What is it about those British game shows?

The jury in the Millionaire Coughing Scam trial has been sent home for the weekend, minus one juror. No reason given for the absent juror, and it's too obvious to speculate that perhaps the person had a nasty cough. But here's another entry in the bizarre game show annals. Thursday's Irish Times reports on the following: man is accused of dangerous driving leading to a fatality; the accident occurred in March '02 in the southeast of Ireland; he is supposed to appear in court but is a no-show. Case is stalled. But then he makes the unwise decision to participate in a UK TV game show....which of course is widely viewed in the Republic of Ireland. This is the kind of detective work any detective would love, the kind one does sitting in an armchair with the remote control:

....sources also indicated that following Mr Furlong's television appearance, an extradition attempt was likely. As part of his appearance, Mr Furlong was allowed to keep goods he bought as part of a spending spree in the company of two women picked from the audience.
The goods included mobile phones, clothes and a caravan.

Since the story involves a fatality, the IT wisely stays away from any wisecracks about his haul, but one detects an implication that he may be planning for a life on the run.

Here at BOBW, we've commented before about this misconception of the British as reserved. We refer you to the website for the show, linked above, for further evidence. We especially recommend the Snog Log.