Deal or No Deal is a British game show. It was originally presented by Noel Edmonds from 31 October 2005 to 23 December 2016 on Channel 4, and then by Stephen Mulhern from 20 November 2023 on ITV1. The show is produced by Banijay UK Productions subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment.

Based on the standard European daytime format of the show first used in the Italian version, each episode sees a contestant choosing one of 22 boxes, each containing a cash amount. A contestant winning is determined by luck – cash amounts are randomly allocated to each of the boxes before the game, with contestants required to open a specific number of boxes per round of the game to eliminate the cash amounts their chosen box does not contain, in turn affecting how much is offered by the Banker. Games always end with the player opening all of the boxes, including their own, regardless of how they intend to make money.

On 19 August 2016, Channel 4 decommissioned Deal or No Deal after almost 11 years on air, ending the show with an On Tour series across the United Kingdom, with the programme concluding on 23 December 2016. In 2022, six years later, two pilots were filmed at dock10 studios, following which ITV commissioned a revival series of twenty episodes to be broadcast on ITV1. The series premiered on 20 November 2023. On 29 January 2024, it was announced that the revival was to be renewed for an extended second run by ITV alongside celebrity specials.

Gameplay The game is played using 22 sealed red boxes, each with an identifying number from 1 to 22 displayed on the front. Inside each box is a sum of money, ranging from 1p to £250,000 in the original version, and from 1p to £100,000 in the revival. All the boxes are sealed by an independent adjudicator, who is the only person to know the value inside each box.

At the start of each game, one of the 22 contestants, each standing behind one of the boxes randomly chosen prior to the show's recording, is selected to be the player for that episode. The contestant's box contains their potential prize. The contestants themselves do not know who is to play until it is revealed at the beginning of the show. During the game, boxes are opened by the remaining 21 contestants; who offer support and advice. These contestants return for the following episodes, along with a new contestant replacing the previous episode's player. This provides continuity between shows.

One at a time, the contestant chooses one of the 21 remaining boxes to be opened, eliminating the value inside it from the board. It is in the contestant's interest to eliminate smaller amounts of money ("blues") in the hope that their box contains a larger amount ("reds") or so that they can get a higher offer from the Banker for the potential contents of their box. There are six rounds: in the opening round, five boxes are opened, then three in each subsequent round.

After the required number of boxes have been opened in a round, the Banker offers to buy the contestant's box. The amount is dependent on the remaining box values: if several larger amounts are gone, the offer is likely to be low, as the probability is higher that the contestant's box contains a small amount of money. The host tells the contestant the offer and asks the eponymous question. The contestant responds either "deal" or "no deal". Responding with "deal" means the contestant agrees to sell their box for the amount of money offered, relinquishing the prize in the box. The game exits 'live play', and the game continues to show the hypothetical outcome had the contestant not dealt. Saying "no deal" means the contestant keeps their box, and proceeds to the next round, again hoping to reveal small amounts in the remaining boxes.

After the final round, only two boxes remain. If the contestant rejects the final offer and has not dealt, their box will be opened and whatever prize it contains will be what the player has won. However, in some circumstances, the Banker can offer the opportunity for the contestant to swap their box with the other remaining unopened box and take the prize contained in the other box instead.

Box values

Channel 4 version (2005–16) 1p10p50p£1£5£10£50£100£250£500£750 £1,000£3,000£5,000£10,000£15,000£20,000£35,000£50,000£75,000£100,000£250,000

ITV1 version (2023–present) 1p10p50p£1£5£10£50£100£250£500£750 £1,000£2,000£3,000£4,000£5,000£7,500£10,000£25,000£50,000£75,000£100,000

Twists In the Channel 4 series, various twists, either during themed special shows or permanently, applied to the gameplay. From 2014 to 2016, "Box 23" was added to the game. This allowed contestants to purchase it with their winnings to either double their winnings, halve it, add £10,000, lose it all, or have no change. In the same year, the "offer button" was added – meaning that if the contestant predicted their first offer within a 10% range, they were able to call for an offer from the Banker at any time. Other twists like the "Banker's Gamble" (meaning a player could return dealt money to win whatever is in their box) or progressing one box at a time before an offer were factors in achieving the original top prize winners.

Production

Deal or No Deal was produced by Endemol and supported by BBC Studios and Post Production, a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. The original studio set for the show was converted from an old paintworks factory (now the Paintworks development) and its associated warehouses in Bristol. Throughout its broadcast, the programme was regularly aired daily – for its first eight series, the show was aired six days a week for a year, with breaks in production between July and August. In addition, the show also showcased a series of special celebrity editions, including a special 10th anniversary edition on 18 September 2015 in which Edmonds played the game himself. The show was put on hiatus by Channel 4 various times between 2015 and 2016, returning in October 2016 to conclude its studio-based run, which ended on 11 December 2016. The special Deal or No Deal on Tour episodes aired from 12 to 23 December 2016, bringing Deal or No Deal to an end.

Endemol announced that it would be bringing the franchise to the UK in August 2005, with Channel 4 as broadcaster. Channel 4 initially commissioned a run of 66 episodes, with filming beginning in October 2005. The first episode was broadcast on 31 October that year. Channel 4 then commissioned a second filming period at the end of 2005.

Episodes of Deal or No Deal are pre-recorded. By May 2006, episodes were being filmed Monday to Friday at a rate of fifteen episodes a week. Three episodes were recorded in a day in two sessions, one edition in the afternoon using one audience, and then two episodes filmed in the evening using a different audience. The studio operated from 9:00 to 22:00. For the ITV series, two episodes are filmed a day, one in the morning and a second in the afternoon. Most episodes are filmed with a Steadicam operator. Having initially begun filming episodes just a few weeks in advance, each new period of filming then began several months in advance, and at a rate of fifteen episodes a week being filmed, the delay between filming and broadcast varies; it can be months between the filming date and broadcast date for a particular episode. For a two-week period starting on 10 October 2011, live episodes of the show were broadcast in place of the routine pre-recorded episodes.

In October 2013, production moved to the Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, which had been purpose-built to house the show. Filming for Series 10 began on 28 October 2013 at the new location, subsequently making its debut in December. The main studio for the first ITV series was based in the dock10 studios of MediaCityUK, and in 2024, production moved to Studio 1 at Maidstone Studios in Kent, which has been used to film the show since the second revival series.

Participants The game show participants comprise the host, the unseen character of the Banker, the main contestant playing that day's game, the other 21 contestants, and a studio audience. Audience members, who were often referred to as "pilgrims" by Edmonds, are commonly asked for opinions on whether the contestant should "Deal or No Deal".

The contestants who appear on Deal or No Deal come from all backgrounds and age groups. When on the show, they are kept in a hotel for the duration of their time on the show and are encouraged to get to know each other during this time. The oldest contestant to have played the game was 97-year-old Chelsea Pensioner Joe Britton, who played in April 2009. Britton won £20,000 and gave all the money away. He died in October 2014, aged 103. Contestants who appeared and later went on to fame include 2009 X Factor runner-up Olly Murs, who won £10, politician Aaron Bell, who won £25,000, and Shahid Khan, known as Naughty Boy, who won £44,000. Additionally, Big Brother 16 contestant and YouTuber Jack McDermott and Big Brother 20 contestant Kerry Riches appeared on the show in its early series, with Riches notably enduring a studio power cut during her game.

Top prize winners Nine contestants have won the top prize. All winners of the top prize (as well as certain non-top prize winners) are allowed to keep their box. In the original Channel 4 series, nine contestants won the prize. No. Date Contestant Prize Notes 1 7 January 2007 Laura Pearce £250,000 First winner. 2 12 March 2009 Alice Mundy Originally dealt at £17,500, but accepted the "Banker's Gamble" to re-enter the game (winning either 1p or £250,000 in her box). 3 13 May 2011 Suzanne Mulholland First contestant to have the "dream finish" (having both the £100,000 and the £250,000 boxes in play as the final two boxes). The first and only contestant to win by swapping her box. Also won a holiday. 4 22 September 2011 Tegen Roberts 5 5 August 2012 Nong Skett 6 12 August 2013 Paddy Roberts First male winner and the youngest winner at age 18. 7 12 February 2014 Roop Singh First winner to be offered Box 23, and would have won £500,000 if he had purchased it. 8 15 October 2015 Ann Crawford Oldest winner. Second winner to be offered Box 23, and would have lost her winnings if she had purchased it. 9 23 December 2016 Vikki Heenan The last player to win the £250,000. It was won in the last ever episode of the programme's series before the revival. Game was played in Kelvingrove Museum.

Special episodes and Double Trouble episodes

During the original Channel 4 series, many special and seasonal episodes of Deal or No Deal aired with themes including Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Summer and the "Banker's Birthday" week. From 2015, due to the show's inconsistent scheduling, the seasonal episode format was retired, with the show instead featuring "Double Trouble" episodes, where two related contestants played together. An addition added in this format is the "Banker's Breakup Quiz", where the pair were questioned about each other. The Banker The Banker is the name given to the show's quasi-fictional main antagonist. Notionally, the money on the game board is the Banker's own. As such, his role is to make cash offers (usually with the first few digits being odd [e.g., £5,900]) to buy the contestant's chosen box rather than allowing them to continue and risk them winning much more. The Banker is played by "Himself", as stated in the end credits. He talks to the host via the Bakelite telephone on the contestant's desk, and also regularly talks to the player.