Overview
The Mint was produced by Ludus:ETV, and was one of the main programmes showing nightly on ITV and ITV2. It was written, produced and directed by Ken Korda. Viewers were encouraged to phone a premium-rate telephone number in order to answer questions in an attempt to win money. One of the criticisms levelled against the programmes makers ITV, is that the presenters created an illusion that the lines were "open" for calls when in fact the programme continued to take vast numbers of calls from so-called contestants.
Cash prizes on offer were usually larger than other British phone-in quizzes and the programme gave away large sums of money (usually £10,000-£30,000 for top answers depending on the bonuses they were doing at the time e.g. Top money - £10,000 but on quadruple money it would be £40,000).
The programme was first shown early in the morning on Saturday 1 April 2006 (Late Friday night). It typically lasted for anything from 2 hours to 4 hours, depending on ITV scheduling. In order to win money viewers had to either call in at a cost of seventy five pence (previously sixty pence) from a BT landline, text the word 'MINT' to a special number or enter through the ITV website and, if selected, would be issued a freephone number and PIN valid for one entry. If they were successful they would be placed on hold then, if the computer selected them at random, they would be transferred live to The Mint mansion, where they went on to give their answer.
Read more about this topic: The Mint (game Show)