It's Back! (Mole, The)

Member Name: buttonman

Product:	Mole, The
Date:	29/01/01 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Who can it be?

Disadvantages: It looks like it's everyone

Yes! 'The Mole' is back and it's even better than the largely ignored original. The format is unchanged with ten contestants, five men and five women. The group covers a similar range of ages and ethnic backgrounds with perhaps slightly more personality than the last. At the time of writing only two eliminations have been carried out so the identity of the mole is still a mystery to this amateur sleuther at least.

The setting this time is British Columbia in Canada and frankly it knocks Jersey into a cocked hat. The challenges are also more exotic with stunt planes and bomb defusing all part of the fun. The challenges are somewhat harder with the majority of the cash being lost thus far. The budget must have been spent on the location because the team will be lucky to earn half of the £200,000 prize fund. I doubt many of them are bothered as they are at least getting a freebie adventure holiday with free home movies.

The tasks have varied from 'identify what stunt your plane did' which was just an excuse to have lots of sexy aerial shots to 'catch the metal ball when it falls from the magnet' that one lasted three hours and was lost! The local paint-balling club has being getting some overtime with two appearances thus far. These games were both lost but a touch more exciting.

Glen Hugill is back as presenter and thankfully he's ditched his combat vest for a sinister black leather coat and shades. He alternates between friendly and harsh and his role isn't well defined. The web site says he doesn't know the Mole's identity so he must hide when the saboteur gets his instuctions. As before skilful editing makes everyone a suspect but my money's on Jim the Kilmarnock garage owner - never trust someone from Ayrshire!

The show is now on Sunday nights at 8pm and is one of my few must-sees. Let's have your nominations now and well give out your marks in seven weeks!


*
*****ORIGINAL OPINION******

Channel 5's forages into original programming have been patchy at best. 'Fort Boyard' is OK but a rip off from 'The Crystal maze', and '100%' is prescribed as a substitute for sleeping pills. Only Chegger's 'Naked Jungle' managed to raise a titter and frankly they weren?t a pretty sight.

So with one eye on reality TV sensation 'Big Brother' Channel 5 followed suit and bought this tried and tested formula from the Belgians where it's called 'De Mol'. The Belgians aren't known for their TV output apart from chocolate documentaries and the odd titbit on 'Eurotrash', so the omens weren't good.

The scenario is however an intriguing one with ten strangers joining forces to win a large pot of cash whilst trying to identify the mole who has been planted in their group to scupper their chances. The shows are one hour long and so far each episode has featured three games with prizes ranging from £5000 to £20,000.At the end of each show one player is eliminated and the last survivor pockets the accumulated cash.

So the premise is good, so why isn't everyone talking about it? Well at the risk of sounding snobbish it's because it's on Channel 5.'Big Brother' proved that a minority channel can have a big hit but that show was static and generated income through phone calls. This show however needs a big budget and as it's already been filmed there's no chance for a phone poll frenzy.

So with Channel 5's resources corners have to be cut and they have. The first three episodes were clearly sponsored by the Jersey tourist board with each game involving a tour around its historic sights (late deals still available!).The third episode did venture over to France but they went on someone's boat.

The games vary in quality with the best being a chase around a maize maze. The first episode featured
a parachute jump and the third a bungee jump. These were padded out too long and are doubtless forbears of other dull events such as para- gliding, abseiling or whatever other 'danger sports' Jersey has to offer. Other games, which were less exciting, included cheese tasting and bag packing.

As previously noted the show is prerecored and has doubtless finished by now. By having all the film in the can the editor can put together clips that incriminate each participant meaning that our chances of deducing the mole's identity are nil.

I think it could've been more fun if we knew who the mole was in advance and then wonder at the players' stupidity at not sussing it out. At the very least they should do it like the football results on the news - "If you don't want to know the mole's identity look away now"! If the show was filmed a day or two in advance the bookies would take bets, newsgroups would spring up and it would be more exiting. As it is it's like looking at someone's holiday snaps.

As for the contestants, don't ask me! Apart from a token old person they are all faceless nobodies. There is little humour or banter and no personalities have shone through. 'Big Brother' was clever in having a diverse group so if you said the yuppy, lesbian, coloured bloke etc people would instantly know whom you meant. In this they are all white and dull, so I'll say it's the old guy that's the mole!

The presenter is Glenn Hugill who according to press ads used to be a bad boy on Coronation Street. I don't know about that but he's definitely a bad presenter. Wearing a ridiculous combat vest he talks in a sinister and conspirital fashion and is as menacing as Mavis from his previous address.

My last gripe concerns the elimination process. We're told each player fills in a questionnaire and the one who knows the least about the mole's identity is ejecte
d. The problem is we don't see the questions, answers or results. To make it look official a laptop goes red on the loser's name. What does this prove? For all we know they simply boot out the ugliest or biggest moaner.

All in all this is an enjoyable show, which in the right hands could've been so much better. I'll probably still watch but wouldn?t lose sleep if I missed an episode. Anyways we all know its Zi, don't we?

Well, we don't. The series has now finished with Zi winning the £100,000 prize and David being revealed as the mole. A follow up show showed his methods and there were enough clues to solve the riddle. The most blatant was the if you put together the first word of each episode's introduction you got 'the identity of the mole is David! Simple when you know how. A new series has been commissioned and after 'Touch the Truck' I can't wait!

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