EUROPEAN FORMATS
'Traditional' formats from France, the Uk and Germany
FRENCH LIES
Last Thursday, July 23, French public broadcaster France 2 launched its new game show Qui ment ? (Who is Lying?), produced by Flanagan Production (part of Studio TF1). It is certainly an intriguing cross-market move to see a flagship public channel airing a show from the production arm of its primary commercial rival (France Télévisions vs. TF1). However, France appears to be gradually adopting the UK model, where cross-commissioning between public broadcaster BBC and commercial network ITV is standard practice. A prime example is ITV’s smash hit The 1% Club, which is produced by the independent indie Magnum Media and distributed globally by BBC Studios.
But back to Qui Ment?. As the title suggests, the game show fits squarely into the Psycho Formats trend—one of the key movements highlighted in our annual 10+1 Global Format Trends report. These are formats with a psychological twist, where players must identify traitors or saboteurs, figure out who holds the money or power, or, as in this case, spot the liar—albeit here with a lighthearted, comedic spin.
Two pairs of non-celebrity contestants compete in the studio on general knowledge questions. Helping—and hindering—them is a panel of six celebrities (the debut episode featured Bruno Solo, Gil Alma, Lola Dubini, Max Boublil, Anne Roumanoff, and Florent Peyre).
For each question, the celebrities jump in with their own explanations or answers. However, while some VIPs know the correct answer and tell the truth, others are tasked with deliberately lying, using their best acting skills to deliver completely believable fabrications. Contestants must analyze their answers, hesitations, posture, and body language to call their bluff and bank points. The pair that survives the preliminary rounds moves on to the finale for a chance to win up to €50,000.
To be fair, it’s not a particularly groundbreaking twist: quiz shows featuring bluffing or lying contestants are a fairly well-trodden concept. TF1 itself recently aired Tricheurs (Cheaters) on TFX and TF1+—a quiz created by TF1’s development team alongside Dreamspark and Ah! Production (see here)—which feels very much like a “big brother” to Qui Ment?. (The latter, incidentally, had a muted debut, drawing 1.095 million viewers and an 8.6% market share).
UK SAND
Talent shows have nearly eighty years of distinguished television history under their belt. The first one was the American show Doorway to Fame, broadcast in 1947 by the DuMont Television Network—one of America’s pioneer commercial television networks, which ceased operations in 1956.
Initially confined solely to artistic disciplines like singing and dancing, talent formats later expanded into cooking and various sports, eventually embracing a massive range of artistic, athletic, and professional fields. Over the years, there have been talent shows dedicated to puppeteers and marionettes (Tique Het), window dressers (Window Warriors), snipers (Sniper: The Ultimate Challenge), carpenters (Good with Wood), blacksmiths (Forged in Fire), computer programmers (C0d3rs Championship), ceramic artists (The Great Pottery Throw Down), glassblowers (Blown Away), and many others.
And a few years ago, another unique category was added to this long list: sand sculptors.
Race Against the Tide is an original and striking format created by Blue Ant Studios, originally produced for CBC in Canada, where it aired for four seasons from 2021 to 2024. The premise features competitors racing against the clock to build elaborate sand sculptures in the Bay of Fundy before the tide comes in and washes them away. Because this magnificent bay boasts the highest tidal range in the world, the climax of each round is intensely dramatic and visually spectacular.
Six teams of two world-class sand sculptors compete in a head-to-head tournament, digging, pounding, carving, and shaping their way through four qualifying rounds. Each episode features a distinct theme—often highly imaginative (such as Fossil Mania, Heroes & Villains, Optical Illusion, In a Galaxy Far Away, The Wild Side, Dawn of Time, Fantasy Land, Architecture of the Future, Big Headed, and Fright Night).
The creations are evaluated by two judges who determine the winning team just moments before the incoming tide obliterates the artwork. The top two teams then face off in a high-stakes semi-final, leading to a grand finale where only one team claims the $10,000 grand prize and the crown of Race Against the Tide champion.
Surprisingly, a format this wonderful and visually arresting has taken time to secure local adaptations. That gap is finally being plugged by the BBC, which is premiering a six-part UK competition series in August across BBC Scotland, BBC Two, and iPlayer. Set on West Sands Beach in St Andrews, the adaptation is produced by Tern Television, a company owned by Zinc Media.
Long live the sand sculptors! (See the spectacular trailer of the last Canadian season: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.7160858)
GERMAN BUSINESS
And finally, an original format - meaning it's not a localized adaptation - from Germany: Die Millionenidee (The Million Dollar Idea), created by Endemol Shine Germany, is set to premiere soon on Sat.1 and Joyn.
Hosted by prominent entrepreneur Ralf Dümmel, this unscripted business show offers everyday innovators the unique opportunity to transform raw product concepts into retail-ready market offerings.
The journey begins with an open call welcoming everyday inventors, hobbyists, and backyard creators from all walks of life. Applicants can enter the pipeline with anything from a rough sketch on a napkin or an early working prototype to a fully realized invention, pitching directly to Dümmel and a rotating panel of industry experts.
Unlike standard pitching formats where the interaction concludes with a capital investment, Die Millionenidee focuses heavily on product development and industrial execution. Together with Dümmel and his production ecosystem, successful participants take the idea all the way to the retail shelf. This hands-on process includes refining consumer concepts, overcoming complex manufacturing hurdles, establishing robust branding frameworks, and executing scaled production and retail distribution strategies.
Dümmel identifies the propositions with the highest commercial ceiling and invests in them directly, with successful ventures sharing a 50% split of the generated profits.
It has to be said that these business shows all share a certain family resemblance, essentially acting as contemporary offshoots the classic hit Shark Tank / Dragon’s Den. On the other hand, Endemol Shine Germany is well-acquainted with the genre, having spearheaded the local adaptation of Shark Tank itself. Furthermore, in 2016 Dümmel became one of the core investors on the German TV channel VOX’s start-up show Die Höhle der Löwen, a platform through which he has successfully invested in over 85 start-ups and backed more than 150 founders to date.
But, as they say, business is business…
NEWS IN A NUTSHELL
Independent international distribution company Lineup Industries is taking its gameshow format SWITCH to Latin America for the first time following a commission from SBT in Brazil where the show will be produced inhouse. SWITCH will air inside the container show Domingo Legal with a prize per episode of up to R$ 50.000,00. SWITCH is based on a format developed by Panenka for VRT in Belgium and distributed globally by Lineup Industries.
Factual entertainment thriller, Celebrity Hunted, returns to Channel 4, in aid of Stand Up To Cancer, with a star-studded line-up of celebrity fugitives. Produced by Shine TV (part of Banijay UK), the celebrity fugitives are set to go on the run in early August.
Telefuturo, the leading audience channel in Paraguay, has given the green light to the first local adaptation of Gran Hermano, which is scheduled to premiere in 2027. Described as a “historic announcement” that “will mark a before and after in the country’s television,” the first Paraguayan ‘Big Brother’ was the main novelty presented during the broadcaster’s 2026-2027 Upfront.
Apple TV is broadening its commissioning remit by greenlighting The Last Person on Earth, its first ever original dating documentary series. Fronted by couples’ therapist Esther Perel, the show brings together singles who appear to be polar opposites and sends them on an adventure to a romantic and remote destination. The series aims to ask the question: could the last person on earth you think you’d ever want to date end up being the one person you can’t live without?
And that's all for now, folks! FRIDAY's ESPRESSO is taking a little summer break. We'll be back in just a few weeks!
