In Now Get Out of That, two teams of active and brainy people follow an adventure course over approximately 72 hours. There were four series made - the first two were Cambridge v Oxford battles, the last two US v UK tussles. Each series followed a vaguely espionage-induced plot, in that the teams were being sent on a special mission such as rescuing a defecting spy.
Along their course, they were a series of mental
and physical challenges that had to be overcome before they could proceed. These could vary from creating a simple machine to opening a strong wooden box covered in 1000 screws to moving a huge boulder. Often the solutions to the problem were much simpler than they appeared, but that didn't stop the teams making a right pig's ear of them on regular occasions.
There were two key things that made this show so successful. One was the presence of journalist and writer Bernard Falk who gives us accurate character portraits of how the teams are working along the way. He also chipped in with brilliantly timed quips (added from the warmth and safety of an audio studio) to overlay the action. For example, when one team were descending from a high window using a rope made from sheets,
the dialogue went:
American: Hey, I feel just like Cinderella!
Falk: Or Rapunzel, if you like.
The other entertainment factor came from the extremely sneaky black humour that underlied many of the challenges. In one series, the team were given a map in jigsaw form, a new piece being given after each major stage. Of course, just as soon as the map was complete it was completely useless as they were at the
end of their course. In other episode, the team were given four bicycles - but with only seven wheels between them. Further on the course they found the eighth wheel - but had they brought the fourth bike frame with them all that way? What do you think? ...(ukgameshows.com)
Genre: Reality
