Michael Barrymore is bringing back ‘Strike It Lucky’ to entertain the UK during the coronavirus outbreak.
The 67-year-old TV star has come up with the idea to host the once hugely popular ITV quiz show on Instagram Live using a board game version of the format with six couples playing along from their homes.
With the British public being told to stay indoors by the government to try and stop the spread of the deadly respiratory illness – also known as COVID-19 – Michael was asked by a fan on Twitter if there was anything he could do to lift the nation’s spirits.
A fan tweeted him: "Hey Michael. We need some laughs during these times. How about a weekly online clip to take our minds off the virus. Reminding people of your talent."
Michael then tweeted back: "How about getting the old ‘Strike It Lucky’ Board game out. Set it up. Get the camera set up. I host it from home. You can all join in. I’ll pick six couples. One to answer the questions. And one to call the moves. All on Instagram Live. Need a few days to sort. OK?"
His idea to bring back ‘Strike It Lucky’ online prompted his many of his followers to tweet him to tell him it was a "great" plan and that they couldn’t wait for it to happen.
‘Strike It Lucky’ aired on ITV from 29 October 1986 to 23 August 1999 and the format featured three teams of two people who competed to win cash and prizes. One member of each team stood at the podiums to answer questions, while the other moved along an individual path lined with 10 television monitors.
If the contestant answering questions got them correct then their partner could move along the path and would press a button on the TVs to move forward to win cash, a prize, or uncover an unwanted Hot Spot which forfeited all un-banked prizes and ended their turn going forward to the end of the line.
The first team to correctly answer their final question won the game, banked any prizes still at risk, and advanced to the bonus round to win a significant cash prize using all 30 screens to get from the start to the finish.
Michael was due to compete on the most recent series of ‘Dancing On Ice’ but had to pull put after breaking his wrist during training for the figure skating show.
Michael Barrymore to bring back Strike It Lucky online
