We have been waiting so long for someone to win the £250,000 and now after 351 shows it has finally happend with Laura winning the jackpot. Was there something behind the show Noel did many interviews with magazines and it was mentioned.

''How did you fell when the £250k was won?'' (to be shown in the new year) and Noel went on to give his opinion. Do you think that it was a set up by Endemol leaking details out about the big win? Or was it a plot to boost ratings.

Was there also something about the bankers offer of £45,000, if he really didn't want her to win the £250,000 it would have been a hell of a lot higher, was it designed that £45,000 she will play on and £3,000 will be there.

Please post you opinions.

Hmm, I'm really not sure what to think. I would initially say that yes, the £45k offer was designed to get her to go for it, as it was so pathetically low...but if that were the case, why did they not do the same thing with Claudine a few weeks ago? She was clearly a much bigger gambler than Laura - if she'd been offered £60-70k, she'd almost certainly have been the first quarter-millionaire. There are so many examples and counter-examples for the possible motives behind the offers that I think it's really difficult to have any clear idea what to think other than they like to keep it varied...

As for it being leaked to the press, I think they've done a pretty good job of not going overboard on that. I heard about the Mirror article ages ago, unfortunately, but I was expecting some more this weekend, when really there was nothing unusual other than the show being five minutes longer and a repeat scheduled for next Saturday. It could have been a lot worse really.

i think yes maybe it was set up as i noticed that throughout the show noel was kind of egging her on and hinting that she had the 250,000 but maybe this was more noticable because i had read the spoiler and knew what was coming =S

It was not a setup, but I do think that they have wanted a jackpot winner for some time now and clearly the low £45,000 offer reflected that. The £107,031 offered to Claudine was clearly too high for her to no deal, and that would surely apply to most contestants. I'm guessing that the banker will make the offers higher in the event of similar circumstances arising though not as high as they were in the early days of the show such as with Jennifer Miller for example.

I think Noel's like that on every show but its edited out! He probably asked for it to be kept in this time round.

This show wasnt a set up but the bankers offer was a tad too low.

The show itself wasnt set up...But the information leaking out definitley was. As with any TV Program if the show outcome is known before then it usually means that the producers wanted it to be public knowledge in order to drive attention towards the show.

The way Noel was like "The £250,000 Has to coem to the table", He made it far to Obvois that The 250k was there On the Table

Hmm... i don't think so

But Noel said that in pretty much every single game in September/October/November, and it wasn't....

well we're all entitled to our own opinions

Course it wasn't a set up. Though I think the editing was - I found it a little odd how the ticker tape came down literally seconds after Noel had opened the box!

I think the backstage crew knows whats inside the boxes though and i think they was just preparing to get the confetti etc done.

I don't think it was a set up, as people have said, Noel and the other contestants ofen predict that the £250k is on the table, as this creates a positive and optimistic atmosphere.

I know the backstage crew doesn't know what is in the boxes, but on this occasion, when she no dealt and no swapped, they were probably told she was going to win £250k and got the confetti ready quickly!

I was thinking the same thing. Assuming the adjudicator is present for the filming - they may have had a quiet word to the director so that they knew to get all the board graphic/confetti ready.

On Millionaire, they would know the answer was correct and normally take a break before the answer is revealed so would have time to get the confetti ready - they don't have this liberty on DOND.

Could you imagine if Noel had called a break before he opened Laura's box - he would have been linched.

I think the last offer was set-up deliberately low so that she'd win £250k. Claudine's game was broadcast close to Christmas, and the last thing people want to see then is someone blowing £107,031 and winning £10,000.

But the game itself, no, not a fix.

I think it was a fix. I had never read any of the spoilers but all the references made to past games and the offer of £14,999 I think was made to indicate if she dealt now, she would be in the Hall of Fame for being the contestant The Banker had won against by the most. All this made me 95% sure this was the £250,000 was going to get won in this game.

I too noticed that Noel mentioned the £250,000 a lot more than he normally does and seemed to be egging Laura to go on, but I'm assuming that's down to the way the show was edited.

I don't think it was a fix, or at least I sincerely hope it wasn't.

No I don't think it was fixed because I see no reason why they would pick one particular contestant to fix it for. But hey we're all entiled to our own opinions.

It isn't a setup.


But the show in offering £45,000 were pushing Laura to go on for sure.

I'm with Daniel but leaning more cynically.

I can't believe they didn't push Claudine on to the end.

As for the confetti, wouldn't they load that up at the top of the show anyway? Same with Millionaire. I'd guess they had someone told to put their fingers on buttons/levers and press/pull them to activate the confetti upon the box reveal assuming it was £250k. It's possible said person still doesn't know, and are merely told to do so IF it's the £250k - if that were to have happened, that person must have been waiting anxiously for nothing on the Kirsty and Morris games!