Channel 4 is launching a brand-new game show where celebrities get to explore gaming history and test their skills on some all-time classics. Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time is launching soon, and we spoke with Rob about the show and his favourite games.
Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time – What is it?
Kids growing up in the 80s and 90s will remember classic gaming TV shows such as GamesMaster. Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time is a brand-new comedy-entertainment show that looks at games through the 80s, 90s, 00s and modern-day – because, let’s face it, it’s been far too long since video games had their own show.
With four episodes set to air, Rob and a celebrity guest will each play through some iconic titles including Pac-Man, The Last of Us, Mario and many more.
Some of the games will be played in co-op, while others will see the hosts take it in turn to play – and Rob told Trusted Reviews that there are many perils to backseat gaming.
“It’s a bit frustrating because you want to get through and you know what it’s like, you don’t want someone to ruin it for you. But I imagine it’d be a bit of an awful watch if we just sat there in silence playing the game! But you do get a bit frustrated, you sort of go ‘oh, unlucky just give me the control!”
Photo by Mark Allan
In terms of which of his guests were the worst backseat gamers, two names comes out top:
“Scarlett was quite a backseat gamer, and so was Josh; Asim is just mental and Rachel is calmer. But it’s probably between Scarlett and Josh for most naggy.”
Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time Guests – Who’s on the show?
Each episode will feature a special guest to play the games alongside Rob. Ex-Gogglebox guest Scarlett Moffatt will feature in the first episode, with Countdown’s Rachel Riley, comedian Josh Widdicombe and People Just Do Nothing star Asim Chaudhry will feature.
Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time Games – What will they play?
While we can expect iconic titles such as Pac-Man and The Last of Us to feature in the first episode, Rob tells us there will be some more obscure games in later episodes.
“A Dog’s Life – but it’s a bit niche. It was funny because the game came out when I was 18, and I was playing that with Rachel Riley and asked her what she did at 18, and she said ‘going to pubs’, and I was like ‘oh, okay, I played A Dog’s Life’”.
Photo by Mark Allan
Rob also mentions Command & Conquer, Theme Hospital, and California Games. One game that surprised him more than any, however, was an old-school classic.
“Frogger, it looks like a piece of sh*t – it looks like Teletext – but you start playing it and you realise that these old games are so addictive. That was my biggest surprise.”
Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time Release Date – When does it air?
Rob Beckett’s Playing For Time starts on 30th March at 11.15pm on Channel 4.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
