Eight ordinary people are given a million dollars, a fortnight of intensive training and two months to run their own hedge fund. Can they make a killing?

The experiment reveals the inner workings of a City trading floor. The money is supplied by hedge fund manager Lex van Dam: he wants to see if ordinary people can beat the professionals, and he expects a return on his investment too. Yet no-one foresees the financial crisis that lies ahead.

The traders were selected in spring 2008, before the US credit crisis gathered pace. The successful candidates were chosen, trained and dispatched to their specially created trading room in the heart of the Square Mile. Among them are an environmentalist, a soldier, a boxing promoter, an entrepreneur, a retired IT consultant, a vet, a student and a shopkeeper.

As the novices learn the dark art of trading stocks and shares, the financial markets start to buckle. Making money takes second place to basic survival as the brutal realities of global economics take their toll on the traders. How do they cope? Will they secure themselves a bonus, or walk away with nothing?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gthhq

Now see the unseen City-4 January 2009

Lex Van Dam and his million dollar TV gamble-07 Jan 2009

That explains it then :-)

Cheers banjo.

lol,no problem.

Just watching last week's show, it showed Amit shorting WOS, the commentary saying it was falling fast, and showing the screen with WOS +19. The continuity person doesn't understand trading methinks!

What a dreadful last programme infact what a dreadful series!

I bet the Scouser would not have thown his dummy out of the pram if it was his money. Well back to the day job nicking car wheels.

Well I thought that things in general made a bit more sense in last night's show and Lex and Anton (I still reckon his real name's Tony) came across in a better light. I think it was a good idea but the execution in general was cr@p and I think that responsibility probably lays with the film producer. He could have done a much better job imo.

But the sight of Lex and Anton, these two 'ruthless' traders, squirming in their office wondering how to fire the frequent cryer without the Scouser coming in and flooring them, was one of the funniest things I've seen on television in a long time.

Seymour - perhaps WOS was +100 +80 +60 +40 +19. That would count as falling fast.

Didn't really make you want to work in a hedge fund, staring at screen 16 hours/ day putting in the face time in a sterile goldfish bowl, cold heartless bosses and making no money. Not sure if the comparison was appropiate to hedge fund performance as their losses were also probably a lot to do with liquidating positions due to increased margin requirements and redemptions though there was a fair bit of distressed selling going on in this office. I expect they shot a lot more footage than is shown and the producers decide to drag out the emotional card a bit long. I couldn't wait for them to get sacked but when they were there wasn't anything to watch except for the cats that got the cream!

True Isaacs, but he already had his hands in his head with a position when it showed that.

Ok fair enough. Can see I haven't watched it.

NickB

"I know some of the people involved in making that prog, they are film-makers and are a long way away from the 'reality tv' producers mindset."

Any final comments? I used to work for LWT, inevitably many years ago, and am always interested in what goes into making a programme. My sadness is based on the conviction that today's programme makers underestimate the intelligence of the average viewer - but maybe they don't (!)

TP

All in all a bit dull,
it could have made for such gripping exciting tv, but instead it was a damp squid,

As previously mentioned i liked the scouse lad, and although i think he was a bit soft walking out in support of that mard arse woman who kept crying, i did like his morals and principles about talking to people with respect etc,

The 2 guys that run it,Lex and Anton, were arrogant i thought , especially Anton,
but agree with Kyoto , they soon lost that big time charlie attitude when they were squirming on how to fire the cryer without upsetting the scouser fella,
was the best bit of all the footage shown.

Send him a note, he will probably answer as he doesn't appear to trade any more.

http://www.antonkreil.com/

It was a very poor series. The last prog was just too long winded and full of waffle. I agree with what someone else said earlier in the thread that you needed to see one of the "Traders" sitting in front of a screen with an open position watching the price go up or down and see their reactions. we only got glimpses of screens and chatter.
Poor - they could have made a lot out of it.
Bring back the yuppie dramas of yesteryear. Can't even remember what it was called but it was more fun than what we have seen over the last 3 episodes.
TT

Show me the money!

I think everybody could have benefited more from a web cam in Ruth's garage ;-)

As Ruth posted it could have been a great show but it appears they did not realise what a blockbuster they could have had.

MM, youde all laugh at my pjamas;-) there would be more bleeps in it than gordon ramseys kitchen nightmares,and would give all my internet surfing content secrets away.

In all seriousness,i agree with Clubman, it could have and should have been great viewing,and the worst of it is alot of my friends watched it too as ide told them it would be great to see the challenges us traders have to sometimes endure , and now they all think i just sit on my arse all day having brews and little chit chats round the table, and generally dont do much, when of course the life of a trader is really far more complex than that;-)

Last night I caught a trailer preview for 'The City Uncovered with Evan Davis', which is on BBC2 tonight, Wednesday, at 9pm, and saw 'Clem from across the road' featured in it.