To think some of the people on Secret Millionaire...

[Longtalljosie]

... must be clocking what's going on by now before the cheques come out at the end?

There's a person with suspiciously angular hair hanging around your social action project followed by cameras. With some other excuse as to why that's the case. Asking lots of questions about what cash you need.

Is it me or is the surprise more relief that their suspicions are right these days?

Not sure about the relief but I know I'm sometimes yelling 'you are wedged, couldnt' you cough up a bit more' at the tv sometimes!

I said exactly the same to DH when I saw the advert for the new series. "They MUST know by now."

Random person takes an interest in your community project, says it's for a documentary, is followed around by cameras, CA-CHING!

(Am not saying that they don't deserve it)

"I've got something to tell you"
"Oh really, I can't possibly think what that would be..." (Yeah - right!)

Ah- there is another thread on this!

I will copy and paste my reply to that one and hedge my bets:

I'm sure they must know- there is a limit on the number of documentaries about volunteering, surely?

Can you imagine how pissed off a charity would be if someone came in with a TV crew and then just fucked off?

I suspect the only person who doesn't know it's a set-up is the millionaire, actually- I bet the TV company have to make all sorts of arrangements with the charities, during which it would become abundantly obvious what was going on...

I loved the one in Sunderland in the last series where the guy was talking to some bloke in a cafe, explaining that he had moved to the area to 'look for work'. In Sunderland.

Quick as a flash, the bloke replied "Oh aye. You're the secret millionaire then."

His face was a study in bewilderment.

That is priceless!

I was going to say that BoF - you'd be pretty pissed off if someone came and made a documentary and didn't give you a wodge of cash at the end!

There's definitely more to it than meets the eye. I know someone who works with charities and they said that some of the charities get additional money from a special fund in addition to money from the millionaires. And lots of careful research has to go into the finances of charities before they can be featured on tv, whereas the show gives the impression that people just walk down the road and stumble upon community centres.