Five minutes with… Paddy McGuinness
Paddy McGuinness will once again help a host of unluckyin-love singletons find their perfect match when Take Me Out returns for its 11th series. Georgia Humphreys chats to the TV presenter, 46, about this season's contestants, hosting an Eighties special and switching playing Cupid for cars in Top Gear.
How does it feel to be back with more Take Me Out?
It feels really good. Take Me Out is as popular as ever in terms of how many girls and boys applied, which is great. When you've got a show that's established, that everyone knows, the girls and boys feel more comfortable applying for it, as they know what it's all about.
I see it with our audience too. We have 500 people in every single night, it's always rampacked and there's always a good atmosphere. There's such warmth towards the show, which I love.
What are you looking for from the contestants?
My only note is we have to have an eclectic mix of people. It's pointless having four male models and 30 female models behind the podiums, because life's not like that. Everyday life is about different people from different walks of life, all different shapes and sizes and different interests.
Tell us some memorable moments from filming this series…
We break an actual Guinness World Record on one show. We've also got one lad who has struggled to find love because he has his ex-girlfriend's name tattooed on him. That got a bit awkward and it doesn't do him any favours with the girls after he mentions that!
We can expect another couple of special too, right?
The first one is an emergency services special, so it's an episode full of firefighters, police and ambulance workers. All the girls work within the emergency services and all the lads coming down the lift do as well. We thought it'd be a nice idea to celebrate them all
and everything they do.
And what about the Eighties special?
It's celebrating the Eighties, so I've gone back to my Miami Vice days. I'll be in a white suit with a pastel vest and all the girls will have big hair. The music and everything about the show will be Eighties. I'm really looking forward to that, it'll be a lot of fun.
I do love the specials - we're open to all suggestions. I like having them, because it reminds me of watching telly with my mum when I was young, as we used to watch the specials together of the shows we loved. It just adds that extra special something.
One of the men in this series is a Royal Marine. Was he popular with the ladies?
He was, he's great. I try to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible before the show, but the Royal Marine was really nervous. I thought, 'But you're a Royal Marine, come on now!' So, you see, even a marine is left quivering at the thought of facing our girls.
When the lads are waiting in the wings, they can hear all the girls and the audience - it is nerve-wracking. Even I still get nervous.
How come you still get nervous?
I know how the show works, but I think naturally, when you're performing in front of anyone, you get nervous. It's the unpredictability of it, which I love; not knowing what the girls are going to say. I always say to the lads, 'I know you're nervous, but trust me, you'll be on and off before you know it, just enjoy it'.
Do the girls shock you with the things they say?
Every series! I'm still, to this day, surprised and shocked by some of the things that come out of their mouths. Not shocked as in, 'I can't believe you said that', more shocked by the things they think about.
For example, one girl in this series gets a lad over so she can look at his elbows. She said, 'I can't have chalky elbows'. I thought, 'The boys would never think of anything like that'.
Viewers love your paddy-isms, like 'no likey, no lighty'.
Is it hard coming up with new ones?
Every single phrase we've ever said we have stored on a laptop, as we never repeat them. A lot of the phrases in this series are themed for each episode.
For instance, the theme for one episode is Cheesy Pop. We'll include phrases such as, 'Let the Cheeky see the Girls' and 'Let the Venga see the Boys', that kind of thing.
What's the weirdest place someone has used one of your catchphrases in front of you?
I was once at a funeral when someone said to me, 'Let the ashes see the urn', which I thought was a bit odd. I mean, there's a time and a place. That's probably the strangest place.
You joined the top gear presenting line-up this year. Is it important for you to have variety in your career?
Throughout my career, and I've been at it 20 years, I've always done different things. I think that's why I've always been lucky enough to work, because I write, I'll tour and do standup, then I'll do Take Me Out and Top Gear, and I did a series of Celebrity Juice.
If you pigeonhole yourself, things can get a bit limited. I've always had a broad selection of things I can do and that I am interested in. I'm glad, because it keeps it interesting for me and, hopefully, my fans.