The Million Pound Drop

The Million Pound Drop
Genre	Game show
Presented by	Davina McCall Phil Spencer (2012 special) Alan Carr (2013 special)
Theme music composer	Marc Sylvan
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	12 (Regular) 2 (Christmas) 1 (Celebrity)
No. of episodes	117 (Regular) 9 (Christmas) 8 (Celebrity)
Production
Running time	60–120 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company(s)	Remarkable Television
Distributor	Endemol UK
Release
Original network	Channel 4
Picture format	576i 16:9 (SDTV)
Original release	24 May 2010 (2010-05-24) – 20 March 2015 (2015-03-20)
Chronology
Related shows	Million Dollar Money Drop (U.S.)
External links
Website
Production website

The Million Pound Drop (formerly The Million Pound Drop Live) was a BAFTA-winning game show which broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. The show began on 24 May 2010 and ended on 20 March 2015 with Davina McCall having presented the show's eleven series.^[1][2]

The show used social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to find contestants, and also to promote the show. David Flynn, managing director of Endemol's Remarkable Television, which produced the show, said: "The plan was to create buzz and an air of mystery around the show by trickling information about auditions via Twitter and Facebook, giving fans a level of exclusivity."^[3]

On 8 March 2016, Channel 4 announced that they had axed the show, in a bid to save money. Reruns of the old series are currently broadcast on Challenge.^[4]

Format

Contestants, alone or in pairs for the first series, or only in pairs for all subsequent series, are given one million pounds in £50 notes at the start of the show, banded in 40 bundles of £25,000. They must then answer eight questions in an effort to keep as much of their money as possible. Many questions are heavily focused on current or recent events (even events that occur during the airing of the show) with the words of "this week", "today" even "right now", to push the fact that the show is broadcast live.

At the beginning of each round, the contestants have to pick a category of two choices they are given. If the contestants take too long to choose, a coin is flipped to decide. Each question is multiple-choice, with the first four questions having four choices, the next three questions having three, and the final question having just two choices. Unlike a traditional quiz where the contestants pick one answer, however, it is possible for the contestants to hedge by placing money (in multiples of £25,000) on multiple answers in proportion to how confident they are on the answer. However, one answer must always be left with no money on it, which ensures that on the final question, only one answer can be chosen. Contestants who leave the money on all of the answers are generally disqualified from the game, except in some international versions of the show. After the answers and question have been read out, the contestants have one minute to physically move their money onto trapdoors (called "drops") corresponding to the answer(s) they choose. If contestants are sure of their answer, they may choose to stop the clock before the time limit is up to carry on with the answers.

After the end of the time limit, the trapdoors relating to incorrect answers open (sometimes one by one, and with varying delays to increase suspense), and any money placed on those answers is no longer available to be won by the contestants, being picked up by security guards underneath the stage. In addition any money not placed by the end of the time limit is also lost. If they have any money left, they proceed to the next question where the process is repeated. However, if they lose all their money, they are out of the game.

Episodes usually last between 60 and 90 minutes, although the last episode of the series may end slightly sooner or later depending on the contestants' performance. On 23 June 2012, for the first time in the show's history, the episode was extended to 120 minutes. The following week's episode on 30 June 2012 was 100 minutes.

For the 2010 Christmas specials, any contestants who lost all their money and would otherwise have left empty-handed were presented with multiple doors corresponding to bonus prizes. The contestants would choose which door they wanted and would win what was 'behind' that door. From the 2011 Christmas specials onwards, a new feature was introduced where online players can now play against each other and also a money counter on the drops themselves which shows how much money is placed on each drop instead of the players having to count the money.

On 2 January 2012, as part of the Channel 4 Mash-up, Davina played the game with Andrew, her father; the show was hosted by Phil Spencer from Location, Location, Location. A second Channel 4 Mash-up happened in 2013, the show this time being hosted by Alan Carr.

2013 changes

Significant changes to the format were made in summer 2013 for the tenth series. Teams of four, rather than just being strictly pairs, can now play the game. At each question, the player(s) can swap positions with their team mates – two backstage watching, the other two at the Drop answering the questions. Unlike previous series, there are now just seven questions and no question categories (if a team is playing).

Contestants are now be able to win cash if they make it to (and answer) question seven correctly. At this point, the contestants will be shown two possible answers to question eight (known as the "Final Drop") and if they proceed with the question, they have the chance to double their prize fund (so a perfect game is now worth £2,000,000). If they gamble and get the question correct, they walk away with double of their original winnings; but if they get it wrong, they'll lose everything and leave with nothing.

2014 changes

Starting from summer 2014, contestants can play as individuals again after four years. Prior to that, only Gemma in the very first UK series, and five contestants in the Chinese version, had played the Drop as individuals in their countries. This is also the first regular series to be pre-recorded due to time constraints.

Interactivity

As the show is broadcast live, viewers are encouraged to play along on their smartphones via the iOS and Android apps, or on the Channel 4 website. Aggregated statistics of the audience performance appear on screen during the broadcast and being read out by McCall.^[3] Online players receive no prize money but are sometimes given the chance to apply to be on the show. Bookmakers also take bets on which stage of the game the contestants will leave and how much money will still be in play at various stage of the game.^[5] Often on the show, if there is a question relating to a particular online source, Davina will announce that the website in question has crashed due to a large amount of online players looking up the answers. Later series added the show's application for them to play on their tablets. The interactivity is provided by London second screen company Monterosa.

Celebrity contestants

Since series two, celebrity contestants regularly appear on the show playing for charity. Celebrity contestants that lose their whole £1,000,000 are given £5,000 for their charities.

Celebrities who have appeared on the show include the following:

Specials

The Channel 4 Mash-up

On 2 January 2012, a special version of the show aired as part of The Channel 4 Mash-up. The special edition was hosted by Phil Spencer and featured Davina and her father, Andrew, as contestants. This special edition was not broadcast live, as the show usually is, but instead was shown in three pre-recorded 20 minute chunks spread throughout the 'mash-up night' at 18:35, 19:55 and 21:40. Davina and her father made it through to the final question with £50,000 but placed their money on the incorrect answer and lost.

The show returned on 4 January 2013 with Alan Carr as host. The contestants were: Sherrie Hewson, Lisa Maxwell, Jane McDonald, Denise Welch, Alexander Armstrong and Richard Bacon.

Stand Up to Cancer

On 19 October 2012, a special version aired live as part of Channel 4's UK telethon, Stand Up to Cancer. For this show, the million pounds was doubled (thus making it The Two Million Pound Drop) and a special 16-player celebrity relay team took on the drop for cancer-related charities. A different pair of celebrities handled each question, with the show airing in two segments — questions 1 to 4 at 21:00 and questions 5–8 were later in the evening. Each pair was given just 30 seconds, instead of the usual 60 seconds, for their question.

McCall switched back and forth between the live telethon, hosted alongside Alan Carr and Dr Christian Jessen, and the two Drop segments. The celebrity relay banked £200,000 for Stand Up to Cancer, with the final four pairs wagering the entire amount on a single answer on each question. This special was included in the ninth series of the show (as that series was in progress), unlike the Channel 4 'mash-up' which was a separate edition.

Celebrity Games series

Over four weekends, beginning Friday 20 July 2012, four teams (consisting of six pairs) of celebrities would take on The Million Pound Drop. Their aim was to collectively win £1,000,000 for Paralympics-related charities over the four weekends to celebrate Channel 4's status as host broadcaster of the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Every weekend, if the six couples managed to collectively win £150,000 the show would add another £100,000 to the pot. While one couple played the game, the remaining five couples would play the game online backstage in the "Games Room". The couple who played the online game best would be the next couple to take on the drop.

Week 1

The first team consisted of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer (team captains), Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway, Natalie Cassidy and Frankie Cocozza, Aled Jones and Sara Cox, Ola Jordan and James Jordan, Jonathan Edwards and Colin Jackson.

On Friday 20 July, Vic and Bob played and managed to make it to question 8 with £225,000 but lost all their money. Natalie Cassidy and Frankie Cocozza played next but dropped out on question 6 with £125,000. Aled Jones and Sara Cox took on the drop next and won £125,000. Jonathan Edwards and Colin Jackson were the last couple to take on the drop and won £100,000 meaning the team collectively won £225,000 for charity. The show also added an extra £100,000 to the pot, meaning the total win was £325,000.

Week 2

The second team consisted of Professor Green and Big Lew (team captains), Rachel Riley and Mark Foster, Joe Swash and Jessica-Jane Clement, Debra Stephenson and Jon Culshaw, and Martin Kemp and his son, Roman Kemp.

Professor Green and Big Lew played first but lost on question 4. Rachel Riley and Mark Foster did best playing in the game room so were next to take on the drop, they won £50,000. Joe Swash and Jessica-Jane Clement played next but lost all of their money on question 6. Debra Stephenson and Jon Culshaw played fourth. They made it to question 7 with £100,000 but bet all their money on the wrong answer. Martin and Roman Kemp played last, but didn't make it past question 2. At the end of the second weekend of games, the total raised so far was £375,000.

Week 3

The third team consisted of Steps (team captains), Dr Dawn Harper and Dr Christian Jessen from Embarrassing Bodies, Hugo and Binky from Made in Chelsea, and John McCririck and Frankie Dettori. As there are five members of Steps, they would play in pairs, each answering two questions.

Lisa and H from Steps answered the first two questions correctly. Claire and Lee played next, but lost their money on question 4. Dawn and Christian played next. They made it to question 8 with £50,000 but unfortunately bet it all on the wrong answer. Hugo and Binky were up next and won £25,000 for charity.

The next game would be played as a relay, with different pairs being selected to answer each question. Each pair can only answer two questions. John and Frankie went first and answered the first question correctly. They were followed by H and Faye from Steps, Dawn and Christian, Hugo and Binky, Steps' Claire and Lisa, Dawn and Christian and Hugo and Binky. John and Frankie were left to answer the final question with the remaining £125,000. They placed the money on the winning drop, taking the total weekend winnings to £150,000. As they raised over the £150,000 target, an extra £100,000 was added to the prize. At the end of the third weekend of games, the total raised so far was £625,000.

Week 4

The fourth team consisted of Ade Adepitan and Iwan Thomas (team captains), radio DJs Lisa Snowdon and Dave Berry, cricketers Stuart Broad and James Anderson, and Irish entertainers Jedward.

Ade and Iwan played first, but they crashed out on question 6. Lisa and Dave played next and won £25,000. Next up were Jedward, but lost their remaining £300,000 on question 3. The last pair to face the drop were Stuart and James, who made it to the final question but lost their remaining £25,000 on the final question.

All four pairs then faced a bonus question 8 at the end of the show, which featured each of them playing a single question for £50,000, meaning that there was an extra £200,000 up for grabs, in addition to the possible £100,000 bonus if they could hit a combined total of £150,000. First up for their bonus question were Ade and Iwan, but they answered incorrectly and lost their £50,000. Next were Lisa and Dave, who met the same fate, as did Stuart and James, meaning that it was down to Jedward to salvage some money. Jedward correctly answered their question and won £50,000 for charity, bringing the total for the final weekend to £75,000 and the grand total for the series to £700,000.

Incident

During an episode on 5 November 2010, contestants Johnny and Dee were faced with the options Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. They were then asked "Who played Dr Who for the longest period?". The contestants did not know the answer so decided to split their remaining £650,000 between McCoy and McGann. The answer was then revealed to be Tennant and they lost all their remaining money.^[6] Tennant played Doctor Who from 2005-10. However, viewers began to query the accuracy of this question,^[7] saying it was open to interpretation as McCoy played the Doctor from 1987–89, but also appeared in the charity special Dimensions in Time in 1993 and in the beginning of the Doctor Who television film in 1996, making his time playing Doctor Who technically nine years uninterrupted. After producers spoke to the BBC, it became apparent that McCoy was the correct answer. Channel 4 therefore allowed Johnny and Dee to return and continue with the £325,000 that would have remained.^[6] They came back on 12 November 2010, to continue the game. They got all the way to the final question and managed to win £25,000.

The catchphrase

According to UKGameshows.com, in the original British series, the show's catchphrase is "Let's see what's going to drop." by Davina McCall. If several trapdoors are open and more than one trapdoor do not drop, Davina says: "Let's reveal the final answer to drop."

In other versions, there are other variants to this catchphrase, here is the collection (not entirely included):

Country	Host	His/her words in local language	Translated in English
Argentina	Susana Gimenez	Por favor, respuesta señor director!	Please the answer sir!
Australia	Eddie McGuire	Here comes the drop!
Brazil	Silvio Santos	Vamos ver qual é a resposta certa!	Let's see what is the right answer!
Cambodia	Chea Vibol	200 millions money drop	200 millions money drop
Chile	Don Francisco (2012–14)	¡Ábrete ahora!	Break on now!
	Diana Bolocco (2015–present)	¡Vamos a ver!	Let's see!
China	Ma Ke	请向前一步！	(Please) take a step forward!
Colombia	María José Barraza	¡Vamos a ver que cae!	Let's see which falls!
Egypt	Nagla Badr	منشوف مع بعض الإحتمالات الخطأ للإجابة	Remove the odd wrong answer.
France	Laurence Boccolini	Vérifions!	Let's check!
India	Jeet	Let's see!
Indonesia	Anjasmara	Jatuhkan uangnya sekarang!	Drop the money now!
Israel	Erez Tal	אל תפיל את המיליון	Don't Drop the Million
Italy	Gerry Scotti	Parola alle botole!	Leave the word to the trapdoors!
Japan	Yusuke Santamaria	Money Drop! (マネードロップ！)	-
Malaysia	AC Mizal	Where the money drops?
Philippines	Vic Sotto	Let's do the drop!
Portugal	Teresa Guilherme	Vamos confirmar!	Let's check
Kazakhstan  Russia  Ukraine  Belarus	Abdel' Mukhtarov Maksim Galkin Andrey Domansky Georgy Koldun	Внимание правильный ответ	Let's see the correct answer
Singapore	George Young	Let's see what (the final answer) is to drop.
Spain	Carlos Sobera	Comprobamos...	We're checking...
Thailand	Varavuth Jentanakul	ก้าวไปข้างหน้า แล้วมาดูเฉลยพร้อมๆกันเลยครับ!	Moving forward, See the answer now!
United States  Nigeria  South Africa	Kevin Pollak Gideon Okeke Busisiwe Lurayi	Step up, and see what drops!
Uruguay	Jorge Piñeyrúa	Respuesta de la × pregunta!	Answer of the × question!

Note: In the Malaysian version, the host A.C. Mizal uses both English and Malay to shout out the catchphrase, the one in the table is it in English.

Merchandise

A board game was released by Drumond Park in November 2010.^[8]

Transmissions

Regular

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	24 May 2010	29 May 2010	6
2	25 October 2010	13 November 2010	9
3	28 January 2011	19 February 2011	8
4	22 April 2011	28 May 2011	12
5	2 September 2011	8 October 2011	12
6	13 January 2012	11 February 2012	10
7	24 March 2012	21 April 2012	10
8	15 June 2012	14 July 2012	10
9	14 September 2012	20 October 2012	12
10	14 June 2013	20 July 2013	12
11	11 July 2014	26 September 2014	12
12	20 February 2015	20 March 2015	4

Christmas

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	15 December 2010	18 December 2010	4
2	5 December 2011	9 December 2011	5

Celebrity

Series	Start date	End date	Episodes
1	20 July 2012	11 August 2012	8

Notes

• On 2 January 2012 and 4 January 2013, two special programmes aired as part of The Channel 4 Mash-up.
• Celebrity was the first time a series had been pre-recorded.
• The eleventh series onwards will be pre-recorded, while it is also the first pre-recorded regular series.

Ratings

The series' highest-rated episode was 4 February 2011, which was seen by 2.79 million viewers and received a 14.4% share.^[9] Ratings for the current series (series 10) dropped but remained respectiable; the first episode (14 June 2013) was seen by 1.57 million viewers and received a 7.6% share.^[10]

International versions

Countries with their own version (as of September 2016)

Country/language	Local title	Host	Channel	Top prize	Date aired/premiered
Afghanistan[11]	شما ومیلیون Shoma wa million	Mukhtar Lashkari	1TV	Af.1,000,000	15 February 2014
Albania[12]	100 Milionë	Eno Popi	Top Channel	10,000,000 lekë (100,000,000 old lekë)	11 January 2011
Argentina[13]	Salven el millón	Susana Giménez	Telefe	AR$1,000,000	9 June – 22 December 2011
	Salven los millones			AR$2,000,000	23 May 2013
Australia[14]	The Million Dollar Drop	Eddie McGuire	Nine Network	A$1,000,000	21 March 2011 – 28 April 2011
Belarus [15][16]	Шоу Сто Миллионов Shou Sto Millionov	Georgy Koldun	ONT	100,000,000 Br	13 September 2014
Belgium (Dutch)[17]	De val van een miljoen	Evy Gruyaert	VIER	€1,000,000	31 August 2013
Brazil[18][19]	Um Milhão na Mesa	Silvio Santos	SBT	R$1,000,000	21 September – 14 December 2011
Bulgaria[20]	Да ти паднат 100 хиляди Da ti padnat 100 khilyadi	Niki Kunchev	Nova	100,000лв	12 March 2012
Cambodia[21]	200 Million Money Drop	Chea Vibol	Hang Meas HDTV	៛ 200,000,000	12 April 2014
Chile[22][23]	Atrapa los Millones (2012-14)	Don Francisco	Canal 13	CL$400,000,000	25 March 2012
	Atrapa los Millones - La apuesta de tus sueños (2015-present)	Diana Bolocco		CL$100,000,000	09 March 2015
China[24]	最强喜事 Zuiqiang Xishi	Mǎ Kě	Guizhou TV	30 free trips (50 trips in early episodes)	24 July 2011 – 25 December 2011
	让梦想飞 (Season 6)	Yang Bo	Shandong TV Life Channel	CN¥50,000(Weekday live edition) CN¥100,000(Weekend edition)	16 June 2014 - 13 February 2015 (Weekday live edition) 10 January 2015(Weekend edition)
Colombia[25]	Millones por montones	María José Barraza	Canal Caracol	CO$1,000,000,000	25 July 2011
Croatia	Kolo du miljon	Malna Tariks	HRT 1	2,000,000 Kn	10 November 2014
Denmark[26]	Pengene på bordet	Claus Elming	TV2	Kr. 2,000,000	23 March 2013 all episodes were recorded in July 2012
Egypt[27]	أنت والمليون Inta wal milyon	Nagla Badr	Mehwar TV	ج.م 1,000,000	24 February 2012
Estonia[28]	Rahaauk	Alari Kivisaar	TV3	€100,000	12 September 2011
Finland[29]	Suuret setelit	Heikki Paasonen	MTV3	€100,000	7 March 2014
France[30]	Money Drop	Laurence Boccolini	TF1	€250,000	July 2010(Pilot in London) 1 August 2011(Regular episodes)
Germany[31][32]	Rette die Million!	Jörg Pilawa	ZDF	€1,000,000	13 October 2010 – 22 August 2013
	Keep your Money	Wayne Carpendale	Sat. 1	€250,000	2015
Georgia[33]	ფულთან თამაში! Phultan tamashi	Dimitry Skhirtlazde	Imedi TV	ლ100,000	10 April 2013
Greece[34]	Money Drop	Grigoris Arnaoutoglou	Mega Channel	€300,000	16 October 2010
Hungary[35]	A 40 Milliós Játszma	Ferenc Rákóczi	TV2	40,000,000 Ft	29 November 2010
	Az 50 Milliós Játszma	Claudia Liptai		50,000,000 Ft	12 October 2015
Iceland[36]	Vertu viss	Þórhallur Gunnarsson	RÚV	10,000,000 kr	November 2013
India (Bengali)[37]	কোটি টাকার বাজি Koti Takar Baji	Jeet	Star Jalsha	₹1,00,00,000	15 October 2011 – 14 January 2012
India (Kannada)[38]	ಕಯ್ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೋತಿ - ಹೆಲ್ಬಿತ್ತು ಹೋದೀರಿ Kayyalli Koti - Haelbittu Hodeeri	Sai Kumar	Udaya TV	₹1,00,00,000	17 March 2012
India (Malayalam)[39]	കൈയ്യില്‍ ഒരു കോടി Kayil Oru Kodi	Mamta Mohandas	Surya TV	₹1,00,00,000	26 March 2012
India (Tamil)[40]	கையில் ஒரு கோடி - ஆர் யு ரெடி Kaiyil Oru Kodi - Are You Ready?	Rishi	Sun TV	₹1,00,00,000	10 March 2012
India (Telugu)[41]	కో అంటే కోటి - మే సొంతం చేస్కొండి Ko Aante Koti - Me Sontham Cheskondi	Jagapati Babu Jhansi Laxmi	Gemini TV	₹1,00,00,000	26 March 2012
Indonesia[42]	The Million Rupiah Money Drop	Anjasmara	RCTI	Rp1,000,000,000/-	28 February 2015–26 March 2016
		Kevin Julio	NET.	Rp1,000,000,000/-	2017
Israel[43]	אל תפיל את המיליון Al Tapil Et HaMillion	Erez Tal	Channel 2 (Keshet)	₪1,000,000	13 October 2010
Italy[44][45]	The Money Drop	Gerry Scotti	Canale 5	€1,000,000	12 December 2011 - 1 June 2013
Japan[46][47]	2000万円クイズ! マネードロップ ¥20,000,000 Quiz! Money Drop	Yusuke Santamaria	TBS	JP¥20,000,000	31 October 2012
Kazakhstan[48][49]	Қырық Миллион Теңге Шоуы (Шоу Сорок Миллионов Тенге) Qırıq Mïllïon Teñge Şowı (Shou Sorok Millionov Tenge)	Abdel' Mukhtarov	tv7	40,000,000 ₸	22 January 2011
Latvia[50]	Paņem 100 000... ja vari	Edgars Ludāns	TV3	€100,000	1 October 2011[51]
Lithuania[52]	100 000 eurų grynais	Marijonas Mikutavičius	TV3	€100,000	2 September 2011
Malaysia (Malay)[53]	RM 1,000,000 Money Drop	AC Mizal	Astro Ria	RM1,000,000	3 December 2011
Mongolia	80 саяын уналт 80 sayiin unalt	Unknown	Edutainment TV HD	₮80,000,000	January 2013
Netherlands[54]	Show Me The Money	Beau van Erven Dorens	SBS 6	€1,000,000	11–22 April 2011
Niger	N1,000,000 Money drop	Farub Arlane	DL 4	N1,000,000	September 5, 2015
Nigeria (English)[55]	The Money Drop	Gideon Okeke	Africa Magic	US$100,000	13 January 2013
Norway[56]	Pengene på bordet	Sturla Berg-Johansen	TV2	2,000,000 kr	2012
Peru[57]	Atrapa el Millón	Mónica Zevallos	ATV	S/.1,000,000	14 September 2014
Philippines[58][59]	The Million Peso Money Drop	Vic Sotto	TV5	₱1,000,000	14 October 2012
Poland[60]	Postaw na milion	Łukasz Nowicki	TVP2	1,000,000 zł	5 March 2011
Portugal[61]	The Money Drop - Entre a ganhar	Teresa Guilherme	TVI	€100,000	30 March 2015 - 15 August 2015
Romania[62]	Cu banii jos	Dan Negru	Antena 1	€100,000	19 September 2012
Russia[63]	Шоу Десять Миллионов Shou Desyat' Millionov	Maxim Galkin	Russia 1	10,000,000 руб.	4 September 2010 - 14 June 2014
Serbia[64]	Multimilioner	Dragan Nikolić	RTV Pink	10,000,000 RSD	13 September 2011
Singapore (English)[65]	Million Dollar Money Drop	George Young	MediaCorp TV Channel 5	S$1,000,000	9 August 2011
Slovenia[66]	Denar pada	Jonas Žnidaršič	Planet TV	€100,000	3 April 2013
South Africa (English)[67]	Million Rand Money Drop	Busi Lurayi	M-Net	R1,000,000	10 April 2013 (1st Season ended)
Spain[68]	Atrapa un Millón	Carlos Sobera Arturo Valls(Guest)	Antena 3	€1,000,000 (weekly)	4 February 2011 – 18 April 2012
	Atrapa un Millón Diario			€200,000 (daily)	4 April 2011 – 8 September 2014
	Atrapa dos Millones			€2,000,000 (special)	21 October 2011
Sweden[69][70]	Pengarna på bordet	Peter Jihde	TV4	2,000,000kr	3 October 2011
	Miljonlotteriets pengarna på bordet	Paolo Roberto			1 October 2013
Switzerland (German)[71]	Die Millionen-Falle	René Rindlisbacher	SF1	1,000,000 CHF	4 July 2011
Thailand [72][73]	The money drop ไทยแลนด์	Varavuth Jentanakul	Channel 7	฿2,000,000 + car	2 August 2014
Turkey[74][75]	Bir Milyon Canlı Para	Engin Altan Düzyatan	Show TV	₺1,000,000	25 October 2010–October 2011
		Murat Başoğlu	Fox		9 September 2012–Autumn 2012
		Mesut Yar	Kanal D		31 March 2014
Ukraine[76]	Шоу На Два Мiльйони (Шоу На Два Миллиона) Shou Na Dva Milyony (Shou Na Dva Milliona)	Andrey Domansky	1+1	₴2,000,000	12 January–30 March 2011
United States[77]	Million Dollar Money Drop	Kevin Pollak	Fox	US$1,000,000	20 December 2010 – 1 February 2011
Uruguay[78]	Salven el Millón	Jorge Piñeyrúa	Channel 10	UY$1,000,000	21 August 2012
Vietnam[79]	Đừng để tiền rơi	Hoàng Trung Nghĩa	VTV	200,000,000₫+9,000,000₫	16 January 2014 - 30 April 2015
		Thành Trung		200,000,000₫	6 January 2016

Notes: 1. The two Chinese versions are produced without Endemol's permission.

2. According to Endemol's official website, the format has recently been sold to Niger, but all the exact information is unknown yet.^[80]

3. Arturo Valls hosted an episode as a cross-over between Atrapa un millón and his own game show Ahora caigo, which was hosted by Carlos Sobera that afternoon.

4. The Thai version's top prize is in Thai baht. However, in fact, the cash on the stage is in United States dollars, equal to 2 million baht.

5. Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh version (except Belarusian version) are take shooting in Moscow (Gorky Film Studio), and under production by Weit Media, Although they are using Russian language (including Belarusian version) as their conversation language, however in Ukrainian and Kazakh (first season only) version, they used their native language for introduction, greeting and closing caption also Ukrainian and Kazakh (first season only) version are offered the SMS game during the program. Unlike Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh version which are using Russian language for the question and answer, Ukrainian version is prefer to use Ukrainian Language for the question and answer instead using Russian Language.

Rules variations

Pass

In some versions in the Eurozone, like the German version, if the contestants choose the question that is difficult in their opinion, they can "Pass" and switch to the other category which they did not originally choose. The "Pass" can be only used once during the game.

Quick Change

In some versions, as lifelines, there are "Quick Change(s)" (or similar words in local language), which allows a pair of contestants have 30 seconds (in the Brazilian and French versions, 10 seconds instead) to change their answers, only once in all the questions except for the last question. This lifeline is also used automatically if contestants do not leave one trapdoor empty on a question.

However, in the second series of the Slovenian version, there are two Quick Changes for each pair of the contestants, but they can't use both of them in a single question. In the French version, though the rules are similar to the UK version, if contestants have made their way to question number five, one more Quick Change is given. In the Chilean version, there are 105 seconds for the final all-or-nothing question's betting, with a bonus Quick Change given by the host (prior to that, there are 75 seconds on the clock, if the contestants are confident enough for the answer, they can refuse the bonus).

Starting from autumn 2014, in the Vietnamese version based on the British format, the Quick Change rule was introduced. The rules were still unchanged, however, sometimes the game features three boxes randomly contain 5 million VND, 3 million VND or 1 million VND. After the first question, whatever boxes left on the table will be guaranteed and taken away after the game. Generally speaking, the top prize was slightly increased to 209 million Vietnam dong.

Final Fact

This was also introduced in the American version along with Quick Change. In the final all-or-nothing question, there is no time limit for placing the money on the trapdoor. Then the host Kevin Pollak will give an extra fact about the question, often with the following words: "These are not meant to change your mind, just give you one more thing to concern." Then the contestants are given 60 seconds to decide whether switch the answer or not after the extra notice given by host.

The Final Fact was later removed in most of the versions.

First Chinese version

In the Chinese version, no real money is used. Since the episode aired on October 2011, there are 30 iPads which stand for three different routes to travel - one is to Europe, one is across Asia, and another one is going around China.

There were three questions in a row, and 30 seconds were given to spread the prizes for each question.

If the contestants answer the third all-or-nothing question correctly, the prizes are listed as follows:

Number of iPads	Prize
30 (the Jackpot)	Free trips around Europe, Asia and China (30 free trips)
20 to 29	Free trips across Asia, China (20 free trips)
10 to 19	Free trips around China (10 trips)
Less than 10	Free trip to one of the 10 places in China

Specials in Chinese version

In episodes 3, 4, 6 and 9 of the Chinese franchise, the game used special modes.

In episodes 3 and 4, there are three contestants on the stage with pre-existing relationships. One goes down the stage to the separated room beneath the stage watching the game playing on the stage, and the other two play against the Drop. The game uses the American format, and the only "litigant"(the contestant sitting in the special room) choose the correct answer that based on his or her life.

There are no quick changes in the game, and each question's time limit is 60 seconds. After revealing the answers, the hidden contestant would be also revealed on the screen and he or she might be asked about the background to the question.

In episodes 6 and 9, the contestants must answer five questions in a row, and all the questions are about the hidden contestant beneath the stage.

Second Chinese version

The second Chinese version allows the contestant put money on ALL the trapdoors, but if the remaining cash amount is lower than (or equal to) 5,000 yuan, they can only put the cash on one single "drop", but they can eliminate a random wrong answer before the clock begins. Only 5 questions for each pair of contestants, and they can choose one out of ten sets of questions. They can hand out 5,000 yuan to use a lifeline to ask a relative who is watching the live broadcast show, but it can be used only once in a game. It is broadcast every weekday at 20:00 in Shandong Province only.

Also, "Double or Nothing" introduced in UK series 10 also used in the second Chinese version.

Twists in the Spanish version

This is introduced on 27 September 2013, in the Spanish version. As the winning of the top prize in the Spanish version, a new rule whereby the contestants can earn more money is introduced.

The first twist is "Double or Triple the Money". In the eighth question, the security team brings up the prize money, which is double their current prize. The final all-or-nothing question contains four choices. Before the 60-second clock begins, the pair can choose to take the question with all four options or not in 20 seconds. If not, one wrong answer is removed, and they can choose to play the question or not within 10 seconds. If not again, another wrong answer is removed, and they must play the original two-option final question. However options left in play, they must choose only one answer. If they choose the correct one, they can walk away with double(with three options in the game) or triple(with four choices), whilst they go home with nothing.

Second twist is "Single play" (Spanish: Solo uno, literally "only one"). The "Single Play" question may be exist in all the question categories except the final two. If the contestants choose "Single Play", one of the pair must leave the stage for several minutes beneath the floor, and the remaining contestant must answer the question by him/her own. If he/she survived the question, they could win an extra €5,000 and put it to the prize pot. In this question, they could not use the "Pass".

So the theoretical top prize in the daily Spanish version is €615,000 if the contestant play excellently and take "Single play" well.

Phone a Friend

This is introduced in the Russian version. Similar to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"'s lifeline with the same name, in the Drop's "Phone a Friend", the contestants can make a telephone call to one of their relatives before the clock starts. They can only make one phone call in the game.

If the contestants get stuck on one of the questions, they can use the lifeline and make a telephone call to one of their relatives, friends, or somebody else. After the presenter greet him/her over the phone, the contestants must read out the question and all the answer options. The 1-minute clock begins after the question and answers are read for the first time, while the question and answers on the main screen are disappeared.

Eliminate wrong answer(s)

This lifeline is also introduced in the Russian version, also adapted from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"'s lifeline called "Fifty-Fifty", if the contestants are not quite sure about the final answer, they can use this lifeline after the clock runs out.

The lifeline can be only used once before the last question. If this is into play, one or two incorrect answer(s) are randomly delected from the table, only leave one correct and one wrong answer, the money must be on one of the two answers. If they placed the money on the correct answer, they can bring back the money they lost in this question; otherwise, they are eliminated with nothing.

Top prize winners

Country	Winning contestants	Date aired	Top prize
Argentina	Claudio Patrone & María Inés Martín	3 August 2011	AR$1,000,000
Germany	Horst & Nada Lichter	8 June 2011	€1,000,000
Spain	Pablo & María Fernandis	23 September 2013	€200,000

Notable events outside the UK

• In the Japanese version, a pair of contestants take their whole JP¥20 million into the final question without using the lifeline "Quick Change" (the show used British settings but American rules), but they lost all the jackpot in the ultimate question 7. This was broadcast on 31 October 2012. When they returned on 10 January 2013, they went out on question 1.
• Both the youngest and the oldest contestants have appeared on the Chinese version. The oldest contestant was Chen Lan, 82 years old when the show aired on Guizhou TV on 4 December 2011. The youngest one was Tutu (nickname), just 1 year old when she attended the show's filming, and broadcast on 18 December 2011.
• The Chinese version is also the first to use two presenters in one episode worldwide. This happened on 23 October 2011, when Wang Qiao, a host currently working in Hunan TV, acted as a guest host with his friend, and the show's actual host, Ma Ke.
• In the Singaporean version, the show's first set of contestants in the premiere episode - Izam and Eugene - lost all the Jackpot - one million Singapore dollars on the very first question. What's worse, this happened again in the Portuguese version's premiere, broadcast on 30 March 2015: the very first pair of contestants lost all €100,000 on the very first show's very first question. Jokingly, when the first three set of contestants in the premiere episode decided to split the prize cash, the all lost everything.

References

External links

• The Million Pound Drop at the Internet Movie Database
• British version website at channel4.com
• Production website
• The Million Pound Drop at UKGameshows.com
• The Million Pound Drop on Twitter
• The Million Pound Drop on Facebook