Tyne Tees and Barry & Enright Productions co-produced the British television game show Chain Letters. The show was taped in their Newcastle Upon Tyne City Road studios and aired on ITV in the United Kingdom from 7 September 1987 to 6 July 1990, and then again from 2 January 1995 to 25 April 1997. It became popular with viewers because it used a series of 17 letters sent by different people who knew someone who had been killed. Each week, teams competed against other contestants for money and prizes by sending emails to the chain's starting point with questions about the victim and his or her life. The winner was determined by how many links in the chain they could follow leading up to the original sender. Chain Letters is one of several reality television franchises created by Simon Cowell. The first series began in 2003 and was called American Idol; this was followed by a second series in 2004 called American Idol: Celebrity Idol. A third series titled The X Factor premiered in December 2011. A fourth series titled The Voice premiered on 9 February 2016. Cowell also created The X Factor UK, a version of the program for the United Kingdom. The first series began in December 2012 and ended after its conclusion in March 2013. A second series began on 15 October 2014 and will end after its conclusion in May 2015. A third series began on 14 December 2014 and will end after its conclusion in May 2015. A fourth series began on 23 August 2015.