The Wheel

SPIN THE WHEEL! is shouted by the host, and for what seems like thirty minutes, the wheel spins, and spins, and spins. Then the contestant wheel spins, and spins, and spins. And the viewer's brain spins, and spins, and spins.

If this review sounds repetitive and monotonous, that's because this show is repetitive and monotonous. There is very little game play, a lot of shouting. It's a panel show trying very hard to be a game show, but failing on all counts.

It's a quiz show. In one long dreary hour it gets to about 6 questions over which the contestant agonises with the "celebrity". Spinning a wheel with people sitting in a circle like on a fairground ride whilst playing Christmas pop songs to determine who to pair with etc is slow, time consuming and adds nothing to the game. Seen one, won't bother with another. Just because Michael Mcintyre hosts this show doesn't make it fun. Stick with the stand-up Michael, we don't need him on everything

So, first off I like McIntyre and enjoy the show but BBC are repeating this 8 months after it was first aired, fair enough if it was at midnight but PRIME TIME SATURDAY NIGHT while continuing to take £13.25 a month off us? They're having a giraffe! Evidently I have to write more as it's too short. Ok, so the concept of the contestant wheel is rather flawed, they all need to come up in turn, I remember one show when one of them didn't even get up once! And others where the same contestant came up time after time.

The rest of the show is funny and McIntyre is funny and quite spontaneous, even if it is edited.

Could of a bit faster, but apart from that, it's great. The host can be funny (unpopular opinion) and it's a fun show to tune in to. Granted, it is a bit cheesy.

This bit of fluff is makes reasonable entertainment that I, my mother and grandmother can enjoy.

Macintyre can be a bit much, but he is perfectly cast here, as our guide where responds impeccably to the apparently not funny things the contestants say.

The tone is bombastic and deliberately silly which you just have to be in the mood for. They don't waste time though: there's always someone I have heard of in the celebrity line-up and the questions are usually pretty gettable but of course there is so much I don't know!

The random element of the contestants casts a shadow over the show. Maybe they could have a fastest finger type thing?

It gives irritating (and common) possibility of someone raising all the money themselves and then someone else just takes it at the last.

Often they greedily try and double it and I so want to see them lose everything.

Sentimental and low-brow, sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered.

I get a masochistic joy at seeing the remarkable ignorance of celebrities and the general public.