I left work on Wednesday evening and drove down to Bristol where I met my stepdaughter in the posh hotel where the contestants live while they are taking part in the shows. We had a swim in the gorgeous pool then, rather bizarrely, went to Ikea where, amongst other things, we bought a cuddly weasel who may well become her lucky mascot!

Returning to the city centre, we joined other contestants in a certain (top-secret) pub where DOND tradition dictates that previous big winners put money over the bar to enable the next generation of players to have free drinks every evening

It was very strange to be introduced to people with phrases like "This is -----, he/she won £££££ today". We eventually tottered back to our room at about 11.30 but I was already too hyped up to sleep very well.

At 8.30, the "funbus" arrived to take us to the studio. Each group of contestants nominate a "Daddy" and a "Mummy" whose job it is to look after the players, help newbies to settle in and generally co-ordinate things at the hotel. "Daddy Winston" welcomed us aboard and we set off through the Bristol rush hour.

On arrival at the studios, I went with Ty to the Green Room, which isn't anything near as glamourous as it sounds - more like a doctor's waiting room, in fact!! Gradually the players disappeared to the dressing rooms and came back dressed in smart clothes, wearing their name badges and generally looking more like the people you see on the telly. Eventually I went off with the rest of the Friends and Family and took my place in the audience.

Normally a show takes about 1.5 hours to record but after about 15 minutes of the first show there was a problem with the lighting which resulted in a delay of over an hour. The warm-up man did a great job of keeping us all entertained and we eventually got going again. Noel did refer to the incident during his next conversation with The Banker when he said "Yes, it seems like hoooooouuurs since we last spoke"

Obviously, I can't tell you what happened in the games. All three were thrilling but one in particular is destined to become truly legendary Even Noel said it was in his Top 10 all-time greats

The third game saw Ty's debut on the East Wing! Sometimes Newbies can be a bit shy for the first few games but not our girl She was standing next to an older guy who flirted mercilessly with the two pretty girls either side of him and Ty gave as good as she got! Then, when the time came to open her box, it was at a crucial point of the game so she had to do it after a dramatic pause and with a camera right in her face. Watch out for that girl in January ... she is going to be a star!!!!

I've often wondered if the camaraderie thing on DOND is overplayed for the cameras. All this "Oh Fred, we're really going to miss you" stuff!! But I can honestly say that by the time we got back on the coach, I felt I was going to miss them and I'd only been there a day. I am looking forward so much to watching their shows and seeing how they all get on. A really lovely bunch of people

Thats a fascinating insight, many thanks for posting it wicked. Lets hope Ty is the next one to be putting money behind the bar!

Have they not made any jokes about Ty bears yet?