Play Your Cards Right (or Bruce Forsyth’s Play Your Cards Right) is a British television game show based on, and played similarly to, the American show known as Card Sharks.
Play Your Cards Right broadcast on ITV from 1980 to 1987, produced by LWT. The host was Bruce Forsyth. LWT produced a more modern version from 1994 to 1999, initially expected to be presented by Brian Conley, who filmed a pilot show before Forsyth was lured back. In 2002, Bruce hosted another revival, with slightly modified rules. This version was produced by Thames Television.
Forsyth also presented a parody of the format, Play Your Iraqi Cards Right (originally titled Play Your Kurds Right), when he was guest host on the satirical BBC TV series Have I Got News for You in June 2003. On 15 October 2005, it made a one-off return as part of Ant & Dec’s Gameshow Marathon, celebrating 50 years of ITV. It made another one-off return in 2007 again part of Gameshow Marathon.
Play Your Cards Right has also been turned into a successful Interactive DVD which was released in 2007, with an updated sequel released in 2008, both produced by DVDPro.