Channel 4 has been advertising a new one-off game show over the last week titled “Bradley Walsh’s Million Pound Shot”. The game follows Reece as he wagers his own money for a chance to accumulate one million pounds.
As Reece, a 30-year-old teacher, wagers his own money, we watch along like any of Walsh’s other shows.
“I feel like I need to pay back what I owe”, Reece explains to Bradley. Unlike “The Chase”, someone in the audience speaks up after he contemplates using an overdraft when he loses £6,000 of money lent by friends and family.
Although “Bradley Walsh’s Million Pound Shot” was fake. And nothing like “Ghostwatch”, which came 30 years before it.
Channel 4’s latest game show was put together as a cautionary tale against the gambling industry. The entire façade was a carefully constructed indictment of every tactic they employ.
Entering the third act, Walsh explains that “Reece” was based on a fraction of what real-life Patrick went through and was played by actor George Reid in front of an unsuspecting live audience of real people.
Patrick, like the character he’s based on, was a teacher and gambling addict. Years of addiction had left him in debt to almost everyone. Fearing for his job following an investigation from the school after borrowing money from the parents of his pupils, Patrick spent hours betting on the Grand National. Winning an extraordinary amount of money, he wagered everything on one horse.
Patrick recalled: “If I didn’t win, I was going to kill myself”.
He lost by a hair.
Bradley, the crew, actors, and real-life victims of the story elaborate on each tactic the show (and industries) used to trick Reece and the audience into accepting that this was normal.
Channel 4 constructed a ruse based on truths and named the main perpetrators.
A bold move we can only hope pays off. Maybe “Million Pound Shot” will be the catalyst to reform gambling once and for all.
If you are struggling with gambling, please contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.
Image Credit: Channel 4/Gary Moyes
