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The Bank Job

(Split from Channel 4 thread) (January 2012)

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JC
JCB
Just a word in Lamb's defence: this must be a nightmarish gig for even the most experienced presenter to pull off live.


Is anyone else now wishing it had been hosted by Shaun Williamson? Now that would be great TV.

David


Everything would be better with "Barry from eastenders".

I'm 3 days late but that Mashup night was **** appart from 8 out of 10 cats/Countdown.
LO
lobster
David posted:
On 4HD the bank job ticker was going throughout the last ad break, it surprises me that this graphic is seemingly put on by the playout centre rather than the studio gallery.


It probably has to be done that way due to the regional nature of Channel 4's adverts. Did the screen go black and the sound cut out during the last ad break for you?

It is a shocking programme. What's the point of all the random movement of those stupid flight cases, couldn't they just have a digital counter ?


It just makes the programme more interesting. The game could be played in a much smaller studio with all the money moving being done on a computer screen instead of with real money in drawers and cases, but it wouldn't be half as good.


I disagree that moving those flight cases around made the show interesting, more of a distraction from the fact that the programme is both in concept and execution, incredibly, incredibly dull.

The presenter was utterly hopeless, charisma bypass would be an understatement, like an impotent vernon kay.

I watched this programme in utter disbelief; what happened to the daring bold channel 4? Must it really compete with itv in a race to the bottom, battling for the chicken nugget muncher demographic?

These programmes really are devoid of any challenge, you might as well watch two fat blokes play snap for 90 minutes, there is no more skill required.
DA
David
I disagree that moving those flight cases around made the show interesting, more of a distraction from the fact that the programme is both in concept and execution, incredibly, incredibly dull.


You say less dull, I say more interesting. At least we agree on this point.

The presenter was utterly hopeless, charisma bypass would be an understatement, like an impotent vernon kay.


I don't think George Lamb was too bad considering he is George Lamb. Better than I expected him to be but no Charlotte Gane or Chris Evans. He doesn't say 'guys' nearly as much as he used to. He does say 'darling' a bit too much though.

I watched this programme in utter disbelief; what happened to the daring bold channel 4? Must it really compete with itv in a race to the bottom, battling for the chicken nugget muncher demographic?


Whatever you think of George Lambs' The Bank Job, it is no way on the same level as Holding out for a Hero, The Colour of Money or that Jeremy Kyle one.

These programmes really are devoid of any challenge, you might as well watch two fat blokes play snap for 90 minutes, there is no more skill required.


I don't think that would work as a format. A fat man and a skinny woman might work. Viewers need someone to root for and if there were two fat men then it would be difficult for a viewer to pick between them. Get Vernon Kay to present, add a viewers competition and an online game and you have yourself a format.
DA
David
Some more clock stopping and rewinding in the first round tonight as the adjudicator is taking a while to decide if someone has a correct answer or not.

Someone said "Gypsy", George Lamb said "I need a bit more", what seems like ages passed and the contestant said "Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" and she was awarded the right answer. Lamb then made what The Daily Mail would be reporting as a racist remark about curses if they weren't too busy watching Big Brother instead.

Another lad said "The Pogues<long pause>Fairy Tale of New York" and was told it was incorrect (the correct answer being "Fairy Tale of New York").

Both answers should have been incorrect IMHO but if the first one was correct than I think the second one should have been too.
Last edited by David on 5 January 2012 11:40pm
BR
Brekkie
Absolutely agree David - things like this are letting down an otherwise half decent format. Got to see tonight what happens when players don't get out - I think the simple tie breakers but no more cash situation seems to work in the circumstances.

It's probably a show though that would benefit from being recorded rather than live - indeed unlike Million Pound Drop the play along aspect is pretty minimal and the questions are not based on current events.
WP
WillPS
I really enjoyed The Bank Job - just a bit annoying that the final game was pretty much the same as Golden Balls.
DA
David
I really enjoyed The Bank Job - just a bit annoying that the final game was pretty much the same as Golden Balls.


I also enjoyed The Bank Job. I was disappointed when George Lamb vaguely described the final at the start of the programme yesterday as it just sounded like The Prisoner's Dilemma (the end game of Golden Balls) but I thought the final twist was fantastic. The whole thing played out really well for everyone apart from the two final contestants. The losers got some money which they seemed genuinely shocked by (I wonder if they were only told the twist at the same time the viewer?), the producers got an exciting piece of television and we got a happy, good triumphs over bad ending.

Fantastic.
JA
JAS84
Yes it was... but they won't be able to pull off the same trick twice (we know about the final twist now). After the technical issues earlier in the week with the constant clock rewinding, if there's going to be a second series, the format will need some major tweaking.
TR
trivialmatters
I watched the first episode of this in disbelief. An overly complicated, confusing and surprisingly dull format that even the presenter didn't quite understand the rules to.

It was like watching the first ever block through, arbitrarily moving back and forth cases, it was very awkward. Also, from what I did understand of the rules, if the timer reaches zero and you haven't left the vault, you lose. But on a few occasions Lamb let contestants answer questions after the buzzer had gone off, seemingly realising this was a mistake, and later adding 'er, I let you answer before so I'll let you answer as well now the buzzer has gone off'.

Shambolic. And not an entertaining format at all, when you compare it with something simple and effective like Million Pound Drop.

46 days later

DA
David
So, second week of the second series. They have changed the format slightly for this series but they have kept the most popular element, the 'technical problems' although I am sure half of them are caused by George Lamb himself.

A contestant buzzed in, the name on their podium flashed but for some reason Lamb asked another contestant to give an answer instead. The person Lamb asked didn't have their microphone faded up so someone, possibly the sound guy/gal, knew what was happening even if Lamb didn't. Lamb blamed this cock-up on "the machines". They started the round again. One woman looks like she is about to puke.
Last edited by David on 24 February 2012 9:20pm
WP
WillPS
I just don't understand why he keeps getting employed, he's rubbish at it!
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
I actually thought this played out better as a week long event, with all the winners into the final with the 'Golden Balls' dilemma at the end. That's been lost now, so just a bog standard quiz.

Bit dull.

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