TV Scrabble



Toby Anstis (2001-2)

Eamonn Holmes (2003)


Talent TV for Challenge TV, 1 October 2001 to 2003 (103 episodes in 3 series)


Moderately good fun version of the game for television. Four players competed in each episode facing on one-on-one with the winners playing in the daily final. The four winners Monday-Thursday battled it out on the Friday Final for a shot at Finals Week and a holiday.

In the heats there were two rounds.

In the first round, which is Duplicate Scrabble although they didn't call it that on the show, the players had the same tiles and had to try and find the best scoring combination possible within twenty seconds. They inputted their moves with a touch screen and stylus, and a rather neat 3D graphical effect had the tiles fly out of the podiums onto a giant upright board. Contestants scored points for the word they made but only the higher scoring word remained on the board to be played off for the next go. This would be played four or five times.

The second round was speed Scrabble. Each player was given a clean board and had one minute to score the highest score they can. They would take their minutes in turn.

The winner would do battle with the winner of the second heat in the daily final. This time, the players would be playing speed Scrabble but sharing the same board. One person would be in control of it for thirty seconds, swapping control after thirty seconds. After two minutes (that's a minute each), the scores would be added to the scores from their earlier rounds to find the day's winner.

Yes, that does say what you think it says.


While taking part in a celebrity edition (playing opposite Jo Brand), intellectual powerhouse Mike McClean managed to score a risible 5 points in the Duplicate round, and in 60 seconds of Speed round action managed to add a grand total of 0 points to the tally.


File:Scrabble set.jpgThe set.
File:Scrabble anstis.jpgToby Anstis
File:Scrabble series1winner.jpgA contestant who ended up Series 1 champion.
File:Tv scrabble toby anstis.jpgYeah, dudes! Scrabble is cool!!

See also

Television Scrabble



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