title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: While AEW had plans to host the 2020 Double or Nothing at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, which was where the original show emanated, the venue canceled the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, AEW announced that the 2020 event would still proceed as planned, which occurred at Daily's Place and the TIAA Bank Field stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. The announcement also confirmed that a third Double or Nothing event would occur at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 29, 2021; in addition to offering refunds, tickets purchased for 2020's show would be valid for 2021. However, at Revolution on March 7, 2021, AEW announced that the 2021 Double or Nothing would instead be held at Daily's Place in Jacksonville due to the ongoing pandemic, and was moved back a day to May 30; as a result, the MGM Grand Garden Arena issued refunds for all originally purchased tickets. On May 5, AEW President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Khan announced that the venue would be operating at full capacity for Double or Nothing, making it AEW's first show since the start of the pandemic to go ahead with a full crowd.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Double or Nothing featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television program, "Dynamite", the supplementary online streaming shows, "Dark" and "", and The Young Bucks' YouTube series "Being The Elite".


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: At the Full Gear event on November 7, 2020, MJF defeated Chris Jericho for the right to join Jericho's faction, The Inner Circle (consisting of Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana and Ortiz). However, on the March 10, 2021 episode of "Dynamite", MJF betrayed The Inner Circle and revealed that he had been secretly building his own group, named The Pinnacle (consisting of Shawn Spears, Wardlow, FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler), and manager Tully Blanchard). At the Blood and Guts event on May 5, The Pinnacle defeated The Inner Circle in a Blood and Guts match, and on the following episode of "Dynamite", The Pinnacle challenged The Inner Circle to a Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing, with the stipulation that if The Inner Circle were to lose, they would be forced to disband. On the May 19 episode of "Dynamite", The Inner Circle accepted the proposal.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: At Blood and Guts, a match between Orange Cassidy (#1) and Pac (#2), the two top-ranked singles wrestlers in AEW, was announced for the following week's episode of "Dynamite", with the winner receiving a match against Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing. However, their match ended in a double knockout, thus it was decided that Omega would defend the championship against both Cassidy and Pac in a three-way match at Double or Nothing.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the April 21 episode of "Dynamite", Britt Baker, who was ranked #1 on the women's rankings, confronted Hikaru Shida after Shida retained the AEW Women's World Championship against Tay Conti. At Blood and Guts, a championship match between the two was arranged for Double or Nothing.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the April 7 episode of "Dynamite", AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) attacked Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston, and aligned themselves with their longtime friend Kenny Omega, as well as Omega's allies The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) from Impact Wrestling. On the May 12 episode of "Dynamite", The Young Bucks challenged Moxley and Kingston to a match at Double or Nothing with the AEW World Tag Team Championship on the line.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the May 12 episode of "Dynamite", Miro defeated Darby Allin to win the AEW TNT Championship, and was afterwards confronted by Lance Archer. On the following week's episode of "Dynamite", a match between the two for the championship was scheduled for Double or Nothing.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the March 31 episode of "Dynamite", Cody Rhodes was attacked by his former friend Q. T. Marshall, who allied himself with Nick Comoroto, Aaron Solow, and the newly debuted Anthony Ogogo to form a new faction dubbed The Factory. At Blood and Guts on May 5, Rhodes defeated Marshall, but after the match was assaulted by Ogogo, who knocked Rhodes down before covering him with the flag of the United Kingdom. On the May 12 episode of "Dynamite", Rhodes challenged Ogogo to a match at Double or Nothing.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the April 28 episode of "Dynamite", Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky attacked Darby Allin and Sting. On the May 19 episode of "Dynamite", a match pitting Allin and Sting against Page and Sky was announced for Double or Nothing, making it Sting's first match to take place in front of a live audience since competing at WWE's Night of Champions in September 2015.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the May 12 episode of "Dynamite", Christian Cage and Matt Sydal declared themselves as entrants for the Casino Battle Royale. Seven more participants were revealed on the May 18 episode of "Dark", and the remaining eleven competitors were unveiled on the following night's episode of "Dynamite".


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On the February 17 episode of "Dynamite", Riho defeated Serena Deeb during the first round of the AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Tournament. On May 26, a match between the two was set up for the Double or Nothing pre-show, with Deeb's NWA World Women's Championship on the line.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On The Buy-In pre-show, Serena Deeb defended the NWA World Women's Championship against Riho. Deeb forced Riho to submit to a "Serenity Lock" to retain the title.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: The actual pay-per-view opened with "Hangman" Adam Page facing Brian Cage. After Cage was involved in a miscue with his allies Ricky Starks and Hook, Page performed the "Buckshot Lariat" on Cage to win the match.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Next, The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (accompanied by Brandon Cutler) defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. In the climax, The Young Bucks performed four consecutive "BTE Triggers" on Moxley to retain the title.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: After that, the Casino Battle Royale, with the winner receiving a future AEW World Championship match, was contested. Former WWE wrestler and current New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestler Lio Rush was a surprise entrant, drawing the joker card. Jungle Boy last eliminated Christian Cage to win the match.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: In the next match, Cody Rhodes (accompanied by Arn Anderson) faced Anthony Ogogo (accompanied by Q. T. Marshall). Rhodes performed the "Vertebreaker" on Ogogo to win the match.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Next, Miro defended the AEW TNT Championship against Lance Archer (accompanied by Jake Roberts). Miro forced Archer to submit to the "Game Over" to retain the title.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Afterwards, Hikaru Shida defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D (accompanied by Rebel). Baker forced Shida to submit to the "Lockjaw" to win the title and end Shida's record-setting reign at 372 days.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Next, Darby Allin and Sting took on Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. Sting performed the "Scorpion Death Drop" on Sky to win the match.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: In the penultimate match, Kenny Omega defended the AEW World Championship against Pac and Orange Cassidy in a three-way match. Cassidy pinned Omega after performing the "Orange Punch", but Omega hooked Cassidy into a crucifix pin to retain the title.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: After this, commentator Tony Schiavone announced that WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry would be joining AEW as an analyst for their upcoming show "Rampage", which would begin airing in August on TNT.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: In the main event, The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz) faced The Pinnacle (MJF, Shawn Spears, Wardlow, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) in a Stadium Stampede match. If The Inner Circle lost this match, they would be forced to disband. The match started as a cinematic match, pre-recorded over a few days earlier in the week, at TIAA Bank Field, before slowly making its way to nearby Daily's Place, where the match finished live in front of the paying audience. In the end, Guevara performed the "630 Senton" on Spears inside the ring at Daily's Place to win the match.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Double or Nothing received generally positive reviews from critics. For "CBSSports.com", Brent Brookhouse described the event as "one of AEW's strongest pay-per-view cards in their short history", and giving praise to the main event Stadium Stampede match, the three-way AEW World Championship match, the AEW World Tag Team Championship match, and the opening match between Adam Page and Brian Cage. However, he directed criticism to the Rhodes-Ogogo match, and the Casino Battle Royale.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Justin Barrasso of "Sports Illustrated" wrote that the event had "more than exceeded its mission by showcasing the strength of the AEW brand." He stated that AEW World Tag Team Championship match was his favorite of the night, and also commended the AEW World Championship match, the Darby Allin-Sting vs. Ethan Page-Scorpio Sky tag team match, and the opening match between Adam Page and Brian Cage. On the contrary, he disliked the main event, feeling that it was "built for a movie, not a wrestling card." He also commented that Cody Rhodes's win over Anthony Ogogo was "likely to draw some negative reactions".


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Writing for "Pro Wrestling Torch", Wade Keller also liked the event and mused that the show "will be remembered for years for many reasons", and also enjoyed the show's short length, stating that it "flew by". Adam Page-Brian Cage was a "really good match", the AEW World Tag Team Championship match was "great", and the Casino Battle Royale was "really fun". He also gave praise to the pre-show match between Serena Deeb and Riho, but criticized several aspects of the show, including the "convoluted finish" of the AEW World Championship three-way, the match between Cody Rhodes and Anthony Ogogo, the main problem of which was that "the crowd just didn't care that much", and also the Stadium Stampede match, which he described as "a mix of good and bad".


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Sports journalist Dave Meltzer of the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" assigned star ratings to the event, with the highest rated match being the AEW World Tag Team Championship, which was rated 4 stars. The next highest rated matches were the AEW World Championship three-way match, and the Adam Page-Brian Cage match, both of which received a 4 star rating.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Meltzer would also report that the event drew 4,700 paid fans, with a total of 5,200 people in attendance. He also estimated that Double or Nothing received anywhere from 135,000 to 150,000 pay-per-view buys, with a total revenue of $6.3 million, and a $300,000 gate.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: On June 4, it was announced that the Casino Battle Royale winner Jungle Boy would challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship on the June 26 episode of "Dynamite". Omega defeated Jungle Boy to retain the title.


title: Double or Nothing (2021)

text: Double or Nothing would be AEW's last pay-per-view to be held at Daily's Place during the pandemic. In July, the promotion resumed live touring with their next PPV, All Out, scheduled to be held in September in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Nicholas Roerich (; October 9, 1874 – December 13, 1947), also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (), was a Russian painter, writer, archaeologist, theosophist, philosopher, and public figure. In his youth he was influenced by Russian Symbolism, a movement in Russian society centered on the spiritual. He was interested in hypnosis and other spiritual practices and his paintings are said to have hypnotic expression.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Born in Saint Petersburg, to a well-to-do notary public Baltic German father and to a Russian mother, Roerich lived in various places in the world until his death in Naggar, Himachal Pradesh, India. Trained as an artist and a lawyer, his main interests were literature, philosophy, archaeology, and especially art. Roerich was a dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture during times of war. He was nominated several times to the longlist for the Nobel Peace Prize. The so-called Roerich Pact (for the protection of cultural objects) was signed into law by the United States and most other nations of the Pan-American Union in April 1935.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Raised in late-19th-century St. Petersburg, Roerich enrolled simultaneously at St. Petersburg University and the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1893. He received the title of "artist" in 1897 and a degree in law the next year. He found early employment with the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, whose school he directed from 1906 to 1917. Despite early tensions with the group, he became a member of Sergei Diaghilev's "World of Art" society and was its president from 1910 to 1916.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Artistically, Roerich became known as his generation's most talented painter of Russia's ancient past, a topic that was compatible with his lifelong interest in archeology. He also succeeded as a stage designer by achieving his greatest fame as one of the designers for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. His best-known designs were for Alexander Borodin's "Prince Igor" (1909 and later productions), and costumes and set for "The Rite of Spring" (1913), composed by Igor Stravinsky.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Along with Mikhail Vrubel and Mikhail Nesterov, Roerich is considered a major representative of Russian Symbolism in art. From an early period of his life, he was influenced by apocrypha and medieval sectarian writings such as the mysterious Dove Book.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Another of Roerich's artistic subjects was architecture. His acclaimed publication "Architectural Studies" (1904–1905), consisting of dozens of paintings he made of fortresses, monasteries, churches, and other monuments during two long trips through Russia, inspired his decades-long career as an activist on behalf of artistic and architectural preservation. He also designed religious art for places of worship throughout Russia and Ukraine, most notably the "Queen of Heaven" fresco for the Church of the Holy Spirit, which the patroness Maria Tenisheva built near her Talashkino estate, and the stained glass windows for the Datsan Gunzechoinei in 1913–1915. His designs for the Talashkino church were so radical that the Orthodox church refused to consecrate the building.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: During the first decade of the 1900s and in the early 1910s, Roerich, largely by the influence of his wife, Helena, developed an interest in eastern religions, as well as alternative (to Christianity) belief systems such as Theosophy. Both Roerichs became avid readers of the Vedantist essays of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, and the "Bhagavad Gita".


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The Roerichs' commitment to occult mysticism increased steadily. It was especially intense during World War I and the 1917 Russian Revolution to which the couple, like other many Russian intellectuals, accorded apocalyptic significance. The influence of Theosophy, Vedanta, Buddhism, and other mystical topics can be detected not only in many of Roerich's paintings but also in the many short stories and poems that Roerich wrote before and after the 1917 revolutions, including the "Flowers of Morya" cycle, which was begun in 1907 and completed in 1921.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: After the February Revolution of 1917 and the end of the czarist regime, Roerich, a political moderate who valued Russia's cultural heritage more than ideology and party politics, had an active part in artistic politics. With Maxim Gorky and Aleksandr Benois, he participated with the so-called "Gorky Commission" and its successor organization, the Arts Union (SDI). Both attempted to gain the attention of the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet on the need to form a coherent cultural policy and, most urgently, to protect art and architecture from destruction and vandalism.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Meanwhile, illness forced Roerich to leave the capital and reside in Karelia, the district bordering Finland. He had already quit the presidency of the World of Art society, and he now quit the directorship of the School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After the October Revolution and the acquisition of power of Lenin's Bolshevik Party, Roerich became increasingly discouraged about Russia's political future. During early 1918, he, Helena, and their two sons George and Svetoslav emigrated to Finland.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Two unresolved historical debates are associated with Roerich's departure. First, it is often claimed that Roerich was a major candidate to direct a people's commissariat of culture (the Soviet equivalent of a ministry of culture), which the Bolsheviks considered establishing in 1917–1918, but he refused to accept the job. In fact, Benois was the most likely choice to direct any such commissariat. It seems that Roerich was a preferred choice to manage its department of artistic education; the topic is rendered moot by the fact that the Soviets elected not to establish such a commissariat.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Second, when Roerich later wished to reconcile with the Soviet Union, he maintained that he had not left Soviet Russia deliberately, but that he and his family, living in Karelia, had been isolated from their homeland when the Finnish Civil War began. However, Roerich had an amply-documented extreme hostility to the Bolshevik regime, prompted not so much by a dislike of communism as by his revulsion at Lenin's ruthlessness and his fear that Bolshevism would result in the destruction of Russia's artistic and architectural heritage. He illustrated Leonid Andreyev's anticommunist polemic "S.O.S." and had a widely-published pamphlet, "Violators of Art" (1918–1919). Roerich believed that "the triumph of Russian culture would come about through a new appreciation of ancient myth and legend."


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: After some months in Finland and Scandinavia, the Roerichs relocated to London, arriving in mid-1919. Engrossed with Theosophical mysticism, they now had millenarian expectations that a new age was imminent, and they wished to travel to India as soon as possible. They joined the English-Welsh chapter of the Theosophical Society. It was in London, in March 1920, that the Roerichs founded their own school of mysticism, "Agni Yoga", which they described as "the system of living ethics."


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: To earn passage to India, Roerich worked as a stage designer for Thomas Beecham's Covent Garden Theatre, but the enterprise ended unsuccessfully in 1920, and the artist never received full payment for his work. Among the notable people Roerich befriended while in England were the famed British Buddhist Christmas Humphreys, the philosopher-author H. G. Wells, and the poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore (whose grand-niece Devika Rani would later marry Roerich's son Svetoslav).


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: A successful exhibition in London resulted in an invitation from a director at the Art Institute of Chicago, offering to arrange for Roerich's art to tour the United States. In the autumn of 1920, the Roerichs traveled to America by sea.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The Roerichs remained in the United States from October 1920 until May 1923. A large exhibition of Roerich's art, organized partly by the U.S. impresario Christian Brinton and partly by the Chicago Art Institute, began in New York in December 1920 and toured the country, to San Francisco and back, in 1921 and early 1922. Roerich befriended acclaimed soprano Mary Garden of the Chicago Opera and received a commission to design a 1922 production of Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Snow Maiden" for her. During the exhibition, the Roerichs spent significant amounts of time in Chicago, New Mexico, and California.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Politically, Roerich was at first anti-Bolshevik. He gave lectures and wrote articles to White Russian populations in which he criticized the Soviet Union. However, his aversion to communism, "the impertinent monster that lies to humanity," changed in America. Roerich claimed that his spiritual masters, the "Mahatmas" in the Himalayas, were communicating telepathically with him through his wife, Helena, who was a mystic and a clairvoyant.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The beings from an esoteric Buddhist community in India were said to have told Roerich that Russia was destined for a mission on Earth. That led him to formulate his "Great Plan," which envisaged the unification of millions of Asian peoples through a religious movement using the Future Buddha, or Maitreya, into a "Second Union of the East." There, the King of Shambhala would, following the Maitreya prophecies, make his appearance to fight a great battle against all evil forces on Earth. Roerich understood that as "perfection towards Common Good." The new polity was to include southwestern Altai, Tuva, Buryatia, Outer and Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet, with its capital in "Zvenigorod," the "City of Tolling Bells," which was to be built at the foot of Mount Belukha, in Altai. According to Roerich, the same Mahatmas revealed to him in 1922 that he was an incarnation of the Fifth Dalai Lama.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Roerichs' collaboration with Bolshevik diplomats and aim to gather intelligence on the British, led several scholars to place Nicholas Roerich as a participant in the British-Russian colonial Great Game.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In 1923, Roerich, the "practical idealist," set out to the Himalayas with his wife and his son Yuri. Roerich initially settled in Darjeeling in the same house that the 13th Dalai Lama had stayed during his exile in India. Roerich spent his time painting the Himalayas with visitors such as Frederick Marshman Bailey, Lady Lytton, and members of the 1924 British Everest Expedition, as well as Sonam Wangfel Laden La, Kusho Doring, and Tsarong Shape, influential Tibetans. According to British intelligence, lamas from the Moru monastery recognized Roerich as the incarnation of the Fifth Dalai Lama due to a mole pattern on his right cheek. It was during his stay in the Himalayas that Roerich learned about the flight of the 9th Panchen Lama, which he interpreted as the fulfillment of the Matreiya prophecies and the bringing about of the Age of Shambhala.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In 1924, the Roerichs returned to the West. On his way to America, Roerich stopped at the Soviet embassy in Berlin, where he told the local plenipotentiary about a Central Asian expedition he wanted to take. He asked for Soviet protection on his way, and shared his impressions of politics in India and Tibet. Roerich commented on the "occupation of Tibet by the British" by claiming that they "infiltrate in small parties... conduct extensive anti-Soviet propaganda" by talking about "anti-religious activity of the Bolsheviks." The plenipotentiary later pointed out to one of Roerich's old university classmates, Georgy Chicherin, that he had "absolutely pro-Soviet leanings, which looked somewhat Buddho-Communistic," and that his son, who spoke 28 Asian languages, helped him in gaining the favor with the Indians and the Tibetans.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The Roerichs settled in New York City, which became the base of their many American operations. They founded several institutions during these years: "Cor Ardens" ("Flaming Heart") and "Corona Mundi" ("Crown of the World"), both of which were meant to unite artists around the globe in the cause of civic activism; the Master Institute of United Arts, an art school with a versatile curriculum, and the eventual home of the first Nicholas Roerich Museum; and an American Agni Yoga Society. They also joined various theosophical societies; their activities with these groups dominated their lives.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: After leaving New York, the Roerichs, together with their son George and six friends began the five-year Roerich Asian Expedition that in Roerich's own words "started from Sikkim through Punjab, Kashmir, Ladakh, the Karakoram Mountains, Khotan, Kashgar, Qara Shar, Urumchi, Irtysh, the Altai Mountains, the Oyrot region of Mongolia, the Central Gobi, Kansu, Tsaidam, and Tibet" with a detour through Siberia to Moscow in 1926.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The Roerichs' Asian expedition attracted attention from the foreign services and intelligence agencies of the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. In fact, prior to this expedition, Roerich had solicited the help of the Soviet government and Bolshevik secret police to assist him in his expedition by promising in return to monitor British activities in the area, but he received only a lukewarm response from Mikhail Trilisser, the chief of the Soviet foreign intelligence.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The Bolsheviks assisted Roerich with logistics while he was traveling through Siberia and Mongolia. However, they did not commit themselves to his reckless project of the Sacred Union of the East, a spiritual utopia that boiled down to Roerich's ambitious attempts to stir the Buddhist masses of inner Asia to create a highly spiritual co-operative commonwealth under the patronage of Bolshevik Russia.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The official mission of his expedition, as Roerich put it, was to act as the embassy of Western Buddhism to Tibet. To the Western media, it was presented as an artistic and scientific enterprise. Roerich reported seeing a metallic oval in the sky over the Tibet; Decades later, UFO enthusiasts would claim the Roerich expedition witnessed a "flying saucer".


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Between the summer of 1927 and June 1928, the expedition was thought to have been lost, as communication with them had ceased. They had, in fact, been attacked in Tibet. Roerich wrote that only the "superiority of our firearms prevented bloodshed... In spite of our having Tibet passports, the expedition was forcibly stopped by Tibetan authorities." They were detained by the government for five months and were forced to live in tents in sub-zero conditions and to subsist on meagre rations. Five men of the expedition died during this time. In March 1928 they were allowed to leave Tibet, and they trekked south to settle in India, where they founded a research center, the Himalayan Research Institute.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In 1929 Roerich was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the University of Paris. He received two more nominations in 1932 and 1935. His concern for peace resulted in his creation of the Pax Cultura, the "Red Cross" of art and culture. His work for this cause also resulted in the United States and the 20 other nations of the Pan-American Union signing the Roerich Pact, an early international instrument protecting cultural property, on April 15, 1935 at the White House.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In 1934–1935, the US Department of Agriculture, then headed by the Roerich admirer Henry A. Wallace, sponsored an expedition by Roerich and its scientists H. G. MacMillan and James F. Stephens to Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, and China. The expedition's purpose was to collect seeds of plants which prevented soil erosion.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: The expedition consisted of two parts. In 1934, they explored the Greater Khingan mountains and Bargan plateau in western Manchuria. In 1935, they explored parts of Inner Mongolia: the Gobi Desert, Ordos Desert, and Helan Mountains. The expedition found almost 300 species of xerophytes, collected herbs, conducted archeological studies, and found antique manuscripts of great scientific importance.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Roerich was in India during World War II, where he painted Russian epic heroic and saintly themes, including "Alexander Nevsky", "The Fight of Mstislav and Rededia," and "Boris and Gleb".


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In 1942, Roerich received Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi, at his house in Kullu. Together they discussed the fate of the new world: "We spoke about Indian–Russian cultural association [...] it is time to think about useful and creative co-operation."


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Indira Gandhi would later recall several days spent together with Roerich's family: "That was a memorable visit to a surprising and gifted family where each member was a remarkable figure in himself, with a well-defined range of interests... Roerich himself stays in my memory. He was a man with extensive knowledge and enormous experience, a man with a big heart, deeply influenced by all that he observed."


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: During the visit, "ideas and thoughts about closer co-operation between India and USSR were expressed. Now, after India wins independence, they have got its own real implementation. And as you know, there are friendly and mutually-understanding relationships today between both our countries."


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In 1942, the American–Russian cultural Association (ARCA) was created in New York. Its active participants were Ernest Hemingway, Rockwell Kent, Charlie Chaplin, Emil Cooper, Serge Koussevitzky, and Valeriy Ivanovich Tereshchenko. Its activity was welcomed by scientists such as Robert Millikan and Arthur Compton.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Roerich had a lengthy correspondence with Henry Wallace, the 1948 Progressive Party candidate for US president.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Helena Roerich wrote about this day: “The day of cremation was exceptionally beautiful. Not a single breath of wind and all surrounding mountains were clad in fresh snowy attire.”


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In the 21st century, the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City is a major institution for Roerich's artistic work. Numerous Roerich societies continue to promote his theosophical teachings worldwide. His paintings can be seen in several museums including the Roerich Department of the State Museum of Oriental Arts in Moscow; the Roerich Museum at the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow; the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia; a collection in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow; a collection in the Art Museum in Novosibirsk, Russia; an important collection in the National Gallery for Foreign Art in Sofia, Bulgaria; a collection in the Art Museum in Nizhny Novgorod Russia; National Museum of Serbia; the Roerich Hall Estate in Naggar, India; the Sree Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram, India; in various art museums in India; and a selection featuring several of his larger works in The Latvian National Museum of Art. A memorial plaque marks the house in Lahaul valley where Roerich lived during summers from 1929 to 1932.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Roerich's biography and his controversial expeditions to Tibet and Manchuria have been examined recently by a number of authors, including two Russians, Vladimir Rosov and Alexandre Andreyev, two Americans (Andrei Znamenski and John McCannon), and the German Ernst von Waldenfels.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: A series of his studies on the Himalayan Ranges-donated by the artist's son (36 works specifically) are even showcased in the Nicholas Roerich Gallery of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath Museum based in Bangalore, India. The hypnotic, immersive nature of his works truly absorbs the onlooker, leaving one with a sense of peace and tranquility as one moves with the series through the gallery.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: H. P. Lovecraft refers numerous times to the "strange and disturbing Asian paintings of Nicholas Roerich" in his Antarctic horror story "At the Mountains of Madness".


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: Roerich was awarded Order of St. Sava. The minor planet 4426 Roerich in the Solar System was named in honor of Roerich.


title: Nicholas Roerich

text: In June 2013 during Russian Art Week in London, Roerich's "Madonna Laboris" sold at auction at Bonhams shop for £7,881,250, including the buyer's premium, making it the most valuable painting ever sold at a Russian art auction.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: The Finder is an American procedural drama television series created by Hart Hanson that ran on Fox from January 12, 2012 to May 11, 2012. The series originally aired on Thursdays at 9:00 pm, and moved to Fridays at 8:00 pm beginning April 6, 2012. It is a spin-off of another Fox television series, "Bones", where the backdoor pilot, a season six episode entitled "The Finder", aired in April 2011. It is loosely based on "The Locator" series of two books ("The Knowland Retribution" and "The Lacey Confession") by Richard Greener. On May 9, 2012, Fox cancelled the series after one season.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: Fox developed a quasi spin-off series for "Bones" that was built around a character introduced in the sixth season. Production on the episode featuring The Locator began in February 2011, with the episode airing in April. The series was created by "Bones" creator/executive producer, Hart Hanson, and based on "The Locator" series of two books written by Richard Greener: "The Knowland Retribution", and "The Lacey Confession". The character of Walter is an eccentric but amusing recluse in high demand for his ability to find anything. He is skeptical of everything. He suffered brain damage after surviving a roadside bomb explosion, which explains his constant paranoia and compulsion to find things—and for asking offensive, seemingly irrelevant questions to get to the truth. Production on the episode began in early 2011.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: Creator Hart Hanson posted on Twitter (in a humorous manner) regarding the notes he got from the network, "I received studio notes on the "Bones" spin-off idea. They want it to be better. Unreasonable taskmasters. Impossible dreamers. Neo-platonists."


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: In the episode, the main characters of "Bones" travel to Key West, Florida, where "The Finder" is said to take place. Geoff Stults was cast as the lead character with Michael Clarke Duncan and Saffron Burrows (as Ike Latulippe, bartender and pilot) in supporting roles. The three characters were introduced in episode 19 of season 6.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: "The Finder" was picked up for the 2011–12 season on May 10, 2011, with an order of 13 episodes. The series premiered midseason 2012, airing on Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET, occupying the "Bones" time slot when it is on hiatus.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: Saffron Burrows did not appear beyond the backdoor pilot episode, leaving the series, because the network decided to re-conceive the role. Mercedes Masöhn and Maddie Hasson joined the cast as the two female leads. Masohn plays Isabel Zambada, a Deputy U.S. Marshal; and Hasson plays Willa, a juvenile delinquent who helps with their investigations.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: In Canada, the show was simsubbed against the Fox broadcast in most areas on the Global Television Network from January 12, 2012. It premiered in New Zealand on TV3 NZ on March 22, 2012, in Australia on Network Ten


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: on July 11, 2012 Australia's Network Ten only aired three episodes before pulling the series from the schedule, and lost broadcast rights in March 2016 without airing the remaining episodes.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: The order of the episodes that aired differs from the order produced and intended. This does create some discontinuity in the events of the show, such as Timo and Leo meeting for the first time in the episode 'The Conversation', despite the two having met and conversed in previously aired episodes, or the mention of Willa not having access to the internet in the same episode, despite her probation officer allowing it two episodes before.


title: The Finder (American TV series)

text: The following list of episodes is the show's original order with each episode's televised order in parenthesis.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: Total War: Three Kingdoms is a turn-based strategy real-time tactics video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. As the 12th mainline entry (the 13th entry) in the "Total War" series, the game was released for Microsoft Windows on May 23, 2019. Feral Interactive released a macOS and Linux version of the game on the same day.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: Like its predecessors, "Total War: Three Kingdoms" is a turn-based strategy real-time tactics game. Set in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280), players control one of the game's twelve factions, who must eliminate other factions, unify China and become its ultimate ruler. These factions are led by warlords, such as Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan. In siege battles, players command both infantry and cavalry units. All the units featured in the game are divided into different retinues, with each led by a powerful general. The player can deploy up to three generals into the battlefield at once along with three in reserve, and players will only have access to the units that said generals can recruit.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: The player wins a siege battle when all hostile generals are killed or the central point of the city is captured. These generals, which can be commanded separately from their troops, have the possession of unique ancillaries, which can be looted once they are killed. For instance, Lü Bu's Red Hare can be captured and used by other generals. Generals can engage in a one-versus-one dueling, which ends when one of them dies or flees. Each general has different classes and specialties, granting their units with both active and passive buffs. The team introduces the concept of "guanxi" to the game, in which each general will form social connections and relationships with other characters. Viewing concepts like "obligations, reciprocity, and trust" as important virtues, these generals have unique personalities and desires that players need to cater to. If their demands are not met, their happiness rating will drop and this may lead to various repercussions for players. Unlike previous "Total War" games in which characters seldom interact with each other, the generals featured in the game are actively forming relationships with the characters they meet throughout the campaign. This adds a strategic layer to the game in which players need to understand these generals before making any decisions.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: The game features two game modes. The first mode, "Romance", is based on the novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", in which generals are gifted with nearly superhuman strength. Another mode, "Records", based on "Records of the Three Kingdoms", presents a more historically authentic version. In Records, the generals have their powers removed and they can no longer be commanded separately, in addition to changing certain equipment in-game to be more historically authentic.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: The game begins in 190 AD, in which the once glorious Han dynasty is on the verge of collapse. The new emperor, Emperor Xian, enthroned at the age of eight, was manipulated by the warlord Dong Zhuo, whose oppressive rule leads to chaos. New warlords rise and form alliances to start the campaign against Dong Zhuo. With each warlord having personal ambitions and allegiances constantly shifting, the champions that emerge from the ever lasting wars will shape the future of China.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: The game was developed by Creative Assembly. Creative Assembly had refined many elements of the game, bringing changes to both the artificial intelligence and the user interface. The team introduced the system of "guanxi" in order to make the characters and generals more important in the game, as "Records" and "Romances", two of the team's most prominent source materials, have a huge focus on characters. The sinologist Rafe de Crespigny, an expert on the period, acted as a consultant for the game.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: When the game was still in preproduction in November 2016, Creative Assembly announced that the next historical "Total War" title would explore a new era instead of being a sequel to any previous game. "Three Kingdoms" was revealed by publisher Sega on January 11, 2018 with a cinematic trailer. Originally set to be released in the second half of 2018, the game was delayed to early 2019 so that the team had additional development time to complete the game's production. Later on, a new release date of March 7, 2019 was announced, which was then delayed to May 23, 2019.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: "Total War: Three Kingdoms" received positive reviews from critics, with many specifically praising the character-driven gameplay mechanics and storytelling elements. Chris Wray of wccftech describes the game is "as close to flawless, with a fantastic balance of 4X strategy and character-focused development and emergent storytelling." IGN's TJ Hafer stated that "Three Kingdoms" should serve as the example for all games of its genre going forward. Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of "The Guardian" stated the game "...is a wonderfully torrid period epic that understands the greatest stories are written about people, not empires." Jody Macgregor of "PC Gamer" praised the campaign elements, but found the game still couldn't break off from longstanding problems the series has always faced, claiming "Three Kingdoms" "is not the best Total War game but not the worst by a long shot."


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: The Romance mode has also been praised as bringing fascinating additions to the game, with many reviewers comparing it to "". Preston Dozsa of CGMagazine stated the game "represents the best of both the historical and fantasy sides of the franchise." Sean Martin from Hooked Gamers stated the game "is the most divergent "Total War" I’ve seen since "Total War: Warhammer.".. taking what is good in fantasy and using it to complement the historical components of the game." Denis Ryan of Rock, Paper, Shotgun stated the game draws inspiration from many games that Creative Assembly created in the past, and "despite the resemblance there really is no game which has quite the same combination of elements, nor is there any strategy game that looks this good."


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: Chris Tapsell of Eurogamer also stated the game is "ambitious and sometimes overwhelming." PCGamesN's Phil Iwaniuk states the game brings issues along with innovations, noted that despite the game offers a memorable campaign, the real-time battles portion lacks depth compared to rest of the series.


title: Total War: Three Kingdoms

text: According to the developer Creative Assembly, "Total War: Three Kingdoms" was the most pre-ordered "Total War" game until its release date. The game also set the record of concurrent players for "Total War" series, with over 160,000 people playing simultaneously on the day of release and reaching 192,000 by the first weekend, making it the biggest concurrent played strategy game on Steam. The game became the fastest-selling game in the history of the franchise, selling one million copies in a week since its initial release.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: Emmanuel Goldstein is a fictional character in George Orwell's 1949 dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". He is the principal enemy of the state according to the Party of the totalitarian Oceania. He is depicted as the head of a mysterious and possibly fictitious dissident organization called "The Brotherhood" and as having written the book "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism". He is only seen and heard on telescreen, and may be a fabrication of the Ministry of Truth, the State's propaganda department.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: In the novel, Goldstein is a character rumoured to be a former top member of the Party and an early associate of its leader, "Big Brother", but having broken away early in the movement and started "The Brotherhood". Ostensibly "The Brotherhood" is organized into cells, with each member required to read "The Book", supposedly written by Goldstein, "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism". Goldstein is always the subject of the "Two Minutes Hate", a daily programme beginning at 11:00 a.m. at which an image of Goldstein is shown on the telescreen and subjected to extreme contempt. Goldstein is commonly depicted walking among the parading soldiers of Oceania's current enemyEurasia or Eastasiaimplying that he is not only an ideological opponent of the regime but also a traitor aiding and abetting the national enemy.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: It is not clear whether Goldstein or "The Brotherhood" really exist. When protagonist Winston Smith asks O'Brien, an Inner Party member, whether The Brotherhood is real, O'Brien replies:


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: O'Brien states that Goldstein's book was written by the Party leadership, including himself, but this statement leaves the questions of Goldstein and the Brotherhood's existence unanswered and may be a lie by O'Brien to deceive Winston.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: One possible interpretation is that a political opposition to Big Brothernamely, Goldsteinwas psychologically necessary in order to distract, unite and focus the anger of the people of Oceania. Ostensibly, Goldstein serves as a scapegoat for the dictatorial regime in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and justifies its surveillance and elimination of civil liberties.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: a number of contemporary commentators noticed that the biography, appearance, writing style, and political thought of Emmanuel Goldstein resembled that of Leon Trotsky. Born Lev Bronstein, Trotsky was a close associate of Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin and later the chief rival of Joseph Stalin, the latter of whom branded Trotsky a traitor and expelled him from the Soviet Union in 1929. In exile, Trotsky wrote "The Revolution Betrayed", denouncing Stalin and the Soviet Union. During the Great Purges of the 1930s, when Stalin consolidated his power by killing and imprisoning many of the early members of the Bolshevik party, Stalin's propaganda invariably depicted Trotsky as the instigator of all supposed plots and acts of sabotage. In 1940, Stalinist agent Ramón Mercader murdered Trotsky at the latter's residence in Mexico.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: Orwell declared, in a letter to U.S. writer Sidney Sheldon, that "Nineteen Eighty Four" was inspired by the Soviet Union under Stalin, imagining what would happen if such a social and political movement existed in England:


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: In 1954, Isaac Deutscher wrote that Goldstein's book in "Nineteen Eighty-Four "was intended as a "paraphrase" of "The Revolution Betrayed".


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: In 1956, Irving Howe described Goldstein's book as "clearly a replica" of Trotsky's "The Revolution Betrayed", writing that the parts that seemed to be imitating Trotsky were "among the best passages" of the novel. Critic Adrian Wanner, writing in a collection of essays edited by Harold Bloom, described Goldstein's book as a "parody" of "The Revolution Betrayed", noting that Orwell was deeply ambivalent about Trotsky.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: According to a journalist identified in "The Economist" as "M.S.", George Soros, a wealthy progressive financier, has been used as a Goldstein-like figure in Hungary. Soros has criticised the Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán in the past for his handling of the 2015 European migrant crisis. Soros' wealth and origins have made him the subject of numerous conspiracy theories. According to M.S.:


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, long considered a Cold War foe, inspired comparisons with Emmanuel Goldstein's analysis of the shifting alliances of the three superpowers in "Nineteen Eighty-Four".


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: The widespread vilification of Nixon due to the Watergate scandal inspired commentary comparing his treatment in the media with the Two Minutes Hate sessions focused on Goldstein.


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: Drawing parallels between Goldstein and bin Laden a week after the September 11 attacks, Professor William L. Anderson at Frostburg State University wrote a column for LewRockwell.com entitled "Osama and Goldstein".


title: Emmanuel Goldstein

text: Legal scholar Cass Sunstein, in his 2009 book "Worst-Case Scenarios", coined the term "Goldstein Effect", described as "the ability to intensify public concern by giving a definite face to the adversary, specifying a human source of the underlying threat." According to Sunstein, since the U.S.-led War on Terror so heavily associated terrorism with bin Laden, the outrage intensified in similar ways as displayed in "Nineteen Eighty-Four". However, he also pointed out how Saddam Hussein to a great degree had been subject to the same Goldstein Effect.


title: Order of precedence in England and Wales

text: The following is the order of precedence in England and Wales as of 2022. Separate orders exist for men and women.


text: Names in italics indicate that these people rank elsewhere—either higher in that table of precedence or in the table for the other sex. Titles in italics indicate the same thing for their holders, or that they are vacant.


text: Peers and their families make up a large part of these tables. It is possible for a peer to hold more than one title of nobility, and these may belong to different ranks and peerages. A peer derives his precedence from his highest-ranking title; peeresses derive their precedence in the same way, whether they hold their highest-ranking title in their own right or by marriage. The ranks in the tables refer to peers rather than titles: if exceptions are named for a rank, these do not include peers of a higher rank (or any peers at all, in the case of baronets). No exceptions are named for most categories, owing to their large size.


text: Precedence is accorded to spouses, children and grandchildren of the reigning sovereign, as well as children and grandchildren of former sovereigns.


text: The Prime Minister determines the order of precedence for Secretaries of State as part of the ministerial ranking (also known as the order of precedence in Cabinet).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Fort Boyard is a French game show created by Jacques Antoine that was first broadcast on 7 July 1990 (originally as "Les Clés de Fort Boyard", however shortened to "Fort Boyard" from the second series in 1991). Foreign versions of the show, with varying success, have aired around the world since 1990.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Set and filmed on the real fortress of the same name on the west coast of France, the programme appears similar to British game show "The Crystal Maze" which was created as an alternative format by Antoine for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, after the fortress was unavailable to film in because of its then ongoing refurbishment (during 1989). In both programmes the contestants have to complete challenges to win prize money. However, while "The Crystal Maze" varies the type of games quite considerably, "Fort Boyard" tends to focus mainly on physical and endurance challenges. Although "Fort Boyard" was something of a pioneer in the area of game show fear and adventure, later programmes such as "Fear Factor" have pushed things even further, requiring "Fort Boyard" to react and adapt with new twists and games, including a couple of seasons in which the contestants spent the night in the Fort (this was particularly popular in the French and Russian versions).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: "Fort Boyard" is the most exported French TV format and the fourth most exported adventure-style game show format in the world after "Wipeout", "Fear Factor" and "Survivor". In 2019, a spin-off called " was launched.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In 1980, , a co-presenter of Antenne 2's " (the original, French version of "Treasure Hunt"), came close to drowning while trying to reach Fort Boyard in rough seas. He remained stuck for 3 hours before being rescued by helicopter. This episode inspired Jacques Antoine (creator of "La Chasse aux Trésors") in the creation of the TV game show "Fort Boyard".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The concept of "Fort Boyard" was imagined and outlined in 1986, at a meeting in the company of Antoine to find a game show to succeed "Treasure Hunt". The idea of a team game show, adapted from role-playing games such as "Dungeons & Dragons", taking place in a mysterious tower populated by extraordinary characters, whose goal is to find a treasure, takes shape in the following years.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Whilst looking for a set, a production team visited Fort Boyard in April 1987 and this fortification, located between the Île-d'Aix and the île d'Oléron in the Pertuis d'Antioche strait, was bought in November 1988 for one and a half million francs. The production company resold the fort to the department of Charente-Maritime for a symbolic franc, resulting in the local authority then having to take charge of all the refurbishment works, which took place from July 1989, and ensured the exclusive use of the site to Antoine's production company. Because of the weather conditions, the construction of the sets for the show was done in two stages: between the start of the renovation and October 1989 then the following spring, and were completed shortly before the first day of filming on 30 June 1990. The original French version, under the name "Les Clés de Fort Boyard" (English: "The Keys of Fort Boyard"), began airing on 7 July 1990 hosted by Patrice Laffont and originally Marie Talon, later Sophie Davant, on Antenne 2.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The first country to buy the game show "Fort Boyard" (then known as "Les Clés de Fort Boyard") was the United Kingdom and broadcaster Channel 4. After discussions with the French producers, production company Chatsworth Television (at the time producers of Channel 4's "Treasure Hunt" and ITV's "Interceptor", both also game shows created by Antoine) decided to devise a British version and began work on making a concept. According to host Richard O'Brien, the original outlined concept was "kind of like "Dungeons and Dragons"", with the presenter acting as "Dungeon Master".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: A non-televised pilot of the show funded by Channel 4 was filmed in a London studio with O'Brien as presenter, as the fort was not available at the time due to its ongoing renovations. Footage of O'Brien's pilot, showing the initial idea for the ""Treasure Room"" segment of the format, later appears in a casting call advert for the French version, broadcast in May 1990. More footage of the pilot, including the basic set design and some key games (most of which would go on to appear in the series), is featured in "Fort Boyard : toujours plus fort!" following the first episode of the 30th French season on 22 June 2019. According to co-creator Mitercey in 2009, the pilot was filmed in February 1989 at Elstree Studios. Six English contestants took part. To be as close as possible to reality, a quarter of the Fortress had been built in the studio using metal structures with 18 cells installed for playing games, which were all tested for the first time. Tigers were also present in the recording, as well as a large statue of Sphinx which posed puzzles (this idea was slightly revised later, with the creation of the Father Fouras character in the watchtower) and some characters like the wrestler. According to O'Brien, the recording of the pilot cost 2 million francs (around €304,900), a record at the time. In June 2022, an out of sync twenty-minute edit of the pilot is uploaded on social media by Pierre Launay.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: It is said that the considerable changes that Channel 4 wanted to make to the format could not be possible on the Fort, as each broadcaster producing their own version at the time had to strictly follow the French format. Chatsworth were also required by the French producers, but declined, to film their version first in November 1989. As Channel 4 had commissioned the show for a full series, producer Malcolm Heyworth contacted "Fort Boyard"'s creator Jacques Antoine about developing an alternative format, with a proposal that it used thematic zones as a means of keeping the show visually fresh. The concept of "The Crystal Maze" was developed in just "two days", creating a game that, although similar to "Fort Boyard", is substantially different in terms of presentation and style. Channel 4's "The Crystal Maze" first aired on 15 February 1990, five months before the French series.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Channel 5 later bought the rights to "Fort Boyard" and made their own British version, using the now refurbished set, which aired from 16 October 1998 to 29 December 2001 for four series. It was produced by Paul Kirrage and executive produced by Richard Holloway, later known for producing "The X Factor" and other high-profile shows on UK television, for Grundy Productions (later Thames Television in 2001). Although pulling in reasonable ratings for the channel, in March 2002 it was announced that Channel 5 had cancelled the show as part of a station revamp.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: It was briefly revived by Challenge in 2003 for one series, with a ten-part documentary, "Fort Boyard: Takes On The World", broadcast in October 2004. "Fort Boyard" later returned to UK television in January 2012 under a new format aired on children's channel CITV, "". This version ended in December 2014 after five series, the first two of which were co-produced with Disney XD in the United States.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the UK, two sets of presenters have been used for "Fort Boyard". The first set appeared during the first four series of the show, which were broadcast by Channel 5, with the second appearing in the 2003 Challenge-aired fifth series. The leading presenters of "Fort Boyard" on Channel 5 and Challenge were Melinda Messenger (series 1–4) and Jodie Penfold (series 5). Their roles were to give advice and support for the teams, commentate for the viewers, and match wits with Boyard, the "Master of the Fort".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: There is also the resident "Fort Boyard" cast, who first appeared in the French version, and were subsequently featured in most of the other international formats, including the original UK versions, however these were all excluded for "":


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: As of 2014, there have been 41 characters in the French version. Most appeared in various games on the fort.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Since 1993, teams on the French version of the show consist entirely of celebrities. These include: cyclist Laurent Fignon, Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean in 2019, figure skating champion Brian Joubert (appearing in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2012), Djibril Cissé, Omar Sy, R&B singer Leslie (in 2002, 2003 and 2013), Tony Parker and Eva Longoria in 2009, and many others. Many former/new hosts of the show have often appeared as contestants.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: However, in 2010 the formula was dramatically changed and the squads, of four members each, did not consist of any celebrities. The "duel" format was used that year. The celebrities returned in 2011 playing for charity. In 2019 French World Cup winning footballer Adil Rami was sacked by Olympique de Marseille for reportedly missing training to appear on the show.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: On 26 December 1999, a celebrity edition of "Fort Boyard" was broadcast, featuring, Frank Bruno, Samuel Kane, Glenda McKay, Gabby Logan and Sharron Davies as contestants. As a one-off, the show's length was extended to 80 minutes so that the team had to get five keys (instead of four) and the code word in fifty-five minutes. Frank captained the team and won £7,910 for their nominated charity.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Series 3 aired two celebrity editions of "Fort Boyard" following the success of the 1999 special; broadcast on 5 January and 25 August 2001, one edition featured Rhodri Williams, Lisa Rogers, "Handy" Andy Kane, Tricia Penrose and Phil Gayle as the contestants. Rhodri was the team captain and the team won £14,350 for charity. The other featured Anna Walker, Victor Ubogu, Annalise Braakensiek, Tim Vincent and Troy Titus-Adams. Anna Walker captained the team and they won £7,190 for charity.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Another celebrity edition aired at the end of series four (episode 14) in 2001 featuring Sally Gray, Scott Wright, Nell McAndrew, Keith Duffy and Tris Payne. Sally Gray was the team captain and the team won £10,130 for charity. Episode 4 of series 4, broadcast on 13 October 2001, was a special featuring contestants from the first series of "The Mole".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Celebrity editions were also broadcast during the 2003 series by Challenge. It featured Doug Williams, Paul Burchill, Nikita, James Tighe, and Sweet Saraya, all of whom were wrestling stars from British promotion FWA. Doug Williams captained the team and won £190. Other celebrities appearing in series 5 included Tim Vine and Craig Phillips, "Big Brother" 2000 winner. The team won £1,820 for charity, which was topped up by a further £5,000 because Tim Vine accepted a challenge to tell 10 jokes in one minute.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In most series of the Danish and Swedish versions, teams have consisted entirely of celebrities. In the 2010 and 2012 series of the Finnish version, team members were celebrities. Most (or all) episodes of the Russian series consisted of famous national singers, actors, TV presenters and sportsmen.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the 2013 Canadian version, the teams consisted of 24 participants in total; 12 celebrities and 12 members of the public, divided into six teams of four equally.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the Argentine version of the show, aired in 1999 and 2000, a celebrity joined the other 4 people to help them on their challenges. Argentina's was the first version to have a female character guarding the tower: "La Dama del Fuerte" played by Isabel Achaval. This was followed by Germany's Sonya Kraus and Yasemin Kozanoğlu for Turkey both in 2000. On 4 June 2019, Swedish broadcaster TV4 confirmed that Suzanne Reuter would appear in the role as "Madame Fouras".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the Moroccan version, aired in early 2015 but filmed the previous year, 3 celebrities joined teams with 2 unknown people for the challenges. The first episode of "Jazirat Al Kanz" aired on 24 February and was watched by 6.4 million viewers, a record 59% audience share for 2MTV.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: "Fort Boyard" is a French game show first broadcast in 1990; however the fort is also used by television stations from other countries in order to produce their own (typically modified) versions, using part of the technical teams and characters of the original French show.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Filming takes place during the summer months (May to July, until August in 2000 due to a large number of countries attending) each year. Foreign versions of the show typically last between 22 and 80 minutes per episode, depending on the country and format used. In total, 34 foreign versions have broadcast around the world since 1990.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Following the ratings success of the Moroccan version, an African version is aired in 24 countries of French-speaking Africa since September 2019 on Canal+ Afrique.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Italy has only ever made a pilot for "Fort Boyard", in 1991. The host of this unaired version was . The American pilot for ABC, filmed the same year, was eventually broadcast on 20 March 1993.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In December 2005, it was reported that French producers Adventure Line Productions were in final talks with around three Indian broadcasters to bring the format to the country; however in the end this did not happen. In October 2010, it was reported that Brazil and Tunisia had signed on for filming in 2011. However, no series was later produced for either country. In December 2012, Ukrainian channel ICTV announced they were due to film the country's second season of the show. However, for unknown reasons, the filming did not take place. A Chinese version of the show was confirmed to be filmed in mid-September 2015, however it was later cancelled due to censorship worries.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no foreign countries chose to film its own version. Six countries were initially expected to attend that year, including Sweden, Morocco, Russia and Denmark. This marked the first and only year to date in which only the French version was filmed. Sweden, Morocco, Ukraine and the Pan-African versions cancelled filming for 2021 because of the health constraints linked to the pandemic, however, Norway and Poland confirmed that they would return alongside Denmark and Russia.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The fort has also been used for special private events in 2014, 2016 and 2019 by Russian visitors and filmed non-televised shows featuring children for the French sponsor Prince de LU from 2011 to 2013, with Anne-Gaëlle Riccio returning as host. Further mini-episodes featuring Willy Rovelli's Chef character and eating challenge were filmed in June 2020 and premiered online on the children's on-demand platform "Okoo" of France Télévisions, and its website france.tv from October 14, 2020. It was confirmed in July 2019 that an unnamed Russian billionaire of a large steel company had hired the Fort three times, firstly in 2014 for a team building session and most recently for his 50th birthday.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: "Fort Boyard" has aired on many networks around the world. Some countries, such as Portugal, aired the original French version dubbed or with subtitles as opposed to producing their own. Others include:


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: A number of other countries also did this before producing their own versions in later years. These include:


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In France, reruns of their own version have aired on Gulli (2006–2014), TV5Monde Europe, 1ère, and France 4 since 6 September 2014. In Belgium, since 2017, French-language broadcaster RTBF acquired rights allowing it to broadcast the show on the eve of its release in France. It was initially aired on La Une but moved to La Deux in 2020. Ukraine (ТЕТ, 2006–2007), Georgia (Rustavi 2, 2010), Slovakia (Dajto, 2013), Algeria (A3), Quebec (Prise 2, 2009–2010), Argentina (, 2019), Lebanon (LBCI, 2020–21) and the UK have also repeated past series on various channels.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The year 2000 contains the most episodes filmed of any year (123 for eleven countries, including France). To date (excluding 2020), 2005 has the least (26), with just the French and Greek versions attending. As of 2018, the overall number of episodes filmed is 1,782, of which 327 are of the original French version over 29 seasons. Sweden, is the foreign country which has produced the most episodes to date (222 over 19 seasons).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: "Fort Boyard"'s format varies from country to country, but the basics are the same. A team of friends enter the Fort with the intention of winning the gold. To do this, the contestants have to successfully complete a series of challenges set by a fort-master, who wishes to keep the gold to themselves.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The first thing done in the game is the sounding of the Fort's gong by French character 'La Boule'. Once the gong sounds the game time begins ticking down. In the UK version the game lasted for 40 minutes, in the French version 60 to 120 minutes, depending on the year.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The first set of games the contestants have to complete is to win a certain number of keys (in series 1–4 of the UK version four keys were needed, whereas five were need in series 5; five were needed in the Quebec version, and seven in the Swedish and Danish versions. The current French version requires nine keys). These keys, once won, are used to open the gate to the Treasure Room, a central room in the Fort where the gold is held.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The challenges that are set to win the keys are located in small cells around the Fort, with small water-timers (a Clepsydre) outside to give the contestant a time limit (around 2–3 minutes, depending on the game) to complete it; in the UK version, Boyard would start the timer upon saying to a contestant that "their time starts now", whereas in the 5th series, Boyard would start it after telling Jacques to open the door of a challenge room. If a contestant fails to leave the challenge room before the time runs out, he or she is locked in and then shortly after taken away to a cage (by La Boule or Mr Boo since 2011), meaning they are not allowed to continue with the rest of the key games and must stay there until the end of "Phase One". In the UK's 4th series, La Boule would give the contestant a large bunch of rusty keys. One of these keys would unlock the cage allowing the contestant to re-join the team.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: During this phase of the game, one contestant goes up to the Watch Tower to win an additional key for the team (see below). This could be done once or twice, depending on the season.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Once the contestants reach the end of Phase One, usually towards the end of their game time, there is a trip to the Treasure Room with all of the keys that they have won so far. If they have enough to unlock the Treasure Room Door then the keys are entered and the gate is unlocked. However, it does not open until later in the show.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: If they are short of keys to open the gate then team members are 'sacrificed' for keys, one team member for each key short (one person to win the rest of the extra keys if less than 7 in the French version from 1991-1996). The 'sacrificed' contestants are then placed in an underground cell and locked in. These team members remain for the rest of the game, and are therefore unable to contribute any more for the team. Although this never happened, hypothetically at least in Series 5 in the UK, if no keys were won in Phase One, it would have been impossible for the team to continue the game since in Series 5 in the UK five keys were needed to open the treasure room door, and since there are only five contestants, and no one can swim for the Captain's keys, every contestant would have to make a sacrifice for all five keys, leaving no contestants spare to get clue words to work out the code word and release the gold.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the seasons of the French version from 2011 onward, if a team is short of keys, then team members could be 'sacrificed' by facing "Judgment" "(Le Jugement)", hosted by the character Blanche. Each sacrificed team member would have to complete a challenge of skill or luck set by Blanche. If the sacrificed team member was successful in his/her challenge, Blanche would grant him/her their freedom and would be able to rejoin the team. However, if the team member fails the challenge, he or she would be sent to prison. Team members who were locked in during a Phase One challenge can also win their freedom by facing Blanche and succeeding at the proposed challenge.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: If the team has more keys than necessary to unlock the gate then any extra keys gained can be swapped for free clue words to assist the team in the next phase of the game.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: From 1990 to 2014, there were 185 different events (key games). The name of the game may change, but the game itself usually remains the same; where possible, this list will use the names from "Ultimate Challenge".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Note: This is NOT the full list of games that have been played. The years below are for when the game was played or last present at the fort, in the French version or "Ultimate Challenge" (some games are present but not played every year). A full list of games can be found here.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Once again in this part of the game the contestants have to complete a series of games, but instead of playing for keys they are playing for clue words. In addition, these games are more physically challenging to the contestants than those played in the challenges. Before these adventures, one contestant goes to the Watch Tower to try to win a clue word. The adventures last around 10–20 minutes long in the UK version, this depends on how long the team take to win the required number of keys needed to open the Treasure Room gate.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The objective in this phase is to try to figure out the codeword, which, if answered correctly, will release the gold. To do this, they must try to win clue words to help them in working out the codeword (password in the UK version).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: These clue words can be placed either before or after the password to make a word or common phrase. For example: if the clues words were "Hall" and "Line" then the password would be "DANCE", as in "DANCE Hall" and "Line DANCE".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: To make it even more difficult to get the clue word, a time limit (3 minutes usually; occasionally between 2:00–3:30 minutes) is placed on each game. The clue words are usually written on pieces of paper and kept in canisters filled with gunpowder, and if the contestant fails to reach the canister in the allotted time the clue word explodes and the contestant loses the challenge. Unlike the challenges, players are not locked in if they fail to win the clue word.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: From 1991 to 2011, there were 71 different adventures. This section details some of "Fort Boyard"s most famous games. The name of the game may change from country-country; but the game itself remains the same (like in Phase One, where possible, names from "Ultimate Challenge" will be used). The years below are for when the game was played or last present at the fort, in the French version or "Ultimate Challenge".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Note: Some of these games are still in place on the fort, but have not been played recently in the French version and others. Most of these games are listed by their "Ultimate Challenge" names. Not all of the clue games played have been mentioned above.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the "Watch Tower" of the Fort lives a usually eccentric character that sets riddles for certain contestants; if the contestants give the correct answer within the time limit, they receive a key. In the case of the clue riddles, the answer to the riddle is the clue word, so even if the contestant does not solve it in the "Watch Tower" he or she can still think about it during the rest of the game. During the riddles, the contestant can keep guessing until the time (indicated by Jack or Jules holding up a sand timer) has elapsed. If the contestant fails to guess the correct answer within the time limit, the key is "thrown" into the sea, and another contestant has to swim for it. This was always won as the strongest swimmer would retrieve the key. The swim was removed in series 5 of the UK version, but was re-introduced in "Ultimate Challenge" as Key to the Sea (without the "Watch Tower" riddle).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Since 2006, the contestants can no longer swim for the key; it is just put back where it was held. The clue word is also different and is not the same as the riddle. Therefore, the riddle must be solved within the time limit to obtain the clue.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In the French version from 2011 to 2013, "The Watch Tower" wasn't used; instead, there were three trips to the Interactive Cell. The second trip was a Visual Riddle, about halfway through the key games, with Father Fouras on screen. The Clue Riddle is replaced by a telephone riddle where the player is in a booth inside one of the cells and has 1 minute to solve the riddle, given by Father Fouras over the phone, whilst cockroaches are dropped on top of them. This takes form of a game, called Abandoned Cabin, in the French version. "The Watch Tower" was however used in the 2012 Russian version of the show (the only country to use it that year) and in 2013 for the Azerbaijan, Canadian and Swedish versions.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The Treasure Room (or Treasure Chamber in "Ultimate Challenge") is the climax to each episode of "Fort Boyard". The gold is stored here, which is guarded by the fort's tigers.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Once the Fort's gong sounds for a second time, the game time is over. When the gong is struck (by La Boule) the tigers are taken away by Monique, the gate to the Treasure Room rises and will only stay open for the time won in the Council Duels (1:30 minimum, or 4:00 maximum in the French version), 2:00 minutes in UK series 1 to 4 (the time stated did not include the 20 seconds before the gate started to rise) or 3:00 minutes in UK series 5. The 3 minutes includes 20 seconds before the gate started to rise (to open canisters/organise team). The gate takes 30 seconds to open and close fully for every version of "Fort Boyard" worldwide.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: As of 2016, in the French version, contestants who failed at the duels during the "judgment" sequence will have the chance to free themselves by making their way through an obstacle course within 2:30, with any time used in excess of 2:30 taken away from the three minutes the contestants have in the treasure room. This is then followed by extra games which are played to win extra time in the treasure room. Four or six members of the team each compete in a duel against the "Masters of Time". There is no risk of any time lost with 15 seconds earned for each successful duel, making a maximum possible time in the treasure room of four minutes.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: If by this time the team has still not figured out the password from the clues won, they can "sacrifice" players in exchange for extra clues to help them. The sacrificed players have to grab the clue by putting their hand into one of the tiger-shaped hand traps around the Treasure Room entrance; once their hands are inside, they cannot release them and participate in collecting the gold.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The contestants then have to spell out the password on the giant alphabet on the floor of the treasure room by standing on the corresponding letters on the grid and using cannonballs if there are not enough players. The team must also ensure the word is spelled correctly, as a mistake could cost them the prize.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Once this is done, Monique/Felindra rotates the tiger's head (a statue), and the word will either be declared correct or incorrect, and the gold is released if the word is correct. Then the contestants have the remaining time to collect as much gold as they can and place it in a bucket outside of the treasure room. It is only what is in this bucket that they get to keep; any that lands on the floor is not counted. When the time is nearly up in the treasure room, a bell rings (in the UK version, in other versions the bell would have to be rung manually), and the gate begins to close slowly. The contestants have to leave before the gate shuts completely because when the door shuts the tigers are released back into the treasure room. (the release of the tigers is delayed until the contestants are out of the treasure room, a portcullis is pulled in some versions to block the tigers from being released). In the 1990 French version, and in the 2006 Russian version of the show, contestants were "locked" in the treasure room. On the second occasion, the gold collected was lost as a result.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: If, however, they declare an incorrect word, the gold is not released and instead the gate to the treasure room begins to close immediately, prompting the contestants to make a quick escape, and they complete the game with no winnings.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The won gold is then weighed and converted into local currency; this makes the contestants' prize money. In most countries, the money won by the team is given to a charity. Some countries, including Spain, Argentina, the UK, and Belgium, give the money directly to the members of the team. Some give vacations instead of money, dependent on how much the team won. In France, between 1990 and 1992, the treasure was given to the team, but since 1993, the whole prize goes to charity. Then again in 2010, the prize money was given to the contestants.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In total, 57 episodes were shown in the original Channel 5 series; including four celebrity specials and a special edition with contestants from the first UK series of "The Mole".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: On 1 July 2014, Challenge announced on social media that they had re-acquired all the Channel 5 years of the show (previously repeated by the channel from 2002 to 2006) and would begin airing series 1–2 in August that year, with series 3 and 4 following in 2015. Series 1 started on 4 August at 5 pm, followed by series 2 on 18 August 2014. Series 3 starts on 7 May 2015 at 6 pm.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: From a broadcasting perspective, Fort Boyard itself was refurbished during 1988–89 to become, essentially, a large outdoor television studio. The Fort has its own doctor, catering facilities, as well as production gallery and veterinary centre.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The Fort is equipped with 10 portable television cameras, one camera crane for overhead shots, one under-water camera as well as a number of smaller cameras which specifically cover individual games and challenges around the Fort.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The majority of shows are filmed in the aspect ratio, although some shows, for countries including Sweden and France since 2008, now use the more common widescreen aspect ratio. PAL is the favoured recording format for "Fort Boyard", offering the highest quality pictures. From 2013, the fort is now able to record programmes in HD for the first time.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In 1996, at the height of the French version's popularity, a mini-series entitled "Fort Boyard at Night" was shown in the autumn. It was filmed entirely at night, and the teams also had slightly more time in which to complete the challenges. In 1997, there were three night-time specials, at Halloween, Christmas, and New Year. In 2012, three further night-time editions were filmed and aired between Halloween (31 October) and Christmas (22 and 29 December).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In some of the French (Seasons 14–16, 2003–2005) and Russian versions (2003–2004), the contestants stay overnight in the Fortress. During this time, they played endurance, mind, and psychological games both for the release of any prisoners they may have had, and for keys to, or time in, the "Treasure Room" at the end of the game.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Although most seasons have seen changes (not least in hosts), recent changes to the French version of "Fort Boyard" included:


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: 2009 saw many more changes. Main changes included new opening titles, graphics and a "wall of progress" which Demi (Passe Muraille) was in control of which lined the wall of the Fort (the wall above the "Treasure Room"). There were 6 new key games and 2 new clue games in 2009.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Since 2003, a duel/tournament format has been used by other countries, who prefer this version of "Fort Boyard". Two teams play in the Fort at the same time, with only one of them winning at the end. A similar format was used in 1991.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In 2007 and 2008, a formula with duels between three countries (Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey) was used; two countries (Belgium and Netherlands) in 1991 and with teams of teenagers in 2011 (United Kingdom and United States).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: In 2010, the duel format was introduced to the show following the low ratings for the previous season in 2009. Although, this was not successful in the French version and was later dropped the same year. The show returned to a more classical version in 2011.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: This takes place after the key games. "The Hall of Judgement" provides opportunities for candidates to obtain the missing keys against the sacrifice of one of them but also to free the team members locked in during the first half. The challenges are set by new female character, the White Judge; played by Louise-Marie Hustings in 2011, then Raphaëlle Lenoble during 2012, and Delphine Wespiser since 2013 (who was a contestant at Halloween 2012). The challenges used are similar to those on "The Cube" and "Minute to Win It".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: As of 2020, COVID-19 had caused a few changes to the 2020 series of "Fort Boyard". Some safety measures were in place to keep the candidates safe on the fortress which also changed the format of the series.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: The music for the original French version of "Fort Boyard" was composed by Paul Koulak, a French music composer. He composed the main themes for the show as well as the incidental music and game music that is used throughout the show. His music has been used for every version of "Fort Boyard" around the world, except the German version, where they composed their own music for the show and games.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Up to 2017, seven different opening theme songs have been used on the show; the first was used until 1994, the second in 1995, the third from 1996 to 2000, the fourth in 2001 and 2002 (used by the UK in 2003 during the Treasure Room), the "Dance Version" (used by France during the end credits of the night editions in 1996 and the UK from 1999 to 2001), the sixth theme song which was introduced in the 2003 French version and the seventh, introduced in 2016. "Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge" uses a different opening theme and game music composed by Paul Farrer but does use the recent French opening credits and logo.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Broadcast in October 2004 by Challenge, "Fort Boyard: Takes On The World" was a ten-part documentary which introduced British viewers to various different versions of the show from around the world. Comedian and former contestant Tim Vine provided the voiceover. The show was split into sections including "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", "Heroes and Zeroes" and "The A-Z of Fort Boyard". There were also interviews with various characters of the Fort (with the humour provided by the fact that Tim cannot speak French and the characters cannot speak English).


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Some of the original music for "Fort Boyard" was released on CD in France, both on CD single and CD album form, in 1996 and again in July 1999 as "Fort Boyard: La Musique de Toutes Les Aventures".


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: Fred Burton created a comic book adaptation of the French-language edition of the show, published by .


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: "Fort Boyard: Le Défi" is a PC CD-ROM game based on the television show and released in 1995. It provides the player the possibility to become a team member, playing the well known game in the Fort. The game was created by Microids, France Televisions and R&P Electronic Media. The game was available in French and Dutch.


title: Fort Boyard (game show)

text: "Fort Boyard: La Legende" is an action adventure game, based in and around La Rochelle and on "Fort Boyard". It was released in 1996 by Expand Images, Microïds, France Télévisions, and R&P Electronic Media. It was only released in the original French version (as a tie-in to the game show) and the later Dutch-spoken versions. The lack of an English version made this game highly obscure: it does not have a MobyGames entry. The hero of this game has no name; he is going to look for a treasure that was hidden by Napoleon at "Fort Boyard". For this he needs to look around for clues, and get people to help, in and around La Rochelle.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Maniac Cop is a 1988 American action slasher film directed by William Lustig, written by Larry Cohen, and starring Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z'Dar, and Sheree North. Z'Dar plays the title character, a murderous ex-police officer returned from the dead, and seeks revenge on the people who wronged him. It is the first installment in the "Maniac Cop" film series. "Maniac Cop" was released on May 13, 1988 and grossed $671,382 worldwide on a budget of $1.1 million. The film was followed by two sequels, "Maniac Cop 2" (1990) and "" (1993).


title: Maniac Cop

text: In New York City, a waitress on her way home is assaulted by two muggers and seeks aid from a police officer, who breaks her neck. Over the next two nights, this "Maniac Cop" commits more murders, prompting Lieutenant McCrae, who was told by his superiors to suppress eyewitness accounts that the killer was wearing a police uniform, to pass on information to a journalist, in an attempt to protect civilians. This causes panic and dissent among the city, and results in innocent patrolmen either being shot to death or avoided on the streets by people afraid of them being the Maniac Cop.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Ellen Forrest, suspecting that her husband Jack may be the Maniac Cop, follows him to a motel and catches him in bed with fellow officer Theresa Mallory. Distraught, Ellen runs out of the room, and is slain by the killer. Jack is arrested under suspicion of murder, but McCrae believes Jack has been framed. McCrae gets Jack to tell him about his relationship with Mallory, who is attacked by the Maniac Cop while working undercover as a prostitute. Mallory and McCrae fight off the killer, who is deathly cold even through his gloves and does not appear to breathe; when they shoot him several times, the killer appears unfazed.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Mallory hides out in McCrae's apartment while he investigates Sally Noland, the only person Mallory told about her affair. McCrae follows Noland to a warehouse, where she meets with the Maniac Cop and refers to him as "Matt". Returning to police headquarters, McCrae discovers files on Matthew Cordell, an officer who was unjustly imprisoned in Sing Sing for police brutality and closing in on corruption in city hall. He was mutilated and killed in a shower room in Sing Sing by other inmates, whom he helped incarcerate.


title: Maniac Cop

text: When McCrae and Mallory visit Jack, they tell him they think Cordell is the real killer and plan to visit the chief medical examiner at Sing Sing. McCrae leaves to go to the clerical room, and he is attacked by Sally, who is convinced that Cordell is going to turn on her. After finding an officer hanging from the ceiling, Sally is beaten to death by Cordell. Hearing the commotion, Jack and Mallory leave the interrogation room and find the corpses of numerous officers strewn about the halls of the building. Mallory goes to McCrae's car while Jack searches for Cordell, who disappears after throwing McCrae out a window, killing him. Jack, who looks like the one responsible for the carnage to responding officers, flees with Mallory.


title: Maniac Cop

text: The two go to see Sing Sing's medical examiner, who admits that while he was preparing to autopsy Cordell, the officer showed faint signs of life. The examiner secretly released Cordell into Sally's care, convinced he was completely brain-dead. During the 50th annual St. Patrick's Day parade, Jack waits outside as Mallory warns Commissioner Pike and Captain Ripley about Cordell, but the two refuse to believe her and have her arrested. Cordell appears and fatally stabs Pike and Ripley, then targets Mallory, knifing the policeman left to guard her. Mallory escapes through a window, while Jack is arrested and placed in a van, which Cordell hijacks.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Mallory and another officer chase the van, which Cordell takes to his warehouse hideout. Cordell attacks Mallory and Jack, kills the other officer, and tries to escape in the van when backup arrives. Jacks clings to the side of the van and fights for control of it, causing Cordell to drive into a suspended pipe, which impales him. Cordell loses control of the vehicle, which crashes into the river, and sinks. Afterwards, the van is fished out, and, as it is searched, Cordell's hand emerges from the water.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Later in the extended version, the mayor, confident that Cordell is dead, relaxes in his office. After the mayor's assistant leaves the office, Cordell silently appears from behind the curtain and murders the mayor as revenge for framing him.


title: Maniac Cop

text: The film was first released on DVD on April 8, 1998, by Elite Entertainment and included a commentary by director William Lustig, writer Larry Cohen, star Bruce Campbell, and composer Jay Chattaway as well as a trailer and deleted scenes. This was released on DVD by Shriek Show in April 8, 2002. Later, on November 14, 2006, a "special edition" DVD was released by Synapse Films. This version includes the film restored and re-mastered with a DTS soundtrack. In October 2011, Synapse Films released a Blu-ray edition of the film.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Rotten Tomatoes reports that 53% of 15 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 5/10. The film was mostly panned by critics at the time of its release. "Variety" called it a "disappointing thriller that wastes an oddball premise". Caryn James of "The New York Times" called it an amateurish film with stiff acting and dialogue. Chris Willman of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that film quickly becomes an uninteresting "Friday the 13th" clone. "Time Out London" criticized the film as formulaic and said that it might have been better had writer-producer Cohen directed it himself. Richard Harrington of "The Washington Post" called the script "undernourished and obvious".


title: Maniac Cop

text: Reviewing the Blu-ray release, J. Hurtado of Twitch Film wrote that despite its faults, "Maniac Cop" deserves mention as one of the last grindhouse films set in New York City. Tom Becker of DVD Verdict called it "a fun, mindless gorefest". Bill Gibron of DVD Talk rated it 4.5/5 stars and called it "one of the era's finest forgotten gems", deserving of a critical reappraisal. Noel Murray of The A.V. Club rated it B- and called it a goofy film that was always meant to inhabit the shelves of independent video rental stores. Gareth Jones of Dread Central rated it four out of five stars and called it a cult film that is "amongst the cream of the crop of late-eighties low-budget horror". Bloody Disgusting rated it five out of ten stars and questioned why the film has a cult following when it has a poor script and direction, uneven tone, and boring kills.


title: Maniac Cop

text: Campbell said of the film that it was "not a good movie" when viewed in hindsight, but it initially struck him as "perfectly legit."


title: Maniac Cop

text: In August 2017, it was rumored that there would be a "Maniac Cop" remake in the works. In November 2018, it was said that the remake is still being developed and will have a completely different tone from the first film.


title: Maniac Cop

text: In October 2019, Deadline reports that HBO and Canal+ has picked up a "Maniac Cop" TV series that will be executive produced by Nicolas Winding Refn, through his production company by NWR Originals, and John Hyams, who will also direct the pilot.


title: Maniac Cop

text: The "Maniac Cop" film series and Robert Z'Dar were mentioned in the song "Two Trucks" by Internet comedian Neil Cicierega.


title: George A. Romero filmography

text: George A. Romero (1940–2017) was an American-Canadian film director, writer, editor and cinematographer. He contributed to many projects as either the writer, director, editor, cinematographer or a combination of the four.


title: George A. Romero filmography

text: Romero's first project was the 1968 horror film "Night of the Living Dead", which he produced independently. Romero was also a contributing producer for the anthology television series "Tales from the Darkside", which aired from 1983 to 1988.