In the week before Suzanne's game, Endemol released a "banker's birthday week trailer" video on Youtube (via their facebook and Twitter pages) that hinted heavily at a spectacular game and possibly a big win. The banker had also described Suzanne's game as being a cracker on his Twitter page, a few days ahead of it airing.

Now Endemol have released another video via their facebook & Twitter which could be seen as a sort of spoiler. I've posted a link to it in the spoilers section, or you can see it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-xm_RxNBjM It doesn't give anything specific away, but it does imply things. Some people have tweeted back at them by saying it's giving a bit too much away!

Is this all in response to the lower viewing figures? The video finishes by asking viewers to tune in each day. Apart from Laura's £250,000 win, they have never officially spoiled anything or given any hints out about spectacular games (to my knowledge). Are they starting to go down the American route of releasing hints and spoilers in advance?

They did have to make budget cuts last year - so there is a sense of desperation to increase ratings as well, presumably. Why, I'm not sure - the show ultimately succeeds when it doesn't change, attracting the same audience and not repelling it with attempts to reach out to new viewers...

If anyone knows anything they should say so in the spoiler section please!

I don't know anything. However, I hid discussion in a spoiler-tag even though all I was going off was the video. Mostly just in case the video isn't a completely misleading one.

(I'd love to see Endemol release fake spoilers so that nobody believes the real ones when they come.)

You can't blame the producers for wanting to leak big stuff, the thing is had Suzanne's win been all over the papers the ratings would have probably been double and you're running a business that's what you've got to think about not whether they ruin it for some of the loyal fans. The difference between these things being made public and private could be whether the show is recommissioned.

I was about to watch that video earlier, but then got distracted and forgot. Maybe I shouldn't bother watching it now...but now I'm tempted just to see what it's all about.

Though if something big is upcoming (and I don't know) then no doubt @OfficialBanker will make hints towards it on Twitter, which I will end up seeing anyway.

He's already been making hints today.

Well I had noticed them, but I just thought he was joking around this time.

The banker has actually just tweeted a link to that video himself.

I'm not sure what to make of it really - I can understand videos trailing themed weeks, but this one is rather odd.

Perhaps they're just trying to get people back into the habbit of watching, idea is if they watch a few (rather than just Suzanne's or one of the following games) they'll be hooked again.

I don't think what they imply is going to happen, is going to happen, but it will nearly happen.

It's a fine line between promoting something and spoiling it. I guess the nearest comparison is with the likes of Eastenders and Coronation Street - who virtually give away the plot details of the majority of storylines weeks in advance but people still watch them.

When we went back after the summer break last year we were told the budget had been increased, and some of the little tweeks around the place implied so.

It's been well documented that budget was decreased as of the latest Channel 4 contract, whenever that started.

I'm speculating here, but I'd imagine that the overall amount of money available for the series was cut, hence the move to a four-a-day recording schedule in order to get the entire series in the can by April. However, that might have resulted in an increase in the amount of money they could allocate for fun stuff like Noel's Swap Shop chair and phone since they only had to employ production staff for six months rather than eight months. But that's pure guesswork, obviously.


For some reason, I'm not wondering that at all.

Best thing to do is see at the start of the show what t-shirts the contestants are wearing, then you will know if that is the game in the video.

Knew you wouldn't think that, MisterAl, and in fairness you have been in the studio for some of these games, whereas I have not.

Good point regarding the clothing there, Mark...

Or better still, see what shirt Noel is wearing.

Only shows the top of it, just about.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

This is 100% speculation on my part as I don't know the specifics of the show that is being trailed but (like KP putting my thoughts in spoiler for those who haven't seen the trailer)

not realy o spoiler but just in case