The Traitors meets Deal or No Deal in new game show
Gets the lowdown on ITV’s The Fortune Hotel from the show’s host Stephen Mangan
When actor and comedian
Stephen Mangan was approached to present new series The Fortune Hotel, it seems the location was a factor in his decision.
He says: “The opportunity to head to the Caribbean sounded very interesting on its own before you even get to what else is involved.
“That’s the thing that first got my attention but when the game itself was explained to me and I played it... it’s just brilliant.”
The actor and presenter adds: “The game is pretty simple but endlessly fascinating, so a combination of that alongside the backdrop in which it was set, was just pretty irresistible.”
So, what is the game? Well, imagine a combination of The Traitors and Deal or No Deal, and you’ll be along the right lines.
Panel show fans may also wonder if 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown’s Carrot in a Box was an influence.
The Fortune Hotel finds 10 pairs of contestants checking into a luxury resort in the Caribbean.
On arrival, they are given a briefcase – eight are empty, but one contains a dreaded Early Checkout card, and one holds the jackpot of £250,000.
In each episode, the pairs have a chance to work out who has which case through a series of challenges, culminating in a swap in the Lady Luck bar.
Whoever ends up with the Checkout card will be heading home, but can the contestants with the cash manage to throw the others off their scent and keep it until the end of the game?
Although The Split and
Episodes star Stephen, 55, was impressed to find himself in the presidential suite (“it took me four minutes to walk from one side of the living room to the other, it was that big”), it’s the chance to see the contestants interact that proved the biggest selling point.
He says: “People are endlessly fascinating to me as an actor. The reason you become an actor is because people and how they get on with each other, especially in moments of high stress are deeply fascinating. Human beings are complex and interesting so The Fortune Hotel felt like the perfect mix of entertainment and drama.
“We’ve got people of all ages, from all parts of the country, from all different backgrounds. Some of them got on like a house on fire and some wanted to set each other’s houses on fire. You put 20 people at random together, regardless of how luxurious the resort is, some are going to get on and some aren’t.
“People trying to cover up the fact they didn’t like each other was almost funnier and more dramatic than people being openly hostile to one another.
“We’ve all been on holiday and found we’ve met someone that gets up our nose or found friends that we want to be mates with forever and this is no different.”
In the opening episode, we are introduced to the guests – friends Jae and Cherish, Jen and Susan, Scott and Tommy, and Adam and Michael; couples Samm and Aysha, Gary and Lesley, and Claire and Daniel; business partners Chloe and Louie, and parent-andchild pairs Jo-Anne and Will, and Abbie and Tracey.
The Fortune Hotel is on ITV1, Monday at 9pm