CHALLENGE! The Last Millionaire, BBC3, 9.00pm
Apparently it’s the season for low-budget Apprentice clones – while ITV’s marvellous Natural Born Seller ended up consigned to the off-peak schedule slot of doom after a few episodes, it still contained some utterly monstrous personalities and was therefore compelling television. And as much as it pains me to wish good things on BBC3 as I face a Pulling-free existence, I hope that The Last Millionaire fares better, because it looks rather good.
For the most part, the premise seems fairly standard: a group of successful business types are thrown together in an alien scenario and forced to make as much money as possible – in this case, they’re in foreign countries and stripped of all the luxuries they’re normally used to, residing instead in basic backpackers’ hostels and surviving on an extremely meagre budget. The contestants have to use their knowledge and experience to start businesses – but the twist is that the most successful contestants get to leave the show and head back to their lives of luxury, while the losers are the ones who have to stay in the hostel with – gasp! – no en-suite or butler or in-house manicure service. Perish the thought, indeed.
The contestants don’t seem too odious a bunch on first glance, even if their reactions to their accommodation don’t exactly present them in the most favourable light possible. Hopefully it’ll live up to its initial promise and deliver some what-the-hell-just-happened moments truly worthy of Sralan and co.
