Chained
GenreReality television
Dating game show
Developed byTim Hincks
Creative directorJane Carroll
Presented byMelanie Hill
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producersDominic English
Nav Ramen
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45 minutes per episode
Production companyEndemol
Original release
NetworkE4
ReleaseMarch 19 (2001-03-19) –
March 28, 2001 (2001-03-28)

Chained was a British reality television and dating game show, produced by Endemol. Broadcast in March 2001 on E4, it was based on Chains of Love, a similar Endemol series from Holland. The premise for Chained involved a single person (the "Picker") being constantly chained to five individuals – one of the five was removed from the show each episode until just one person was chained to the Picker. The show was hosted by Melanie Hill, a contestant on the UK version of Big Brother, who had placed fourth in the 2000 series.[ref] Hill was paid a reported £30,000 for presenting the series.[1] In promotion of the show, she remarked: "Chained is great fun, uniquely bizarre and definitely addictive."[2] Filming for the series began in late 2000.

Although initially intended to begin airing in January 2001 when E4 was first launched, the broadcast of the first episode of Chained was pushed back to 19 March.

Of the 19 new shows commissioned for E4 in 2001, Chained was one of five or six that was recommissioned for a second series. It was recommissioned by [name] for a series of 16 episodes. [3]

Ratings for Chained were disappointing. Early overnight figures suggested that the first episode had generated 59,000 viewers and a 1.6% audience share of the multi-channel market – the second episode gained an audience of just 16,000 and a share of 0.4%.[4]

[4]

  • second episode on Wednesday 21 March had just 16,000 viewers, a 0.4% share; premise of show; The Sun claimed that the final remaining couple were filmed having sex; first episode on Monday 19 March 2001 drew 59,000 viewers, a 1.6% share; shown on E4 at 11:10pm;

[5]

  • Second series was greenlit by E4's Anjela Jain; the 16×30' series is exec produced by Endemol UK's Dominic English and will air in spring 2002; premise of show; winner chooses whether to split remaining money of the £5000; "Chains of Love"; of all the international versions (inc. Holland, Australia and the US), the UK one was the first to be renewed;

[6]

  • "Endemol UK Productions has been commissioned to produce a second series of Chained for E4. The 16 x 30-minute series, presented by former Big Brother contestant Melanie Hill, follows a group of six people who are all chained together. It was commissioned by E4 editor Anjela Jain and returns in the spring. It will be executive produced by Dominic English."

[7]

  • Melanie Hill presented; first reality TV show on E4; aired from March 2001; six contestants chained together day and night; one contestant "picker" will remove one other contestant each day until thy are left with their dream date

[8]

  • dating game show; Melanie Hill; picker is chained to five others, given a pounds 5,000 budget for five days and they have to accommodate the living expenses of the others

[9]

  • aired from March 2001; E4; like Big Brother, originally a Dutch show and also developed by Endemol; One group will feature one woman and five men, another will have one man and five women, a third will feature gay contestants and the final group will be made up of bisexuals; "commander" rather than "picker"; presented by former Big Brother contestant Melanie Hill;

[10]

  • Melanie Hill; E4; aired in March; six contestants chained together; one removed each day until final two go on a date together;

[11]

  • chained together 24 hours a day; "most extreme dating show ever"; when only two are left, picker chooses how to divide remaining £5000; they live together in a flat in a bed that sleeps six people; Melanie Hill introduced the show, unchained the losing contestant and interviewed them;

[2]

  • Hill opinion: "Chained is great fun, uniquely bizarre and definitely addictive but it's good being the presenter this time."; E4; six people chained together and followed by cameras;

[12]

  • Originally called "Chains of Love"; E4; [premise of show]; picker goes on a date with the final person; 16-part series; E4 Commissioner Andrew Newman said, "On E4 we are looking to make TV to talk about, extreme TV that takes ideas to the limits. With Chained we are hoping to take the constructive reality formats of a post-Big Breakfast world to a new and perhaps ludicrous level.";

[3]

  • E4 commissioned 19 new shows in its first year, of which five or six - including Banzai, As If, Five Go Dating and Chained - have been or will be recommissioned

[13]

  • Melanie Hill; [premise of show]; E4 say it went down well

[1]

    • Hill was paid £30,000; second series completed in May 2002;

[14]

  • second series completed in May 2002;

[15]

  • "Meanwhile, Channel 4's soon-to-launch digital entertainment channel E4 has commissioned Endemol production arm Initial to make 16 x 30-minutes of Chained, a UK version of Endemol's Chains of Love. The show, already on air or about to begin in Holland, Germany and the US, films six young people who are chained together. It starts when the channel launches in January. Each week one person is chained to five people of the opposite sex who must vie to impress him or her. Every day one person is chosen to be unchained until a winner is found. Nav Ramen will executive produce. The show will be stripped four nights a week on E4.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Exclusive: someone to watch over me". The Sunday Mirror. London: Trinity Mirror. 26 May 2002. ISSN 9975-9950. OCLC 436610738. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Big Brother reaches for the sky". London: BBC News. 11 December 2000. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b "E4 survives its first year". London: BBC News. 18 January 2002. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  4. ^ a b Deans, Jason (26 June 2001). "Audience breaks free of E4's Chained". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  5. ^ Waller, Ed (22 February 2002). "Chained returns to E4". London: C21 Media. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. ^ "Endemol to make second chained for E4". Broadcast. 21 February 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2016. (subscription required)
  7. ^ Hodgson, Jessica (22 December 2000). "Big Brother's Melanie to front E4's Chained". The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Archived from the original on 9 April 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  8. ^ "You've got mail: big Brother's Melanie Hill; When I left the Big Brother house I cried a lot and felt sorry for my mum who'd seen her little girl demonised". Daily Mirror. London: Trinity Mirror. 10 March 2001. OCLC 223228477. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Big Brother's little cousins". London: BBC News. 23 December 2000. Archived from the original on 20 September 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  10. ^ Wilkes, Neil (16 December 2000). "Big Brother's Mel to front 'Chained'". London: Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  11. ^ "Chained". UKGameshows.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  12. ^ Wilkes, Neil (27 October 2000). "'Chained' from Big Brother to air on E4". London: Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  13. ^ "Reality bites for original housemates". London: BBC News. 1 June 2001. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  14. ^ "Famous for 15 minutes, but where are they now?". South Wales Echo. London: Trinity Mirror. 25 May 2002. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Gem rebrands in Endemol UK restructure". Broadcast. 26 October 2000. Retrieved 9 March 2016. (subscription required)

External links edit

Category:2000s British television series Category:2001 British television series debuts Category:2002 British television series endings Category:British game shows Category:Channel 4 television programmes Category:Dating and relationship reality television series Category:English-language television shows