DVDfever wrote:
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I'm not sure about its future. I don't think it should continue as it is, but I've been saying that for about 3 years now. The team are excellent and are wasted on a show that few people are watching. I have said before that if they were desperate to keep DOND, I would axe the daytime show and try it as a Live bigger-budget show (Fri/Sat night like MPD, perhaps). I really loved the Live shows, they should have tried some more; there was a real energy and entertainment to them. Just think, how much more you would look forward to DOND if it was only on twice a week for 4 weeks then took a few months off.
A bit like Million Pound Drop? That's better for being on occasionally, but I'll still only ever watch a bit of that if I'm in when it's on. As for an occasional Deal, if it's done with regular contestants then whoever makes up the 22 in the wings will have to be content in the knowledge that they might NOT get picked. And when Deal does eventually end, there'll be 21 very disappointed wingers (or whatever they're referred to)
Yeah, I was thinking of primetime weekends, at times when competition is minimal. Although I guess you could strip it at a set time for a week or two and that be that - like MPD did for the first couple of series, but I think 1-2 a week would have much more chance of impact.
I don't think the recurring contestants are integral to the show. It was a charm of the daily show to begin with, but as demonstrated by the Live shows, and those Christmas specials from years ago, it wasn't harmful to just have a group of relatives/friends of the player instead. In fact I would argue that it might even be an improvement, given how some players can outstay their welcome, and it'd also mean less tomfoolery and unfairness from The Banker.
I think the biggest issue with this idea would probably be having to [at least] double the jackpot prize to justify a move to prime time, on top of the cost of the Live programming - but who knows, with such a smaller commission, it might be viable. It wouldn't set ratings alight but if it's fun and energetic I can see it doing okay for C4. They'd probably be happy with a million viewers these days (which is what MPD gets, thereabouts). And it's an idea if they don't want to ditch DOND completely.
With regards the show's end, I would guess that they'll just pad out the wings with past players, as the show rides into the sunset. It would not make sense to keep introducing new players who know they're not going to play.