The Tournament

I suppose a gameshow was the next logical step for Alex Scott, as the BBC try to make her a big star very quickly.

Unfortunately she, like many before her, find that a good gameshow format is hard to come by, and this isn't very good.

She's charming, she's trying her best, but this perhaps wasn't the best project for her.

I was at a friend's and this show was on, after watching it for about 10 mins I couldn't believe how thick the contestants are. Do they not test them to make sure they are of a certain level of intelligence before being allowed on the show. They make an utter fool of themselves, I would be embarrassed to show my face again. As for the lady asking the questions she gets excited by the slightest thing. Even when they either both couldn't answer the question, or got it wrong, she was gushing with praise.

I'm sure the BBC could make better use of the licence payers money. There are far too many of these ridiculous quiz shows on.

Alex Scott is wasted on this dire quiz show. She smiles and is enthusiastic but there is just no atmosphere. The BBC really is setting the bar lower in an effort to save money I think. The questions are mostly laughable and even Eggheads with the annoying Jeremy Vine was better than this.

The BBC just seem to chuck a wedge of cash at a production company with the instructions to 'make us a tea time/off peak quiz show' but never actually watch it themselves before it is squeezed into the timetable. Daytime/teatime TV should be better than this as but I suppose the Beeb are happy to chuck their money at Bloodlands, Strictly or Line of Duty and all the other programs they tell us we should be watching.

Is it just me or do others find it hard to hear what the presenter is saying? Can't seem to hear her pronounce "s" or "t" among others. But then again not a professional speaker but an ex footballer. This programme is soooo spun out with inane conversations with the contestants. It could quite easily be a 15 minutes programme max! Come on BBC up your game... It seems as if the BBC think tank has just run out of ideas and going back to what used to work ie Blankety Blank. Also the quality of contestants. It seems that iq doesn't matter however a bright shirt or wacky haircut/glasses/ hat etc etc is essential. It's obvious they want their 15 minutes of fame!!!

Going in, I would like to point out that this review has nothing to do with any aspect of the TV license. There are many people like that guy on you tube who is always whinging about the beeb(Yes, I'm talking about you. You know who you are) who believe BBC programmes are bad because they have to fork out £159 quid a year. That's like saying the room at the ritz was shabby, or the chocolate tasted horrible because of the high cost. I happen think that the presentation and production values of the BBC are of a high standard. I can't say the same of the commercial channels who make a lot more money than the BBC.

All that said, the BBC does on occasion make the odd programme which doesn't quite measure up to standards. The tournament (Weekday afternoons on BBC1) is one such programme. Hosted by former footballer Alex Scott, a row of contestants have to answer a series of questions to determine the pecking order of who plays who in the head-to-head in a series of questions from a chosen topic, with multiple choice answers. The idea is (Obviously) to answer as many on the buzzer questions as they can. A series of lines, one of them red, moves closer every time someone gives a wrong answer. The contestant who answers the most questions in two minutes, or avoids the red line goes through to the next round,(Sounds like a subtle rip off of the chase) which is the same format as the first round, which in turn, is strangely the same format as the final. Of course a financial award is up for grabs for the winner.

It's a shame that the BBC have got rid of good quality programmes like the voice UK and eggheads to save money in order to make new programmes, and then they make rubbish like this. Come on BBC, you are better than this. Other daytime quiz shows like Impossible, decimate and pointless for example are so much better. Don't give that guy on you tube the satisfaction.