British Indian friends join line-up of challenging new real-world UK show

London: Two British Indian female professionals have been unveiled in the final line-up of a challenging new real-world series set to hit UK screens from next week, in which contestants are challenged to double their money within hours in pursuit of a hefty cash prize.

Nutritionist-chef Radhika Howarth and historian-storyteller Seema Anand are among 13 pairs of contestants who will go head-to-head in ‘Double the Money’ on Channel 4 from Thursday evening.

They each are handed a modest starting pot of seed money at the start of the show and their mission is to double the money within the next few hours or face elimination from the game.

“It's an amazing opportunity to proudly represent Indian women on an international platform, especially those of our age, and break down stereotypes along the way,” says the duo in their 60s.

“Each day on set has been a new adventure, and we've formed bonds with fellow contestants that will last a lifetime. It's been an honour to challenge stereotypes and showcase our resilience and determination on a global stage. This experience has truly been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has left an indelible mark on us,” they said.

With complete freedom on how to spend their starting pot, contestants must devise smart strategies, bold hustles and ingenious ideas to turn their initial sum into a substantial fortune. However, contestants shouldn’t get too comfortable if one idea works because they will be eliminated if they attempt to use the same idea twice.

Howarth and Anand chose to stay close to their Indian roots in some of their themes, including showcasing its diverse cuisine, art of storytelling and Bollywood.

“Watch us to see how, as two Indian women, we tackled business challenges and rolled with the punches because where there’s a will there’s a way. Whatever your age or background we want you to know there’s nothing you can’t do,” declared the friends, who have collaborated on projects in the past but nothing on this grand scale.

While Howarth is the founder of Radikal Kitchen and is currently working on her cookbook, Anand has a massive following as a mythologist specialising in women’s narratives. But they were both well out of their comfort zones in the world of business with the new mainstream show hosted by popular British presenter Sue Perkins.

"This is an incredibly exciting format that breaks the mould of traditional game shows. By taking the competition out of the shiny TV studio and immersing the contestants in the real world, we're sure to see some truly creative ways of making money as our pairs battle it out for the top cash prize,” said Jo Street, Head of Daytime and Features at Channel 4.

As the competition progresses, each round increases the cash target that teams must achieve and extends the time they have to do it. The stakes are high, and the pressure is on as the clock counts down with each passing round. By the final round, weeks later, the remaining duo that makes the most money in the given time will win a large cash prize to add to their final pot.

“The world is full of people with great side hustles and weird and wonderful ways to make money. In challenging economic times, this format tests the couples’ money-making ideas and their relationships,” added Andrew Mackenzie, Co-CEO at South Shore, the makers of the show.