For those of you that haven’t come across ‘The Secret Millionaire’ before, it is a reality TV show which originated in the UK. Millionaires conceal their wealth and enter into impoverished communities, where they will give away several thousand pounds to people who need and deserve helping. To make sure that members of the community remain unaware that their new resident is in fact a millionaire, they are told that the cameras are present due to filming a documentary.
Each programme, a millionaire leaves their luxurious life behind to take on a secret identity and live undercover in a deprived area of the country between 7 and 10 days. Surviving on a minimal budget and supplied with basic living conditions, they must interact within the community by working and volunteering alongside the locals. Their aim is to find individuals or projects in which they think deserve should receive a cut of their wealth. On their final day, the millionaire will reveal their true identity and their wealth to the people they have chosen to help, surprising them with thousands of pounds, along with future support to improve their lives.
Mark Pearson, a self made millionaire who is chairman and founder of Markco Media, the parent company of consumer website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk and Groupola.com, will star as this week’s Secret Millionaire on Sunday 7th November at 9pm on Channel 4. This Sunday’s show will see the young Merseyside entrepreneur, who is worth over £30m, travel to Nottingham to visit problem areas of the city.
Mark sheds his comfortable lifestyle to move into a rented house in the city, renowned as being one of the most violent areas in the region.
During his time in the city, Mark soon becomes involved with several charitable projects; including an organisation that works to help victims of domestic violence. He also discovers an anti-gun and knife campaign being run by Clayton Byfield in his spare time. Disguising himself as an unemployed chef looking for voluntary work, Mark joins Clayton at his youth groups and workshops to better understand the harsh realities of knife and gun crime. At the end of his stay, Mark donates £115,000 of his personal fortune to three individuals running charities.