Daily Mail report Lottery quiz 'fake' row

27th April 2008 1:54 PM

Reading through the news at the Daily Mail online I came across an article about the National Lottery quiz show which indicates that contestants are not picked randomly as indicate by the show. The 1vs100 show, part of the live draw show on a Saturday night claims that contestants are picked at random to take part in the quiz where they stand to win £100,000.

So what has sparked this row? A contestant called Dennis Powell, and why? Apparently Mr Powell has appeared on no less than six different quiz shows in seven years and netting total prizes of more than £20,000 according to the Daily Mail.

Mr Powell, a supermarket manager, is reported as appearing on The Weakest Link, National Lottery Jet Set, both on BBC, Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal (also made by Endemol who also make 1vs100) and Sky One’s Are You Smarter than a 10 Year Old.

Some TV experts have said that Mr Powell has been chosen simply because he possesses the qualities that many TV producers value – “lively, bright and makes good telly.”

Some of the other contestants on the show have reacted badly with one, who wishes to remain anonymous, saying “We all thought we were in with a chance of winning something. We gave up our time to go on the show." Others went on to say they felt “duped” by the BBC.

The director of the British Quiz Association, Jane Allen, was reported by The Daily Mail as saying “Members who took part in the show all believed they had a fair and equal chance of being chosen. It is a pity so many production companies treat members of the public in such a shoddy and inconsiderate manner." 

This new row comes not far behind the allegations about the Richard and Judy show where viewers where asked to call in for the “You Say We Pay” competition, at a cost of £1,  only to find that contestants had already been chosen.

The BBC has admitted that contestants have been chosen prior to the show but are not aware that they have been selected and from what I can gather from the article in the Daily Mail they do this in order to ensure that a contestant who is picked doesn’t “freeze” when chose.

This makes perfect sense to me, it’s a live show so that last thing the TV people want is someone whose going to take 20 minutes to pull themselves together enough to actually participate in the show!
 

World Lottery News homepage