Five
MacIntyre’s Big Sting made a big splash from its first transmission in 2004. The fast-paced and audacious series turned the tables on the criminals, thugs, yobs and con merchants who blight the lives of millions.
Working closely with police forces from up and down the UK, the series saw Donal MacIntyre and the team plan and execute elaborate stings to help police catch petty repeat offenders, many of whom were “on the run” from the police.
Donal and the team went to any lengths to catch the crooks. In series two they set up an elaborate sting next to Wembley stadium for the launch of a fake new lads’ mag ‘Balls’; hosted a dubious TV game show offering criminal contestants the chance to win big prizes, and set up a phony will-tracing service inviting West Yorkshire’s most wanted to discover if they were due an unclaimed legacy. But primed for a moment of glory and a handsome cash prize, the criminals were instead faced with a pair of handcuffs and an arrest warrant, as the police swooped in to make them face the music.
In series three, Donal was joined by intrepid reporters Kate McIntyre and Keith Wilson and together the team turned the tables on a wide array of petty criminals and public grievances. Donal donned a multitude of disguises to sting criminals ranging from repeat driving offenders to black marketeers, and even got into character as Donal-07, as a steal-to-order car thief tried to drive off in our vintage Aston Martin.