Channel 4 The Inheritance review - 'This reality show can't beat The Traitors'

The Traitors and The Apprentice - both are arguably national icons on British television. So what happens when you combine both? The outcome is pretty much a hybrid mess. We are experiencing a new wave of post-Traitors copycat programming, and now Channel 4 has thrown its hat in the ring with its new show, The Inheritance. It's another glorified game with 13 strangers running around a grand stately home and competing for the fortune left in the will of The Deceased. At first, the idea makes for entertaining reality game fluff. But its promising premise didn't click for me after I finished the first episode - and I'll tell you why.

At its core, The Inheritance is built around one idea: What if we took some random people across the UK, threw them into a strategic pressure cooker, and let them battle it out in a series of challenges and tasks?

It arguably sounds like a hit in the making for Channel 4. The show also features Elizabeth Hurley, which is an excellent marketing push, so much so that she's billed as The Deceased. The headline is loaded with intrigue, and in the trailer, she's lying inside a coffin. Who wouldn't want to see that?

Instead, she's largely absent. The real host is Rob Rinder, who plays the role of The Executor, but he is no Claudia Winkleman. Rob is a smart and charismatic individual, but in The Inheritance, he feels like a pre-programmed narrator. It's a complete waste of an opportunity.

Despite all this, the main thing that undeniably lets the show down is the players and the tasks. There's something uniquely satisfying about watching people try to outthink and outlast each other (like The Traitors), but the high-concept challenge was incredibly dull. Boxing wine and putting them into a van, I mean, really?

The Traitors is so successful because it's based on trust and misdirection, with the players reading between the lines. Meanwhile, The Inheritance is not a show for thinkers. There is no emotional intelligence involved. I wasn't rooting for any of the players - and frankly, I won't care who wins at the end of the series.

Maybe I am being overly harsh after one episode. So far, I haven't had a chance to get to know the contestants. But I'm hoping the tasks improve and the tension heats up between the players - because at the moment The Inheritance has me completely bored and lost.

The Inheritance begins on Channel 4 on Sunday, 31st August at 9pm.