The Krypton Factor

THE KRYPTON FACTOR
Made by: Granada
Shown on: ITV
Years shown: 1977-95

This was another show which was not aimed specifically at kids but, nonetheless, I think they made up a substantial part of the audience. The Krypton Factor had a reputation as the toughest quiz show on television, but it wasn’t really fair to call it a quiz show - it was five rounds of mental torture, physical exhaustion, and ritual humiliation. The idea sprung from the success of the 1977 Superman film, and the winner of the series would claim the title of UK Superperson. Gordon Burns was the host, just the right side of Jeremy Paxman in style and presentation; the contestants were members of the public who fancied themselves as hyper-intelligent, super-fit, or both. Almost all came a cropper.

Round one was the observation round, easing you in gently. The contestants were shown a short film clip, and were then asked questions: what colour were the socks worn by the man in the tweed jacket? Was the woman carrying a clipboard when she came into the room? How many cars passed by while the little boy was waiting? A bit like something you’d have to do at school, really. Early clips starred a barely-known Steve Coogan, and ‘comedy’ duo Hinge and Bracket, but a later, budget-blowing mini-serial called ‘Dead Ringer’ had an ensemble cast of Tony Slattery, Tony Robinson, Katie Puckrik and Linda Lusardi.

Round two was all about mental agility, some kind of IQ test with diagrams and a bit of spatial awareness thrown in. Ugh. Contestants had 40 seconds to answer as many questions correctly on something like a sequence of playing cards, or the construction of a sentence.

The next round always sorted the men from the boys. It was the dexterity round, where the competitors had to complete a 3-D puzzle, usually made of Perspex, which looked fiendishly hard. You could see the frustration on the face of Gareth from Tunbridge Wells as, three minutes in, he was still trying to figure out which bit was the base of the puzzle. To make matters worse, the sadistic Burns would conspiratorially whisper the answer to the audience, while his victims were sweating under the studio lights.

But those who flunked out in the earlier rounds often got their comeuppance when it came to the gruelling fitness round. Basically, it was a 400m army assault course in Bury, Lancashire, and it was inevitable that, during the show, one man would fall off the balance-beam or the rope-swing, and land in the mud; and the token woman would finish a distant last, despite the fact that the women were always given a head start. Lots of quality eighties sportswear on display.

After that, it was back to the studio for the general knowledge round, which always seemed like a bit of a relief. It was quick-fire questions, and to up the tension, the players were swathed in darkness and only illuminated when they were answering a question.

I was sorry when The Krypton Factor ended, because there was something peculiarly British about it - the contestants knew they had no chance in hell of winning, but they still threw themselves into it wholeheartedly. And everyone at home was just glad it wasn’t them tripping on that cargo net.

SQUARE EYES RATING: 8/10

(Thanks to the BBC News website for the borrowed pic)