Cilla Black, let's go over the the rules once again. Your challenge is to attempt to host a tension filled entertainment gameshow on Saturday nights that involves setting challenges to mambers of the public which if they win will win them many prizes but if they lose go home with next to nothing. Are you ready?
And so we begin with a typically 90s naff dancey grandiose theme tune which sets the scene for the show, then we see Cilla in a studio that looks a little bit like the Blind Date one.
And it's straight on to our first family who all seem to be predominantly Cockney and from London (which is lucky really, all things considered). Cilla says hello, everybody looks in shock usually saying something like 'Oh my God it's Cilla!' and Cilla will almost certainly say 'Hello, it's Cilla 'ere!' in the Cilla Black style-ee. We then say hello to each member of the family and are invited to go 'aah, bless' at the little children then Cilla gets her 'Dream Directory' out. The Dream Directory is basically a catalogue of prizes. The family have had a look at the Dream Directory beforehand and have chosen the prizes that they want and now we get a chance to see what they've chosen. Typically, they'll be a London Cabbie in every episode who chooses a car, his wife who will choose either a new kitchen or a family holiday somewhere exotic (although I wouldn't call America exotic really) and the kids will each choose a television plus either a Playstation, a Nintendo 64, a video ir a stereo system.
'Aah' I hear you cry, 'but what's the catch?' The catch is this: One member of the family (it's always one of the parents) has to perform a feat of immense skill or memory in The Moment Of Truth studios a week later. They might have two minutes to build a house of cards, for example. Or they may have to remember every train station from Maidstone (in the South East of England) to Gretna Green in Scotland (I think it was 55 stations in the end)... and then back again. These challenges are tough but they have a week to practise them. Often, after being told what the challenge is they'll typically say "Oh my God! I'll never be able to do that!" which normally gets a laugh from the audience.
But now we're back in the studio and it's time to meet the Cockney family from London! (they walk between the crowd and wave to the camera). At this point Cilla asks how they're week has been and then we are invited to look at their week's video diary where we see the family helping out the member chosen to do the task. These bits are quite amusing as we see the contestant get better and better at their given task. But will it be good enough for the show? Well, will it?
"Well, you haven't seen your prizes close up yet have you? Well hold on tight because you're about to see them now". At this point, the whole sofa revolves round so that the family can see their prizes on the prize stage. In my opinion, there should be more revolving sofas in television gameshows and so The Moment of Truth has earnt itself an extra mark out of 10 just for having one.
And then, the challenge itself. We are reminded of the rules and then they do it. Big build up to a some-might-say difficult but generally unremarkable challenge. Do we really want to see people playing tiddlywinks for £20,000 worth of prizes? The memory ones work reasonably well and failures are met with a loud crash cymbal sort of sound and a giant cross on the screen where they went wrong (obviously there is an on-screen graphic telling everyone at home what they should be saying next and a timer for the skill challenge) and if they win, they win the prizes and if they lose then the prizes are covered up again, everyone goes 'aaaah' and the parent probably feels really bad. But the kids don't go home empty handed (because otherwise Cilla wouldn't have hosted it. Apparently she was crying at one point when a person failed a challenge) and are normally given a half-decent prize, a backstage pass to a concert or football match for example.
And then they do it twice more. All the same (apart from the challenges). And when you win, it's really good, and when they lose it is quite upsetting. It knows how to do emotion and I think it bases itself on a human interest angle and whilst you can safely switch off and watch it (your brain I mean, not the television, it's not exactly complicated) at the same time it lacks depth. It is Random ITV Sturday Night entertainment programme X, not only that but it's Random ITV Saturday Night entertainment programme X which has been toned down from 'Happy Family Plan', the Japanese version (which didn't give the kids prizes if they lost. Meanies). It knows how to do tension but the payoff a lot of the time isn't satisfactory enough. Nice revolving sofa though.
VERDICT: 5.5/10 (but bear in mind one of those is for the sofa). It's sort of OK but I think wholesomeness has had it's day.
Aaah.
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