Channel 4 viewers have voiced suspicions that Bradley Walsh's upcoming quiz show, Million Pound Shot, may not be a genuine gameshow. The programme is scheduled to air at 9pm on Sunday, November 1, and marks the 66-year-old presenter's return to the broadcaster.
The doubts follow Walsh's departure from Blankety Blank in July, when he told the Radio Times: "I just don't have the time, which is sad because I've loved Blankety Blank. It's been one of my favourite shows, and it's been brilliant. Blankety Blank has been brilliant. It really makes me laugh. It's the most fun you can have in the studio, and I just cannot work on it at the moment. I just have not got the time."
Viewer theory points to a stunt
Among the sceptics is TikTok user Harry Ford, who posted a video explaining why he is "90 per cent certain" the show is not what it appears. "The trailer for this show aired during Taskmaster last week and as soon as it was over, I said that is not going to be a real show... that is going to be some kind of stunt," he said.
Ford cited the "incredibly vague and generic" title and description as evidence. "If you are launching a new quiz show, you need to have a title that immediately tells you what it is - and you need to sum up how the game works," he noted, adding that the title Million Pound Shot discloses "nothing".
He added: "It's as generic as you can get. And the description states, 'it is a one-off event where three plucky contestants step up for the chance to win up to £1 million'. I would already say that is suspiciously vague - why if they were launching a brand new quiz event would they not tell you anything about it?"
Unusual scheduling and commissioning
Ford also pointed to the show's description, which "promises a night of drama" and mentions a "curveball the audience won't see coming". He said: "Again, I don't think they would keep that under wraps if this was a conventional quiz - they'd want you to know and tune in to see the quiz you're being sold. This is going to be something secret, and I am assuming it is going to be a big stunt that is going to grab headlines."
He questioned the show's "one-off" format and its Sunday night 9pm slot, noting that "usually quizzes are commissioned for a handful of shows" and that this is "quite an unusual time to launch a big, new quiz event". He also wondered whether Walsh, known for fronting Gladiators on the BBC and The Chase and Breaking Dad on ITV, had ever worked with Channel 4 before.
Ford highlighted the involvement of Tim Hancock, the commissioning editor, describing him as someone "into very 'stunty', outrageous, headline-grabbing commissions". Hancock's "most famous" commission is Gregg Wallace: The British Miracle Meat, which Ford called a "bizarre satirical, sort of scripted documentary" about "harvesting human meat".
Viewers predict a scripted twist
Ford labelled the new show a potential "hoax", saying: "It's a genuinely amazing little programme, but it was sold to the public as a real documentary and played completely straight - it was only when it aired that people realised it was a hoax." He closed: "I am certain that is what is going to happen here. I think the vague title, the vague description, Bradley Walsh hosting on Channel 4, a one-off quiz event at 9pm the day after Halloween, commissioned by a man who loves 'stunty' headline-grabby commissions... I think this is going to be something scripted."
Other viewers shared similar theories online. One TikTok user suggested a Derren Brown-style experiment, while another predicted a "Black Mirror type thing" where a contestant has to shoot someone for £1 million. A third noted that Channel 4 confirmed in February this year that Brown would have a new show called 'Incognito', with no further updates since. A fourth remarked on the post-watershed slot: "Interesting that it's post-watershed too. Most quiz shows are pre-9pm so this insinuates it's going to have content not suitable for kids. Definitely not going to just be a normal quiz show."
Channel 4 has been invited to respond.
