Episode 64, January 14 2006 @ 5:55pm
Player: Alan - has box 12

A late start for the 64th game - the third-last of the original commission - and it's slowed down a bit further as Noel has to take Alan's Box 12 to the table as he needs a walking stick to get there (Alan, not Noel). He's a retired meter-reader and talks about his winning record betting on horse racing, considering himself "quite lucky" - Noel says he hopes that luck rubs off in this game too. His wife's in the studio, looking far more nervous than he is. He says he's hoping for a "five-figure" win.

"We've had some great games lately. Let's have another one. Good luck!"

Box 1 (Vaughan) - £1,000. "That will do," Alan says. "Although I planned to hit all the blues first!" Laughter.
Box 5 (Julie) - £75,000! "Oh, that won't do!", Noel exclaims.
Box 15 (Gerry) - £100,000! "Oh, crumbs!"
Box 6 (Mumtaz) - "we really do need a blue now!" - £15,000! "Oh, not another one..." Noel wonders "if there's ever been an opening round where not one blue has been revealed"...
Box 16 - £750. And alarmingly big cheers. "Good grief, even that one was the highest blue!" Noel laughs...

Banker phones up and is laughing, but Noel reminds him £250,000 is still in play! "This is the only quarter-million you'll see from now on..."

Banker's offer:

£2,500

A quarter of a million pence. Instantly the response is NO DEAL.

Box 20 (Marie) - "We can get the game swinging back with an all-blue round here" - £500. "There's one..."
Box 22 (Gill) -£1! "There's another!" Alan says he's feeling a bit better now, and Noel says that after the break "we will prove we used up all the bad luck at the beginning"...

First adbreak
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Box 9 (newbie Brenda) - "make a good first impression and complete the all-blue round" - £5! "See? Better already!"

The Banker concedes the momentum has shifted but says it is still a dangerous board after the opening round...

Banker's offer:

£7,500

Alan says that's "an improvement", is given advice to go on, and NO DEAL it duly is.

Box 19 - £35,000! "Oh, we did not want that..."
Box 8 (Geordie) - £100. "That's what we wanted! Now, if we can find another of those..."
Box 18 (Terry) - "As long as it's not that big one, you're still well and truly in this game, son" - £10,000. A few groans, Terry says "that's not too bad" and a few cheers follow that.

The Banker says he thinks Alan knew how important that was and Terry didn't... and says it's now time for him to be the first to walk at the third offer because "this is what you came for and you admitted it before the game even begun"...

Banker's offer:

£10,000

Alan admits that's good. "I'd be happy with that," he says, and that causes Julie to advise a Deal. Geordie says that the £250,000 is "probably" going to stay and "it'll be a better offer if it does", and Noel says that's good advice... Vaughan says there's too much on the board to walk away from...

Eventually the question is asked... and it's NO DEAL!

Noel says "we now hope you get what you deserve, a good round now and a better offer".

Box 4 (Andrew) - 50p! Big cheers. "This is slowly turning into quite a good game indeed!"
Box 14 (Aileen) - £50,000! Big groans. "Now we are totally dependent on the quarter of a million remaining in the game."

Noel calls the break... "it does not get much more dramatic than this".

Second adbreak
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Box 2 (Jessica) - "this is one of the most important box openings of the week. It cannot be the quarter of a million" - 1p! Huge cheers of relief!

The Banker says he wants this over with and thinks Alan wants this over with, so "it's time for both of us to mutually agree on a fair amount for this board".

Banker's offer:

£12,500

Terry says that's not bad considering the danger. Vaughan points out that the £250,000 is still there. Gill says it's time to think carefully... Alan does, and eventually decides to DEAL!

Noel says Alan's got what he wanted but what we all want now is to confirm the Banker has once again been beaten!

Box 10 (Charles) - "good work, chap" - £5,000. "Ooh, nope..."
Box 7 (Jim) - £250! "No... need three zeroes in front of that or this was a Deal too soon..."

Squashdown
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Box 17 (Garvan) - "only one will do, it has to be the quarter of a million in this box" - 10p! "Oh, no!"

The Banker says this game is a turning point for him after many painful games this year!

Banker's offer would've been:

£30,000

Gasps of horror. Alan said he would've taken that. Noel says we now need to prove the £250,000 was not on the table...

Box 21 (John) - £250,000! "There we go!" Big cheers. "Now we just need to find the £20,000 and we can really be happy."
Box 13 (Linda) - £20,000! "Yes!" Alan says he's "pretty pleased with that". Noel says that it was a Deal too soon, "but how much more painful would it be if we were still playing on here?"
Box 11 (Miguel) - £3,000! "Oh, it gets better!"

The Banker says this was "a triumph for common sense".

Banker's offer would've been:

£30

"For what little it matters," Box 12 is opened to reveal £50, with Box 3 containing £10.

"The Banker will try and make a lot of that, but the fact is you sold a £50 box for £12,500. That, Alan, is rather good work!" And it's an upbeat signoff as we end the week.

An awful lot better than his real game!