Entertainment

HBO's Docuseries About The McDonalds Monopoly Fraud Has Finally Arrived In The UK

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Right now, there's truly nothing I'd love more than a McDonalds. I'm not even joking; I've been checking their UK Instagram page for weeks to see when I can finally satisfy my cravings. Little did I know I would actually be able to get my fix through another (perhaps less delicious, but equally as compelling) format: on TV. There's a new show coming to screens about the McDonalds Monopoly fraud scandal, and here's everything you need to know, including how to watch McMillions in the UK.

McMillions is a six-part documentary from HBO that investigates the McDonalds Monopoly fraud scandal that took place between 1995 and 2001. During this time, an ex U.S. police officer named Jermone Jacobson (who became known as 'Uncle Jerry') found a way to cheat the system, steal a number of prizes, and win large sums of money through McDonalds' Monopoly promotion.

But how exactly did he do this? Well, Jacobson was actually working in security for McDonalds' contractor Simon Marketing, where he oversaw the printing of the Monopoly "pieces" used in the game. Over the years, the Jacobson stole many of the best prizes for himself and also handed them out to friends, family, and paying customers. Things quickly escalated, and Jacobsen found himself involved with the likes of the Italian mafia, rapidly getting in over his head.

That was until the FBI got involved, and one man in particular worked tirelessly to foil the scam. The documentary revolves around this FBI agent, Doug Matthews, and his pursuit of 'Uncle Jerry.' Matthews was given an anonymous tip, which led to the discovery of recorded conversations and wire taps, and the eventual arrest of Jacobson.

Film-makers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte spoke to Matthews, as well as other individuals from McDonalds, Simon Marketing, and the FBI, to create their documentary, which has already been shown in the U.S. on HBO.

Speaking about the film to the Independent, Hernandez said: “Meeting people, and meeting Mathews, and seeing what goes into an actual FBI investigation – taking this really small kernel of information and exploding it into a huge case – was fascinating to us.”

Although the McDonalds docu-series showed earlier this year in America, luckily we won't have to wait any longer to get hold of this six-parter here in the UK as it is airing today (May 27) on Sky Documentaries at 9 p.m., and will also stream on NOWTV. That's the next 24 hours sorted, then.

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