Lykkehjulet

TV 2

Family
Danish     0     1988     Denmark

Overview

Lykkehjulet is the Danish version of the Wheel of Fortune television game show. Airing in 1988, the show was the first big American game show to be imported to Denmark and it was one of the first successes for Danish broadcaster TV2 when it became Denmark's second TV channel in 1988. The show originally used the "shopping" format of the American program in which winnings were used to buy studios prizes, such as furniture, appliances, and trips. In later years the format was changed to reflect the American version of all-cash winnings. The host during the first season was Michael Meyerheim with Pia Dresner as the letter-turning co-host. Thereafter, the show was hosted by Bengt Burg from 1989 to 2000, with a short stint by Keld Heick during the 1996-1997 season. The final season in 2001 season was hosted by Lars Herlow. The letter-turning co-hosts were Carina Jensen and Maria Hirse. The show's announcers during the run of the program were Ole Jacobsen, then Henrik Hannibal and later, Dennis Johannesson. The show ran for 3,599 episodes until it was cancelled in 2001 due to declining viewership and a failed attempt at modernizing the format in the final year.

Similar

Strike it Lucky was a popular British television game show from 29 October 1986 to 23 August 1999, originally produced by Thames Television for ITV, and presented by the British comedian Michael Barrymore. It was based on the American show of the same name that aired in 1986. In its formative years, it became well known for the outlandish and often highly eccentric contestants it featured - Barrymore would often spend over 5 minutes talking to them. The introductory footage of the prizes on offer were also noteworthy, often filmed in black-and-white with a slapstick style. In 1987, it was the fifth most watched programme on UK television. The Thames Television version of the show was recorded at Teddington Studios, and later Pinewood Studios. From 1996, the new version aired under the title Strike it Rich!; this being the title of the short-lived American game show Strike it Rich! on which it was based, and it moved to The London Studios. The reason for the name change was that the show was now being co-produced by LWT with Fremantle, so despite now being owned by the same company as Fremantle, Thames were unwilling to allow LWT use of the original title. There is also the factor that when the show was first exported to the UK, the Independent Broadcasting Authority's prize limits were still in place, and "Rich" was probably dropped from the title because of the relatively low value of prizes on offer; by the time it returned as Strike it Rich! the limits had been lifted and it was giving away a substantially higher value of prizes.

More info
Strike It Lucky
1986