It's Academic (Australian game show)
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| It's Academic | |
|---|---|
_logo.gif/200px-It's_Academic_(Australia)_logo.gif){kind=logo} It's Academic logo |
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| Format | Game Show |
| Created by | Seven Network |
| Presented by | Simon Reeve |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Network Seven |
| Picture format | 576i (SDTV) |
| Original airing | 1968 - 1978 2001 - 2004 (Perth only) 2005 |
It's Academic is an Australian children's game show airing on the Seven Network. The show is based on the long running American version of It's Academic, and pits students from different schools against each other in a test of knowledge covering a number of diverse subjects including english, mathematics, science, geography, sport, music and popular culture.
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[edit] History
The show originally aired on Network Seven from 1968 to 1970 and the Seven Network from 1970 to 1978. From 2001 to 2004, Seven Perth revived the show, leading to a national relaunch in 2005.
The early incarnation of It's Academic was the basis for a series of sketches from The Late Show in which Santo Cilauro, Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner, who all claimed to have gone to the same school, competed on the program with incredible but humorous incompetence. Coincidentally their sometime collaborator, actor/comedian Magda Szubanski had actually captained a team while a Year 10 student at Sienna Girls' College in Melbourne, in 1976.
Hosts in the 1970s included Dan Webb (HSV-7), Andrew Harwood (ATN-7), Sandy Roberts (ADS-7), Alec McAskill (ADS-7), Jeff Newman (TVW-7) and John Bailey. In recent years, Jeff Newman once again hosted Perth's version of It's Academic while Simon Reeve fronts the national version.
The current version features primary school children in Grade 6 aged around 12 years old.
Former host Andrew Harwood, who hosted the show from 1972 until 1978, died of respiratory failure on February 7, 2008.[1]
[edit] Original format
The 1970s version of It's Academic was conducted on a state basis with episodes featuring teams of three from three different schools. Contestants were aged around 16 years, in Year Ten at High School.
Winning teams would progress through to state semi-finals and finals. In many years, state champion teams met in a national finals series.
State contestants usually received Parker pen sets as mementos, with additional prizes (often dictionaries or encyclopedias) awarded to the winning school. National prizes differed but were of a similar financial value.
In early rounds, team captains would 'pick a packet' (a numbered pack of ten questions) from a board of numbered options. Teams could answer these questions with no penalties for incorrect answers. All team members could respond to questions; in cases where two answers were given at the same time, the host would ask the captain to confirm the team's response.
A video-clip round and 'beat the buzzer' segment completed the contest. In cases of ties, captains would pick tie-breaker packets for their team to answer.
[edit] Current format
The 2007 version features three new schools every week, the winning schools to reappear later in the season for semi-finals and Grand Finals. Each individual episode features three teams (green, red and purple), each made up of three members from each school.
The show is set out as follows:
- Segment 1
- Green team question round
- Red team question round and Random Spotlight
- Blue team question round
- Who Am I? or The Wonderful World of Pablo/Pablo's World (for home viewers)
- Segment 2
- Green team question round and Random Spotlight
- Red team question round
- Blue team question round
- Beat the Buzzer
- Remote School quiz (for the break)
- Segment 3
- Information segment (with Sally Stanton)
- First team question round
- Second team question round
- Third team question round and Random Spotlight for Blue Team
- Unscramble this Picture Puzzle (All teams)
- Fact or Fiction? (All teams)
- Segment 4
- Watch This Space
- Beat the Buzzer
- End of show
The question rounds consist of a series of 5 or 6 questions aimed at one team only. Players are given five seconds to answer, or longer for a spelling question, and may confer amongst themselves before giving an answer. If two students answer differently at once, the team captain is asked to select one answer.
The Random Spotlight selects a member of the team at random. They are then asked a question about their chosen topic, varying from academic subjects such as spelling or outer space to entertainment subjects such as Harry Potter.
Unlike the question rounds, Beat the Buzzer is open for all teams to answer. Simon Reeve reads out questions to all contestants, who buzz in to answer. This is the most competitive segment of the show as teams attempt to buzz in before other teams in order to score points (10 per correct question).
In Watch This Space, contestants are shown a one minute video clip on a certain subject, about which they are then asked five questions. All teams compete on the buzzer for the right to answer the questions: 10 points for a correct answer, ten points off for a wrong answer.
In Unscramble this Picture Puzzle, a 3 by 3 sliding puzzle is shown on the screens. The puzzle can be a person, a place or an object. When a team buzzes in, the puzzle freezes. The first team to identify the puzzle gets 10 points for their team and the puzzle is instantly revealed to the audience. If they get it wrong, no points are deducted but they get locked out allowing the other teams to answer it. If all three teams fail to identify the puzzle (scrambled or not), no points are given out.
The team who answers the Unscramble this Picture Puzzle question on the buzzer has the right to choose one of three topics for Fact or Fiction, a new round in 2006 and get five seconds to make that decision. Reeve then reads five statements about the topic for which schools buzz in to answer whether they are fact or fiction (although answers of true or false are also accepted).
In the Information Segment, a question is asked and the team that gets it correct gets 10 points and becomes the first team to receive the questions. An incorrect answer locks them out for the round, and another question is asked to the other teams. Before, teams weren't locked out and no deductions were made to their scores.
[edit] Scoring
- Each team begins with 100 points. (When the show first returned in 2005, it was impossible to lose points at any time during the show; this made these 100 points rather useless.)
- In the individual team question rounds, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer; no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
- If a contestant correctly answers his or her Random Spotlight question, 20 points are awarded instead of 10; once again, no points are deducted for a wrong answer.
- In any buzzer rounds, 10 points are awarded for a correct answer, and 10 points are deducted for a wrong answer. When the show was introduced in 2005, no penalties were given for incorrect answers.
The school with the most aggregate points at the end of the week is the winner, progressing to the semi-finals and then the Grand Final. The winning school on any one day does not compete for more points or prizes. Should there be a tie after the week, a sudden death question would be given out for the Friday's teams. The team that gives the correct answer gets 10 points for their team and go through to the next round. An incorrect answer would lose them 10 points and the opposing team go through instead.
[edit] List of different types of questions
- Spelling
- Missing letter in a grid
- Missing letter in a two word phrase
- Flags (2007)
- Arithmetic
- Area or Perimetres
- Which word comes first
- Roman numerals
[edit] Production details
[edit] Crew
Its Academic's Director is Brian Forshaw, Producer is Antoinette Dyce, Production Co-ordinator is Wendy Lalor, Production Manager is Suzie Baird, Segment Producer is Jenny Forsyth, Floor Manager is Jenny Ward, P.A/Researcher is Verity Bell, Host is Simon Reeve and the Make-Up Artist is Terri Farmer. Lighting specialists Shannon Ryan and Michael Burton, light the show. Technical producer is Scott Baldwin.
[edit] Camera setup
There are normally 6 cameras on It's Academic, one for each of the schools, a jimmy jib (which flies in the air at the top of the studio,) A close-up camera, and a camera for Simon. In this seasons Grand Final, the team hired a new camera, which would come right up to the contestants desks.
[edit] Winning schools
A list of winning schools in the show. At the end of the season, winning schools will be invited back to play in the finals.
| Season | First Place | Second Place | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryde Public (1660 points) |
Our Lady Queen of Peace (1550 points) |
St Michael's (1400 points) |
| 2 | Holy Spirit (1630 points) |
Birchgrove (1530 points) |
Seven Hills (1190 points) |
| 3 | Good Shepherd unknown |
Patrician Brothers' College, FairfieldWho won the season | Kellyville Public unknown |
| Season 4 Heat 1 | St Euphemia 1400 |
Mowbray Public 1310 |
Coogee Boys 1280 |
| Season 4 Heat 2 | Pennant Hills 1680 |
Holsworthy 1260 |
Caves Beach 1240 |
| Season 4 Heat 3 | Star of The Sea Terrigal 1420 |
Castle Hill 1380 |
Pacific Hills 1310 |
| Season 4 Heat 4 | Winston Hills 1280 |
Thornleigh West 1270 |
Sule College 1250 |
| Season 4 Heat 5 | Blakehurst 1370 |
Beresford Road 1360 |
Warrawee 1340 |
| Season 4 Heat 6 | Waverly 1510 |
Northern Beaches 1280 |
OLR ST Mary 1270 |
| Season 4 Semi-Final 1 | St Euphemia 1st Place |
Winston Hills 2nd place |
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| Season 4 Semi-Final 2 | Pennant Hills 1st Place |
Waverly Junior 3rd Place |
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| Season 4 Semi-Final 3 | Star of the Sea Terrigal 1st Place |
Blakehurst Public 2nd Place |
Sacred Heart Mosman 3rd Place |
| Season 4 Grand Final | Pennant Hills Public School 1430 |
Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic School Terrigal 1420 |
St Euphemia College School 1180 |
| Season 5 Heat 2 | St Spyridon College 1520 |
St Mels Primary 1310 |
St Marys 1280 |
| Season 5 Heat 3 | Al Zahara 1350 |
Camden South 1240 |
Maitland Public 1190 |
| Season 5 Heat 4 | Alexandria Park 1380 |
O.L.M.C 1340 |
Covenant 1280 |
| Season 5 Heat 5 | SCECGS Redlands 1440 |
Ryde East 1330 |
Barnier Public 1270 |
| Season 5 Heat 6 | West Pennant Hills 1450 |
Ellison Public 1240 |
Al Noori 1210 |
| Season 5 Heat 7 | Kensington 1490 |
Berowra 1400 |
Eastwood 1360 |
| Season 5 Heat 8 | Marsden Road 1430 |
St Pauls Apostle 1370 |
St Pius X 1360 |
| Season 5 Heat 9 | Strathfield South 1430 |
Widemere 1300 |
St Kevins 1280 |
| Season 5 Semi Final 2 | Alexadria Park 1480 |
St Spyridon 1330 |
Narellan Public 1190 |
| Season 6 Heat 1 | Rockdale* 1330 |
St Marks 1320 |
Riverview 1250 |
| Season 6 Heat 2 | St Josephs 1270 |
Mascot Public 1150 |
Ruse Public 1150 |
| Season 6 Heat 3 | Wattle Grove 1210 |
Cambletown East 1070 |
Crown Street 1050 |
| Season 6 Heat 4 | Jannali Public 1270 |
Leura Public 1210 |
Parklea Public 1180 |
| Season 6 Heat 5 | Hazelbrook* 1280 |
Winston Heights 1270 |
Clemton Park 1230 |
| Season 6 Heat 6 | Sutherland Shire 1360 |
Narrabine Lakes 1290 |
Glenmore Road 1190 |
| Season 6 Heat 7 | Narellan Vale 1340 |
Bilgola Plateau 1250 |
Penrith Christian 1140 |
| Season 6 Heat 8 | Burnside 1290 |
William Stimson 1280 |
AIA 1130 |
| Season 6 Semi-Final 3 | Hazelbrook 1390 |
Sutherland Shire 1360 |
St Joesephs 1330 |
[edit] Notes
- First Heat of season 6 ended in a tie. A student from Rockdale (http://www.rockdale-p.shools.nsw.edu.au/) answered correctly so they made it to the semi finals.
- Fifth Heat of season 6 ended in a tie. A student from Hazelbrook (http://www.hazelbrook-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/) answered correctly so they made it to the semi finals.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Cuming, Angela. "Quiz show host Harwood dead", Sydney Morning Herald, 2008-02-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-28.
[edit] External links
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