# Brits in Space! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 17, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432 "2005-11-17T02:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/1 "2005-11-17T02:23:45Z")
[Space Cadets hoax out of this world](http://www.thisislondon.com/showbiz/articles/20930127?source=PA&ct=5) > [@](#): > > A new reality TV show is aiming to pull off the biggest hoax in TV history - by persuading a group of Britons that they have been blasted into space ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/2 "2005-11-17T02:33:08Z")
How is that 0-G thing going to work. Did they pick really dumb Brits? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/3 "2005-11-17T03:39:44Z")
Even if the screen turns out to be digital and high-definition (and it probably isn’t just as extant film from actual space flights probably aren’t), there’s no comparing it to reality, is there? Also, there’s the physical sensations one expects in a space launch – high G-forces and weightlessness. How are the show’s producers going to try to deal with those questions? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/4 "2005-11-17T08:15:22Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > How is that 0-G thing going to work. Did they pick really dumb Brits? Dumb gullible Brits? Plenty of them around. Giving them a bullshit story about using a low orbit where zero-gravity doesn’t come into play would be an easy task, if you make sure they’re not people who’d understand the concept in the first place. As **The Scrivener** says, the launch has to be the problematic part. ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/5 "2005-11-17T15:48:24Z")
I guess i shouldn’t tell anyone else about this 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/6 "2005-11-17T15:50:04Z")
Another possiblity - it’s post-modern reality TV…with the astounding innovation of using a cast of actors to play the parts of real people! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/7 "2005-11-17T16:07:17Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Another possiblity - it’s post-modern reality TV…with the astounding innovation of using a cast of actors to play the parts of real people! …and the ones being duped are the camera crew and production team… Yeah! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/8 "2005-11-17T19:04:51Z")
Well there are ride simulators for the lift off. Or they can tell the contestants that they will be put to sleep for the flight. Tell them that the station has artificial gravity and then laugh away. It would be awesome if they could make it look like the earth had a nuclear war. Feed them phony news reports and such, put on a show, and then let the radio go dead. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/9 "2005-11-17T19:39:59Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > How is that 0-G thing going to work. Did they pick **really dumb Brits**? Isn’t that redundant? 😛 I’m just playing because a good portion of my friends are Brits, if they were here they would laugh… ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/10 "2005-11-18T00:19:54Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > …and the ones being duped are the camera crew and production team… Yeah! Uh … I think the ultimate plan is to dupe the audience. Not original. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/11 "2005-12-07T15:34:47Z")
From Radio 5 Live today: Three of the participants will be actors who will know what is going on. The other perticipants were given psychological tests for personalities which would be gullible and trusting and given tests for scientific knowledge (high levels of which would be excluded). I’m going to enjoy it! ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/12 "2005-12-07T15:37:32Z")
Just realized how old this thread is. To update: it starts tonight and runs for 10 days. This is one reality program that can’t be copied to another country or repeated next years- one go and that’s it. Anyone else mean enough to be looking forward to this? ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/13 "2005-12-07T15:59:23Z")
I am looking forward to seeing it, mostly to see just how they are going to convince people that they are really in space, the whole thing sounds 100% impossible to pull off unless the contestants have been lobotomized. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/14 "2005-12-07T16:58:43Z")
I’ll watch for the same reasons as mittu is going to watch. Personally, I hope they pull it off, a cancellation will only lead to more episodes of Friends that my sister can put on when I call round :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/15 "2005-12-07T21:11:46Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > I am looking forward to seeing it, mostly to see just how they are going to convince people that they are really in space, the whole thing sounds 100% impossible to pull off unless the contestants have been lobotomized. Given the intellects that have graced the Big Brother house, I believe that anything is possible. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/16 "2005-12-08T00:24:15Z")
Looks good so far…they’re all stuck in a shithole just down the road from where I’m sat 🙂 …and they’re all as stupid/gullible as possible. I reckon they could do this. Using the actors in the right way will be the key. ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/17 "2005-12-08T05:13:21Z")
I watched the trailer. Even before they fake going to space, how are they going to fake the trip to Kazakhstan? Just fly around for a few hours and land back in Heathrow? No way is this going to work. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/18 "2005-12-08T05:56:29Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > I watched the trailer. Even before they fake going to space, how are they going to fake the trip to Kazakhstan? Just fly around for a few hours and land back in Heathrow? No way is this going to work. Are they supposed to be in the UK the whole time? There are a couple of places in Europe they might be able to pass off. I guess just fly in big circles for awhile and land somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/19 "2005-12-08T07:52:58Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > I watched the trailer. Even before they fake going to space, how are they going to fake the trip to Kazakhstan? Just fly around for a few hours and land back in Heathrow? No way is this going to work. They’ve flown them around in circles over the North Sea. > [@](#): > > Are they supposed to be in the UK the whole time? There are a couple of places in Europe they might be able to pass off. I guess just fly in big circles for awhile and land somewhere. It’s a disused airbase - RAF Bentwaters. So they can land straight into it, and come straight in off the coast without them seeing any recognisable features. It’s a massive base, specifically designed for things to not be visible from the perimiter - so the opposite is also true. They’re just going to see things like [this](http://www.ghostbase.org/bentwaters/special.html). Spruce up a small area, cut the grass, put huge Russian ‘no entry’ signs over everywhere else, and there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clock)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432/20 "2005-12-08T08:05:00Z")
> [@Dominic Mulligan](#): > > Given the intellects that have graced the Big Brother house, I believe that anything is possible. You actually watched that load of garbage? :rolleyes: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-in-space/331432.md?page=2)