Martin Lewis has found himself at the centre of social media backlash following the premiere of his new ITV show, How To Win At Board Games.
The programme aired on Tuesday, December 17, at 8pm. It featured the Money Saving Expert sharing tips and tricks to win at popular family board games such as Connect 4, Scrabble, Monopoly, and Backgammon.
Despite Martin’s passion for the subject, some viewers were less than impressed with the idea of board games taking up a primetime TV slot.
Martin Lewis’ board games show on ITV
At the start of the show, Martin Lewis explained how the concept had come about.
When asked by ITV producers about his dream project, he eagerly suggested a show about board games.
In one segment, Martin shared a personal story about proposing to his wife, Lara Lewington, during a Scrabble game.
“I said, ‘You’ve got too many letters,’ and he replied, ‘Just wait,'” Lara recalled during the show.
The surprise proposal left her “feeling bad for challenging him”. The couple’s love for Scrabble has continued throughout their relationship.
Why be so rude? You sent that to me directly. Blocked.
They even take a travel Scrabble board on dates and maintain a spreadsheet of every game they’ve ever played since their marriage in 2009.
Martin shared his top Scrabble tip during the show. “It’s a game of numbers, not letters.” he explained.
He also admitted that memorising the two-letter word list – even without knowing their meanings – has helped him win countless games.
Fans react to Martin Lewis: How to Win at Board Games
However, not all viewers appreciated Martin’s passion project.
Many took to social media to voice their frustration, questioning the decision to air the program in a prime slot.
One viewer on X slammed the show. “What is this abomination of a TV programme?!!” They fumed. “How to win at board games?!!! Ffs! Playing games is supposed to be fun. How is this on peak time TV??”
“This programme is giving ‘you have been eating apples WRONG your whole entire life, here’s how to eat them properly’ vibes. What a crock of [bleep] #HowToWinAtBoardGames,” another complained.
Some criticised the tone of the show, claiming it made board games overly serious.
“Martin Lewis there, ruining everyone’s Christmas by reducing every board game to a spreadsheet,” one post read.
Martin is no stranger to criticism but wasn’t afraid to hit back at trolls.
One user sarcastically congratulated him on convincing ITV to air the show. “I must congratulate you for getting ITV to commission such nonsense,” they wrote.
“Why be so rude? You sent that to me directly. Blocked,” Martin swiftly responded.
However, not everyone was critical of How To Win At Board Games.
“This is so geeky I love it! #BoardGames #MartinLewis,” one fan gushed.
Another praised the financial journalist: “This world honestly needs more people like #MartinLewis.”
Read more: Martin Lewis delights fans as he announces he’s set to appear on festive edition of Taskmaster
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