Yep, I'm pretty happy with that final gamble! Especially when it paid off!

Enjoyed that, I liked Brian, he took all the early disasters very philosophically on the chin and remained positive, and luckily he kept something to work with for the twist at 5-box. I thought he was going to no-deal at 3-box, as he seemed happy to take the consequences of it going wrong, but I sensed it was time to stop and so it proved. To get £8k out of what looked like a full-scale disaster was a nice feel-ggod ending without being contrived - even the little gamble for the holiday was good as it was for small stakes.

I always dread the banker's phone calls when all the main boxes are opened but there are still unopened "props" and I was relieved when the gamble was what it was - I thought it might be £25k or nothing for example, and if he refused it they would still play it out (which ruined Kath's feelgood ending at Easter when she got £10k after a big struggle).

Woohoo, a Banker Spanking!
well done to Brian on his winnings and his holiday, enjoy it all

Brian did not get back the £250 he gambled, he won the £8.000 and his holiday.
He was very good at guessing when the right time would be for a player to leave the game, or indeed play on.
I am pleased he followed his instincts and did not allow himself to get carried away.
A great guy, mad as a hatter but great fun to know.
Well done Bri xxx

So given we don't count holidays as prize money, it wasn't technically a banker spanking then.

Whether you count it as a "spanking" or not, £8k from a game like that is a great result. It sounds like a more extreme version of Bryan's game from Halloween...something in the name perhaps?

Agreed.

Brian kept his cool with a very long run of bad luck and still managed to get the most out of his game.
We were all gutted for him as his game unfolded and it just seemed to go from bad to worse. There are not many who could have a board like his and still come across so well.

A spanking or not he did brill.

I do apologise if I'm being any bit cruel here - but I can't help but wonder how quickly David regretted saying that?

Thats why i piped in with the follow your instincts comment after David said that.
He thought he knew Bri but as my neighbour we always chatted throughout the games and often agreed when the time was right.
David is a nice bloke though and was only saying what he thought Bri needed/wanted to hear

Yes, enjoyed that game a lot back in May and watching it back today, classic comeback game which was right on the edge from early on, but Brian took the run he was having admirably, and 8k was indeed a great result, capped by the holiday as well. It was really tense and quite a contrast to Phyli's game but just as enjoyable.

Anyway, when was the last time we had a turnaround as big as this one? Up until 8-box, it looked very likely that Brian would join the likes of Nikki Tucker and Derek Brown in the Unluckiest Contestants Club...

I'm going to sound like a Grumpy Old Man, though, when I say that I didn't like the way the end gamble was done. Why effectively pay £250 for it??!?

Once again, it felt like the rules had been made up on the spot... the truth of the matter is, I simply do not like it when this happens.

I know I'd have given back that £250 unless Brian found the other 'lose'...

Yes, and quite spooky that I saw both Bri/yan's play on separate visits to the dream factory, but nothing on the scale of coincidence that Si saw with the two Justin's...

Understood.

It's all too easy to judge and criticise sometimes...

Agreed

I may also be a little overprotective of my friends

That has to go down as one of the great turnarounds. £8k may not sound a much but considering Brian's flair for hitting big reds to get a 4 figure sum out of the game is little short of a miracle. The fact he also managed to get out at the peak of the game is even better

Have tried to find a commentary of the game with Nikki but seems it was too long ago. If it was as bad as Brians then I doubt she kept a recording of it either

It would be great to watch some of the early shows again -with all the sayings of the old days(like red mist, blues cruise, black widow, terminator etc, ) that seem to have been erased from history. Also as I recall some of the early shows had bigger offers than we see today and didn't have the contrived offers and rule bending that is commonplace now.

edit: found this on youtube. Don't remember the show or when it aired http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyvxLw5jx-8&feature=related

The commentary for her game is available HERE.

A full archive of all commentaries is available HERE.

Definitely no contrived gameplay; offers were more consistently set to be more generous through the game after starting very low indeed (as on the Dutch version); catchphrases were different and rarer. I still miss "the show which gives real people a real chance to win real money", symbolising an ethos the show too often forgets now.