Netflix’s South Korean drama was a global hit – now it has been turned into the world’s biggest game show.
It was the most unlikely television hit of recent years. The 2021 South Korean drama Squid Game about a game show where the outcome for everyone who took part – bar the winner – was death. Put like that, it seems bleak, but Netflix’s hit tapped into our post-pandemic imagination by touching on our deepest fears.
The 456 contestants were chosen because they’d fallen on hard times, and the prize of 4.56 billion KRW was the dream of untold riches. The fact that their fate rested on the whims of a malevolent taskmaster made it all seem more capricious. The green tracksuits and masks added a surreal touch of which Wes Anderson would be proud. The show, like its success, was extraordinary.
Now Netflix has decided to take Squid Game to the next level of strangeness by turning a drama about a game show into a reality show itself. Made by Studio Lambert, the company that makes Gogglebox, Squid Game: The Challenge sees 456 real people playing Squid Game for fun.
No one dies, you will be relieved to hear. Although when we say fun, that’s a relative term, because $4.56 million is on the line for the winner. The jeopardy in that sense is very real.
In the new issue of Radio Times magazine, Mark Lawson, who was given a rare preview of the show, talks to the makers of Squid Game: The Challenge and explores some of the problems they faced. As the man behind the programme, Stephen Lambert, says, “To have a hugely successful drama that includes a game that could be played for real gave an almost unique opportunity for crossover. Although it throws up a lot of problems to play it for real.”
Find out how Lambert resolved those difficulties in our feature in the latest Radio Times. Has Netflix broken the fourth wall or jumped the shark? Tune in on 22nd November and you can decide.
Also in this week’s Radio Times:
- Vernon Kay reveals he’s not surprised his listener figures have dipped since he took over from Ken Bruce, he often bumps into his predecessor on the way to work and who he thinks will win Strictly Come Dancing this year
- Lorraine Kelly recalls her experience of reporting on the Lockerbie bombing and why she’s returned to make a documentary 35 years later
- Speaking to The Radio Times Podcast: Jo Brand on the appalling low-level disrespect for women when she was younger, why she wasn’t a fan of Mock the Week and why she never expected to be the host of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice
Squid Game: The Challenge will premiere on Netflix on 22nd November. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix. You can also visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or our Drama hub for all the latest news.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now and celebrate the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who with a special issue of Radio Times. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.