You Bet! 

Celebrities gamble on the outcome of a challenge performed by members of the public.

Stars:

Matthew Kelly, Bruce Forsyth, Darren Day

Cast

Series cast summary:
Matthew Kelly	...	Himself - Host 58 episodes, 1991-1995
Bruce Forsyth	...	Himself - Host 26 episodes, 1988-1990

Storyline

You Bet! is an anthology game show. Various members of the public bet that they can perform some kind of challenge - be it a stunt (such as driving a car through a slalom course on two wheels), a memory test (identifying songs or objects from a brief sample), or a skill (such as dribbling two basketballs over an obstacle course). The task is performed before three celebrities and 100 audience members, who will bet on the outcome of the challenge. The celebrities win points based on their correct bet and the percentage of the audience who bet correctly (for example, if the celebrity bets 'yes' on a challenge, and 79% of the audience also bet 'yes', if the challenger completes his challenge, the celebrity would get 79 points). The points of all celebrities and all correct audience responses are added together at the end of the show and multiplied. The corresponding amount of cash is donated to a charity of the winning celebrity's choice. The losing celebrity had to perform a 'forfeit', ...

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Plot Keywords:

non fiction | 

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Genres:

Game-Show

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1988 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[a JCB driver has explained that the digger is flown around the world for demonstrations]
Bruce Forsyth: I bet there's hells bells when you go through the metal detector!

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Connections

Version of Wetten, dass..? (1981)

User Reviews

Saturday Night TV Like It Used To Be

After watching yet another Popstars/Pop Idol/Fame Academy type show last night, some friends and I had a conversation about what Saturday night TV used to be like in the UK before we became bombarded with non-stop talent shows populated by mostly talentless wanna-bes. During the conversation, You Bet! was mentioned and the memories came flooding back! The aim of the game was for celebrities to bet on the outcome of events such as 'Can this man identify every Queen song just from hearing the drum beat?' or 'Can this insane person jump over a row of Double Decker buses whilst on fire?' (that type was usually reserved for the finale).

Exciting though this was, it got better. Firstly, audience participation was involved. The studio audience would also bet on the outcomes, and however many were right would earn the same amount in money for charity. Also, you could play along at home amongst the family of course. Secondly, if a celebrity bet that the person could do the challenge, but they failed, the celebrity would have to pay the forfeit of doing the challenge themselves. So, the audience got even more fun seeing well known faces doing things that they would not normally do. Although the heyday of this show was the classic 1989-1993 period (Bruce Forsyth/Matthew Kelly), it was still great when it made a comeback with Darren Day as presenter. A simple idea will always make great television, but unfortunately You Bet! is no more. So, until a return to classic Saturday night TV arrives, I'll be found here, reminiscing!