The classic game show Letterbox is making a comeback, and we caught up with Gabriel Andrews, Sales Executive for the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and CIS, to discuss the format's resurgence. With the ever-evolving landscape of international television, Letterbox proves that timeless concepts can find new audiences. Gabriel shares insights on why this word-based game show is experiencing a revival and what makes it appealing to today's broadcasters.
1. Can you give a brief overview of the Letterbox gameshow format?Letterbox is a family game show, in which pairs of contestants go head-to-head to crack a series of passwords by guessing letters in the secret word each round, competing towards the chance to crack the final password and take home the cash prize.
2. What’s is the appeal of the Letterbox’s format?
Letterbox is a fun, easy-to-follow, entertaining game show which people of all ages can play along and enjoy. It’s the type of game show that will have you shouting at the TV when you know the answer and the contestants haven’t worked it out yet!
3. How was the experience of working with Shine Medya to adapt Letterbox for a Turkish audience?
It’s been fantastic to partner with the team at Shine Medya. Their talented team have also produced a very successful adaption of Lingo, for TRT Türkiye, which is currently airing with over 200 episodes produced to date. So, we had every confidence they would produce a great adaptation of Letterbox for a Turkish audience. We have an excellent working relationship with Shine Medya and look forward to more collaborations in the future.
4. Which key elements of the original format were essential to retain ?
The core structure of the format has been retained, including the head-to-head rounds where the two teams of pairs compete to correctly guess the password and move on to the next round until the last remaining pair have the chance to crack the final password. As it’s a show with a very simple structure, the entertaining celebrity host is also key element of the format which has been retained, as they provide an additional layer of fun to the show for the audience.
5. Were any elements adapted for a Turkish audience ?
The Turkish alphabet has 29 letters, rather than 26 in the English alphabet, but the game mechanics work just the same. The number of passwords to be solved in the opening rounds have also been increased to fit the longer episode running time, which works very well, heightening the competition and meaning more to solve for contestants and viewers alike. The format is simple and easily adaptable for audiences in any territory, which is what makes it such a great game show format.
6. What has the response been since the series launched?
The Turkish adaptation has been well-received in Turkey since its launch and the broadcaster CNBC-e are pleased with its performance.
7. Has the show's success in Turkey sparked interest from other territories?
Yes, since Letterbox was revived with a new adaptation in Turkey, there has been interest in several other territories and most recently, a local adaptation has been commissioned by RTV Slovenia, which we are very excited about. The Slovenian recently launched, with 3 episodes airing weekly.
8. Are there any other formats from A3MI’s back catalogue currently attracting interest from producers and broadcasters?
Increasingly, local broadcasters are looking for budget-friendly, fun, family friendly formats, so game shows in our catalogue such as Are You Normal? Are gaining traction recently in the regions I work across.
