Unfortunately The Cube isn’t a new ITV game show where random members of public are kidnapped in their sleep and thrown into an enormous maze of similar looking rooms that move at set intervals and are filled with life threatening traps. Instead it’s a stripped down programme hosted by Phillip Schofield, one of the better faces of ITV, where normal Joes finish a set number of tasks for a grand prize of £250,000 while standing in a box.
The Cube as an “Intimidating” Structure
The titular object is a pathetic Perspex box which is confusing given that the whole premise of the show is that although the games are simple – such as guessing when 10 seconds have passed walking from A to B while balancing an item – once the contestants are placed inside this apparent intimidating structure they start to crack. Allegedly.
It has video game rules, meaning that the contenders have a set number of lives (a feline-like nine) and if they don’t succeed for any reason, they lose a life. They can choose to continue by giving it another go or simplifying the task to make things easier. Once all the lives are gone they lose the money or they can quit with whatever they have accumulated. And that’s about it.
A Stripped Down Game Show
As this is broadcast immediately after the latest series of the X Factor, The Cube can somewhat be complimented for its back-to-basics nature by harking to the days of You Bet! and The Moment of Truth where people were challenged to complete boring tasks in front of a dazed audience.
The biggest problem lies in the concept. Most, if not all, gameshows are based around ordinary punters being put under the spotlight to complete menial duties whether they are answering tough questions, speeding around an obstacle course or opening numbered boxes. This tries to be different but is all too familiar.
The Cube is standard fare with the obligatory shots of family and friends cheering or with hands covering their eyes, except it has the difficult job of making a clear plastic box seem scary, has perplexing intro explanation videos with a woman who has accidently worked off the set of a live-action anime and random slow motion moments to build up tension (that do occasionally work).
The Cube based on The Cube
As bland Saturday night TV it’s not bad although it would be better if the show was based on the film. The unwitting participants must use their wits to escape a deadly series of rooms filled with razor wire and flamethrowers while Schofield and a prying audience guffaw from the safety of a studio located miles away.
Or maybe a celebrity special on that notion involving Peter Andre and Katie Price that will finally end their progressively childish spat that’s splattered all over the newspapers and assorted ITV channels and is ended in a rigged game where neither of them are the victors. Now that’s entertainment. Given the increasingly grotesque and exploitative nature that reality TV and game shows are taking this morbid turn is possibly on the cards for Channel 4’s next season. Something has to replace Big Brother.
The Cube isn’t wholly terrible by any means it’s just if something is going to be constructed around a theme it’s best if it isn’t one that’s in every single game show format. Schofield is the main draw as he brings a genuine friendly presence and he is a likeable bloke, especially for those who remember him from his children’s TV days with Gordon the Gopher. The man can present a history on bass fishing techniques and make it watchable.
The Cube is on every Saturday at 8.15pm on ITV1.
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