POETRY IN MOTION
LEN GOODMAN TELLS US ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT HIS NEW SHOW…
He may have stepped down from the Strictly judging panel last year, but Len Goodman isn’t ready for a quiet retirement just yet. He’s back on our screens this Saturday as the host of this new game show where the contestants need a good ear for a rhyme.
“This is not University
Challenge or Mastermind, but it’s such a laugh,” Len tells Inside TV as we join him for a chat. “I personally think it’s a perfect quiz for early evening on a Saturday. Whether you’re 10 or 100, you can join in and find the rhyme. You’ll get these snooty people who won’t go with it just because it’s a fun quiz, but it’s a hoot!”
The first round of the game show is named Find A Rhyme, and sees members of the public go up against each other to figure out which two celebs will be joining them to make up a team of three.
From there, the contestants will compete in rounds such as Mime The Rhyme, where their celebrity partners will try to assist them by acting out a rhyming phrase. Other rounds, meanwhile, include Rhymewatch – where the contestants have to find the hidden rhymes in a short film.
While his 13 years of working on Strictly gave Len plenty of TV experience, this is his first time hosting a game show – and he did have to master some new skills.
“I’m not great on the autocue,” he admits. “I’m better at just chatting! I’m not even a performer, really – all I am is a dance teacher from Dartford who had a bit of luck when he was 60. I didn’t know if I could do it or not, but I was up for the challenge and I thought, ‘Well, if Bradley Walsh can do it, surely I can manage this!’. We don’t have rehearsals or anything, but the more we went along, the more we got into it. And I realised this isn’t a quiz, it’s just a lark – once I got that in my head, then it became fun.”
Len is enjoying having a little bit more time to himself in his post-strictly life – and he tells us that when it comes to what to do next, he lives by one main rule.
“About two or so years ago I made a New Year’s resolution that I’m not going to do anything I don’t want to do,” he shares. “It’s hard, you can’t do it totally, but I try. I’m 73 and I haven’t got decades to go, so if I don’t fancy it, then I don’t do it. But if I do, then I’ll have a go!”
And of course Len’s not been short of offers since handing in his notice as head judge – but despite being a household name these days, he’s still reluctant to think of himself as a celebrity.
“It’s a bit of a shock when people recognise me, even though it happens most days!” he chuckles. “I have no feeling of celebrity – I’m just old Len! And I’m not Tom Cruise, I’m not getting women throwing their knickers at me!”
IF BRADLEY WALSH CAN DO IT, SURELY I CAN MANAGE THIS!”