Holiday Episode / Deal or No Deal

The UK version of Deal or No Deal is well known for having a lot of Holiday-centric episodes. Most episodes based on holidays feature minor set changes, while others add additional gameplay changes.

Due to the amount of holiday episodes this show has, spoilers are turned off. You Have Been Warned.

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Examples:

Series 1 (2005-2006)

For the first series, special holidays featured cosmetic changes that didn't effect the gameplay. Some holidays had some occasional special events that happened.

• Christmas - From 10 December until 30 December, the set was decorated for Christmas. The wings gained reef ornaments, the boxes had green ribbons (styled like Christmas presents), contestants' name tags gained some holly, and Christmas Trees decorated the back.
• Valentine's Day - The episodes from 14-17 February had the set decorated with red silk scarfs on both the wings and the boxes adorning small hearts. The actual Valentine's Day episode had the contestants adorning formal attire and the addition of some heart-shaped balloons. The only special part of that episode was the ending where the contestant won a romantic weekend for two in Paris with another contestant who was personally chosen.
• St. Patrick's Day: - The 17 March episode celebrated the show's first and only St. Patrick's Day, with the boxes becoming green. This was the first time the boxes were changed for a holiday.
• Mother's Day - The 25 March episode celebrated Mother's Day, with the set tinted pink, and the boxes becoming pink as well, with the tabs decorated with a cartoon of a mother.
• Easter - The Easter Saturday and Monday episodes had the boxes becoming gold, with no other changes.
  • There was a special part at the end of the Easter Saturday episode. After the contestant revealed that she was giving the money she would be getting on the show to charity, the Banker called back after her box was opened, saying that he would double the money she won, with the contestant's dealt money of £5,000 being doubled to £10,000.
• Eurovision Song Contest - The show celebrated it's first and only Eurovision Song Contest episode on 20 May. The contestants were decorated as different pop stars from around the world, while the set was adorned with large silver ribbons on the wings, and the boxes were coloured gold again.
• Double Deal Week - From 12 to 17 June, two episodes of the show would air every day. The prime time slot aired for an hour instead of the usual 45 minutes, so after the first advert break a segment titled Noel's Hall of Fame featured recaps of previous games.
• Wimbledon - The 26 June episode celebrated the first day of the Wimbledon championships. The only change was that the boxes were green again, decorated with tennis balls.

Series 2 (2006-2007)

• The first proper "special" episode was the one for the show's first anniversary, broadcast on the evening of 29 October 2006. The opening featured Jon Culshaw of Dead Ringers as a special guest, first appearing at the very beginning impersonating Noel as he did on the show itself, and soon presented the real Noel with a birthday cake. The set was decorated with bunting, silver ribbons and once again gold boxes, which adorned an "I am 1" tag on the front. Contestants wore party hats. Culshaw joined Alex Lovell with the phone-in narration, where he impersonated George W. Bush in the first and third breaks, and Ozzy Osbourne in the second.
  • Before the game, The Banker rang and asked if Noel was on stage instead of Jon Culshaw. After that, The Banker said that if the 1p was found in the first round, the contestants would all receive £250 while every audience member would be offered a bottle of champagne. It was found in the second box opened, so the Banker went to his promise.
  • The contestant spanked the banker big time with a deal of £70,000, while his box had £10,000 (while the £250,000 was in the other box) and to celebrate the anniversary and a great ending, there was even a Confetti Drop at the end.
• The show celebrated its first Halloween on 31 October, with the boxes coloured light orange with a Jack-O-Lantern head on the top, the contestants dressed up in various costumes, and the wings styled like cauldrons.
• The 5 November episode celebrated Guy Fawkes Night. The contestants were dressed up in winter attire, while the boxes were coloured black.
• As with 2005, Christmas episodes in 2006 (from 10-31 December) went with Christmas decorations added to the set. Once again, there were Boxes styled like presents, Christmas Trees at the back, and the wings were styled like frosty walls, with reefs in the middle.
  • Two special episodes aired on the 25th, both being an hour-long. The standard afternoon episode had the Banker give out an offer during the last four boxes, with one of the offers allowing the player to open two out of the three presents under the tree; two good, and one containing a pair of the Banker's underpants. The player accepted and won an extra £1,000 and a weekend for two in Paris. This episode ended with a Christmas choir playing music. The prime-time episode increased the top prize to £500,000 (replacing £15,000), and featured a special opening. Last four box offers were once again accepted, and the episode ended with everyone singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to annoy the banker. We then cut to his office, where you got to see him in person for the first time, although you were unable to see his face and body.
  • Two special episodes aired on the 26th as well. The standard afternoon episode had the 1p replaced with "Peanuts", which were also the prize to box openers who gave good advice. The Banker would also give out Christmas leftovers in his offers, which included Satsumas, a turkey sandwich and stuffing. The prime-time episode once again increased the top prize to £500,000, but also utilised the Christmas Tree. This time, the player won an extra £10,000 and two pairs of the Banker's underpants.
  • The show's first New Year's Eve episode aired on 31 December. There wasn't much change, as elements of the Christmas theme were retained. The only changes overall were that the boxes were coloured gold, and the contestants all wore formal attire. The only other special element was the ending, which featured flashbacks to previous games and the credits featured every single contestant who had played up until that point.
• The Valentine's Day episode was similar to that of the prior year. Contestants once again wore formal attire and heart balloons were added. The only changes were that the boxes were pink, and the decorations on the wings were different. Nothing special was given out elsewise.
• 1 March celebrated Saint David's Day, with the only change being the contestants wearing daffodil decorations next to their name tags.
• Mother's Day (18 March) had pink boxes once again, decorated with flowers, while the contestants wore an additional tag with the portrait of their mother. Mothers in the audience wore a badge reading "I'm a Mother!".
• The Easter episodes on the 6th, 8th, and 9th of April had gold boxes with easter decorations, and the audience wore bunny ears.
• 17 June celebrated Father's Day, with green boxes that had wrench decorations. Although there were no additional decorations, the player of the day - Eric, was the third-ever blind contestant to play. But in addition to that, he was the first-ever contestant on the show supported by a guide dog, who was a golden labrador named Finn.
• The 500th episode, airing on 29 June 2007, had the top prize raised to £500,000^note The first time the top prize was doubled was on the 2006 Christmas Specials, with the audience all being made up of previous contestants, including the first (and at the time, only) £250,000 winner Laura Pearce, who chose the contestant in a random draw for the occasion. The boxes were gold once again, and contestants wore formal attire.

Series 3 (2007-2008)

• From the beginning of the third season for four weeks, games would be played by only male or female contestants, which was to discover which gender is the luckiest in terms of average money won per game. The male contestants won the Battle of the Sexes, although the female contestants who had played the prior two weeks all won a spa break as a consolation prize.
• The show began its yearly "Trick or Treat" week from 29 October-2 November, and was the first set of weekly specials with gameplay changes. During the last five boxes, Noel would open the cauldron and it would reveal two numbered boxes containing "Trick" or "Treat", which utilises gameplay seen in later specials. "Trick" would allow the Banker to look in the player's box and nobody else could, while "Treat" would allow the player to win a bonus £1,000 and allow one-per-box offers. Everybody ended up gaining "Treat" throughout these five episodes.
• The second-anniversary special, which aired on 3 November 2007, doubled all the prizes, with £500,000 up for grabs once more. The contestants were all selected to choose a player this time round.
• The first gameplay-changing Christmas episode was the "Scrooge or Santa" week from 17-22 December. The special gameplay addition was an advent calendar, where contestants would choose a number, which would either be "Scrooge" which allows the Banker to look in the last 2/4 boxes or the player's box, allowing a swap if wanted, while "Santa" would allow one-per-box offers and receive some bonus money (£250, £500, £750 or £1,000) from a turkey named Eamonn.
• During December 24-29, a separate selection of specials titled "Deal or No Deal Christmas Stars" aired. A selection of six contestants, playing for special causes, were chosen to win up to £250,000. The box openers were all family and friends of the player, and the player was allowed to choose whatever box they wanted to play with. These contestants all got bonus gifts and a trophy for playing.
• The "Love Week" specials ran from 11-15 February. This featured a decorated set with hearts, flowers and pink boxes. The gameplay addition was a red heart-shaped necklace which would be given to one of the box openers that the player loved the most, which would ensue an offer from the Banker once the box was opened.
• The Easter Specials ran from March 20-22 and 24. Compared to the cosmetic changes from prior, these specials featured a properly decorated set and the gameplay addition of three different eggs, two bad, and one good. Picking the bad egg wouldn't do anything while picking the good egg would increase the offer that the Banker would give out.
• The first Banker's birthday week was held from 12-16 May. With a "Books and Cards" theme, the side of the studio featured a fireplace with five cards. Two of them were from the Banker's Mum and contained a £5 Book Token, which also forced the Banker to place an offer after every box in the final round. The other three were sent by the Banker himself and solely contained "Happy Birthday to Me" messages, although this did not affect the game. If the contestant produced an all-red or all-blue round, the Banker would remove one of his cards, allowing the contestant to gain an advantage.
  • The Friday episode had the Banker throw a party in the studio. This game saw the show's first twin contestant pair - Zoe and Zara, playing in the crazy chair. The then-16 members of the 1p Club also made an appearance supplying party food after every offer, until the Banker charged them £9.50 for the service. Zoe and Zara won £3,000, but the Banker rang back and said they each gained £3,000, as it was the last episode of the week.
• July 21-25 saw the show's first ever summer specials, themed to "Airports". Noel was dressed up as a pilot while the contestants wore holiday clothes. The gameplay addition during the last five boxes was two suitcases containing "Sunburn" or "Sunshine". "Sunburn" allowed the Banker to look in the player's box and nobody else could (like with Halloween), while "Sunshine" allowed the player to win a holiday for two and gain the one-per-box offer.
  • The last contestant of the season, despite gaining "Sunburn" won the holiday due to it being the last episode of the season.

Series 4 (2008-2009)

• The third anniversary special, aired on 7 November 2008, focused on a large birthday cake which was used in every offer. It also began with three Noel impersonators.
• "Scrooge or Santa" week in 2008 focused on a large Christmas Tree, with eight doubles - four having Scrooge, four having Santa. "Scrooge" would allow the banker to look inside the player's box with a swap if wanted, while "Santa" once again forces the banker to deliver an offer after every box in the final round, as well as also allowing the contestant to pick up a random holiday destination for two.
• Deal or No Deal Christmas Stars would happen again in 2008, although only three editions were produced.
• Love Week 2009 went with a "Hippie" theme. The heart-shaped necklace was brought back, but this time would also allow the box opener to instantly win a weekend Spa break.
• The 2009 Easter Specials went with the same theme of "Good and Bad Eggs" but now featured yellow boxes. The gameplay addition was the same as before, but this time a contestant could choose two eggs if they wanted. However, if both of them were bad, the contestant would leave with nothing. This happened as Daimon (player on 10 April) ended up becoming the second contestant in the UK version to do just so after finding both the Bad eggs.
• 2009's Banker's Birthday theme was based on a Circus, with Noel as the Ringmaster and the contestants as Clowns. The gameplay feature also utilised clown, which functioned similarly to the additions in other special editions. Funny clowns heads allowed offers after every box and a swap, while Phony clowns would let the Banker look inside the remaining boxes.
• The 2009 Summer Specials (20-24 July) had a Beach theme, with Noel as an Ice Cream Vendor, contestants dressed in beach attire, while the boxes are in summer-oriented colours. The gameplay addition during the last five boxes focused on the player choosing one of the two Ice Cream flavours offered, one containing "Raindrops", the other containing "Sunshine". They function the same as last year, with Raindrops allowing the Banker to look in the box, and Sunshine winning the player a holiday and the one-per-box offers.

Series 5 (2009-2010)

• Fourth Anniversary special - Airing on 2 November 2009, the special utalised the giant birthday cake from last year, but this time finding a gold candle would double the winnings, or so everyone thought. The Banker soon called that the candle actually would quadruple the winnings if it was found, and it soon was by the player.
• Scrooge or Santa - The third year of Scrooge or Santa expanded to two weeks. Additional gameplay was the same as before, but with two "Santas" and a "Scrooge". The latter worked the same as before but this time the Banker would gain the advantage so nobody else could look inside the box, but still allowed the box swap, while the former worked the same as last year - one-per-box offers and the holiday.
• Love Week - The third year of Love Week brought along a "Greek Mythology" theme.
• Easter Madness - The name corosponded with the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland theme. The boxes were in a creamy chocolate-like colour, Noel dressed up as the Mad Matter and contestants dressed up as other characters from the book. The gameplay edition of "Good and Bad" was retained from 2009 but this time utilised Cheshire Cats. Finding the happy Cat would allow the player's offer to double or triple, one unhappy cat would not affect the game, while finding two would leave the player with nothing. This led to Brenda (player on 5 April) becoming the fourth player on the show to walk away with nothing after she found both unhappy cats.
• 2010's Banker's Birthday theme was "Cops and Robbers". The gameplay feature involved safes, which would either be "Win" or "Lose". Cop contestants would receive offers after every box opened in the final round, while Robbers would win holidays. If they found the "Lose" safe, nothing would happen.

Series 6 (2010-2011)

• The Fifth Anniversary specials from 2010 turned into a full week of celebrations, where previous contestants helped out newer players.
• This was the last year for the "Scooge or Santa" themed Christmas specials. It lasted two weeks as before, but this time they utalised snowmen, while the contestants all dressed up in Santa costumes. The rules for gaining a "Scrooge" or a "Santa" were the same as in 2009 although the holiday was not offered for getting a "Santa", as this was instead applied to "Win" or "Lose" miniboxes - which led to Jay (player on 22 December) becoming the fifth player to walk away with nothing in the UK version.
• 2011's Banker's Birthday theme was "Cowboys and Indians". Cowboy contestants played a game where they had obtain at least one tincan from a Cowboy animatronic with the end results being the same as other special games - obtaining a can would win the contestant a holiday and gain offers after every box in the final round, while failing would allow the banker to look inside the player's box and guarantee a swap if needed. Indians would instead choose a respective cloud, where they would win a holiday and gain offers after every box if it was fire, but if it was smoke then nothing would happen.
  • Friday the 13th proved to not be an unlucky day for contestant Suzanne, as she became the third player to win £250,000.

Series 7 (2011-2012)

• The Sixth Anniversary in 2011 expanded on a larger celebration, featuring two weeks' worth of Live Shows, the first time that had happened in the UK version.
• The 2011 Christmas Specials went with a "Deal Panto" theme, themed to Aladdin. The Genie's Lamp could allow a contestant to win a holiday or be offered every box, as well as choosing coloured smoke - which allowed either the Banker's wish to be granted (Same rules as the "Scrooge" option), or the player's wish is granted (allowed either the usage of the Genie's Lamp, or unwrap a present under the tree, containing either £5,000 or £10,000, or one of the Banker's pair of underpants).
• While there were no Easter specials in 2011, 2012 had three, and it reverted back to "Good and Bad Eggs". This time, there was one bad and two good. Good would allow the player to continue the end of the game one box at a time and win a holiday, while bad would allow the Banker to check the player's box. The studio and boxes were decorated by local schoolchildren.

• The 2012 Summer Specials (July 23-29) tied in with the 2012 Olympics, and were called "Gold Medal Deal". The catapult gameplay addition returned, and would allow a holiday to be won. The Banker, as usual, would try his hand to gain the advantage. This would prove to be one of the downers as nobody ended up winning the holiday, and worst of all - Mark, the last player of the week, won absolutely nothing after what was deemed as the "most unlucky game of Deal ever."

Series 8 (2012-2013)

• The 2012 Christmas theme was "Big Christmas Dinner".

Series 9 (2013-2014)

• The 2013 Christmas theme was "Ideal Christmas".

Series 10 (2014-2015)

• The 2014 Christmas theme was "12 Days of Deal".

Series 11 (2015-2016)

• The show reached it's milestone tenth anniversary, and a special one-off primetime episode aired on 18 September 2015. Some of Noel's all-time favourite contestants returned to the east and west wing to play the game again for charity, or so Noel thought. He got gotcha'd big time, as the box openers wouldn't be playing; instead, he would be playing the game that night! Comedian Sarah Millican took over as host for this episode only.

Revival Season 1 (2023-2024)

• Christmas Special - A Celebrity Christmas Special was broadcast on 17 December 2023, featuring former footballer Michael Owen winning £4,000 for his chosen charity. These celebrity specials, and going forward feature friends and family members of the celebrity as the box openers.
• New Year's Special - Airing on 7 January 2024, this special had Coronation Street star Simon Gregson dealing at £15,300.