Tom: ‘Who wouldn’t want to blow their nose on my face?’
The comedian tests his brain power
We’re used to seeing Tom Allen on our fave panel shows, or one of the many shows in what we call the Bake Off universe – “Like Doctor Who, but made of sponge,” Tom jokes. But the 37 year old is now the host of Channel 4’s newest quiz show Quizness, which sounds, er, interesting…
There are some quirky rounds in Quizness… The easiest one to explain is the one where you have to replace words in the answer. So, if the words began with, say, B, S, and J, then you have to replace those words with, “bubbly”, “subbly” and “jubbly”. So, if the question was, “Who is the Prime Minister?” you’d answer, “Bubbly Jubbly”. Amazing. Are you a quiz fan? I think The Chase is phenomenal, and Pointless is wonderful, too.
Quizness is such a fun idea. At first, you think, “Oh, this is a load of nonsense!” but then you realise how much it tests your brain. And people can win £25k? Yes, and if they don’t get the money, they have a chance to win a handkerchief with my face on it, which of course is the real prize. Who wouldn’t want to blow their nose on my face? You’re doing a new series of Bake Off: The Professionals with Liam Charles, right? We just finished recording. We’re so proud of this series, because the hospitality business has had such a difficult year. It’s a real celebration of the truly inspiring people who work in that industry. Is it nice to be back at work? Yes, and being back with people like Liam. I love that we’re able to make each other laugh, and I think that’s what people like to see at a time when we’ve felt so isolated. n
Quizness starts on Channel 4, Friday 14 May