Fort Boyard (game show)
Fort Boyard is a French game show created by Jacques Antoine that was first broadcast on 7 July 1990. Foreign versions of the show, with varying success, have aired around the world since 1990.
Set and filmed on the real fortress of the same name on the west coast of France, the programme appears similar to British game show The Crystal Maze which was created as an alternative format by Antoine for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, after the fortress was unavailable to film in because of its then ongoing refurbishment. In both programmes the contestants have to complete challenges to win prize money. However, while The Crystal Maze varies the type of games quite considerably, Fort Boyard tends to focus mainly on physical and endurance challenges. Although Fort Boyard was something of a pioneer in the area of game show fear and adventure, later programmes such as Fear Factor have pushed things even further, requiring Fort Boyard to react and adapt with new twists and games, including a couple of seasons in which the contestants spent the night in the Fort.
Fort Boyard is the most exported French TV format and the fourth most exported adventure-style game show format in the world after Wipeout, Fear Factor and Survivor.
Background and history
Creation
In 1980,, a co-presenter of Antenne 2's , came close to drowning while trying to reach Fort Boyard in rough seas. He remained stuck for 3 hours before being rescued by helicopter. This episode inspired Jacques Antoine in the creation of the TV game show Fort Boyard.The concept of Fort Boyard was imagined and outlined in 1986, at a meeting in the company of Antoine to find a game show to succeed Treasure Hunt. The idea of a team game show, adapted from role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, taking place in a mysterious tower populated by extraordinary characters, whose goal is to find a treasure, takes shape in the following years.
Whilst looking for a set, a production team visited Fort Boyard in April 1987 and this fortification, located between the Île-d'Aix and the île d'Oléron in the Pertuis d'Antioche strait, was bought in November 1988 for one and a half million francs. The production company resold the fort to the department of Charente-Maritime for a symbolic franc, resulting in the local authority then having to take charge of all the refurbishment works, which took place from July 1989, and ensured the exclusive use of the site to Antonie's production company. Because of the weather conditions, the construction of the sets for the show was done in two stages: between the start of the renovation and October 1989 then the following spring, and were completed shortly before the first day of filming on 30 June 1990. The original French version, under the name Les Clés de Fort Boyard, began airing on 7 July 1990 hosted by Patrice Laffont and originally Marie Talon, later Sophie Davant, on Antenne 2.
1989–90: Sale of concept in UK
The first country to buy the game show Fort Boyard was the United Kingdom and broadcaster Channel 4. After discussions with the French producers, production company Chatsworth Television decided to devise a British version and began work on making a concept. According to host Richard O'Brien, the original outlined concept was "kind of like Dungeons and Dragons", with the presenter acting as "Dungeon Master".Filming of pilot show in London
A non-televised pilot of the show funded by Channel 4 was filmed in a London studio with O'Brien as presenter, as the fort was not available at the time due to its ongoing renovations. Footage of O'Brien's pilot, showing the initial idea for the "Treasure Room" segment of the format, later appears in a casting call advert for the French version, broadcast in May 1990. More footage of the pilot, including the basic set design and some key games, is featured in Fort Boyard : toujours plus fort! following the first episode of the 30th French season on 22 June 2019. According to co-creator Mitercey in 2009, the pilot was filmed in February 1989 at Elstree Studios. Six English contestants took part. To be as close as possible to reality, a quarter of the Fortress had been built in the studio using metal structures with 18 cells installed for playing games, which were all tested for the first time. Tigers were also present in the recording, as well as a large statue of Sphinx which posed puzzles and some characters like the wrestler. According to O'Brien, the recording of the pilot cost 2 million francs, a record at the time.It is said that the considerable changes that Channel 4 wanted to make to the format could not be possible on the Fort, as each broadcaster producing their own version at the time had to strictly follow the French format. Chatsworth were also required by the French producers, but declined, to film their version first in November 1989. As Channel 4 had commissioned the show for a full series, producer Malcolm Heyworth contacted Fort Boyard's creator Jacques Antoine about developing an alternative format, with a proposal that it used thematic zones as a means of keeping the show visually fresh. The concept of The Crystal Maze was developed in just "two days", creating a game that, although similar to Fort Boyard, is substantially different in terms of presentation and style. Channel 4's The Crystal Maze is first aired on 15 February 1990, five months before the French series.
Later UK versions
later bought the rights to Fort Boyard and made their own British version, using the now refurbished set, which aired from 16 October 1998 to 29 December 2001 for four series. It was produced by Paul Kirrage and executive produced by Richard Holloway, later known for producing The X Factor and other high-profile shows on UK television, for Grundy Productions. Although pulling in reasonable ratings for the channel, in March 2002 it was announced that Channel 5 had cancelled the show as part of a station revamp.It was briefly revived by Challenge in 2003 for one series, with a ten-part documentary, Fort Boyard: Takes On The World, broadcast in October 2004. Fort Boyard later returned to UK television in January 2012 under a new format aired on children's channel CITV, . This version ended in December 2014 after five series, the first two of which were co-produced with Disney XD in the United States.
UK cast
In the UK, two sets of presenters have been used for Fort Boyard. The first set appeared during the first four series of the show, which were broadcast by Channel 5, with the second appearing in the 2003 Challenge-aired fifth series. The leading presenters of Fort Boyard on Channel 5 and Challenge were Melinda Messenger and Jodie Penfold. Their roles were to give advice and support for the teams, commentate for the viewers, and match wits with Boyard, the "Master of the Fort".The other characters in Fort Boyard are:
- Boyard is the "Master of the Fort", who sets the challenges that the team must complete to win. In the UK versions of the show, he is portrayed as a selfish, commanding, and malevolent character who takes great pleasure in ensuring that fear and failure plague the contestants. Grantham portrayed these traits slightly more strongly, with Ellison sometimes showing sympathy, or even being generous to the contestants.
- The Professor is an eccentric scientist who has become mad over the years as a result of being kept prisoner by Boyard in the 'Watch Tower'. His task is to ask the contestants riddles, which, if answered correctly, will give the team a key or clue word. If they don't answer it correctly, he would throw the key into the sea. Along with Captain Baker, he also talks to the contestants briefly before asking the riddles and to the viewers.
- Captain Baker, the replacement for The Professor, is an insane sea captain held captive by Boyard.
''Fort Boyard'' cast
Famous contestants
UK series
On 26 December 1999, a celebrity edition of Fort Boyard was broadcast, featuring Gabby Logan, Frank Bruno, Sharron Davies, Samuel Kane, and Glenda McKay as contestants. As a one-off, the show's length was extended to 80 minutes so that the team had to get five keys and the code word in fifty-five minutes. The team won £7,910 for their nominated charity.Series 3 aired two celebrity editions of Fort Boyard following the success of the 1999 special; broadcast on 5 January and 25 August 2001, one edition featured Rhodri Williams, Lisa Rogers, "Handy" Andy Kane, Tricia Penrose and Phil Gayle as the contestants. Rhodri was the team captain and the team won £14,350 for charity. The other featured Anna Walker, Victor Ubogu, Annalise Braakensiek, Tim Vincent and Troy Titus-Adams. Anna Walker captained the team and they won £7,190 for charity.
Another celebrity edition aired at the end of series four in 2001 featuring Sally Gray, Scott Wright, Nell McAndrew, Keith Duffy and Tris Payne. Sally Gray was the team captain and the team won £10,130 for charity. Episode 4 of series 4, broadcast on 13 October 2001, was a special featuring contestants from the first series of The Mole.
Celebrity editions were also broadcast during the 2003 series by Challenge. It featured Doug Williams, Nikita, Paul Burchill, James Tighe, and Sweet Saraya, all of whom were wrestling stars from British promotion FWA. Doug Williams captained the team. Other celebrities appearing in series 5 included Tim Vine and Craig Phillips, Big Brother 2000 winner. The team won £1,860 for charity, which was topped up by a further £5,000 because Tim Vine accepted a challenge to tell 10 jokes in one minute.
French series
Since 1993, teams on the French version of the show consist entirely of celebrities. These include: cyclist Laurent Fignon, figure skating champion Brian Joubert, Djibril Cissé, Omar Sy, R&B singer Leslie, Tony Parker and Eva Longoria in 2009, and many others. Many former/new hosts of the show have often appeared as contestants.However, in 2010 the formula was dramatically changed and the squads, of four members each, did not consist of any celebrities. The "duel" format was used that year. The celebrities returned in 2011 playing for charity. In 2019 French World Cup winning footballer Adil Rami was sacked by Olympique de Marseille for reportedly missing training to appear on the show.
Other series
In most series of the Danish and Swedish versions, teams have consisted entirely of celebrities. In the 2010 and 2012 series of the Finnish version, team members were celebrities. Most episodes of the Russian series consisted of famous national singers, actors, TV presenters and sportsmen.In the 2013 Canadian version, the teams consisted of 24 participants in total; 12 celebrities and 12 members of the public, divided into six teams of four equally.
In the Argentine version of the show, aired in 1999 and 2000, a celebrity joined the other 4 people to help them on their challenges. Argentina's was the first version to have a female character guarding the tower: "La Dama del Fuerte" played by Isabel Achaval. This was followed by Germany's Sonya Kraus and Yasemin Kozanoğlu for Turkey both in 2000. On 4 June 2019, Swedish broadcaster TV4 confirmed that Suzanne Reuter would appear in the role as "Madame Fouras".
In the Moroccan version, aired in early 2015 but filmed the previous year, 3 celebrities joined teams with 2 unknown people for the challenges. The first episode of Jazirat Al Kanz aired on 24 February and was watched by 6.4 million viewers, a record 59% audience share for 2MTV.
''Fort Boyard'' around the world
Fort Boyard is a French game show first broadcast in 1990; however the fort is also used by television stations from other countries in order to produce their own versions, using part of the technical teams and characters of the original French show.Filming takes place during the summer months each year. Foreign versions of the show typically last between 22 and 80 minutes per episode, depending on the country and format used. In total, 34 foreign versions have broadcast around the world since 1990.
Italy has only ever made a pilot for Fort Boyard, in 1991. Presumably the host of this unaired version was :it:Marco Predolin|Marco Predolin. The American pilot for ABC, filmed the same year, was eventually broadcast on 20 March 1993.
In December 2005, it was reported that French producers Adventure Line Productions were in final talks with around three Indian broadcasters to bring the format to the country; however in the end this did not happen. In October 2010, it was reported that Brazil and Tunisia had signed on for filming in 2011. However, no series was later produced for either country. In December 2012, Ukrainian channel ICTV announced they were due to film the country's second season of the show. However, for unknown reasons, the filming did not take place. A Chinese version of the show was confirmed to be filmed in mid-September 2015, however it was later cancelled due to censorship worries.
Following the success of the Moroccan version, an African version is aired in 24 countries of French-speaking Africa since September 2019 on.
The year 2000 contains the most episodes filmed of any year. To date, 2005 has the least, with just the French and Greek versions attending. As of 2018, the overall number of episodes filmed is 1,782, of which 327 are of the original French version over 29 seasons. Sweden, is the foreign country which has produced the most episodes to date.
The fort has also been used for special private events in 2014, 2016 and 2019 by Russian visitors and filmed shows featuring children for the French sponsor Prince de LU from 2011 to 2013, with Anne-Gaëlle Riccio returning as host. It was confirmed in July 2019 that an unnamed Russian billionaire of a large steel company had hired the Fort three times, firstly in 2014 for a team building session and most recently for his 50th birthday.
International versions
Legend:Original version
Currently airing
Upcoming season
Status unknown
No longer airing
| Country/Region | Local title | Format | Presenters | Channel | Fort's Tower | Broadcast |
| Africa | Fort Boyard Afrique | One team | Haussman Vwanderday | Valery Ndongo | 2019 | |
| Algeria | برج الأبطال Bourj El Abtal | One team | Momo Djender & Samira Zitouni | Canal Algérie | Yousfi Toufik | 2007 2009–2012 |
| Argentina | Fort Boyard | One team | Julián Weich & Araceli González | Canal 13 | Isabel Achaval | 1999–2000 |
| Armenia | Fort Boyard | One team | Tina Kandelaki & Ruben Jaghinyan | Armenia TV | Hrachia Harutyunyan | 2009 |
| Azerbaijan | Fort Boyard | Two teams | Zaur Bakhshaliyev & Metanet Eliverdiyeva | ATV | Orxan Fikretoglu Fariday Karimov | 2013–2014 |
| Belgium | De Sleutels van Fort Boyard | Two teams | Hans Schiffers & Alexandra Potvin | BRT | Jan Wegter | 1992 |
| Belgium | Fort Boyard | One team | Dagmar Liekens & Chris Van den Durpel | VT4 | Luk D'heu | 1999–2001 |
| Belgium | Fort Boyard | One team | Jean-Michel Zecca & Sandrine Dans | RTL-TVI | Jean-Paul Andret Yann Le Gac | 2006–2008 |
| Bulgaria | Fort Boyard | Tri-nations One team | Dimitar Pavlov & Monsieur Rochelle | bTV | Philippe Leray | 2008–2010 |
| Canada | Fort Boyard | One team | Guy Richer & France Beaudoin Guy Mongrain Marie-Soleil Tougas Sylvie Bernier | TVA | Yann Le Gac | 1993–2001 |
| Canada | Fort Boyard | One team Two teams | Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge & Dave Morissette | TVA | Yann Le Gac | 2014–2015 |
| Czech Republic | Pevnost Boyard | One team | Libor Bouček | Prima | Jan Rosák | 2016–2017 |
| Denmark | Fangerne på Fortet | One team | Thomas Mygind Camilla Sachs Bostrup Sidsel Agensø Kamilla Gregersen Camilla Ottesen Gitte Schnell | TV3 | Ove Sprogøe Tage Axelson Ole Ernst | 1993–2000 |
| Denmark | Fangerne på Fortet | Two teams | Camilla Ottesen & Peter Schmeichel | TV3 | 2009–2010 | |
| Denmark | Fangerne på Fortet | Two teams | Camilla Ottesen & Joachim Boldsen | TV3 | Anders Lund Madsen | 2020 |
| Finland | Fort Boyard – Linnake | Two teams | Merja Larivaara & Kari-Pekka Toivonen | :fi:SuomiTV|SuomiTV | rowspan="3" | 2010 |
| Finland | Fort Boyard – Linnake | Two teams | [Ellen Jokikunnas & Ivan Puopolo | Nelonen | 2013 | - |
| Finland | Fort Boyard Suomi | Two teams | Joanna Kuvaja & Ilkka Uusivuori | MTV3 | 2018–present | - |
| France | Les Clés de Fort Boyard Fort Boyard | One team Two teams | Patrice Laffont Marie Talon Sophie Davant Valérie Pascal Cendrine Dominguez Jean-Pierre Castaldi Olivier Minne Sarah Lelouch Anne-Gaëlle Riccio | Antenne 2 France 2 | Michel Scourneau Yann Le Gac Didier Hervé | 7 July 1990 – present |
| Georgia | Fort Boyard | One team | Duta Skhirtladze & Naniko Khazaradze | Rustavi 2 | Leo Antadze | 2004 |
| Germany | Fort Boyard – Ein Spiel für Abenteurer | One team | Reiner Schöne & Rita Werner | Sat.1 | Michel Scourneau | 1990–1991 |
| Germany | Fort Boyard – Stars auf Schatzsuche | One team | Steven Gätjen, Alexander Mazza & Sonya Kraus | Pro 7 | Sonya Kraus | 2000, 2002 |
| Germany | Fort Boyard | Two teams | Andrea Kaiser & Alexander Wesselsky | Kabel 1 | 2011 | |
| Germany | Fort Boyard | One team | Matthias Killing | Sat.1 | :de:Klaus Münster|Klaus Münster | 2018 |
| Greece | Fort Boyard | One team One team later Two teams | Christos Ferentinos & Orthoula Papadakou | STAR | Angelos Papadimitriou | 2004–2008 |
| Hungary | Fort Boyard AZ ERŐD | One team | Vizy Andras & Demcsák Zsuzsa | TV2 | György Bárdy | 2000 |
| Israel | המבצר Ha-Mivtzar | One team | Aki Avni & Sigal Shachmon | Channel 2 | Yehuda Fuchs | 1998–1999 |
| Lebanon | حلها وأحتلها Hella wo Ehtalla | One team | Tony Baroud & Karen Derkaloustian | LBCI | Gabriel Yammine | 2002–2003 |
| Morocco | جزيرة الكنز Jazirat Elkanz | One team | Hicham Masrar & Rachid Allali | 2M TV | Kamal Kadimi | 2015–present |
| Netherlands | De Sleutels van Fort Boyard | One team | Bas Westerweel & Ria Visser | NPO 1 | Jan Wegter | 1991 |
| Netherlands | De Sleutels van Fort Boyard | Two teams | Hans Schiffers & Alexandra Potvin | NPO 1 | Jan Wegter | 1992 |
| Netherlands | Fort Boyard | Two teams | Gerard Ekdom Lauren Verster Art Rooijakkers Freek Bartels | NPO 3 | 2011–2012 2014 | |
| Norway | Fangene på Fortet Nye Fanger på Fortet | One team | Jon Michelet Lise Nilssen Steffen Tangstad Nils Ole Oftebro Susanne Steffens Elisa Røtterud | TV3 | Helge Reiss Toralv Maurstad Lars Andreas Larssen Trond Brænne | 1993–1997 1999–2001 |
| Norway | Fangene på Fortet Nye Fanger på Fortet | Two teams | Daniel Franck Jenny Skavlan Henriette Lien | TV3 | 2011 | |
| Poland | Fort Boyard | One team | Robert Gonera & Katarzyna Glinka | TVP2 | Janusz Weiss | 2008 |
| Romania | Fort Boyard | One team | Paul Ipate & Octavian Strunila | Pro TV | Marius Manole | 2017 |
| Russia | Форт Боярд | One team | Leonid Parfyonov & Yelena Khanga | NTV | Vadim Gushchin | 1998 |
| Russia | Форт Боярд | One team | Sergey Brilev & Yanina Batyrchina | Rossiya 1 | Nikolay Denisov | 2002 |
| Russia | Форт Боярд | One team | Leonid Yarmolnik & Oxana Fedorova | Rossiya 1 | Vasily Livanov Aleksandr Adabashyan | 2003–2004 |
| Russia | Форт Боярд | Two teams | Leonid Yarmolnik, Ekaterina Konovalova & Elena Korikova | Rossiya 1 | Aleksandr Filippenko | 2006 |
| Russia | Форт Боярд | Two teams | Nikolai Valuev & Anna Ardova | Channel One | Viktor Verzhbitsky | 2013 |
| Russia | Форт Боярд | One team | Sergey Shnurov | STS | Olivier Siou | 2019 |
| Serbia | Fort Boyard | Tri-nations | Ivan Jevtovic | Fox televizija | Philippe Leray | 2008–2009 |
| Slovakia | Pevnosť Boyard | One team | Stano Pavlík Andrea Timková Kveta Horváthová | TV Markíza | Ľubo Gregor Marian Zednikovic | 1998–1999 |
| Slovakia | Pevnosť Boyard | One team | Martin Nikodým & Diana Hágerová | TV Markíza | Michal Ďuriš | 2017 |
| South Korea | Fort Boyard | One team | Nam Hee Suk & Lee Hyori | SBS TV | Ji Seok Jin | 2003 |
| Spain | Fort Boyard | One team | Paula Vázquez & Félix Álvarez | Telecinco | Óscar Ladoire | 2001 |
| Sweden | Fångarna på fortet Fortet | One team Two teams | Erik Blix & Anne Barlind Gunde Svan Agneta Sjödin Kayo Shekoni Hans Fahlén & Kristin Kaspersen Marie Serneholt | TV4 | Martin Myrberg Stig Ossian Ericson Felix Herngren Rolf Skoglund Lasse Brandeby Peter Magnusson Börje Ahlstedt Rikard Wolff Suzanne Reuter | 1990 1992–1998 2003, 2005 2010–2018 2019 |
| Sweden | Fångarna på fortet Fortet | One team | Gry Forssell & Henrik Johnsson Håkan Södergren & Linda Nyberg | TV3 | Stig Ossian Ericson | 2000 |
| Switzerland | Fort Boyard | One team | Lolita Morena & Enrico Carpani | TSR | Cito Steiger | 1995 |
| Turkey | Hazine Adasi | One team | Yosi Mizrahl & Jancet Paçal | Star TV | Yasemin Kozanoğlu | 2000 |
| Turkey | Fort Boyard | Tri-nations | Evrim Akın | Fox Turkey | Philippe Leray | 2008–2009 |
| Ukraine | Форт Буаяр | One team | Gregory Hlady & Vita Smatcheliouk | 1+1 | Bohdan Stupka | 2004 |
| United Kingdom | Fort Boyard | One team | Melinda Messenger & Leslie Grantham | Channel 5 | Geoffrey Bayldon | 1998–2001 |
| United Kingdom | Fort Boyard | One team | Jodie Penfold & Christopher Ellison | Challenge | Tom Baker | 2003 |
| United Kingdom | Two teams | Laura Hamilton & Geno Segers, Andy Akinwolere | CITV | rowspan=3 | 2012–2014 | |
| United States | Conquer Fort Boyard | Two teams | Chris Berman & Cathy Lee Crosby | ABC | 1993 | - |
| United States | Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge | Two teams | Laura Hamilton & Geno Segers | Disney XD | 2011–2012 | - |
Broadcast syndication
Fort Boyard has aired on many networks around the world. Some countries, such as Portugal, aired the original French version dubbed or with subtitles as opposed to producing their own. Others include:- Belarus
- Canada
- China
- Cyprus
- Indonesia
- Jordan
- Malaysia
- Portugal
- Slovenia
- Venezuela
- Azerbaijan
- Czech Republic, TV Nova
- Poland
- Finland
- Romania
- Russia
- Slovakia
- Ukraine
Participation table
Format
Fort Boyard's format varies from country to country, but the basics are the same. A team of friends enter the Fort with the intention of winning the gold. To do this, the contestants have to successfully complete a series of challenges set by Boyard himself.The first thing done in the game is the sounding of the Fort's gong by French character 'La Boule'. Once the gong sounds the game time begins ticking down. In the UK version the game lasted for 40 minutes, in the French version 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the year.
The show's original format is outlined in the following sections, starting with 'Phase One'.
Phase One
The first set of challenges the contestants have to complete is to win a certain number of keys. These keys, once won, are used to open the gate to the [|Treasure Room], a central room in the Fort where the gold is held.The challenges that are set to win the keys are located in small cells around the Fort, with small water-timers outside to give the contestant a time limit to complete it; in the UK version, Boyard would start the timer upon saying to a contestant that "their time starts now", whereas in the 5th series, Boyard would start it after telling Jacques to open the door of a challenge room. If a contestant fails to leave the challenge room before the time runs out, he or she is locked in and then shortly after taken away to a cage, meaning they are not allowed to continue with the rest of the key games and must stay there until the end of Phase One. In the UK's 4th series, La Boule would give the contestant a large bunch of rusty keys. One of these keys would unlock the cage allowing the contestant to re-join the team.
During this phase of the game, one contestant goes up to the [|Watch Tower] to win an additional key for the team. This could be done once or twice, depending on the season.
Once the contestants reach the end of Phase One, usually towards the end of their game time, there is a trip to the Treasure Room with all of the keys that they have won so far. If they have enough to unlock the Treasure Room Door then the keys are entered and the gate is unlocked. However, it does not open until later in the show.
If they are short of keys to open the gate then team members are 'sacrificed' for keys, one team member for each key short. The 'sacrificed' contestants are then placed in an underground cell and locked in. These team members remain for the rest of the game, and are therefore unable to contribute any more for the team. Although this never happened, hypothetically at least in Series 5 in the UK, if no keys were won in Phase One, it would have been impossible for the team to continue the game since in Series 5 in the UK five keys were needed to open the treasure room door, and since there are only five contestants, and no one is allowed to swim for the Captain's keys, every contestant would have to make a sacrifice for all five keys, leaving no contestants spare to get clue words to work out the code word and release the gold.
In the seasons of the French version from 2011 onward, if a team is short of keys, then team members could be 'sacrificed' by facing "Judgment" , hosted by the character Blanche. Each sacrificed team member would have to complete a challenge of skill or luck set by Blanche. If the sacrificed team member was successful in his/her challenge, Blanche would grant him/her their freedom and would be able to rejoin the team. However, if the team member fails the challenge, he or she would be sent to prison. Team members who were locked in during a Phase One challenge can also win their freedom by facing Blanche and succeeding at the proposed challenge.
If the team has more keys than necessary to unlock the gate then any extra keys gained can be swapped for free clue words to assist the team in the next phase of the game.
Phase One challenges
From 1990 to 2014, there were 185 different events. The name of the game may change, but the game itself usually remains the same; where possible, this list will use the names from Ultimate Challenge.Note: This is NOT the full list of games that have been played. The years [|below] are for when the game was played or last present at the fort, in the French version or Ultimate Challenge. A full list of games can be found here.
Here is a selection of some of these challenges:
;New Games for 2011
- Visual Enigma
- Gagarin – A similar game, also using a gyroscope, was present on the fort between 1995 and 1997.
- Anvil
- Balance
- Cuisine de Willy – First time this cell has been used since 1991. A new character, an Italian Chef, played by Willy Rovelli appears in the fort's kitchen. This cell is not used in international versions and is covered up.
- Père Fouras Show – Replaced the Code Braille in French version, known as Creature Code in Ultimate Challenge. In the international versions, Creature Code is still present on the fort.
Phase Two
Once again in this part of the game the contestants have to complete a series of challenges, but instead of playing for keys they are playing for clue words. In addition, these games are more physically and mentally challenging to the contestants than those played in Phase One. Before these challenges, one contestant goes to the Watch Tower to try to win a clue word. Phase Two is around 10–20 minutes long in the UK version, this depends on how long the team take to win the required number of keys needed to open the Treasure Room gate.The objective in this phase is to try to figure out the password, which, if answered correctly, will release the gold. To do this, they must try to win clue words to help them in working out the password.
These clue words can be placed either before or after the password to make a common phrase. For example: if the clues words were hall and line then the password would be dance, as in dance hall and line dance.
To make it even more difficult to get the clue word, a time limit is placed on each game. The clue words are usually written on pieces of paper and kept in canisters filled with gunpowder, and if the contestant fails to reach the canister in the allotted time the clue word explodes and the contestant loses the challenge. Unlike the First Phase, players are not locked in a cage if they fail to win the clue word.
Phase Two challenges
From 1991 to 2011, there were 71 different adventures. This section details some of Fort Boyards most famous games. The name of the game may change from country-country; but the game itself remains the same. The years below are for when the game was played or last present at the fort, in the French version or Ultimate Challenge.Examples of the clue games, also known as "ordeals" or "adventures", are:
;New Games for 2011
- Stretcher – replaces Spiders and Scorpions
- Abandoned Cabin, 216 ) – French Exclusive
- Immersed Cell
- Cell RecRec – previously Shrinking Cell
- Tanks – replaced by Cold Room in 2012
- Sewage – called Dark Descent in Ultimate Challenge
- Creature Count/Code – called lotto in the French version
- Beam-jets
- Circle – Ring Run in Ultimate Challenge
- Submarine Training – Pressure Tank in Ultimate Challenge
- Umbrellas – Balancing Brollies in Ultimate Challenge
- Vélibérateur – Pedal Pump in Ultimate Challenge
- Hammocks
- Underwater Balloons
- Deadly Drop
The Watch Tower
In the Watch Tower of the Fort lives a usually eccentric character that sets riddles for certain contestants; if the contestants give the correct answer within the time limit, they receive a key. In the case of the clue riddles, the answer to the riddle is the clue word, so even if the contestant doesn't solve it in the Watch Tower he or she can still think about it during the rest of the game. During the riddles, the contestant can keep guessing until the time has elapsed. If the contestant fails to guess the correct answer within the time limit, the key is "thrown" into the sea, and another contestant has to swim for it. This was always won as the strongest swimmer would retrieve the key. The swim was removed in series 5 of the UK version, but was re-introduced in Ultimate Challenge as Key to the Sea.Since 2006, the contestants can no longer swim for the key; it is just put back where it was held. The clue word is also different and is not the same as the riddle. Therefore, the riddle must be solved within the time limit to obtain the clue.
In the French version from 2011 to 2013, The Watch Tower wasn't used; instead, there were three trips to the Interactive Cell. The second trip was a Visual Riddle, about halfway through the key games, with Father Fouras on screen. The Clue Riddle is replaced by a telephone riddle where the player is in a booth inside one of the cells and has 1 minute to solve the riddle, given by Father Fouras over the phone, whilst cockroaches are dropped on top of them. This takes form of a game, called Abandoned Cabin, in the French version. The Watch Tower was however used in the 2012 Russian version of the show and in 2013 for the Azerbaijan, Canadian and Swedish versions.
The Treasure Room
The Treasure Room is the climax to each episode of Fort Boyard. The gold is stored here, which is guarded by Boyard's tigers.Once the Fort's gong sounds for a second time, the game time is over. When the gong is struck the tigers are taken away by Monique, the gate to the Treasure Room rises and will only stay open for 2:00 minutes in UK series 1 to 4 or 3:00 minutes in UK series 5. The 3 minutes includes 20 seconds before the gate started to rise. The gate takes 30 seconds to open and close fully for every version of Fort Boyard worldwide.
As of 2016, in the French version, contestants who failed at the duels during the "judgment" sequence will have the chance to free themselves by making their way through an obstacle course within 2:30, with any time used in excess of 2:30 taken away from the three minutes the contestants have in the treasure room. This is then followed by extra games which are played to win extra time in the treasure room. Four or six members of the team each compete in a duel against the "Masters of Time". There is no risk of any time lost with 15 seconds earned for each successful duel, making a maximum possible time in the treasure room of four minutes.
If by this time the team has still not figured out the password from the clues won, they can "sacrifice" players in exchange for extra clues to help them. The sacrificed players have to grab the clue by putting their hand into one of the tiger-shaped hand traps around the Treasure Room entrance; once their hands are inside, they cannot release them and participate in collecting the gold.
The contestants then have to spell out the password on the giant alphabet on the floor of the treasure room by standing on the corresponding letters on the grid and using cannonballs if there are not enough players. The team must also ensure the word is spelled correctly, as a mistake could cost them the prize.
Once this is done, Monique/Félindra rotates the tiger's head, and the word will either be declared correct or incorrect, and the gold is released if the word is correct. Then the contestants have the remaining time to collect as much gold as they can and place it in a bucket outside of the treasure room. It is only what is in this bucket that they get to keep; any that lands on the floor is not counted. When the time is nearly up in the treasure room, a bell rings, and the gate begins to close slowly. The contestants have to leave before the gate shuts completely because when the door shuts the tigers are released back into the treasure room.. In the 1990 French version, and in the 2006 Russian version of the show, contestants were "locked" in the treasure room. On the second occasion, the gold collected was lost as a result.
If, however, they declare an incorrect word, the gold is not released and instead the gate to the treasure room begins to close immediately, prompting the contestants to make a quick escape, and they complete the game with no winnings.
The won gold is then weighed and converted into currency; this makes the contestants' prize money. In most countries, the money won by the team is given to a charity.
Some countries, including Spain, Argentina, the UK, and Belgium, give the money directly to the members of the team. Some give vacations instead of money, dependent on how much the team won.
In France, between 1990 and 1992, the treasure was given to the team, but since 1993, the whole prize goes to charity. Then again in 2010, the prize money was given to the contestants.
Summary of the UK rules
Note: Opening titles shown the original series boat, and did not actually show the 2003 remake series arriving outside the Fort.Broadcast
UK transmissions
In total, 57 episodes were shown in the original Channel 5 series; including four celebrity specials and a special edition with contestants from the first UK series of The Mole.On 1 July 2014, Challenge announced on social media that they had re-acquired all the Channel 5 years of the show and would begin airing series 1–2 in August that year, with series 3 and 4 following in 2015. Series 1 started on 4 August at 5 pm, followed by series 2 on 18 August 2014. Series 3 starts on 7 May 2015 at 6 pm.
Regular series
Celebrity specials
''Takes on the World''
Technical details
From a broadcasting perspective, Fort Boyard itself was refurbished during 1988–89 to become, essentially, a large outdoor television studio. The Fort has its own doctor, catering facilities, as well as production gallery and veterinary centre.The Fort is equipped with 10 portable television cameras, one camera crane for overhead shots, one under-water camera as well as a number of smaller cameras which specifically cover individual games and challenges around the Fort.
The majority of shows are filmed in the aspect ratio, although some shows, for countries including Sweden and France since 2008, now use the more common widescreen aspect ratio. PAL is the favoured recording format for Fort Boyard, offering the highest quality pictures. From 2013, the fort is now able to record programmes in HD for the first time.
Variations to the format
In 1996, at the height of the French version's popularity, a mini-series entitled Fort Boyard at Night was shown in the autumn. It was filmed entirely at night, and the teams also had slightly more time in which to complete the challenges. In 1997, there were three night-time specials, at Halloween, Christmas, and New Year. In 2012, three further night-time editions were filmed and aired between Halloween and Christmas.In some of the French and Russian versions, the contestants stay overnight in the Fortress. During this time, they played endurance, mind, and psychological games both for the release of any prisoners they may have had, and for keys to, or time in, the Treasure Room at the end of the game.
Although most seasons have seen changes, recent changes to the French version of Fort Boyard included:
- From 2006 to 2009, the number of keys determined how much access the team had to the Treasure Room. 5 keys were the minimum needed to open the gate, but the gate would only open to a certain height, which made carrying coins through the gate difficult. A 6th key would open the gate roughly halfway, but it was still not easy to get through. To open the gate fully, 7 keys were needed. In 2006, when the host pulls the switch the Treasure Room gate would start to open immediately. If a team member did not get out of the Treasure Room in time, a portcullis was activated which stopped the tigers, but the money collected was lost forever.
The Council
- In the council, teams no longer play to free prisoners; rather, they play for up to 60 extra seconds of extra time in the Treasure Room, in addition to the three minutes guaranteed. From 1995 to 2011, there were a total of 31 different council games.
- There was a new section in which one member donned a diving suit and dived down to the underwater control centre. There, he or she was guided by the team through an underground passage filled with traps and coded doors towards the "Hall of Imprints", freeing their prisoners along the way. Once all members had reached the Hall, they used their right hands to release the crystal, which they needed to enter the council.
2007 season
- They have extra games which are played to win extra time in The Treasure Room. Four members of the team play a game each against the Master of Darkness, if they won they got 15 seconds each, a total of 1 minute, of extra time in the Treasure room, making it a full 4 minutes.
- 2007 was the only season the time in the Treasure Room started at the opening of the gate. The team had 3:00–4:00 minutes from when the host pulled the switch to open the gate. The team also had 15 seconds or 25 seconds before the start of the time; this made the time actually 3:00 to 4:25 minutes in total.
2008 season
- In 2008, the diving section changed. All members except the diver entered the control centre. They had to put 9 coloured cubes in the correct order, using clues provided by the host. Once the 9 cubes are in place, the trap door for the diver opened. The diver entered a flooded room, with a treasure box, a drawing, and a maze with various coloured keys in it. He or she has had to describe the small drawing to the other team members. The drawing corresponds to a drawing on one of the 9 coloured cubes. The colour of the matching cube determined the key to retrieve from the maze. The team members had to guide the diver through the maze, as the diver only see it from behind. After the key had been freed, it was used to unchain the treasure box. The box was then lifted from the water, but couldn't be opened yet. The key to open it was inside the Treasure Room and would fall down together with the gold.
2009 season
- One of the first major changes on the Fort was the before game challenge, called The Tube, which was only used this season. There was a large tube full of coloured water. The team had to find 2 black scratching posts, situated around the Fort, to find the numbers which was the combination to unlock the box containing the cup which was connected to the tube. If they could fill the cup with water before the tube ran out they got a bonus key game after the 45:00 minutes of key games had finished. This game was played in the central circle before the gong.
- Another change was that teams no longer stopped collecting keys at 7 keys but could continue on to collect up to 10 keys. These extra 3 keys were exchanged for clue words at the Treasure Room.
- The middle section of the game was also different. There were now 3 boxes which contained money. The problem was that 2 of them were sealed with glass. During this the prisoners would play Fear Factor style games in an attempt to win "pieces" to eliminate colours. The prisoners were released but if they did not win their games they were not allowed inside the Treasure Room.
- Duels were different in 2009. The team could see what was happening through a window. The starting time was 3:00, but the team needed to bet on the duels with time. These times were 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds, and −15 seconds. If they win on −15 Seconds they did not lose any time. This made the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:45, with the maximum being a full 4:00 minutes.
- The Treasure Room had changed in 2009. Firstly, the 6 key sign was raised to shoulder height. Secondly, teams couldn't trade clues for extra keys; they had to play with the keys they had. In the Treasure Room they collected keys for boxes containing extra gold. They were allowed to pick only one box, at the end, and were allowed as many keys as there were people in the Treasure Room. Picking the correct box earned the team the extra gold.
Duel format
In 2007 and 2008, a formula with duels between three countries was used; two countries in 1991 and with teams of teenagers in 2011.
Countries that have used this format include:
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Russia
- Serbia
- Sweden
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
French version
The changes made to the French version in 2010 were:
Main overview
- Passe-Temps and Mr. Chan left the show.
- Olivier Minne became the only host.
- Two teams competed to try to win the most keys in the first section.
- 12 teams of 4 play 2 sections of the game. The Special team play only section 2 in game of episode 1 because all 4 members are former contestants in Fort Boyard.
- The team who won were called the "champion team" and would return the following week. Until the last episode, the Special team would play as the "normal team".
- Key games not only included the ones inside cells but also the clue games, which were played against a clepsydre. If the team lost a clue game they were made prisoner.
- There were 3 rounds of key games. Before each round there was a duel. Winning the duel not only won them a key, but also meant the other team had to win their game or their player was automatically made a prisoner.
- If there is no clear winner after the 3 rounds a new section of the show, Crossbow Relay, was introduced. Before this, the prisoners were released. All members had to complete a relay course for keys.
- The team with the lowest number of keys was sent off the Fort and a new team was sent back to compete against the current champions.
- The champion team from the last episode then faced the round 1 winners in clue games. These clue games can be key games with clue canisters, or clue games which were against the clepsydre.
- There were 3 rounds of clue games, with each round starting with a duel. Again the losing team was made prisoner if they didn't win their clue game, but the winning team also got to choose which team got to play which game.
- After the clue rounds, any prisoners were released by the duels in the council room. 2/3 was required to win.
- At the Treasure Room, both teams used their clues and wrote down the codeword on a slate. Once this was put in place they had the remaining time of 3:30. After 1 minute the gate started to open and began closes after 3:00 minutes. At around 0:15 seconds the slots were closed so the team couldn't insert any more money.
- The gold was then weighed and the codes were revealed. The team with the highest gold and correct codeword won.
- If both teams had the correct code, the team with the highest weight of gold won €10,000 and returned the following week.
- If both teams had the incorrect code, the champion team would return the following week, but didn't win €10,000.
- The team which won the Grand Final would receive €50,000 prize.
2010 German changes
- Most of the show's characters are gone.
- The Watch Tower and the riddles have been removed.
- The duel/tournament format was used.
2011 French changes
- Olivier Minne continues as the only host.
- Return to a more "classic" format, one team and seven keys required.
- Return of celebrities playing for charity.
- 3 new characters, including the return of the mud wrestler.
- Father Fouras now chairs the Council.
- The team can see what is happening in the Council through a window. The starting time is 3:00, but the team must bet on the duels with this time. The times are 20 seconds, 15 seconds, 15 seconds and 10 seconds. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:00, with the maximum being a full 4:00.
This takes place after the key games. The Hall of Judgement provides opportunities for candidates to obtain the missing keys against the sacrifice of one of them but also to free the team members locked in during the first half. The challenges are set by new female character, the White Judge; played by Louise-Marie Hustings in 2011, then Raphaëlle Lenoble during 2012, and Delphine Wespiser since 2013. The challenges used are similar to those on The Cube and Minute to Win It.
- Each team member is free to be sacrificed to receive an extra key. The White Judge, sets a challenge the sacrifice/prisoner must complete to be released. If failed, they go directly into the terrible jails of La Boule until the end of the show; if they succeed, however, they are released and return to their team.
- When the host pulls the switch, the Treasure Room gate will start to open immediately. This was also done in 2006.
- The team have 12 seconds to process the password, instead of the normal 15 seconds.
2011 UK changes
- The show is now called Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge.
- Laura Hamilton and Andy Akinwolere, previously Geno Segers, present the new series.
- Teams are made-up of teenagers aged between 13–19 years old.
- The show's characters are gone and until series 4, the tigers were not used.
- The teams only collect keys and the Treasure Room section is changed.
2012 French changes
- The times are 20 seconds, 15 seconds and 10 seconds. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:15, with the maximum being 3:45 if all bets are won. The second duel is now a word puzzle rather than a contest with the Master of Shadows.
2014 French changes
- The times are 10 seconds for three games and 30 seconds for two games. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 1:30, with the maximum being 4:30 if all bets are won. The prisoners will be released with 15 seconds deducted for each player.
2015 French changes
- A new area was added, called The Cage, and is hosted by the character Rouge, the twin sister of Blanche. This happens at the 25-minute mark in part 1. The team must sacrifice 1 key to enter The Cage, where three of the team members will compete in individual games against one of the Fort's guards, the guards were a team of former attendees chosen by Rouge. Each challenge completed successfully adds a key to the team's total, meaning if all 3 team members win their games, the net profit is 2 keys. Since 2016, teams are no longer required to sacrifice a key to enter The Cage.
- Prisoners are now allowed to escape after Part 2, completing a course to get out of prison. The prisoner has 1:30 to escape, and any additional time taken is deducted from the team's starting 2:00 in the Treasure Room.
- Duels no longer deduct from the team's Treasure Room time, they only add time depending on the team member's performance in the duel. This includes a new clock for Father Fouras' riddle, which is divided into three sections, 30, 20, and 10 seconds. Should the team member solve the riddle in time, the amount of time added is determined by the section the clock pointer is in, meaning the riddle is worth less time the longer it takes to solve it.
2016 French changes
The duels return back to the original head to head format with a candidate verses a tiger council master, 4 candidates get picked to play the duels, each duel challenged and completed adds 15 seconds to the timer, for a possible maximum time of 4 minutes on the clock, depending if the escape hasn't taken time away from the Treasure Room clock before hand.
2018 French changes
The CageThe cage duels had changed from having a set of alumni, as part of a story shift, Rouge picked up some lost children and decided to make them into an elite squad just like the alumni beforehand. The same rules apply here, three duels to win three keys.
2020 French changes
As of 2020, Covid-19 had caused a few changes to the 2020 series of Fort Boyard. Some safety measures were placed to keep the candidates safe on the fortresx. Which also changed to formatting of the series.The Team
As of the 2020 series, due to Covid-19 the amount of team members were reduced back to 5 members in the team. As part of the safety precautions, the team are based down in the bottom floor of the Fort within the treasure room entrance. Once entering the Fort, they wear facemasks and are spaced out equally at 1 meter apart. The command center for the adventures is all set in one safe area. They also mask up once inside the Treasure Room.
Key Games and Adventures
Rather than the team being guided around the Fort, instead Passe-Partout would bring the players to the rooms and challenges while Passe-Muraille as usual would be Father Fouras's messenger boy passing scrolls to Olivier for each key game and adventure. Most two player games how now been reduced to one player games within the Fort to prevent covid-19 spreading. For this series, the amount of keys have been reduced to 8 keys in the allotted time limit of 50 minutes.
The Cage
This season, the cage doesn't bring back the lost children warriors, this time it features only three defenders for the game. Lady Boo, Little Boo and a replacement for Mr Boo, Big Boo. However the rules stay the same. Three rounds against the cage defenders to win a maximum of 3 keys, one for each round if completed successfully. Rather than the team going into the cage itself, the candidates chosen are brought there by Passe-Partout.
The Escape
This season, before the escape, the team are given 3 minutes of time for the Treasure Room, if there are prisoners the escape has a time limit of 2:30. The candidate who get imprisoned must escape within that time. Once the initial time is over, the clock hoes into overtime, in overtime it removes time from the Treasure room and will not stop until the candidate flip a switch to stop the clock once they have escaped.
The Duels
The duels stay the same, 4 candidates take part in the duels to earn 15 seconds per duel win for a maximum of 4 minutes, however for safety concerns, it's broken down that two members of the team head into the tiger council at a time as they enter one by one afterwards for safety reasons.
Music
The music for the original French version of Fort Boyard was composed by Paul Koulak, a French music composer. He composed the main themes for the show as well as the incidental music and game music that is used throughout the show. His music has been used for every version of Fort Boyard around the world, except the German version, where they composed their own music for the show and games.Up to 2017, seven different opening theme songs have been used on the show; the first was used until 1994, the second in 1995, the third from 1996 to 2000, the fourth in 2001 and 2002, the "Dance Version", the sixth theme song which was introduced in the 2003 French version and the seventh, introduced in 2016. Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge uses a different opening theme and game music but does use the recent French opening credits and logo.
''Fort Boyard: Takes On The World''
Broadcast in October 2004 by Challenge, Fort Boyard: Takes On The World was a ten-part documentary which introduced British viewers to various different versions of the show from around the world. Comedian and former contestant Tim Vine provided the voiceover. The show was split into sections including "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", "Heroes and Zeroes" and "The A-Z of Fort Boyard".There were also interviews with various characters of the Fort.
Merchandise
CD releases
Some of the original music for Fort Boyard was released on CD in France, both on CD single and CD album form, in 1996 and again in July 1999 as Fort Boyard: La Musique de Toutes Les Aventures.Single
Album
Comic adaptations
Fred Burton created a comic book adaptation of the French-language edition of the show, published by.Video games
Fort Boyard: Le Défi is a PC CD-ROM game based on the television show and released in 1995. It provides the player the possibility to become a team member, playing the well known game in the Fort. The game was created by Microids, France Televisions and R&P Electronic Media. The game was available in French and Dutch.Fort Boyard: La Legende is an action adventure game, based in and around La Rochelle and on Fort Boyard. It was released in 1996 by Expand Images, Microïds, France Télévisions, and R&P Electronic Media. It was only released in the original French version and the later Dutch-spoken versions. The lack of an English version made this game highly obscure: it doesn't have a MobyGames entry. The hero of this game has no name; he is going to look for a treasure that was hidden by Napoleon at Fort Boyard. For this he needs to look around for clues, and get people to help, in and around La Rochelle.