By Anna May @AnnaMayMight

No adverts…already a plus. Rob Beckett…getting better. Geri Horner (Halliwell of the Spice Girls) mixed in with a hundred judge-type-people…nice touch.

The format? Okay…one hundred people from different musical backgrounds are seated in a huge tiered seating arrangement against one ‘wall’, if you will. Then, each singer comes to the stage with a little spiel about themselves and starts to sing. Each time one of ‘The 100’, as they’re called, presses the button in front of them and stands up to sing along, the singer’s score goes up by one. Hence, we already have an easy to understand percentage system going on...making it simple to gauge results that are less than half, more than half, a quarter…getting a bit complicated now…but you get the idea.

The first three singers are automatically invited to sit in the ‘top three’ area, until another singer boots them off by beating their score. It smacks of X Factor’s ‘six chair challenge’, except the decision to swap contestants isn’t just down to one judge pretending to um and ah about who they should swap.

A sample of a hundred seems a better option than just three or four judges. It also means any tie-breakers are done quickly using those same hundred and not via public vote etc. It gets things done and dusted nice and neatly. I have no idea if future episodes will begin to annoy me with more convoluted methods…but, as it stands, the show gets on with the task in hand pretty swiftly…for now.

Already, we’ve been given the chance to meet a few of The 100. These little snippets are being eked out every so often to avoid large chunks of each episode encroaching on time available for singers to perform. Novel idea, I know. There is a diverse mix of characters…some more flamboyant and, therefore, more notable than others. Inevitably, a few of these will become more prominent (irritating) as the series progresses. Bearing in mind, with other singing contests, we only have a few judges to either gush over or bitch about. Here, we are blessed with a hundred to choose from. Internet, do your thing.

Paulus, a cabaret artist, already stands out as ‘the one to please’, but totally crushed his surly image when he stood up for the last act, then giggled uncontrollably when asked for his thoughts. I think he could be more fun than people might think. Please…let me be right.

Divina De Campo, a very striking drag queen, can’t help but catch your eye as she sits waiting to press her button. With bright red hair, coiffed so high you could dust a ceiling with it, she certainly makes an impact. You might remember, she auditioned for The Voice, but didn’t get a turn. It hasn’t stopped her pushing to become the high-profile drag artist she is now.

I’ll admit, these are the only two I remembered the next day, but I wouldn’t be surprised if each episode will focus on different members of The 100 as the series moves on.

Obviously, I remembered Spice Girl, Geri. However, I’m not sure she’s being used very well, having been planted right in the centre of The 100. I guess being stuck in the middle of a wall full of people, desperate to have their moment on camera, doesn’t afford much opportunity to shine as an individual. How unfortunate, though, for her to have compared those same people with Muppets. That moment you realize one of the hosts just implied to viewers that The 100 could be likened to shelves full of brainless puppets…you know? That moment. Hmmm…I wonder if she’s ever sat in the Houses of Parliament.

Rob Beckett is appealing as co-host. Whereas Geri is stuck in the wall, he can go anywhere he likes. Hence, he is basically the main presenter. He even side-steps along the rows that make up said wall between performances, so he can ask certain people why they either stood up or didn’t. His wicked banter gives the show a well-needed kick, so let’s hope those on the receiving end are happy to be humiliated on TV…in front of millions.

I suppose we should talk about the singers. To be honest, there seems a noticeable gap between the more popular singers and those who appear to stand no chance. In general, The 100 were more enthusiastic about outrageous or energetic performers. Anyone just standing and singing was deemed boring in comparison. They have a point. That said, there were a couple of singers who, in my opinion, just shouldn’t have been there.

Somehow, on shows like this, the best singer always gets to sing last. How this happens, I don’t know. This week it was Michael Rice, who sang his version of Tina Turner’s Proud Mary and made every single one of The 100 stand up to sing and dance. Brilliant! Except that meant there were a hundred people shouting over him and ruining my enjoyment of the performance. Dancing along is one thing…singing over the vocals is another.

Luckily there is a small delay, during which The 100 are not allowed to stand up, so the singer gets roughly thirty seconds to show off their voice, or lack thereof. After that, they can stand up to whoop and caterwaul over them as much as they like. Sorry…I just find it annoying.

All in all, the first episode went down fairly well in this household. I think it’s simple enough for anyone to understand and I hope it stays that way. My teenage daughter loved Davina De Campo…and my youngest daughter, who has no idea who Rob Beckett is, said, “He has pointy ears, he looks like Link.” (Google 'Legend of Zelda', or ask a gamer...if you can find one)

So...we’re all hooked so far…and for different reasons, but it’s something to bring us all together now on a Saturday night. Yes, I did…I went there.