You Say, You Pay
“BECAUSE of a technical problem with our telephone supplier” You Say We Pay, mainstay of teatimes with Richard & Judy, has been axed.
It was Judy Finnegan’s job to make that announcement.
As the Guardian reports, an average of 15,000 a day people spend £1 each telephoning the Richard & Judy show for a chance to play the game.
The game is simple. Contestants see if they can make Richard and Judy correctly guess the names of items and people appearing on a screen to their rear.
To date, allegations of cheating have centred on Richard’s not infrequent chair swivels. The tanned one with the sun in is hair looks at a picture of, say, a female celebrity and realises it is not William Hague, as the callers clues suggest, but Britney Spears. Each correct answer nets the caller £1,000. Richard says the correct answer. Richard is the player’s pal.
Richard just does not care. This is Richard in an interview with the Guardian, saying how he is “routinely accused of saying more than is appropriate or suitable”.
This is Richard talking of he and wife Judy’s decision to quit ITV for Channel 4: “We knew coming here was a fucking risk and it nearly didn’t work. Up till then the press had been pretty good. But our first show for Channel 4 was shit.”
Richard later adds: “I think a lot of the BBC schedule is crap.”
But at least the BBC is not embroiled in an alleged scam to fleece it viewers (licence fee excluded). The allegation is that viewers are encouraged to call and enter the quiz after entry has closed.
The claim is that the show starts at 5pm and by 5.10pm the list of contestants with a chance of being selected to play the game has been finalised. But at 5.19pm viewers were asked to call again. They still had a chance to play and to win – at least that’s what Richard & Judy were saying.
Channel4 is investigating. And while we await the verdict, viewers are invited to enter Anorak’s contest. Please use the donate button to send us £1 or more. When we’ve got enough money, we’ll send one of you a prize.
Fingers crossed.
Posted: 19th, February 2007 | In: Tabloids Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
