Hilary - won £50,000

[Sue standing in for Iain who will be back tomorrow]

Frightening statistics to start – since James’ game on Saturday the banker has had the best run in the game’s history. Noel asks for a turnaround to alter the current negative atmosphere and a dynamic performance is requested of a very mumsy looking Hilary from Eastbourne carrying box no 18. She is a nightcare assistant and livery yard manager and has two daughters who will be busily writing out their shopping lists. She has an aim for Noel’s book and what looked like a wee cloth bag which would not be opened until the end of the game. She declared she had no system other than ‘Women’s intuition’.

Round1:
Massimo is first with box 8, containing £15k. Nervous start but onto box 16. Terry reveals £500, followed by Patrick and box 10 coincidentally containing 10p. Patricia no 9 gets rid of the dreaded one penny. Noel comments the so far all male 1p club remains so. Raj opens box 14 and reveals £1 to complete the first round throwing the gauntlet to the banker.

The banker ‘lionlike and rampant’ suggests Hilary to be fair game. She shows suprising confidence and strength in her face whilst telling him ‘no chance’. Then optimistically turns down his opening offer of £10k to a respectable round of applause. I am ‘getting a feeling in my water’ that Mumsy might do very well here this afternoon.

Round 2:
Pam (or Pan) is a ‘he’, and he opens box 6 to reveal £75k, then Sarah no 19 opens the not so scary £250 to a huge smile from Hilary. Lastly before the break Jason is chosen and “we go to a word from our sponsors” whilst we wait for the outcome. Jason’s box no 7 contains an ‘OK’ £3k. Hilary sensibly says she expects to loose a few reds at this point and the lower the better, Noel agrees – so do I for what it’s worth. Noel answers the phone to an offer of £7,500k and advice to walk with that. No deal from an increasingly stronger Hilary.

Round 3:
Simon, no 1, opens round 3 with a crowd pleasing £1k. Lofty reaches down to open box 11 and wipes £35k off the board – muted applause. Finally in this round, Tom opens his box numbered 20 and the crowd emits a huge cheer seeing the 50 pence go.
The Banker wants to know what is in the bag which went in Noel’s book. – his offer of £17,500 must be tempting in the current atmosphere. She seems to genuinely give it great consideration before turning it down without referring to any of the studio crowd.

Round 4:
Morris, box 2 opens the big one (£250k) with a great rhyme, wish I could have recorded it. Gaz, box 22 produces £50 which brings a huge cheer from Hilary who seems to have decided she is going all the way to the end. Emma Box 4 looks very nervous And Noel calls a break.
Emma’s box contains £10k and Hilary and Emma get a bit exited cheering each other on to the finishing line amidst a flotsam-like silence from the rest of the studio. The banker suggests Noel throws Emma a fish and she takes it with a laugh which will do her ratings in our popularity poll no harm.

The offer is quite a generous one in my opinion and she finally relents and asks Dave for advice. Risk, reward, balance - she considers and a bit tearfully turns it down – I think she is one of the bravest I have seen recently.

Round 5:
Suzy wearing her ‘money spider’ top opens up £5k – (sorry no box number). Lovely Pat opens box 5 holding the ‘tenner’. The mood is lifting, I want to watch not type.
Francesca, of box no 17 nervously reveals a blue £100. Everyone is jumping up and down in support of this brave lady.

The board now displays - £5, £750, £20k, £50k and £100k what will she do? The phone rings and rings...... Hilary is welling up and the offer of £21k (real cash, money, in your purse, now!) seems too good to turn down in this current cimate. 'Cheese and trap' is mentioned. She plays with us, suggesting it is her lucky year – my heart sinks and I think she is bluffing – but no, it is No Deal! – I am gobsmacked. Is she very stupid or very clever???

Round 6:
Dave, box 13 gets rid of the £20k everyone is very tense, you can feel it emmanating from the screen. Sandy holding box 12 looks very worried – rightly so, £100k is gone. Hilary does not seem overly worried. Max No 15 and a vision in purple opens the £750 to a give away scream of relief from Hilary.

We now have £5 blue and £50k red on the board. She states £50k is exactly what is in that wee bag. Noel states the obvious, that the offer has to be good to sway her – mind games. The offer is £15k, he is calling her bluff, according to Noel. I think he wants her to go on. S### or bust as we would say in Yorkshire. (All or nothing in Noels language). He tentatively opens H’s box no 18, to reveal the fabulous red £50k Everyone is welling up now including Noel... and me. Very gutsy lady – well done.

Final domestic details the wee bag contains a key which represents the deposit on both her daughters’ houses.

Have a great day y'all
Sue (standing in for the usual author currently on the M25 car park)