Here's a list of the changes I've noticed so far:

• Obviously, Noel now wears suits instead of shirts.
• In the studio, the status board has been replaced with a smaller screen which mirrors the game board.
• The “Loot Chute” has replaced the capsule cupboard.
• New Offer Button design.
• New canister design.
• Video introduction of today’s player (no reference made to the previous game).
• Floor Manager Ed no longer takes items to the banker (the Loot Chute is used instead).
• Inside the canister, the offers are written in a fancy calligraphic font (instead of felt tip).
• Noel no longer explains the Box 23 options mid game.
• For the TV presentation, the money values are shorter (closer to screen edge).
• The competition is advertised upon returning from ad breaks.
• Social media is advertised more frequently (for the Offer Button).

Please feel free to add any other things you've spotted.

I quite like most of the changes, as they help to freshen the show up a bit.

Does anyone know why the status board (behind Box 23) was removed?
The only reasons I can think of are:

a) To no longer refer to previous games, which may also explain why highlights of previous games are no longer shown.
b) For the audience members in the front row, directly behind the player. After personally experiencing this, the main board is partially blocked out, so maybe that's why the board was added at the side.
c) The banker is fed up with a reminder of how much money he's paid out!

One of the main changes is the new titles, which (strangely) weren't introduced until Tues 13th Jan. There are only subtle changes, but the music has more bass, there are extra sound effects, new clips and an odd bit with Noel suspended in time.

The original on-screen money 'paddles' were long enough to ensure the values could be viewed on a 4:3 (square) TV set - this meant more of the paddles (and obviously more of the overall shot) could be seen on a 16:9 (widescreen) set. The extra room at the edges is called a safe area to ensure graphics aren't cut off on a 4:3 set - I think this is a bit redundant nowadays as 16:9 sets are now commonplace.

Maybe it was considered easier to get rid of it due to the 'couples', 'grandparents' and 'siblings' special shows coming up which may not be shown in sequence. Although a simple way around that would've been to just remove the status board for the specials.

I did ask about why the status board had disappeared when I was last at the Dream Factory. I asked the warm up guy (who sometimes asks pilgrims if they have any questions about the show) and he asked other pilgrims if they remembered it. Most gave a negative response which is why he claimed it wasn't there as it didn't get referred to often (although ironically in the games shown before Xmas, Noel kept mentioning how he wanted another QM winner).

I took the answer with a large pinch of salt though

Thanks for the replies.

Ah yes the new titles, can't believe I missed that.. Probably because I usually to skip through on my PVR, so don't pay much attention!


It's an interesting one because in the celebrity games last year, the status board was covered up or temporarily removed.


Thanks, I was wondering if someone might have asked.
Thinking back, the status board was quite hard to read on TV unless the camera did a close up, so I suppose that reason is plausible. Maybe the producers just thought the board just didn't bring a great visual impact.

Going back as a pilgrim, I guess you're less likely to know if there's been any more QM winners (unless the number is disclosed during the show). After all, the show never needed a status board prior to 2014.