The Finish Line (game show)

Rounds 1 to 3 (Pictures/Missing Letters/Pairs)

The contestants individually play a qualifying game to determine their lane assignments, attempting to give five correct answers in as short a time as possible. There is no penalty for a pass or miss, and the clock stops on the fifth correct answer or after 45 seconds have elapsed, whichever occurs first. The contestant with the shortest time is assigned to Lane 1, the second-shortest to Lane 2, and so on. Too many wrong answers will mean Game Over in each qualifier and Too many passes sometimes mean time will be up.

Each qualifier has a different format, as follows:

• Round 1 (Pictures): Given a category and a picture of an item fitting it, identify the picture.
• Round 2 (Missing Letters): Given a category and a string of blanks indicating the number of words/letters for an item fitting it, name the item. The first and last letters are already filled in. Example: "British Dish" and "T - - - / - - / - - - / - - - E" would be "TOAD IN THE HOLE."
• Round 3 (Pairs): Given a category and three pairs of answers, select the one pair whose answers both fit the category.

Correct answers to passed/missed questions are revealed by the co-host at the end of each contestant's turn.

For the race, the contestants stand at movable podiums within their lanes, initially positioned at the starting line. The host asks one question in turn to each contestant, starting with Lane 1. A correct answer starts/keeps the contestant moving forward, while a miss stops them or leaves them where they are if they are already stopped. Once a contestant passes the finish line, they sit out for the rest of the race. After every contestant but one has reached the finish line, the last one is eliminated from the game with no winnings.

Round 4

No qualifier is played for this round; the two remaining contestants stand at the podiums and answer toss-up questions on the buzzer. A correct answer starts the contestant moving and stops the opponent, while a miss has the opposite effect. The first contestant to reach the finish line advances to the final and the other misses out and gets absolutely nothing at all.

Final

A red zone advances slowly down the back wall of the studio, at the same speed as the podiums, and approaches the contestant from behind as the host asks questions. Correct answers start/keep the contestant moving, but a pass or miss stops them. The contestant wins £5,000 if they can reach the finish line without being overtaken by the red zone, or nothing at all after getting caught otherwise.