It's anyone's games if you want to be on television

Another pal actually did strike it lucky on ITV's Wheel of Fortune many moons earlier (remember that Scottish production – hosted by a young Nicky Campbell?), winning a Vauxhall Nova car, two European weekend breaks, and a telly.

And I'm in touch with a couple of people who had a crack at Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, making it onto our screens but failing to get past the 'fastest finger' shootout.

I don't know about you, but whenever I tune into a game show, I find myself shouting at the screen saying things like 'Come on, you must know that', or 'I could so easily win the jackpot on this programme'.

But, as one wise sage once said, you have to be in it to win it. And if the idea of 15 minutes of fame floats your boat – not to mention the chance of a life-changing pot of cash – then go for it, because it's never been easier to get yourselves on telly.

I spotted an ad in one of the Sunday papers last week saying 'Wanted: Contestants to appear on John Barrowman's new game show, Pressure Pad'.

It piqued my interest. Just how desperate must producers be for fresh game show talent if they're paying to take out adverts in top-selling national newspapers?

A quick scoot round the internet, and I had my answer. The number of programmes which are actively seeking Ordinary Joes like us to take part at the moment is astonishing. Competition is positively cut-throat.

On the BBC, applicants are currently being sought for more than 30 different shows, ranging from Total Wipeout and DIY SOS, to Mastermind.

Over at Channel Four, there are even more choices. One click, and you're into an application form for Deal Or No Deal, Countdown, and Come Dine With Me. And if you're an obsessive compulsive anything, the world appears to be your oyster!

It's the same story on ITV, where recruitment is under way for the likes of Long Lost Family, Take Me Out, and Holly Willoughby's Surprise Surprise (Seriously, that's been commissioned again?)

I've actually dabbled with the world of TV quiz shows myself, making it onto the screen back in 1999 for a film mastermind competition in a show called Movie Babylon on Sky MovieMax, one of the early Sky Movies channels.

It was a bizarre, low-budget affair, hosted by Sue Perkins. A sort of cross between Barry Norman's restrained and respectable Film 99, and the anarchy of Tiswas.

I actually won. But there was to be no Vauxhall Nova or European holiday for me. Oh no, for answering my questions correctly, I won 'Pussy Galore'; a 2ft long stuffed white cat.

I did, however, get the chance to throw some shapes on stage with the legend that is Keith Chegwin, as mayhem broke out among the various guests when the final credits rolled.

And no, before you ask, this wasn't the game show where Mr Chegwin and his exhibitionist contestants all appeared on screen butt-naked . . .

By Carl Jonesr