It's in the Bag (game show)

infobox television
show_name=It's in the Bag
genre=Game show
presenter=Selwyn Toogood(1973-86)
John Hawkesby (1986-90)
country=NZL
network=NZBC
TVNZ
picture_format=576i black-and-white
576i PAL
first_aired=1973
last_aired=1990
imdb_id=0211814

"It's in the Bag" was a long-running New Zealand radio and, later, television game show. The show began on radio in the 1950s and was hosted and directed by Selwyn Toogood. In the 1970s a television version of the show was developed which was also hosted by Toogood until his retirement in the 1980s. After his retirement, John Hawkesby took over hosting duties. Later the show was hosted by Nick Tansley. The show was discontinued in 1990.

Several of Toogood's catch phrases from this show entered the kiwi vernacular, including "by hokey!", "what should she do, New Zealand?" and "the money or the bag?"

The hostesses of the show also became popular celebrities. The hostess' role was to introduce the contestants and announce and fetch the prizes. Hostess of the last part of the radio era and first television hostess was Heather Eggleston. Other hostesses of the television era included Teneke Stephenson and Hilary Timmons.

The game

Unlike other game shows instead of being filmed in a single studio the show went on the road to a different town each week and the set was assembled into a local community town hall. The contestants were locals selected from the audience by a pre-show qualifying process.

During the show, each contestant would be called onto the stage and asked three relatively easy questions. If all three questions were answered correctly, the contestant had the chance to play for "the money or the bag". At this point the contestant would be asked to select one of around thirty numbered bags. Each bag contained a prize unknown to both the contestant and the host. The prizes ranged in value from moderate to valuable, and also included three 'booby prizes' of negligible value, such as a clothes peg.

The host of the show would then offer the contestant an increasing amount of cash in exchange for their unopened bag. The offers would continue until the contestant either accepted the cash or the host chose to stop offering more money. If they chose the bag, it would be opened at that point and their prize revealed.

In the television version of the show, the final round was the 'Travel Bag' round in which one of the previously-appearing contestants would be randomly selected to compete. In this round, the contestant would be asked ten difficult questions. The contestant who had answered the most correctly at the end of each season would win the prize — a valuable travel related prize such as a round-the-world trip.

The last segment of the show consisted of the host going into the audience and selecting a participant. That person would not be asked any questions but would otherwise participate in the normal bag selection and bidding process.

Return to TV

Television New Zealand's new TVNZ 6 channel began screenings of selected Selwyn Toogood episodes when the channel began transmission on the new Freeview service on September 30, 2007.

External links

* imdb title|id=0211814
* [http://tvnzondemand.co.nz/content/its_in_the_bag_dunedin/ondemand_video_skin 1974 episode of "It's in the Bag"] (TVNZ ondemand)
* [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/1323809 "Inside the Bag"] - a NZ National Film Unit documentary from the 1950s about the making of the show.