a day in the life of a ... game show researcher

EVERY game show contestant is a winner, according to Denise Kelly, the glam but homely senior contestant researcher at Thames Television. Finding the right kind of people for all the shows, such as Blankety Blank, Strike It Rich, Blockbusters, Play Your Cards Right, The Price Is Right and Family Fortunes, is an involved process. Initially, Kelly will sift through thousands of telephone messages, emails and application forms, "getting a feel". Later she will hold auditions around the country in order to decide which lucky applicants will play. Finally, she will shepherd the contestants through the filming process.

Kelly feels a responsibility to reflect in the contestants the multicultural and regional diversity of the audiences and tries not to favour particular areas of the country. However, she concedes: "The North-West and London are full of outgoing people who make good contestants."

There are many other factors that Kelly, 44, and her department consider when selecting competitors. "It sounds obvious but the contestants must be able to play the game. It's no good if they are a bundle of nerves or they keep forgetting the rules. On shows such as Blockbusters we are shooting as many as six shows a day, so time is of the essence."

It is important to Kelly and the producers that there is a rapport between the presenters and the competitors so she also looks for people with a sense of humour: "You have to be careful with a show such as Blankety Blank: Lily Savage is hilarious but some people could find her rude."

Kelly's job is varied and her routine is governed by what stage of the production process the shows have reached.

"If a show is already running, there might be a telephone or postbox number advertised on the show, or we might place ads in newspapers, on Teletext or the web." Once two rounds of application forms have been sent out and returned, complete with photos, Kelly and a colleague will tour the country, booking hotel banqueting suites where auditions will be held.

"Invariably the hotel will have neglected to arrange a room properly so I will be there shifting tables and chairs at the beginning of the day. We then conduct hour-long audition sessions which will go on all day until as late as 9pm."

Budget and time restrictions mean auditioning is done in blocks so all the contestants, for example in a 20-show run of Family Fortunes, are found over a two- to three-month period. As Kelly is responsible for as many as six different shows at any one time, these casting periods can overlap.

Organisation is the name of this game: "Everything that comes into the office is colourcoded. I can't stand waste and useless piles of paper everywhere." Kelly's immaculate office bears testimony to this but this woman is no automaton. The walls are covered with letters and cards from former contestants and it is obvious that people skills are vital to success as a researcher: "The people are your responsibility.

You chat to them at the audition and sound them out.

"I often stay in touch with people I meet doing this job.

You find out a great deal about them."

The production company that makes the programmes relies solely upon the researchers' judgment and experience to select candidates. At the end of each audition session, Kelly and a colleague will quickly assess who will proceed to the rehearsal stage where, again, more hopefuls will be weeded out. When shooting begins, the workload does not diminish, and 13-hour days ending at midnight are the norm.

Inevitably, the travelling and long hours take their toll on family life and commitments.

Kelly is dedicated to the job and the workload and responsibility demand it. She admits: "I don't know anyone doing my job who has any children."

Aspiring researchers who think they can handle the workload and hours should attempt to gain some TV experience: "If you are young you should go in as a runner, paid or unpaid." Kelly attended drama school and then went on to forge a career as a TV actress, appearing in light comedy and even as Michael Barrymore's wife in a pilot show. However, it was while working as a "trolley dolly" on The Price is Right that she first found a role behind the scenes.

"William G Stewart was developing a show called Twenty To One. They later dropped five contestants. I helped out on the pilot and he promised me a job on the series if it was commissioned. That's how I got my break: as a contestant researcher on Fifteen To One."

Whether the traditional game show format will continue to thrive is open to question, especially given the current glut of reality TV shows such as Big Brother, Castaway and Survivor. Kelly, though, is not worried: "We'll survive. Those shows are horrible to the contestants. I work with wonderful people."

To get on a game show, visit gameshows.co.uk or send a stamped, addressed envelope to PO Box 2500, London W1A 3QH, with the name of the show you would like to appear on and a form will be sent to you.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Meeting and working with "wonderful people" Working on television programmes everyone knows

Cons

Time away from home Long hours

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