ABC Places Bets on UK CHX's 'Stupid Punts'
(Hollywood Reporter) -- For the first time, ABC and its cable outlet ABC Family Channel are developing a se-ries together, a British comedy/panel show called "Stupid Punts." CHX Prods, an independent U.K. production house, and ABC said Thursday that ABC will make a pilot of the series next month. The show combines ele-ments of gambling, satire, and celebrities and aired in its first season on BBC Choice, a digital channel. Now in its second season, the show has been picked up by BBC1. "Punts" comes from the British word for a wager. The gambling element is a "device" for the comedy, much the way "points" are used in the British/ABC series, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" said Andrea Wong, ABC senior vp alternative series and specials. "We thought it was a fun comedy," Wong said, adding that the show could end up on ABC, ABC Family or both as a repur-posed series. She said the network has yet to pick a host for the pilot or its first celebrity panel. In the show, three celebrity contestants wager on the outcomes of a range of bizarre contests or events at various odds. The comedy comes as the panelists discuss the possible outcomes.
(Hollywood Reporter) -- For the first time, ABC and its cable outlet ABC Family Channel are developing a se-ries together, a British comedy/panel show called "Stupid Punts." CHX Prods, an independent U.K. production house, and ABC said Thursday that ABC will make a pilot of the series next month. The show combines ele-ments of gambling, satire, and celebrities and aired in its first season on BBC Choice, a digital channel. Now in its second season, the show has been picked up by BBC1. "Punts" comes from the British word for a wager. The gambling element is a "device" for the comedy, much the way "points" are used in the British/ABC series, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" said Andrea Wong, ABC senior vp alternative series and specials. "We thought it was a fun comedy," Wong said, adding that the show could end up on ABC, ABC Family or both as a repur-posed series. She said the network has yet to pick a host for the pilot or its first celebrity panel. In the show, three celebrity contestants wager on the outcomes of a range of bizarre contests or events at various odds. The comedy comes as the panelists discuss the possible outcomes.