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The Government has considered plans to sponsor a TV game show featuring Army, Navy and Air Force personnel in an effort to boost its image with young people.

The idea for a show called “Have You Got What It Takes?”, in which members of the public join service personnel for a series of challenges – probably on armed forces training areas such as their notorious assault courses – has been pitched to the Government’s public relations arm, the Central Office of Information (COI).

The pitch is understood to have been one of the factors in the COI’s decision to put out a tender for broadcast sponsorship companies to work on government accounts (MW January 28).

The Army, whose head of recruitment Colonel Rory Clayton is believed to be interested in a TV project, is understood to be the one government agency most keen to pursue the idea.

One source says: “The Army has got everything going for it for an action TV show. It has got the personnel and it has got the locations – it could make for really exciting TV.”

However, the programme, which has been described as a tougher version of the Krypton Factor, is understood to have been rejected by the COI in place of more research into the scope for TV sponsorship by government departments.

The COI refuses to give further details. A spokesman says: “We are always considering proposals from sponsorship companies, but we have no further plans in that area.”

News Analysis, page 18