Way back when this James Bond spin off project was announced, I thought it was a crazy idea. Some kind of reality show where people do some challenges and answer some questions to try and win lots of money… what does that have to do with Bond?

The show, 007: Road to a Million, was recently released on Prime and I watched the first episode with a similar amount of skepticism… but it hooked me in and I absolutely devoured it. Eight episodes later, I was sad we had come to the end of the journey.

That first episode could be very off-putting. You’re thrown right into the adventure with a few of the couples that are taking part, and there’s not much in the way of explanation or how the competition is going to work. You really just discover it as you go along, the same as the couples do. And in the end, although that could have been a barrier, it was actually what really appealed to me.

For a reality show, this one is really calm, quiet and methodical. The vistas are incredible - revisiting locations related to Bond movies in the past - the cinematography as good as any of the films. The challenges are revealed and undertaken with as minimal fuss as possible. I’m assuming there is quite a lot of behind-the-scenes we don’t see… you can’t just let a member of the public climb a crane without some kind of professional supervision, right? But we don’t see any of that so it feels like the couples really are out there doing it on their own and fighting their inner demons to get the best result possible.

Some of the pacing is a bit uneven, we spend a long time with some couples, and barely minutes with others, but even that, once you are used to it, just feels different and interesting, setting this show apart from other competitions.

The structure, once it is finally revealed, is that nine couples - siblings, friends, colleagues, partners - work through several levels to aim for a £1 million cash prize. The levels involve finding suitcases and answering the multiple choice question contained within. And as you work through the levels, the finding of the cases gets more difficult and more breathtaking, and the questions get harder and more frustrating. Mountains, cable cars, subway trains, crocodiles, there’s a challenge in there for everyone.

All of this is overseen by Brian Cox, who is known as ‘The Controller’. He watches on from a villain-style bunker, many screens plastering the walls, and communicating with the teams only when necessary. He does a great job of adding an air of mystery about proceedings, and the way the teams start reacting to his messages is fun to watch unfold.

Honestly, I can totally understand why some people might watch this and give up very quickly - it’s such a different vibe to other reality shows, and could come across as boring very easily. But if you just give it a chance and get to know the participants, and follow the different strands of progress as they work towards a conclusion, it’s satisfying and sometimes even moving. I believe it has been renewed for a second series which is brilliant because I can’t wait to see what new locations they will go to.