Bradley Walsh addresses game show hoax after Channel 4 viewers are left ‘in tears’

Bradley Walsh has opened up about his fake game show Million Pound Shot, which sparked upset and shock among its audience.

In the lead-up to the release of the Channel 4 programme, there was mass speculation that it wasn’t just a bog-standard show, with some claiming that it had been made with AI, and others wondering whether it was part of a Derren Brown stunt.

On Sunday night, the truth was revealed after viewers watched a 30-year-old man called Reece fall into a pit of despair after losing thousands of pounds of his own money in the hope of winning a £1,000,000 jackpot prize.

Reece was distraught while being consoled by his girlfriend, with one audience member shouting their fury at the concept of the series, emphasising how cruel it was. Not long after, Bradley revealed that it had all been staged to warn against the dangers of gambling.

‘Please let me explain,’ he told the studio audience, the majority of whom hadn’t known that it was all a hoax. ‘What you’ve just witnessed wasn’t all that it seems. The whole thing was a performance. Our contestant Reece has been played by an actor. So has his girlfriend Leslie. The other contestants, the floor manager, even our heckler in the audience. Everything you’ve seen tonight draws on the techniques used by the gambling industry to manipulate its customers.’

In a post shared on Instagram, Bradley thanked viewers for watching the programme, saying that while he knows it was a ‘bit of a shock’ to witness, ‘this is a vital subject and that’s exactly why I wanted to do it’.

‘A huge thanks to the incredible experts and gambling harm charities who helped shape the show, and to Patrick and Charlotte for so bravely sharing their stories,’ the 66-year-old said.
 
‘I hope everyone who watched is feeling okay, and has come away knowing a bit more about the techniques of the gambling industry.
 
‘If you’ve been affected by anything in the programme, support is out there such as the wonderful Gambling Harm UK and Gambling with Lives can help.’

In the comments underneath his post, several people praised him for making the programme, sharing how stricken they’d been to watch Reece seemingly lose a fortune of his own money.

‘Great work, well done xxx,’ Russell T Davies wrote, while an Instagram user called bbnash23 commented: ‘bbnash23 – We were crying as he realised he’d won nothing, literally saying this shouldn’t be allowed. And then the next 30 minutes of TV had us in more tears. What a show, absolutely fantastic. Now please put in your contract that The Chase can’t have Gambling sponsors…. 👏👏.’

‘Well done 👍🏻 a very powerful show. I said to my husband, I definitely don’t think Bradley would be involved in this kind of show 🙈 I was proven right,’ cladycakes_by_edel said.

Jaynepaul55 revealed that they’d said to their husband that they couldn’t believe that Bradley would have been involved in a show like this before learning the truth of the act.

‘Wow i hope this helps alot of people in this situation thank you for highlighting it Bradley 👏,’ kelcook78 added.

Another viewer called Tracey said that they’d felt ‘uncomfortable’ watching Million Pound Shot before the ruse was announced.

‘That has to be the most powerful, heart-wrenching show I have ever watched,’ anitah1961 stated. ‘Opened my eyes and I am sure a lot of others about how gambling can ruin our lives. Good programme, worth the watch.’

According to the Gambling Commission, the gambling market in Great Britain is valued at £17.5 billion, with approximately 47% of adults having gambled in the past four weeks.

Bradley Walsh’s Million Pound Shot is available to watch on Channel 4.