Hard Spell

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}} {{Infobox television | image = | caption = | genre = Game show | creator = | presenter = Eamonn Holmes Nina Hossain Mishal Husain | country = United Kingdom | language = English | num_series = 2 | num_episodes = 6 | executive_producer = | producer = | camera = | runtime = 30 minutes (regular) 60 minutes (grand finals) | network = BBC One | first_aired = {{start date|2004|11|29|df=y}} | last_aired = {{end date|2005|12|31|df=y}} | related = ''Star Spell'' }} '''''Hard Spell''''' is a United Kingdom televised spelling bee programme for children between the ages of eleven and fourteen, presented by Eamonn Holmes, with Nina Hossain reading the words. It was first broadcast on BBC One in late 2004. Heats were held in different parts of the country leading to the grand final, at the end of which Gayathri Kumar was crowned Britain's best young speller.<ref name=":0">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2004/12_december/05/hardspell.shtml | title=BBC – Press Office – Hard Spell Champion 2004 | date=12 May 2004 | access-date=23 March 2008}}</ref>

Notable spellers apart from Gayathri included Nisha Abraham-Thomas from Wolverhampton, Mark Jackson from Cambridge, Dominic Harvey from Bath and Sarah Williams from Penzance.<ref name=":0" />

All of the televised runners-up in 2004 received a signed photograph of Eamonn Holmes and other Hard Spell memorabilia.

As the show was such a success, ''Hard Spell'' returned to television screens at Christmas 2005 with a different age group (11-13) but the same presenters, Eamonn Holmes and Mishal Husain. In the final, the winner was Niall O'Neill from Northern Ireland who won £10,000 worth of holiday vouchers and media equipment for his school. In 2005 the memorabilia contained a ''Hard Spell'' T-shirt, mug, pencil case, pen and a dictionary signed by the presenter.

==Transmissions== {{Series overview | episodes1 = 6 | start1 = {{start date|2004|11|29|df=y}} | end1 = {{End date|2004|12|5|df=y}}

| episodes2 = 6 | start2 = {{Start date|2005|12|26|df=y}} | end2 = {{end date|2005|12|31|df=y}} }}

==Star Spell== Soon after, the BBC produced a one-off episode, or pilot, called '''''Star Spell''''', which followed the same format but had celebrities taking part rather than children. This was again presented by Eamonn Holmes,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McArthur |first=Rachel |date=2011-09-21 |title=Out of Many, One: Spelling Bees and the United States National Spelling Bee |url=https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/elhdc/article/view/15634 |journal=The English Languages: History, Diaspora, Culture |language=en |volume=2 |issn=1929-5855}}</ref> with Nina Hossain reading the words. The one-off episode was won by Richard Whiteley.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2005-05-10 |title=TV star Richard in pneumonia battle |url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/7992225.tv-star-richard-in-pneumonia-battle/ |access-date=2026-03-11 |website=Bradford Telegraph and Argus |language=en}}</ref> In late 2005, the BBC broadcast a full series of ''Star Spell'', again presented by Eamonn Holmes but Mishal Husain took over from Nina as word pronouncer.

For the series (October 2005), the title of Star Spell Champion was won by Vanessa Feltz.

{{Episode table |total_width=auto |overall= |series= |title= |aux1= |aux1T=Contestants |aux2= |aux2T=Winner |airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 1 | EpisodeNumber2 = – | RTitle = Pilot | Aux1 = Jeremy Bowen Jo Brand Richard McCourt Penny Smith Richard Whiteley | Aux2 = Richard Whiteley | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|1|3|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 2 | EpisodeNumber2 = 1 | RTitle = Episode 1 | Aux1 = Fiona Bruce Vanessa Feltz Brian Turner Mark Lawrenson | Aux2 = Vanessa Feltz | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|10|10|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 3 | EpisodeNumber2 = 2 | RTitle = Episode 2 | Aux1 = Adam Best Arlene Phillips Phil Taylor Gary Waldhorn | Aux2 = Gary Waldhorn | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|10|11|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 4 | EpisodeNumber2 = 3 | RTitle = Episode 3 | Aux1 = David Grant Clive Swift Christopher Timothy Nina Wadia | Aux2 = Nina Wadia | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|10|12|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 5 | EpisodeNumber2 = 4 | RTitle = Episode 4 | Aux1 = Jennie Bond Jennie McAlpine Bernie Nolan David Spinx | Aux2 = Jennie Bond | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|10|13|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 6 | EpisodeNumber2 = 5 | RTitle = Episode 5 | Aux1 = Anton du Beke John Parrott Steve Rider Carol Smillie | Aux2 = Steve Rider | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|10|14|df=y}} }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 7 | EpisodeNumber2 = 6 | RTitle = Finale | Aux1 = Jennie Bond Vanessa Feltz Steve Rider Nina Wadia Gary Waldhorn | Aux2 = Vanessa Feltz | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2005|10|15|df=y}} }} }}

==References== {{reflist}}

== External links == *{{BBC Online|id=hardspell/starspell.shtml|title=''Star Spell''}} *{{IMDb title|0498619}} *{{IMDb title|0486538|Star Spell}}

Category:BBC television game shows Category:2004 British television series debuts Category:2004 British television series endings