Now You See It (Australian game show)

Now You See It

Company type	Television program
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	1985
Defunct	2000
Headquarters	Brisbane , Australia
Products	Television show, board game

Now You See It was an Australian children's quiz program broadcast on the Seven Network between 1985 and 1993. Adapted from the American original of the same title, its initial host was Mike Meade (1985–1990), who was accompanied by a robotic co-host named "Melvin," a Tomy Omnibot toy. From 1985 until 1988, Brisbane radio personality Phil Darkins served as the show's narrator and provided Melvin's voice. Another Omnibot character, Melvin's uncle Morton, appeared in a segment titled "Morton's Mouldy Movies," where Darkins lent a grandfatherly narration to silent film clips.

Starting in 1991, Sofie Formica took over hosting duties for a redesigned version that featured week-long contests between primary schools. Individual episode champions received personal prizes, while the school accumulating the most victories was awarded a grand prize typically valued near $2,000.

The series saw a revival in 1998 when Becker Entertainment and Fremantle Ltd (then FremantleMedia) brought it back on the Nine Network, with Scott McRae as host. Produced by Tony Ryan and executive produced by Bill Davidson, this iteration continued until 2000, after which it was succeeded by the game show Download, also hosted by McRae.

Free games

The host presents a clue, and the answer—always a single word—is gradually unveiled one letter at a time, occasionally incorporating letters from the previous answer's end. Letters appear sequentially until a contestant buzzes in with the correct response and score or only one letter remains visible. This process repeats until the entire line is completed; the first contestant to correctly identify five words (seven during the 1998 revival) wins that round along with a prize package, while the opponent is eliminated.

Two such line games are played per episode, with winners moving forward to compete in the Big Board round.

Big Board

Within an extensive grid filled with random letters, words are concealed horizontally. The host poses a question; players buzz to guess which horizontal line contains the answer. Upon a correct guess, they specify the vertical position and then state the word itself. Points awarded equal the sum of the line number plus position number, making words located toward the lower-right corner more valuable. In the 1998 revival, points earned were doubled during the final minute. The top scorer proceeds to the solo round; ties are broken through sudden-death word challenges.

Solo Round

The solo contestant must locate seven words hidden within a large letter grid within 60 seconds using clues provided by the host, marking them with a digital pen.

Prizes were granted to contestants' schools; early rewards were modest items such as labeling machines, whereas later seasons included small prizes for participants themselves like cassette stereos.

Products

In 1993, Crown and Andrews released a board game adaptation of the show.