''Fame & Fortune'' is a

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

broadcast on

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...

on Saturday nights between 1996 and 2006. Presented by

Marty Whelan Marty may refer to: Names * Marty (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters, also includes stage names * Marty (surname), a list of people Places in the United States * Marty, California, a former settlement * Marty, Min ...

(who signed off every show with the catchphrase: "How do you play? You buy a ticket."), the show aired during the summer months of June, July, and August as a seasonal replacement for ''

Winning Streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 4 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. Although sometimes claimed as a ...

''. It was preceded by ''

Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

'', also hosted by Whelan, and succeeded by '' The Trump Card'' in 2007, hosted by Laura Woods. ''Fame & Fortune'' had its production costs funded by RTÉ and its prize money funded by Ireland's National Lottery. Entry to the show was based on National Lottery scratchcards, and contestants could win cash, cars, holidays, and other prizes. ''Fame & Fortune'' had its final season in the summer of 2006. Its 2007 replacement, '' The Trump Card'', was itself replaced a year later by '' The Big Money Game''.

Format

The format of the final series ran as follows: All series of it will be RTE Player Christmas 2021 to mark 60 years of television.

Part one

Famous Faces

As each contestant was interviewed, they picked one of five "scrolls", which denoted a famous character (real and fictitious) from history, who was their "guide" for their game on the

touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...

. They chose between Helen of Troy,

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is dep ...

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

and

Fionn Mac Cumhail Fionn mac Cumhaill ( ; Old and mga, Find or ''mac Cumail'' or ''mac Umaill''), often anglicized Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is leader of the '' Fianna'' bands of ...

. They played three games from a number stored in the computer; these included:

Trapdoor

The "guide" stood on a trap door in front of five lights. The player pressed one of these lights, hoping not to choose the trap door and see their guide fall into the pit, but to instead reveal cash prizes, and accumulate as much money as possible. It was similar to the Goldmine game on Winning Streak.

Odd One Out

Two different cash amounts were hidden in four different panels. The player chose three of them, winning the amount that did not match.

On the Menu

There were five different "food items" on the board, three with cash inside, and two that were empty. The player had three choices, so they were guaranteed at least one cash prize from this game.

Higher or Lower

Host Marty Whelan revealed a "base" number on the screen, and the player moved across the board, guessing whether the next number was higher or lower than the base number, rather than higher or lower than each other.

Part two

Spin Spin Spin

After the commercial break, the player with the lowest amount of money from "Famous Faces" played this game. If there were two people with the same amount, then it went to the bubble to decide the identity of the wheel-spinning contestant. They spun a wheel with cash prizes ranging from €5,000 to €20,000. The player could repeatedly spin the wheel until they landed on an amount that was lower than the last one. As Whelan put it: "You stop when you drop". There were several segments on the wheel which have a car on it. If the player landed on a car, they won it instead and the game ended.

The Fortunate 5

The draw for the following week's players. The same as ''Winning Streak'', with five names pulled from a drum.

Around the World

A globe was displayed on the screen, with 24 destinations around the world displayed on either side. A ''Winning Streak'' style bubble machine chose the player who chose a destination, which can move them either 1, 2 or 3 spaces along the board. There were seven spaces on each player's board with the aim being to be the first to reach the seventh space, the "dateline". As they completed their turn, they also received a prize of either cash or a holiday. One destination also contained a car, whilst six more contained a euro symbol (€) which added another €250,000 ball to the final game, the "Fortune Globe".

Fortune Globe

The extra black €250,000 balls won on "Around the World" were placed into the large bubble machine, along with a large number of other balls numbered €10,000, €12,000, €15,000, €20,000, €30,000, €40,000, €50,000, and €100,000. Eventually, after a certain length of time, one ball was selected from this machine, and the player had its amount added to their final total.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fame And Fortune (Tv Series) 1996 Irish television series debuts 2006 Irish television series endings Irish game shows about lotteries RTÉ original programming