There is no need to explain the rules of this historic game, in which participants try to guess the price of various products without going over the target price. It is interesting to note that the game as we know it today is actually a revival (the term ‘reboot’ was not used at the time) of a previous version that aired from 1956 to 1965 on NBC and, in the last two seasons, on ABC.
But the version we all know, with its iconic games and rituals that became part of the era’s collective imagination (such as the show’s catchphrase ‘Come on down!’), premiered on CBC on 4 September 1972. Since then, more than 10,000 episodes have been produced (!), not counting spin-offs. Board games, computer games and electronic games have been created, as well as a series of video slot machines for North American casinos. Live casino games have been developed and thousands of pages of articles, books and essays have been written. It has also been localised in over 45 countries, always under the direction of the format owner, Fremantle.
It first aired on the Spanish public television channel TVE-1 in 1988, breaking all audience records and attracting almost 20 million viewers on 2 January 1989. In 2006, it moved to the commercial channel Antena 3. In 2021, it moved to Telecinco for one season only, with Carlos Sobera, one of the country’s most popular presenters, at the helm. After a five-year hiatus, it has returned to the same channel and is once again in vogue.
Long live one of the most iconic TV game shows of all time!
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