What are we looking for in 2008?

Challenge is all about formats.  We are looking for fun, exciting and thrilling formatted shows to fill our schedules.

The list below outlines a few of the series we’re keen to commission for 2008.  It is by no means a complete list of what we’re after.  We want you to bring us any programme ideas you think truly encapsulate the Challenge brand values of "Saturday night every night", "happiness hits" and "guaranteed entertainment". 

With regard to budgets, economies of scale work well on Challenge.  We commission in volume and expect value for money.  Our tariffs are:

Daytime          £5k - £10k an episode for long running series (60+ episodes)

Peak               £25k-60k an episode for series with a minimum of 10-15 episodes

The daily ideas should be high volume, low cost and be very repeatable.  We want our own Deal or No Deal - a simple, clever idea that our viewers will want to watch five days a week.

The weekly ideas should be bold, ambitious and have a real talk about factor.  They need to stand out in our schedule and compete with big entertainment shows on the terrestrials.

One of our ambitions for Challenge is to create a national event that gets everyone, young and old, taking part.  What could this be?  A national quiz?  A gameshow that is out on the streets?  What event has the scale and the excitement to get everyone talking?

We are looking for ideas that have a life off-air and that have several points of entry.  It will need to play at 8pm and episode duration could be either 30 or 60 minutes.

Takeshi’s Castle is one of Challenge’s most successful shows.  Viewers love the combination of high octane visuals with a "laugh out loud" voice over.  What archive or series can you get your hands on to repackage for us?  We need volume so short runs aren’t suitable.  These series air in access peak slots – so think "family tea time" for tone and content.  We want them to appeal both to parents and kids. 

We’re not looking for cutdowns – we want inventive and creative uses of archive material which will allow us to keep pushing the boundaries with these types of shows on the channel.

What international formats do you own, know about or think you can bring to us?  We don’t necessarily need the show to be a hit in other territories first.  If we like it, we’ll take the risk.  Take It or Leave It was commissioned because we loved it and is an example of how quickly we can act.

We are always interested in hearing about your commissions on Terrestrial television.  Please come and talk to us about a second window as soon as you have a commission.  We can commit quickly and early.