STUDIO PRODUCTION: TAKE ME OUT (RESEARCH)

Take Me Out is a dating game show broadcasted on ITV. The show is Presented by comedian Paddy McGuinness and has been airing since 2010.

Take Me Out involves 30 single women coming on the show to potentially find a date. The 30 women stand behind podiums, with their names on them, and then Paddy introduces the 'Single Man' who comes down a lift in the centre of the set, known as the 'Love Lift'. This is the first of the 5 rounds of the show. Take Me Out is a very male, heterosexual show. What I mean by this is that it's always a man, playing to win a date with a woman. It's never a man playing to win a date with a man, woman playing to win a date with a woman or someone who is bisexual playing to win a date with either a man or a woman. The show has been like this since it first aired in 2010. However, when the show was first aired it was not legal for gay marriage as this came about back in 2014.

However, the show is very popular and has been recommissioned for 10 series and has another series about to be aired. With the girls and boys throwing flirty comments and jokes around and Paddy giving funny lines like 'No Likey, No lighty' meaning if the girls don't like the boy they see, they turn their lights off. The show is consisted of 5 rounds.


Round 1
The first round is based purely off the song that the man comes down the lift to and how he looks and acts as he's brought on in front of the girls. Below is an example of the first round in the first series of the show:

With this round, all the girls have to go off is the song that the guy comes down to, which shows his taste in music and their looks as they are seen for the first time and how they sound when they say their name and where they're from to the girls. When the girls turn their lights off, it means that they aren't interested and for the rest of the show, the boy doesn't have a chance to win a date with them. This is the same for the majority of the rounds.

Round 2

If the boy gets through to round 2, a VT (Pre recorded video) is then shown. This video is where the guy will tell the girls more about himself. Such as his personality, interests, job, hobbies, pets, etc. This might also have interviews with friends/family telling us what the man is like. Throughout this round, the girls have the option to turn their light off if they don't like what they learn.

Round 3

If the boy gets through to round 3, this will have 1 of 2 options. One option is that we will see another VT, from either a friend or family member of the boy. This is where they will say a secret about the boy. Often it can be something embarrassing, bringing more comedy to the programme. Below is an example of this:

This gives the girls a chance to see not only the bits only a boy trying to impress them would say, but to find out a bit more and if there's anything they wouldn't be able to deal with. 

The other option which can happen in this round is the guy has the chance to impress the girls with a talent. This can be anything from singing to juggling, the show has had all sorts of different talents. Throughout this round, regardless of which the boy does, the girls have the option to turn their light off. Below is an example of how the talent round can work:

Round 4

If the boy gets through round 3 that means he's won himself a date and the girls won't be able to turn their lights off anymore. Round 4 will only happen if more than 2 girls have their lights on. If only 2 girls have kept their lights on to this point, the show skips to round 5. Round 4 is where Paddy will give the single man the option of picking out only 2 girls by turning off all the lights of the girls with their lights remaining, apart from 2.

Round 5
Round 5 is the final round of the entire show and this is where one of the 2 girls and the single man will get together for a date. The single man will ask the girls a killer question and the 2 girls will give their answers and this allows the man to then turn off one of the lights and the one who he keeps on is his date.

Format
Take Me Out is a dating game show with a live studio audience. The Programme is pre-recorded and put together later in post-production by the studio team. The show does however give off the idea of being done live. With the use of a studio audience to help build excitement during the reveal of the 'single man' but also for reactions such as laughter for Paddy's 'one liners', reactions on the flirty comments between the men and women on the show and obviously for applause and cheers during the entrances and exits, etc.
Take Me Out is a very popular show, having been commissioned for 10 series and regularly getting audience ratings as well as a full live audience and still getting people applying to be on the show.

I feel that this show works so well because when it was first made, there wasn't really anything like this on TV. Paddy's funny one liners and interaction with the contestant and the girls brings humour and comedy to the show. The funny flirty 'banter' between the boys and girls brings entertainment as well. Paddy's fame helps with the shows popularity and as it hasn't lost popularity as it's now got it's newest series coming.