What do you think? In terms of race, age, sexuality etc. Do you think that their selection process has something to do with finding a continuous group of 22 or so who reflect the people that make up Britain today?

there does always seem to be a variety of people on at any one time

I think the wide range of contestants from all parts of society is partly down to producers trying to ensure an interesting mix, but also that the show appeals to such a broad range of people, which is reflected in those who apply.

As I've said before, I think the typical DOND fan is impossible to define, it's not necessarily people who would normally be into gameshows or watch daytime TV. There's so many different people that enjoy the show for different reasons.

It seems to be fairly representative of ethnicity, although in terms of age I would say that in recent times Endemol have moved towards having more contestants from the 18-29 age bracket. In one sense it isn't representative of British society in the sense that they like to have lots of gamblers and thrillseekers as contestants, but I honestly don't believe that they select contestants purely to be representative of British society, they like interesting people who will help them make good TV!

DoND's contestant pool is certainly very much more representative of society than most game shows (just look at Millionaire for an extreme example the other way). There's plenty of diversity in character and backgrounds, but lately it seems as though the trend has been towards exclusively reckless and photogenic contestants, and I severely hope that trend stops once a quarter-millionaire is created. We need another Beryl (or just someone who properly values money!) just for variety, I think...

Hang on - are there any old ladies on the wings now?