The Real Hustle
Encyclopedia
The Real Hustle is a BBC
television
series made by Objective Productions
and written by Alexis Conran
and Paul Wilson
. The show demonstrates confidence
and magic
tricks, distraction
scams and proposition bet
s performed on members of the public by presenters Conran, Wilson and Jessica-Jane Clement
. Several episodes of the series state that all marks have been genuinely hoodwinked, and that any money lost is returned to them after filming. However, the BBC's website states that "The participants featured in The Real Hustle have either been set up by their family and friends or believe that they are participating in another television programme." The show has been sold to numerous countries, and seven (Russia, Israel, Belgium, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the United States) have made their own versions. It has been commissioned for two further series. The tenth series 'The Real Hustle: The New Recruits' started on Monday, 5 September 2011 at 8:30 on BBC3. The eleventh series will start in 2012.
In Series 8, for the first time in the show's history, a mark was not fooled by the initial scam. The scam was not pulled by the usual hustlers, but by model Caprice Bourret
in a section that features celebrities performing the scams. The scam was to switch genuine twenty-pound notes with fake ones, and then exchange those fake ones for genuine tens with a shop assistant. When Caprice asked for tens and fives, the shop assistant spotted the partly hidden genuine twenties and recognized that the others were fake, so she refused to exchange them. Presenter Jess, who was nearby should anything go wrong, rushed out of the shop to alert Alex and Paul, who quickly came into the shop and confiscated the money by pretending to be police officers
concluded that although some segments may have misled viewers as to the context of participants' involvement, but that there was no serious breach of broadcasting guidelines. Although some "marks" had previously worked as actors or extras, they had not been hired for this purpose, and the production company had recruited participants through websites "popular with people keen to appear on television".
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series made by Objective Productions
Objective Productions
OBJECTIVE PRODUCTIONS is a UK-based television production company, based in London and Glasgow and was founded by Andrew O'Connor and Michael Vine in 1991...
and written by Alexis Conran
Alexis Conran
Alexis Conran is a British actor, writer and stage magician. He was born in Paris, France, and moved to Greece when he was a child.He is co-writer and star of the BBC hit series 'The Real Hustle' on BBC Three...
and Paul Wilson
R. Paul Wilson
Ronald Paul Wilson is a close-up magician,and television presenter. He lives and works between London, Los Angeles, and his home in Scotland. He lives in Glasgow with his wife Julie and their two children Conner and Cameron...
. The show demonstrates confidence
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
and magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
tricks, distraction
Distraction
Distraction is the divided attention of an individual or group from the chosen object of attention onto the source of distraction. Distraction is caused by: the lack of ability to pay attention; lack of interest in the object of attention; or the great intensity, novelty or attractiveness of...
scams and proposition bet
Proposition bet
In gambling, the term "proposition bet" has two definitions.-Primary definition:...
s performed on members of the public by presenters Conran, Wilson and Jessica-Jane Clement
Jessica-Jane Clement
Jessica-Jane Clement is a British glamour model, actress and TV presenter.-Education:...
. Several episodes of the series state that all marks have been genuinely hoodwinked, and that any money lost is returned to them after filming. However, the BBC's website states that "The participants featured in The Real Hustle have either been set up by their family and friends or believe that they are participating in another television programme." The show has been sold to numerous countries, and seven (Russia, Israel, Belgium, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and the United States) have made their own versions. It has been commissioned for two further series. The tenth series 'The Real Hustle: The New Recruits' started on Monday, 5 September 2011 at 8:30 on BBC3. The eleventh series will start in 2012.
History
The show began as a spin-off of the BBC show Hustle, owing to the original show's popularity.. However, the series is now considered completely separate and the relationship between the shows is rarely mentioned. The Real Hustle is a factual entertainment series produced by Objective Productions for BBC Three. It features a team of hustlers - Alexis Conran, Paul Wilson and Jessica-Jane Clement – as they try out some notorious scams on members of the public, filmed with hidden cameras. The aim is to reveal how scams work so that the viewer can avoid being ripped off by the same con. The participants featured in The Real Hustle are claimed to either been set up by their family and friends or believe that they are participating in another television programme. After they have been "hustled for real" any money or property taken during the hustle are returned to them and their consent for the item to be broadcast is obtained.Examples of scams
- A deposit is taken on a carČarČar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
multiple times from different people who turn up to buy it. - A computer keyboard is replaced with one containing a key logger and bank details are obtained
- A skimmer device is placed on a cashpoint with a pinhole camera inside it, recording the information on the user's cards magnetic strip along with their PIN; the data is then put on the magnetic strip of an e-top up card which is used to withdraw money from the victim's account
- The black money scamBlack money scamThe black money scam, sometimes also known as the "wash wash scam", is a scam where con artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by persuading him or her that piles of banknote-sized paper in a trunk or a safe is really money which has been dyed black...
at a market stall - A fake hollow cash pointAutomated teller machineAn automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
is installed on a busy street, in which one of the hustlers hides and records the information on the user's cards magnetic strip along with their PIN obtained from the user typing on the keypad.
In Series 8, for the first time in the show's history, a mark was not fooled by the initial scam. The scam was not pulled by the usual hustlers, but by model Caprice Bourret
Caprice Bourret
Caprice Bourret is an American supermodel, actress, television personality and businesswoman. She currently resides in the United Kingdom where she runs her company By Caprice Lingerie Ltd.- Early life :...
in a section that features celebrities performing the scams. The scam was to switch genuine twenty-pound notes with fake ones, and then exchange those fake ones for genuine tens with a shop assistant. When Caprice asked for tens and fives, the shop assistant spotted the partly hidden genuine twenties and recognized that the others were fake, so she refused to exchange them. Presenter Jess, who was nearby should anything go wrong, rushed out of the shop to alert Alex and Paul, who quickly came into the shop and confiscated the money by pretending to be police officers
Controversy
The show has been criticised for some years on internet forums for apparently casting actors and extras as so-called "genuine marks" or for featuring "scams" which were not technically possible or could not have been achieved on-screen for real without having genuinely broken the law (such as credit card fraud.) In February 2011, a number of newspapers also made the same allegations. Following a BBC investigation, the BBC TrustBBC Trust
The BBC Trust is the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and aims to act in the best interests of licence fee payers....
concluded that although some segments may have misled viewers as to the context of participants' involvement, but that there was no serious breach of broadcasting guidelines. Although some "marks" had previously worked as actors or extras, they had not been hired for this purpose, and the production company had recruited participants through websites "popular with people keen to appear on television".