Noel welcomed us to the Dream Factory, which had been turned into a Winter Wonderland! Noel was wary of the echoes from the past. As the last two Christmas Day players had walked into the 1p Club, “here we go, you are about to have an unforgettable Christmas experience… Ant!” The Home Office worker from London carried box 11 down the Walk of Wealth. Ant’s ambition is to qualify as a solicitor and has already completed a law degree.  Noel welcomed Ant’s mum, Maude to the game. Whilst Ant was studying he continued to work to contribute to the home. If Ant wins big his proud mum would be first in line for a financial thank you. Ant is a massive Liverpool FC fan so he brought along a figurine of John Barnes for good luck. He had also brought along a tie clip which belonged to his grandfather, Ernest who passed away in 2001.

The Banker predicted Ant would indeed complete the hat trick of 1p wins on Christmas Day. However Noel was surprised to hear that if Ant found the 1p in the first round, The Banker would give him a special Christmas gift to pass onto a fellow player. The worst possible start saw Jim unveil £250,000! £5,000, £100 and most importantly 1p followed. Detrix got the 1p kiss on the Walk of Wealth. Andy completed the start with 10p. The special Christmas gift was passed to Detrix who revealed a four night break to the Costa-Del-Sol! The Banker offered £7,500 – No Deal. Maude told Ant to “focus” when £15,000 and £50,000 were found in round two. Maude’s advice must have worked, £50 was wiped from the board. The Banker wanted to buy box 11 for £6,000 – No Deal. Ant managed to produce another contrasting round, which included £35,000, 50p and £3,000. Noel said this game wasn’t good for his blood pressure. The Banker dismissed that round by saying “almost nothing happened” and his offer was £6,750. Ant wants to clear his student debt, buy a season ticket at LFC and help his mum build a retirement home! So he was after a little more – No Deal.

Ant managed to discover £250, £1,000 and £1 in round four. Noel couldn’t help but notice the pattern of finding a large amount quickly followed by the lowest. The Banker was forced into offering five figures, £10,000 and a gift box. Noel explained there were three boxes, two say loose, one says win. If Ant found ‘win’ he would win a holiday which was hidden on set in the Christmas Star. Ant was considering the deal when Maude nudged him to continue – No Deal. Snow began to fall over the three Snowmen, which would come into play at five box. Round five produced £5, £10,000 and an uncomfortable £20,000. Ant had reached five box, so he chose the red Snowman which hid ‘Santa’ meaning Ant gets an offer after each box opening. The Banker offered two gift boxes and £15,000. “Have some confidence, go for it” instructed Maude – No Deal. David opened box four to see £100,000! It was the worst possible start so the offer was one gift box and £5,000 – No Deal. £500 got the offer up to £9,000 with one gift box. The Banker was willing to tell Ant the destination of the holiday but the offer would drop to £6,000, so Ant kept it a surprise – No Deal. £10 completed the round and left £750 and £75,000 on the board. The Banker offered £19,000 and one gift box. Ant wanted to know if the swap would be available, The Banker asked Noel to write his answer in the book. Ant had affection for box seven because that was Liverpool legend, Kenny Dalglish’s shirt number. Ant was ready for the question – Deal! Noel revealed he would’ve got the Swap and Ant said that would have changed his decision. “Prove it” challenged The Banker, so Noel asked the question again – No Deal. Noel brought box seven to the Pound Table and flipped the lid to reveal £75,000! Ant fell to his knees and was swamped by his fellow Santas. Noel wiped a tear from his eye and gave box seven to Ant as a reminder of his bravery.