action!’ Looking into camera one as the theme music came to an end and the canned applause faded, Larry smiled and, reading from the autocue, said, ‘Good evening to all you lovely folks at home, and a warm welcome to those of you who’ve joined us here in the studio for this fantastic new show of mine . . . ’ Pause for more applause, perfectly cued in by the sound engineers. Beaming, as if there really were members of the public filling the seats and not just a row of police officers shielded by the bright lights, Larry rubbed his hands together and said, ‘Now, as you might know if you’ve seen the ads over there, this is a game show with a difference. Not least because it’s got the best host – ’ waggle of eyebrows; cheeky wink ‘– but also because we’ve got the best prizes. Twenty thousand pounds – that’s forty thousand dollars to you guys at home there in the States . . .’ Canned gasps of appreciation. ‘And one of the nicest cars I have ever seen in my life!’ Burst of music.
