Sunday, December 11, 2005
Space Cadets (C4) is the new TV show in which nine gullible members of the public have been tricked into believing they're in Russia training to be sent into space, but are in fact looking stupid for the cameras in a disused airbase outside Ipswich. It's a ghastly and inhumane idea, gratingly hosted by Johnny Vaughan, which is presumably why so few viewers are watching. But it's also a brilliant concept, packed with original ideas, and the whole fabrication has been expertly executed. Take, for example, the trainee cosmonauts' lecture about Minsky, the first monkey in space. All shameless lies from start to finish, backed up by a stuffed helmeted animal in a display case, and yet delivered with such panache that one of the contestants had to leave the room in tears. I adored the performance, but was equally disheartened by the reaction. Maybe it should come as no surprise that a large proportion of the population can be hoodwinked into believing absolutely anything, even when they're being fed blatant untruths ("this galaxy here is called the Hazelnut Cluster"), but this show confirms the disappointing truth. It's a pity, though, that Channel 4 producers have wasted so much creativity and effort (and money) on this under-appreciated and ultimately forgettable hoax. Maybe the audience will pick up tomorrow when the lucky few are 'blasted into space' for five days (aboard a giant simulator in an electronically-equipped aircraft hangar) but I wouldn't hold your breath. Thankfully the contestants don't need to.
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