« Love at first sight” is a television game show dedicated to the relationship between a man and a woman. The goal of the game is a happily completed search for the other half and romantic trip, which will only lead the couple who met to the wedding.

“Love at First Sight” became the first licensed game purchased by Russian television in the West. The rights to it belong to the English studio Action Time.

Show Rules " Love at first sight"Initially very simple. Three young men and three girls took part in the game. At the first stage, the game participants had to answer tricky questions from the presenters. At the same time, the players were hidden from each other and made up a performance only on the basis of the answers they heard. Then the girls and boys chose a pair by pressing buttons, and the computer determined which pairs matched. Those who experienced love at first sight went to a restaurant, and the next day the second stage of the game began. Each member of the couple had to answer questions about the expected behavior of the partner in a given situation. Each correct answer earned one shot. After this stage was completed, the couple agreed on who would shoot the drawn hearts. A prize was hidden under each heart; if the shooter hit the heart, the couple received the prize.

The constant hosts of the show " Love at first sight" were Alla Volkova and Boris Kryuk.

The super prize was a romantic trip for two. There was also "heartbreak", which meant the end of the game.

In later editions, the rules of the game changed slightly. Now, among the matched pairs, TV viewers chose one, which immediately moved on to the second stage - answering questions about each other and playing for prizes. The criterion for the audience's choice was screaming - the couple for whom they screamed longer and louder won.

It is not known for certain whether there were so-called “decoy couples” at that time, when specially invited actors participated in the show “Love at First Sight,” but the program did not hear a single announcement of insincerity.

The program first aired on the ORT channel on January 12, 1992, and the last episode of the show took place in 1996. From 1997 to 1998, the program was broadcast on the RTR channel.

On March 1, 2011, the show was resumed. Love at first sight", can now be seen on MTV. Modern themes(and the participants) are more relaxed in questions and answers than their predecessors, and therefore the show “Love at First Sight” is gradually moving into the category of “programs for adults.”

Hosts of the revived show Love at first sight" - Tair Mamedov and Evelina Bledans.

In 2000, the ORT company launched a program, the prototype of which was “Love at First Sight” - “The Seventh Sense”. Igor Vernik became the host, but the program did not live up to the expectations of its authors and was closed.

The first presenters of the show " Love at first sight», Alla Volkova and Boris Kryuk, after several months of working on the program, they got married.

Oh, what times those were! The program “Morning Star”, “Love at First Sight”, “Morning Mail”, “Me and My Dog”... It was impossible to get the whole country out of the house when these programs were shown on TV. And then most of them closed. Just. Without explaning the reason. Woman’s Day decided to find out where the country’s most beloved television programs went. Those whose success most modern TV shows have not been able to replicate to this day.

Maxim Chizhikov, Vsevolod Eremin, Elena Selina, Olga Bekhtolt, Daria Evans· May 15, 2015

"Morning Star"

Start

In 1991, on Channel One of the then Soviet television, a new music show“Morning Star”, which immediately won the hearts of all viewers.

The author and host of the program was famous TV presenter, actor and showman Yuri Nikolaev. It is worth noting that Yuri could not then find a sponsor for selecting a team, children, operators, renting premises... The author of the program had to invest his own money, borrowed from a bank on credit, into the program.

Competition rules

The program was conducted on a competitive basis, in which participants showed their skills in vocal or dance genres depending on age ( age groups from 3 to 15 and from 15 to 22 years). The jury, consisting of four people, gave a score to each of the participants. Dialer greatest number points advanced to the next round. In addition, the program included a presenter competition and a competition young performers classical music, held jointly with the New Names Foundation.

It must be said that “Morning Star” paved the way to fame for many now famous pop performers, such as Ani Lorak, Yulia Nachalova, Sergei Lazarev, and many others. The program, which lasted 12 years, was repeatedly awarded the highest awards, including international ones.

Latest issue

In 2002, it migrated from Channel One to TVC, where it existed until 2003. On November 16, 2003, the last episode of the program took place.

The creator of the program, which will forever be remembered by everyone, happily recalls the past years and is sad that his brainchild was closed.

In his opinion, today there are few programs for teenagers on domestic television, and he would really like to revive “Morning Star”, but, unfortunately, this does not depend on him.

“When I conceived the program, I thought that if it lasts for several years, it will be great,” recalls Yuri Alexandrovich. – As a result, the program lasted 13 years. For the program, I think this is a very good indicator. Nevertheless, television is moving forward, new formats have appeared, Channel One has new views. “Star Factory” appeared, which was considered similar to “Morning Star”, and my program was closed. It’s not that I’m offended, it’s just that this is my brainchild, and probably I should have moved on, developed more. Although I was constantly introducing some new ideas, nominations, decorations. But, probably, it was necessary to change the form itself in accordance with the times. Of course, I dream of resuming “Morning Star”, but I think that it would hardly be aired on Channel One. Now there is a children's "Voice", very good program. Perhaps she would have gone on another channel. You see, now all channels have transformed my idea in one form or another, and now every channel has children’s programs. Of course, what I came up with is the author's program. Now, alas, there are practically no copyrighted programs, and I don’t remember that since 1990 anyone has promoted their own brand. I succeeded and I’m happy that I did it.”

"Love at first sight"

Start

Love at First Sight is a television romance game show. Aired from January 12, 1991 to August 31, 1999 on the RTR television channel. The very first episode of the program was filmed in London, in the studio where the English version of “Love at first sight” was filmed. The hosts of the program were Alla Volkova and Boris Kryuk. And Hook’s voice is now heard in the program “What? Where? When?".

In 2011, an attempt was made to revive the show with slightly modified rules on MTV, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The program lasted in this form for less than six months.

There are still analogues of the game show, but “Love at First Sight” remains one of the brightest and most unusual programs for our TV viewers. Soviet period. First of all, viewers loved her for her mystery and romance. There was no vulgarity in it, which is now in abundance on modern television.

Rules of the game

The action took place in two stages. On the first day, three girls and three guys met for the first time in the studio, where they answered the hosts' treacherous questions. At the end of the game, pressing the buttons simultaneously determined who sympathized with whom. If the participants' opinions coincided with the computer's, the happy couple went to a restaurant to get to know each other better and prepare for the next stage.

The next day, participants were asked to answer the presenters’ questions about how their partner(s) would behave in a given situation. The correct answer gave the right to one shot, which was realized at the end of the game. Shooting was carried out in sectors behind which were located various prizes, including the main one - “Romantic Journey”. If they hit “Broken Heart,” the game stopped and the couple lost everything “that was acquired through back-breaking labor.”

Subsequently, the rules changed somewhat - the pair for the second stage began to be determined by audience voting in the studio, and the number of heart sectors decreased (but the “Broken Heart” sector disappeared). The main idea of ​​the program is to create a happy married couple, whose wedding gift would be a romantic trip, remained.

End of love

In this form, “Love” existed until the end of August 1999. After the closure of this show, Alla married for the third time and disappeared from the screens. However, she didn't stop creative activity, becoming the editor of the production center “Igra-TV”.

But Boris Kryuk remained in the public eye, hosting the program “What? Where? When?".

“You know, the story of why the program was closed is becoming legendary. In fact, the last few years of its existence were broadcast less and less. Latest shootings were in 1998 right before Black Tuesday,” said Boris Kryuk. “So the economic situation had an impact. I must say that it was quite an expensive show because of the scenery, computers, etc. Alla and I grew a little during the journey and wanted to move on. As a result, “Love at First Sight” ran for some time, but still closed. Everything was by mutual agreement, no one had any complaints about this. Afterwards, a lot of analogues appeared on the screens, which could not repeat our success.

Now I have found myself so much in the program “What? Where? When?” because I’m not on the screen. I don't like it when people come up to me and want something from me. By nature I am not an actor, I don’t need to be loved, looked at, etc. I prefer to stay in the shadows."

"50x50"

About the transfer

“50x50” is an information and entertainment music program for young people who appeared on television in 1989. The symbol of the program was a branded splash screen in the form of a zebra. The TV show was popularly nicknamed “Fifty-Fifty.” The name reflected the concept of the program: half music and half information, half of the guests were already famous pop stars and half were beginners.

The information part talked about news in the world of show business and musical events.

Among other things, the program showed new video clips, interviews with stars, competitions and quizzes from Russian pop stars and sponsors.

First broadcast

The program first aired on the First Central Television Program in 1989. From 1989 to 1991, the host was Sergei Minaev. In 1990, Alexey Veselkin became his co-host, and they spent several episodes together.

In 1991, the program was hosted by Veselkin alone, a little later Ksenia Strizh became his co-host, and in 1993, program director Nikolai Fomenko replaced her with Dina Rubanova. Veselkin hosted some episodes alone. In 1992, the program aired on the 2x2 TV channel, but soon returned to Ostankino Channel 1. Several editions in 1992 were conducted by Nikolai Fomenko and Sergei Kalvarsky.

Closing

At the beginning of 1998, the program was closed, but on September 19, 1998 it was resumed on RTR under the name “50x50. I'll be a star." Sergey Minaev became the presenter again; some episodes were hosted by Kirill Kalyan instead. IN new version the presenter conveyed the commentary to the teenagers, each of whom dreamed of becoming a star.

Where, just like in previous issues, various clips were shown popular stars. On April 24, 1999, the last issue was released on RTR. The last episode finally appeared in 2000 on channel TV-6, after which the program was no longer aired.

The TV show “50x50” was the most spectacular and large-scale musical project at that time. The presenters were allowed to improvise live. The program filmed its own video clips. The news component of the program consisted of interesting events in Soviet and later Russian show business.

"Two Pianos"

About the transfer

Musical TV game“Two Pianos” was broadcast on the RTR channel from 1998 to 2003.

In 2004, she moved to the TVC channel, where she stayed until May 2005. It is worth noting that the program was awarded national award"Ovation-1998" in the category "Best Musical Program of the Year".

Rules of the game

Let's remember what the rules of the game were. So, two teams of three people each participate: two invited guests (usually famous actors or singers) and accompanist. Teams take turns choosing one of the closed blue screens and must guess the intended song, the line from which is encrypted on the television screens. It is impossible to guess the song by the first word, so participants are required to sing any song where the open word appears, always in the appropriate case. If players open the red screen, the turn goes to the other team.

In the super game of the program, all six screens open at once, on which the words of the song are mixed up. Either the host can ask the finalist team to name a number from one to six, or invite the finalist on stage to choose one of six balls, each of which has the same numbers written on it. The number on the ball or named by the finalist team will correspond to the number of screens to be opened. If the participants of one of the teams guess the song, then the team of a certain piano becomes the winner of the program.

Presenters

The program was hosted by Sergei Minaev (1998-2001), then he was replaced by Valery Syutkin (2002-2003), and then he continued to host the program in 2004 until its closure in 2005.

"My family"

About the program

Everyone, of course, remembers the Russian family talk show with Valery Komissarov, aired on ORT from July 25 to August 29, 1996, then there was a break until October 3, 1996, after which “My Family” returned to the air again and aired on Thursdays , then on Saturdays until the end of 1997. In 1998, the program moved to RTR and aired there on Saturday evenings until 2003. And already from 2004 to 2005 there were reruns on channel TV3.

Rules

The program discussed Various types family problems. Both professional psychologists and actors, musicians and so on took part. Conversations usually took place in the studio, in a makeshift large kitchen.

Closing the program

Initially, they wanted to close the program in the spring of 2003, but then the information was refuted by the presenter himself. The final decision to close it was made in the summer of 2003, when Valery Komissarov joined the United Russia party and became involved in politics, as well as new television projects.

"Morning Post"

About the transfer

The program "Morning Mail" was broadcast in 1974. It aired consistently on Sundays at 11 a.m. until the mid-90s.

The presenter was Yuri Nikolaev, but sometimes the program was broadcast by Shirvindt, Derzhavin, Shifrin, Vedeneeva, Akopyan, Shustitsky. The program was extremely popular among Soviet viewers. Even in Soviet army The weekend schedule included the item “Watching the programs “Serving the Soviet Union” and “Morning Mail”.

Rules

The concept of the program is to fulfill the requests of viewers. According to the script, bags of letters arrived for the program, where viewers asked to fulfill a musical request. Nikolaev read an interesting letter and included musical number. In fact, bags of letters, of course, arrived, but no one fulfilled these requests. Nikolaev said in one of his interviews that if all requests had been fulfilled, then there would have been no one in the program except Pugacheva, Kobzon, Antonov and Rotaru. A script with an interesting plot was simply written and acted out by the host and guests of the program, if they were invited.

Decline of popularity

In the mid-90s, Nikolaev led new project"Morning Star" and left "Morning Mail". The program immediately lost ratings and moved to the ORT channel, where it was hosted by Cabaret-Duet Academy, Sergei Minaev, and the Ponomarenko brothers. Later, Nikolaev returned to the program and tried to revive it, but to no avail. The transfer was conveniently forgotten.

"Me and my dog"

About the show

Dog show “Me and my dog” – entertainment, in which owners and their dogs took part. They participated in competitions together, overcame obstacles together, answered questions and received prizes.

In 1995, the program first appeared on the NTV channel, and in 2002 it moved to Channel One. Also in 2002, the program was broadcast on Ren TV.

The main motto of the “Dog Show” is: “If a dog cannot do something, the owner can do it for him, and vice versa.”

Rules

Any person raising a dog could take part in the show. The competitions were evaluated by a jury, which usually included theater and film artists, popular pop singers, poets, composers, writers, and directors.

After the takeover of the NTV television company in April 2001, the program temporarily stopped broadcasting, and repeats were broadcast best moments old issues. In the fall of 2001, the authors of the program decided to change the concept in connection with the move to a new studio. The dog-walking yard was transformed into an elite dog club, and the image of the presenter, who became the owner of this club, also changed. But as before, entrance to the studio was open to everyone without exception. A brass band also appeared in the studio.

Closing the transfer

In September 2002, the program, together with the program “Travels of a Naturalist,” moved to Channel One.

However, the studio's style and graphic design remained the same. In 2004, the NTV channel wanted to lure “Dog Show” back to itself, but this never happened. The program finally ceased to exist in August 2005.

Achievements

The program was nominated four times for the national television competition "TEFI" (in 1996 - as best program for children, in 1997 - “Best Presenter”, in 1998 - as the best entertainment program and best presenter). She has a diploma from the International Festival of Television Programs for Children and Youth. Its permanent presenter is Mikhail Shirvindt.

"Call of the Jungle"

Description

The children's entertainment program "Call of the Jungle" was originally broadcast on Channel One weekly on Saturday mornings from 1993 to 1995 and on ORT every Wednesday from 1995 to 2002. The first presenter of the program was Sergei Suponev. After him, the program was also broadcast by Pyotr Fedorov and Nikolai Gadomsky.

Rules of the game

As a rule, two teams took part in the game - “predators” and “herbivores”. Each team had 4 people.

Herbivores played in yellow T-shirts with pictures of animals on them. So, the participants were an elephant, a panda, a koala, and a monkey. The predators played in red jerseys: crocodile, lion, panther and leopard.

Two teams participated in competitions like “Fun Starts”. When “herbivores” won a particular competition, they were given a fake “banana” as one point. When the “predators” won, they were thrown a fake “dice.” At the end of the game, the team with the most bananas or dice in the basket at the end of the game won.

From 2006 to September 12, 2009, episodes shown on ORT from 1995 to January 12, 2002 were aired in repeats on the former Telenyanya channel. Since June 1, 2011, episodes of 1993-1994 have been repeated on the Nostalgia channel.

"Sex with Anfisa Chekhova"

About the transfer

Who do people prefer to have sex with? Where do they do this? When? How? Detailed, fresh, interesting information on how to get real satisfaction from intimate life, shared Anfisa Chekhova in her television erotic show “Sex with Anfisa Chekhova.”

She introduced viewers to the practical and technical side of sex life. Real intimate stories, the opinion of sexologists, the results of research by scientists. The program talked about all sides sexual relations, desire for intimacy, search for unusual experiences, one-night stands, passion, love, thirst for adventure.

The erotic show “Sex with Anfisa Chekhova” has been aired in Russia since 2000. The author of the idea and permanent presenter Anfisa Chekhova has been collecting materials for many years to introduce viewers to her conclusions. Given the nature of the program, it was usually broadcast either at midnight or a little later. Specially invited male strippers helped Anfisa reveal the innermost secrets of her sexual life.

In her program, Anfisa talked about the most interesting stories from people’s personal lives. About how to become sexy and realize your deepest desires, how to return extinguished passion, win your beloved man and prevent him from going to the left.

Closing the show

Despite the show's popularity, it was not destined to last long. During the economic crisis, filming of new episodes of the program stopped. The project was frozen, and old episodes of the program until 2012 were released in repeats.

"Window"

Start

The first episode of the “Windows” program was released on the STS television channel on May 20, 2002. And immediately gathered a huge audience at the screens. After all, spying on your neighbors through the keyhole is a curious thing and loved by many. And in the program, childish passions were in full swing: offended wives pulled out the hair of their husband’s mistresses, men fought over the slightest insults, strippers and transvestites came to the program, and, naturally, all this was accompanied by obscene language. The audience has never seen such a show! On Channel One there were similar programs with similar washing of bones and digging through dirty laundry: “Big Laundry”, “My Family”, but it seemed that there were still some kind of boundaries there. In “Windows” they were completely erased.

There was another factor why the audience loved the show so much. He was led by the charming Dmitry Nagiyev, with his shirt unbuttoned on his chest and long curly hair. He did not mince words, sometimes he pushed guests together, and his “everything, bye, bye” is still remembered by the audience.

Plot

The idea and style of the program are copied from The Jerry Springer Show, which has been on the air since 1991.

Usually the plot of the program developed according to the following scheme: Dmitry Nagiyev explained the background of the conflict, then its participants were invited to the studio one after another. The heroes dealt with each other verbally or using force. In this case, by the way, there was a “security service” in the studio, consisting of two strong men, whose goal was to separate the fighters.

After the end of the discussion, the presenter announced a “gong” and invited the audience to speak about the problem, and each was given exactly ten seconds. So, in one program, three different stories were dealt with, unrelated to each other.

Latest issue

Several months after the program began broadcasting, the newly appeared TVS channel I wanted to lure the ratings “Windows” to myself. But the author scandalous talk show Valery Komissarov changed his mind at the last moment and canceled the deal.

New in 2002 CEO channel STS Alexander Rodnyansky decided to close “Windows”. And from July 22, 2002, the program began to air on the TNT channel. True, STS also played old issues of Windows for the rest of the summer, until September 1st.

In February 2005, the last block of programs was filmed, and in the same year the talk show was closed due to declining ratings. The fact is that by this moment the audience was finally convinced: all the heroes are fake actors. At first, many still believed that these were real people who dared to come to the program to sort out their family affairs. But attentive viewers began to notice that in some episodes the characters were repeated, but the stories they told did not match.

“I’ll tell you a secret: during the existence of the program, there wasn’t a single real hero in it,” Dmitry admitted several years after the show closed. – Until now, no one has repeated the success of “Windows”. Imagine when a channel with a share of 3.4% (professionals should understand this) gives figures of 26%. It's like an ant carrying an elephant. That's roughly what it was like.

God bless the creators of the program. While working at Okna, I bought real estate in Moscow. So we still exist in a small apartment - me and my mother with a cat.”

Lolita without complexes

Start

The first episode of the program was released on Channel One on August 29, 2005. Eternal theme: family problems, relationships between fathers and children, men and women, sex, love... But there is one difference: Lolita’s emotionality. The singer talked with each guest like a close friend. She never judged, but she could openly express the most impartial criticism, and then cry with the hero. Her motto: “Getting rid of complexes helps a person change his attitude towards life, and therefore change his life.”

Plot

Each program was devoted to a separate topic. Lolita indicated a series of questions that she tried to answer together with her guests, each of whom told their own story at a separate table in the center of the hall. Professional psychologists and psychotherapists were also present in the studio, who gave the heroes specific advice and helped them find a way out of the most hopeless situations. And this, by the way, was a breakthrough in the talk show format. Lolita was one of the first to work in conjunction with professional commentators, for which in 2007 she was awarded the national television award “TEFI” in the category “ Talk show host».

Latest issue

The talk show was closed in 2007 on the initiative of Lolita herself. The singer admitted that this work exhausted her terribly.

“There is no secret here, I was just tired and left,” Lolita said. – I passed all the stories through myself, delved into the essence of each one, got incredibly tired and, as a result, broke down from overexertion. At that time, I had suffered greatly physically, because television was not my only job. I was also not satisfied with the editing of the program. What took place on the set was livelier and richer than what was broadcast. I'm talking about technical flaws. It happens that the operator misses, and the one who sits at the control panel in the editing room is too lazy to tell about it. I'm a perfectionist by nature, so when I see this, I swear. I’m used to delving into everything to the very essence and I don’t understand how you can work carelessly. I'm uncomfortable."

Return

After 8 years, the program has a chance to return to the screens. True, on a different channel and with a different name.

“For those who miss the program “Without Complexes”: my new show “Lolita” has been filming since August 2014,” she said good news singer. – We received the go-ahead after the pilot episodes. The program will be aired on the “Friday!” channel.

"I myself"

Start

The first truly women's talk show appeared on February 22, 1995, on the eve of the men's holiday of Defender of the Fatherland Day, as a protest against the fact that most films and programs of that time were aimed at men: politics, sports, action films, etc. In the program “I Myself” they talked only about women’s problems under the leadership of Yulia Menshova, the daughter of director Vladimir Menshov and actress Vera Alentova. Julia did not want to follow in the footsteps of her star parents, and this was her first attempt to do something on her own. Just a few months later she had already become one of the most popular, most recognizable TV presenters on the Russian television screen.

Plot

The studio gathered celebrities, experts in various fields and the most ordinary people to talk openly, argue about pressing problems: “I don’t love my child,” “My husband joined a sect,” etc. At different periods when the talk show aired, Yulia Menshova had co-hosts: playwright and prose writer Irina Khrisanfova, psychologist Olga Serdobova, writer Maria Arbatova.

Closing

The program “I Myself” existed until 2002, first airing on channel TV-6, and later on NTV. Over the years of its existence, the program “I Myself” has repeatedly changed its style, aired on different channels, but all this time it remained one of the most popular, highest-rated talk shows. In 1999, Yulia Menshova became a laureate of the national television award “TEFI” in the “Talk Show Host” category. “Until the time I worked on the show “I Myself,” my dad wasn’t too proud of my successes. Basically, they and my mother nagged me,” Yulia recalled. “And when I left their wing, theater and cinema, and took up television, some kind of objectivity came. They began to react calmer. And finally they became proud of me. After receiving the TEFI, my dad even praised me for the first time.”

Return to TV

After almost 10 years, Yulia Menshova returned to TV. Her original program “Alone with Everyone” is now airing on Channel One, where she talks for an hour with popular people. “This is a return to home,” admitted Yulia. – Over the past 10 years, some changes have occurred on television, but they are more of a structural nature. What we once discovered as a bicycle now works automatically. And it's very nice. As for the actual recording of the program, I don’t have the feeling that there was any pause at all. I don’t feel frantic excitement, I calculate my strength and know what I can do and what I can’t. Probably, when it’s really your business, you adequately assess your strengths, without underestimating your capabilities or exaggerating.”

"Lucky case"

Start

The family quiz show appeared on domestic television in 1989. This is not the know-how of our producers, but an analogue of the American show “Race to the Leader.” Each episode was attended by two teams (families) consisting of four people. They answered intellectual questions from the host, each other, and TV viewers. Based on the results of 5 rounds, the winner was determined. The team that managed to win four games in a row received unimaginable prizes at that time: a TV, a VCR and a stereo system.

Rules

The rules of the quiz have undergone changes over time. Initially, on the table in front of the teams there was a playing field with colored sectors indicating the topics of the questions. After 1994 this field disappeared. True, a new round appeared, where pop stars, actors, and athletes asked questions to the participants. The ratings for “A Happy Occasion” were crazy until 1999. After moving from ORT to TVC, the program lasted a couple more months, and then closed completely.

Leading

From the very first issue, the quiz was hosted by Mikhail Marfin, who, one might say, along with Voroshilov, instilled in Russians a love of smart games. In addition to hosting “A Happy Occasion,” Mikhail was the editor of the KVN Major League from 1992 to 2004, and from 2007–2009 he was a permanent member of the jury of the TNT programs “Laughter without Rules” and “ Slaughter League" Since 2013, he has been hosting the show “You Can’t Get Smarter” on the STV channel. Writes scripts for TV series and films.

"A woman's gaze" by Oksana Pushkina

Start

For the first time, domestic television viewers found out who Oksana Pushkina was in 1997. Upon returning home after a long stay in the USA, the journalist came to the VID company with an offer to make an original program about difficult women's destinies. The creators of VID liked the idea. A couple of months later, “Women’s Stories” by Oksana Pushkina appeared on the air.” The audience immediately remembered Pushkina’s manner of presentation: the revelations of stars talking about their difficult life, overcoming adversity and a sympathetic voice-over. Oksana instantly became one of the most popular presenters.

Moving to NTV

True, despite the success, two years later Pushkina moved to NTV due to financial disagreements with the channel. They say they didn’t pay any money. Oksana’s new program began to be called “A Woman’s View” by Oksana Pushkina.” But the “first button” did not lag behind. Oerteshniks launched a twin project “Women’s Stories” with Tatyana Pushkina.” Not only do the presenters of similar programs have the same last names, but they were also very similar in appearance. As a result, the two channels had almost identical programs.

Closing

The last episode of “A Woman’s View...” aired in 2013. The program was closed due to Pushkina’s return to Channel One.

Talk show "Arina"

Start

The program aired on the NTV channel in 1998–1999. The host, as the name suggests, is Arina Sharapova. The genre of this show is very similar to Yulia Menshova’s project “Alone with Everyone,” which is currently airing on Channel One.

The essence of the project

People came to Arina’s studio famous people and talked about various, sometimes very personal topics. For example, on one of the talk show broadcasts there was Lyudmila Gurchenko, who spoke about the terrible illness that she suffered in 1996. Sharapova's program was distinguished by very interesting, but at the same time tactful questions and, of course, the charm of the presenter.

Closing

However, in October 1999, Arina left for TV-6, and in 2001 she returned to First, where she continues to this day. Good morning" From 2007 to 2010, Sharapova was the co-host of " Fashionable sentence" In 2013, she conducted several editions of the game “The Most best husband", in 2014 - host of the project "Island of Crimea". Since 2014, she has been the president of the School of Arts and Media Technologies.

"Brain Ring"

Start

Another intellectual show domestic production from Vladimir Voroshilov. The creator of the program “What? Where? When?" conceived this project back in the early 80s. However, he managed to bring the idea to life only a decade later. The essence of the program is close to “ChGK”, however, instead of one team of experts, two teams of 6 people answer the same questions. The order of answers is determined by a button on the participants’ table: whoever pressed first is the first to answer. Accordingly, the intensity of passions increased due to competition.

Leading

The first few issues in the early 90s were conducted by Voroshilov himself. In 1991, Andrei Kozlov, one of the experts in the elite club, became the host of the project. Besides him in the "Brain Ring" in different time Alexander Druz, Boris Burda, Vladimir Belkin took part.

What now?

The program also moved frequently from channel to channel. At first it was shown on the first button, and was shown on TVC for some time. From February 6 to December 4, 2010 it aired on the STS TV channel. The presenters were Andrei Kozlov and actress Elizaveta Arzamasova (in the image of Galina Sergeevna Vasnetsova, a character in the TV series “Daddy’s Daughters”). In 2013, several episodes were shown by the Zvezda channel (a special tournament among employees of the Ministry of Defense).

Also, their own versions of the show were released in Ukraine, Belarus, and Azerbaijan.

"Up to 16 and older"

Start

In 1983, a program covering the lives of young people appeared on the First Program of the USSR Central Television. Moreover, it spoke not only about the achievements and successes of young Soviet citizens, but also about their problems. Homelessness, hazing in the army, drugs and rock and roll – the presenters and correspondents of “Until 16...” examined the most pressing topics. Even intimate issues were discussed in the “Tete-a-Tete” section. Famous people were often invited to the program. So, in 1988, immediately after the sensational film “Needle,” the idol of that time, Viktor Tsoi, appeared on the air.

Journalists and presenters

On initial stage the issue was a magazine consisting of individual stories and reports. Later, the program became closer to the format of a talk show with a studio and guests discussing burning topics of the younger generation. Among the presenters of the show were Sergei Suponev, who since 1986 worked in the Children's Editorial Office of Central Television and prepared stories for the program “Under 16 and Over” and Alexey Veselkin.

Closing

“Under 16 and Over” lasted a long time on silver screens, until 2001. Since then, the project has been on indefinite hiatus. No one has ever fully filled this niche.

"The Domino Principle"

Start

The program started on the NTV channel in 2001. The hosts of “The Domino Principle” were Elena Ishcheeva and Elena Hanga. Issues were issued at a daily frequency. The program caused an unprecedented stir - over three television seasons of broadcasting, more than 700 programs were aired.

The essence of the program

The talk show was based on real heroes And real stories. In each episode, the hosts, together with guests and experts from the program, discussed a specific situation or problem. The name “Domino Principle” was intended to reflect the essence of what was happening in the studio - the desire to study every circumstance, any factor that influences the chain of subsequent events. In a figurative sense, when one domino pushes another, the entire chain falls.

Closing

More and more often, Elena Ishcheeva and Elena Khanga had to resolve conflicts not only between the broadcast participants, but also among themselves. As Ishcheeva later admitted, she and Hanga could not work well together, but if this had happened, the program could have existed for a very, very long time. By 2006, The Domino Principle's ratings had dropped so low that the program had to be taken off the air.

"Details"

Start

The program appeared on the STS channel television network in 2002. The host of “Details” was Tina Kandelaki. Issues were published in live. The production of the first version of the program, aired from September to December 2002, was carried out by the VID television company. Then the program went for revision and returned to the air only in 2003.

The essence of the program

Guests came to Tina Kandelaki’s studio with whom they could have an interesting and informative conversation on various topics. From 2003 to 2007, the “Details in the Morning” program was broadcast, hosted by Sasha Markvo and Nastya Chukhrai, and the regular episode was published on weekdays at night. From this program came “Stories in Detail” and “Cinema in Detail”. Since the fall of 2006, the program was broadcast live and became interactive - anyone could call the program studio by phone and ask a question to the guest. At the same time, politicians were never invited to the program in accordance with the apolitical concept of STS broadcasting.

Closing

In November 2006, Tina Kandelaki became the winner of the TEFI award in the “Talk Show Host” category thanks to this TV show. However, in the first half of 2007, the popular program disappeared from the air on STS due to low ratings of the latest episodes. The reason for the lower ratings is the lack of updating of the format. In addition, it was mentioned that over the four years of the program’s existence, Kandelaki managed to talk with almost all possible guests.

In the summer of 2007, they decided to revive the program in an updated format. Tina Kandelaki began to host it together with Renata Litvinova and Kirill Serebrennikov. However, this format did not arouse much audience interest, and after New Year's holidays In 2008, the program was finally closed.

"Weak Link"

Start

TV game "The Weakest Link" on Russian television became an analogue English The Weakest Link. In Russia, the program was launched on September 25, 2001. It immediately aroused increased interest among the audience and even divided it into two camps: some considered the game to be excessively cruel, revealing the most indecent qualities in people, while others, on the contrary, considered it interesting and exciting.

Rules of the game

A team of seven (before November 2001 - nine) previously strangers tries to earn a prize of up to 400,000 rubles by answering the host’s questions. A total of 6 rounds with 7 players, 7 rounds with 8 players, 8 rounds with 9 players and the final. The time for each round is limited (the duration of the first round is 2.5 minutes, each subsequent round is 10 seconds less), the time for thinking about the final questions is not limited.

A special feature of the transfer is the removal of one of the players at the end of each game round, which is done by voting of all players.

The first question of the first round is asked to the player whose name is first in alphabetical order (in subsequent rounds - to the strongest player of the previous round according to statistics, or if the strongest link has left the game, then the player with the first name in alphabetical order or the next strongest link in statistics starts the round), then the players answer in turn. In each round you can earn up to 50,000 rubles by building chains of correct answers. In the last round, any amount earned by participants is doubled (that is, you can earn up to 100,000 rubles). Most quick way earn the maximum amount - build a chain of 8 correct answers, in this case the round ends early.

Maria Kiseleva's jokes:

– Who is dragging the whole team down?

– Who got lost in three pines?

- Who has a head just to eat in it?

– Who is suitable for the slogan “Slower, lower, weaker”?

– Whose intelligence is at the baseboard level?

– Who will the team remove like a sore tooth?

Closing

The game aired on Channel One with Maria Kiseleva as host until July 2, 2005. Two years later, the license to produce its own version of the game was acquired by Channel Five; from December 2, 2007 to December 28, 2008, Nikolai Fomenko hosted the game.

"Peak hour"

Start

Popular in the 90s, the television program of the VID television company in the genre of television interviews, copied from Larry King's show Larry King Live, right down to the host's braces, is one of the programs that “changed the way Russians view television.” It aired live on Channel One Ostankino, and from April 3, 1995 on ORT from Monday to Thursday at 19:00. The first issue was released on May 30, 1994. Until March 1, 1995, the program was hosted by Vlad Listyev.

The essence of the program

The host of the program, Vlad Listyev, invited a guest to the studio, with whom he had conversations on current topics - over the years, Kristina Orbakaite, Yuri Nikulin, Yan Arlazorov and others visited the studio.

Closing

After the murder of Vlad Listyev on the evening of March 1, 1995, many assumed that the program would be closed, but it continued to air. On the evening of March 2, 1995, an episode of the program dedicated to Vlad Listyev was released, without a host. After the launch of ORT, from April 3 to September 28, 1995, the program was alternately hosted by Sergei Shatunov and Dmitry Kiselev, from October 2, 1995 to August 29, 1996, the program was alternately hosted by Dmitry Kiselev and Andrey Razbash. Since September 2, 1996, the talk show was hosted by Andrei Razbash. In February 1998, the program covered the Olympic Games in Nagano.

"Finest Hour"

Start

The children's television program began airing on Mondays on the ORT channel on October 19, 1992. Conducted in the format intellectual game. The first host of the program was actor Alexey Yakubov, but he was soon replaced by Vladimir Bolshov. The first few months of 1993 were hosted by Igor Bushmelev and Elena Shmeleva (Igor and Lena), from April 1993 to December 8, 2001, Sergei Suponev, who became the head of the program. Project by Vladislav Listyev.

Rules of the game

The game was played according to two fundamentally different systems of rules. To be precise, the rules differed even from game to game, in particular, the participation of parents in the rounds in the points season (in some rounds the host was released after the first) and the awarding of stars in the second.

Points season

The game consisted of three rounds and the final. 6 teams took part in the game, each of which consisted of a participant - a schoolchild of approximately 8-10 grades and one of his parents, less often a teacher or friend. Parents answered all questions at the same time as their children, earning them extra points. If the parent gave three incorrect answers, then he left the game. In the points season there was no “0” sign (there is no correct answer), no round. The difference between the first and second only affected the order in which the words were named in the final.

Star Season

A star was given for the correct answer of both the participant and the parent in the first and third rounds; in the second, the parent had the longest word, the participant had the longest word, and they received a different number of stars from game to game. The difference in stars gave a handicap in the final: the one who cannot say the word or give the star loses.

If all participants should receive a star on the same basis, then no one received it. It became especially important in the later games, since the record was 9 stars (+1 for opening a red box), and with that number no one reached the final: it was guaranteed that you could only get 3+2+2, in the first round you need three the player made a mistake, and in the third - so that the opponents give the correct answer to the same question or make a mistake.

Zero round

A gift for the presenter - a craft or a performance. At first, the presenter gave a star to those who cooked. But after everyone began to prepare, the star was given only to the best. Once the presenter gave a star the only participant who didn't prepare anything.

First tour

In the first round, participants were offered eight items or concepts indicated on a video board, and were asked questions to which these items were the answers. Answers were given by raising up tablets with numbers - answer numbers (respectively, from 1 to 8).

Second round

At the beginning of the second round, 10 large cubes with letters on the sides poured out of the pipe (later - 9 with a star replacing any letter). Those letters that ended up on the upper edges (looking up) were taken for the task. From these letters it was necessary to form words, using as many of the dropped letters as possible. The parents also composed the words. For the longest word among the parents, the participant received 50 points. For their words, all participants received 50 points for each letter. Later, a star was awarded for the participant's longest word, and another for the parent. In some cases, they got three if they matched.

There was also a game with the spectators according to the rules: the spectators who were the first to name each word, if it was the longest that was composed, came out. Then there was one prize: you had to guess which one (they took turns asking a question that could be answered “yes”/“no”). And receive a prize if the presenter answers “yes” to the exact, sometimes close, name of the item).

At least three players advanced to the third round. Those who composed the longest words came out first. Then those who composed shorter words but had the most points (stars). If the points were equal, everyone passed.

Prize competition

In the points season: the player who composed the longest word (if several, then the one who scored the most points in the 1st-2nd rounds; in case of a tie, an additional question was asked) had the right to choose a prize for himself. The prizes were hidden in five numbered boxes; you had to point to the right box. The player could keep the prize or open another one (up to three boxes). If two same number points (which was rare; equality was needed in the first round), then an additional question was asked.

In the star season: the player who composed the longest word (if more than one, then the one who scored the most stars) had the right to choose a prize for himself. The prizes were hidden in seven boxes of different colors and sizes; you had to point to the right box. A star was taken to open each box. If you don’t like the prize, you can leave it and open another one. In one of the boxes there was a star, giving the right to open another box for free. The red box may contain the best prize, but it may also be empty, after which it is impossible to open other boxes in any case (the rule was not introduced immediately). If two participants named a word of equal length and had an equal number of stars, they could open one box each, except for the red one. If there was a star, then he opened the second one for free, “Applause” - for a fee. Sometimes participants opened the boxes, and there was nothing there...

Third round

In the third round, 4 (later 3) objects or concepts appeared on the scoreboard. For each question, unlike the first round, there appeared various items. It was necessary either to indicate which of the objects or concepts was superfluous, or by raising two signs at once to show which of the objects needed to be swapped so that they were located in a certain order. The evaluation was similar to the first round.

In the later games, parents did not answer the question, but only the first one to raise the sign and with the correct answer received it. The rule changed the strategy: for the leader (who reached the final) there was a theoretical opportunity to be the first to raise the sign, but it was necessary for both opponents to answer correctly or both to make a mistake, and so that an equal number of stars had previously been collected. The person lagging behind had to be the first to raise the sign, otherwise they would not advance to the finals. Only two players reached the final.

The final

In the finals, participants without parents (later with them) competed against each other, starting with the one with the lowest number of points. The winner was the one who made up more short words from one long one. For a word named alone, he received 20 points. For a word named with a parent, +10. If during the game the player scored 1000 points and won the final, he won a super prize.

Closing

After tragic death host Sergei Suponev On December 8, 2001, the program ceased to exist. The last episode was broadcast on January 16, 2002. They did not find a replacement for the presenter, although they tried Sergei Belogolovtsev and Kirill Suponev as new presenters. In addition, many other ORT children's programs were closed, such as Call of the Jungle, as well as the broadcast of animated series at 15:30.

"Big Wash"

Start

The show was launched in July 2001, then still on the ORT channel. Presenter Andrei Malakhov recalls how his idea was born:

– I saw how popular talk shows and their hosts are in the USA: Larry King, Oprah Winfrey (Malakhov studied in America. – Website note). Moreover, they had been leading them for ten to fifteen years. And so, upon returning, in the corridors of Ostankino I met TV presenter Larisa Krivtsova (who later became the producer of The Big Streak - Antenna note), and she asked me if there were any fresh ideas. I shared my American impressions. Moreover, when talking about the talk show, I assumed that this was rather its format. But at the next meeting, she stunned me with the news that she had agreed with the channel management about new program(this was the “Big Wash”) and that I would lead it.

This show gave impetus to Andrei's stellar career.

Rules of the game

The slogan of the program: “One hour - this is the automatic mode of operation.” washing machine. Now, instead of the usual soap operas, housewives, having started their laundry, will watch an hour-long talk show.” For an hour, Malakhov talked with guests in the studio, discussing the scandalous details of the personal lives of both stars and ordinary people. She went out on weekdays, first at four o’clock, then at five.

Closing

The program ceased to exist in 2004. But the format of the scandalous talk show on Channel One has not disappeared. “The Big Wash” simply changed its name. First on “Five Evenings”, and then on “Let Them Talk”.

"Both on!"

Start

Rules

The program was quite revolutionary for the then Soviet television. Graphic design- a black and white cage, this was the meaning: it was chess, a taxi, and a certain element of clownery. It was a satirical program, they joked both about people and about some events. One of the most striking numbers is “Funeral of Food”, a parody of a funeral Soviet general secretaries. In addition to Ugolnikov, the team also included a member of the “Secret” group Nikolai Fomenko, Valdis Pelsh (he directed the first few episodes), actor Evgeny Voskresensky. It was in “Oba-na!” Nonna Grishaeva and Maria Aronova, then 3rd year students of the Shchukin School, began their careers.

Closing

After Nikolai Fomenko and Evgeniy Voskresensky left the program, it was renamed “Oba-na!” Corner show." The last episode aired on December 24, 1995.

Magront Maria Viktorovna (Akhvlediani) - candidate philological sciences, Deputy Head of the Department of Journalism and Television of the Higher School of Technology (faculty) of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, author, director and producer of television programs and films, laureate international festivals and competitions. Academician of the International Academy of Television and Radio (IATR), member of the Eurasian Academy of Television and Radio Broadcasting, member of the Union of Journalists of Russia, member of the International Union of Journalists. Awarded the medal “Academician A.I. Berg" in 2015. Author of textbooks and monographs.

Will see the light in the spring A new book Maria Magront - “TV behind the scenes.” It is dedicated to the history of the creation of legendary domestic television programs: “Come on, girls!”, “What? Where? When?”, “Love at first sight”, “ Lucky case"and others. For many, these names evoke warm memories and nostalgia. Many people know the presenters, but how were these programs created? Who are the heroes behind the scenes? What funny things happened on the sites? All this is in Maria Magront’s book “TV Behind the Scenes”.

Love at first sight. 25 years later

This year marks 25 years since the launch of the cult program “Love at First Sight”. This TV show has not appeared on our screens for many years, but how can we forget the charming Allochka and her co-host Boris Kryuk. It book could not ignore this touching and funny anniversary. We are publishing an excerpt from Maria Magront’s wonderful book, dedicated to the iconic programs of Russian television.

The book is based on exclusive interviews creators and producers of programs, and some scripts were also published in it for the first time.

In 1990, specialists from the GUVS - Main Directorate of External Relations went to the television market in Cannes. Valentin Lazutkin received permission from Vladimir Voroshilov and Natalia Stetsenko to sell “What? Where? When?". Several tapes were recorded, and although the format was not sold to the West, it attracted interest. And literally a month or two later, a producer from England, Stephen Leahy, the head of Action Time and the author of the idea of ​​Love at First Sight, came to N.I. Stetsenko, who brought two suitcases with cassettes. It was obvious to Natalia Ivanovna that no one or anything would be bought from us in the West; it was politically unprofitable for them - they bought what America offered them.

Natalia Stetsenko:“Even then they told us that if America buys and it goes with them, then everyone else will buy. And to sell so that we can buy is welcome! We still understood this then, and Stephen brought various programs, and when I started watching them, they mostly contained quizzes, and I was not interested in doing all that. After all, our Brain Ring was a great success back then, and “What? Where? When?”, and suddenly I took this tape “Love at First Sight”, I looked, it was something completely different, a different plane, unfamiliar to us. And I decided to do it, it turned out to be a completely new format in England, and they told us that we would be the first or second to do it.”

A group of television specialists from Holland and the then Soviet Union were met in London. The hospitable hosts first introduced Soviet television crews to the capital of Great Britain, and then moved to Nottinghamshire, England, since the production was located in the city of Nottingham, where the IGRA-TV company filmed the pilot version of Love at First Sight. The quality of the technology was amazing, and collaboration turned out to be useful and interesting. But Natalia Ivanovna did not copy the program in everything. With the British, everything is written through endless “stop” commands, the work of the director and cameramen is scheduled by camera - camera No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, just take the installer and press the buttons. Natalia Stetsenko told her team that our company works live, and if anyone dares to announce “Stop!” in the studio, they will be fired tomorrow. All programs, regardless of whether they are recorded or live, are filmed live by the IGRA-TV television company.

Actually, the show costs money, and in the West this is well understood. And since the Soviet side did not have money to film the “pilot,” the British financed the entire process.

Natalia Stetsenko:“So they gave us 100 pounds as employees, I bought this cross there for 10 pounds and haven’t taken it off since then.”

At that time, the British had such an interest in the Soviet Union and Russia that the three young heroes of the program flew on one plane, and the three heroines on another plane, lived in different hotels, accompanied by different editors. The hosts of the program were Alla Volkova and Boris Kryuk. Alla spoke English well, Boris spoke it a little. Every lunch and dinner the English gathered the whole group, and during lunch Stephen clapped his hands several times, and everyone moved from their seats to others. Thus, everyone became acquainted.

Natalia Stetsenko:“I’m not even talking about the fact that we didn’t understand at first, they showed as their know-how the schedule of not only the shooting, but also the entire day, so that boys and girls would not meet on the set. And they had it planned minute by minute - who was entering which dressing room when, who was entering the studio, who was meeting whom at the metro, and then they filmed it that way. The shooting technology is strictly prescribed by the minute, i.e. we had to do everything precisely to the minute.”

The only thing the Russian team stumbled on was computers, because in our country there were no computers at all, and answers to questions had to be written on computers, and these large computers were brought to us from England. A special computer engineer, Chris Goss, arrived and needed to be accommodated in a hotel, and then there was also a problem with that. Then a problem arose with radio microphones, in our country no one knew what they were, and the ones we had so that the participants could communicate with each other were jammed - the Ostankino Tower, in general, it was a nightmare. When Natalia Ivanovna Stetsenko told Stephen Leahy about this, he replied that they had chosen the most technologically complex transmission, the most advanced.

Natalia Stetsenko:“And this program gave us a lot, although everyone scolded us then! How much Boris went through then, how much Alla went through! But it was a revolutionary game, young people poured in! Our office was inundated with letters, just like at ChGK, they wrote from all over the country and the popularity was crazy!”

The Russian side bought a hat and music from the British, but they refused a set of questions, taking only two or three from them, because some of the questions in the English version were absurd and unacceptable for us. Natalia Ivanovna also admits that it was only in England that she realized that we are very gloomy people, we are busy and do not know how to smile or relax.

Natalia Stetsenko: “Of course, we were very worried, Andrei Kozlov was then a novice director, who had not yet directed a single program on his own, Boris Kryuk, who directed Brain Ring, but had never hosted a single program, and I remember that I came to a hotel, where in my room there was a huge bed that I was afraid to approach, I turned back the covers and lay down on the edge. The stress is monstrous!”

Alla Volkova, presenter of the program recalls the situation at the end of November 1990 in Nottingham. “There was an unusually warm, friendly and sunny atmosphere in the studio. And the director on the set before I went on the “stage” said: “Smile and don’t forget that you are not speaking to the camera, but are addressing your beloved friend, neighbor. You will come to visit them every week!”

Soviet television workers walked tense and gloomy, but the British had a completely different principle, they entered the studio and they had a rule - no matter who entered: an administrator, an assistant, a producer or the owner of the channel, everyone began to dance to the music of “Love at First Sight.” Everyone did it!

Natalia Stetsenko:“And when we came in, they kept asking: “Are you having problems?” We didn't know what to answer. And we learned to relax and smile.”

Photos from the archive of TC "IGRA-TV".

Surely, everyone over 20 years old remembers very well the show of their youth - “Love at First Sight”. This TV show can truly be called a legend of the 90s, as it was one of a kind. Guys and girls of all ages gathered in front of their televisions to watch “love at first sight,” watching with equal interest what was happening on the screen. Literally every second viewer dreamed of becoming a participant in this program, winning valuable prizes and, of course, finding love.

History of the show

January 12, 1991 became a special date for many people who lived in the Soviet Union. It was on this day that the program that won the hearts of millions, “Love at First Sight,” first appeared on screens. For almost ten years, every week people of all ages were literally glued to their TV screens, waiting for the latest release of an interesting reality show.

However, the idea of ​​the show was not new. The Russian television company bought it from their British colleagues, by the way, from the same ones from whom they bought the idea for the no less legendary program “What? Where? When?".
Throughout the entire time the show was aired, it had permanent hosts - Boris Kryuk and Alla Volk. They were the soul of the program and its face. By the way, in 2011, this pair of hosts teamed up to create their own show like “Love at First Sight,” but, alas, it didn’t work out.

As for the participants in the show, their fates turned out differently. Some of them were really able to find their soulmate on the show, some were not. But, be that as it may, all participants in the program gave their viewers extraordinary emotions, delight and happiness. They infused the most romantic notes into the souls of the audience.
The peculiarity of the program, for which it is still reviewed to this day, was the complete absence of obscenity. Unlike modern shows, the shows that come from Soviet Union, was bright, clean, but no less exciting.

Rules of the game

The original rules of the game "Love at First Sight" were interesting and exciting. The participants happily fulfilled the conditions and tasks of the presenters, and the audience in the hall and in front of the TV screens watched the participants with interest.

Each game was divided into two stages and took place over two days. In the first stage, three young boys and girls who did not know each other took part. Over a certain period of time, the presenter asked the participants a wide variety of questions (sometimes very tricky), and the participants answered them, trying to demonstrate themselves as much as possible and please the representatives of the opposite sex.

After the questions, when the participants got to know each other a little, they simultaneously (and secretly) pressed the buttons with the representative of the opposite sex they liked. If two people chose each other, they became a "couple". All matched couples were sent to a restaurant where they could chat and get to know each other even better.

The next day the game continued. The presenter asked one of the partners questions about how his couple would behave in a given situation. For each correct answer, the couple got the opportunity to shoot at the scoreboard with prizes. The scoreboard itself consisted of many squares, which one of the partners shot at using a joystick. There were 10 hearts hidden on the cage - cells with prizes that had to be found. In addition, there were two special cells on the scoreboard - “romantic trip” and “broken heart”.

If the “romantic trip” sector fell out, the game stopped and the participants received the main prize for which they came to the show - a vacation for two at a resort. If the “broken heart” sector fell out, the game also stopped and the couple lost all the gifts they had received so far.

Subsequently, the rules of the game changed somewhat. The number of prizes on the field has decreased, and the “broken heart” sector has disappeared. However, this did not make the game any less exciting.

Many still remember and love the very first couple of presenters - Alla Volkova and Boris Kryuk (later Pavel Kostitsyn and Katya Vinogradova were on Inter, and now Andrei Domansky and Vasilisa Frolova). Boris and Alla looked so harmonious that from time to time there were persistent rumors that they had become husband and wife.

After the show, Volkova actually got married (and for the third time), but not to Boris at all, but to Igor Ivannikov, former soloist group "Doctor Watson", with whom she is happily married to this day.

In 2000, when the program was closed, Alla disappeared from television screens, but did not stop her creative work on TV, taking the place of program director at the television company “Igra-TV” (“What? Where? When?”, “Brain Ring”, “ Cultural Revolution", etc.), where he still works under the leadership of... Boris Kryuk.

Volkova has two adult sons, Yuli and Arthur, and a grandson and a granddaughter. Lives in country house in outskirts of Moscow. She loves baking pies, riding a bike, dogs (she has several of them) and weaving baubles from natural stones.

We managed to talk with Alla about “Love at first sight” and more.

"It was completely improvised"

- Alla, remember your reaction to the offer to become the host of the “Love at First Sight” program?

I remember that I was pleasantly surprised and, as a responsible person, rushed to the libraries to read Freud. Believe it or not, I even took two years of psychology courses taught by my friend, university rector Olga Potemkina! Before all this, I was an “expert”; in 1979 I came to the youth editorial office for the program “What? Where? When?” The decision - who to take as host of the program - was made by two people: Vladimir Voroshilov and Natalia Stetsenko (Voroshilov’s wife, Boris Kryuk’s mother, TV editor - Author).

- It was the first fun show, there was no experience in running such programs yet. What did they ask of you?

They didn’t demand anything from us, it was complete improvisation. The British helped us for several years. We didn't have computers! When they saw equipment from 1970 or even 1967 on our television center, they grabbed their heads. And they were very surprised when the result was a perfect picture. They brought us computers that weren't on our TV at the time, and their computer guy Chris Goss did all the cutscenes for us, the hearts flying out, the archery.

- What was our specialty?

Presenters. Boris is intellect, intelligence, wonderful humor. And Alla the presenter is lightness, outfits, hairstyles. They even dyed my hair blonde. Yes, I myself added frivolity to my image.

- Were you comfortable as a blonde?

I am a completely different person in real life! But we have a lot of different characters inside us. And at different moments a person manifests himself in different ways. We had a good stylist Alexander Shevchuk. So when he changed my appearance, everyone applauded him! Every time our group looked at me in surprise, because every time he drew me a new face! For this I am very grateful to him, because they recognize me only by my voice (laughs). He also selected the costumes.

"I'm glad there wasn't then yellow press"

- Did you feel like a star?

They recognized us. But this was the post-Soviet space. You cannot compare the concept of a star then and now. Nowadays it denotes a glamorous lifestyle. And then we didn’t even know such a word! For us, work and creativity came first.

- Probably, you were constantly “married” to Boris Hook. How did you disown this?

The thing is that it didn’t really bother us. If we had an affair, we would get married. Moreover, it is so convenient to produce a program for ten years and be together (laughs). If we didn’t get married, it means there was no romance.

Actually, I love Boris very much, I have such a sisterly love for him. And the fruit of this love is this program. Boris also always treated me and still treats me very tenderly. But he has a completely different type of woman in his head that he will marry (laughs).

I am terribly glad that my program was published for so long and that then there was, in fact, no yellow press that would come up with all sorts of tall tales. It’s just that my children and my mother, who was still alive at that time, could not stand all this horror and nightmare when they discuss who and what, where and with whom.

- Did your acquaintances ask to participate in the project “through connections”?

No. As in the case of "What? Where? When?" not a single friend of mine, not a single relative sent a single question or received any money.

- Do you think the modern viewer has a need for such projects now?

I think this program is for all time.

"This is life, and everyone steps on their own rake"

- Now in Ukraine, the updated project “Love at First Sight” has just started on the Inter channel. But this is no longer a youth show - its characters are mainly those who are about 30 or over 30...

More experienced heroes are a very correct approach. After all, they have something to say! We also had different heroes. And there were young people. There were even children who had very funny sayings. One little girl, 5 years old, answered the question “What is happiness”? answered: “This is a room full of gold.” Like this!

- How do you feel about the fact that now communication between men and women has moved to the virtual level?

They will have to meet someday! The fact is that in this way they expand their social circle. You can’t sit in a cafe and talk to 9 applicants! And here you can meet everyone and reject someone (laughs). This is life, and everyone steps on their own rake.

- Do you believe in love at first sight?

This is probably what happens - at first glance. From him, everyone decides whether this person is his or not.

From the history of TV shows

“Colleagues did not recognize the program”

Stephen Leahy (the author of the program, at that time the director of the Action Time company, from which they bought the license for the show. - Author) brought a whole bag different programs, formats that his company produced,” recalls Alla Volkova. - Vladimir Voroshilov and Natalia Stetsenko chose “Love at First Sight” because it amazed them. They didn't want to buy some new quiz or something like "What? Where? When?"

As for the audience, they were divided. Some believed that this was a revolutionary show and drew parallels with the fall of the Iron Curtain and Berlin Wall. And someone thought that this was an immodest program and that some things related to the relationship between men and women should not be discussed.

By the way, all the programs of our television company - “What? Where? When?”, “Brain Ring”, “Cultural Revolution”, “Life is Beautiful” - have been awarded the TEFI award more than once. And “Love at First Sight,” although it was published for almost 10 years (from 1991 to 2000), has no awards. Her colleagues did not recognize her. They thought that this was too frivolous a show for our people.

The management also had an ambivalent attitude towards this program... We were assigned at twelve o'clock at night. But still the ratings went through the roof.

I remember one of the critics wrote that we send potential brides and grooms on a romantic trip in couples in cabins. In fact, there was nothing like that! Participants won a romantic trip, at the end of the year we collected them and sent them all on one ship. Naturally, no one lived with each other. Boys were placed with boys, girls with girls. We did not set our goal to get married. Although, indeed, some couples got married, and then we invited them to the studio.