Deal or No Deal

Deal or No Deal is a British game show, hosted by Noel Edmonds, which originally aired from 31 October 2005 to 23 December 2016 on Channel 4, and is due to return with Stephen Mulhern in 2023 on ITV. Based on the original Netherlands format of the game show, each episode sees a contestant choosing one of 22 boxes, each containing a cash amount contestant wins is determined by pure luck – cash amounts are randomly allocated to each of the boxes before each game, with contestants required to open a specific number of boxes per round of the game to eliminate the cash amounts their chosen box does not contain, in turn affecting how much is offered by the Banker. Games always end with the player opening all of the boxes, including their own, regardless of how they intend to make money. On 19 August 2016, Channel 4 axed Deal or No Deal after 11 series, ending the game show with a special Deal or No Deal on Tour series across the United Kingdom, with the programme officially concluding after 11 years on 23 December 2016. In October 2022, it was reported that ITV would be piloting a revived version of the show. Two pilot episodes were filmed at Dock10 studios on 1 December 2022. On 26 March 2023, ITV confirmed a new series with Mulhern taking over from Edmonds as host. Gameplay Contestants can win prize money ranging from between 1p and £250,000, and potentially £500,000 (after changes made in 2014). The game is played using 22 sealed red boxes, each with an identifying number from 1 to 22 displayed on the front. Inside each box is a sum of money. All the boxes are sealed by an independent adjudicator; the value inside each box is not known to anyone except the adjudicator. At the start of each game one of the 22 contestants, each standing behind one of the red boxes, is selected to be the contestant for that episode. The contestants themselves do not know who is to take the seat until it is revealed at the beginning of the show. The contestant's box contains their (potential) prize. One at a time, the contestant chooses one of the 21 boxes remaining (other than their own) to be opened, eliminating the value inside it from the list of possible amounts in the contestant's box (displayed on a large screen opposite them). It is in the contestant's interest to uncover smaller amounts of money in the hope that their prize is a larger amount or that they can get a higher offer from the Banker.