View source for Za Gaman

{{Short description|Japanese reality competition program}}
{{about|the Japanese television show|the Japanese term|Gaman (term)|the film|Gaman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Italic title}}
{{More citations needed|date=March 2021}}

{{nihongo|'''''Za Gaman'''''|ザ・ガマン|{{lit|The Endurance}}}}  is a Japanese television program from the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Six Game Shows that Used Actual Torture|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/04/08/six-game-shows-that-used-actual-torture/|publisher=TVSquad|access-date=18 March 2011|date=8 April 2010}}</ref> It is not particularly well-known or remembered in Japan,{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} but it became famous in other countries, particularly the [[United Kingdom]]. This is likely due to its appearance on the British television program ''[[…on Television|Clive James on Television]]'' and subsequently ''[[…on Television#Tarrant on TV|Tarrant on TV]]'', under the name '''''Endurance'''''.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/nov/27/clive-james-obituary| title= Clive James Obituary| last= Jeffries| first= Stuart| date= 27 November 2019|work= [[The Guardian]]| access-date= 30 December 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2019/11/28/entertainment-news/australian-ex-pat-writer-tv-critic-clive-james-dead-80/| title= Australian ex-pat writer and TV critic Clive James dead at 80| agency= Reuters| date= 28 November 2019| work= [[The Japan Times]]| access-date= 30 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50578512| title= Clive James: Australian broadcaster and author dies aged 80| website= [[BBC News Online]]| date= 27 November 2019| access-date= 30 December 2019}}</ref>

The program was a version of an activity at Japanese universities, the ''gaman taikai'' or "endurance contest", where students try to outdo each other in withstanding unpleasant experiences. The TV program featured teams from universities, such as [[Keio University]], who were subjected to various unpleasant ordeals, such as being buried up to the neck in sand or licked by [[reptile]]s. The person who endured the longest was declared the winner.

Short segments of the program were used in the British television shows, which humorously examined television programs from around the world. Following ''Clive James on Television'', clips from the now-defunct show were also used in the 1990s in ''Tarrant on TV''. A very short-lived British version of the show was also created, hosted by [[Paul Ross]], but it did not feature the extreme conditions of the original program. Only two series of the British version were produced for [[Challenge (TV channel)|Challenge TV]], which first aired from 1997 to 1998, and it saw little success.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The use of the clips on the [[Clive James]] show created controversy, with some{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} Japanese people feeling that the show was unrepresentative, and some former British [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] also complained about the contents. James went on to write a novel called ''Brrm! Brrm!'' with a Japanese lead character, Akira Suzuki, who was made fun of by his British friends using the word "endurance".{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The program made the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]'' for "Most Extreme Game Show".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6Q5Nd0Wkf0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/j6Q5Nd0Wkf0 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live| title= Most Extreme Game Show: Guinness Primetime|date=4 October 2011 | via= YouTube| access-date= 30 December 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==''Endurance UK''==
After short segments of the now-defunct show were used in ''Clive James on Television'' and ''Tarrant on TV'', the format was picked up by British television company [[Living TV Group|Flextech]], who were in the process of rebranding The Family Channel (originally based at [[Television South|TVS Television Centre]] in [[The Maidstone Studios|Maidstone]]) into a game show network called [[Challenge (TV channel)|Challenge TV]].

The short-lived British version of the show ran for two series (airing from 1997 to 1998) and was hosted by [[Paul Ross]] from a 'Japanese-styled' studio with 'Japanese' assistants Hoki and Koki (actually actors Peter Cocks and Stephen Taylor Woodrow, from TVS children's show ''[[What's Up Doc? (British TV series)|What's Up Doc?]]'', in [[Examples of yellowface|yellowface]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1042702/|title=Peter Cocks|website=IMDb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.co.uk/ukgs/Peter_Cocks|title=Peter Cocks - UKGameshows|website=www.ukgameshows.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2282329/|title=Stephen Taylor Woodrow|website=IMDb}}</ref> In series two, Tara O'Connor replaced Olivia Stranger as the host (the 'Gong Banger'), while Chris Sievey<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1036040/|title=Chris Sievey|website=IMDb}}</ref> (previously seen as Frank Sidebottom on the TVS shows ''[[No. 73]]'', ''[[Motormouth]]'', and ''[[What's Up Doc? (British TV series)|What's Up Doc?]]'') joined as a 'Gimp man' character.
The show did not feature the extreme conditions of the original program, with the games being similar to ones shown on ITV's ''[[Love Island (2015 TV series)|Love Island]]'', and so the British version saw little success.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukgameshows.co.uk/ukgs/Endurance_UK|title=Endurance UK - UKGameshows|website=www.ukgameshows.co.uk}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Japan|Television}}
* ''[[Banzai (TV series)|Banzai]]'' – uses Japanese iconography as a base for the show
* ''[[I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!]]'' – uses tasks similar to ''Za Gaman''
* ''[[List of television programmes broadcast by ITV|Japandemonium]]'' – an ITV show featuring clips of modern Japanese shows in the style of ''Za Gaman''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/when-is-japandemonium-on-tv-what-channel-is-it-on-and-whats-it-about/|title=When is Japandemonium on TV? What channel is it on, and what's it about?|website=Radio Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whatsontv.co.uk/events/japandemonium-itv-14-july/|title=Japandemonium - ITV|website=What's on TV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://next-episode.net/japandemonium/season-1|title=Japandemonium TV Show - Season 1 Episodes List - Next Episode|website=next-episode.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bothersbar.co.uk/?p=10992|title=Japandemonium|first=Brig|last=Bother|date=15 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dvber.co.uk/ITV/Japandemonium/2018-08-19-0925_6130571972|title=Japandemonium (ITV) - 2018-08-19-0925}}</ref>
* ''[[Ninja Warrior UK]]'' – based upon the format of a Japanese game show called ''Sasuke''
* ''[[Television South|Ultra Quiz]]'' – a 1980s TVS/ITV elimination game show based on a Japanese format<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvcream.co.uk/telly/tv-a-z/n-z/u-is-for/ultra-quiz/|title=Ultra Quiz – TV Cream|first=T. V.|last=Cream|date=17 April 2009 }}</ref><ref>[https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1220307313455747072]{{unreliable source?|date=April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://missingepisodes.proboards.com/thread/11039/ultra-quiz|title=Ultra Quiz &#124; www.missing-episodes.com|website=missingepisodes.proboards.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1980s Japanese television series]]
[[Category:Japanese game shows]]
[[Category:Television controversies in Japan]]
[[Category:Sports entertainment]]