Family Fortunes
Two families compete to guess survey answers for cash and prizes.
Family Fortunes is a British television game show adapted from the American series Family Feud. It aired on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 6 December 2002, with a celebrity version, All Star Family Fortunes, running from 2006 to 2015. The original show returned in 2020 with Gino D'Acampo as host, but a planned third series was shelved in February 2025 after sexual misconduct allegations against D'Acampo on other ITV programmes.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Game show
- Based on
- Family Feud, Mark Goodson
- Presenter
- Bob Monkhouse
- Max Bygraves
- Les Dennis
- Andy Collins
- Gino D'Acampo
- Announcer
- Andrew Lodge
- Stephen Rhodes
- Peter Dickson
- Roger Tilling
- Penny Layden
- Theme music
- Jack Parnell and David Lindup (1980–1985)
- Mike Alexander (1987–2002)
- Marc Sylvan (2020–2023)
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 22 (original); 3 (1 unaired, revival)
Facts from the source article.
Hosts and presentation
Initially produced by ATV for ITV, the programme was first presented by comedian Bob Monkhouse from 1980 to 1983. The show returned on 27 June 1987 with Les Dennis as host, remaining on air for the next 15 years, before moving to a daily daytime slot with Andy Collins. The large electronic board, named "Mr. Babbage" by Monkhouse, acknowledged Charles Babbage, the mathematician who originated the concept of a programmable computer. During the Monkhouse and Bygraves era, the board also displayed closing credits. A different board was used for the first Dennis series in 1987, but a board similar to the original was used from 1988 until 2002. Both the All-Star and 2020 versions employ a video wall.
Format
Two families of five members each guess the results of surveys of 100 people asked open-ended questions. Each round begins with one member from each family at a podium; the first to hit the buzzer gives an answer. If it is not the most popular answer, the other nominee is asked. If neither gives an on-board answer, the next members of each family are chosen in the same order. The family with the more popular answer decides whether to play the question or pass control. The host then asks each member of the controlling team for an answer; after each answer, the board reveals if it appears. If an answer is missing or the family cannot respond in time, they lose a life, marked by an X and a buzzer. Losing three lives forfeits control. If a family finds all survey answers before losing three lives, they win the total number of people who gave those answers in pounds. If they lose all three lives, the opponent may steal by having the head family member give one correct missing answer after consulting the family; if correct, they win the round's money. On celebrity specials, each top answer adds £200 (later £250) to that family's charity.
Cash and prizes
The first series of "Big Money" in 1980 offered a top cash prize of £1,000. Starting with the second series in 1981, that amount reset to £1,000 each week but climbed by £500 if nobody won, capping at £3,000 (or £2,500 from 1981 to 1982). The prize could stay at the maximum for multiple weeks until claimed, after which it dropped back to £1,000. For the 1987 series, the weekly increase became £1,000, still starting at £1,000 and topping out at £3,000. From 1988 onward, the top prize was a flat £3,000. Once the IBA lifted its prize restrictions, the jackpot rose to £5,000 in 1996. Between 1994 and 1998, the bonus star prize was always a family car; from 1998 to 2002, winners could pick either a car or a holiday for up to twelve people. Honda supplied the car in 1994, SEAT in 1995, and Daewoo from 1996 to 2002. During the 2002 daytime run, scoring over 200 points earned £1,000, and uncovering all five top answers raised that to £3,000. In the 2020 revival, the top cash prize is £10,000, tripling to £30,000 if one or both contestants name every top answer. Spot prizes, introduced from the second series in 1981, appeared randomly when certain answers were found. These included household appliances, home entertainment goods, and later, short breaks or shopping vouchers.
All Star Family Fortunes
Vernon Kay hosted a celebrity version of the show that ran for eleven series, from 28 October 2006 until 14 June 2015. This version dropped the earlier rule of playing until a team reached 300 points. Instead, the game concluded after four rounds, or five during hour-long episodes. The family that lost received a consolation prize equal to the larger of either £1,000 or ten times their score, though in the first series it was £3 per point. For the Big Money round, the celebrity automatically took part in the final, meaning only one other family member needed to be chosen. If the celebrity scored 200 points or more from ten answers, their chosen charity won £10,000, tripled if all five top answers were correct. A score below 200 meant those points, combined with their earlier total, were multiplied by £10, or £3 per point in the first series.
More in Television Shows Produced by Central Independent Television
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