X-Fire (game show)

X-Fire
Presented by	Ed Hall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	12+1 Un-aired
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	25 September 2001 (2001-09-25) – 20 July 2002 (2002-07-20)

X-Fire (pronounced 'Cross-fire'), was a paintball-based TV gameshow, aired on Channel 4 in the UK and presented by Ed Hall.

Synopsis

The programme was a game show, featuring a strike team consisting of 6 players armed with paintball markers (known as "emulsifiers"), who attempt to complete challenges in simulated Special Forces-type raids against similarly-armed opponents. In general, the contestants play games of paintball against the show's antagonists in elaborately constructed scenarios.

The teams would be opposed by a host of "grunts", armed with slow-firing weapons and the "Special Forces"; six individuals (with made-up character names and bios) armed with the same weapons as the contestants. These Special Forces were named Hellmet (named Helmet Strebi) (ranked Oberleutnant), Morgan (Morgan Johnson) (ranked Sergeant), Clawz (Vanessa Upton) (Private), Dalia (Dalia Mikneviciute) (Sergeant), AJ (Andrew J Dickens) (Commander) and Little Yin (Anna Luong) (Private). "Grunts" would typically be dispatched quickly, whereas the Special Forces would take strong defensive positions and present serious challenges to the team.

A shot in the head or torso would be considered an "emulsification" and the shot party would play dead.

Each programme would contain three missions, the last of which always took place in the 'Special Forces HQ'. The missions for each episode would be based around a particular narrative, such as stopping toxic waste dumping or stopping the production of counterfeit bank notes. The Special Forces would always be involved with these evil plots, and thus had to be stopped by the strike team.

The teams' actions the challenges were rewarded with credits. In between each challenge the teams could purchase items such as more paintballs, shields, paint grenades, a stationary shotgun weapon (firing up to 100 shots in one go) or buy back team mates who had been "emulsified" in the previous challenge.

The series was axed shortly following the terrorist attacks on September the 11th, and as such the penultimate episode, titled 'Star Wars', was never broadcast, instead Channel 4 broadcast the final episode to end the series.

Episode Guide

Series 1

Episode	Operation	Strike Team	Credits	Air date	Mission 3 difficulty
1	Retrieval	Flatout	8000	25 September 2001	EXTREME!
2	Counterfeit Charlie	The Specials	6075	2 October 2001	EXTREME!
3	Waste Disposal	The Lifeboat Team	3150	9 October 2001	Standard
4	Clone Alone	Team Planet	7200	16 October 2001	EXTREME!
5	Ransom	ABC Warriors	4775	23 October 2001	Standard

Series 2

Episode	Operation	Strike Team	Credits	Air date	Mission 3 difficulty
1	Phoenix Rising	Ayresome Angels	5688	29 May 2002	Easy
2	Retribution	All The Kings Men	4825	5 June 2002	Standard
3	Germ Alert	Dangerous Divas	3100	12 June 2002	Easy
4	Cold Thaw	North London Spirits	6550	19 June 2002	Standard
5	Energy Crisis	The Burton Bullets	8550	26 June 2002	Standard
6	Code Breaker	Fire Force One	2925	3 July 2002	Standard
7	Meltdown	The Burton Bullets	7050	10 July 2002	Standard

Comparison to Standard Paintball

Unlike the paintball games that are commonly played, the paintball seen in X-Fire is extremely organized in an attempt to simulate actual warfare. Teams were inserted and extracted by a Ford Transit Van; teams often engaged enemy tanks; stealth was commonly used, with laser tripwire and security cameras used to detect the contestants; traps were often laid, such as ambushes, pressure-sensitive mines and tripwire mines. Games would take place in military compounds, office buildings, or in bunker complexes. In reality these were the facilities at RAF Bentwaters.

External links

• X-Fire at UKGameshows.com