UK Price is Right

[BMaurice06]

On the very first UK edition of the The Price is Right, I noticed that the host (Leslie Crowther) always said "come on down" instead of the announcer.  Can anyone tell me a clear reason why in the world would the producers make that decision?  I ask this because I always believed that if you were going to import a game show to another country, the producers ought to do it exactly as it's originally done in the nation of origin, meaning almost every aspect of the show (rules, presentation, style of host etc.)has to initially be the same as the original, and then depending on its initial reception from the audience make the necessary gradual changes to the format to make it more understandable to that country's audience.  I just can't fathom Bob Barker or Drew Carey instead of Johnny Olson, Rod Roddy, or Rich Fields yelling out "Come on down!"

[PYLdude]

[quote name=\'BMaurice06\' post=\'196304\' date=\'Sep 6 2008, 04:17 PM\']
I just can't fathom Bob Barker...yelling out "Come on down!"
[/quote]

Would you honestly put it past Barker?

I mean, come on...if he wanted to do it, don't you think that CBS would've let him at the drop of a hat?

[chris319]

I can see a reason for this if there is no live announcer and all of the prize copy is pre-recorded.

[MikeK]

[quote name=\'BMaurice06\' post=\'196304\' date=\'Sep 6 2008, 05:17 PM\']I just can't fathom Bob Barker...yelling out "Come on down!"[/quote]
In his dressing room, multiple times.  Why do you think there were so many lawsuits against him?

[Steve Gavazzi]

From what I've read, the people who produced the first UK version wanted to make the same show as in the U.S., but still do it a bit differently.  One of the ways they thought of to do this was to have the host do the "come on downs" instead of the announcer.

[Neumms]

The Brits didn't excavate the audience area so the contestants could come "up" on stage, either.

By the way, was (the U.S.) Contestants' Row always imagined in that specific studio? Did they build the steps the way they are specifically for TPIR, or do lots of studios in Television City work that way? Because it works crazy well.

[JasonA1]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'196401\' date=\'Sep 7 2008, 05:27 PM\']
Did they build the steps the way they are specifically for TPIR, or do lots of studios in Television City work that way?
[/quote]

No. Neighboring studio 31 was to work the same way, but its sunken audience area got filled in, leaving 33 as the sole studio with that design.

-Jason

[Jimmy Owen]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'196401\' date=\'Sep 7 2008, 05:27 PM\']
The Brits didn't excavate the audience area so the contestants could come "up" on stage, either.

By the way, was (the U.S.) Contestants' Row always imagined in that specific studio? Did they build the steps the way they are specifically for TPIR, or do lots of studios in Television City work that way? Because it works crazy well.
[/quote]


Wasn't Carol Burnett there long before TPIR?

[Steve Gavazzi]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'196401\' date=\'Sep 7 2008, 05:27 PM\']The Brits didn't excavate the audience area so the contestants could come "up" on stage, either.[/quote]
Do any versions of the show besides ours?

Actually, that's one thing I've always thought the American version of the show had up on all the others -- watching the winner walk out from behind the podiums and across the stage isn't nearly as interesting as watching them run up the stairs.

[Gus]

[quote name=\'Neumms\' post=\'196401\' date=\'Sep 7 2008, 04:27 PM\']
Did they build the steps the way they are specifically for TPIR, or do lots of studios in Television City work that way?
[/quote]
No, Studio 33 had those stairs from the beginning. However, IIRC, Television City was the first studio in the US built from the ground-up for television; up until that time, all the studios were converted theatres, which had sunken audiences, so my guess is they just carried that design over, but soon after, realized that wasn't necessary for TV, and never built another one that way.

[bhvictory]

[quote name=\'Steve Gavazzi\' post=\'196385\' date=\'Sep 7 2008, 12:17 PM\']
From what I've read, the people who produced the first UK version wanted to make the same show as in the U.S., but still do it a bit differently.  One of the ways they thought of to do this was to have the host do the "come on downs" instead of the announcer.
[/quote]

Leslie did not actually want to do the Come on Down bit at first.  He thought it was TOO AMERICAN and not for him.  But producer William G. Stewart so wanted Leslie to do it he insisted he tried it out and suddenly he became more and more enthusiastic about the idea and soon Leslie made the catchphrase his own.

It worked that's for sure!!!