Challenge Anneka
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Challenge Anneka'' is a British
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...
programme that aired on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
from 8 September 1989 to 15 October 1995 and was hosted by
Anneka Rice Anne Lucinda Hartley Rice (born 4 October 1958), known professionally as Anneka Rice, is a Welsh-born television and radio presenter, broadcaster, journalist and painter. Early life and education Rice was born in Cowbridge, Glamorgan, Wale ...
. It was announced in 2006 that the series was returning, but this time on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. The first of the two specials was shown on Boxing Day 2006. The second was transmitted in June 2007. On 23 May 2022, it was announced that the series would be revived again, this time on Channel 5 for a four-part series. This was shot September-November 2022.


Format

The series was devised as a vehicle for
Anneka Rice Anne Lucinda Hartley Rice (born 4 October 1958), known professionally as Anneka Rice, is a Welsh-born television and radio presenter, broadcaster, journalist and painter. Early life and education Rice was born in Cowbridge, Glamorgan, Wale ...
, who had previously appeared on '' Treasure Hunt'', one of the first big hits for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. It was produced by Tom Gutteridge of Mentorn, who also produced the US version with
Erin Brockovich Erin Brockovich (née Pattee; born June 22, 1960) is an American legal clerk, consumer advocate, and environmental activist who, despite her lack of education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Compan ...
. The format of ''Challenge Anneka'' involved Rice being given a task to accomplish within a certain period, usually two or three days. She was supposed to have no knowledge of what the task of each particular episode would be before it began, and would have to organise its accomplishment by persuading companies and people to contribute their time and resources for free. The task would usually be in aid of a charitable cause, for example building a play area for children within the local community, or something similar. The format was tested in 1987's '' Children in Need''. Rice would be based during the 'challenges' in a large blue truck, and for her frequent trips to persuade companies and people to take part she initially employed the use of a
Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
based beach buggy, and then went on to use a kit built Dakar 4x4 vehicle in the 1990s. For series 6 and 7, she had a dog called Pedro. She was also distinguished by her frequent use of her
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whil ...
to organise the projects, years before they became common everyday objects for people in Britain. Another trademark aspect of the series would be the frequent on-screen presence of Rice's soundman, Dave Chapman, part of the camera team who followed her around as she attempted to accomplish the challenges and who often found himself having to lend a helping hand. Most of the popularity of the series came from the tension of whether Rice and her teams of volunteers would accomplish their tasks before the deadlines set. Sometimes they would fail, but usually on such occasions those who had agreed to help out would carry on the following day to complete the work. The format was sold to many European countries, each with a different host. In the late 90s, the show was produced by
Mentorn The Tinopolis Group is an international TV production and distribution group with businesses based in the UK and US. It produces over 4,500 hours of television annually for more than 200 UK and foreign broadcasters. History Llanelli, Wales, b ...
in the United States as ''Challenge America'' (
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
), hosted by
Erin Brockovich Erin Brockovich (née Pattee; born June 22, 1960) is an American legal clerk, consumer advocate, and environmental activist who, despite her lack of education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Compan ...
.


Get Well Soon: 500 Ways to Make You Feel Better

''Get Well Soon: 500 Ways to Make You Feel Better'' () is a BBC book published in 1995, the production of which was undertaken as part of the show. Proceeds from its sale were donated to the
Women's Royal Voluntary Service The Royal Voluntary Service (known as the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS) from 1938 to 1966; Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) from 1966 to 2004 and WRVS from 2004 to 2013) is a voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need ...
. The book was written for people who are themselves, or have friends, in hospital. It included contributions from British
celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
including
Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, (born 12 May 1937) is an English actress known for her many television and film roles. A three-time Emmy Award winner, she won for '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, ''The First Churchills'' in 1969, and for ''Vani ...
,
Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...
,
Jeffrey Archer Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare (born 15 April 1940) is an English novelist, life peer, convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, Archer was a Member of Parliament (1969–1974), but did not ...
,
Ronnie Barker Ronald William George Barker (25 September 1929 – 3 October 2005) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He was known for roles in British comedy television series such as '' Porridge'', ''The Two Ronnies'', and ''Open All Hours''. ...
and
Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Saturd ...
.


Problems following challenges

Due to the rushed nature of the tasks, a few of the projects undertaken by the show needed subsequent repair. In one case, a hastily built children's playground had to be closed and renovated after it was found to be dangerous; in a similar vein, filming on an intended 1991 episode, which would see the overhaul of some derelict wasteland in
Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...
into a youth adventure park, was aborted when it was decided that the programme would not be able to carry out the project of an adequate enough standard to meet safety requirements, with the project instead downsized and handed over to a local charity. However, of the 61 projects undertaken, many, like the Romanian orphanage renovated in just 10 days, survived for many years.


ITV revival

''Challenge Anneka'' returned in 2006 with a 'one-off' special on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
, on
Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
and featured the team helping
World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
to rebuild a maternity clinic, a cricket pavilion and a children's play centre in Sri Lanka after the 2004
Tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
disaster. There were plans for two more UK specials in 2007 – Rice walked on stage, along with television crew, during a
McFly McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...
concert in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, and asked the band if they would record a single for charity – this formed part of the Challenge Anneka challenge recording an album to raise money for Children's Hospices around the UK, broadcast on 6 June 2007 on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
. The album, '' Over the Rainbow'' was released on 4 June 2007. The two specials gained 3.34m (26 December 2006) and 2.8m (6 June 2007) viewers on ITV. A third special, reported in the press at the time of the revived format, was never completed, as ITV dropped their plans to revive the series in a frequent format. Following ITV abandoning their plans of a full revival, in 2009 Rice approached the BBC about a proposed revival as part of '' Children in Need'' night (where the format of ''Challenge Anneka'' had first been tested in 1987) to mark the 20th anniversary of the series. The BBC did not proceed with the proposal, citing that the series was no longer in the public consciousness.


Transmissions


Regular


Specials


References


External links

* *{{UKGameshow, Challenge_Anneka 1987 British television series debuts BBC television game shows 1980s British game shows 1990s British game shows 2000s British game shows 2020s British game shows ITV game shows Channel 5 (British TV channel) original programming Television series by ITV Studios 1980s British reality television series 1990s British reality television series 2000s British reality television series 2020s British reality television series British television series revived after cancellation