document_title: The Great British Bake Off

question_text: who won season 2 great british baking show

text: The Great British Bake Off

text: Background[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The idea of the baking competition was conceived by producer Anna Beattie after she spoke to a friend who had seen 'bake-offs' in America.[6] Beattie was also inspired by the classic English village fête baking competitions; she said: "I loved that idea of village fetes and an old-fashioned baking competition with people who only wanted to bake a good cake."[5] However, Beattie failed to interest any channel in the idea for four years. In early 2009, they pitched the idea to Janice Hadlow, the then controller of BBC Two.[7] The pitch was successful, and Hadlow and the Commissioning Editor Charlotte Moore commissioned the programme,[8][9] which was then developed over the next six months. The development team first selected Mary Berry as a judge, and following an audition Paul Hollywood was also appointed. Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc were approached to be presenters of the show.[7] Reproducing the surroundings of the English village fête, the series is filmed in bunting-draped marquees in scenic gardens.[10]

text: Broadcast and personnel changes[edit]

text: On 17 August 2010, the first episode of The Great British Bake Off was shown on BBC Two.[11] It stayed on BBC Two for four years, grew in popularity and became the most popular programme on that channel. In its fifth series it was moved to BBC One where it stayed for three years. It was the most-watched programme on British television in 2015 and 2016.[12][13] Following extended negotiations, Love Productions announced that the seventh series of the show would be the last broadcast by the BBC. On 12 September 2016, Love agreed to a three-year deal to broadcast the show on Channel 4.[14][2] Giedroyc and Perkins subsequently announced that they would not be returning when the show moves to its new network.[15] On 22 September, Berry announced that she would also be leaving the show when it moved to Channel 4,[16] while Hollywood later announced he would stay.[17] In March 2017, it was announced that Prue Leith would join Hollywood as a judge, while Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig would take over as presenters.[18]

text: Format[edit]

text: The programme operates on a weekly elimination process to find the best all-around baker from the contestants, who are all amateurs.  The applicants to the show are assessed by a researcher, followed by an audition in London with two of their bakes. They then undergo a screen test and an interview with a producer. A second audition involves the applicants baking two recipes for the judges in front of the cameras.[6] Ten contestants were chosen for the first series, twelve for the following two series, thirteen for the fourth, and back to twelve from series five onwards.

text: In each episode, the amateur bakers are given three challenges: a signature bake, a technical challenge, and a show-stopper.[6] The three challenges take place over two days, and the filming takes up to 16 hours a day. The contestants are assessed by the judges who then choose a "Star Baker" for the week (introduced in series 2), and a contestant is also eliminated. In the final round, three bakers are left and a winner is chosen from the three.

text: In the first series, the location of the cast and crew moves from town to town each week, but starting from the second series, the competition is held in one location in a specially constructed marquee. Interspersed in the programme are the background of the contestants as well as video vignettes on the history of baking. What each baker intends to bake during a particular challenge is illustrated using animated graphics. These graphics have been created by illustrator Tom Hovey since the show's inception in 2010.[19][20]

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
Series

Episodes

Premiere

Finale

Winner

Runners-up

Average UK viewers(millions)[21][22]

Timeslot

Channel

1

6

17 August 2010

21 September 2010

Edd Kimber

Miranda Gore Browne

2.77

Tuesday8:00 pm

BBC Two

Ruth Clemens

2

8

14 August 2011

4 October 2011

Joanne Wheatley

Holly Bell

4.00

Mary-Anne Boermans

3

10

14 August 2012

16 October 2012

John Whaite

Brendan Lynch

5.00

James Morton

4

10

20 August 2013

22 October 2013

Frances Quinn

Kimberley Wilson

7.35

Ruby Tandoh

5

10

6 August 2014

8 October 2014

Nancy Birtwhistle

Luis Troyano

10.04

Wednesday8:00 pm

BBC One

Richard Burr

6

10

5 August 2015

7 October 2015

Nadiya Hussain

Ian Cumming

12.50

Tamal Ray

7

10

24 August 2016

26 October 2016

Candice Brown

Andrew Smyth

13.85

Jane Beedle

8

10

29 August 2017

31 October 2017

Sophie Faldo

Kate Lyon

9.29

Tuesday8:00 pm

Channel 4

Steven Carter-Bailey

text: Series 1 (2010)[edit]

text: Series 1 of The Great British Bake Off saw ten home bakers take part in a bake-off to test their baking skills as they battled to be crowned the Great British Bake Off's best amateur baker. Each week the nationwide tour saw the bakers put through three challenges in a particular discipline. The rounds took place in various locations across the UK, with the final round being held at Fulham Palace, London.

text: The three finalists were Ruth Clemens, Miranda Gore Browne, and Edd Kimber. On 21 September 2010, Edd Kimber was crowned the best amateur baker.[23]

text: Series 2 (2011)[edit]

text: The number of amateur baker contestants increased to twelve for the second series. Unlike Series 1, this year The Great British Bake Off stayed in one location – Valentines Mansion, a 17th-century mansion house in Redbridge, London.

text: All the Series 2 finalists were female: Holly Bell, Mary-Anne Boermans, and the winning contestant Joanne Wheatley.[24]

text: Series 3 (2012)[edit]

text: A third series of The Great British Bake Off began on 14 August 2012.[25] The series was filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.

text: In contrast to Season 2, there was an all-male final. The finalists were Brendan Lynch, James Morton and John Whaite,[26] who won the final in a surprise result.[27]

text: In the U.S., the series is currently being broadcast as season 5 on PBS.

text: Series 4 (2013)[edit]

text: The fourth series of The Great British Bake Off started on 20 August 2013 on BBC Two. The series was again filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.[28] The all-female final was won by Frances Quinn, with Ruby Tandoh and Kimberley Wilson as runners up.[29]

text: In the U.S., the fourth series was broadcast as season 2 on PBS.

text: Series 5 (2014)[edit]

text: The fifth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 6 August 2014 on BBC One. This series was filmed at Welford Park in Berkshire.[30] There were twelve bakers taking part. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges, whilst Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc continued to present the series. Richard Burr was awarded the largest number of star baker designations of any series so far, but was beaten by Nancy Birtwhistle in the final.

text: A spin-off show The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, hosted by comedian Jo Brand on BBC Two, was also launched as a companion series this year. Each episode was broadcast two days after the main show but later moved to the same night.  The show includes interviews with eliminated contestants.[31]

text: In the U.S., the fifth series was broadcast as season 1 on PBS.

text: Series 6 (2015)[edit]

text: The sixth series began on 5 August 2015[32] on BBC One, again from Welford Park in Berkshire. Spin-off show The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice returned for a second series, with Jo Brand as host. This series was won by Nadiya Hussain, with Ian Cumming and Tamal Ray as runners up.[33]

text: In the U.S., the sixth series was broadcast as season 3 on PBS.

text: Series 7 (2016)[edit]

text: The seventh series began on 24 August 2016 on BBC One, once again from Welford Park in Berkshire, a later than usual start following the BBC's coverage of the Olympic Games.[34] This series was won by Candice Brown, with Jane Beedle and Andrew Smyth as runners up.

text: In the U.S., the seventh series was broadcast as season 4 on PBS.

text: Series 8 (2017)[edit]

text: The eighth series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on 29 August 2017.[35] This is the first series of The Great British Bake Off to be broadcast on Channel 4 following its move from the BBC.[36] The series features new hosts Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig, and new judge Prue Leith along with returning judge Paul Hollywood. This series was won by Sophie Faldo, with Kate Lyon and Steven Carter-Bailey finishing as runners-up.

text: Incomplete bakes and other incidents[edit]

text: As of the sixth series, there have been a number of incomplete bakes.

text:
Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins have accidentally interfered with several bakes. In Series 4, Sue leaned on Howard Middleton's English Muffins in the Technical Challenge and in Series 6, she broke Nadiya Hussain's biscuit lid in the Showstopper Challenge. Similarly, Frances Quinn's biscuit tower collapsed as Mel was measuring it with seconds to spare in Series 4.
On several occasions (mostly in technical challenges), contestants haven't met the required quantity of the bake that the judges specified. Several instances of this include Cathryn Dresser presenting forty-six crackers instead of the required forty-eight in Series 3, two of the bakers being unable to present the required twelve custard tarts in Series 4 and Marie Campbell only presenting four of the required eight arlettes in Series 6 after having not set her oven.
In Series 2, Robert Billington accidentally dropped his tiered showstopper while applying finishing touches to the cake. Both judges and presenters came to his aid to salvage the bottom tier of his cake. He was able to present the incomplete showstopper as a single-tiered cake.
In Series 3, John Whaite was unable to complete his bake after he suffered a severe cut to his finger on the food processor. He tried to continue working on his strudel wearing a rubber glove, but the bleeding required medical attention and he therefore had to abandon the last bake. As a result, no one was eliminated that week.[37]
In Series 4, contestant Deborah Manger accidentally used Howard Middleton's custard instead of her own. As a result, Howard was forced to use Deborah's custard, and this was taken into account by the judges, who judged the trifles and custards individually.[38]
In Series 5, during the Baked Alaska challenge, Iain Watters's ice cream melted for reasons that were not entirely clear, although the editing of the show suggested that it had been caused by Diana Beard's actions. He threw his ice cream into the bin in frustration and left the tent. He returned shortly after, and as he had no cake for judging (he produced his bin instead, and the incident was labelled "bingate"), he was eliminated from the competition. The event that led to his departure provoked extreme anger from the viewers.[39]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The early reviews for the first series were mixed. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian wondered if "competitive baking [is] a contradiction in terms" and found the proceedings humourless.[40] Iain Hollingshead of The Daily Telegraph was scathing, describing the presenters as "annoying", the judge Paul Hollywood as looking "sinister without being interesting", and that the audience would be so bored that they "could certainly forgive the cameraman if he were to commit  hara-kiri in a giant pool of egg and flour."[41]

text: However, reviews from the later series were more positive. Andrew Collins of The Guardian called it "the nicest show on television" and judged it the best TV programme of 2012.[42][43] Rachel Ward of The Daily Telegraph thought the programme "had just the right consistency of mouth-watering morsels, good humour, and fascinating history",[44] while Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent considered the contest "perfectly baked".[45]

text: Bake Off was moved to Channel 4 in 2017, and reviews of the programme on the channel were largely positive, although a few felt that it did not compare well to the BBC version.[46][47][48] Mark Lawson of The Guardian described the programme on Channel 4 as "both exactly the same but also just subtly different enough", and that "only someone desperate to dislike the re-plated show could argued that [it] has soured, spoiled or binned its recipe".[49] Michael Hogan of The Telegraph thought that "Mary, Mel and Sue might be gone but the show's recipe remains as winning as ever. The four Cs – chemistry, camaraderie, comedy, cakes – were all present and correct."[50] Anna Leszkiewicz of the New Statesman however considered that while the format had been left largely unchanged and the contestants "irresistibly likeable", "every single change to the show has been for the worse".[47]

text: Cultural impact[edit]

text: The show has become a significant part of British culture and is credited with spurring an interest in home baking, with supermarkets and department stores in the UK reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories.[51][52] It was also credited with reviving the Women's Institute, whose membership reached its highest level since the 1970s.[53] The show also boosted the sales of bakery books and the number of baking clubs, and independent bakeries also showed an increase. According to one analyst, more than three-fifths of adults have baked at home at least once in 2013 compared with only a third in 2011.[54]

text: TV ratings[edit]

text: The first series of The Great British Bake Off premiered in August 2010 with moderate ratings of just over 2 million viewers for its first episode.[55] This was enough to place it in BBC Two's top ten for that week, and over the series the audience grew to over three million, with the semi-final and final both achieving first place in BBC Two's weekly ratings. During the second series, the ratings gradually increased, and it became a surprise hit with nearly 4 million watching each episode.[56] Week two was the last time that the show was out-rated by another BBC Two programme in the same week (it came second to the drama Page Eight); from then until the show's move to BBC One, every competition episode would be the channel's number one rated programme of the week. By its final episode it had averaged 4.56 million viewers, peaking at 5.1 million in its last 15 minutes.[57]

text: The ratings continued to strengthen in the third series, and the show began to beat its competition in its timeslot.[58] The final of the series where John Whaite was crowned the winner saw its highest rating yet, with an average of 6.5 million viewers that peaked at 7.2 million, which made it the second highest-rated BBC Two-originated show after Top Gear since at least 2006.[59][60] The fourth series achieved some of the highest ratings seen on BBC Two. The viewer count for its premiere episode was more than two million higher than that of the previous series,[61] while the final episode was seen by 9.1 million viewers at its peak, more than twice the number of viewers on BBC One and ITV.[62] The final episode is the most-watched show on BBC Two since the present ratings system was introduced in 2002, beating the previous record set by Top Gear.[63] As a result of its high ratings, the show was moved to BBC One.[64]

text: After its move to BBC One, the opening episode was watched by over 7 million viewers according to overnight figures, beating the figure of 5.6 million for the opening episode of the previous year.[65] the Bingate controversy surrounding episode four helped the show gain its biggest ever audience of 10.3 million viewers, with 2 million people who watched it on BBC iPlayer.[66] The final of the show gained an overnight viewing figure of 12.29 million, then the highest viewing figure of the year for a non-sporting event on UK TV.[67] In the following year, the top ten ratings for 2015 was also dominated by The Great British Bake Off, with seven of the year's ten most-watched television programmes being episodes of the show, topped by the final episode with 15.05 million viewers.[68] In the last series on the BBC in 2016, nine of the top ten most-watched programmes of the year were episodes of the show, with 16.03 million viewers watching the finale.[69]

text: The first series broadcast by Channel 4 opened with average viewing figures of 5.8 million, rising to 6.5 million to include those watching on Channel 4+1, and 9.46 million for the 7-day rating.[70]  Although the overnight figure was the lowest for an opening episode since 2013, it was Channel 4's biggest audience since the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics.[71]  This series attracted an average audience of 9 million viewers on Channel 4.[72]

text: Controversies[edit]

text: Product placement sanction[edit]

text: In September 2012, production company Love Productions was sanctioned by the BBC for product placement of Smeg fridges. The issue came to light after a viewer wrote to the Radio Times complaining of "blatant product promotion". After an investigation, the BBC said Love Production's loan agreement with Smeg did not meet editorial guidelines and was being revised for the third series, and that appropriate retrospective hire payments would be made.[73] The BBC asked Smeg to remove a notice from its website promoting its association with the show, which it has since done.[74]

text: Favouritism[edit]

text: During the fourth series, there were accusations of favouritism towards female contestants after the last man Glenn Cosby was eliminated from the show;[75] however, similar claims were not made the previous year over the all-male final, or even the year before, when there was also an all-female quarter-final. The fourth series also suffered allegations of Paul Hollywood's favouritism towards Ruby Tandoh,[76][77] and personal attacks on Tandoh by various people including the chef Raymond Blanc.[78][79][80] Both Paul Hollywood and Ruby Tandoh denied the accusation.[81][82]

text: Baked Alaska controversy ("Bingate")[edit]

text: In the fourth episode of the fifth series, there was controversy around the elimination of contestant Iain Watters. During the final showstopper round contestants were tasked with producing a Baked Alaska. Iain's ice cream was shown as having not set and in a show of frustration he threw his bake in the bin. The editing of the show suggested that another contestant, Diana Beard, had caused the failure by removing the ice cream from a freezer, and the perceived "sabotage" resulted in an uproar on social media networks.[83] However, unseen footage broadcast in the accompanying programme An Extra Slice shows Luis holding the large floor freezer that contained Iain's ice cream open as he piped the sides of his own baked Alaska, while Mel warns him to pipe quickly and close the freezer.  Later in the episode, when Iain removes his ice cream to begin the next step of his dish, it is still quite soft, indicating it went into the freezer he shared with Diana without being completely frozen.  Various members of the cast posted comments in support of Diana[84] and a BBC spokesman later issued a statement that "Diana removing Iain's ice cream from the freezer for less than a minute was in no way responsible for Iain's departure."[85]

text: More than 800 complaints were lodged with the BBC over the incident and some also complained to the communication watchdog Ofcom.[86]

text: Use of innuendo[edit]

text: A number of viewers complained to the BBC feedback show Points of View in the fifth series about the "constant smutty remarks" from the presenters Mel and Sue.[87][88] This series was seen as having more innuendos than previous ones; some reviewers noted the "extra pinch of saucy spice" and "the increasingly filthy-minded hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins",[89][90][91] while the Daily Mail argued that the "smutty" innuendos made the show no longer fit for family entertainment.[92] The series 3 winner John Whaite however argued that innuendo is part of what made the show a success,[93] whilst judge Paul Hollywood described the innuendos as banter in the spirit of the Carry On films and is a part of British culture,[94] a view shared by others.[95][96]

text: Clones, legal challenges and move to Channel 4[edit]

text: The success of The Great British Bake Off led to the BBC commissioning many other series closely following the format from Love Productions for example The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down. However the 2014 series Hair using the same format was produced in house by the BBC, Love Productions responded by making preparations to sue the BBC for infringing their copyright.[97][98] Although the matter was kept quiet, with the BBC settling out of court and compensating Love Productions,[97][98] the matter soured relations between the BBC and Love Productions.[98] In September 2016, it was announced that the BBC had lost the broadcast rights of the show to Channel 4.[99] Channel 4 offered £25 million for the show outbidding the £15 million offered by the BBC.[99] In January 2017 the BBC waived its rights to keep the program off the air until 2018, and wished the programme "well for the future".[100]

text: Accidental revealing of Series 8 winner[edit]

text: On 31 October 2017, judge Prue Leith accidentally revealed the winner of Series 8 on Twitter twelve hours before the finale was due to air. This caused uproar among many fans of the show. She quickly deleted the tweet and apologised to the fans who saw it.[101]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: The Great British Bake Off was nominated for a Rose d'Or in the Lifestyle section of the 2012 competition and won.[102][103] The programme has been nominated a number of times in various categories for the BAFTA awards and won in 2012, 2013, and 2016.[104][105] It also won two 2015 National Television Award for Skills Challenge Show.[106]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Recipient
Results
Ref.

2012

Rose d'Or

Lifestyle

The Great British Bake Off

Won

[107]

BAFTA TV Awards

Features

Anna Beattie, Andy Devonshire, Simon Evans, Richard McKerrow

Won

[108]

YouTube Audience Award

The Great British Bake Off

Nominated

[104]

2013

Features

Anna Beattie, Kieran Smith, Amanda Westwood, Scott Tankard

Won

[109]

Radio Times Audience Award

The Great British Bake Off

Nominated

[109]

National Television Award

Factual Entertainment

Nominated

[110]

2014

BAFTA TV Awards

Features

Anna Beattie, Amanda Westwood, Samantha Beddoes, Simon Evans

Nominated

[111]

National Television Award

Factual Entertainment

The Great British Bake Off

Nominated

[112]

2015

BAFTA TV Awards

Features

Anna Beattie, Samantha Beddoes, Andy Devonshire, Simon Evans

Nominated

[113]

Radio Times Audience Award

The Great British Bake Off

Nominated

[114]

National Television Award

Skills Challenge Show

Won

[115]

2016

National Television Award

Challenge Show

Won

[115]

BAFTA

Features

The Great British Bake Off production team

Won

[116]

Radio Times audience award

The Great British Bake Off

Nominated

[116]

2017

National Television Award

Challenge Show

The Great British Bake Off

Nominated

[117]

TV judge

Mary Berry

Won

[118]

BAFTA

Features

The Great British Bake Off production team

Nominated

[119]

text: International broadcast and versions[edit]

text: The UK version of The Great British Bake Off is broadcast in many countries and it has been sold to 196 territories as of 2015.[120] The format has also been sold to 20 territories by 2015, making it the third most successful BBC format after Dancing with the Stars (Strictly Come Dancing) and The Weakest Link.[121] Many of these shows have been successful.[122][123] The Junior Bake Off format has also been sold to Thailand.[124]

text: Beginning in 2014, the US broadcaster PBS has aired several series of the show under the name The Great British Baking Show.[125] The change of name was necessary due to the fact that "Bake-Off" is a registered trademark of Pillsbury in the United States.  The fifth series was broadcast as Season 1 in Winter 2014–2015;[126] the fourth series was then broadcast as Season 2 in Fall 2015,[127] the sixth series was broadcast as Season 3 in Summer 2016, and the seventh series was broadcast as Season 4 in Summer 2017. After the move from original distributor BBC Worldwide in 2018, PBS chose to air BBC's third series as Season 5 instead of licensing the eighth series from Channel 4. As of 2018, PBS has the rights to air the second BBC series as Season 6 in 2019, and has chosen to not license the Channel 4 series.[128]

text: The CBC began broadcasting The Great British Bake Off in Canada in August 2016, starting with the sixth series and also with the Great British Baking Show title. The seventh series aired the year after.[129]

text: International versions[edit]

text: Current and upcoming versions include:[130]

text:
Legend:
     Airing or in production
     No longer airing

text:
Country
Local title
Host(s)
Judges
Channel
Premiere

 Argentina
Bake Off Argentina, El Gran Pastelero(Bake Off Argentina, The Great Baker)
Paula Chaves[131]
Christophe KrywonisDamián PetularPamela Villar
Telefe[132]
8 April 2018

 Australia
The Great Australian Bake Off
Shane JacobsonAnna Gare[133]
Dan LepardKerry Vincent
Nine Network[134]
9 July 2013

Claire HooperMel Buttle
Maggie BeerMatt Moran[135]
LifeStyle Food
13 October 2015

 Belgium
De MeesterBakker(The Master Baker)
Rani De Coninck
Sofie DumontBernard Proot
vtm
4 April 2012

 Brazil
Bake Off Brasil
Ticiana Villas Boas(2015–16)Carol Fiorentino(2017)Nadja Haddad(2018–present)
Carol Fiorentino(2015–16)Fabrizio Fasano Jr.(2015–17)Beca Milano(2017–present)Olivier Anquier(2018–present)
SBTDiscovery Home & Health
25 July 2015

 Bulgaria
Bake Off: Най-сладкото състезание(Bake Off: The Sweetest Competition)
Aleksandra RaevaRaffi Bohosyan
Julia PandzherovaYuri Baltaliyski
Nova TV
15 November 2016

 Canada
The Great Canadian Baking Show
Dan LevyJulia Chan
Bruno FeldeisenRochelle Adonis
CBC
1 November 2017

 Chile
Bake Off Chile, El Gran Pastelero[136](Bake Off Chile, The Great Baker)
Carolina de Moras
Yann YvinGustavo SáezMillaray Vallejos
Chilevisión
6 August 2018

 Denmark
Den store bagedyst(The Great Baking Contest)
Timm Vladimir
Mette BlomsterbergJan Friis-Mikkelsen
DR1
28 August 2012[137]

 Estonia
Eesti parim pagar[138]
Kristjan Rabi (2015) Indrek Vaheoja (2015) Alari Kivisaar
Angeelika KangAnts Uustalu
TV3
31 August 2015

 Finland
Koko Suomi leipoo[139](The whole of Finland bakes)
Anne Kukkohovi
Mika Parviainen  Sami Granroth
MTV3[140]
24 September 2013

 France
Le Meilleur Pâtissier[141][142](The Best Baker)
Faustine Bollaert (2012–17) Julia Vignali (2017–)
Cyril LignacJacqueline Mercorelli
M6[143]RTL-TVI (Belgium)
26 November 2012

 Germany
Das große Backen(The great Bake)
Britt Hagedorn (2013)Meltem Kaptan (2013)Enie van de Meiklokjes (2014–16)Annika Lau (2017)
Christian HümbsEnie van de Meiklokjes (2013)Andrea Schirmaier-Huber (2013–14)Betty Schliephake-Burchardt (2015–17)
Sat.1
1 December 2013

 Greece
Bake Off Greece
Ioanna Triantafillou
Nikolas StraggasAkis PetretzikisDimitris Xronopoulos
Alpha TV
October 2018

 Hungary
Ide süss! (Az ország nagy cukrászversenye)
Hajós AndrásSass Dániel
Baracskay AngélaSzabadfi Szabolcs
Viasat 3
26 March 2018

 Ireland
The Great Irish Bake Off
Anna Nolan[144]
Biddy White LennonPaul Kelly[145]
TV3
19 September 2013

 Italy
Bake Off Italia – Dolci in forno[146](Bake Off Italy – Sweets in the oven)
Benedetta Parodi
Ernst KnamClelia d'OnofrioDamiano Carrara
Real Time[147]
November 2013

 Israel
בייק אוף ישראל[148](Bake Off Israel)
Paula RosenbergAya Kremerman
Ran ShmueliOded BrennerCarine Goren
Channel 2
9 April 2016

 Netherlands
Heel Holland Bakt(All of Holland bakes)
Martine Bijl[149] (2013–15)André van Duin (2016–present)
Robèrt van BeckhovenJanny van der Heijden
MAX (NPO 1)
5 June 2013[150]

 New Zealand
The Great Kiwi Bake Off
Madeleine SamiHayley Sproull
Dean BrettschneiderSue Fleischl
TVNZ 2
2018 [151][152]

 Norway
Hele Norge baker(All of Norway Bakes)
Line Verndal
Pascal DupuyØyvind Lofthus[153]
TV3[154]
10 March 2013[155]

 Poland
Bake Off – Ale Ciacho!(Bake Off – What A Cake!)
Anna GacekPaulina Mikuła[156]
Krzysztof IlnickiGosia Molska[157]
TVP2
5 September 2016[158]

 Romania
Bake Off Romania[159]
Nicolle Stanese[160]
Alex StanSimona PopeTudor Constantinescu
Pro TV
29 February 2016[161]

 South Africa
The Great South African Bake Off[162]
Anne HirschLentswe Bhengu
Shirley GuyTjaart Walraven
BBC Lifestyle
8 October 2015

 Sweden
Hela Sverige bakar[163](All of Sweden Bakes)
Tilde de Paula
Johan SörbergBirgitta Rasmussen
TV4 (Sjuan)
20 September 2012

Hela kändis-Sverige bakar[164](Celebrity All of Sweden Bakes)
11 November 2014

 Turkey
Ver Fırına
Burcu Esmersoy
Arda TürkmenEmel Başdoğan
TV8[165]
20 October 2014[166]

 Ukraine
Великий пекарський турнір(Great Bakers Tournament)
Yuri Gorbunov[167]
Serge MarkovicCatherine AhronikOlga Ganushchak
1+1[168]
1 September 2013[169]

 United States
The American Baking Competition[170][171]
Jeff Foxworthy
Marcela ValladolidPaul Hollywood
CBS[172]
29 May 2013[173]

 United States
The Great American Baking Show
Ayesha CurryAnthony Adams
Johnny IuzziniPaul Hollywood[174]
ABC
30 November 2015(as The Great Holiday Baking Show)[175][176][177][178]

text: The Great Sport Relief Bake Off[edit]

text:
The Great Sport Relief Bake OffGenre

Cooking
Baking
Presented by

Mel Giedroyc
Jennifer Saunders (2016)
Ed Byrne (2014, 2016)
Sarah Millican (2016)
Sue Perkins (2014)
Jo Brand (2014)
Omid Djalili (2014)
Judges

Mary Berry
Paul Hollywood
Country of origin
United KingdomOriginal language(s)
EnglishNo. of series
3No. of episodes
12ProductionRunning time
60 minutesProduction company(s)
Love ProductionsReleaseOriginal network
BBC Two (2012–2013)  BBC One (2014–2016)Picture format
16:9Original release
10 January 2012 (2012-01-10) – 23 February 2016 (2016-02-23)

text: Episode viewing figures from BARB.[179]

text: Series 1 (2012)[edit]

text:
Episode No.
Signature Challenge
Technical Challenge
Showstopper Challenge
Contestants
Airdate
Viewers(millions)

1

Traybake

Wholemeal Cheese Scones

Meringue Dessert

Angela Griffin

10 January 2012 (2012-01-10)

3.52

James Wong

Joe Swift

Sarah Hadland

2

Savoury Flan

Banana & Chocolate Chip Loaves

Layered Cake

Arlene Phillips

11 January 2012 (2012-01-11)

2.79

Fi Glover

Gus Casely-Hayford

Saira Khan

3

Classic Crumble

Coffee & Walnut Cake

24 Miniature Tarts

Alex Deakin

12 January 2012 (2012-01-12)

2.56

Alex Langlands

Anita Rani

Pearl Lowe

4

Trio of Baked Biscuits

6 Sausage Rolls

Covered Tiered Occasion Cake

Angela Griffin

13 January 2012 (2012-01-13)

3.43

Anita Rani

Fi Glover

text: Series 2 (2014)[edit]

text:
Episode No.
Guest host
Signature Challenge
Technical Challenge
Showstopper Challenge
Contestants
Airdate
Viewers(millions)

1

Sue Perkins

12 Sandwich Biscuits

Tarte Tatin

3D Novelty Cake

Bonnie Wright

13 January 2014 (2014-01-13)

4.37

Johnny Vaughan

Michael Vaughan

Samantha Bond

2

Jo Brand

12 Gingerbread Biscuits

Banoffee Pie

Chocolate Cake

Greg Rutherford

14 January 2014 (2014-01-14)

5.07

Jane Horrocks

Jason Gardiner

Kirsty Young

3

Omid Djalili

Traybake

Iced Ring Dougnuts

Layered Cakes

Emma Freud

15 January 2014 (2014-01-15)

5.02

Jamelia[180]

Michael Ball

Victoria Pendleton

4

Ed Byrne

Pizzas

Eccles Cakes

Tiered Cakes

Alistair McGowan

16 January 2014 (2014-01-16)

4.94

Doon Mackichan

Helen Skelton

Rochelle Humes

text: Series 3 (2016)[edit]

text:
Episode No.
Guest host
Signature Challenge
Technical Challenge
Showstopper Challenge
Contestants
Airdate
Viewers(millions)

1

Mel Giedroyc

Canapés

Paris–Brest

Trophy Cake

David James

27 January 2016 (2016-01-27)

6.03

Jason Manford

Maddy Hill

Samantha Cameron

2

Jennifer Saunders

American Muffins

Football Pie

Tiered Cake

Chris Kamara

3 February 2016 (2016-02-03)

7.44

Ed Balls

Kimberley Walsh

Victoria Coren Mitchell

3

Ed Byrne

Savoury tarts

Chocolate and Beetroot Tray Bake

3D Biscuits

Geri Horner

17 February 2016 (2016-02-17)

7.12

Jermaine Jenas

John Simpson

Louise Redknapp

4

Sarah Millican

Open-top Pie

Salmon Roulade

Cupcakes

Ade Edmondson

24 February 2016 (2016-02-24)

6.74

Alison Steadman

Morgana Robinson

Will Young

text: The Great Comic Relief Bake Off[edit]

text:
The Great Comic Relief Bake OffGenre

Cooking
Baking
Presented by

Mel Giedroyc (2013, 2015)
Sue Perkins (2015)
Jo Brand (2015)
Ed Byrne (2015)
Judges

Mary Berry
Paul Hollywood
Country of origin
United KingdomOriginal language(s)
EnglishNo. of series
2No. of episodes
8ProductionRunning time
60 minutesProduction company(s)
Love ProductionsReleaseOriginal network
BBC Two (2013)BBC One (2015)Picture format
16:9Original release
21 January 2013 (2013-01-21) – 4 March 2015 (2015-03-04)

text: Series 1 (2013)[edit]

text:
Episode No.
Signature Challenge
Technical Challenge
Showstopper Challenge
Contestants
Airdate
Viewers(millions)

1

Shortbread

Custard Slices

Portrait Cake

Jo Brand

21 January 2013 (2013-01-21)

4.17

Stephen K. Amos

Lorna Watson

Ingrid Oliver

2

Iced Biscuits

Bakewell Tart

Gateaux

Warwick Davis

22 January 2013 (2013-01-22)

4.44

Duncan Bannatyne

Simon Reeve

Andy Akinwolere

3

Scones

Chocolate Eclairs

Novelty Cake

Ellie Simmonds

23 January 2013 (2013-01-23)

4.34

Kirsty Wark

Julia Bradbury

Bob Mortimer

4

Chocolate Biscuits

Lemon Meringue Pie

Comic Relief Birthday Cake

Claudia Winkleman

24 January 2013 (2013-01-24)

4.39

Ed Byrne

Martha Kearney

Helen Glover

text: Series 2 (2015)[edit]

text:
Episode No.
Guest host
Signature Challenge
Technical Challenge
Showstopper Challenge
Contestants
Airdate
Viewers(millions)

1

Sue Perkins

Giant Cookie or Biscuit

12 Mini Fruit Tarts

Tiered Chocolate Cake

Dame Edna Everage

11 February 2015 (2015-02-11)

7.75

Joanna Lumley

Jennifer Saunders

Lulu

2

Mel Giedroyc

24 cupcakes

20 profiteroles

Marble "Building" Cake

Jonathan Ross

18 February 2015 (2015-02-18)

8.39

Zoe Sugg

Gok Wan

Abbey Clancy

3

Jo Brand

24 Shortbread

6 Mini Pork Pies

Triple-tiered Pavlova

Sarah Brown

25 February 2015 (2015-02-25)

7.92

David Mitchell

Michael Sheen

Jameela Jamil

4

Ed Byrne

Tray Bake

12 Crumpets

Vegetable Self Portrait Cake

Alexa Chung

4 March 2015 (2015-03-04)

8.21

Victoria Wood

Chris Moyles

Kayvan Novak

text: The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off[edit]

text:
The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake OffGenre

Cooking
Baking
Presented by

Sandi Toksvig
Noel Fielding
Judges

Prue Leith
Paul Hollywood
Country of origin
United KingdomOriginal language(s)
EnglishNo. of series
1No. of episodes
5Production company(s)
Love ProductionsReleaseOriginal network
Channel 4Picture format
16:9Original release
6 March 2018 – present

text: Series 1 (2018)[edit]

text:
Episode No.
Signature Challenge
Technical Challenge
Showstopper Challenge
Contestants
Airdate
Viewers(millions)

1

12 cupcakes

6 crepes suzette

3D biscuit scene

Roisin Conaty

6 March 2018 (2018-03-06)

5.91

Martin Kemp

Harry Hill

Bill Turnbull

2

24 scones

Devil's food cake

Self-portrait croquembouches

Nick Hewer

13 March 2018 (2018-03-13)

5.65

Perri Kiely

Stacey Solomon

Ricky Wilson

3

Loaf cake

8 Tiramisu sandwich biscuits

Meringue towers

Ella Eyre

20 March 2018 (2018-03-20)

5.95

Ruth Davidson

Jamie Laing

Tim Minchin

4

12 blondies

6 fruit turnovers

Secret passion cake

Griff Rhys Jones

27 March 2018 (2018-03-27)

5.48

Joe Lycett

Lee Mack

Melanie Sykes

5

12 muffins

Custard pie

Rainbow dream cake

Aisling Bea

3 April 2018 (2018-04-03)

5.53

Alan Carr

Kadeena Cox

Teri Hatcher


document_title: National Lottery (United Kingdom)

question_text: where does the money from lottery come from

question_tokens: where does the money from lottery come from

root

text: National Lottery (United Kingdom)

text: History[edit]

text: Early years[edit]

text: A statute of 1698 provided that in England lotteries were by default illegal unless specifically authorised by statute. Early English state lotteries included the Million Lottery (1694) and the Malt Lottery (1697). These Lotteries were part of a series of financial experiments by the English government including recoinage and the foundation of the Bank of England to raise the capital available to the state.

tag: p

text: A 1934 Act, further liberalised in 1956 and 1976, legalised small lotteries. The UK's state-franchised lottery was set up under government licence by the government of John Major in 1993.[5] The National Lottery is franchised to a private operator; the Camelot Group was awarded the franchise on 25 May 1994.[6] The first draw took place on 19 November 1994 with a television programme presented by Noel Edmonds. The first numbers drawn were 30, 3, 5, 44, 14 and 22, the bonus was 10, and seven jackpot winners shared a prize of £5,874,778.[7]

text: Tickets became available on the Isle of Man on 2 December 1999 at the request of Tynwald.

text: The National Lottery undertook a major rebranding programme in late 2002 designed to combat falling sales. The main game was renamed Lotto, and the National Lottery Extra became Lotto Extra. The stylized crossed-fingers logo was modified.[8] However, the games as a collective are still known as the National Lottery. It is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the United Kingdom.

text: In November 2009 Camelot replaced its older Lotto draw machines. The new machines are named Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot and Merlin, reusing the names of older machines. At the same time, new machines for the Thunderball game were introduced. The new Lotto machines are the Magnum II model, manufactured by Smartplay International Inc., and the new Thunderball machines are the Smartplay Halogen II model.[9][10]

text: Eligibility[edit]

text: As of December 2016[update], the eligibility requirements include:

text:
Players must be at least 16 years old to buy scratchcards or to play Lotto, Thunderball or Euromillions
Tickets may be bought in person at approved premises in the UK, or online over the Internet
Online purchase of tickets from the National Lottery website is restricted to people who have a UK bank account (for debit card or direct debit purposes), and are resident in the UK or Isle of Man, and are physically present in the UK or Isle of Man when making the ticket purchase.
The ticket purchaser for a syndicate, typically its manager, must meet the eligibility criteria for ticket purchase. Syndicate members must be aged 16 or over
Lottery tickets are not transferable, so commercial syndicates (i.e. where extra charges are levied over and above the total face value of the tickets purchased) are not permitted

tag: ul

text: Games[edit]

text: Several games operate under the National Lottery brand:

text: Current games[edit]

text: As of December 2016[update], the current games include:

text: Lotto[edit]

text: Players buy tickets with their choice of six different numbers between 1 and 59; there is provision for random numbers to be generated automatically for those who do not wish to choose, known as 'Lucky Dip'.

text: In the draw, six numbered balls are drawn without replacement from a set of 59 balls numbered from 1 to 59 (formerly 1 to 49 until October 2015). A further Bonus Ball is also drawn, which affects only players who match five numbers.

text: Prizes are awarded to players who match at least three of the six drawn numbers, with prizes increasing for matching more of the drawn numbers. All players who match all six drawn numbers win equal shares of the jackpot; the chance of doing so is 1 in 45,057,474. If four, five, or six balls are matched, the relevant prize is divided equally between all who match that many balls. If no player matches all six numbers, the jackpot is added to that of the next Lotto draw—a Rollover. This accumulation was limited to three consecutive draws until 10 February 2011, when it was increased to four. Rollovers are frequent, with for example 20 Wednesday (39%) and 13 Saturday rollovers (25%) in 2011 (fewer tickets are sold on Wednesdays than Saturdays, increasing the probability of a rollover). "Treble rollovers"—two consecutive rollovers—are much less common. The first quadruple rollover draw occurred on Saturday 29 September 2012 with a jackpot of £19.5 million.[11] In the event of a quadruple rollover, if no tickets match all 6 main numbers, the jackpot will then be shared between the tickets that match 5 numbers and the bonus ball. On Saturday 5 November 2011 there was a Lotto Super Draw for the National Lottery awards for £10 million; if there had been no winners the jackpot would not have rolled over.

text: The entry fee to the Lotto draw was set at £1 per board from its introduction. Camelot announced that the price was to double to £2 from 3 October 2013, with prizes restructured.[12] The announcement was followed by news that large bonuses were to be set aside for management pay, which drew criticism.[13]

text: The arrival of the new Lotto (October 2013) means bigger Jackpots with an estimated average of £1.1 million extra for Saturday's draw, and £400,000 on Wednesday's draw and people matching 3 numbers receive an extra £15, up from £10 before and an extra £40 for matching 4 numbers. Match 5 numbers you will now receive £500 less, and £50,000 less when matching 5 numbers + the bonus ball Vs. the old payout system.[14] The first two Saturdays had guaranteed Jackpots of £10 million.

text: The draw is conducted twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except that a draw on Christmas Day is moved to Christmas Eve. Saturday draws started on 19 November 1994, under the name 'National Lottery'; the first Wednesday draw was on 5 February 1997. All of the draws are shown live on the official website.

text: Lotto was originally called The National Lottery, but was renamed Lotto in an update in 2002 after ticket sales decreased. Lotto is by far the most popular draw, with around 15 to 45 million tickets sold each draw. The most lottery winners for a single jackpot was 133 in January 1995, each winning £122,510.

text: On 5 October 2013, Camelot launched "New Lotto" - one of the biggest changes to the game in recent history.[15] As part of the refresh, the ticket price doubled to £2, prizes for matching numbers was modified and a new Lotto Raffle was introduced, with at least 50 winners of £20,000 per draw.[16] The announcement and launch of the refreshed Lotto game caused controversy due to the price increase (dubbed as a "tax on the poor") and a drop in some of the prizes.[17] The new game launched with a £10,000,000 jackpot and 1,000 Lotto Raffle winners of £20,000.[18]

text: From 10 October 2015, Camelot announced further changes to the Lotto game which involves the pool of numbers increasing from 49 to 59. Rollovers are uncapped at the number of times they can roll, and tend to rollover about 14 times to reach the jackpot cap. When the jackpot gets to £50,000,000, if no one matches all six main numbers the jackpot will rollover to the following draw. In the event nobody matches all six numbers on that draw the jackpot "rolls down" and combined with the prize fund for the next prize category where there is at least one winner. Change from August 2016: If nobody wins the Lotto jackpot in the draw when it hits £22,000,000 or more, it will roll to the next draw one final time. Then, the jackpot must be won. So, if no one matches all six main numbers, the prize will be shared by the players with the most winning numbers.

text: Since the game rule changes in October 2015 there is also a "match 2" prize of a free lucky dip ticket for another draw with odds of doing so at 1 in 10. This created much criticism as the breakdown of prizes specified on each draw announced by Camelot states the value of each prize (£2 each winner) being included within the draws prize fund itself even though each match 2 prize winner doesn't see any monetary value unless it Matches 3 main numbers or more in the following draw. Included with each Lotto ticket purchased is the Millionaire Lotto Raffle where 20 players win £20,000 each and 1 player wins £1million winner (£1.4million) per draw.

text:
Division of 17.82% of the sales = X

Matching numbers
% of X
Odds of winning

4 numbers
12.9%
2,179 to 1

5 numbers
2.0%
144,414 to 1

5 numbers and bonus ball
1.9%
7,509,578 to 1

6 numbers
83.2%
45,057,474 to 1

The overall odds of winning any prize are 9.3 to 1.

tag: table

text: The "New Lotto" (from October 2015) total prize fund is 47.50% of draw sales in a normal week; included the raffle's fund. The three-ball prize winners, with odds of 96 to 1,[19] receive £25 each; the two-ball prize winners receive a free £2 entry. 17.82% of the sales are divided as shown in the table and split equally with the number of winners for each selection:

text: Lotto Hotpicks[edit]

text:
Lotto Hotpicks odds and payouts

Match
Prize
Odds of winning

1 number
£6
1 in 10

2 numbers
£60
1 in 115

3 numbers
£800
1 in 1,626

4 numbers
£13,000
1 in 30,342

5 numbers
£350,000
1 in 834,398

text: Lotto Hotpicks uses the main Lotto draw for its numbers but is a different game. The player chooses both the numbers and the number of draw balls they want to try to match (up to a maximum of five balls). However, if the player does not match all the numbers chosen, they are not a winner. The National Lottery describes Hotpicks as "five games in one", because the player has a choice of five ways of playing the game, each offering different odds and payouts.

text: With the introduction of 10 new numbers to the main Lotto draw from October 2015 (1-59) the prizes for Lotto HotPicks will also change to:

text: Pick 1 Match 1 Wins £6 (Odds 1:10)

text: Pick 2 Match 2 Wins £60 (Odds 1:115)

text: Pick 3 Match 3 Wins £800 (Odds 1:1,626)

text: Pick 4 Match 4 Wins £13,000 (Odds 1:30,342)

text: Pick 5 Match 5 Wins £350,000 (Odds 1:834,398)

text: The entry fee to the Lotto Hotpicks draw is £1 per board.

text: Thunderball[edit]

text: The Thunderball jackpot draw requires players to pick five main numbers from 1 to 39 and one 'Thunderball' number from 1 to 14 for an entry fee of £1 per board. Prizes may be won by matching the main numbers, with matches of the Thunderball number winning higher prizes. The top prize of the game, now £500,000, is won by matching all five main numbers as well as the Thunderball. There is also a new £3 prize for matching the Thunderball alone. Draws now take place three times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and are shown live on the official website.

text: The first Thunderball draw was held on 12 June 1999 and the draw was originally only held on Saturdays. The rules of Thunderball changed substantially on 9 May 2010. Before this date, Thunderball matches were drawn from numbers 1 to 34; there was no prize for matching the Thunderball number alone, and the top prize (for matching 5 main numbers and the Thunderball) was half the current jackpot at £250,000. After this date, the Friday draw was introduced in addition to the Wednesday and Saturday draws. Following the change of rules, while the chance of winning anything on Thunderball has more than doubled, the chance of winning the top prizes has more than halved.

text: The odds and payouts are as follows:

text:
Old (1999–2010)
New (after May 2010)[20]

Match
Prize
Odds of winning
Prize
Odds of winning

Thunderball only
-
-
£3
1 in 14

1 + Thunderball
£5
1 in 33
£5
1 in 35

2 + Thunderball
£10
1 in 107
£10
1 in 135

3 numbers
£10
1 in 74
£10
1 in 111

3 + Thunderball
£20
1 in 960
£20
1 in 1,437

4 numbers
£100
1 in 2,067
£100
1 in 3,647

4 + Thunderball
£250
1 in 26,866
£250
1 in 47,415

5 numbers
£5,000
1 in 299,661
£5,000
1 in 620,046

5 + Thunderball
£250,000
1 in 3,895,584
£500,000
1 in 8,060,598

text: EuroMillions[edit]

text: On Saturday 7 February 2004 the lottery organisation Camelot launched a pan-European lottery: EuroMillions. The first draw took place on Friday 13 February 2004 in Paris. The UK, France and Spain were involved initially. Lotteries from Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Switzerland joined the draw on 8 October 2004. The draws are currently made in Paris and shown recorded in the UK on BBC One, approximately 3 hours after the draw has taken place. The entry fee to the EuroMillions draw is £2.50 per board. The odds of winning the Jackpot are 139,838,160 to 1.

text: Scratchcards[edit]

text: As well as tickets for the Draw Games, the National Lottery also sells scratchcards.

text: Introduced in 1995, they are small pieces of card where an area has been covered by a thin layer of opaque (and usually designed according to the particular card) latex that can be scratched off. Under this area are concealed the items/pictures that must be found in order to win. Scratchcards can be purchased in most newsagents and supermarkets, they can cost £1, £2, £3, £5 or £10 and come in many different forms, with a variety of prizes and ways to win.

text: The generic scratchcard requires the player to match three of the same prize amounts. If this is accomplished, they win that amount; the highest possible currently being £4,000,000 on a £10 scratchcard.[21] Other scratchcards involve matching symbols, pictures or words. The highest possible prize currently for a £1 scratchcard is £100,000.

text: Initially, all scratchcards were sold for £1. Over the years, scratchcards that range in price from £2 to £10 have become available. More expensive scratchcards are larger and offer more games with higher-value prizes. Some scratchcards even have jackpots other than one-off payments, such as a yearly sum or a car. Odds for winning a top prize on a scratchcard depend greatly on how many have been sold and whether there is any top prize scratchcards in circulation at time of purchase. Generally, the odds of winning a top prize are around 1 in 3,500,000 on most scratchcards.

text: Recently, Camelot have introduced a £10 scratchcard with the chance to instantly win £4,000,000.[21]

text: Online Instant Wins[edit]

text: Instant Win games are online games where the player can win prizes instantly. Some Instant Win games are similar in format to scratchcards, with others involving more interactive play such as dice-rolling or matching special symbols. It is made clear that the Instant Win games are solely based on luck and that no skill or judgement is involved in winning in try or paid games. Players must be registered in order to buy or try an Instant Win. Try games are free of charge and no payouts are made in respect of any prizes which may be won on a try game. As with scratchcards there are a wide variety of Instant Win games available with different odds of winning prizes. Cost to play these games vary from as low as 25p, to a maximum currently of £10 per play. The current highest possible prize to win on Instant Wins is £4 Million on a £10 game. Odds of winning a top prize vary on each Instant Win game, and may be higher or lower than their scratchcard counterpart.

text: UK Millionaire Maker[edit]

text: Each EuroMillions ticket purchased in the UK contains a unique " UK Millionaire Maker code", consisting of four letters and five numbers. There are two winners per draw (with the exception of a special draw), with each winner winning a fixed £1,000,000.[22] Odds of winning depend on the number of tickets sold for that particular draw in the UK, but are generally 1 in 1,900,000 on Tuesdays and 1 in 2,950,000 on Fridays.[23]

text: Millionaire Raffle[edit]

text: Following the changes to the Lotto game, Camelot introduced the Millionaire Raffle (known previously as Lotto Raffle). A raffle number is included automatically with each line of Lotto numbers bought. Each raffle number consists of a colour and 8 numbers (e.g. AQUA 4579 2965). Each winning raffle number wins a fixed amount of £20,000. Before Oct 2015, 50 raffle numbers were drawn with each Lotto draw and the number of raffle winners increased by 50 each time the Lotto jackpot rolled over, with as many as 250 raffle winners in the event of a quadruple rollover.

text: From 10 October 2015, the prize structure was changed, with 20 prizes of £20,000 and one prize of £1,000,000 with each Lotto draw.

text: Discontinued games[edit]

text: Lotto Extra[edit]

text:
Lotto Extra odds and payouts

Match
Prize
Odds of winning

6 numbers
Jackpot
1 in 13,983,815

The maximum jackpot was £50m

text: Lotto Extra was introduced on 13 November 2000 and was originally called The National Lottery Extra but renamed Lotto Extra in 2002. It was an add on from the main draw where a player could select "Lotto Extra same numbers" or a lucky dip. Players would pick six numbers from 49 and there were no lower tier prizes so a perfect match was required. The last draw was on 8 July 2006 and it was replaced by Dream Number.

text: Dream Number[edit]

text:
Dream Number

Match
Prize
Odds of winning

1st number only
£2
1 in 11.2

1st 2 numbers
£10
1 in 111.2

1st 3 numbers
£100
1 in 1,111.2

1st 4 numbers
£500
1 in 11,112

1st 5 numbers
£5,000
1 in 111,112

1st 6 numbers
£50,000
1 in 1,111,112

all 7 numbers
£500,000
1 in 10,000,000

The overall odds of winning any prize were 1 in 10.
Source: National Lottery Players Guide

text: Dream Number was launched on 15 July 2006. It involved a random seven digit number generated for entry into the main draw. It was played independently of Lotto, or if played with Lotto one Dream Number was generated per ticket, not per Lotto entry. The cost of entry was £1. A dream number was printed on every Lotto ticket bought, whether the player had chosen to enter it into the draw or not. Unlike other Lotto games, it was not possible to choose the number entered, and the order that the numbers were drawn was significant, as the numbers had to be matched in the same order for the player to win. Players had to match with the first number in order to start winning prizes (ranging from £2 to £500,000), which meant that 90% of players lost as soon as the first ball was drawn. Draws took place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but only the Saturday draw was televised. The Wednesday draw took place prior to the live TV show and the winning dream number was announced during the show. All money raised for good causes from Dream Number went towards the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. The National Lottery closed the Dream Number game on Wednesday 9 February 2011, which was also the date of the last Dream Number draw. It was then replaced by Lotto Plus 5.

text: Daily Play[edit]

text:
Daily Play

Match
Prize
Odds of winning

0 numbers
£1 Daily Play
Lucky Dip Ticket
1 in 11.5

4 numbers
£5
1 in 22.3

5 numbers
£30
1 in 222.6

6 numbers
£300
1 in 6,343.1

7 numbers
£30,000
1 in 888,030

The overall odds of winning a prize were 1 in 7.4
Source: National Lottery Daily Play Game Rules & Procedures

text: The Daily Play draw started on Monday 22 September 2003 and could be played every day except Sunday and Christmas Day. By selecting seven numbers between 1 and 27, players could win anything from a free lucky dip to £30,000. The draw gave its players the chance to win a free daily play lucky-dip for not matching any numbers in the draw. The entry fee to the Daily Play draw was £1 per board.

text: Daily Play draws were broadcast via a webcast. In addition, from March 2005 to October 2005, the Daily Play draw was broadcast live on Challenge TV in the Glory Ball show, hosted by Jean Anderson, James McCourt, Jayne Sharp and Nikki Cowan.[24]

text: The National Lottery Daily Play Draw ended on Friday, 6 May 2011.[25]

text: Lotto Plus 5[edit]

text:
Lotto Plus 5

Matching Numbers
Prize
Odds of winning

3 numbers
£2.50
56.65592 to 1

4 numbers
£25
1,032.397 to 1

5 numbers
£250
55,491.33 to 1

5 numbers and bonus ball
£25,000
2,330,636 to 1

6 numbers
£250,000
13,983,815 to 1

The overall odds of winning any prize is 52.65514 to 1 per draw.

The overall odds of winning any prize is 10.13855 to 1 per Plus 5 draw week.

text: Lotto Plus 5 was introduced in 2011[26] to plug the gaps between the Wednesday and Saturday Lotto draws, meaning it takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Players can enter by paying an extra £1 when buying their Lotto ticket, which enters the same ticket numbers into five separate draws. Each draw offers fixed prizes for matching 3, 4, 5 and 6 numbers, with the jackpot being worth £250,000. It has been estimated that the game produces an extra 500,000 Lotto winners every week. Due to the changes to the main Lotto game (most notably the introduction of the Lotto raffle), Plus 5 was discontinued; The last Plus 5 draw was played on 1 October 2013, with the last date to buy a ticket being 23 September 2013.

text: Vernons Easy Play[edit]

text: The National Lottery teamed up with Vernons to create a football pools type lottery. Players marked a playslip to state how many lines they wanted to play.

text: The lottery terminal allocated 10 football fixtures on the players ticket who then attempted to match these fixtures that resulted in a score draw. (1-1, 2-2, 3-3)

text: To win players needed to match at least 5 fixtures which resulted in a score draw which always won £5. Matching 6 won between £6 and £530 depending on how many total score draws there were in total over all the fixtures played. Matching 7 score draws won between £27 and £67,000 depending on total score draws. And matching 8 won from £1850 to £667,000.

text: Basically, the more score draws there are, the easier it is to win. This resulted in the payouts being fixed entirely on how many score draws there were.

text: This was a really difficult game to understand and at one point Vernons and Camelot were ready to discontinue the game after just 3 months, however the game went on to survive one full football season only in the mid 1990s.

text: Tickets were £1 per entry.

text: Big Draw 2000 / Big Draw 2003[edit]

text: Originally, this special one-off draw was made to commemorate the arrival of the new Millennium, but another attempt was made in 2002 to celebrate the new year of 2003.

text: Players would choose 5 years from 1900 to 1999 (in the 2003 version this was altered to 1901 to 2000) or a lucky dip on their Big Draw ticket for the first game, and if they matched all 5 main years, they win the jackpot (lower prize tiers were also available for matching 2 to 4 main years or matching 4 main years + bonus year if the player doesn't match all 5 main years). Two years; one from the old Millennium and one from the new Millennium were also printed at the bottom of the ticket (old Millennium having anything from 1000 to 1999, and new Millennium having anything from 2000 to 2999) for the second game, and if the player matched both years on their Big Draw ticket, they would win the jackpot.

text: Five years and a bonus year would be drawn at random from the machine for the first game, but for the second game, two pairs of machines were used: for the ones for the old Millennium; the left machine would have the numbers from 10 to 19, and the right machine having the numbers 00 to 99. For the ones for the new Millennium; the left machine would have the numbers 20 to 29, and the right machine having the numbers from 00 to 99. One number was drawn at random from each of those machines; each pair creating a year.

text: Other ways to play[edit]

text: As well as by purchasing a ticket at a shop, tickets can be purchased many other ways.

text: Online[edit]

text: All National Lottery games can be played online after registering. There are two ways of playing the lotto online.

text: Direct Debit. Players can sign up by registering their bank account details and their saved numbers will be automatically entered. The National Lottery notifies winners by email if they have won although this will not be on the evening of the draw and notification is usually by 12 noon the following day. This method is only available for the main Lotto and Thunderball games.

text: Loaded Account. Funds are loaded into a player's account and are played as required. The National Lottery notifies winners by email if they have won on the draw games, or in the case of the lower prize Instant Wins, transfer the winnings to their account. The current minimum loading amount is £10.00 GBP.

text: Text[edit]

text: The Play By Text service closed Sunday 30 June 2013. Before then, players had been able to play the Lotto, Thunderball, EuroMillions and Lotto HotPicks by text after registering their mobile phone number. The discontinued games Dream Number and Daily Play also allowed text entry.

text: Sky Active[edit]

text: Lotto and EuroMillions were once available for play through Sky Active; however, this service was discontinued in September 2009. Prior to its discontinuation, players could purchase up to eight weeks worth of tickets at a time.[27]

text: Barclays Pingit[edit]

text: From July 2015 Barclays included a function in their Pingit app to allow the purchase of Lottery tickets, both for the National Lottery and Euromillions. Only lucky dip lottery tickets can be purchased currently. For smaller winnings, these are paid directly into the Pingit account within 1 day.[28]

text: Olympic Lottery[edit]

text: Following the success of London's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics, Olympic Lottery Scratchcards were launched on 27 July 2005 under the brand name "Go for Gold". 28% of the price of £1 went to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund, and the scratchcards were intended to raise £750,000,000 towards the cost of staging the games.[29]

text: The National Lottery on television[edit]

text: The majority of National Lottery draws take place on live television. The first National Lottery show (entitled The National Lottery Live: The First Draw) was at 7pm on Saturday 19 November 1994. Presented by Noel Edmonds, this was an hour long special, in which 49 contestants competed to become the first person to start the draw, the first person being 18-year-old Deborah Walsh. The first number to be drawn was 30. For its first few years, the TV show took the title The National Lottery Live, and was presented mainly by Anthea Turner or Bob Monkhouse. Other notable presenters during this period included Dale Winton, Carol Smillie, Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson. On 30 November 1996, live on BBC One, the draw machine failed to start.[30]

text: During the 2000 Today broadcast on 31 December 1999, a special Big Draw 2000 drawing was held to ring in the new millennium (despite it having a few problems) This special Big Draw returned again on 31 December 2002 as Big Draw 2003 (with no problems with the draw compared to last time).

text: On 20 May 2006, during the draw on The National Lottery Jet Set that took place minutes before the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, several members of the group Fathers 4 Justice protested on the set causing the show to be taken off air for several minutes while the protesters were removed from the studio.[31][32]

text: On 7 November 2015, live on BBC One, the Lotto draw machine failed to release all the balls, causing the draw to be postponed. The draw laterly took place off air, and the results were posted on the website.

text: Traditionally, the draws would take place in the BBC studio during the game show on Saturdays (and sometimes Wednesdays). However, in more recent years, the channel airing the lottery draw has pre-recorded the non-draw parts of the show and then switched to National Lottery HQ, a designated studio for the live draws.

text: Wednesday draws used to have their own 10-minute slot on BBC One. Traditionally, it would take place in the same set as the game show in the BBC studio, and presented by the same host presenting the game show. However, in more recent years, the lottery was hosted by various presenters in the National Lottery HQ Studio, some presenters included Gethin Jones, Christopher Biggins, and John Barrowman. The presenters included OJ Borg, Matt Johnson and Jenni Falconer. It is Alan Dedicoat who provides the voice-over of announcing the balls drawn and sometimes interacting with the presenter, he is known as The Voice Of the Balls with Charles Nove as the substitute in case he's not in the broadcast.

text: As of 7 January 2012 there have been a total of 1678 draws which consist of 784 Wednesday draws and 894 Saturday draws. In a plan to spread BBC productions across the United Kingdom, all lottery shows were be relocated to BBC Scotland. UKTV Gold additionally hosted the Euromillions: Boom Bang show, which was broadcast every Friday.

text: From January 2013, the Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday draws are no longer broadcast, and are available to watch exclusively on the National Lottery's website. There is still a results update on BBC One at 10:35pm. On 24 November 2016, it was announced that the televised draws would be axed and moved to BBC iPlayer in January 2017.[33] Its last broadcast was on New Year's Eve 2016-17.

text: National Lottery Xtra[edit]

text: Between 10 March 2008 and 1 February 2010, the "National Lottery Xtra" channel was broadcast on Freeview channel 45 for one hour a day. Programming included content from winners of the jackpot and National Lottery Good Causes projects, as well as behind-the-scenes footage on how the National Lottery was operated.

text: Good causes[edit]

text: It was announced during the live Saturday night draw show on 30 March 2007 that The National Lottery has so far raised £20 billion (US$39.2 billion) for 'good causes', a programme which distributes money via grants. 28% of lottery revenue goes towards the fund, along with all unclaimed prizes. Additionally, 12% goes to the state. The prize fund is 50% of revenue, with the remaining 10% going towards running costs and profits for the lottery organisers and ticket sellers.

text: The distribution of money to 'good causes' is not the responsibility of the operator (Camelot). It is the responsibility of the twelve distributors that make up The National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF), administered by the government Department for Culture, Media and Sport. At present, 40% is awarded to health, education, environment and charitable causes, 20% to Sports, 20% to Arts and 20% to Heritage.[34] On 19 November 2014, the National Lottery celebrated 20 years of its Good Causes fund, which as of 2014, has raised £32 billion for charities and projects in the UK. The National Lottery celebrated the 20th anniversary with the, 'Just Imagine' campaign which highlighted how the money has filtered through society to improve UK communities. Notable facts included that Good Causes had funded over 1300 elite athletes including Sir Chris Hoy, invested £43.5 million into the National Cycle Network and funded 12,700 after school clubs.[35]

text: The Heritage Lottery Fund was set up by the government in 1994 to provide money for "projects involving the local, regional and national heritage". The funds come from the money raised by the National Lottery's 'Good Causes'.[36] Since 1994, the Heritage Lottery Fund has given grants totalling approximately £4 billion to more than 26,000 projects.[36]

text: In 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the National Lottery, the National Lottery Awards were instituted as an annual event to provide recognition of the work of Lottery funded projects around the UK. Certain projects are selected as the best in particular categories. The trophies were designed and produced by Gaudio Awards.

text: Percentage return[edit]

text: The National Lottery is a jackpot system with the majority of winnings going to those few players who pick all six numbers. The average percentage return is the share of the ticket sales devoted to prize funds, about 45% (i.e., 45% of the money spent on tickets would be won in prizes). The spread of returns will be very wide and influenced by several factors that change week-by-week (e.g. the number of tickets sold, the "distinctiveness" and popularity of the winning numbers). Over an extremely long period (tens of millions of draws) the return on investment would approach the average, about 45% (a 55% loss). Over a shorter period there is a very small chance of a big win, but otherwise an average return of less than 45%; a numerical experiment using 10,000 random sets of numbers each week for 3 years found that, had the tickets been bought, the rate of return would have been less than 30%.

text: In their book "Scenarios for Risk Management and Global Investment Strategies",[37] academics Rachel E S Ziemba and William T Ziemba say with regard to 6/49 lotteries, "Random numbers have an expected loss of about 55%. However, six-tuples of unpopular numbers have an edge with expected returns exceeding their cost by about 65%. The expected value rises and approaches $2.25 per dollar wagered when there are carryovers [UK term: rollovers]. Random numbers, such as those from lucky dip and quick pick, and popular numbers are worth more with carryovers but never have an advantage." They conclude that, due to the time that would be required to achieve success, "except for millionaires and pooled syndicates, it is not possible to use the unpopular numbers in a scientific way to beat the lotto and have high confidence of becoming rich; these aspiring millionaires will also most likely be residing in a cemetery when their distant heirs reach the goal".

text: Unclaimed prizes[edit]

text: Winning tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the draw taking place. If a prize is unclaimed within that time, it is distributed through the National Lottery Distribution Fund. For all major prizes (£50,000 and over) approximately two weeks after the draw, if no claim has been received, the area in which the ticket was purchased is released.

text: The highest unclaimed prize distributed this way to date was a winning ticket worth £63,837,543.60 which was bought in the Stevenage and Hitchin area for the Euromillions draw of 8 June 2012.[38] This was a world record unclaimed prize. All investment income from unclaimed prizes also goes to good causes via the National Lottery Distribution Fund.[39]

text: Regulation[edit]

text: The National Lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission — a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Until 1 April 1999 the National Lottery was regulated by the Office of the National Lottery (known by the acronym OFLOT).

text: The Lottery was set up in 1993 under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993[40] and was reformed under the National Lottery Act 1998[41] and the National Lottery Act 2006.[42]

text: The National Lottery is a member of the World Lottery Association.[43]

text: Machine appearances[edit]

text: The national lottery have a number of different machines and ball sets which are selected by either a celebrity or a member of the general public. This is used to randomise the process and create an independent selection of machinery to reduce the chance of human override. Below is a table of how many times each machine has appeared in the main National Lottery, or Lotto game.

text: As of Saturday 3 May 2014[44]

text:
Machine
Appearances

Guinevere 1
331

Arthur 1/3/4
340

Lancelot 2/3
297

Merlin 2/4
214

Galahad
52

Vyvyan
48

Amethyst
172

Moonstone
66

Opal
56

Topaz
157

Pearl
32

Garnet
16

Sapphire
135

text: 1Note, on the draw on Saturday 17 September 2011, they announced that Arthur with set of balls 3 was chosen, but they were using Guinevere due to technical difficulties. Arthur wasn't used again until the draw on Saturday 8 October 2011.

text: 2Also note, on the draw on Saturday 14 April 2012, they announced that Merlin with set of balls 5 was chosen, but they were using Lancelot due to technical difficulties. Merlin wasn't used again until the draw on Saturday 8 December 2012.

text: 3Also note, on the draw on Saturday 12 May 2012, they announced that Arthur with set of balls 5 was chosen, but they were using Lancelot due to technical difficulties. Arthur wasn't used again until the draw on Saturday 5 January 2013.

text: 4Also note, on the draw on Saturday 31 August 2013, they announced that Arthur with set of balls 3 was chosen, but they were using Merlin due to technical difficulties. Arthur wasn't used again until the draw on Wednesday 18 September 2013.

text: Game shows[edit]


document_title: The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)

question_text: who played maid marian in robin hood tv series

text: Characters[edit]

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
Robin Hood (Robin of Locksley), a Saxon nobleman returned from the Crusades and forced into outlawry in Sherwood Forest. Played by Richard Greene.
The Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood's enemy who schemes to capture the outlaw. Played by Alan Wheatley.
Little John, Robin Hood's trusted friend and his second in command. Played by Archie Duncan. Duncan was briefly replaced by Rufus Cruikshank for ten episodes after Duncan was injured when a horse bolted toward the spectators, mostly children, watching the location filming of the episode "Checkmate" on 20 April 1955. Archie Duncan grabbed the bridle, stopping the horse, but the cart it was pulling ran him over, causing a fractured kneecap and cuts and bruises. He received the Queen's Commendation for Bravery Award and £1,360 in damages from Sapphire Films.
Maid Marian (Lady Marian Fitzwalter), a Norman-Irish noblewoman and Robin Hood's lover. Played in series one and two by Bernadette O'Farrell and in series three and four by Patricia Driscoll.
Friar Tuck, a member of Robin Hood's band. Played by Alexander Gauge.
Will Scarlet, a member of Robin Hood's band. Played by Ronald Howard (two episodes, series 1) and Paul Eddington (series 4).
Derwent, a member of Robin's band. Played by Victor Woolf. Excepting Robin, this character was featured in the most episodes of the show, a total of 112.
Joan, the barmaid at the Blue Boar Inn, a friend of Robin and his band. Played by Simone Lovell.
Sir Richard of the Lea, a friend of Robin and his band. Played by Ian Hunter. Hunter had earlier played King Richard the Lionheart in the 1938 production The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn.
Lady Leonia, wife of Sir Richard of the Lea. Played by Patricia Burke in five episodes.
The Deputy Sheriff of Nottingham, (the Sheriff's replacement in series 4), played by John Arnatt.

text: Minor characters[edit]

text:
Alan-a-Dale, a member of Robin Hood's band. Played by John Schlesinger (two episodes), Richard Coleman (three episodes, series 4).
Ethel, Derwent's wife played by Paula Byrne

text: Historical characters[edit]

text:
Queen Eleanor, mother of King Richard and Prince John. Played by (Jill Esmond) (two episodes, series 1)
Richard the Lionheart, the King of England and brother of Prince John. Played by Patrick Barr (two episodes, series 1)
Prince John, the scheming friend of the Sheriff of Nottingham and brother of King Richard. Played by Donald Pleasence, Hubert Gregg, and Brian Haines.
Princess Avice of Gloucester, the first wife of Prince John played by Helen Cherry before her divorce from John,
Isabella of Angoulême, the second wife of Prince John played by Zena Walker before her marriage to John though not played as a 12-year-old.
Prince Arthur played by Peter Asher (three episodes, series 1 & 2), Richard O'Sullivan (one episode, series 3) and Jonathon Bailey (one episode, series 4)
Constance, Duchess of Brittany (Prince Arthur's mother), played by Dorothy Alison (three episodes, series 1 & 2), Pamela Alan (one episode, series 3), and Patricia Marmont (one episode, series 4)
King William the Lion of Scotland played by Duncan McKintrye.

text: Many familiar faces pop up, including: Lionel Jeffries (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Leslie Phillips, Jane Asher, Anne Reid (Coronation Street and Dinnerladies), Edward Mulhare (Knight Rider), Patrick Troughton (the Second Doctor), Irene Handl, Nicholas Parsons, Desmond Llewelyn (Q in the early Bond films), Sid James, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw (Carry On films), Leo McKern (Rumpole of the Bailey), Alfie Bass, Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell (Steptoe and Son), Richard O'Sullivan (Man About the House), Billie Whitelaw, Ronald Allen, and Gordon Jackson. John Schlesinger as an actor appeared in three episodes as singing minstrels (Hale and Alan a Dale (series 2)).

text: A number of actors appeared in supporting roles in most episodes, for series 1 these include: Victor Woolf, Willoughby Gray, and John Longden, and for later series include: Paul Hansard, Morris Barry, Patrick Troughton, Wilfrid Brambell, Nigel Davenport, Kevin Stoney, Ronald Hines, and Max Faulkner, who also did stunt/double work. Frank Maher (later Patrick McGoohan's stunt double) played many small non-speaking parts, and stuntman Terry Yorke, who doubled for Richard Greene, played many small roles throughout all four series.

text: Plot and writing[edit]

text: The series is set in the 12th century, during the reign of King Richard. Robin of Locksley, a nobleman, is forced into the life of an outlaw, dwelling in Sherwood Forest with a band of men who right the wrongs committed by the rich and powerful against the poor and defenceless. He was given the name Robin Hood by the outlaw band's leader, Will Scatlock, who was fatally wounded. Hood's enemy in the series is the Sheriff of Nottingham who, with his cohorts, schemes to capture the outlaw by any means possible. Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Maid Marian), a young noblewoman and Robin Hood's lover, keeps him informed of the Sheriff of Nottingham's whereabouts and intentions. Episodes are punctuated with manly deeds of derring-do, tense escapes and pursuits, princely tournaments, the thundering hoof-beats of powerful steeds, the clattering of flashing swords, and the whizzing of fatally-placed arrows.

text: In "A Year and A Day" (series 2), a refugee peasant explains that, under English law, a peasant who escapes serfdom and lives in a city for "a year and a day" is a free man, given the man lives openly, not in hiding. When Robin Hood helps the peasant move about the city, the Sheriff invokes "the law of hue and cry", explaining that any man within hearing must drop his chores and help apprehend the felon. In "A Christmas Goose" (series 3), a boy's goose nips a lord's horse so the lord is thrown. The lord condemns the goose to death – for his Christmas dinner.  But Robin Hood counters that under English common law, an accused animal is entitled to a fair trial, the same as a human. While Robin Hood drags out the trial, Friar Tuck gets the cook drunk and switches geese. When the deception is revealed, the lord relents and pardons the goose. Two episodes, "Brother Battle" (#84) and "To Be a Student" (#90) emphasized the Catholic Church's struggle to educate commoners, and even the children of serfs, despite laws forbidding the practice and in the face of opposition from the nobility.

text: The writers created supporting characters who were likable and occasionally resourceful. In "The Goldmaker's Return" (series 2), Robin Hood is away in France on a mission. Lady Marian, Little John, and the other Merry Men carry the day without the star of the show ever showing his face. Most of the time, however, Robin is required to save the day following the usual comment about "Many men will be noticed.  Only one going in will be successful", etc. Despite simplistic plotting required by the 30-minute format, the writing was both professional in its handling of situations, and pointed in its dialog. Anachronisms abound: the lipsticked girl with modern hairdo in the Friar Tuck episode, for instance, wine cups for each occupant at a table in "Checkmate" when that only became the practice hundreds of years later, the 20th century school implements in "Brother Battle", and a "bard" in "The Challenge" episode who sings a song to the late 17th-century tune of "Lillibullero" in 13th-century England.  All this is typical of every series of historical fiction, but the show's producers pointed with pride to their accuracy, courtesy of hired consultants.

text: There was also an element of self-parody at times that sat uneasily on the series. In one episode, "The Challenge", the plot-as-such was finished halfway through the show, and during the rest, the hapless Richard of the Lea and his wife worried as their larder and wine cellar were emptied during a siege with Robin, Little John, and Tuck eating and dancing all day and night.

text: Episodes[edit]

text: 143 episodes were filmed in four series.

text: Production details[edit]

text: Blacklisted writers[edit]

text: The Adventures of Robin Hood was produced by Hannah Weinstein, who had left-wing political views. Weinstein hired many blacklisted American writers to script episodes of the series: these included Ring Lardner Jr., Waldo Salt, Robert Lees, and Adrian Scott. Howard Koch, who was also blacklisted, served for a while as the series' script editor. The blacklisted writers were credited under pseudonyms, to avoid the attention of studio executives.[9]

text: (The sponsored prints of the first five episodes of series one, screened by CBS in the US on its first run, had no writer credits on their end title sequences; writers were only credited on sponsored prints from episode 6 onward, only later non-sponsored US re-run prints of series one have writer credits for these episodes, some of which differ from writer credits on UK prints. As an example, Lawrence McClellan is credited as writer of "The Coming of Robin Hood" on US prints, for the UK the pseudonym used is Eric Heath.)[10]

text: After the blacklist collapsed, Lardner said that the series' format allowed him "plenty of opportunities to comment on issues and institutions in Eisenhower-era America"; presumably "A Tuck in Time" was such an episode, in which a twin of Friar Tuck arrives boasting of his willingness to sell a weapon that could destroy the world.  In addition to the redistributive themes of a hero who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, many episodes in the programme's first two seasons included the threat that Robin and his band would be betrayed to the authorities by friends or loved ones, much as the blacklisted writers had been.[9] But the half-hour length episodes and broad-target market precluded any political criticism that went beyond the generalities of 19th century Robin Hood revival books.

text: Filming[edit]

text: Whilst interiors were filmed at Nettlefold Studios, location shooting for the series took place on the nearby Wisley Common, Wisley, Surrey, and at the adjoining Foxwarren Park estate, near Cobham, owned by Hannah Weinstein. Horses used for filming were also stabled at Foxwarren House, which had a projection room for viewing daily film rushes and completed films. In 1956 a replica castle exterior, complete with drawbridge, was built in the grounds of the estate for filming of The Adventures of Sir Lancelot series (it features prominently in title sequence for the colour episodes), this was used predominantly for castle scenes in series 3 & 4 of Robin Hood, it first appears as Chateau Marmont in "The Bandit of Brittany" during series 2, in place of the standing castle and village set on the backlot at Nettlefold studios used in series 1 & most of series 2.

text: As well as this, establishing shots and short film sequences were also shot at various medieval buildings in the UK including: Allington Castle in Kent, this was used to establish Fitzwalter Castle, Marian's home in the series, Painshill Park, near Cobham, Saltwood Castle in Hythe, and Pencoed Castle near Magor in Monmouthshire. Three Northumberland sites were used – Alnwick Castle, Lindisfarne Castle, and Warkworth Castle. Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, Leith Hill near Dorking, Framlingham Castle in Suffolk, Newark Priory near Ripley, Castle Mill in Dorking, and Newark Mill amongst others were used through the series.

text: Crew[edit]

text:
Directors of Photography – Gerald Gibbs (series 1), Ken Hodges (series 1–4), Ernest Palmer (series 2), Michael Reed (series 2–3), Ian Craig (series 4)
Camera Operators – Noel Rowland (series 1–4), Eric Williams (series 4)
Art Directors – Peter Proud (series 1), John Blezard (series 2–4), Peter Mullins (series 2–3)
Production Designer – Peter Proud (series 2)
Art Supervisor – William Kellner (series 2)
Assistant Director – Christopher Noble
Sound – H.P. Pearson
Film Editors – Bill Lewthwaite, Peter Seabourne, Harry Booth, Inman Hunter, and Thelma Connell (series 1), Joan Warwick (series 2–4), David Hawkins (series 2), Lee Doig (series 3–4), Peter Rolfe Johnson (series 4), Richard Sidwell (series 4)
Dubbing Editors – Harry Booth and Michael Deeley (series 1), Freddie Cook (series 2)
Supervising Film Editors – Thelma Connell (series 1–2), Maurice Rootes (series 2)
Continuity – Joanna Busby/Barbara Thomas (series 1) Olga Marshall (series 2)
Make-Up Supervisor – Walter Schneiderman
Hairdressers – Eileen Bates (series 1–2), Bill Griffiths (series 1), Betty Sheriff (series 2)
Wardrobe Supervisor – Brenda Gardner
Script Editors – Albert G. Ruben (series 1–3), Kathryn Dawes (series 2), Peggy Phillips (series 2–3), Raymond Bowers (series 4)
Production Supervisor/Manager – George Mills (series 1), Harold Buck (series 1–4)
Assistant Producer – John C. George
Production Associate – Richard Greene (series 4)
Associate Producer – Thelma Connell (series 2–4)
Producer – Sidney Cole (series 1–4) (credited as Associate Producer on series 1)
Executive Producer – Hannah Weinstein

text: Music[edit]

text: Each episode in the first two series started with a country scene of faux-normal life in Olde England during which an introductory poem in rhymed cadence to the tune of the English folksong "Early One Morning," which derived from a much later period than the series.  The poem was a humorous summary vignette of what could be expected in the episode. An actor portraying the Minstrel would use the same melody at the final fade to black before the end credits for 1st run CBS sponsored screenings in the USA, letting viewers know that the sponsor "now begs a word with you."

text: "Sumer Is Icumen In"--an English ballad actually sung in the 12th century--is featured throughout the series. At times it is heard as background music at parties. In "The Betrothal," Sir Richard's son plays it on his flute while his betrothed sings it. In the episode "Carlotta," Little John sings it to his sweetheart. In "The Path of True Love," Marian sings it to stall Sir Charles. In one of its most prominent uses, Robin forces a group of soldiers to sing it. It is worth noting that this melody was whistled by Little John before his first meeting with Robin in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

text: The Merry Men perform the soul cake song in "The Thorkil Ghost," with Derwent singing a solo.

text: Theme song[edit]

text: Carl Sigman wrote the words and music for the theme song which was sung by Dick James. The song is still fondly remembered:

text:
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Riding through the glen
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, With his band of men
Feared by the bad, Loved by the good
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood

He called the greatest archers to a tavern on the green
They vowed to help the people of the king
They handled all the trouble on the English country scene
And still found plenty of time to sing

text: [Chorus (1st paragraph) repeat]

text: In 1956 the theme song was released on Parlophone records by Dick James with Stephen James and his chums and Ron Goodwin's Orchestra and reached number 14 in the UK charts (78rpm single:R.4117/45rpm single:MSP6199), and by PYE records as a 78rpm single by Gary Miller with Tony Osbourne orchestra and the Beryl Stott chorus (PYE N.15020) and reached number 10 on the UK charts. Versions by Frankie Laine (CBS Coronet), Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra (Capitol), Alan Dale (Coral), Joe Reisman's orchestra and chorus (RCA Victor), and Ronnie Ronaldo (Colombia) were also issued. These versions had the extended song with fives verses and the chorus six times. The sound effect at the atart of the theme tune, of the arrow being fired into a tree, was produced by record producer Joe Meek, who was also the recording engineer on the Gary Miller version. [11]

text: This song was parodied by Monty Python's Flying Circus in their Dennis Moore sketch, which depicted a masked highwayman from the 18th century (more like the Scarlet Pimpernel) stealing lupins from the rich to give to the poor. It is also played at every Nottingham Forest home match.

text: "Robin des Bois" was the theme recorded for the French TV market, sung in French, it can be heard on the 3rd series episode "Farewell to Tuck" released by Network on DVD. The series was first broadcast in France as "Aventures dans la Foret de Sherwood" in 1965 on ORTF. Other countries to broadcast the series include Canada 1955–1958 on CBOT, Toronto, and CKCO, Kitchener, Ontario, Australia 1956–1961 on HSV7 (The Seven Network), Finland in 1964 on NORDEEZE, Holland in 1965/66 on AVRO and Germany between 1971 and 1974 on ARD.

text: First series episodes also exist with a variant downbeat instrumental end theme by Edwin Astley, it can be heard on the episode "The Highlander" released by Network DVD.

text: Artistic details[edit]

text: Art director Peter Proud, an expert at wartime camouflage, hit on the idea of putting many props on wheels to facilitate quick set changes, since one 26-minute episode was shot every four and a half days. The show boasted "140 set pieces (baronial fireplaces, staircases, stone walls, entrance halls, and the like)". There was some outdoor location filming, mainly involving horse-riding doubles and stuntmen, and without dialogue recording. Sets were designed from parchments and sketches from the British Museum, and modelled on the castles of Harlech, Farleigh, and Framlingham. Some of the 100 soldiers who manned the battlements of Nottingham Castle were miniature toy soldiers.[12]

text: Sponsorship[edit]

text: In the US the original CBS syndication prints had a few variants to the original UK prints, after the brief title sequence the US prints would repeat this sequence but with "Brought to You By" and after the arrow strikes the tree the sponsors name "Wildroot Cream-Oil" superimposed, "Johnson & Johnson" sponsored episodes had a voice-over over the opening titles "Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood" and over the repeated sequence "presented by" followed by the names of two Johnson & Johnson products, images of which would appear over the shot of the arrow in the tree, a commercial featuring one of the products would then be shown, the Wildroot Cream-Oil sponsored episodes would then feature an animated commercial showing a Robin Hood–type figure with lank hair and a dinosaur. A Minstrel song would then be sung at the beginning of each episode, over the episode title, providing a playful poetic synopsis in short prose of what could be expected to be seen. After the final fade to black a sequence featuring an actor playing the Minstrel would be shown as he sang these lyrics to the tune of "Early One Morning": "We'll have the merry time again with Robin and his Merry Men and the folk who'll bring him to you then now beg a word with you." followed by a commercial for the next week's sponsor before the end titles would be shown, (Wildroot Cream Oil and Johnson & Johnson sponsored alternate episodes) the end credits start with the opening sequence, with Sandy Becker mentioning the sponsors name again, and the sponsors product appearing on screen through the end titles which are shown over the shot of the tree. This caption also appeared: "This film was flown to the USA via Pan American World Airways". The opening minstrel tunes were also sung to the tune of 'Early One Morning'. There were two sponsors of the CBS syndicated screenings, Wildroot Cream-Oil (a hair tonic company), and Johnson & Johnson (known in the UK and US for its baby powder). The commercials involved "within" the episodes appeared originally on all three Seasons broadcast at 7.30pm (eastern standard time) /6.30pm (central standard time) Monday nights on CBS (not series 4).[10]

text: Alternative title captions appear over the opening sequence on some US prints. Instead of "Richard Greene in The Adventures of Robin Hood" they state "Richard Greene plays Robin Hood – Adventures in Sherwood Forest". This practice occurred because of an FCC rule demanding that reruns of a series be retitled for syndication packaging if aired while first-run episodes of the series were still being shown on one of the three major networks. Five years of "Gunsmoke" episodes, for instance, were retitled "Marshall Dillon" for syndicated run because "Gunsmoke" was still going strong on CBS.

text: Alternate US end credit titles crediting the series as "A Hannah Weinstein Production for Sapphire Films Limited" (and for later episodes from 1958 "A Hannah Fisher Production") also exist.

text: In the UK, at the time, sponsorship of programmes was not allowed and each episode had one commercial break in the middle.

text: Influence[edit]

text: The series was an immediate hit on both sides of the Atlantic, drawing 32,000,000 viewers per week.[12] Sapphire films were commissioned to make four other series by Lew Grade: The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956/57) (broadcast by NBC on Monday nights at 8.00 pm), The Buccaneers (1956/57) (broadcast by CBS on Saturday nights at 7.30 pm), Sword of Freedom (1957/58), and The Four Just Men (1958/59). ITC continued to make and sell TV series to the US until the late 1970s, including The Saint, The Prisoner, Thunderbirds, Space 1999, The Muppet Show and many more.

text: Merchandise[edit]

text: Products[edit]

text: Many licensed products and knockoffs were sold, including books, jigsaw puzzles, iron-on patches, toy bows and arrows, a series of bubble gum cards, and more. The "Robin Hood" shoe brand sporting Richard Green's likeness on the interior heel lasted long after the series stopped production. Magazine Enterprises featured Richard Greene photos on three Robin Hood comic books. Robin and Marian made the cover of TV Guide in the Week of 12–18 May 1956.

text: DVD[edit]

text: In Region 1, Mill Creek Entertainment has released all 4 seasons on DVD.  They have also released a complete series set featuring all 143 episodes of the series.[13]

text: Alpha Video has released 22 single volume collections of the series, featuring various episodes.[14]

text: In Region 2, Network DVD has released all 4 seasons on DVD in the UK.

text: Three DVD boxsets of the series have also been released in Germany by KNM Home Entertainment as "Die Abenteuer Von Robin Hood" with German language soundtracks in 2009.

text:
DVD Name

Ep#

Release dates

Region 1

Region 2

The Complete First Season

39

18 March 2008[15]

3 March 2008[16]

The Complete Second Season

39

14 October 2008[17]

1 December 2008[18]

The Complete Third Season

39

31 March 2009[19]

1 November 2008[20]

The Complete Fourth Season

26

25 August 2009[21]

24 January 2005[22]

The Complete Series

143

25 August 2009[23]

12 December 2011

text: Compilation episodes[edit]

text: In the early 1990s, in the wake of the Kevin Costner film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves three movie-length compilation features (approx. 90 min. each) were created from the series by producers Philip May & Joseph Shields, through editing and computer-colorizing parts of the various episodes, though not necessarily in chronological order. These were as follows:

text:
Robin Hood: The Movie (1991) – featuring edited material from episodes: 1,2,3,5,8 & 27. Notably, Will Scatlock who dies at the end of episode 2 in the series (thereby transferring the outlaw leadership to Robin Hood), is not killed until the end of the 90 min feature.
Robin Hood's Greatest Adventures (1991)
Robin Hood: Quest for the Crown (1991)

text: Film[edit]

text: Sidney Cole and Richard Greene produced the feature film Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), for Hammer Film Productions (in association with Yeoman Films), directed by Terence Fisher, written by Alan Hackney, director of photography was Ken Hodges, and the film editor was Lee Doig, all TV series alumni. Richard Greene starred as Robin Hood with Peter Cushing as the Sheriff of Nottingham; blonde haired Sarah Branch played Maid Marian with Nigel Green as Little John, Jack Gwillim as Archbishop Hubert Walter, and Richard Pasco as Edward, Earl of Newark. Oliver Reed also had a small role. It was filmed in colour and in a widescreen process referred to as "Megascope" on the opening titles. The film itself was a retelling of how Robin first met Marion.