For years, Tipping Point viewers have questioned whether the show’s giant arcade-style machine is really as unpredictable as it appears on screen.
Some have even joked that someone behind the machine must secretly control which contestant gets the biggest payouts.
Now, presenter Ben Shephard has explained what actually happens behind the scenes — and while there really is a person sitting behind the machine, they have a very different job from the one suspicious viewers might imagine.
How the Tipping Point machine works
ITV’s Tipping Point launched in July 2012, with Shephard presenting as contestants compete to win up to £10,000.
Players first answer quiz questions to earn counters, which they then place into the huge machine at the centre of the show.
The machine works in a similar way to the coin-pusher games found in arcades. As counters fall onto the shelves inside, they can push other counters over the tipping point and onto the prize shelf.
Each counter that falls earns the contestant £50.
At the end of the game, the last remaining contestant gets the chance to play for the jackpot counter, which is worth £10,000.
Is there really someone behind the machine?
This is where some of the show’s biggest misconceptions have come from.
Shephard has confirmed that a member of the production team does sit behind the machine — but that person does not decide which contestant wins or interfere with where the counters fall.
Instead, their job is to operate and monitor the complicated machinery that makes the game possible.
Speaking to the Huffington Post, Shephard explained: “It’s a really complicated system that is run by the gallery.”
He said the complexity of the setup was also the reason the machine could not simply be taken on the road for live events.
The production worker behind the machine is responsible for making sure the hydraulics are operating correctly.
According to Shephard, the hydraulics can sometimes move too quickly, so the operator has to ensure they are working at the correct pace.
They must also make sure the hoppers that feed counters into the machine remain full.
What happens before filming?
The behind-the-scenes preparation is more meticulous than viewers might expect.
A ladder is positioned behind the machine so that a member of the production team can climb up and refill it with counters when necessary.
At the beginning of a game, 40 counters are placed inside the machine. They are placed rather than dropped, and their positions are not arranged in any particular order.
Once counters are pushed over the tipping point, a runner enters the set and counts how many have fallen.
The number is then relayed to Shephard, who tells the contestant how much they have won.
The runner subsequently clears the counters away so the machine can be prepared for the next stage of the game.
Even the counters get special treatment
The production team’s attention to detail extends to the counters themselves.
Each one is individually polished before filming an episode so that marks or imperfections do not become visible on camera.
Despite years of viewers joking about a mysterious person controlling the machine — including suggestions of a little man with a magnet determining who gets a big win — Shephard’s explanation offers a much less dramatic reality.
There is indeed someone behind the machine, but their role is to keep the complicated mechanical system running properly rather than manipulate the outcome of the game.
Tipping Point airs weekdays at 4pm on ITV.