Channel 4 had hailed Million Pound Shot as its next major game show after successfully luring Bradley Walsh away from ITV and the BBC.
For a week, the broadcaster had built anticipation around the programme, while speculation spread on social media and within the television industry over whether the format was genuine.
But on Tuesday night, Walsh, 66, revealed that Million Pound Shot was actually an elaborate publicity stunt designed to highlight the UK’s gambling problem — an issue he said he “feels strongly about”.
In the opening section, broadcast at 9pm, viewers and the studio audience were led to believe they were watching an authentic new game show in which contestants gambled with their own money.
Players wagered cash based on their confidence in answers to general knowledge questions. Each correct answer offered the chance to win Bet Balls carrying a monetary value.
The premise was straightforward: contestants could either cash out or take a risk in an attempt to increase the value of their winnings and move closer to a £1 million prize.
Channel 4 had spent the past week promoting Bradley Walsh’s new game show Million Pound Shot, but the presenter revealed on Tuesday night that it was a publicity stunt
Although three “contestants” were introduced at the beginning, only one — a player named Reece — ultimately took part in the game. He said money was tight but claimed to have £1,700 available to gamble.
As the rounds continued, Reece became increasingly absorbed in the game and began taking larger risks. The mood in the studio turned to despair when viewers learned he had supposedly lost an astonishing £6,000 of his own money.
The fake game reached its most dramatic point when Walsh offered Reece the chance to go further into debt and “purchase” another Bet Ball. An audience member began heckling the presenter as Reece considered using his overdraft to pay for it.
“Is no one else here seeing what I’m seeing? Is there no one else who thinks this is wrong?” the woman shouted. She added: “The whole concept of this is disgusting. I’m worried about him — he shouldn’t be put under this kind of pressure.”
The unsettling scenes ended with Reece and his distressed girlfriend Leslie, who had been watching from the audience, being escorted from the stage.
Once the studio lights came up, Walsh told the audience that the “whole thing was a performance”.
He said: “Our contestant Reece has been played by an actor. So has his girlfriend Leslie, the other contestants, the floor manager and even our heckler in the audience.”
“Everything you have seen tonight draws on the techniques used by the gambling industry to manipulate its customers.”
He continued: “I can’t thank you enough for coming along, and I hope you take a lot of it on board.”
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Million Pound Shot was staged as a warning about the UK’s gambling problem, with the contestants and even the heckling audience member all portrayed by actors
“I feel strongly about this, which is why I’ve taken part in the show. I wanted to share with you how dangerous this industry can be.”
The 60-minute programme also revealed that Walsh’s language had been modelled on the familiar messaging used by major betting companies.
The Chase presenter went on to explain that the character of Reece was based on the real-life story of Patrick, a teacher who developed a gambling addiction while at university.
While hungover with his mates, Patrick placed £2 into a roulette machine in the local bookies. It was his £72 win that he attributes to kickstarting his problem.
Over the 13-year addiction, Patrick said his crippling addiction led to him asking the parents of the pupils he taught for cash, using excuses such as emergency dental treatment and issues with his car.
After accumulating £300,000 worth of debt, his final bet happened in 2018 during the Cheltenham Festival final.
‘If I win all the money back, life can continue. If that horse didn’t win, I was going to go and do the unthinkable and kill myself,’ he heartbreakingly told viewers.
After losing, he said he ‘felt nothing, I was just broken’.
The Daily Mail can now reveal the lengths producers went to prevent the stunt being uncovered before the broadcast – including gagging the audience.
An insider said: ‘The show was only recorded just over two weeks ago in a studio in Maidstone, which is an incredibly fast turnaround for a game show.
‘Members of the audience were under the impression they would be watching an episode of the new show with Bradley being recorded, but they were kept completely in the dark.
‘Once they arrived, they were handed a nondisclosure agreement and told if they didn’t sign it, they would not be allowed in.
‘To comply with broadcasting standards, they were only told the recording would contain themes of gambling.’
The Gambling Commission say they have implemented a wide range of consumer protections in recent years, including tightening rules on free bets.
They say all operators are required to look out for and act on the warning signs of harm.