The greatest reality TV show never made

Here, it is impossible not to be reminded of today’s news cycle, where viral stories often include an element of public shaming. Like Fyre Festival, where the internet celebrated influencers being publicly humiliated. Or Netflix’s The Tinder Swindler, where a common reaction was to insist the victims of romance scammer Simon Leviev should have known better. Daniel says the experience has taught him not to judge people until you’re in their shoes. “If you want something to be real, you’ll find ways to make it real and to dismiss any of the red flags.”

This story would be unlikely to happen today, where so much of our personal information is on the internet and our first instinct is to Google something if it doesn’t feel right. At the heart of the documentary is working out what really drove “Nik,” now N Quentin Woolf, to deceive people in an era where the average person was more trusting.

The documentary suggests he had a troubled childhood and genuinely hoped to make the show into a success. “He is a damaged person who’s had a tough life,” Francis-Roy says. “He’s now able to look back and it’s complicated for him. It’s still not easy for him to process.” Dalton says he had “everything except the contacts” to make the show a reality, while even the contestants think he had the makings of a great TV producer. Two decades on, he seems scarred by what happened and haunted by guilt. But it’s never fully clear whether he’s genuinely sorry for his actions, or merely sorry for his own downfall.

A second chance

The Greatest Show Never Made is a full-circle moment. For Nik, it’s about realising that he didn’t ruin the contestants’ lives, and that they don’t harbour any ill will against him. Jane is finally experiencing the TV fame she always aspired to. “It feels like all my plans in 2002 are finally happening right now,” she says. Lucie has now let go of the shame she harboured after being duped. “The word ‘wannabe’ used to make me cringe, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be someone or something,” she says. “I feel proud of it – and I didn’t say that before.” Similarly, the series has helped Tim to “completely reappraise” what happened.

The group were brought together by shared ambitions of fame and money, but they ended up finding their dreams in the ordinary. Lucie had twins at 45. Jane started working as a TV extra. Rosy moved to Spain and became an olive oil farmer. “Nik” published a book of poetry. Daniel and John are living contently in the corporate world. Tim, who still works as an entertainer, has done very well financially out of the footage he shot. “I’m just really glad that I carried on filming,” he says.

Even though it didn’t work out as planned, there is a hopefulness in these people having a dream and following it. They are forever bonded by what happened. But there is also a lingering sadness in how some of them didn’t think their lives were special enough without fame. How much they were willing to risk for it. How brutal the reality medium turned out to be. Not just for them, but for so many others – on the shows that were actually made.

The Greatest Show Never Made is out now on Prime Video.

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