This is what already happens in “8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown”. As @Brekkie said, the captains, competing guests and guests in Dictionary Corner have done their own preprepared skit on that show. Even the host does them. It’s different every show. Depends on how the rest of the show is going. I wouldn’t be surprised if they film a lot more stuff than fits in an hour and the dull bits get edited out.
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Well the first 20-25 minutes of the show are devoted to the comedy. Was annoying at first they took so long to start with the game but viewers soon realised it was those opening exchanges which delivered most of the good stuff.
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Our version has been good and is more focused on the games rather than the sketches. I do love my game shows, but this format should include more sketches with the celebrities. Teams should be paired up, rather than working individually. So they can bounce off each other more.
The UK version has plenty of sketches, which initially i didnt like, but it had grown on me.
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I suspect there is also the issue of licencing the format. Celebrity Letters and Numbers being much closer to Letters and Numbers, with the only real change being the third contestant, means they can probably get away with just licencing it on the same terms as Letters and Numbers, whilst if it was closer to 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown that is a co-production between ITV Studios (producers of Countdown) and what was Endemol (producers of 8 out of 10 Cats). I suspect therefore if SBS was to move it more towards the Cats format they’d also need to pay Endemol (now owned by Banijay I think) a fee too.
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just watching episode 6 and Akmal reminds me of Joe Wilkinson from Cats Countdown.
He should definitely be on more, fits the format perfectly.
Season 2
From Saturday 5 March 7:30pm
Hosted by Michael Hing, each week three celebrity contestants compete in a hilarious version of the classic show ‘Letters and Numbers’. Featuring wordsmith David Astle in Dictionary Corner offering endless nuggets of wisdom that you never knew you didn’t know! Over at the board, numbers expert Lily Serna explains mathematical techniques in a way that makes complete sense.
Also featuring a special guest each week in Dictionary Corner, assisting David and providing their own brand of knowledge in a dedicated segment. The compulsive play along letters and numbers games are back with the all-important conundrum buzzer round to crown the winning celebrity.
Episode 1
Hosted by Michael Hing and featuring wordsmith David Astle and numbers expert Lily Serna, joined by celebrity contestants Aaron Chen, Susie Youssef, Merrick Watts and special Dictionary Corner guest Carlo Ritchie.
Glad the show is returning, but am surprised that it will be another celebrity version and that its returning in the 7.30pm slot on Saturdays. It didn’t rate that well in that slot - even in “SBS standards”.
Probably hard to do a normal version and alongside Mastermind, which is returning next week.
Susie Yousef has had a busy 12 months - from regular appearances on Letters and Numbers (SBS) and The Project (10); and hosting Making It Australia (10) and co-hosting the Australia of the Year Awards (on the ABC)
The “second” series was commissioned with the first and probably filmed at the same time too so no surprise it is the same format. Suspect if it didn’t rate well it’ll probably put SBS off a revival of the nightly regular version.
CELEBRITY LETTERS & NUMBERS RETURNS FOR SECOND SEASON
DUST OFF YOUR THINKING CAPS AND LET THE BATTLE BEGIN PREMIERING 7.30PM SATURDAY 5 MARCH
Comedian and host Michael Hing , maths whiz Lily Serna and word master David Astle are back for the second season of Celebrity Letters & Numbers , premiering at 7.30pm on Saturday 5 March on SBS and SBS On Demand.
Produced by ITV Studios Australia, the celebrity adaptation of the popular series Letters & Numbers follows a similar format with guests fighting for the top prize, only this time with a comedic twist. Each week, three courageous and comedic celebrities and a special guest will join David in Dictionary Corner. The new season will welcome guests including Merrick Watts, Ben Law, Tanya Hennessy, Akmal Saleh, Susie Youssef and Aaron Chen amongst others.
With twelve, hour-long episodes airing over the span of the season, the quiz show boggles even the sharpest of minds in a quick succession of high-pressure letters, numbers and conundrum games. As time ticks away, each game sees the contestants scramble to beat the clock, proving the simplest of tasks overwhelmingly challenging. Only one celebrity will prevail and take home the grand prize and glory of being Australia’s Celebrity Letters & Numbers champion.
Host Michael Hing said: “In a world where modern television is an increasingly drug-fuelled haze of sex and madness, it is truly incredible that SBS has seen fit to bring back our Letters & Numbers show for a second season. Will this season be sexier? I’ll be there, so probably not, but it will hav e all the cognitive break downs, scholarly mishaps, and occasional triumphs that you’ve come to know and love, plus, actual answers from Lily and David.”
SBS Head of Entertainment, Emily Griggs said: “ After a successful first season and return of Celebrity Letters & Numbers, we’re so pleased to be announcing the show’s second season. Bringing viewers shows that educate and entertain is something that we strive to do at SBS and Celebrity Letters & Numbers truly brings this to life in humorous quiz form. We can’t wait for Aussies to enjoy even more comedic personalities lined up for our second season.”
ITV Studios Australia’s Head of Entertainment, Majella Wiemers, said: “We are incredibly thrilled to bring a second season of Celebrity Letters & Numbers to SBS audiences. It has proven to be a winning formula with its combination of smarts, wit and comedic relief from the everyday grind. Viewers can sit back and enjoy or interact and play along with some notably familiar faces on screen.”
Celebrity Letters & Numbers is produced by ITV Studios Australia.
Season two of Celebrity Letters & Numbers premieres at 7:30pm Saturday 5 March on SBS and SBS On Demand. Episodes continue weekly.
Watching tonight for the first time in a while.
It’s improved somewhat but could really do with a studio audience. Blatantly obvious it’s canned when you get applause at the start, the ad breaks, and when the scores are mentioned, but whenever a joke is made you only hear the panelists laughing.
And you’ve got comedians on - drop a game or two and give them some space to do what they do.
I really they should have had two teams of two players like the British version. So much humour comes out of two players trying to work together and often failing to do so.
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Are they just rotating the same people over and over again. I feel like I’ve seen Adam Richard and Merrick Watts on almost all the episodes. If this gets renewed I hope they can get some other comedians onboard to play this. The likes of Kitty Flanagan, Mick Molloy and Marty Sheargold would be hilarious on this. The current mix that they have resorted to is very boring.
EDIT: On second thoughts, was this filmed along with the first season late last year? Probably explains why they couldn’t get any Melbourne comedians in as they were still locked down.
Merrick certainly seems to be there fairly often, but presumably travel restrictions at the time of filming limited their options, as you’ve said.
They could’ve just leant further into the cats does countdown format and had teams, so you’d have an excuse for having the same guests every other week
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The contestants are listed each week in the SBS Guide if you want to check back episodes.
This Saturday is the season 2 finale of Celebrity Letters and Numbers.
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Season 3 of Celebrity Letters and Numbers began filming in Sydney this afternoon. According to That’s the Ticket website, the show will be recorded at NEP Studios in Eveleigh on these dates:
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How does it rate compared to the original one from years ago?
Hopefully the new season means new guests and also some new segments akin to 8O10CDC. Kind of sick and tired of seeing Carlo Ritchie, Adam Richard and Merrick Watts on almost every episode in the last two seasons.
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They should listen to the feedback and switch to the 8 out of 10 Cats format of two teams of two, even if that means ditching the DC guest to switch them to being a competitor. And that way you can have two captains who appear on every episode.
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Celebrity Letters And Numbers - Season 3
Monday 26 September 7:35 pm
Hosted by Michael Hing, each week three celebrity contestants compete in a hilarious version of the classic show ‘Letters and Numbers’. Featuring wordsmith David Astle in Dictionary Corner offering endless nuggets of wisdom that you never knew you didn’t know! Over at the board, numbers expert Lily Serna explains mathematical techniques in a way that makes complete sense.
Also featuring a special guest each week in Dictionary Corner, assisting David and providing their own brand of knowledge in a dedicated segment. The compulsive play along letters and numbers games are back with the all-important conundrum buzzer round to crown the winning celebrity.
Episode 1: Michael, David and Lily are joined by celebrity contestants Dave Thornton, Alex Lee, Luke McGregor and special Dictionary Corner guest Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall.