Marilyn's game today.

This is the first of the hour-long shows!

Noel welcomes us to a New Year on Deal or No Deal, and we're treated to some new music and totally new opening titles! Noel wishes us all a Happy New Year. Noel talks about how the banker's been using Twitter, and he encourages us to communicate with him on there. He also says there are some changes on the way.

Brand new titles for the New Year.

These of course were the first shows filmed after the long summer filming break.

Loving the new show intro! Hopefully the first game of the year is a mega spanking.

Wonder what the mega changes are?

Marilyn has box 16.

Marilyn is retired, and has her husband in the audience today. Noel says he's been poorly recently and had 2 heart attacks in one year. Marilyn reveals that her family come round for breakfast each morning! She has some ale with her, and also a guardian angel ornament that lights up! We get to see a pic of her family, including all her children and grandchildren. Noel introduces us to some other relatives that Marilyn has in the audience.

Marilyn also has some clotted cream fudge for Noel and the banker, and she also has a can of special ale for each of them. She says it's very strong and sorts the men from the boys! Marilyn says she doesn't have a system.

Here we go...

Am presuming, given the other audiovisual changes, that the show is now taped in HD...

Let's hope any gameplay changes are for the better.

Nice new board graphics as well.

Round 1

Noel introduces us to the gameboard which has had a snazzy update to the colours.

5 - Dale - 50p

Noel talks to Jim and he says he fell over a step so he missed the last show!

2 - Tracey - £50

3 - Grace - £5

6 - Julie - £35,000

Dave now, and Noel thanks him for smartening up and ditching the scruffy clothes!

4 - Dave - £250

Banker time

The banker wishes everyone a Happy New Year. He makes fun of one of Marilyn's relatives in the audience because he's very nervous, so he displays a close-up of him on the gameboard. Noel gets floorman Eddie to take half of the fudge to the banker. The banker talks about how Marilyn used to be a quality inspector, and she can inspect him any time.

Banker's offer:

£4,000

Marilyn says

NO DEAL

Noel calls a break...

Surprised the first offer wasn't £2,011, especially if you are going to start the year with a joke offer.

All the values on the board look like miniature wine bottles on their sides, and the offer graphic looks like a large wine bottle on its side.

Seems the same as always. Just some updated graphics. Only difference appears to be it's a bit more drawn out. Hoping for some gameplay changes, but, apart from maybe 1 box at a time at the end, I doubt we'll be seeing any.

Nope. I mentioned back in October I didn't see any evidence at the studios the show being recorded in HD. Channel 4 HD confirms this as it's still being upscaled and not in true High Definition. Sky EPG also confirms it being in Standard Definition.

It's nice to see the contestants back in their normal clothes.

We're back

Round 2

Noel says the banker thinks Marilyn has low ambitions, but Noel says she has lots of ambitions, including taking her husband white-water rafting, and she'd also like to go to Australia with him. Noel suggests rafting to Australia.

1 - Scott - £10

12 - David - £15,000

20 - Matty - £20,000

Banker time

At least the show has had cosmetic changes (updated graphics etc...), unlike Weakest Link who have been stuck with the same graphcis and set up for over 10 years.

A lovely vertically symmetric board right now.

Noel says that round didn't go as well as we'd hoped, but Marilyn says it's not too bad. The banker says he likes the thought of Marilyn's husband going white water-rafting with heart problems. He returns half of the fudge for Noel, but most of it's gone and the only bit remaining has teeth marks in it.

Banker's offer:

£4,001

Marilyn says

NO DEAL