LIZ Hurley brought a touch of Hollywood glam to C4’s new gameshow The Inheritance – but it wasn’t enough to save it from a mauling by some viewers.
The latest TV attempt at harnessing deception and treachery for entertainment ended up being Traitors-lite with its concept leaving many scratching their heads.
Liz Hurley’s The Inheritance debuted on Channel 4 tonight[/caption]
Robert Rinder with contestant Jesse in the strong room[/caption]
Liz, 60, bookended the episode in glitzy outfits as the deceased owner of a stately home whose wealth makes up the prize pot, while a suited Robert Rinder hosted in similar fashion to Claudia Winkleman on The Traitors.
Episode one concluded with student Jesse, 19, being selected by the ‘jury’ as the first beneficiary of Liz’s inheritance.
In each episode, contestants can put themselves forward as claimants and state why they deserve the money, though if they’re not chosen by the jury they forfeit any chance of receiving funds.
Rinder accompanied Jesse to the strong room where the successful claimant got his hands on £5,600 of cold hard cash and had to decide whether to pocket it all for himself or split half of it with the jury.
Before making his decision, he received a message from Liz who, clearly in favour of the contestants embracing their selfish streak, asked: “Are all players created equal or are some more equal than others?”
While there will be eliminations throughout the series, with the smallest bank balance being the kiss of death, all 13 contestants lived to fight another day.
For all the elaborate stage-setting, many watching felt it lacked drama.
One viewer wrote on X: “That’s it, I’m out. Utter bilge.”
Another said: “Will this show even make it to the end on channel 4? Hard to see audience buy in.”
A third wrote: “I know only one episode in but was a bit boring.”
But others were more optimistic.
In addition to a number praising Hurley’s ageless looks and desire to look as good as she does at 60, others applauded its stars for bringing gravitas.
One supporter said: “Judge Rinder and Elizabeth Hurley are amazing and add such depth to the show. It was such an interesting show I believe it may cause many arguments.”
Another said: “The first episode of #TheInheritance was pretty good tbh. Obvs very similar to Traitors but who cares? The cast are great (Queen Tia for the win).
“Rob Rinder is the perfect host. Liz Hurley’s VHS tapes add a bit of camp but not much else. Hoping I’m obsessed by episode 3.”
The setting bears a resemblance to The Traitors[/caption]
There were tears as the drama began to build[/caption]