WATCH the cringeworthy moment a posh lad tries to flog meats like a stall holder – and fails miserably – as Faking It makes a toe-curling return to telly.
The awkward apprentice was thrown in at the deep end as he swapped real estate for street patter in a bid to transform into a convincing market trader.
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Faking It is back and putting a new generation of fakers to the test – 20 years since it first graced our screens.
In each episode, a brave volunteer is dropped into a completely alien world and given just four weeks – and help from a handful of mentors – to master a new skill and convince a panel of experts that they are the real deal.
But can they pull it off? Or will the judges realise that they are just Faking It?
In Tuesday’s episode, posh Surrey estate agent Rex swapped his refined world of million pound properties, wine bars and polo matches for the chaos and crowds of northern street markets, as he tried to become a meat trader in just four weeks.
Working gruelling 10-hour shifts, Rex struggled to keep up, blend in and sound like a proper northerner.
Renowned wheeler-dealer Tom Skinner even criticised the newcomer’s slow start, stall display and lack of sales pitches.
Tom said: “To me, it looks like a warehouse storeroom doesn’t it… your store should look like Harrods. You’ve got to make as much as the space you’ve got, yeah?”
Rex then continued to forget everything Tom taught him about pitching.
He greeted his potential customers like a “vicar” rather than a salesman as he tells them: “Good morning! Hello!”
Tom was forced to intervene and say: “Mate, I have no heard you once talk about your stock to anyone.
“You need to be a walking advert. When they walk past… bring them in.”
However, Rex got his confidence back after a crash course from a dialect coach, followed by the ultimate test of hosting a pub quiz using his new northern twang.
He was also treated to an amazing hair transformation and some fake tattoos.
Incredibly, the posh-boy managed to pull it off and convince two out of three market inspectors that he was a proper northern market trader.
Only one of the trio said: “There was something a little not quite there for me with the butcher. He was almost convincing!”
The others, however, felt he was genuine when he went up against a real-life baker, florist and dog treat seller.
Top Channel 5 dramas
Channel 5 has become a hub for gripping drama, these are some of the best My5 has to offer.
- All Creatures Great and Small – Based on the best-selling novels by real-life vet Alf Wright, the show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. Eccentric Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) hires James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) for his veterinary practice at Skeldale House alongside himself and his younger brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). There James settles into his new life and even finds love with local farmer’s daughter Helen (Rachel Shenton).
- The Ex-Wife – New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack’s overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.
- Heat – EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…
- Lie With Me – Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it’s far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.
- The Drowning – Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she’s finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long?
Faking It originally aired on Channel 4 between 2000 and 2006.
The show, which can still be streamed on Channel 4’s online platform, was highly acclaimed during its original run.
It even won two prestigious BAFTA awards for its innovative approach to reality television.
Production company Banijay brought back the iconic programme on Channel 5.
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