''Fame & Fortune'' is a

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

broadcast on

RTÉ One RTÉ One is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by RTÉ. It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís Éireann'' on 31 December 1961, it was renamed ''R ...

on Saturday nights between 1996 and 2006. Presented by

Marty Whelan Martin "Marty" Whelan (born 7 June 1956) is an Irish radio and television personality currently working for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). His early television credits included the game shows ''Millionaire'' and '' Fame and Fortune'', and ...

(who signed off every show with the catchphrase: "How do you play? You buy a ticket."), the show aired during the summer months of June, July, and August as a seasonal replacement for ''

Winning Streak A winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least three wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties. In sports, it can be applied to te ...

''. It was preceded by ''

Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. Many national currencies have, or ...

'', also hosted by Whelan, and succeeded by ''

The Trump Card ''The Trump Card'' is a game show that was broadcast on RTÉ One during the summer months of 2007 as a seasonal replacement for ''Winning Streak''. Launched as the successor to '' Fame and Fortune'' (1996–2006), ''The Trump Card'' had its pri ...

'' in 2007, hosted by Laura Woods. ''Fame & Fortune'' had its production costs funded by RTÉ and its prize money funded by Ireland's

National Lottery National Lottery may refer to: *National Lottery (Ireland), the state lottery of Ireland *National Lottery (United Kingdom), the lottery franchise in the United Kingdom *South African National Lottery, established in 2000 *A number of countries con ...

. Entry to the show was based on National Lottery scratchcards, and contestants could win cash, cars, holidays, and other prizes. ''Fame & Fortune'' had its final season in the summer of 2006. Its 2007 replacement, ''

'', was itself replaced a year later by '' The Big Money Game''.

Format

The format of the final series ran as follows: All series of it will be RTE Player Christmas 2021 to mark 60 years of television.

Part one

Famous Faces

As each contestant was interviewed, they picked one of five "scrolls", which denoted a famous character (real and fictitious) from history, who was their "guide" for their game on the

touchscreen A touchscreen (or touch screen) is a type of electronic visual display, display that can detect touch input from a user. It consists of both an input device (a touch panel) and an output device (a visual display). The touch panel is typically l ...

. They chose between

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

and

Fionn Mac Cumhail Fionn mac Cumhaill, often anglicised Finn McCool or MacCool, is a hero in Irish mythology, as well as in later Scottish and Manx folklore. He is the leader of the ''Fianna'' bands of young roving hunter-warriors, as well as being a seer and ...

. They played three games from a number stored in the computer; these included:

Trapdoor

The "guide" stood on a trap door in front of five lights. The player pressed one of these lights, hoping not to choose the trap door and see their guide fall into the pit, but to instead reveal cash prizes, and accumulate as much money as possible. It was similar to the Goldmine game on Winning Streak.

Odd One Out

Two different cash amounts were hidden in four different panels. The player chose three of them, winning the amount that did not match.

On the Menu

There were five different "food items" on the board, three with cash inside, and two that were empty. The player had three choices, so they were guaranteed at least one cash prize from this game.

Higher or Lower

Host Marty Whelan revealed a "base" number on the screen, and the player moved across the board, guessing whether the next number was higher or lower than the base number, rather than higher or lower than each other.

Part two

Spin Spin Spin

After the commercial break, the player with the lowest amount of money from "Famous Faces" played this game. If there were two people with the same amount, then it went to the bubble to decide the identity of the wheel-spinning contestant. They spun a wheel with cash prizes ranging from €5,000 to €20,000. The player could repeatedly spin the wheel until they landed on an amount that was lower than the last one. As Whelan put it: "You stop when you drop". There were several segments on the wheel which have a car on it. If the player landed on a car, they won it instead and the game ended.

The Fortunate 5

The draw for the following week's players. The same as ''Winning Streak'', with five names pulled from a drum.

Around the World

A globe was displayed on the screen, with 24 destinations around the world displayed on either side. A ''Winning Streak'' style bubble machine chose the player who chose a destination, which can move them either 1, 2 or 3 spaces along the board. There were seven spaces on each player's board with the aim being to be the first to reach the seventh space, the "dateline". As they completed their turn, they also received a prize of either cash or a holiday. One destination also contained a car, whilst six more contained a euro symbol (€) which added another €250,000 ball to the final game, the "Fortune Globe".

Fortune Globe

The extra black €250,000 balls won on "Around the World" were placed into the large bubble machine, along with a large number of other balls numbered €10,000, €12,000, €15,000, €20,000, €30,000, €40,000, €50,000, and €100,000. Eventually, after a certain length of time, one ball was selected from this machine, and the player had its amount added to their final total.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fame And Fortune (Tv Series) 1996 Irish television series debuts 2006 Irish television series endings Irish game shows about lotteries RTÉ original programming 1990s game shows 2000s game shows