Hole in the Wall is a British game show that aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It also rarely occasionally aired repeats of this show on CBBC until April 2014. This game was an adaptation of the Japanese game Brain Wall in which players must contort themselves to fit through cutout holes of varying shapes in a large polystyrene wall moving towards them as they stand in front of a swimming pool. Each week, two teams of television personalities competed for £10,000 in prize money to be donated to their chosen charity. Dale Winton served as the original host while Strictly Come Dancingballroom dancerAnton du Beke and former international cricketer Darren Gough were the team captains for the first series. Additionally, Jonathan Pearce commented on the replays and Peter Dickson provided the opening voice-over. The wall was activated by the presenter shouting Bring on the wall!. On 3 July 2008, the BBC announced that the show had been commissioned for BBC One. A second series was confirmed, with Anton du Beke giving up his captain role to take over from Dale Winton as host and new team captains in the shape of former rugby playerAustin Healey and actor Joe Swash with Jonathan Pearce now confirms an opening voice-over plus replay commentary.
Format
The game was split into four rounds as well as the final "Great Wall". The first round was "Solo Wall" which saw each team's guest players take a turn to face a wall just on their own. For each wall, 10 points were given to the player for a pass while a fail could be given up to 5 points depending on the host's whim. Next was the "Captain's Challenge" or "Captain's Mate" which could be one of a number of games:
Doubles - The captain and a chosen teammate of his choosing both attempt a wall. A maximum of 20 points was on offer.
Mirror Wall - The captain must attempt a wall backwards leaving his two teammates communicate to him about the shape he needs to make.
Blind Wall - The captain is blindfolded and his team members have to instruct to him the shape he needs to make.
The third round was "Mystery Guest or Killer Question", the team leading being offered the choice of which game they wished to play and the currently losing team playing the other challenge. A maximum of 20 points was on offer.
Killer Question - Two players face a wall without cut-outs with a question written at the top and two answers marked as doors. The "door" with the correct answer on it, is perforated on the reverse side and so gives way. The players must pass through the correct door.
Mystery Guest - One of the team attempts a wall with a mystery guest.
The fourth round was the "Team Wall". All three players face the wall with a maximum of 30 points on offer. The programme's finale was the "Mega Wall". The leading team got to choose to attempt the wall or nominate the opposition. All three players on the team attempt the wall, which travels at double speed - if they clear the wall, they win the show, while if they fail, the opposing team wins The £10,000 With The Team that loses not getting any money. Hole in the Wall used a specialised crane made by Street Crane Company of Chapel-en-le-Frith to move the wall.
Series 2 changes
Series 2, which started on 26 September 2009, contains all new challenges. Solo Wall returned with the Captain's Challenge changing its name to Captain's Mate, as now the captains had to be blindfolded. The Mystery Guest section was eliminated. Killer Question was now named Wonder Wall, and a new challenge named Anton's Twist debuted. Team Wall also returned. The Mega Wall was renamed the Great Wall. Anton's Twist, according to Anton, involved walls he'd invented with a twist. Variations could be any number players with various twists, or the appearance of a mystery guest. Notably, one episode had Anton announce a mystery guest for Joe Swash's team, and Joe asked, "Is it my mum?" It turned out it was his mother, but the two failed the wall.
Production
Series 1 was recorded at BBC Television Centre in London, with series 2 seeing the show relocating to BBC Pacific Quay in Glasgow as part of an out-of-London production plan. For series 2, the show was also shot in high-definition. The first series had the entire audience off to the left side, with the team benches on the other side, and the scoreboards by each bench. Winton, Du Beke, and Gough would emerge from the left side when introduced, while the mystery guest emerged from a platform below stage that rose to the top when introduced. For the second series, the audience was placed on three sides of the set, and the scoreboards were placed on the floor, hence Anton's catchphrase: "The scores on the floor are..."
Episode guide
Series 1
* In episode 5, Michelle Heaton managed to remain dry by not failing a task but this resulted in teammates Darren Gough and Bobby Davro pushing her into the water. × In episode 10, Anton's team were docked two points for cheating during Darren's Captains Challenge.
Series 2
This series started on 26 September 2009, presented by Anton du Beke.
