Deal Or No Deal review: Opening boxes sounds a bit dull… yet this revival has me hooked, writes ROLAND WHITE
Deal or no deal
Shakespeare: Rise of Genius
Seven years after its last episode on Channel 4, Deal Or No Deal (ITV1) is back. The jackpot has been reduced from £250,000 to £100,000, with Catchphrase’s Stephen Mulhern replacing Noel Edmonds. Otherwise the format is exactly the same.
Is it just me, or does Mulhern look like a younger, bolder version of Piers Morgan? He’s 46, but he looks like he arrived on a Chopper bike, fresh from his newspaper round.
He was good with the participants, but his talk needs some work. Contestant Raj revealed that he makes costume jewelry.
“Oh, nice,” said Stephen.
Is it just me, or does Stephen Mulhern look like a younger, bolder version of Piers Morgan?
Deal Or No Deal shouldn’t really work. There is nothing for the viewer to contribute, no answers to shout. It’s all about opening boxes and guesswork
Sian is a wedding planner. “Nice,” Stephan said.
Myles is getting married soon. “Nice,” Stephan said.
He was almost overtaken by Sian, who was the first competitor on the hot seat and never seemed to have a thought that she didn’t say out loud. She left with a respectable £17,500.
Deal Or No Deal shouldn’t really work. There is nothing for the viewer to contribute, no answers to shout. It’s all about opening boxes and guesswork.
To refresh your memory: 22 participants each have a box. Inside each box is a token representing anything from 1p to £100,000.
When it is his turn to be the main participant, a player can win the amount in his own box and ask to look in one of the other boxes. Low numbers are applauded, high amounts are greeted with a groan.
Every now and then a mysterious figure called The Banker calls to offer a sum of cash with the words: deal or no deal. The participant in the hot seat must then guess whether the bid is higher than the amount in his own box.
Sounds a bit boring, doesn’t it. But when contestant Daryl opened his box to reveal 1p, I found myself gasping with relief. Yes, you’re right: I should probably get out more.
We all get nervous when a new boss arrives, and it seems William Shakespeare was no exception. He had good reason to worry when James I replaced his patron Elizabeth in 1603, according to Shakespeare: Rise of A Genius (BBC2).
Perhaps the most interesting theory was that Macbeth was a desperate attempt to suck in James, who was interested in witchcraft.
Perhaps the most interesting theory was that Macbeth was a desperate attempt to suck in James, who was interested in witchcraft. Still from Shakespeare: The Rise of Genius
James did not like theater and fell asleep during plays. Early in his reign he banned theater visits on Sundays.
But just when the bard must have been wondering whether to throw in the towel, his company was unexpectedly appointed as the king’s personal troupe.
That was lucky for us. If he had retreated to Stratford, we would have missed Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and The Tempest.
This final part of three episodes also answered the question every writer faces. Tell us, Mr. Shakespeare, where do you get your ideas?
Very little is known about the world’s greatest playwright, but a distant relationship with his family – he lived in London, they lived in Stratford – may have inspired King Lear. And was The Tempest a last gasp before retirement?
Perhaps the most interesting theory was that Macbeth was a desperate attempt to suck in James, who was interested in witchcraft.
The playwright’s daughter, Susanna, had become the target of a campaign against Catholics. In the aftermath of the Gunpowder Plot, this could be fatal. Fortunately, Macbeth was well received by the king. Not long after, Susanna Shakespeare disappeared from the list of dangerous Catholics. What a coincidence, huh?
One thought: a more cautious father might not have written a play in which the king is murdered in the second act.