Wheel of Fortune timeline (United Kingdom)

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A timeline for the British version of Wheel of Fortune, which aired on ITV from 1988 to 2001.

This timeline is written using the conventions of British English.

Series 1

• Wheel debuts with Nicky Campbell as host and Angela Ekaette as hostess.
• The opening sequence uses a unique logo from the United States version.
• The Wheel's base and contestant rail resemble those used on the United States version until mid-1990, as does the puzzle board which uses a similar "sideways 3" shaped frame and the same 48-trilon layout. The Wheel itself also uses 72 pegs with three for each wedge.
• The contestant podiums are red, yellow, and blue, although the scoreboards use "seven-segment" displays similar to the US game show Jeopardy! and can only display five digits.
• In the introduction, the host and hostess individually walk down a pair of staircases between the puzzle board and the contestant area.
• Unlike the US version, contestants are never given any name tags.
• Gameplay is similar to the United States version, with the following differences:
  • The game is played for points instead of cash (making the show's title a misnomer).
  • At the start of the round, and every time the Wheel changes hands, the player in control has to answer a 50/50 question to get control. A wrong answer means the next player is asked a question for control, and the process continues until a correct answer is given.
  • The plain Wheel features one Bankrupt space and one 1,000-point space, which are black and gold, respectively. Lose A Turn and Free Spin are also on the Wheel, both a darker red. The other point spaces on the Wheel are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and rose.
  • A second Bankrupt space and 1,000-point space are added to the Wheel in Round 2, and a third 1,000-point space is added in Round 3. These extra spaces are placed inconsistently, sometimes resulting in Bankrupt being adjacent to Free Spin or Lose A Turn, or two 1,000-point spaces very close to each other.
  • Unusually, the Free Spin space is used for the entire game. For the first series only, Free Spin tokens may be carried over to subsequent rounds. It is unknown if tokens can be used after answering a 50/50 question wrong.
  • Vowels cost 250 points, which are deducted regardless of whether the vowel is in the puzzle. However, vowel purchases are noticeably rare. It is also believed that contestants are not allowed to buy vowels after the last consonant is revealed, as the host generally says that a contestant must solve despite having enough points for a vowel.
  • Contestants who solve a puzzle may choose one of three prizes for the round (except on the premiere, which has up to five prizes per round). Contestants are sometimes allowed to make a request for an opponent who had not yet won a prize to select a prize to take home, likely because this does not affect the final outcome.
  • There is no house minimum for solving a puzzle, and all three contestants' scores are banked after a puzzle is solved, meaning that a contestant can win the game without ever solving a puzzle.
  • Wheel prize tokens are used in Rounds 2 and 3. The prize is presented by the hostess, and the host places the token on a nearby point space. The contestant who lands on the token must pick it up and solve the puzzle in the same round to win the prize.
  • The "speed game" is played like the Speed-Up in the US version, except that the yellow arrow is used to determine the spin value. For the first series, Nicky says that vowels are "not involved", implying that they cannot be called during this round.
  • The Bonus Round is played for the choice of three prizes. These are usually a trip, a £3,000 cash jackpot, or a car.
  • As is the case in the US version at this time, the contestant picks five consonants and a vowel and has 15 seconds to solve the puzzle.
  • Unlike many other versions of Wheel, the contestant is allowed to solve the bonus puzzle one word at a time instead of being required to give the correct answer all at once. To aid in this, the host will sometimes indicate if the contestant has at least one word right.
• The series premiere airs on 19 July 1988.

Series 2

• Carol Smillie becomes the new hostess of Wheel.
• Any Free Spin tokens are now returned to the host after the end of a round.
• The cash jackpot in the Bonus Round is increased to £4,000.
• The series premiere airs on 9 September 1989.

Series 3

• For this series only, a third Bankrupt space is added in Round 3.
• The series premiere airs on 4 June 1991.

Series 4

• Several changes are made for the main game:
  • Buzzers are installed at each contestant's podium.
  • The host no longer asks 50/50 questions at the start of each turn. Instead, open-ended questions are asked at the beginning of a round, and any contestant may buzz in with a response. If nobody gives a correct answer to the question, another one is asked until a correct answer is given.
  • The third Bankrupt space is retired, and a fourth 1,000-point space is added if there is time for a fourth round.
  • Wheel values are doubled after the first two rounds, although vowels still cost 250 points.
• The series premiere airs on 18 May 1992.

Series 5

• The cash jackpot in the Bonus Round is increased to £5,000.
• The series premiere airs on 7 June 1993.

Series 6

• The Wheel of Fortune logo changes to a flashier one that more closely resembles the 1992 United States logo.
• The set is overhauled. Changes include:
  • A new and shiny Wheel which has only 48 pegs with two for each wedge is used.
  • The spaces are now arranged in anticlockwise order with three rainbow patterns followed by extra light blue spaces, meaning Bankrupt is no longer black.
  • The three contestant backdrops are changed to flames, each the colour of their corresponding contestant podium.
  • The puzzle board is changed to use blue, yellow, and red frames from outside to inside, and a new font is used for the letters. The board is also placed on a turntable.
  • Each unused space on the puzzle board is changed from solid green to a gradient.
  • The staircases are removed from the set.
  • The fourth 1,000-point space is retired.
  • Due to the colour changes, the extra 1,000-point spaces and the second Bankrupt space are now consistently placed in the same location for each game.
• The host and hostess are now introduced from behind the puzzle board as it rotates on the turntable. The words WHEEL OF FORTUNE are displayed on the first three rows of the puzzle board, and they are originally left-justified.
• The Bonus Round is now played for a prize package containing a car and a £10,000 cash jackpot.
• The series premiere airs on 11 July 1994.

Series 7

• Jenny Powell becomes the new hostess of Wheel.
• The blue contestant backdrop is changed to turquoise, and the puzzle board is also updated accordingly. The scoreboard frame remains blue.
• The words WHEEL OF FORTUNE are now centre-aligned on the puzzle board.
• The Bonus Round is now played for either a car or a £20,000 cash jackpot, and the contestant picks one of two closed envelopes to determine the prize.
• The series premiere airs on 30 August 1995.

Series 8

• The "cash pot" prize is introduced.
  • A letter in any puzzle appears in a yellow background instead of the normal white, and the contestant who reveals that letter has to solve that puzzle immediately to win a £100 cash prize. If the contestant cannot solve, the rest of the round is played normally.
  • If a contestant spins the Wheel while the letters were still being revealed and the "cash pot" letter appeared mid-spin, the host will still ask if the contestant can solve the puzzle, only prompting for a consonant if they can't solve. If the spin lands on Bankrupt or Lose A Turn, it is disregarded if the contestant solves the puzzle immediately.
• A contestant window in the shape of a quadrant is superimposed above the puzzle board so that the contestant or Wheel can also be seen.
• The series premiere airs on 24 July 1996.

Series 9

• Bradley Walsh becomes the host for his only series of Wheel.
• Minor updates are made to the flame backdrops behind the contestants.
• The "cash pot" prize becomes exclusive to Round 1, and the letter also changes from a yellow background to a red one.
• An additional mystery prize token named for the host is used in Round 3. Unlike the normal prize tokens, the contestant does not need to solve the puzzle to win the prize.
• The series premiere airs on 3 January 1997.
• On 27 May, the "cash pot" letter changes to a gold background.

Series 10

• John Leslie becomes the new host of Wheel. Interestingly, he is only the first right-handed spinner among the hosts (Paul Hendy would later be the second).
• The category chyron font is changed, and the text is now coloured white.
• The "cash pot" letter reverts to a red background, and a cash register sound effect is added for when the letter is revealed.
• The series premiere airs on 1 June 1998.

Series 11

• Wheel becomes a daytime show, and the prize budget is reduced as a result.
• The Wheel of Fortune intro is now the same "marquee" intro used for United States Season 16.
• Several changes are made:
  • The theme song is given a re-arrangement, and the puzzle solve cue is also updated.
  • The flame backdrops are removed entirely.
  • The end-of-round prize selection is changed to any item available on the studio carousel. Contestants can also pick the same prize more than once.
  • The Round 2 prize token becomes a mystery prize, but the contestant must solve the puzzle to win it. The Round 3 prize tokens are retired.
  • The "puzzler" is introduced to Round 3, with a £100 prize for solving an extra puzzle (with a separate category). Only the contestant who solved the main puzzle can attempt to solve the additional puzzle within 5 seconds to win the bonus. If the contestant guesses incorrectly at any point, even without giving a full answer, then the bonus is lost.
  • As a result of the above change, many Round 3 puzzles use the top two rows of the board, with the bottom two rows reserved for the puzzler.
  • The "speed game" is now split-screened like the United States Speed-Up, with the contestants at the top and the puzzle on the bottom.
  • The Bonus Round is now played for a flat £2,000 prize.
• The series premiere airs on 2 March 1999.

Series 12

• The series premiere airs on 3 January 2000.

Series 13

• A new Wheel of Fortune logo with a horizontal Wheel on an indigo backdrop is introduced.
• Terri Seymour becomes the new hostess of Wheel, and John Leslie hosts his final series.
• The set is overhauled. Changes include:
  • The puzzle board is reduced to 44 trilons with 11 in each row, and the font is changed again. The frames become red, white, and purple, while the outer spaces for the second and third rows are filled in.
  • Any unused spaces on the puzzle board are now a solid blue-grey colour.
  • The Wheel layout is updated and no longer uses patterns, with Bankrupt becoming white, while Lose A Turn changes to "Miss A Turn" and becomes dark blue. The remaining spaces are red, orange, yellow, light blue, and magenta.
  • A "500 Gamble" wedge is introduced to the Wheel. Any player who lands on it has the option of going for 500 points per letter or gambling their round score. If they choose to gamble their points and call a correct letter, the 500 per letter (1,000 in Rounds 3+) is added and then their current score is doubled; an incorrect letter is the same as Bankrupt.
• The host and hostess are no longer introduced from behind the puzzle board, now entering from behind the studio prize carousel.
• The category chyron font is changed again, and the text is no longer displayed in all-caps.
• The Teaser puzzle is introduced, used between Rounds 2 and 3. The puzzle is shown to the television audience before the break, after which it is revealed entirely. These puzzles always use the top row of the board, and because of this, the Round 2 puzzle never uses the top row.
• The series premiere airs on 2 January 2001.

Series 14

• Paul Hendy becomes the new host of Wheel.
• The series premiere airs on 12 November 2001.
• 21 December 2001 is the last first-run broadcast of Wheel, although it is only acknowledged as the end of the 14th series by Paul Hendy.

Series 1 of the second run (series 15 overall)

• Graham Norton becomes the new host of revival Wheel.
• The series premiere airs on 6 January 2024.

List of episodes [s15]

Only monetary values included.

#			Episode number (on ITVX)		Airdate	Type of episode	Contestant #1		Contestant #2		Contestant #3
							Name	Total winnings	Name	Total winnings	Name	Total winnings
747	1	1	Series 1	Episode 1	6 January 2024	regular	Becca	£37,025	Kurt	£4,850	Soraya	£2,000
748	2	2	Series 1	Episode 2	13 January 2024	regular	Hannah	£2,250	Samuel	£2,500	Sophie	£40,075
749	3	3	Series 1	Episode 3	20 January 2024	regular	Fillie	£34,000	Craig	£3,675	Becky	£3,200
750	4	4	Series 1	Episode 4	27 January 2024	regular	John	£10,100	Roxy	£4,100	Lewis	£2,300
751	5	5	Series 1	Episode 5	3 February 2024	regular	Mubeen	£36,600	Emma	£5,500	Paddy	£2,650
752	6	6	Series 1	Episode 6	17 February 2024	regular	Tracey	£6,350	Adam	£27,400	Ati	£2,125
753	7	7	Series 1	Episode 7: celebrity special	24 February 2024	celebrity special	AJ Odudu [for charity]	£3,000	Gok Wan [for charity]	£10,100	Charlotte Church [for charity]	£4,100
754	8	8	Series 1	Episode 8: celebrity special	2 March 2024	celebrity special	Tom Allen [for charity]	£5,625	Michelle Visage [for charity]	£43,175	Eddie Kadi [for charity]	£1,600

Round by round winnings [s15]

• Only monetary values and bonus round winnings are included.
• Crossed out prizes have been announced but not won.
• In classic rounds, winnings smaller than £500 are bumped up to that amount (does not apply to a Final Spin).

Round by round winnings
 

Episode number	Contestant	1st triple toss-up	1st classic round	2nd classic round	2nd triple toss-up	3rd classic round	Holiday bonus round	3rd triple toss-up	4th classic round (Crossword)	5th classic round (Linked phrases)	4th triple toss-up	6th classic round	7th classic round	Finale
1	Becca	£1,000		£1,425	£1,000			£1,000			£2,000	£600	wasn’t played	£30,000
	Kurt				£500			£2,000	£850	£0 → £500	£1,000
	Soraya	£500	£1,000			£200 → £500	Greece
2	Hannah		£2,250
	Samuel				£1,000			£1,000	£300 → £500
	Sophie	£1,500		£725	£500	£2,550	Turkey	£2,000		£2,800	£3,000	£2,000		£25,000
3	Fillie				£1,000	£50 → £500	Dubai	£2,000	£200 → £500	£4,000	£1,000			£25,000
	Craig		£500	£1,175				£1,000			£1,000
	Becky	£1,500			£500						£1,000	£200
4	John	£500			£1,500			£2,000	£450 → £500	£2,600	£3,000			£30,000
	Roxy	£500	£2,100	£350 → £500				£1,000
	Lewis	£500				£375 → £500	New York City					£1,300
5	Mubeen	£1,000	£100 → £500		£500	£600	Cyprus		£950		£2,000	£1,050		£30,000
	Emma	£500			£1,000			£3,000			£1,000
	Paddy			£200 → £500						£0 → £500			£1,650
6	Tracey	[…]					Barbados	[…]
	Adam													£20,000
	Ati
7	AJ Odudu	[…]						[…]
	Gok Wan													£20,000
	Charlotte Church						£5,000
8	Tom Allen	[…]						[…]					wasn’t played
	Michelle Visage						£5,000							£30,000
	Eddie Kadi

Series 2 of the second run (series 16 overall)

List of episodes [s16]

#			Episode number (on ITVX)		Airdate	Type of episode	Contestant #1		Contestant #2		Contestant #3
							Name	Total winnings	Name	Total winnings	Name	Total winnings
755	9	—	Christmas special		28 December 2024	Christmas special, celebrity special	Joanna Page [for charity]	£34,950	Richard E. Grant [for charity]	£1,500	Tyler West [for charity]	£13,850
756	10	1	Series 2	Episode 1	4 January 2025	regular	Jess	£60,450	John		Paris
757	11	2	Series 2	Episode 2	11 January 2025	regular	Sam	£3,100	Chris	£44,400	Laura	£0
758	12	3	Series 2	Episode 3	18 January 2025	regular	Pip	£6,850	Xhemal	£3,100	Jess	£4,750
759	13	4	Series 2	Episode 4	25 January 2025	regular	Leo		Sheila		Austin
760	14	5	Series 2	Episode 5	15 February 2025	couples special	Ricky & Sarah		Kerrick & Declan		Shabina & Sadiq
761	15	6	Series 2	Episode 6	1 March 2025	regular	Shirley		Cameron		Adele
762	16	7	Series 2	Episode 7	8 March 2025	regular	Alex		Jennifer		Chris
763	17	8	Series 2	Episode 8	15 March 2025	regular	Sapna		Ben		Deborah

Round by round winnings [s16]

• Only monetary values and bonus round winnings are included.
• Crossed out prizes have been announced but not won.
• In classic rounds, winnings smaller than £500 are bumped up to that amount (does not apply to a Final Spin).

Round by round winnings

Episode number	Contestant	1st triple toss-up	1st classic round	2nd classic round	2nd triple toss-up	3rd classic round (Crossword)	Holiday bonus round	3rd triple toss-up	4th classic round (Linked phrases)	5th classic round	4th triple toss-up	6th classic round	7th classic round	Finale
9	Joanna Page		£900		£3,000			£500	£5,550				wasn’t played	£25,000
	Richard E. Grant	£500								£0 → £500		£350 → £500
	Tyler West	£1,000		£2,500		£1,350	£5,000	£1,000			£3,000
10	Jess	[…]												£50,000
	John
	Paris
11	Sam	£500						£500		£1,600	£500		wasn’t played
	Chris	£1,000	£2,100	£3,600	£3,000	£1,600	Canada	£1,000	£350 → £500		£1,000	£600		£30,000
	Laura
12	Pip				£1,000			£1,000		£1,750	£500	£2,600		£50,000
	Xhemal	£500	£1,400			£1,200	Cyprus
	Jess	£1,000		£1,150	£500			£500	£600		£1,000
13	Leo	[…]												[…]
	Sheila
	Austin
14	Ricky & Sarah	[…]												[…]
	Kerrick & Declan
	Shabina & Sadiq
15	Shirley	[…]												[…]
	Cameron
	Adele
16	Alex	[…]												[…]
	Jennifer
	Chris
17	Sapna	[…]												[…]
	Ben
	Deborah