Ronnie's game today.

Noel welcomes us to the Dream Factory, but wonders if that is the right name for it as it could be called the 'Torture factory', and then goes into a big speech about his feelings and how no one shows him any sympathy for all the emotions he goes through in the games

Well that must be one of the weirdest opening speeches from Noel.

What!

Has he forgotten all the sympathy I showed him?

Like when I congratulated him for winning his award last December?

And when I put my arm around him when he looked a bit lonely and emotional after Alice's game?

And when I asked him if he was afraid of dying?

What more does he want?

Given Noel's selective memory, he's probably forgotten you by now.

Ronnie has box 2 today. Ronnie is a retired policeman and walked the beat for 16 years, and Noel jokes that was an old concept of the police actually walking the beat Ronnie talks about how he had dreams of becoming a football player but was told he wasn't good enough so he joined the army. He presents Noel and the crew a plaque from his army regiment, and Noel sends the plaque to the Banker to have a look at.

Ronnie shows a picture of himself in the police, and another picture of him and his wife on their wedding day. Ronnie's wife is with him for support today.

Noel thinks that as Ronnie has been in the army and police force he will have a system, but he doesn't.

Here we go...

I guess we're going to see a 999 motive again today then.

Aww, I was hoping he'd have pictures of me on his bedroom wall...

I like the clothing on today's show. Noel with the massive roses on his shirt; Bev with a cow-skin top; and Harry with some multi-coloured disaster/achievement (delete as appropriate).

If I was prone to making flippant remarks about Noel, I'd say "yes, because he dealt before two-box and it was the right thing to do".

I think the right word here is 'motif' rather than 'motive', but I may be wrong. I only know the former through its use in musical theatre, although the meaning is similar here (just as a theatre composer might reuse a small melodic fragment in different contexts, so the Banker will reuse the 999 fragment in various offers through the game - the extra element is recurring motifs across games, most famously £26,000).

That doesn't sound like you at all though.

Round 1

15 - £15,000 Harry

Noel and newbie Helen joke about where she comes from and there is confusion as she comes from Nottingham but was originally from Ireland

6 - £1 Newbie Helen

16 - £5,000 Freddie

Ronnie says he was determined to play the board and not have favourite boxes, but now he has remembered a couple of birthdays that he will keep. Box 21 and 17 will be kept until he feels he needs them.

12 - £250 Andy

10 - £1,000 Dan

Banker time

The Banker thanks Ronnie for the gift, and has a gift for Ronnie in return and it is a DoND plate which he nicked from the tea set

Banker's offer:

£8,500

I'm sure Dan didn't have that massive tattoo on his right arm before today's show!

Ronnie says

NO DEAL

Dear Ronnie. Box-choosing order doesn't matter, except for having a system that prevents you from thinking 'if only I'd picked that box instead!'. Playing the board as opposed to playing for a fixed target, that be another matter, and a more relevant one.

Good start, opening offer well in line with recent trends, obvious decision.

Round 2

1 - 10p Peter

19 - £10 Hollie

This is very, very good says Noel, and he offers Ronnie a break...

This certainly is very, very good. Let's hope he plays it the right way - and, indeed, that it doesn't collapse just as the ADP is looming, like the game that aired on 4 Music earlier.

We're back
Last box before the Banker

Angela next, and she says she saw the Banker last night when she was at the bingo! She says she saw a lonely man in the corner of the room who won £50! The Banker calls back and says that Angela won £10!

8 - 50p Angela

Banker time

Noel says that Ronnie is very hard to read as his face doesn't give anything away.

Banker's offer:

£13,750

Ronnie thinks about how far around the world on a cruise that sort of money would get him, but Noel doesn't think he will leave yet.

Ronnie says

NO DEAL

Ronnie says he was very close to going then, and Noel thinks he could well go at the end of this round, but that doesn't usually work out to well for the contestant.

Round 3

21 - 1p Emma

17 - £750 Michelle

22 - £20,000 Neil

Banker time