Note: The description in this section primarily refers to the game played in most recent series of
Catchphrase. The format has considerably changed and evolved throughout the show's forty years on air.
Main game In the main game, at the start of each standard round, one contestant stopped a randomiser consisting of money amounts by hitting their button. The value landed on would be the amount earnt for correctly guessing the catchphrases in that round. The potential prizes increase over the rounds. For the first round, the large screen in front of the contestants would slowly draw a visual representation of the catchphrase answer accompanied by background music (primarily using
CGI). When most of the catchphrase has been revealed, contestants can then buzz in and try to guess the answer. If the player that buzzed in guessed incorrectly, the other player would be offered the chance to guess. If a player guessed correctly, they would win the predetermined amount and then have a chance to solve the bonus catchphrase.
Bonus Catchphrase A correct answer won the contestant the predetermined money amount, plus a chance to solve the bonus catchphrase, which was hidden behind nine squares. The contestant chose a square by hitting their buzzer to randomly select one of them. That square was then removed, and the contestant had five seconds to come up with an answer. If they were right, they won the amount of money in the bonus bank, a sum of money accumulated over the contestants answering the regular catchphrases. If they were wrong, then they would have another catchphrase to guess, and the rounds cycle.
Quickfire round Following a set amount of standard rounds, a penultimate "quickfire round" takes place. This round followed a similar structure to a standard round, except that all catchphrases were worth a fixed amount of money (originally £50) and there was no bell, so the contestants could buzz in and answer them whenever they wished and as many times until the puzzle is solved or time runs out. The player with the most money following this round won the game and then plays the Super Catchphrase. Other contestants who do not have the most money keep their winnings, but do not move forward in the game.
Super Catchphrase For this round, the screen displays 15 numbered squares in the form of a pyramid (with 15 at the top) with each row, starting at the bottom, being worth a higher amount of money increasing exponentially, the largest being £50,000. Number 11 in the middle is starred and correctly answering it awards a bonus prize. (In the celebrity specials, correctly answering this catchphrase doubles the amount of money won by the other two celebrities for their chosen charities.) Starting from the bottom level, the winning player has 60 seconds to reach the highest level possible. Each square still contains a catchphrase; answering a catchphrase in a level correctly clears that level and allows the player to move to the next level. At the end of the round, the player receives the prize money of the level they have last cleared, plus the bonus prize (if Square 11 is cleared), along with their main game winnings. ==Transmissions==