''Waffle'' is a British

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 ...

that aired on ITV from 24 March to 24 June 1998. It was hosted by Nick Weir and was Weir's first nationally broadcast game show. The guests in the first episode were

Lisa Riley Lisa Jane Riley (born 13 July 1976) is an English actress, comedian and television presenter. Riley is best known for portraying the role of Mandy Dingle in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' between 1995 and 2001, and from 2019 onwa ...

, then-host of fellow Granada-produced show ''

You've Been Framed! ''You've Been Framed!'' was a Television in the United Kingdom, British television programme where viewers contributed to the programme with their humorous home movies for the entertainment of others. The series began on 14 April 1990 and ended ...

'', and

Jonathan Kerrigan Jonathan Kerrigan (born 14 October 1972) is an English actor well known for various leading roles on TV including '' In the Club'', ''Casualty'', '' Heartbeat'', ''Merseybeat, The Five'' and ''Reach For The Moon''. Films include '' Diana'', ''FL ...

from ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

''. Other contestants over the run of the series included

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and writer. She has been nominated three times for the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance for co-presenting the BBC One dancing compet ...

, Michael Willson (A.K.A. Cobra) from ''

Gladiators A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...

'' and actor

Kevin Lloyd Kevin Reardon Lloyd (28 March 1949 – 2 May 1998) was a British television actor, who came to prominence in the role of DC Alfred "Tosh" Lines in Thames Television's police drama series ''The Bill''. Early life Kevin Reardon Lloyd was bo ...

from ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'' who died in 1998 whilst both shows were still running. He was a contestant in several episodes. Cheryl Andrews, comedian John Martin and television presenter

Lionel Blair Lionel Blair (born Henry Lionel Ogus; 12 December 1928 – 4 November 2021) was a Canadian-born British actor, choreographer, tap dancer, and television presenter. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, he made regular appearances as a danc ...

also appeared as contestants.

Format

The concept behind the game is that contestants identify individual words through

rebus A rebus ( ) is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+ ...

es, rather than well-known phrases in ''

Catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

''. It's based on the board game ''Hudson's Rebus''. The prizes on the show are comically cheap and humorous, with the winning prize being a waffle toaster and the consolation prize being

waffle A waffle is a dish made from leavened Batter (cooking), batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape, and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron ...

s themselves. The set features a large rotating "W" in the background, this being the "W" from the ''Waffle'' logo. The audience are seated at either end of the desk that the first round is played on, although it has been noted that with this set up, some the audience appear to have not been able to see the game very clearly. Weir introduces the show as "the show that celebrates the great British art of waffle".

External links

* * {{UKGameshow, Waffle 1998 British television series debuts 1998 British television series endings 1990s British game shows British English-language television shows ITV game shows Television shows produced by Granada Television Television series by ITV Studios