'I played Amanda Holden's new game show and this is the one thing that shocked me'

Amanda Holden is hosting a brand new quiz show called The Inner Circle, which premiered on BBC One on Monday (October 6).

BBC viewers have been treated to two versions of the quiz. The daytime game sees six contestants battle it out to outsmart and outwit the other players, while on Saturday nights, fans can tune in to see celebrities team up with members of the public to play.

During the game, players are each randomly assigned a secret stash of cash - anything between zero and £4,000 for daytime, and £5,000 for the Saturday night show.

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Each player only knows their value with no obligation to tell the truth as they get thrown into a battle of wits, nerve and strategic gameplay across a series of challenging rounds.

I was lucky enough to get to visit the set of The Inner Circle in Glasgow back in April, where a small group of journalists were given sneak peek behind-the-scenes.

After a detailed tour of the set, we got ready to watch a live taping of the celebrity version of the game.

The episode in question, which is set to air this Saturday (October 11) at 5.20pm on BBC One, featured the likes of Hannah Cockroft, Rick Edwards, Sarah Parish, Fay Ripley, Darren Harriott and Lawrence Chaney.

The tension in the studio was palpable as the teams learnt what money they possessed, and proceeded to deceive their fellow players, ahead of a nail-biting final.

It was fascinating to see the players interact with their celebrity partners, but there was one detail that surprised me the most.

Throughout the taping, Amanda animatedly spoke to each contestant, making them feel welcome and at ease. Within minutes, I'd forgotten that the Britain's Got Talent judge was hosting and quickly thought of her as just another player.

Another interesting dynamic to the show is that Amanda isn't made aware of who has the biggest amount of cash, so, like the viewer, she's also left guessing who's telling the truth. Meanwhile, we were lucky enough to have a piece of paper telling us exactly who was playing tricks on their co-stars, and there were a few!

Later, a small group of reporters were placed into pairs and given the opportunity to play the game with Amanda.

We played a round of Circle Circuit, where each duo were given a true or false question to answer. If answered correctly, you could roll a dice and move that amount of spaces around the board. The first pair to reach the end of the circuit won, which happened to be me and my partner Jordan.

In a cash builder round, we were then given 60 seconds to answer a series of general knowledge questions. And it's not until you're under the bright lights that you forget the answers to the simplest of questions.

After correctly answering seven questions, myself and Jordan were given the option to Split or Shaft. We secretly made our decisions on a tablet, shortly before the floor turned gold, as both of us chose to share our fake winnings. However, in the real game, not everyone is as generous, making it all the more thrilling for both Amanda and the viewer.

It was fascinating to get a glimpse into the inner workings of such a fun quiz show. While many viewers have slammed The Inner Circle for being too similar to Golden Balls, I'd argue that its similarities are precisely why it's so exciting to watch.

If you loved watching players steal money from their co-stars in the Jasper Carrott show, then you'll certainly enjoy this modern version. Who doesn't love a bit of treachery and deception?

The Inner Circle is available to stream on BBC iPlayer