This week, my personal award for the category of Odd Programme of the Week goes to the FX channel’s programme, To Catch a Predator which is on at 10pm on Wednesdays.

It’s an American programme and the concept is that adults pose as children online and chat to men who are then tricked into meeting up with who they believe is the young girl they’ve been chatting to. When the man gets to the young girl’s home, Dateline reporter and presenter, Chris Hansen, pops out. He then quizzes the man about his intentions and when the man attempts to leave, the police arrest him.

It’s kind of a Punk’d concept show, but with guns and prison sentences instead of practical jokes.

I saw this show for the first time last night and watched as three men ended up in police custody following these sting operations. They were not nice people needless to say, and at least one of them had prior convictions for some form of sexual crime. Worryingly, one was posing as a police officer and had a loaded gun and a set of handcuffs in his car. There was an amusing moment when, as that particular man attempted to leave, sheriffs zapped him with a taser gun which had him squealing like a girl.

I can’t decide if this show is a good idea or not. Yes of course the sort of lowlifes who prey on children online need to be stopped, but it was odd watching it play out. I really can’t put my finger on why it was so weird to watch unless it’s the cringe factor that applies for me to all set-up type shows.

Or maybe it was that I was waiting for that moment where you’d normally expect everyone to crack up and stand around slapping each other on the back saying stuff like, “Man I knew it, I just knew this was a set up! Awww you guys…”

Naturally, given the nature of the set-up, that didn’t happen.

So what do you think? Should we adopt a similar programme here or is it too voyeuristic for us stiff upper lip types? Let us know!