Double the Money on Channel 4: Meet the contestants

Double the Money starts Thursday 9 May 8pm on Channel 4.

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Hosted by Sue Perkins, 13 pairs of contestants are challenged to Double The Money doing any idea they can think of. Starting with £250 in episode one, they have 36 hours to bring back £500 using their entrepreneurial abilities. Anyone that fails is out of the competition. Each episode the stakes get higher until one team ultimately wins a life changing sum of money.

Meet the Contestants

RADHIKA (59) & SEEMA (60)

From: London

Relationship: Friends

Occupation: Radhika is food influencer and Seema is a mythologist and sexual health educator

Seema and Radhika have been firm friends for 15 years after meeting at a fundraiser. Their friendship has since grown into a business collaboration, working together on a multi-sensory dining experience. The pair are hoping to inspire other women to pursue the opportunities that come from financial independence. If they succeed in the contest, they would spend the money on travel and their business.

JACK (35) & NATALIE (26)

From: East Sussex

Relationship: Couple

Occupation: Jack and Natalie run a pub together

Natalie and Jack have been together for five years. Jack has owned a pub for nine years and Natalie moved in with him days before the first Covid lockdown. Trying to run a pub in tough times was a fun but challenging experience for the couple. Natalie also works as a model so sometimes spends time away from home. If they win, they hope to put the money towards their dream home.

MARRISSA & GABRIELLE (28)

From: Leeds

Relationship: Twin sisters

Occupation: The sisters have their own social marketing business

Marissa and Gabrielle have been obsessed with money since they were little. One of their childhood money-making schemes was to sell caterpillars from their garden. At high school, the twins’ dad was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly before they sat their GCSEs. Having lost a parent at a young age, Marissa and Gabrielle want to support and motivate young people who have experienced grief.

DALE (48) & HARVEY (19)

From: Telford

Relationship: Father and son

Occupation: Dale is a business owner and Harvey is a traffic management operative

Dale wants to teach his son the art of negotiating and selling and hopes that the experience will be a good opportunity to spend quality time with his son. Harvey hopes the competition will help him with vital career experience. If they succeed in the competition, Dale would like to take the family away on holiday while Harvey would like to set up a business of his own.

TALIA (26) & SHANA (52)

From: London

Relationship: Mother and daughter

Occupation: Shana is a business owner and author while Talia is a DJ and plus size model

Shana was diagnosed with two brain conditions 14 years ago and since then has underwent six brain operations. Talia was only 12 when Shana started going through her treatment and had to grow up fast to support her mum and her younger brother. Shana has written a book about her experiences living with a brain condition and if they won the series she would love to pursue publishing more.

LOUIS (29) & COSMO (26)

From: London

Relationship: Best friends

Occupation: Cosmo is a property developer and Louis is an estate agent

Cosmo and Louis have been friends since getting to know each other through work. Both of their jobs are in competitive environments, so they aren’t daunted by the pressure of the competition. They’re confident that their career backgrounds and confidence will give them the ability to go far in the competition. Their dream would be to spend their winnings on relocating to Thailand and opening a beach bar.

SHAY (33) & SAMINA (33)

From: London

Relationship: Best friends

Occupation: Shay works in fraud prevention and Samina is a Learning & Development specialist

Shay and Samina have been best friends for 18 years and both share an entrepreneurial mindset, each running events business outside their day jobs. The pair both lived through sad loss as both their fathers died just eight months apart from each other in 2020. They both think taking part in this challenge would be something their dads would be proud to see them do.

FAYE (46) & CLARE (43)

From: Leeds

Relationship: Best friends

Occupation: Faye is a carer and Clare is a sports centre duty manager

Faye and Clare met in their 30s when Faye was organising a fundraiser for dementia and they quickly became best friends. Clare’s grandma and Faye’s mother both died with dementia and the pair have seen first-hand how it affects loved ones, which motivated them to raise money for related causes. Clare would love to use the money to start a performing arts school in her local area.

BARRIE (71) & DEBBIE (67)

From: Plymouth

Relationship: Couple

Occupation: Debbie and Barrie are both retired

Debbie and Barrie met on a widowers’ dating site. Even living hundreds of miles apart, the pair still make time to see each other. With Barrie traveling to Essex to spend time with Debbie they describe themselves as “the real life Gavin & Stacey”. The couple now share two dogs and hope, if they win the series, to welcome another as well as splitting some of their earnings with the church.

BEN (27) & NISSY (27)

From: London

Relationship: Married couple

Occupation: Nissy is a women’s empowerment guru and Ben is a financial advisor

Nissy and Ben have been married for three years. Both come from working class families with their parents immigrating from Congo. They feel that growing up without money has given them the drive and determination to succeed. If they win the contest, they are hoping to share winnings with good causes in Congo.

JAMIE (38) & GEOFF (69)

From: Bournemouth

Relationship: Father and Son

Occupation: Jamie is a business owner and Geoff is semi-retired

Jamie has run a string of businesses for the last 15 years and his latest venture is a furniture upcycling business that he runs with his dad Geoff. Geoff worked in advertising in the 1980s, before he and his wife decided to move the family to India to help tiger conservation work where they lived for seven years. If they win the contest, Jamie and Geoff would put the money towards growing their furniture business.

LYNN (48) & CATH (40)

From: Liverpool

Relationship: Friends and business partners

Occupation: Bar business owners

Cath and Lynn met six years ago taking their sons to the same football game soon becoming close family friends. Lynn was formerly a carer and Cath had a career as a workplace trainer. In 2022 they took ownership of their own bar and restaurant in Merseyside. If they win the competition, they are hoping to put the money into their business and have dreams of expanding to a chain of bars.

PAULETTE (79) & KALLUM (26)

Kallum and Paulette both live in Kent

Relationship: Grandson and Grandmother

Occupation: Kallum is a café manager and Paulette works as a carer

Kallum and Paulette hope their generational difference will give them the edge in the contest. Paulette has a genuine appreciation for work, and still enjoys it even into her late 70s, working as a live-in carer. Away from his work in a busy beachfront café, Kallum is in a band and would love to put any winnings from the show into making more music.