The Finish Line (game show)
| The Finish Line | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Presented by | Roman Kemp |
| Starring | Sarah Greene |
| Theme music composer | Medina Sound |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 (Regular) 1 (Festive) |
| No. of episodes | 110 (Regular) 5 (Festive) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production companies | Potato (S1-3, Festive 1) Bright Entertainment (S4-present, Festive 2-present) Nice One Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 21 August 2023 – present |
The Finish Line is a British game show that first aired on 21 August 2023, starring Roman Kemp as host and Sarah Greene as co-host. Five contestants compete in four rounds, each eliminating a contestant, with the one remaining contestant playing one final round in an attempt to win £5,000. The show sees these contestants answering quick-fire questions on moving podiums that are mounted on parallel lanes of a track, attempting to cross the finish line to remain in the game.[1]
Format
Rounds 1 to 3 (Pictures/Missing Letters/Pairs)
The contestants individually play a qualifying game to determine their lane assignments, attempting to give five correct answers in as short a time as possible. There is no penalty for a pass or miss, and the clock stops on the fifth correct answer or after 45 seconds have elapsed, whichever occurs first. The contestant with the shortest time is assigned to Lane 1, the second-shortest to Lane 2, and so on. Too many wrong answers will mean Game Over in each qualifier and Too many passes sometimes mean time will be up.
Each qualifier has a different format, as follows:
- Round 1 (Pictures): Given a category and a picture of an item fitting it, identify the picture.
- Round 2 (Missing Letters): Given a category and a string of blanks indicating the number of words/letters for an item fitting it, name the item. The first and last letters are already filled in. Example: "British Dish" and "T - - - / - - / - - - / - - - E" would be "TOAD IN THE HOLE."
- Round 3 (Pairs): Given a category and three pairs of answers, select the one pair whose answers both fit the category.
Correct answers to passed/missed questions are revealed by the co-host at the end of each contestant's turn.
For the race, the contestants stand at movable podiums within their lanes, initially positioned at the starting line. The host asks one question in turn to each contestant, starting with Lane 1. A correct answer starts/keeps the contestant moving forward, while a miss stops them or leaves them where they are if they are already stopped. Once a contestant passes the finish line, they sit out for the rest of the race. After every contestant but one has reached the finish line, the last one is eliminated from the game with no winnings.
Round 4
No qualifier is played for this round; the two remaining contestants stand at the podiums and answer toss-up questions on the buzzer. The first correct answer from the contestant or the opponent starts to move and then another correct starts the contestant moving and stops the opponent, while a miss has the opposite effect and a miss from both makes the contestant and opponent stop until the correct answer from either is given. The first contestant to reach the finish line advances to the final and the other is eliminated.
Final
A red zone advances slowly down the back wall of the studio, at the same speed as the podiums, and approaches the contestant from behind as the host asks questions. Correct answers start/keep the contestant moving, but a pass or miss stops them. The contestant wins £5,000 if they can reach the finish line without being overtaken by the red zone, or nothing at all after getting caught otherwise.
Transmissions
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 25 | 21 August 2023[2] | 22 September 2023[3] | |
| 2 | 30 (1 unaired until the UEFA Euro 2024 and 2024 Wimbledon Championships Tournaments have finished) | 6 May 2024[4] | 14 June 2024[5] | |
| 3 | 30 | 10 March 2025[6] | 18 April 2025[7] | |
| Festive 1 | 5 | 15 December 2025[8] | 19 December 2025[9] | |
| 4 | 25 or 30 (10 or 15 unaired until the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2026 Wimbledon Championships Tournaments have finished) | 9 March 2026[10] | 25 September 2026[11] | |
| Festive 2 | 5 | 14 December 2026 | 18 December 2026 | |
| 5 | 30 | TBD in March or April 2027 | TBD in May or June 2027 | |
References
- ↑ "The Finish Line - Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene tease "nail-biting, hilarious and actually tear-jerking" quiz show". BBC Online. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 1, Episode 1". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 1, Episode 25". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 2, Episode 1". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 2, Episode 30". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 3, Episode 1". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 3, Episode 30". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line, The Festive Finish Line, Episode 1". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line, The Festive Finish Line, Episode 5". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 4, Episode 1". BBC Online. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ↑ "The Finish Line – Series 4, Episode 25". BBC Online. Retrieved 9 March 2026.