I'm currently rewatching some old episodes of 2001 reality show The Mole, which I stumbled across whilst trawling through my dusty and slightly smelly VHS collection earlier in the week. It's somewhat surprising how old the show actually is, its true age betrayed only by the date at the end credits. Oh, and the giveaway soundtrack which features turn of the century sonic superstars such as Fatboy Slim and, erm, MC Neat to name but a couple. Remember those guys?It seems like only the other decade I was looking forward to Sunday evening and the next instalment on Channel 5. Oh, would you look at that... it was. These days, the network couldn't acquire a half-decent 'homegrown' series for toffee. But back at the turn of the century some people –by which I mean those that could actually receive it– used to watch it, at least compared to today.
Now all they have is CSI, a bunch of naff movie repeats and Fulham Europa Cup matches. Then again, I suppose you could say it's found a niche. Admittedly it's a rather outlandish one, but that's more than Current TV ever achieved.
Back in 2001, Channel Five was new and (relatively) exciting, with much promise and some okayish programming pinched from under the noses of Bskyb, who these days have a somewhat amicable partnership with the channel, I believe. Don't quote me on that, though, or anything at all in fact.
Five did gain something of a reputation for screening its fair share of decidedly dodgy stuff in its early days (in more ways than one), but The Mole was a series I actually enjoyed, and revisiting it today is an absolute treat. Well, not quite as much as a Chunky Caramel Kit Kat or trip to Pontin's, but a pleasant experience nonetheless.
Something I didn't notice first time round, or at least not to any great extent, is the subtly clever editing involved in the series. When you know who The Mole turns out to be, the clues stick out like a sore thumb, but on first watch the series sure had me flummoxed right until the final moments, a testament to the deceptively chipper Mole –who turned out to be a casting masterstroke– and selective footage tweaks.For example, why is Mr/Mrs Mole so immune from accusation? There isn't much speculation from fellow contestants that our eventual infiltrator could indeed be the titular impostor, but I'm inclined to put that down to excellent Molemanship. And a bit of help from their friends from Channel Five.
The production team's liberal use of 'artistic license' may be regarded as slightly cheap these days, but back in 2001 this sort of thing was ten-a-penny on British television. Big Brother TV was all the rage and its raft of imitators filled our schedules with horrid rehashes of their larger sibling, so to speak. To me, The Mole was different.
Yes it's undoubtedly part of the 'Reality TV boom', an era characterised by low-budget filming, scant creative input and a social interaction-focused outlook. But it stood out from the sheep, forty five minutes of fun for nine weeks. Cheap and cheerful it may be. Stolen from Belgian TV, yes. Rule-bending at times, certainly. Who cared? Not me.
Anyone curious as to what happened to presenter Glenn Hugill need look no further than the recent smash hit Deal or No Deal, on which he remains an executive producer. Some even speculate he could be the mysterious and elusive 'Banker' bloke, and I for one wouldn't object, because it'd be a crime to keep the guy off the telly.A mould-breaking presenter Hugill may not be, but he's terribly endearing and as much a part of The Mole as the green fingerprint, theme tune and those strange hidden clues you can never believe you missed. Hence, by proxy, he is cool in my books.
Others may beg to differ, a fact echoed by the relative lack of Internet interest in the show these days. In Britain, it'll forever remain a 'cult' show that, in my opinion, provided a novel take on the reality genre. To the masses, particularly those who couldn't pick up Channel 5 in 2001, it isn't even a speck on the televisual radar. More like a microbe. Still, you can always hope Challenge TV pick it up for a repeat. I should expect it wouldn't be too expensive.
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