Rise & Fall

RastaVari (23 March 2023) in an extremely perceptive post has pointed out that the first episode task is like Stanley Milgram's experiment. I think that the characters are professional actors who are role-playing. Otherwise, there is no way that the series can make enough revenue to cover production costs. The lift voice is by an actress (Emma Clarke). The red room interactions are for real but in a studio: and similarly with the basement interactions. The tower has been hired briefly for scene-setting and general filming. The role-playing actors compete against each other for real, even if the prize fund is imaginary and the results of the tasks are agreed beforehand. The electric shocks were faked; the dog food was ordinary palatable food; and so on. It is like playing Monopoly: no-one can buy a house in Mayfair for £200 but one suspends disbelief and the game is good fun. The series is addictive and unpredictable. I am expecting Matt to be sent to the basement in tonight's seventh episode: we shall see.