: Some clue games are also played as key games and vice versa.

Phase Two

Once again in this part of the game the contestants have to complete a series of challenges, but instead of playing for keys they are playing for clue words. In addition, these games are more physically and mentally challenging to the contestants than those played in Phase One. Before these challenges, one contestant goes to the Watch Tower to try to win a clue word. Phase Two is around 10–20 minutes long in the UK version, this depends on how long the team take to win the required amount of keys needed to open the Treasure Room gate.

The objective in this phase is to try to figure out the password, which, if answered correctly, will release the gold. To do this, they must try to win clue words to help them in working out the password.

These clue words can be placed either before or after the password to make a common phrase. For example: if the clues words were hall and line then the password would be dance, as in dance hall and line dance.

To make it even more difficult to get the clue word, a time limit (3 minutes usually; occasionally between 2:00–3:30 minutes) is placed on each game. The clue words are usually written on pieces of paper and kept in canisters filled with gunpowder, and if the contestant fails to reach the canister in the allotted time the clue word explodes and the contestant loses the challenge. Unlike the First Phase, players are not locked in a cage if they fail to win the clue word.

Phase Two challenges

From 1991 to 2011, there were 71 different adventures. This section details some of Fort Boyard's most famous games. The name of the game may change from country-country; but the game itself remains the same (like in Phase One, where possible, names from Ultimate Challenge will be used). The years below are for when the game was played or last present at the fort, in the French version or Ultimate Challenge.

Examples of the clue games, also known as "ordeals" or "adventures", are:

New Games for 2011

Stretcher (cell 212) – replaces Spiders and Scorpions

Abandoned Cabin (cell 218 (2011), 216 (2012–)) – French Exclusive

Cage Immersed

Cell RecRec – previously Shrinking Cell

Tanks (cell 209) – replaced by Cold Room in 2012

Sewage (cell 118) – called Dark Descent in Ultimate Challenge

Creature Count/Code (cell 215B) – called lotto in the French version

Beam-jets

New Games for 2013

Circle (outdoors, above courtyard) – Ring Run in Ultimate Challenge

Submarine Training (outdoor, ground floor patio) – Pressure Tank in Ultimate Challenge

Umbrellas (outdoors, above courtyard) – Balancing Brollies in Ultimate Challenge

Vélibérateur (indoor basement, tank flooded) – Pedal Pump in Ultimate Challenge

Hammocks (cell 115) (Duel)

Underwater Balloons (Duel)

Deadly Drop (Duel)

Note: Some of these games are still in place on the fort, but have not been played recently in the French version and others. Most of these games are listed by their Ultimate Challenge names. Not all of the clue games played have been mentioned above.

The Watch Tower

In the Watch Tower of the Fort lives a usually eccentric character that sets riddles for certain contestants; if the contestants give the correct answer, they receive a key. In the case of the clue riddles, the answer to the riddle is the clue word, so even if the contestant doesn't solve it in the Watch Tower he or she can still think about it during the rest of the game. If the contestant gives an incorrect answer to a key riddle, the key is "thrown" into the sea, and another contestant has to swim for it. This was always won as the strongest swimmer would retrieve the key. The swim was removed in series 5 of the UK version, but was re-introduced in Ultimate Challenge as Key to the Sea (without the Watch Tower riddle).

Since 2006, the contestants can no longer swim for the key; it is just put back where it was held. The clue word is also different and is not the same as the riddle. Therefore, the riddle must be solved within the time limit to obtain the clue.

In the French version from 2011 to 2013, The Watch Tower wasn't used; instead, there were three trips to the Interactive Cell. The second trip was a Visual Riddle, about halfway through the key games, with Father Fouras on screen. The Clue Riddle is replaced by a telephone riddle where the player is in a booth inside one of the cells and has 1 minute to solve the riddle, given by Father Fouras over the phone, whilst cockroaches are dropped on top of them. This takes form of a game, called Abandoned Cabin, in the French version. The Watch Tower was however used in the 2012 Russian version of the show (the only country to use it that year) and in 2013 for the Azerbaijan, Canadian and Swedish versions.

The Treasure Room

The Treasure Room (or Treasure Chamber in Ultimate Challenge) is the climax to each episode of Fort Boyard. The gold is stored here, which is guarded by Boyard's tigers (except in Ultimate Challenge until 2013).

Once the Fort’s gong sounds for a second time, the game time is over. When the gong is struck (by La Boule) the tigers are taken away by Monique, the gate to the Treasure Room rises and will only stay open for 2:00 minutes in UK series 1 to 4, the time stated did not include the 20 seconds before the gate started to rise or 3:00 minutes in UK series 5. The 3 minutes includes 20 seconds before the gate started to rise (to open canisters/organise team). The gate takes 30 seconds to open and close fully for every version of Fort Boyard worldwide.

The French version have extra games which are played in order to win extra time in the treasure room. Four or six members of the team play a game each against the "Master of Darkness", if they win they will be get extra time in the treasure room, making it a full 4 minutes. The starting time is 3:00 as normal, but the team must bet on the duels with this time. In 2012, the duels against the "Master of Darkness" could reduce the team's time to 2:15 (2:00 in 2011) and give them a maximum time of 3:45 (4:00 in 2011).

If by this time the team has still not figured out the password from the clues won, they can "sacrifice" players in exchange for extra clues to help them. The sacrificed players have to reach the clue by putting their hand into one of the tiger-shaped hand traps around the Treasure Room entrance; once their hands are inside they cannot release them and participate in collecting the gold.

The contestants now have to spell out the password on the giant alphabet on the floor of the treasure room by standing on the corresponding letters on the grid and using cannonballs if there are not enough players. The team must also ensure the word is spelled correctly, as a mistake could cost them the prize.

Once this is done, Monique rotates the tiger's head (a statue), and the word will either be declared correct or incorrect, and the gold is released if the word is correct.

Then the contestants have the remaining time to collect as much gold as they can and place it in a bucket outside of the treasure room. It is only what is in this bucket that they get to keep; any that lands on the floor is not counted. When the time is nearly up in the treasure room, a bell rings, and the gate begins to close slowly. The contestants have to leave before the gate shuts completely because when the door shuts the tigers are released back into the treasure room. (the release of the tigers is delayed until the contestants are out of the treasure room, a portcullis is pulled in some versions to block the tigers from being released). In the 1990 French version, and in the 2006 Russian version of the show, contestants were "locked" in the treasure room. On both occasions, the gold collected was lost as a result.

If, however, they declare an incorrect word, the gold is not released and instead the gate to the treasure room begins to close immediately, prompting the contestants to make a quick escape, and they complete the game with no winnings.

The won gold is then weighed and converted into currency; this makes the contestants’ prize money. In most countries, the money won by the team is given to a charity.

Some countries, including Spain, Argentina, the UK, and Belgium, give the money directly to the members of the team. Some give vacations instead of money, dependent on how much the team won.

In France, between 1990 and 1992, the treasure was given to the team, but since 1993, the whole prize goes to charity. Then again in 2010, the prize money was given to the contestants.

Summary of the UK rules

Note: Opening titles shown the original series (1–3) boat, and did not actually show the 2003 remake series arriving outside the Fort.

UK transmissions

In total, 57 episodes were shown in the original Channel 5 series; including four celebrity specials and a special edition with contestants from the first series of The Mole.

On 1 July 2014, Challenge announced on social media that they had re-acquired all the Channel 5 years of the show (previously repeated by the channel from 2002–2006) and would begin airing series 1–2 in August that year, with series 3 and 4 following in 2015. Series 1 started on 4 August at 5pm, followed by series 2 on 18 August 2014. Series 3 starts on 7 May 2015 at 6pm.

Technical details

From a broadcasting perspective, Fort Boyard itself was refurbished during 1988–89 to become, essentially, a large outdoor television studio. The Fort has its own doctor, catering facilities, as well as production gallery and veterinary centre.

The Fort is equipped with 10 portable television cameras, one camera crane for overhead shots, one under-water camera as well as a number of smaller cameras which specifically cover individual games and challenges around the Fort.

The majority of shows are filmed in the 4:3 aspect ratio, although some shows, for countries including Sweden and France since 2008, now use the more common 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. PAL is the favoured recording format for Fort Boyard, offering the highest quality pictures. From 2013, the fort is now able to record programmes in HD for the first time.

Variations to the format

In 1996, at the height of the French version's popularity, a mini-series entitled Fort Boyard at Night was shown in the autumn. It was filmed entirely at night, and the teams also had slightly more time in which to complete the challenges. In 1997, there were three night-time specials, at Halloween, Christmas, and New Year. In 2012, three further night-time editions were filmed and aired between Halloween and Christmas on 31 October, 22 December and 29 December.

In some of the French (Seasons 14–16, 2003–2005) and Russian versions (2003–2004), the contestants stay overnight in the Fortress. During this time, they played endurance, mind, and psychological games both for the release of any prisoners they may have had, and for keys to, or time in, the Treasure Room at the end of the game.

Although most seasons have seen changes (not least in hosts), recent changes to the French version of Fort Boyard included:

From 2006 to 2009, the number of keys determined how much access the team had to the Treasure Room. 5 keys were the minimum needed to open the gate, but the gate would only open to a certain height, which made carrying coins through the gate difficult. A 6th key would open the gate roughly halfway, but it was still not easy to get through. To open the gate fully, 7 keys were needed. In 2006, when the host pulls the switch the Treasure Room gate would start to open immediately. If a team member did not get out of the Treasure Room in time, a portcullis was activated which stopped the tigers, but the money collected was lost forever.

The Council

In the council, teams no longer play to free prisoners; rather, they play for up to 60 extra seconds of extra time in the Treasure Room, in addition to the three minutes guaranteed. From 1995 to 2011, there were a total of 31 different council games.

Hall of Imprints

There was a new section in which one member donned a diving suit and dived down to the underwater control centre. There, he or she was guided by the team through an underground passage filled with traps and coded doors towards the "Hall of Imprints", freeing their prisoners along the way. Once all members (except the diver) had reached the Hall, they used their right hands to release the crystal, which they needed to enter the council.

2007 season

The Duels

They have extra games which are played in order to win extra time in The Treasure Room. Four members of the team play a game each against the Master of Darkness, if they won they got 15 seconds each, a total of 1 minute, of extra time in the Treasure room, making it a full 4 minutes.

The Treasure Room

2007 was the only season the time in the Treasure Room started at the opening of the gate. The team had 3:00–4:00 minutes from when the host pulled the switch to open the gate. The team also had 25 seconds (if they had 6 keys) or 15 seconds (if they had 7 keys) before the start of the time; this made the time actually 3:15–4:25 minutes in total.

2008 season

In 2008, the diving section changed. All members except the diver entered the control centre. They had to put 9 colored cubes in the correct order, using clues provided by the host. Once the 9 cubes are in place, the trap door for the diver opened. The diver entered a flooded room, with a treasure box, a drawing, and a maze with various colored keys in it. He or she has had to describe the small drawing to the other team members. The drawing corresponds to a drawing on one of the 9 colored cubes. The color of the matching cube determined the key to retrieve from the maze. The team members had to guide the diver through the maze, as the diver only see it from behind. After the key had been freed, it was used to unchain the treasure box. The box was then lifted from the water, but couldn't be opened yet. The key to open it was inside the Treasure Room and would fall down together with the gold.

2009 season

2009 saw many more changes. Main changes included new opening titles, graphics and a wall of progress which Demi (Passe Muraille) was in control of which lined the wall of the Fort (the wall above the Treasure Room). There were 6 new key games and 2 new clue games in 2009.

One of the first major changes on the Fort was the before game challenge, called The Tube, which was only used this season. There was a large tube full of coloured water. The team had to find 2 black scratching posts, situated around the Fort, to find the numbers which was the combination to unlock the box containing the cup which was connected to the tube . If they could fill the cup with water before the tube ran out they got a bonus key game after the 45:00 minutes of key games had finished. This game was played in the central circle before the gong.

Another change was that teams no longer stopped collecting keys at 7 keys but could continue on to collect up to 10 keys. These extra 3 keys were exchanged for clue words at the Treasure Room.

Extra Games

The middle section of the game was also different. There were now 3 boxes which contained money. The problem was that 2 of them were sealed with glass. During this the prisoners would play Fear Factor style games in an attempt to win "pieces" to eliminate colours. The prisoners were released but if they did not win their games they were not allowed inside the Treasure Room.

The Duels

Duels were different in 2009. The team could see what was happening through a window. The starting time was 3:00, but the team needed to bet on the duels with time. These times were 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, and −15 seconds. If they win on −15 Seconds they did not lose any time. This made the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:45, with the maximum being a full 4:00 minutes.

The Treasure Room

The Treasure Room had changed in 2009. Firstly, the 6 key sign was raised to shoulder height. Secondly, teams couldn't trade clues for extra keys; they had to play with the keys they had. (If they got under 5 keys someone was sacrificed to Mr. Chan to gain a key.) In the Treasure Room they collected keys for boxes containing extra gold. They were allowed to pick only one box, at the end, and were allowed as many keys as there were people in the Treasure Room. Picking the correct box earned the team the extra gold.

Duel format

Since 2003, a duel/tournament format has been used by other countries, who prefer this version of Fort Boyard. Two teams play in the Fort at the same time, with only one of them winning at the end. A similar format was used in 1991.

In 2007 and 2008, a formula with duels between three countries (Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey) was used; two countries (Belgium and Netherlands) in 1991 and with teams of teenagers in 2011 (United Kingdom and United States).

Countries that have used this format include:

French version

In 2010, the duel format was introduced to the show following the low ratings for the previous season in 2009. Although, this was not successful in the French version and was later dropped the same year. The show returned to a more classical version in 2011.

The changes made to the French version in 2010 were:

Main overview

Passe-Temps and Mr. Chan left the show.

Olivier Minne became the only host.

Two teams competed to try to win the most keys in the first section.

Game Play

12 teams of 4 play 2 sections of the game. The Special team play only section 2 in game of episode 1 because all 4 members are former contestants in Fort Boyard.

The team who won were called the "champion team" and would return the following week. Until the last episode, the Special team would play as the "normal team".

Key games not only included the ones inside cells but also the clue games, which were played against a clepsydre. If the team lost a clue game they were made prisoner.

There were 3 rounds of key games. Before each round there was a duel. Winning the duel not only won them a key, but also meant the other team had to win their game or their player was automatically made a prisoner.

If there is no clear winner after the 3 rounds a new section of the show, Crossbow Relay, was introduced. Before this, the prisoners were released. All members had to complete a relay course for keys.

The team with the lowest amount of keys was sent off the Fort and a new team (champion team from last week) was sent back to compete against the current champions.

The champion team from the last episode then faced the round 1 winners in clue games. These clue games can be key games with clue canisters, or clue games which were against the clepsydre.

There were 3 rounds of clue games, with each round starting with a duel. Again the losing team was made prisoner if they didn't win their clue game, but the winning team also got to choose which team got to play which game.

After the clue rounds, any prisoners were released by the duels in the council room. 2/3 was required to win.

The Treasure Room

At the Treasure Room, both teams used their clues and wrote down the codeword on a slate. Once this was put in place they had the remaining time of 3:30 (which included working out the code word). After 1 minute the gate started to open and began closes after 3:00 minutes (took 30 seconds to close fully). At around 0:15 seconds the slots were closed so the team couldn't insert any more money.

The gold was then weighed and the codes were revealed. The team with the highest gold and correct codeword won.

If both teams had the correct code, the team with the highest weight of gold won €10,000 and returned the following week.

If both teams had the incorrect code, the champion team would return the following week, but didn't win €10,000.

The team which won the Grand Final (episode 7) would receive €50,000 prize (includes the €10,000 won previously).

2010 German changes

Most of the show's characters are gone.

The Watch Tower and the riddles have been removed.

The duel/tournament format was used.

2011 French changes

Main overview

Olivier Minne continues as the only host.

Return to a more "classic" format, one team and seven keys required. (45 mins of key games, 25 mins for the adventures)

Return of celebrities playing for charity.

3 new characters, including the return of the mud wrestler (Lady Boo).

Father Fouras now chairs the Council.

The Duels

The team can see what is happening in the Council through a window. The starting time is 3:00, but the team must bet on the duels with this time. The times are 20 seconds, 15 seconds, 15 seconds and 10 seconds. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:00, with the maximum being a full 4:00.

The Hall Of Judgement

This takes place after the key games. The Hall of Judgement provides opportunities for candidates to obtain the missing keys against the sacrifice of one of them but also to free the team members locked in during the first half. The challenges are set by new female character, the White Judge; played by Louise-Marie Hustings in 2011, then Raphaëlle Lenoble during 2012, and Delphine Wespiser since 2013 (who was a contestant at Halloween 2012). The challenges used are similar to those on The Cube and Minute to Win It.

Each team member is free to be sacrificed to receive an extra key. The White Judge, sets a challenge the sacrifice/prisoner must complete in order to be released. If failed, they go directly into the terrible jails of La Boule until the end of the show; if they succeed, however, they are released and return to their team.

The Treasure Room

When the host pulls the switch, the Treasure Room gate will start to open immediately. This was also done in 2006.

The team have 12 seconds to process the password, instead of the normal 15 seconds.

2011 UK changes

Main overview

The show is now called Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge.

Laura Hamilton and Andy Akinwolere, previously Geno Segers, present the new series.

Teams are made-up of teenagers aged between 13–19 years old.

The show's characters are gone and until series 4, the tigers were not used.

The teams only collect keys and the Treasure Room section is changed.

2012 French changes

The Duels

The times are 20 seconds, 15 seconds and 10 seconds. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:15, with the maximum being 3:45 if all bets are won. The second duel is now a word puzzle rather than a contest with the Master of Shadows.

2014 French changes

The Duels

The times are 10 seconds for three games and 30 seconds for two games. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 1:30, with the maximum being 4:30 if all bets are won. The prisoners will be released with 15 seconds deducted for each player.

2015 French changes

The Cage

A new area was added, called The Cage. This happens at the 25 minute mark in part 1. The team must sacrifice 1 key to enter The Cage, where three of the team members will compete in individual games against one of the Fort's guards. Each challenge completed successfully adds a key to the team's total, meaning if all 3 team members win their games, the net profit is 2 keys.

Prisoner Escape

Prisoners are now allowed to escape after Part 2, completing a course to get out of prison. The prisoner has 1:30 to escape, and any additional time taken is deducted from the team's starting 2:00 in the Treasure Room.

The Duels

Duels no longer deduct from the team's Treasure Room time, they only add time depending on the team member's performance in the duel. This includes a new clock for Father Fouras' riddle, which is divided into three sections, 30, 20, and 10. Should the team member solve the riddle in time, the amount of time added is determined by the section the clock pointer is in, meaning the riddle is worth less time the longer it takes to solve it.

Music

The music for the original French version of Fort Boyard was composed by Paul Koulak, a French music composer. He composed the main themes for the show as well as the incidental music and game music that is used throughout the show. His music has been used for every version of Fort Boyard around the world, except the German version, where they composed their own music for the show and games.

Up to 2014, six different opening theme songs have been used on the show; the first was used until 1994, the second in 1995, the third from 1996–2000, the fourth in 2001 and 2002 (used by the UK in 2003 during the Treasure Room), the "Dance Version" (used by France during the end credits of the night editions in 1996 and the UK from 1999 to 2001) and the current theme song which was introduced in the 2003 French version. Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge uses a different opening theme and game music but does use the recent French opening credits and logo.

Some of the original music for Fort Boyard was released on CD in France, both on CD single and CD album form, in 1999. Tracks that featured on these CDs include:

Fort Boyard Main Title Theme

Fort Boyard Main Theme, Dance Version

Fort Boyard: Le Défi

Fort Boyard: Le Défi is a PC CD-ROM game based on the television show and released in 1995. It provides the player the possibility to become a team member, playing the well known game in the Fort. The game was created by Microids, France Televisions and R&P Electronic Media. The game was available in French and Dutch.

Fort Boyard: La Legende

Fort Boyard: La Legende is an action adventure game, based in and around La Rochelle and on Fort Boyard. It was only released in the original French version (as a sort of tie-in to the game show) and the later Dutch-spoken versions. The lack of an English version made this game highly obscure: it doesn't have a MobyGames entry. The hero of this game has no name; he is going to look for a treasure that was hidden by Napoleon at Fort Boyard. For this he needs to look around for clues, and get people to help, in and around La Rochelle.

The game is quite short: one can finish it in two hours. One attempt to stretch it is by putting in a lot of points where the player has lost the game. For instance, if the player is rude to Liliane Denis in the bar, she will not help, so the player cannot finish the game.

Fort Boyard: La Legende was released in 1996 by Expand Images, Microïds, France Télévisions, and R&P Electronic Media.