British television has a long and proud history of quiz shows, dating back to a televised spelling bee on the BBC in 1938. Today, the format remains a staple of schedules, from teatime fillers like The Chase to primetime hits such as Pointless and The 1% Club. But beneath these giants lies a rich ecosystem of lesser-known quizzes, some of which were cancelled too soon but are still available to stream.
One such gem is Impossible, hosted by Rick Edwards, which ran for eight series (plus two celebrity editions) before being quietly axed during the pandemic. Its clever format gives contestants three answers to a question: one correct, one wrong, and one impossible (so wrong it could never be the answer). Get the correct answer and you add to your prize pot; get the wrong one and you don’t; but pick the impossible answer and you’re out. Repeats still air regularly, and there have been calls from fans – and possibly Edwards himself – for a revival.
Channel 5’s Winning Combination first launched in civilian form in 2023 with historian Lucy Worsley, but lasted only a series. However, in the wake of Richard Osman’s House of Games, the channel reframed it as a celebrity contest hosted by Jeremy Vine. Team captains Carol Vorderman and Sally Lindsay lead a roster of moderately famous contestants through word games, cyphers and anagrams. While not as inventive as House of Games, it is a solid substitute.
Currently airing on BBC One, The Finish Line is a visually silly but surprisingly tense quiz. Five contestants race on giant motorised podiums by answering questions correctly to move towards the finish line. Get one wrong and your podium stops – but the others keep moving, even while someone else is answering. This creates a frantic rush for trailing contestants. Hosted by Roman Kemp, with sidekick Sarah, it is a fun, fast-paced addition to the genre.
