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The Advertiser
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Tracking Newcastle's live music map
Newcastle musician Ben Pittman of country boogie band Grand Pricks had a rare week to himself recently and decided to see live gigs in town every single night of the week. On Monday he was at fortnightly '90s-inspired grunge jam Temple of the Stag, at The Stag and Hunter Hotel in Mayfield. On Tuesday he went to Sphere, a jazz gig at The Grand Hotel in Newcastle. On Wednesday he watched Breeze at Newcastle Yacht Club and loved it so much he went to see them again at the Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Thursday, followed by more NIMA Jazz at The Grand. On Friday he saw Chai Chester at The Oriental Hotel, Cooks Hill. On Saturday he saw The Lairs at Carrington Bowling Club, Andy Abra at The Lot in Islington and Johnston City at The Stag and Hunter. On Sunday he played an afternoon gig at Teralba Bowling Club and then went on to see The Milestones at The Wickham Park Hotel, Islington. If you have cash for a drink or two, maybe even the occasional $20 for an entry fee here and there, Newcastle's live music scene can accommodate you every day of the week. Pittman is the founder of Let's Talk Gigs Newcastle Facebook Group, a good place to visit when making last-minute live music plans. Music photographer Ella Grace Paterson is acutely aware that people book at the very last minute. When she's not behind the camera, she works with a local booking agency called Gumnut Artists and at The Press Book House. "There has been a resurgence in support for live music and showing up for shows," she says. If Instagram is where you get your live music information from, she recommends following witchhouse_newcastle. Lead singer of jump jive rhythm and blues band Fish Fry, Justin Collins, has watched the music scene change in Newcastle since his band Yes Commissioner did its first gig in 1984 at The Grand Hotel. Fish Fry did their first gig there in 1993. For at least 10 years he's also played regularly at Queens Wharf Hotel. He used to play a lot at The Cambridge with House Quake. His wife Gina plays bass alongside him in their funk and soul band Pow Wow. She used to love playing gigs at The Wickham Park Hotel. They both recall great old venues like The Palais, the old Workers Club and The Casbah. The couple hope that bands, especially newer, younger bands, aren't getting taken advantage of and playing for too little money, or even for free. It's an all-too-common concern that comes up when I talk to musicians in Newcastle. Frontman of The Breeze and the newly-created Dapper DILFS, Matthew McFarlane, has been playing live music in Newcastle for 25 years. His career started at The Lass O'Gowrie where he used to play "great" and "terrible" gigs with his band The Stain. "They used to have this Wednesday night and anyone could play, so I pretty much learned how to do stuff in front of people," he recalls, adding that the venue "has a new life as a young person's venue". "They let us in every now and then," he says of his current band. The Breeze has had a regular Wednesday night residency at Newcastle City Yacht Club since October last year. McFarlane has just committed to playing indefinitely on Wednesdays. They are also playing on Sunday, July 13, at The Crown and Anchor Hotel. Like Pittman, when McFarlane isn't on stage, you can find him in the crowd. "If you wanted to do a ticketed event, I think The (Hamilton) Station Hotel and The Stag are probably the two joints," he says. He recommends Coal and Cedar for late-night live music mid-week, and he also loves The Oriental, The Great Northern Hotel and King Street Hotel. He says Goldbergs Coffee House on Darby Street has started doing Monday night jazz as well. Paterson books free live music on Friday afternoons at The Press Book House on Newcastle's Hunter Street. In June the venue hosted Noah Church, and this month the artist is ChaiChester, who will premiere a new song for each gig. Justin Teale is the frontman of Novocastrian-based band Dust, which has taken off since 2020 and toured with Block Party and internationally. Teale describes the band's music as "rocky, saxy, pretty big sound". Their first show was a seated gig at The Cambridge during the pandemic. During Teale's relatively short music career, the scene has unquestionably improved. His band has toured Australia while enjoying Newcastle as a home base. Teale personally likes playing at The Oak, Tighes Hill, and the Croatian Club in Wickham. "People care about going to shows, and not much else is going on. People are always keen," he says of Newcastle. He advises emerging musicians not to be afraid to play outside of Newcastle, and to collaborate not only with bands but with rappers and electronic artists as well. He encourages them to make each show count, don't spread yourself too thin, and always keep the crowd wanting more. When asked about his next gig in Newcastle, he was elusive, saying it could be in September. Some venues like The Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, The Grand Hotel and The Wickham Park Hotel remain Novocastrian stalwarts for live music. Interesting new places have popped up, like the live band room at King Street, The Den (adjacent to Rogue Scholar) and Flamingos Live, previously Lizotte's. Some favourites are now empty, like The Cambridge, Franky's Noodles and The Family Hotel. A lot is going on and it's not hard to find a venue and vibe that's just right. Newcastle musician Ben Pittman of country boogie band Grand Pricks had a rare week to himself recently and decided to see live gigs in town every single night of the week. On Monday he was at fortnightly '90s-inspired grunge jam Temple of the Stag, at The Stag and Hunter Hotel in Mayfield. On Tuesday he went to Sphere, a jazz gig at The Grand Hotel in Newcastle. On Wednesday he watched Breeze at Newcastle Yacht Club and loved it so much he went to see them again at the Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Thursday, followed by more NIMA Jazz at The Grand. On Friday he saw Chai Chester at The Oriental Hotel, Cooks Hill. On Saturday he saw The Lairs at Carrington Bowling Club, Andy Abra at The Lot in Islington and Johnston City at The Stag and Hunter. On Sunday he played an afternoon gig at Teralba Bowling Club and then went on to see The Milestones at The Wickham Park Hotel, Islington. If you have cash for a drink or two, maybe even the occasional $20 for an entry fee here and there, Newcastle's live music scene can accommodate you every day of the week. Pittman is the founder of Let's Talk Gigs Newcastle Facebook Group, a good place to visit when making last-minute live music plans. Music photographer Ella Grace Paterson is acutely aware that people book at the very last minute. When she's not behind the camera, she works with a local booking agency called Gumnut Artists and at The Press Book House. "There has been a resurgence in support for live music and showing up for shows," she says. If Instagram is where you get your live music information from, she recommends following witchhouse_newcastle. Lead singer of jump jive rhythm and blues band Fish Fry, Justin Collins, has watched the music scene change in Newcastle since his band Yes Commissioner did its first gig in 1984 at The Grand Hotel. Fish Fry did their first gig there in 1993. For at least 10 years he's also played regularly at Queens Wharf Hotel. He used to play a lot at The Cambridge with House Quake. His wife Gina plays bass alongside him in their funk and soul band Pow Wow. She used to love playing gigs at The Wickham Park Hotel. They both recall great old venues like The Palais, the old Workers Club and The Casbah. The couple hope that bands, especially newer, younger bands, aren't getting taken advantage of and playing for too little money, or even for free. It's an all-too-common concern that comes up when I talk to musicians in Newcastle. Frontman of The Breeze and the newly-created Dapper DILFS, Matthew McFarlane, has been playing live music in Newcastle for 25 years. His career started at The Lass O'Gowrie where he used to play "great" and "terrible" gigs with his band The Stain. "They used to have this Wednesday night and anyone could play, so I pretty much learned how to do stuff in front of people," he recalls, adding that the venue "has a new life as a young person's venue". "They let us in every now and then," he says of his current band. The Breeze has had a regular Wednesday night residency at Newcastle City Yacht Club since October last year. McFarlane has just committed to playing indefinitely on Wednesdays. They are also playing on Sunday, July 13, at The Crown and Anchor Hotel. Like Pittman, when McFarlane isn't on stage, you can find him in the crowd. "If you wanted to do a ticketed event, I think The (Hamilton) Station Hotel and The Stag are probably the two joints," he says. He recommends Coal and Cedar for late-night live music mid-week, and he also loves The Oriental, The Great Northern Hotel and King Street Hotel. He says Goldbergs Coffee House on Darby Street has started doing Monday night jazz as well. Paterson books free live music on Friday afternoons at The Press Book House on Newcastle's Hunter Street. In June the venue hosted Noah Church, and this month the artist is ChaiChester, who will premiere a new song for each gig. Justin Teale is the frontman of Novocastrian-based band Dust, which has taken off since 2020 and toured with Block Party and internationally. Teale describes the band's music as "rocky, saxy, pretty big sound". Their first show was a seated gig at The Cambridge during the pandemic. During Teale's relatively short music career, the scene has unquestionably improved. His band has toured Australia while enjoying Newcastle as a home base. Teale personally likes playing at The Oak, Tighes Hill, and the Croatian Club in Wickham. "People care about going to shows, and not much else is going on. People are always keen," he says of Newcastle. He advises emerging musicians not to be afraid to play outside of Newcastle, and to collaborate not only with bands but with rappers and electronic artists as well. He encourages them to make each show count, don't spread yourself too thin, and always keep the crowd wanting more. When asked about his next gig in Newcastle, he was elusive, saying it could be in September. Some venues like The Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, The Grand Hotel and The Wickham Park Hotel remain Novocastrian stalwarts for live music. Interesting new places have popped up, like the live band room at King Street, The Den (adjacent to Rogue Scholar) and Flamingos Live, previously Lizotte's. Some favourites are now empty, like The Cambridge, Franky's Noodles and The Family Hotel. A lot is going on and it's not hard to find a venue and vibe that's just right. Newcastle musician Ben Pittman of country boogie band Grand Pricks had a rare week to himself recently and decided to see live gigs in town every single night of the week. On Monday he was at fortnightly '90s-inspired grunge jam Temple of the Stag, at The Stag and Hunter Hotel in Mayfield. On Tuesday he went to Sphere, a jazz gig at The Grand Hotel in Newcastle. On Wednesday he watched Breeze at Newcastle Yacht Club and loved it so much he went to see them again at the Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Thursday, followed by more NIMA Jazz at The Grand. On Friday he saw Chai Chester at The Oriental Hotel, Cooks Hill. On Saturday he saw The Lairs at Carrington Bowling Club, Andy Abra at The Lot in Islington and Johnston City at The Stag and Hunter. On Sunday he played an afternoon gig at Teralba Bowling Club and then went on to see The Milestones at The Wickham Park Hotel, Islington. If you have cash for a drink or two, maybe even the occasional $20 for an entry fee here and there, Newcastle's live music scene can accommodate you every day of the week. Pittman is the founder of Let's Talk Gigs Newcastle Facebook Group, a good place to visit when making last-minute live music plans. Music photographer Ella Grace Paterson is acutely aware that people book at the very last minute. When she's not behind the camera, she works with a local booking agency called Gumnut Artists and at The Press Book House. "There has been a resurgence in support for live music and showing up for shows," she says. If Instagram is where you get your live music information from, she recommends following witchhouse_newcastle. Lead singer of jump jive rhythm and blues band Fish Fry, Justin Collins, has watched the music scene change in Newcastle since his band Yes Commissioner did its first gig in 1984 at The Grand Hotel. Fish Fry did their first gig there in 1993. For at least 10 years he's also played regularly at Queens Wharf Hotel. He used to play a lot at The Cambridge with House Quake. His wife Gina plays bass alongside him in their funk and soul band Pow Wow. She used to love playing gigs at The Wickham Park Hotel. They both recall great old venues like The Palais, the old Workers Club and The Casbah. The couple hope that bands, especially newer, younger bands, aren't getting taken advantage of and playing for too little money, or even for free. It's an all-too-common concern that comes up when I talk to musicians in Newcastle. Frontman of The Breeze and the newly-created Dapper DILFS, Matthew McFarlane, has been playing live music in Newcastle for 25 years. His career started at The Lass O'Gowrie where he used to play "great" and "terrible" gigs with his band The Stain. "They used to have this Wednesday night and anyone could play, so I pretty much learned how to do stuff in front of people," he recalls, adding that the venue "has a new life as a young person's venue". "They let us in every now and then," he says of his current band. The Breeze has had a regular Wednesday night residency at Newcastle City Yacht Club since October last year. McFarlane has just committed to playing indefinitely on Wednesdays. They are also playing on Sunday, July 13, at The Crown and Anchor Hotel. Like Pittman, when McFarlane isn't on stage, you can find him in the crowd. "If you wanted to do a ticketed event, I think The (Hamilton) Station Hotel and The Stag are probably the two joints," he says. He recommends Coal and Cedar for late-night live music mid-week, and he also loves The Oriental, The Great Northern Hotel and King Street Hotel. He says Goldbergs Coffee House on Darby Street has started doing Monday night jazz as well. Paterson books free live music on Friday afternoons at The Press Book House on Newcastle's Hunter Street. In June the venue hosted Noah Church, and this month the artist is ChaiChester, who will premiere a new song for each gig. Justin Teale is the frontman of Novocastrian-based band Dust, which has taken off since 2020 and toured with Block Party and internationally. Teale describes the band's music as "rocky, saxy, pretty big sound". Their first show was a seated gig at The Cambridge during the pandemic. During Teale's relatively short music career, the scene has unquestionably improved. His band has toured Australia while enjoying Newcastle as a home base. Teale personally likes playing at The Oak, Tighes Hill, and the Croatian Club in Wickham. "People care about going to shows, and not much else is going on. People are always keen," he says of Newcastle. He advises emerging musicians not to be afraid to play outside of Newcastle, and to collaborate not only with bands but with rappers and electronic artists as well. He encourages them to make each show count, don't spread yourself too thin, and always keep the crowd wanting more. When asked about his next gig in Newcastle, he was elusive, saying it could be in September. Some venues like The Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, The Grand Hotel and The Wickham Park Hotel remain Novocastrian stalwarts for live music. Interesting new places have popped up, like the live band room at King Street, The Den (adjacent to Rogue Scholar) and Flamingos Live, previously Lizotte's. Some favourites are now empty, like The Cambridge, Franky's Noodles and The Family Hotel. A lot is going on and it's not hard to find a venue and vibe that's just right. Newcastle musician Ben Pittman of country boogie band Grand Pricks had a rare week to himself recently and decided to see live gigs in town every single night of the week. On Monday he was at fortnightly '90s-inspired grunge jam Temple of the Stag, at The Stag and Hunter Hotel in Mayfield. On Tuesday he went to Sphere, a jazz gig at The Grand Hotel in Newcastle. On Wednesday he watched Breeze at Newcastle Yacht Club and loved it so much he went to see them again at the Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Thursday, followed by more NIMA Jazz at The Grand. On Friday he saw Chai Chester at The Oriental Hotel, Cooks Hill. On Saturday he saw The Lairs at Carrington Bowling Club, Andy Abra at The Lot in Islington and Johnston City at The Stag and Hunter. On Sunday he played an afternoon gig at Teralba Bowling Club and then went on to see The Milestones at The Wickham Park Hotel, Islington. If you have cash for a drink or two, maybe even the occasional $20 for an entry fee here and there, Newcastle's live music scene can accommodate you every day of the week. Pittman is the founder of Let's Talk Gigs Newcastle Facebook Group, a good place to visit when making last-minute live music plans. Music photographer Ella Grace Paterson is acutely aware that people book at the very last minute. When she's not behind the camera, she works with a local booking agency called Gumnut Artists and at The Press Book House. "There has been a resurgence in support for live music and showing up for shows," she says. If Instagram is where you get your live music information from, she recommends following witchhouse_newcastle. Lead singer of jump jive rhythm and blues band Fish Fry, Justin Collins, has watched the music scene change in Newcastle since his band Yes Commissioner did its first gig in 1984 at The Grand Hotel. Fish Fry did their first gig there in 1993. For at least 10 years he's also played regularly at Queens Wharf Hotel. He used to play a lot at The Cambridge with House Quake. His wife Gina plays bass alongside him in their funk and soul band Pow Wow. She used to love playing gigs at The Wickham Park Hotel. They both recall great old venues like The Palais, the old Workers Club and The Casbah. The couple hope that bands, especially newer, younger bands, aren't getting taken advantage of and playing for too little money, or even for free. It's an all-too-common concern that comes up when I talk to musicians in Newcastle. Frontman of The Breeze and the newly-created Dapper DILFS, Matthew McFarlane, has been playing live music in Newcastle for 25 years. His career started at The Lass O'Gowrie where he used to play "great" and "terrible" gigs with his band The Stain. "They used to have this Wednesday night and anyone could play, so I pretty much learned how to do stuff in front of people," he recalls, adding that the venue "has a new life as a young person's venue". "They let us in every now and then," he says of his current band. The Breeze has had a regular Wednesday night residency at Newcastle City Yacht Club since October last year. McFarlane has just committed to playing indefinitely on Wednesdays. They are also playing on Sunday, July 13, at The Crown and Anchor Hotel. Like Pittman, when McFarlane isn't on stage, you can find him in the crowd. "If you wanted to do a ticketed event, I think The (Hamilton) Station Hotel and The Stag are probably the two joints," he says. He recommends Coal and Cedar for late-night live music mid-week, and he also loves The Oriental, The Great Northern Hotel and King Street Hotel. He says Goldbergs Coffee House on Darby Street has started doing Monday night jazz as well. Paterson books free live music on Friday afternoons at The Press Book House on Newcastle's Hunter Street. In June the venue hosted Noah Church, and this month the artist is ChaiChester, who will premiere a new song for each gig. Justin Teale is the frontman of Novocastrian-based band Dust, which has taken off since 2020 and toured with Block Party and internationally. Teale describes the band's music as "rocky, saxy, pretty big sound". Their first show was a seated gig at The Cambridge during the pandemic. During Teale's relatively short music career, the scene has unquestionably improved. His band has toured Australia while enjoying Newcastle as a home base. Teale personally likes playing at The Oak, Tighes Hill, and the Croatian Club in Wickham. "People care about going to shows, and not much else is going on. People are always keen," he says of Newcastle. He advises emerging musicians not to be afraid to play outside of Newcastle, and to collaborate not only with bands but with rappers and electronic artists as well. He encourages them to make each show count, don't spread yourself too thin, and always keep the crowd wanting more. When asked about his next gig in Newcastle, he was elusive, saying it could be in September. Some venues like The Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, The Grand Hotel and The Wickham Park Hotel remain Novocastrian stalwarts for live music. Interesting new places have popped up, like the live band room at King Street, The Den (adjacent to Rogue Scholar) and Flamingos Live, previously Lizotte's. Some favourites are now empty, like The Cambridge, Franky's Noodles and The Family Hotel. A lot is going on and it's not hard to find a venue and vibe that's just right.
The Herald Scotland
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Sorry Rupe, the ‘witch' Sturgeon and SNP did not ruin Scottish arts
Speaking to The Herald ahead of his appearance at the Boswell Book Festival where he was promoting his new(-ish) book of short stories, Everett zeroed in on his time in Glasgow in the late 1980s and in particular a spell at the Citizens Theatre, where the quality of the work bowled him over, the drive of the people running the place and the intellectual expansiveness of what was staged there. My words, by the way, not his. What he said is this: 'It was a European theatre in the same vein as Peter Stein, Pina Bausch. It was a national European theatre. And unlike those theatres, it never ran at a loss. It presented an uncompromising array of work to people that it never patronised… It's how I imagine the relationship with the audience must have been in the Restoration, in a way. It was a collaborative thing between the audience. A very vocal audience. It was literally like going into Aladdin's cave, going into the Citizens.' Then along came 'the witch' – this is a quarter of a century after he graced the Dear Green Place, remember – and suddenly 'everything changed in Scottish arts… everything had to be about being Scottish.' Read more: 'Misogynistic and abhorrent': Forbes hits out at Everett over Sturgeon 'witch' slur Now I used to go to the Citz as a schoolboy in the period Everett was acting there, and maybe even saw him in a production or two. And yes, he's right that the theatre presented innovative works by playwrights from across Europe and beyond, and from across the centuries too. That said, there was always a strong Scottish focus. There had to be. Glance at the list of the productions at the Citz at the time and you can see it in black and white. James Bridie's Glasgow-set Dr Angelus opened there on June 10, 1988. A year later it staged Douglas, John Home's blank verse tragedy from 1756, which is set in the Grampian Mountains and inspired by the folk ballad Child Maurice, later popularized by Ewan McColl. I could go on. Track backwards and forwards from those points and, if you know anything about Scottish theatre and how it fits into and converses with issues in Scottish culture and society, you'll know that the productions which have best defined it over the last 50 or so years are works which are, well, Scottish. Such as The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil, first staged by the mighty Scottish company 7:84 in 1973. Productions such as The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil have best defined Scottish theatre over the last half-century (Image: National Theatre of Scotland) Here's three more: David Greig's Caledonia Dreaming from 1999, Stephen Greenhorn's 1997 play Passing Places, and Harry Gibson's seismic 1995 adaptation of Trainspotting. Or how about Gregory Burke's electrifying, quadruple Olivier Award-winning Black Watch, commissioned by the fledgling National Theatre of Scotland in 2006 and premiered at that year's Edinburgh Festival? Correct me if I'm wrong, but not one of those productions was staged when the SNP was in power at Holyrood. So is Rupert Everett right – or is he, as I'm sure some readers are currently now thinking, talking nonsense? Afraid I'm in the second camp, Rupe. PS: You were great in Inspector Gadget. Read more: My wild days of sex and drugs and being mates with Madonna are over It's only rock'n'roll, officer The Herald's Russell Leadbetter writes as authoritatively as ever about rock music in his appreciation of the Sex Pistols, looking in particular at the furore they caused up and down the country in the mid-1970s. It all seems a little tame and old fashioned now. Nostalgic, almost. What was all the fuss about? Given current events, however, one story stands out in Russell's piece: the cancelling by Glasgow City Council's licensing committee of a gig the band was due to play at the storied Apollo. Fast forward half a century and suddenly it doesn't seem so old-fashioned. Witness the current war of words between Oasis and City of Edinburgh Council, which has allegedly described Oasis fans as 'drunk', 'lairy', 'fat' and 'old' in privately-circulated briefing documents which were leaked to the press. Read more Barry Didcock: The band's frontman Liam Gallagher was quick to take to social media to offer his tuppence-worth. 'To the Edinburgh council I've heard what you said about Oasis fans and quite frankly your attitude f****** stinks,' he wrote. 'I'd leave town that day if I was any of you lot.' Not quite Lydon-esque but not far from it, and doubtless delivered with an appropriate sneer. And of course we've also had the Kneecap debacle. They were pulled from next month's TRNSMT line-up but have at least have been able to re-schedule a gig in Glasgow. So, the Pistols in the 1970s, Oasis and Kneecap today. Bad boy bands still giving the authorities a headache. Plus ça change, as they probably don't say in Manchester or Belfast. And finally The Herald's theatre critic Neil Cooper is sharpening his pencils before the start of the Edinburgh Festival but headed for Glasgow this week to take in the latest show in Òran Mór's A Play, A Pie And A Pint season – this was JD Stewart's hymn to a group of Scottish Beyoncé fans – as well as to the Theatre Royal where he watched Picture You Dead, a touring production of Peter James's Detective Roy Grace novels. Elsewhere music critic Keith Bruce was at Kelvingrove Art Gallery for the Scottish Ensemble's Concerts For A Summer's Night programme, currently touring visual arts venues. He was wowed by guest solo soprano Heloise Werner performing a programme which included work by Italian baroque composer Barbara Strozzi and 18th century Frenchwoman Julie Pinel among others.
Daily Record
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
'I watched the American rip-off of The Traitors and it made me mad'
It feels like the on-sale version of The Traitors. The stakes aren't that high, the tasks not as intense, and the contestants don't seem to want to be there. If you live in the UK or are even the remotest fan of British television, chances are you've heard of The Traitors. It's the show where contestants arrive at a castle, a few of them are branded as traitors, and then they all spend several weeks competing in tasks and adding money to the prize pot, but most importantly, the traitors spend their time lying, deceiving, recruiting, and (figuratively) killing the other contestants, known as the Faithfuls - all while trying to keep their identities a secret. Hosted by Queen of the Macabre, Claudia Winkleman, The Traitors is a dramatic slice of top-tier reality TV and few other reality game shows come close. I know this because I recently binge-watched what could loosely be dubbed the American version of The Traitors. I say loosely, because there's actually an official US version of The Traitors. No. This is a story about Million Dollar Secret. Netflix's feeble attempt at a Traitors-esque reality game show - which on all accounts - falls flat. The concept is the same. Contestants arrive at a château called The Stag, one of them is secretly chosen to be the millionaire and given a box with cold, hard cash, and then said contestant has to spend the entirety of the show keeping their identity a secret from the other players while they all compete in tasks and receive various advantages. As with The Traitors, the millionaire can change and also be caught and voted out. This is aided by the show's ever-helpful producers who give out clues so pointed and obvious, they may as well label the secret millionaire and draw a neon arrow on their clothes. Hosted in a rather sombre fashion by English actor and comedian Peter Serafinowicz, Million Dollar Secret feels like the on-sale version of The Traitors. The stakes just don't seem that high. The tasks don't feel that intense. And the contestants - well, they just don't seem like they're all that interested in participating in a reality game show. Half-hearted attempts at tasks that aren't too exciting to begin with (Remembering a few symbols and inputting them in a padlock? Slingshotting colour-filled balloons at a wall? Dropping song titles in conversation? Hugging everyone?) If this isn't enough to turn you off, it appears that none of the players actually want to be the secret millionaire in the first place. Every time a new millionaire is chosen, contestants confess to the camera just how badly they don't want to be burdened with the role. Everyone wants the cash handed to them towards the end, when the numbers have dwindled and the task of keeping one's identity a secret is much easier. Where's the fun in that? My biggest pet-peeve with Million Dollar Secret is how personally the contestants take the lying. It seems that no one read the rules of the game before appearing on the show, because how can you be mad at the millionaire for lying and keeping their identity a secret? It is literally the purpose of the game. This transparently shameless rip-off of The Traitors may have copied the format of the show, but it wasn't able to emulate the intense, gripping excitement, and quite frankly, the brains, of its British counterpart. And critics and audiences couldn't agree more. While one critic review said, "Million Dollar Secret is transparently, baldly, shamelessly The Traitors", another called it "a lazy, one-note ripoff of The Traitors". An X user (formerly Twitter) commented: "Million Dollar Secret on Netflix wants to be Traitors soooooo bad" and another wrote, "Million Dollar Secret is a very poor man's Traitors. Also, it's so badly one-sided against the person who has it with badly done games and clues."
Telegraph
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Million Dollar Secret, review: Netflix's traitorous new game show is proudly lacking in originality
Not since Aldi brought out its lookalike of Colin the Caterpillar has there been such a shameless knock-off as Million Dollar Secret (Netflix). A bunch of contestants are installed in a country pile. One of them is selected by the programme-makers to harbour a secret, and if they make it to the end of the series without being found out, they go home with the big cash prize. Each night, after completing an outdoor challenge, the contestants gather around the table to air their suspicions before voting to eliminate the person whom they believe to be lying. That person then reveals, with a dramatic flourish, whether they were faithful or traitorous. Sound familiar? Host Peter Serafinowicz is only a fright wig away from being the full Claudia Winkleman, hamming it up with what he calls a 'sinister geniality'. In episode two he even starts wearing tweed. He plays the maitre d' of The Stag, a lakefront hotel in Canada where the action takes place (yes, the Traitors castle also had a stag head on the wall). It looks a bit like the Vancouver Island mansion where Harry and Meghan holed up when they left Britain in their, ahem, bid for privacy. The 12 players check in and each find a box on their bed. Eleven boxes are empty but one contains a million dollars. The recipient must pretend that they don't have it; if they're rumbled, the money passes to someone else. Everyone says they don't want to get landed with the money early in the game because chances are that they'll lose it, but they don't get any say in the matter. At least some of the contestants are concealing an aspect of their identity. Sam is a New York City cop but doesn't want the others to know. Lydia wants to come across as a sweet grandma from Texas, but neglects to mention that she's also a professional poker player. There is a bit of posturing: Sydnee, a glamorous type in a pink bikini top, declares: 'I don't anticipate losing.' Sydnee, The Apprentice auditions are thataway. The first person handed the million is Lauren, a mumsy type from the Midwest. She says that she hates lying, which makes you wonder what kind of show she thought she was signing up for. But, what do you know, she turns out to be pretty good at it and is soon throwing other people under the bus. There is some fun to be had in watching her carry out mini-missions which she must complete without attracting suspicion, such as hugging everyone or inserting song titles into the conversation. Serafinowicz says, with as straight a face as this show allows, that Million Dollar Secret is 'a unique game'. Please. The setting is straight out of The Traitors. The soundtrack is uncannily like the music in The Traitors. The scenes of contestants in their hotel rooms could be taken from The Traitors. I won't be surprised if the final sees them standing around a fire pit with Serafinwicz dressed in a cape and wearing nude lipstick. Judged on its own merits, the show is entertaining enough and will probably be a big hit. But it gets zero marks for originality.
