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Alex, Jess and Paul are back for another series of The Real Hustle, which could just as easily be called “The Basics to becoming a Successful Criminal”. This time round the half-hour show is subtitled Celebrity Scammers. It’s the ninth series of the show which professes to help its viewers avoid scams, although anyone who’s ever seen an episode will know that it’s less about showing you how to avoid them and more about how they’re done. In any case, it makes for some pretty fun and entertaining television.
I do love how the show masquerades as some sort of aid to help you avoid being tricked by professionals. In reality, the robberies on the show are often so well-executed that you’d have to be very lucky not to end up ensnared by them. Despite the disclaimer at the beginning of each episode, I also still can’t help but wonder if the people we’re shown are actually scammed or if they’re just actors...
The three presenters all have very individual personalities and talents, which is certainly one of the reasons the show has managed to remain appealing for so long. To keep the content interesting they’ve taken to having celebrities (we’re going with a very loose definition of the word “celebrity” here) attempt the scams for themselves - in this episode, it’s ex-Busted singer Matt Willis. Here, the hustlers rob a jewelry store. The heist is complex and it’s quite intriguing to see how it plays out - even if the technology they use is a little bit far-fetched (a thermal camera that reveals the combination to a safe - not too sure about that one!).
One of the most enjoyable aspects of The Real Hustle has always been the Proposition-Bets. This is where they take a break from the serious “stealing-all-your-money” type scams and just use their powers of suggestion and trickery to win drinks off unwitting customers in a bar. They’re sort of like magic tricks, and always seem to be quite clever.
Unfortunately the episode was let down a little by a hustle involving a computer virus that ended up being very unconvincing - I just highly doubt a mark would pay up £200 before even calling the police. The Jewellery Store Heist was good enough to keep me watching, though, and the final act of the con was quite a surprise!
This is a welcome return for The Real Hustle, with an episode that’s fun and interesting. It’s evident that the show hasn’t lost its touch and continues to provide entertaining (if perhaps a little worrying) television. I’m definitely glad to see Alex, Jess and Paul displaying the tricks of their trade once again. The Real Hustle: Celebrity Scammers will stay a rather cool show that gives us regular people all the tips we need to steal some money. I still like it, though – it makes for a great distraction on a Thursday evening.
The Real Hustle: Celebrity Scammers is on BBC Three, Thursdays, 10.30pm.
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