For more than a decade, Tipping Point viewers have watched contestants feed large counters into the show’s arcade-style machine, waiting for the perfect drop to send a cascade of counters tumbling into the winning zone.
But one question has continued to puzzle fans: what are those counters actually made of—and are magnets secretly being used to control them?
Now host Ben Shephard has finally provided an answer.
And it turns out the reality behind one of ITV’s most recognizable game-show props is rather less mysterious than some viewers imagined.
Ben Shephard revealed what the Tipping Point counters are made of(Image: ITV)
No Magnets—They’re Plastic
The question came up during an episode of Richard Osman’s The Rest Is Entertainment podcast after a listener revealed they were in a “feud” with a friend over the material used to make the counters.
Shephard, who has hosted Tipping Point since its launch, was able to settle the argument.
“I can assure you they are plastic, they aren’t metal,” he explained.
Ben has presented Tipping Point since 2012(Image: Copyright (c) ITV.)
The presenter also addressed the recurring theory that magnets are involved in determining where the counters fall.
“We get a lot of people suggesting we use magnets in the machine,” Shephard said, adding that he had never found a magnet capable of controlling plastic.
So, according to Shephard, there is no hidden magnetic trick controlling the counters as they move through the machine.
There is, however, one bit of television magic that viewers might not have expected.
The familiar clattering and jingling sound of counters moving through the machine is enhanced during the editing process.
Shephard explained that the production adds “lots of brilliant sound effects” afterward, making the counters sound as though they are jingling and jangling their way down the machine.
What Happens to the Counters Between Games?
Tipping Point has 80 counters on each shelf, Ben revealed(Image: ITV)
The podcast discussion also revealed another behind-the-scenes detail.
A listener wanted to know what happens to the counters between games and whether the machine is completely emptied and reset after each contestant.
Shephard explained that the machine is refilled between shows, with 80 counters placed on both the top and bottom shelf.
The counters also have to be carefully accounted for throughout filming.
Ben is currently filming Tipping Point series 15(Image: ITV)
Every time there is a drop, the production team checks the number of counters involved. Shephard explained that Will comes in to count them, while adjudicator Julie confirms the number that has been taken out the back of the machine.
It may sound like an unnecessarily complicated process, but there is a very important reason for all that counting.
“Everything has to be carefully counted and considered because we want to make sure every drop is carefully counted so that everybody gets the exact money because everyone gets competitive,” Shephard explained.
In other words, while the machine might look like a simple arcade game, there is plenty of careful work happening behind the scenes to ensure every contestant receives the correct amount.
Tipping Point Has Been Running Since 2012
Tipping Point first arrived on ITV in 2012 as one of the network’s summer replacements for The Chase.
The format quickly established its own following, with contestants combining general-knowledge skills with the unpredictable mechanics of the giant coin-pusher machine.
Its success has also led to international versions in countries including Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.
Shephard recently confirmed that filming had begun on series 15, sharing his excitement on Instagram about returning to the studio.
He also highlighted one of the best parts of the job: meeting the hundreds of contestants who come onto the programme hoping to test their knowledge and get lucky with the machine.
From Tipping Point to This Morning
Shephard has become one of the most familiar faces on British daytime television.
His television career began in 1998 when he joined Channel 4’s The Bigger Breakfast. He later presented Krypton Factor from 2009 to 2010 and hosted Ninja Warrior UK from 2015 until 2019.
Alongside Tipping Point, his career has increasingly focused on ITV’s daytime schedule.
Last year, Shephard was confirmed as a permanent presenter of This Morning alongside Cat Deeley. At the time, he described the announcement as a “very special moment.”
Reflecting on the move, Shephard said that after a decade of waking up with ITV’s daytime audience on Good Morning Britain, he was looking forward to spending time with Deeley and welcoming viewers to This Morning after their morning routines.
The Friday editions of the programme are presented by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
One More Tipping Point Mystery Solved
For years, viewers have debated whether the Tipping Point machine relies on hidden technology to influence the counters.
Shephard’s explanation puts at least one of those theories to rest: the counters are plastic, not metal, and he says magnets are not controlling them.
The next time a seemingly impossible cascade sends counters tumbling across the machine, viewers can enjoy the suspense knowing that there is still plenty of careful counting—and a little post-production sound magic—behind the scenes.