Trivia / Strike It Lucky

• Creator Backlash: Allegedly, Michael Barrymore's been quoted as saying "If you actually look at Strike it Lucky, the format's a pile of crap."
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: Much like Break the Bank (1985), FremantleMedia holds the rights to the American version, as an aftereffect of All American's acquisition of Blair Entertainment, which distributed BTB and this show. Averted for the UK version (also owned by Fremantle via Thames Television, which has been rerun plenty of times on Challenge TV, with the exceptions of the 89/90 seasons.
  • However, it has recently been averted for the American version, as Buzzr (owned by Fremantle) managed to get the licensing rights to the American version and has uploaded a selection of episodes to Amazon Prime.
• Market-Based Title:
  • Originally called Strike It Rich in America, but changed to Strike It Lucky upon its trip to Britain as the lower stakes forced by the IBA's Game Show Winnings Cap of the era meant it couldn't be considered "rich" by any means. The 1996 version was re-named Michael Barrymore's Strike It Rich because Thames Television (which had recently lost its ITV franchise to Carlton) wouldn't let its 2½ days a week only ex-rival, London Weekend Television, use the old name (LWT and Fremantle were co-producing). The name change could also be justified due to its larger prize budget, as the IBA and its cap had been abolished. Fremantle's British subsidiary Talkback Productions acquired Thames' assets and library in 2002, hence later merchandise (such as the DVD game) returned to the old title.
  • The South African version re-named it Telly Fun Quiz
• Out of Order: The first aired episode of the US version was not the first taped, owing to the first taped episodes having a slightly different format. Those would eventually air near the end of the season.
• Prop Recycling: For the American version, the computer graphics used on the archway monitors were programmed by one of the Barry-Enright staffers who joined Kline in leaving that company, and hence used graphics similar to that of the monitors seen on Hot Potato and Break the Bank (1985). A few years later, the "spinning diamond" seen in the intro was reused as part of the bonus round during the first season of Masters of the Maze.
• Similarly Named Works: The United States also had a game show called Strike It Rich, which aired on radio and television from 1947-1958. It was kinda like Queen for a Day (contestants tell their sob stories in the hopes of winning money), except somehow more crass.
• Working Title: The American version was originally titled Arch Rivals; Richard S. Kline changed the name because he feared it wouldn't sell if it didn't have an established name.
• What Could Have Been: The American pilot was like the UK version in that three couples competed, and only one would traverse the archways (the others would wait behind podiums); presumably this was dropped so each member of a couple could play.