Fort Boyard (game show)

Creation , pictured in 1989, during refurbishment work with its original access platform already installed. The watchtower has not been rebuilt yet. 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 three 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''. 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. Whilst looking for a set, a production team visited Fort Boyard in April 1987 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. Dutch, Italian and German broadcasters had also been approached, while French channels remained cautiously reserved. Due to difficulties accessing the fort, the game show concept was to be tested at a different site in January 1989. 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. Filming of pilot show in London 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 was uploaded on social media by Pierre Launay. 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. According to host Richard O'Brien, the original outlined concept was "kind of like Dungeons and Dragons", with the presenter acting as "Dungeon Master". Channel 4's The Crystal Maze first aired on 15 February 1990, five months before the French series. Later UK versions 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. ==Cast==

There is a 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 Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge: • Jacques (1990–) and Jules (1990–2009) (André Bouchet and Alain Prévost respectively) are two dwarves who lead the team through the Fort to the next challenge. Denis (Anthony Laborde) later in the show replaces Jules, who retired in 2010. Denis has appeared in the foreign versions since 2000 (replacing Jules) and from 2004 in the French series. The three are called Passe-Partout, Passe-Temps, and Passe-Muraille respectively in the French version. Jacques (Passe-Partout) is also responsible for locking the contestants in the cells of the Fort if they fail to get out within the time limit; whilst Jules (Passe-Temps), in later series, Deni (Passe-Muraille) takes contestants to the Watch Tower. In duel versions, Deni plays the same role of Jacques. This is because two teams are playing at the same time. • Monique (1991–1997, 1999–2005, 2007–) (Monique Angeon) turns a statue shaped as a tiger's head to release the gold or close the gate in the 'Treasure Room'. She is called Felindra in the French & Lebanese versions and was absent in 1998 and in 2006. In 1998, the unnamed Tiger Master (Thierry Le Portier) performs this role. He is called Major in the French version. While in 2006, Thierry Le Portier's daughter, Kareen Le Portier, took on the role, also under the name of Felindra in the French version. In February 2022, it was announced that the tigers would retire from the Fort, meaning the role would no longer be required from that year onwards. • La Boule (1994–2013, 2023) (Yves Marchesseau, 1952–2014; Emmanuel Dorand, 2023) sounds the "gong" to indicate the start and end of time and locks the contestants in cages when they fail to get out of challenge rooms in time. La Boule is a whaler, who has possibly found refuge in the Fort. He left the show in May 2014 for health reasons. Marchesseau died of oesophageal cancer and diabetes in September 2014 at the age of 62. Since leaving, Felindra, the tiger tamer, handles the sound of the gong (now inside the Treasure Room) with her whip until this role was taken over by a new character, Big Boo, starting in 2020. The character will return in 2023, this time played by Emmanuel Dorand. • Mr Boo (2013–2019) and Lady Boo (2011–) the two wrestlers. Mr Boo has replaced La Boule since 2014 by taking prisoners to the dungeon, the role was later taken over by Big Boo in 2020. As of 2014, there have been 41 characters in the French version. Most appeared in various games on the fort. ==Famous contestants==

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. In 1997, a series of boybands would be featured. These include 2Be3 and Worlds Apart. 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. Other series 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. 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. In the Argentine version of the show, aired in 1999 and 2000, a celebrity joined the four other people to help them on their challenges. In the Moroccan version, aired in early 2015 but filmed the previous year, three celebrities joined teams with two 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. ==Fort Boyard around the world==

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. 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. Following the ratings success of the Moroccan version, an African version was aired in 24 countries of French-speaking Africa; it made its debut in September 2019 on Canal+ Afrique. Proposed versions and pilots 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. The rights were also sold to a Spanish broadcaster. 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. Negotiations were held in 2016 with broadcasters in Australia, Brazil and China. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic , as seen from the air during the filming period (June 2021) 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. Broadcasters from Sweden, Morocco, Ukraine and the Pan-African versions cancelled filming for 2021 because of the health constraints linked to the pandemic, however, those from Norway and Poland confirmed that they would return alongside Denmark and Russia. Suspension of Russian version Since March 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Banijay has suspended licensing of new formats for the Russian market and has ceased production of several programs resulting in the cancellation of the Russian version. In June 2025, it was announced that a game show heavily inspired on the French format would be filmed at Fort Alexander, a similarly designed fortress on an artificial island in the Gulf of Finland near Saint Petersburg and Kronstadt, with filming also taking place at Fort Constantin on Kotlin Island in late August after the main restoration work is completed and would premiere in the fall on STS. In September 2025, it was announced that actor Alexander Petrov would be hosting the 11-episode series. André Bouchet, known for his role as Passe-Partout, visited Fort Alexander in August 2019; Bouchet's visit was part of a press event to promote the new Russian series of Fort Boyard that year on STS. Special events and spin-offs 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. International versions Legend: Original version   Currently airing   Upcoming season   Status unknown   No longer airing   ;Notes Broadcast syndication 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: • Belarus (Russian version on ONT in 2013, VTV in 2019) • Canada (Mentv aired the UK version, 2005–200?) • China (Hunan Television) • Cyprus (Greek version on Sigma TV, until mid-2010) • Indonesia (French version on TV5Monde Asie) • Jordan (JRTV Channel 2) • Lithuania (Russian version on First Baltic channel in 2013) • Malaysia (NTV7 aired series 1–2 of the UK version) • Portugal (French version on RTP1, 1994–1995) • Slovenia (French version, mid 1990s) • United Arab Emirates (e-Junior, later Quest Arabiya, Alsharq Discovery) • Uzbekistan (2017 French version on Zo'r TV, 2019–2020) • Venezuela (French and later Spanish version on Venevisión, 2001) A number of other countries also did this before producing their own versions in later years. These include: • Azerbaijan (Lider TV aired the Greek and French versions, 2009–2010) • Czech Republic (ČT2 (1992–1994), TV Nova (1994–1995); Prima Cool since 2012, airs series 3–5 of the UK version and the French version since 2013) • Poland (PTK2 Upper Silesia in 1992; , 1993–1999) • Finland (Yle TV1 in 1993) • Romania (TVR1 in 1992; Pro TV, 1995–1997) • Russia (1st channel Ostankino in 1992; NTV aired the British, Canadian, French and Norwegian versions, 1994–2000) • Slovakia • Ukraine 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. Reruns of past national series have also been aired in Ukraine (ТЕТ, 2006–2007), Georgia (Rustavi 2, 2010), Slovakia (Dajto, 2013), Algeria (A3), Quebec (Prise 2, 2009–2010, 2024), Argentina (Volver, 2019), Lebanon (LBCI, 2020–2021), Poland (Viaplay, 2021–2022) and the UK (Channel 5 version: Challenge, 2002–2006, 2014–2015; Challenge version: Ftn, 2004–2007; Virgin1, 2007–2011). Participation table The year 2000 contains the most episodes filmed of any year (123 for eleven countries, including France). To date (excluding 2020), 2025 has the least (15), with just the French and Belgian versions attending that year. As of 2025, the overall number of episodes filmed is 2,031, of which 396 are of the original French version over 36 seasons. Sweden, is the foreign country which has produced the most episodes to date (258 over 22 non-continuous seasons). ==Format==

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. 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 forty minutes (extended to fifty five minutes for the Series 2 celebrity special), in the French version sixty to 120 minutes, depending on the year. In the UK's 2nd and 3rd series, entry into the fort was not immediate for the contestants. The access gate at the fort's entrance is blocked by a large horizontal bar; the team must pull on the correct rope to raise the bar above the gate, so it can be opened to start the game. This initial task was also used in the 1999 French version. The show's original format is outlined in the following sections. Challenges 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 to 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. 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. 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. Challenges 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 used in Ultimate Challenge. 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. Here is a selection of some of the challenges: ;New Games for 2011 • Visual Enigma (cell 112) ;New Games for 2012 • Gagarin (cell 109) – A similar game, also using a gyroscope, was present on the fort between 1995 and 1997. • Anvil (outside, between the fort and the platform) • Balance (outside, between the fort and the platform) ;New Games for 2013 • Cuisine de Willy (cell 215A) – First time this cell has been used since 1991. A new character, an Italian Chef, played by Willy Rovelli (a contestant in 2012) appears in the fort's kitchen. This cell is not used in international versions and is covered up. • Père Fouras Show (cell 215B) – Replaced the Code Braille in French version, known as Creature Code in Ultimate Challenge. In the international versions, Creature Code is still present on the fort. Note: Some clue games are also played as key games and vice versa. Adventures/Ordeals 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. 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 from series 2 onwards). 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. 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. Adventures From 1991 to 2011, there were 71 different adventures. This section details some of Fort Boyards most famous games. The name of the game may change from country-country; but the game itself remains the same (like in the challenges, 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. ;New Games for 2011 • Stretcher (cell 212) – replaces Spiders and Scorpions • Abandoned Cabin (cell 218 (2011), 216 (2012–)) – French Exclusive • Immersed Cell • Cell RecRec – previously Shrinking Cell • Tanks (cell 209) – replaced by Cold Room in 2012 • Sewage (cell 118) – called Dark Descent in Ultimate Challenge • Creature Count/Code (cell 215B) – called lotto in the French version • Beam-jets ;New Games for 2013 • Circle (outdoors, above courtyard) – Ring Run in Ultimate Challenge • Submarine Training (outdoor, ground floor patio) – Pressure Tank in Ultimate Challenge • Umbrellas (outdoors, above courtyard) – Balancing Brollies in Ultimate Challenge • Vélibérateur (indoor basement, tank flooded) – Pedal Pump in Ultimate Challenge • Hammocks (cell 115) (Duel) • Underwater Balloons (Duel) • Deadly Drop (Duel) 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. The Watch Tower 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 reintroduced in Ultimate Challenge as Key to the Sea (without the Watch Tower riddle). 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. 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. In 1999, 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". The Treasure Room outside the Fort's Treasure Room (May 2007) 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 and the contestant had to use the exit underneath the gate. On the second occasion, the gold collected was lost as a result. 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. The won gold is then weighed and converted into local currency; this makes the contestants' prize money. Their winning total was added to the "Leader Board", which was introduced in the second British series and displayed the five teams who collected the greatest amount of gold. The leader board was used to decide how much the team won as prize money, although this was not mentioned in the show. In most countries, the money won by the team is given to a charity. Some countries, including UK, Spain, Argentina and Belgium, give the money directly to the members of the team while others 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. In 1990, the rules are different as is the design of the treasure room. The original treasure room had a roof designed with wooden modules covered with stone decor like the other false walls in the fort. The team had to collect 18 keys during 18 tests, however no team manage to do this. These 18 keys allowed them enter and open the 18 chests located in the Treasure Room. Each key would only open a specific chest. At the end of the show, the contestants open the chests and discover inside each one, a random number of Boyars that they must collect. Succeeding in opening all the chests did not happen in the first French season. To enter the treasure room, contestants had to go through a flooded cavern, in the basement of the fort. After passing through a dark labyrinth, they enter the treasure room through the small skylight located under the main gate. This opening was only used that year, but it is still present today and has only been used on one further occasion. When the contestants have collected as many Boyars from the chests as possible, they must exit through the large revolving turnstile gate before it closes. Summary of the UK rules Note: Opening titles show the original series' boat, and did not actually show the participants of the 2003 remake series arriving outside the Fort. ==Production==

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. 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. The show was originally produced in the 4:3 aspect ratio, and changed to the 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio from 2008, and in HD since 2013. ==Variations to the format==

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). 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. Although most seasons have seen changes (not least in hosts), recent changes to the French version of Fort Boyard included: • From 2006 to 2009, the number of keys determined how much access the team had to the Treasure Room. 5 keys were the minimum needed to open the gate, but the gate would only open to a certain height, which made carrying coins through the gate difficult. A 6th key would open the gate roughly halfway, but it was still not easy to get through. To open the gate fully, 7 keys were needed. In 2006, when the host pulls the switch the Treasure Room gate would start to open immediately. If a team member did not get out of the Treasure Room in time, a portcullis was activated which stopped the tigers, but the money collected was lost forever. The Council • In the council, teams no longer play to free prisoners; rather, they play for up to 60 extra seconds of extra time in the Treasure Room, in addition to the three minutes guaranteed. From 1995 to 2011, there were a total of 31 different council games. Hall of Imprints • There was a new section in which one member donned a diving suit and dived down to the underwater control centre. There, he or she was guided by the team through an underground passage filled with traps and coded doors towards the "Hall of Imprints", freeing their prisoners along the way. Once all members (except the diver) had reached the Hall, they used their right hands to release the crystal, which they needed to enter the council. 2007 season • The Duels: They have extra games which are played to win extra time in The Treasure Room. Four members of the team play a game each against the Master of Darkness, if they won they got 15 seconds each, a total of 1 minute, of extra time in the Treasure room, making it a full 4 minutes. • The Treasure Room: 2007 was the only season the time in the Treasure Room started at the opening of the gate. The team had 3:00–4:00 minutes from when the host pulled the switch to open the gate. The team also had 15 seconds (if they had 6 keys) or 25 seconds (if they had 7 keys) before the start of the time; this made the time actually 3:00 to 4:25 minutes in total. 2008 season • In 2008, the diving section changed. All members except the diver entered the control centre. They had to put 9 coloured cubes in the correct order, using clues provided by the host. Once the 9 cubes are in place, the trap door for the diver opened. The diver entered a flooded room, with a treasure box, a drawing, and a maze with various coloured keys in it. He or she has had to describe the small drawing to the other team members. The drawing corresponds to a drawing on one of the 9 coloured cubes. The colour of the matching cube determined the key to retrieve from the maze. The team members had to guide the diver through the maze, as the diver only see it from behind. After the key had been freed, it was used to unchain the treasure box. The box was then lifted from the water, but couldn't be opened yet. The key to open it was inside the Treasure Room and would fall down together with the gold. 2009 season 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. • One of the first major changes on the Fort was the before game challenge, called The Tube, which was only used this season. There was a large tube full of coloured water. The team had to find 2 black scratching posts, situated around the Fort, to find the numbers which was the combination to unlock the box containing the cup which was connected to the tube . If they could fill the cup with water before the tube ran out they got a bonus key game after the 45:00 minutes of key games had finished. This game was played in the central circle before the gong. • Another change was that teams no longer stopped collecting keys at 7 keys but could continue on to collect up to 10 keys. These extra 3 keys were exchanged for clue words at the Treasure Room. • Extra Games: The middle section of the game was also different. There were now 3 boxes which contained money. The problem was that 2 of them were sealed with glass. During this the prisoners would play Fear Factor style games in an attempt to win "pieces" to eliminate colours. The prisoners were released but if they did not win their games they were not allowed inside the Treasure Room. • The Duels: Duels were different in 2009. The team could see what was happening through a window. The starting time was 3:00, but the team needed to bet on the duels with time. These times were 30, 20, 10, and −15 seconds. If they win on −15 seconds they did not lose any time. This made the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:45, with the maximum being a full 4:00 minutes. • The Treasure Room: The Treasure Room had changed in 2009. Firstly, the 6 key sign was raised to shoulder height. Secondly, teams couldn't trade clues for extra keys; they had to play with the keys they had. (If they got under 5 keys someone was sacrificed to Mr. Chan to gain a key.) In the Treasure Room they collected keys for boxes containing extra gold. They were allowed to pick only one box, at the end, and were allowed as many keys as there were people in the Treasure Room. Picking the correct box earned the team the extra gold. Duel format 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. 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). The 2024 Hungarian version uses a mixed format divided into two parts. Celebrities compete in teams, but only one person can win the game at the end of the week, so players are constantly eliminated. On the last day of the week, the competition turns into an individual competition and, at the end, one celebrity wins the amount collected during the five days, which they donate to charity. Countries that have used this format include: • Azerbaijan (2013–2014) • Belgium (1991) • Bulgaria (2007–2008) • Canada (2013–2014) • Denmark (2009–2010, 2019, 2021–2022) • Finland (2010, 2012, 2018–2019) • France (2010) • Germany (2010) • Greece (2006–2008) • Hungary (2024) • Morocco (2023) • Netherlands (1991, 2011–2012, 2014) • Norway (2010–2011, 2021–2022) • Poland (2021–2022) • Russia (2006, 2012) • Serbia (2007–2008) • Sweden (2003–2004, 2010–2017, 2019, 2022–2023) • Turkey (2007–2008) • United Kingdom (2011–2014) • United States (1991 pilot, 2011) French version 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. The changes made to the French version in 2010 were: Main overview • Passe-Temps and Mr. Chan left the show. • Olivier Minne became the only host. • Two teams competed to try to win the most keys in the first section. Game Play • 12 teams of 4 play 2 sections of the game. The Special team play only section 2 in game of episode 1 because all 4 members are former contestants in Fort Boyard. • The team who won were called the "champion team" and would return the following week. Until the last episode, the Special team would play as the "normal team". • Key games not only included the ones inside cells but also the clue games, which were played against a clepsydre. If the team lost a clue game they were made prisoner. • There were 3 rounds of key games. Before each round there was a duel. Winning the duel not only won them a key, but also meant the other team had to win their game or their player was automatically made a prisoner. • If there is no clear winner after the 3 rounds a new section of the show, Crossbow Relay, was introduced. Before this, the prisoners were released. All members had to complete a relay course for keys. • The team with the lowest number of keys was sent off the Fort and a new team (champion team from last week) was sent back to compete against the current champions. • The champion team from the last episode then faced the round 1 winners in clue games. These clue games can be key games with clue canisters, or clue games which were against the clepsydre. • There were three rounds of clue games, with each round starting with a duel. Again the losing team was made prisoner if they did not win their clue game, but the winning team also got to choose which team got to play which game. • After the clue rounds, any prisoners were released by the duels in the council room. 2/3 was required to win. The Treasure Room • At the Treasure Room, both teams used their clues and wrote down the codeword on a slate. Once this was put in place they had the remaining time of 3:30 (which included working out the code word). After 1 minute the gate started to open and began closes after 3:00 minutes (took 30 seconds to close fully). At around 0:15 seconds the slots were closed so the team couldn't insert any more money. • The gold was then weighed and the codes were revealed. The team with the highest gold and correct codeword won. • If both teams had the correct code, the team with the highest weight of gold won €10,000 and returned the following week. • If both teams had the incorrect code, the champion team would return the following week, but did not win €10,000. • The team which won the Grand Final (episode 7) would receive €50,000 prize (includes the €10,000 won previously). 2010 German changes • Most of the show's characters are gone. • The Watch Tower and the riddles have been removed. • The duel/tournament format was used. 2011 French changes Main overview • Olivier Minne continues as the only host. • Return to a more "classic" format, one team and seven keys required. (45 mins of key games, 25 mins for the adventures) • Return of celebrities playing for charity. • 3 new characters, including the return of the mud wrestler (Lady Boo). • Father Fouras now chairs the council. The Duels • The team can see what is happening in the Council through a window. The starting time is 3:00, but the team must bet on the duels with this time. The times are 20, 15, 15 and 10 seconds. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:00, with the maximum being a full 4:00. The Hall of Judgement 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. • Each team member is free to be sacrificed to receive an extra key. The White Judge, sets a challenge the sacrifice/prisoner must complete to be released. If failed, they go directly into the terrible jails of La Boule until the end of the show; if they succeed, however, they are released and return to their team. The Treasure Room • When the host pulls the switch, the Treasure Room gate will start to open immediately. This was also done in 2006. • The team have 12 seconds to process the password, instead of the normal 15 seconds. 2011 UK changes Main overview • The show is now called Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge. • Laura Hamilton and Andy Akinwolere, previously Geno Segers, present the new series. • Teams are made-up of teenagers aged between 13 and 19 years old. • The show's characters are gone and until series 4, the tigers were not used. • The teams only collect keys and the Treasure Room section is changed. 2012 French changes • The Duels: The times are 20, 15 and 10 seconds. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 2:15, with the maximum being 3:45 if all bets are won. The second duel is now a word puzzle rather than a contest with the Master of Shadows. 2014 French changes • The Duels: The times are 10 seconds for three games and 30 seconds for two games. If they win on their choosing time it will be added to the 3:00 minutes, but if they lose it will be deducted. This makes the minimum time in the Treasure Room 1:30, with the maximum being 4:30 if all bets are won. The prisoners will be released with 15 seconds deducted for each player. 2015 French changes • The Cage: A new area was added, called The Cage, and is hosted by the character Rouge, the twin sister of Blanche. This happens at the 25-minute mark in part 1. The team must sacrifice 1 key to enter The Cage, where three of the team members will compete in individual games against one of the Fort's guards, the guards were a team of former attendees chosen by Rouge. Each challenge completed successfully adds a key to the team's total, meaning if all 3 team members win their games, the net profit is 2 keys. Since 2016, teams are no longer required to sacrifice a key to enter The Cage. • Prisoner Escape: Prisoners are now allowed to escape after Part 2, completing a course to get out of prison. The prisoner has 1:30 to escape, and any additional time taken is deducted from the team's starting 2:00 in the Treasure Room. • The Duels: Duels no longer deduct from the team's Treasure Room time, they only add time depending on the team member's performance in the duel. This includes a new clock for Father Fouras' riddle, which is divided into three sections, 30, 20, and 10 seconds. Should the team member solve the riddle in time, the amount of time added is determined by the section the clock pointer is in, meaning the riddle is worth less time the longer it takes to solve it. 2016 French changes • The Duels: The duels return to the original head-to-head format with a candidate verses a tiger council master, 4 candidates get picked to play the duels, each duel challenged and completed adds 15 seconds to the timer, for a possible maximum time of 4 minutes on the clock, depending if the escape hasn't taken time away from the Treasure Room clock before hand. 2018 French changes • The Cage: The cage duels had changed from having a set of alumni, as part of a story shift, Rouge picked up some lost children and decided to make them into an elite squad just like the alumni beforehand. The same rules apply here, three duels to win three keys. The episodes were also extended for the first time this year to include Fort Boyard: toujours plus fort! (Fort Boyard: always stronger!), a 50-minute show which features additional games and adventures played on the Fort alongside behind the scenes footage and interviews with the candidates from the episode broadcast just before. Minne and Rovelli host the show on the proscenium in front of the gate of the treasure room. On 25 May 2023, Minne announced that he would stop presenting this second part, he mentioned the fact of finishing at "improbable hours", explaining that the filming of an entire show can take from 10 to 11 hours during the day. 2019 French changes In 2019 as part of the 30th anniversary series, as part of a collaboration with the French company Monnaie de Paris, it had been announced that those taking part in each episode would be receiving a commemorative box of 6 Boyards no matter what happens to the team whether they win or lose. 2020 French changes 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. • The Team: As of the 2020 series, due to COVID-19 the amount of team members were reduced back to 5 members in the team. As part of the safety precautions, the team are based down in the bottom floor of the Fort within the treasure room entrance. Once entering the Fort, they wear facemasks and are spaced out equally at 1 meter apart. The command center for the adventures is all set in one safe area. They also mask up once inside the Treasure Room. • Key Games and Adventures: Rather than the team being guided around the Fort, instead Passe-Partout would bring the players to the rooms and challenges while Passe-Muraille as usual would be Father Fouras's messenger boy passing scrolls to Olivier for each key game and adventure. Most two player games how now been reduced to one player games within the Fort to prevent COVID-19 spreading. For this series, the amount of keys have been reduced to 8 keys in the allotted time limit of 50 minutes. • The Cage: This season, the cage does not bring back the lost children warriors, this time it features only three defenders for the game. Lady Boo, Little Boo and a replacement for Mr Boo, Big Boo. However the rules stay the same. Three rounds against the cage defenders to win a maximum of 3 keys, one for each round if completed successfully. Rather than the team going into the cage itself, the candidates chosen are brought there by Passe-Partout. • The Escape: This season, before the escape, the team are given 3 minutes of time for the Treasure Room, if there are prisoners the escape has a time limit of 2:30. The candidates who get imprisoned must escape within that time. Once the initial time is over, the clock goes into overtime, in overtime it removes time from the Treasure room and will not stop until the candidates flip a switch to stop the clock once they have escaped. • The Duels: The duels stay the same, 4 candidates take part in the duels to earn 15 seconds per duel win for a maximum of 4 minutes, however for safety concerns, it is broken down that two members of the team head into the tiger council at a time as they enter one by one afterwards for safety reasons. 2021 French changes • Willy Rovelli: As of the 2021 season of the show, Willy Rovelli had been captured by Pere Fouras after his Speakeasy bar had been found, as punishment he was placed inside the Fort Prison for his crimes. He usually will be inside the fort with the locked in teammates as he makes them do two events. WillyMation and Prison Canteen. In WillyMaton, the locked in players are to take on a small task. Taking a mug shot, however they must be perfectly still while distractions happen around them. If they fail to take a still photo three times the team member is locked in the prison for the adventures. For those locked in the prison, the team members then would take on the Prison Canteen, taking on the prison canteen the locked in team members must consume a food item to not only be freed but also to keep the treasure room time safe. 2022 French changes • The Tigers: This year saw the end of the Tigers being on the fort as they were replaced with models and CGI versions of the tigers. • The Team: As of the 2022 series, the teams have returned to the maximum of 6 members on a team, with the team being able to travel around the fortress without the need for facemasks or social distancing. • Key Games and Adventures: This year, as part of the changes, the series had been given a few format for the entire season. Each episode for the 2022 season Pere Fouras had set up a new stipulation system, ranging from a Night of Restrictions, or The Solo Adventure, which lasts throughout the night on the fort. The key games had been returned to a time limit of 45 minutes and with a key limit of 7 keys to collect. • Willy Rovelli: As of the 2021 season of the show, Willy Rovelli had been captured by Pere Fouras after his Speakeasy bar had been found, as punishment he was placed inside the Fort Prison for his crimes. He usually will be inside the fort with the locked in teammates as he makes them do two events. WillyMation and Willy's Canteen. In WillyMaton, the locked in players are to take on a small task. Taking a mug shot, however they must be perfectly still while • Judgement: For the judgement part of the show, the series has changed the feature so that now sisters Rouge and Blanche now share the power of judgement. With the cage now a part of the judgement it follows the same rules that if a player loses the cage judgement they are to be locked away. • Willy Rovelli: As of the 2022 season of the show, Willy Rovelli has gone from being a prisoner of the fort to being a Deputy of the Fort Prison. 2024 French changes • Cellules Interdites: This season, Pere Fouras along with the Tiger Council reopened a section of the fort called the Cellules Interdites, the premise would feature one member of the team sent down into the depths of the fortress to stay inside in order to set a difficultly for the key events. Ranging from a high security cell into a tavern filled with personalities. This replaced the cards system from the previous series. • Passé-Partout & Passé-Muraille: Normally Passé-Partout and Passé-Muraille are given their usual jobs, with Partout guiding the team and Muraille being the quest giver, this season, Partout has been keeping a diary of information of all the events on the fort that the team are given by him ahead of specific events, on his shirt there is a key and a clue patch which either is removed to indicate what is awarded. However Muraille is given his own patch which makes him a competitor against a player in special circumstances, if the candidate fails against Muraille they lose out like normal. When he is in the challenge he removes a tiger emblem patch on his shirt. • Willy Rovelli: In 2024, Willy Rovelli returned to his restaurant gimmick however has turned the restaurant into a high-profile restaurant where the food is fancier but still created with horrible ingredients. Same rules applied, candidates must consume what is given. • Booster: A new addition to the team replacing the youngest character of Little Boo this season. He is a blonde haired man wearing a lightning motif theme. 2025 French changes • Les Originie: This series theme is the originals, mainly bringing back elements from the previous 35 series into the improved fort. • Entry to the Fort: This series, the team are met with a video phone system to call Pere Fouras, once he answers he states to the team they will not be gaining instant access into the fort. Pere Fouras tells the team they have fifty minutes to gain seven keys for their way into the Salle du Tresór, instead of entering normally, the team will start the events by having to gain access to the watchtower to enter by climbing up the side of the fortress once the gong is rung. Once into the watchtower, the chosen climber from the team must answer the enigma to allow the fort to be opened. • Pere Fouras: As part of the series, after having his previous boyards dwindling away, Pere Fouras has decided to take matters into his hands deciding to leave his inner sanctum and returning to his watchtower. He has also recruited new members and some classic members back to the fort. • Willy Rovelli: For the 2025 season, Willy Rovelli's high-profile restaurant goes bust as Willy decides to open up a rustic French tavern instead. Same rules applied, candidates must consume what is given. • Olivier Minne: After 23 consecutive seasons, this season would be the last for Minne as host of the French version. Minne has previous connections to the show; as the on-air continuity announcer when the first episode aired in 1990 and as a candidate in 1995. At the end of his final show, he receives a tribute from the production staff as well as from Father Fouras, the latter presenting him with the famous "tiger head" as a parting gift. • Sacrifice: The sacrifice system has been given a slight change also, for this series, Pere Fouras, Maitre du Temps Felindra, Passé-Partout and Passé-Muraille have joined up to become the Circe du Anciens, a secret society who send a champion out to take on the candidates, Same standard, someone in the team plays sacrifices themselves to gain an instant key, however they must face the challenge either in Blanche or Rouge's sanctums. Winning send them back to the team, losing sends them to the underground jail cell. • Cell Escape: This time those who are captured in an underground cell are given two minutes to smash up the cell and its contents to find a coloured key to escape the cell, going over takes time from the time needed in the Salle du Tresór. • Salle Du Tresór: Same ruling applies however the starting time has been cut to 2:30 on the clock with a maximum of 3:15 available from the Maitre du Temps section if perfect. ==Music==

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. 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. ==Merchandise==

CD releases 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. Single }} Album Comic adaptations Fred Burton created a comic book adaptation of the French-language edition of the show, published by . Video games 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. 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. 30th anniversary coin As part of the 30th anniversary, Monnaie du Paris, a French coin maker had collaborated with the French game show to create a run of the “30 Ans” commemorative coins based on the actual Boyard coins used in the show, with the front having the words “Fort Boyard” on the outside, with an image of the fort in the centre and a fish under it, while on the back it features the tiger head with the term “30 Ans” (30 Years) over the head with the emblem of Monnaie du Paris underneath. ==References==