Right, I’ve just watched the first episode of this blind to your comments (use this to talk about ep 2 if you like), here’s what I briefly think:

• It is so, so important for this sort of thing that people have to be able to buy into the set-up – if people don’t like the challenges, they can still end up quite liking the show. Unfortunately the world of The Door tries to be Twilight Zone-esque, but fails in that it’s not odd enough nor gritty enough. It looks and feels like it’s all being done in a big studio.
• The challenges are actually a bit dull to watch. They have nothing like the ingenuity of The Crystal Maze, involving as they do rummaging through lots of nasty things and little else. Admittedly the team-y bits at the beginning show some signs of thought (but once again, once the ‘trick’ was found it’s more rummaging through awful things), but as there’s no real sense of risk or jeopardy involved in these little teasers, all we’re left with a rather crap version of Now Get Out of That.
• The bit where Frankie Saturdays and Louisa Eastenders dueling to escape the first scenario was a bit odd, not really telegraphed before it happened and then for no particular reason some boxes and some more doors appeared. Consistency of setting is quite important in This Sort of Thing.
• Amanda Holden adds, quite literally, nothing to the show.
• Tomorrow night’s show is meant to be “more cerebral”, and in fact features a laser maze which has in fact never been done on television before, so good stuff there.
• Redd Pepper’s voiceover is really unnecessary and actually detracts from the show. But! Michael Underwood remains great value.

So… rather disappointing. So what did Estate of Panic have that people quite liked that The Door doesn’t? Well it all comes down to point one, doesn’t it really?

That and quite a clever game structure.

I may be watching a recording of The Door very late this evening (let’s hope Chris Tarrant signs off with a Nick Ross-style “don’t have nightmares!”), but don’t let that stop you having a chat about it. I’ve run the gamut of opinions on it since it was first launched, from “Oh.” to “mmm…” to “ooooh!” over the last four months, so I’m hoping it’s worth the wait. The second episode is tomorrow night.

And it’s also Partly New Total Wipeout (the good thing is that from next week, there’s no need to make that joke) tomorrow evening as well. How terrifically exciting.