"We've seen this pattern for 15 years,"he says."Someone will make a hit show and everyone else apes them but in most cases,the copycats aren't as successful. Programmers need to tease out thereal reason a show engages the public."

The appeal ofLego Masters,Allen believes,is its feel-good vibe. While its technical challenges give it structure,its warmth and humour keep people watching.

"A lot of that comes down to Hamish Blake,"he says."The show would be quite flat without him.”

Compared toMarried at First Sight,he adds,Lego Masters is"so wholesome you want to spew".

This does not mean we’re sick of shouty dating shows. What we actually want is variety.

"There would have been a negative reaction if Nine followedMAFS with another program full of confrontation and sleazy bits,"Allen says."You can only take so much of that before you need a break."

TV Tonight editor David Knox says viewers appreciate thatLego Masters is different to other reality shows.

"It brings a little imagination to a genre where it was sorely lacking,"Knox says."Audiences are happy to indulge in something other than singing,cooking,renovating and dating."

Instead of mimicking theLego Masters format,Knox hopes other networks will"think outside the brick"and create their own fresh formats.

Earlier this year,10'sSunday Night Takeaway tried to woo the family audience thatLego Masters now captures. ThoughTakeawaywas flattened by theMAFS juggernaut,10 may air a tweaked version in a different timeslot next year.

Both programs are accurately described as"wholesome"– but critically,neither is"earnest".Takeaway hosts Julia Morris and Chris Brown simultaneously embraced and satirised the variety show format,and Blake is taking a similar approach withLego Masters.

"He playfully pokes fun at the well-worn tropes of reality TV,"says Nine's programming chief,Hamish Turner."The show boasts a great array of characters,the likes of which we haven't seen on other programs …[it's] different enough to feel fresh."