You may remember a couple of years ago I went to Liverpool to be in the audience of the Martin Lewis Live Christmas Special. It was a great experience and loads of fun. I always thought it would be great to go to another if they ever brought it up North again. However, Covid-19 then happened and all live studio audiences were stopped. With Christmas approaching I found out that the 2020 version of the live Christmas special was to have a virtual audience. I applied and got accepted.
Before The Show
After applying I was contacted on the phone by a member of the Martin Lewis Money Show team. They were great, seemed interested in who I was and the questions I’d written down on the application. I had to fill in a couple of additional forms about being on the show. I was told I needed to print out my questions. This was in case they wanted me to ask them live on air. However, there was no guarantee that all questions would be asked. The live Christmas special is a 75 minute show. That doesn’t account for adverts so there actually isn’t a lot of time and it flies by.
In The Post
A few days before the show I got a parcel in the post with a thumbs up and thumbs down ‘paddle’ which would be used for audience participation during the show. The parcel also included a confetti canon to use at the end of the show. They asked if we could be Christmassy, so I got my festive jumper out and had some Christmas decorations to put in the background of where’d be sat. The team checked in a couple of days before the show and then on the day itself as well. They were always at the end of the phone should we need them.
On The Day
On the day of the show itself I was sent a link that I had to click on at 7pm so they could check the internet connection and ensure everything was running smoothly. Then at 7:30pm, I had to be sat ready for the show. The team spoke to us and got us in the festive mood, with a couple of practise rounds of applause. Last minute toilet breaks and cup of tea makings had to be done at 7:50pm and then at 8pm the show went live.
The Show
Just before the show one of the team spoke to me through the software they were using to stream us. They asked if I’d be happy to give a thumbs down for Martin’s first ‘poll’ of the virtual audience. I was more than happy to do that as I am that would be my answer. We figured out what I would say and then I was to wait to give Martin an answer about why we’re tightening our purse strings for Christmas this year.
Going Live
The show went live. I was on the virtual wall at the beginning. Within a couple of minutes the ‘poll’ with our thumbs up/down paddles was asked. Then I was asked my question. To chat and give my opinion was great. We’re having a fun but financially restricted Christmas this year. The kids are going to have presents and festivities. However, we’re finding new ways to buy – charity shops, stretching our budget and such. I even got a cheeky plug of my blog in there!
75 Minutes Isn’t Very Long
After that the virtual wall was rotated with people so I didn’t actually see myself again. There was a lot of people involved and only maybe twenty on the screen at a time so it was good that everyone had a fair share of wall time, as it were. The team kept talking to us in the background though, asking for applause in and out of the ads and video links. 75 minutes isn’t a very long time and they told us that they were running behind from the beginning, with so much stuff to cram in. It was great fun and at the end, after the festive forecaster, I covered my office in confetti by letting off the confetti cannon they had sent. It was a fantastic show!
The Experience
Whilst it wasn’t quite the same as being in a live studio audience, with the festive feeling and the buzz of lots of people laughing and joking and joining in, it was still great fun. Not having to stand up for a couple of hours was good. There is the comfort of a bathroom break during the ads if you need it too. It will be great when live audiences are back but in the mean time, this isn’t too bad at all. A big thankyou to Martin, Angelica and the whole Martin Lewis Money Show team.
Check out the show on the ITV Hub here.
