Poll of the Year 2025

UKGameshows IS! BACK! And so is the 21st running of The UKGameshows/Bother's Bar Poll of the Year and we can't wait to see what you, the titans of the British format industry and the viewers thought of it all.

It's sad that there are so relatively few new formats released on linear these days, but it does give us the chance to update our voting a bit - this year our Google Form is mainly tickboxes, but we still want your supporting evidence for the final write ups.

• Easy peasy. For each category (except Magic Moments) you get FIVE votes, so you can nominate FIVE shows. Please put each vote on a separate line, it makes it easier for us to count. You can no longer give the same show multiple votes.
• For most of the categories, your choices are for new formats made and broadcast in the UK in 2025.
• You do not have to use all your votes.
• We welcome short comments with your reasoning for your vote – these may be used in the final write-up. We're more likely to use your comments if they are to the point. The comments will be kept anonymous.
• If you’re in the industry it would be useful to point that out – we absolutely welcome you and you may indeed vote for shows you’ve worked on – but we reserve the right to disqualify insincere dodgy ballots.
• Time is of the essence, the vote closes 23:59 Tuesday 12th January.

• Hall of FAME – For the best gameshows, competitive reality and panel games first broadcast on linear TV (or radio) in the UK in 2025.
• Hall of SHAME – For the worst gameshows, competitive reality and panel games first broadcast on linear TV (or radio) in the UK in 2025.
• Golden Five – For any shows made primarily for the UK market that had a new first-run episode broadcast in 2024.
• Streaming Five - Must be gameshow or gameshow related, must be either from a subscription streaming service (i.e. Netflix, Amazon, Nebula etc), a channel's online offering not destined for broadcast television, or if it's on Youtube (or equivalent) backed professionally or at the very least a legitimately returnable format. Cannot be a Twitch Stream. Cannot be a broadcast radio show as its own podcast, vote for them in the Golden Five. Does not have to be made in the UK, but does need to be able to be watched here a) legitimately and b) earlier or at the same time as the rest of the world. Must have new episodes out in 2025.
• Magic Moments – For your favourite moments. If there are Youtube links, that would be handy.

A non-exhaustive list of new formats can be found on the Google Form, there is a write-in element for anything you think we've missed, and these are checked daily and added to the options if it feels legitimate.

This year the preferred method is by Google Forms. This allows you to fill it in over a number of sessions and change or modify your votes up until the deadline.

However we also accept e-mail ballots, please send them to [email protected] with Poll of the Year 2025 in the subject line and they'll get to the same place.

We look forward to your choices. Thanks very much! Look out for the results by the end of January.