Bye bye Big Brother... C'ya later Celeb Island - Space Cadets is coming!

whiskeyman

Anyone else heard about this?
Very Truman Show-esque....
I wonder how far they'll push it.
Has the makings to be very interesting indeed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4442882.stm

BBC blurb wrote:

A Channel 4 reality show is aiming to trick contestants into thinking they have been launched into space.
Space Cadets, which will air next month, will tell nine people they are to visit space thanks to a Russian tourism agency.

They will be told they are being taken to a Russian training base - but it will, in fact, be a secret UK location.

Channel 4 executives have admitted the joke could be on them if the participants cotton on to the stunt.

The channel has lined up a stand-in schedule just in case the 10-day series beginning on 7 December does not go to plan

Shrimp

haha, brilliant!

The Bollox

sounds like that show they had last year/the year before. the one that the ad for Lapdance Island was made for

mike65

I'm waiting for the reality show where makers of crap telly realise they have wasted thier talent and kill themselves live.

Mike.

fletch

I just can't see this working.....like for starters....how are they going to mock up the whole flight to Russia...and the cold weather....and the G forces created by a blast-off....should be interesting though

OFDM

Johnny Vaughan hasn't been on television in years.

Skyuser

Bye bye Big Brother??? I don't think so! Bring on celeb big bro Jan '06

BuffyBot

Johnny Vaughan hasn't been on television in years.

He's been off inflicting himself on US audiences.

mike65

fletch wrote:

I just can't see this working.....like for starters....how are they going to mock up the whole flight to Russia...and the cold weather....and the G forces created by a blast-off....should be interesting though

High up the the Scottish mountians is pretty nippy and you could 'fly' to Russia by going round the North Sea twice!

Mike.

BuffyBot

For a moment I thought it was that bloody sci-fi panel quiz show coming back!

satchmo

I'd say everything will be fairly convincing with the sets from Space Cowboys and all, and since they screened everyone for the most gullible people then chances are none of them will twig it.

The thing is, most of these reality TV contestants are absolute idiots and exactly the sort of people I hate watching... but in this case, all I can think of is how absolutely gutted I would be if I got to take part in an apparent "near-space" mission, only for it to turn out to be a hoax with the whole nation laughing at me.

Now normally I really couldnt care less what TV shows do... blood sports, violent pranks, scaring the sh*t out of people, it's all fair game as far as I'm concerned. But for some reason this Space Cadets just seems wrong! I guess maybe it hits a bit too close to home - I know if I had been in the same position as those people I would have jumped at the chance!

radioman

I can't watch some reality tv but this sounds great. Put some gullible twits in a mock spaceship and convince them they're in space while tv land laughs on. Brilliant!!

Basq

I love it!

whiskeyman

It's blast-off tonight!
I think the first episode will make-or-break it for me.
I've no time for most of reality shows, so this is going to have to show real appeal and good planning to make me keep watching.
Post your reviews/opinions afterward here...

Pigman II

The Truman Show is one of my favourite films (in particular due to its premise) but that said tho I still won't be tuning into this wankfest. The clincher for me was when I found out that asswipe Vaughan was involved. I'd slap him around given half a chance.

Skyuser

Channel4 are really pullin out all stops for this one. Ther using the best effects and equipment and have already spent £5 millon on production. And an astronaut went to see the fake place and said it was amazingly real.

lostexpectation

on itv morning, they got them on a plane few in a big cirle for a couple of hours and then landed on an old air base in ipswich, lost of old warehouses and bunkers surrounded with pines. They ahd to replace every socket and fitting, sanding off the on/off writing on water fossets

madrab

fosset?

i think you mean taps

yeah im with satchmo on this, if it had been me then i would have been furious to be told its a prank
dont think i could watch this

aidan_dunne

You know what would make this the ultimate prank, though? If, when these "astronauts" were in their "spaceship", it was somehow setup by the production company that, as they were looking out the windows down on "Earth", they suddenly made it look as if a giant asteroid came crashing down on Earth out of nowhere and wiped out the UK or something! Would be great to see their reactions to that!

Though, on second thoughts, that might just be a bit too cruel and taking the joke a step too far. It might completely push the contestants over the edge and might be really psychologically damaging to them, thinking they'd just seen their family, friends and, indeed, entire country wiped out. Then again, I always was a heartless bastard so it still might be fun to watch!

Supercell

Its on 9PM tonight lads, looks like being a great bit of fun, looking forward to viewing .

mike65

aidan_dunne wrote:

You know what would make this the ultimate prank, though? If, when these "astronauts" were in their "spaceship", it was somehow setup by the production company that, as they were looking out the windows down on "Earth", they suddenly made it look as if a giant asteroid came crashing down on Earth out of nowhere and wiped out the UK or something! Would be great to see their reactions to that!

Though, on second thoughts, that might just be a bit too cruel and taking the joke a step too far. It might completely push the contestants over the edge and might be really psychologically damaging to them, thinking they'd just seen their family, friends and, indeed, entire country wiped out. Then again, I always was a heartless bastard so it still might be fun to watch!

Jeremy Beadle once convinced a woman aliens had landed right by her, she was saying hello and everything! If you develope the right atmosphere you can convince almost anyone of anything.

Mike.

aidan_dunne

Yeah, mike65, I remember that alright. God, that makes me feel old now. That was donkey's years ago on Beadle's About, wasn't it? I could be wrong here, but for some reason I seem to recall her offering the "aliens" a cup of tea or something at one point as well. Crazy!

Of course, the problem with doing what I suggested and making it look like an asteroid or comet or something (ala 'Deep Impact' or 'Armageddon') had just slammed into the Earth, is making it look really and truly convincing. I know with CGI and special effects and things nowadays, you can do some pretty amazing looking things but it still might not be enough to look really "real", if you get my drift. Still, could be good for a laugh, though....... even if it did leave the contestants psychologically traumatised! God, I'm an evil-minded f**ker!

Sangre

How will they simulate zero gravity?

whiskeyman

Interesting enough so far... has kept me interested to turn on tomorrow night.

Looks like they wont simulate zero gravity (going on the flimsy mock-up of the craft)... the "contestants" are probably too thick to realise it and won't notice tbh... They'll just give them some spiel that they have spaceships like Star Trek already.

nachos

so what did people think of it? I liked the way they setup the whole thing up, seems to be well thought out. Some of the tests they did on the people shows how suggestible people can be!
I was enjoying up until the point where they were all told they're going into space and they had this look of wonder and amazement on their faces:(
I feel so sorry for these people, they're gonna be training hard and competing for this "trip". I don't think I'll be able to watch when they're told that it's all a scam. I probably still will though:rolleyes:

whiskeyman

nachos wrote:

I feel so sorry for these people, they're gonna be training hard and competing for this "trip". I don't think I'll be able to watch when they're told that it's all a scam. I probably still will though:rolleyes:

In fairness, they've handpicked a certain type of personality for it that probably wont get too disappointed.
They seem so energetic about it anyway, and are just a "barmy army" that are happy about anything that will happen as they're on TV.
Sure, they'll be a little miffed, but they'll probably be more thrilled with the huge public exposure they'll still get.

It's all about what they've got planned for the priceless reaction moments now...

nachos

whiskeyman wrote:

In fairness, they've handpicked a certain type of personality for it that probably wont get too disappointed.

still though, if someone has invested their time emotionally and physically for 3 odd weeks, they then succeed on getting on the ship. they spend the 5 days on the ship, revelling in the glories of the cosmos only to be told that it's all a hoax? c'mon, ANYONE would be distraught at that. they might recover quicker from it than others would, but I don't think they'll be anything but gutted when being told

whiskeyman

I'm starting to lose interest already.
Better be some good pranks ready for when they're on the craft...