Deal Or No Deal hosted by Noel Edmonds was first broadcast Monday, October 31st 2005. From the outset the show has captured the imagination of the viewing public and has enjoyed increasing popularity ever since. Deal Or No Deal has an ever-growing group of loyal followers that Noel has fondly named the 'Red Box Club'. The show now regularly attracts more than four million viewers. You can watch the show on Channel 4, More 4 and More 4+1.
Every show sees one lucky contestant sit at the pound table in a battle of nerves, courage, risk and reward against the mysterious Banker. Faced with 22 identical sealed boxes ranging from 1p to £250,000, the player carefully picks their way through the rounds hoping to avoid the 'Power Five' (£35,000, £50,000, £75,000, £100,000, £250,000). Each box chosen is pivotal. No one knows what is in the boxes and each game varies wildly. Deal Or No Deal celebrates the individuality of each and every contestant; hence every player has a different game. There is no way of knowing whether or not the player has made the best deal until the final two boxes have been opened. Players must rely on instinct, gut feeling and luck to get them through the game.
All the time the ever watchful, ethereal and ever present Banker plays a psychological game, enticing and tempting the contestant into taking the offer. The Banker has one directive: to buy the players box for as little as possible. The contestant knows that the longer they can keep the big money in play they can force the Banker into increasing his offer. However keeping the big money is not enough against the Banker. Players must demonstrate a steely nerve, courage and intense belief in themselves. Any doubt will see the Banker pounce, they have to play the game with passion and determination and be prepared for the best possible outcome but also the worst.
The show is described as entertainment drama and over the months Deal Or No Deal has developed a massive Deal Or No Deal vocabulary all of its own, from the 'Walk of Wealth' to 'Keep It Low, Keep It Blue'.
Deal Or No Deal is based on a successful format developed in the Netherlands. It was the first country to develop the format with no questions in the show, hence Noel's now famous line, 'A quarter of a million pounds, 22 identical sealed boxes and no questions... except one.'