The Guide
The Walk of Wealth. The 1p Club. The Power Five. The Enigmatic Banker - If these phrases mean nothing to you, don't read on!
When, after six years away from the small screen, Noel Edmonds was offered the job of presenting a new Endemol game show based on the random opening of boxes on Channel 4, he initially turned it down.
But as soon as he played the game himself, the appeal of Deal or No Deal became clear to him. Today, millions of viewers agree.
Deal or No Deal has become one of the most popular daytime game show in British TV history and, in a remarkable comeback, Noel Edmonds is back doing what he's always done best - keeping the nation entertained.
Now Noel has decided to lift the lid on his experiences of the show in a book. Deal or No Deal - The Official Behind The Scenes Guide takes viewers through the highlights, the shocks and the frankly ridiculous moments from Season One.
Told in Noel's inimitable quirky and humorous style and lavishly illustrated, it reveals how the show began, how Noel got involved - eventually! - and how it sneaked under the radar to become the most talked-about show since Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Giving readers exclusive behind-the-scenes access and interviews with the production team and contestants, Noel guides readers through the making of the hit show and reveals the secrets to Deal or No Deal's success.
The book includes an exclusive interview with The Banker, and catches up with some of Deal or No Deal's most popular contestants, reminding us of how they fared as they recall their moment in the spotlight and the period after the show.
Jennifer, the biggest winner from Series One, told the banker she needed £50,000 and then turned down £52,000 - going on to win £120,000. At the other end of the scale, Sally had managed to row across the Atlantic with her mother but found a far more formidable obstacle in the shape of Noel's boxes and ended up in the dreaded 1p Club.
Noel also recalls how he chucked away the autocue after his first rehearsal, preferring to host the show 'as-live', and also got rid of the stool he was first meant to sit on, 'because I love thinking on my feet.'
Under Noel's stewardship, Deal or No Deal has become a television phenomenon, as popular with students as with the over-50s. He explains how he keeps up with the rigorous schedule of recording three shows a day, week after week!
He reveals how he initially merely hoped to match the ratings of Countdown - the show he had just auditioned for - and ended up with a huge hit on his hands attracting up to four million viewers daily, even before the nation has come home from work.
And he identifies the reason for the show's phenomenal and continuing success: its unpredictability. 'The most unlikely player can emerge as a daredevil risk taker,' he says, 'and the entire show can change with a run of blues.'
Deal or No Deal has won the international Rose D'Or award for Best Game Show; a Royal Television Society award for Daytime Programme of the Year, a TV Quick award for Best Daytime Programme, and Noel received his first Bafta nomination at the age of 57 for Best Entertainment Performance, 'the highlight of my career.'
Scientists have calculated that it takes just three episodes on average for viewers to become addicted. Deal or No Deal - The Official Behind The Scenes Guide is guaranteed to feed the addiction.