Hello,
I had to write in response to an article in the local newpaper of our very popular DOND contestant Gary! couldn't believe it when I saw it! There was even a little headline about it on the front page.

It looks like you had a great time watching the show on a big screen at the pub. When my countdown show was aired I watched it at home with friends (made the occasion an 'event'). Maybe now you're a local celebrity you could get your own float in the procession or open the big wheel they're supposed to be building!

Well done again!!

I missed the article but felt compelled to say hi as a fellow Norwich inhabitant. Hope the job search is going well Gary.

For those who are interested, and just in case it doesn't stay up on the Norwich Evening News's website, this is the text of the article concerned:-

My £30,000 Deal or No Deal win

A high-risk gamble on this year's most talked about game show netted one city man a windfall of £30,000.

Gary Owen, 29, walked away from Channel 4's much-hyped Deal or No Deal show with the money after almost a month of taking chances.

The sales rep took more chances than most as he gave up his job at 24/7 Dispatch, in Norwich, so he could appear on the show

The six-times-a-week show, hosted by Noel Edmonds, is raking in at least four million viewers a night with contestants able to win up to £250,000.

Mr Owen's win was based on skill and chance and has enabled him to buy the sports car he has always wanted.

It also helped him pay off debts for his mum and himself and pay for a trip for his girlfriend, Rachael Wishart, 26, to New York.

The object of the show is to beat the banker, which usually means not disclosing the amount of money you need.

But Mr Owen took the chance and said from the outset he needed £30,000, even though he would have been happy to walk away with £15,000.

Participants wait with bated breath to see if their sealed box contains hundreds of thousands of pounds or just pocket change.

Mr Owen, who lives near Dereham Road, was offered £7,000 by the banker but he kept playing and walked away with £30,000.

His success was watched by family and friends yesterday at the Bridge Inn pub in Riverside Road, who celebrated his win on a big screen.

He said: “It's all been a massive whirlwind.

“I saw an advert last June for the show and decided to apply. I had almost forgotten about it when I got a call to audition in October but there were so many people I didn't dream I would get through.

“Then in January I was stuck in a traffic jam and got a call saying I had got through - I went absolutely ballistic.

“I only needed to win £15,000 but being a sales rep I thought I would double my chances and it worked.

“I have bought a Subaru Impreza and have paid off my mum's debts as well as my own. I have also been able to send my girlfriend to New York with her sister.

“It has all been brilliant and it was worth leaving a job for.”

The show was recorded on March 17 and it was televised yesterday.