Unanimous Press Release

Issued on 11 October 2006. Warning: contains possible spoilers.

Nine diverse contestants are isolated in a specially designed underground bunker for Channel 4's brand-new strategic game show thriller Unanimous.

Cut off from the outside world, without clocks, windows or outside space, the group will have no idea whether it is day or night. Only on arrival are they told the full premise and rules of the game: they must decide unanimously which one of them deserves a cash prize of one million pounds.

And as if reaching such a life-changing decision wasn't difficult enough, to make matters worse the clock is ticking... if the contestants can't reach a Unanimous decision, the prize money starts to count down - one pound every second they can't decide. The race is on for contestants to convince each other they are most worthy of winning.

Over eight dramatic episodes, the nine contestants will charm, manipulate, argue, lie and fight their way through the Unanimous battlefield. With differing personalities and backgrounds, the contestants range from Sian, a sweet-natured young mother, Anna, a take-no-prisoners career woman, and Alex, a calculating law student who is determined to be a millionaire, to Beverley, a posh, quirky art dealer.

Mix in Kamran, a tough-looking Mancunian with a heart of gold, Kelly, a determined, feisty lap dancer-come-hypnotherapist, and Pip, a geriatric nurse with a darker side. The line up is completed with Lusipher, a competitive, hyperactive, but out-of-work dropout, and Andrew a Scottish professional athlete who loves to party.

So what tactics will the contestants adopt? What mind games and strategies will they use to convince their rivals they should win the prize? Who will form alliances? Will there be any back-stabbing? And how will the contestants each react to the huge prize and their high-pressure living conditions?

Resentment builds every time the contestants fail to reach a Unanimous decision on who should win.

Further twists and tasks will dig deeper into their lives, psyches and morals as incendiary secrets are revealed. Secret boxes, lie detectors and 'leader for a day' all lie in wait for the contestants but for every hour they spend in heated debate, thousands of pounds simply vanish.

With an explosive end to the series - will any of the million pounds survive the group fall out and will they ever reach agreement on the Unanimous winner?

Is greed mightier than need? Is money truly the root of all evil? And with so much money on the line, what lengths will the contestants go to in their bid to land the million?

Unanimous was a huge hit in the US earlier this year - it was the 2nd highest rated show of the season among 16-34 year olds. In the UK, a weekly E4 programme, Unanimous: The Fallout immediately follows the Channel 4 programme, to discuss all the action.

GAME RULES

Every day, each contestant chooses the name of the person they want to win by dialling their name into a secure 'voting sphere', which are then delivered to the host to reveal the group's decision.

At various stages throughout the contest, the group will be forced to make one of them an 'Outcast'. The Outcast contestants are no longer eligible to win the money but must still participate in the group votes, they are also forced to sleep in a separate area and wear marked outcast uniforms for the rest of their time in the Bunker.

Why do the Outcasts choose to stay? Because if they leave the Bunker, then the money on offer to the rest of the group will be cut in half - can they live with that on their conscience?

EPISODE ONE - ALL WALKS OF LIFE

The nine Unanimous contestants meet each other for the first time and are stunned to discover the amount of prize money on the line and what they must do to win.

They start to reveal their real - or not so real - selves in an opening bid to secure votes.

Following the first unsuccessful vote, a number of secrets about the contestants are revealed. Whoever's secret the group deem to be the worst will be instantly cast out of the game, and the running for the money.

The Unanimous line up consists of:

Beverley, 32, Art Dealer
Andrew, 22, Athlete
Alex, 21, Law Student
Lusipher, 31, Unemployed
Pip, 37, Nurse
Anna, 44, Business Woman
Sian, 21, Young Mum
Kelly, 24, Lap Dancer / Hypnotherapist
Kamran, 38, Property Developer

Separate listings to follow for all further episodes

EPISODE TWO - THE BACKSTABBING BEGINS

The group starts to fragment into smaller cliques and early friends turn into enemies. There are tears as cracks begin to show.

EPISODE THREE - THE CLOCK STARTS TICKING AND THE PRESSURE BUILDS

Panic sets in as the money starts to count down. A secret box in introduced to the group but what lies inside?

EPISODE FOUR - PORKIE PIES

The contestants make desperate pleas for the money - but were they telling the truth? A lie detector test will reveal the truth.

EPISODE FIVE - HEAD TO HEAD

War breaks out between the contestants as one Outcast dramatically re-enters the game.

EPISODE SIX - THE BOSS

Trouble in the bunker as one of the group is made leader for the day.

EPISODE SEVEN - CASH CRASH

Tempers are stretched when one contestant has a very tough decision to make.

EPISODE EIGHT - EXPLOSIVE FINALE

How much money is left? Can the group finally make a Unanimous decision? Will there be a winner?

Note to Editors:

Unanimous airs from Friday 27th October at 9.00pm on Channel 4 for eight weeks.

Unanimous: The Fallout airs from Friday 27th October at 10.00pm on E4 for eight weeks.