‘This show is the best fun I’ve had in ages, it’s time to let rip’
Mel Giedroyc tells Danielle de Wolfe about her new panel show Unforgivable
Cringeworthy confessions make for great television. However, when those revelations come from the mouths of renowned celebrities, it’s safe to say our interest has been piqued.
Hosted by presenter and comedian Mel Giedroyc alongside her co-host and fellow comedian Lou Sanders, new Dave series Unforgivable does just that.
Uncovering a range of stories – from the relatively mild through to the downright shocking, the show relieves celebrities of their long held secrets without the need to set foot inside a church confessional.
Described by Giedroyc as “a gleeful celebration of the outrageous”, the series features a plethora of celebrity guests from across the world of entertainment.
“I thought ‘Come on, I’m 52, this show is the best fun I’ve had in ages, it’s time to let rip’,” says the Children In Need and former Bake Off presenter.
How does the show work?
“We have three celebrity guests on every show and the aim of the game is that the person who can make themselves most unforgivable, wins the show.
There must be some memorable stories?
“We’ve got everything from eating pets to scandalous goings-on in the bath. There are a fair amount of poo stories. There are childhood stories which are always brilliant and often quite charming because when you’re a child you don’t have quite the same sort of moral compass or sensibilities that you have as you get older.”
Any standout guests?
“We’ve got Jennifer Saunders on, who I absolutely adore; she’s hilarious. And it was so good to hear stories from her because she can actually be a shy person and she doesn’t do that many shows like this.
“Graham Norton was absolutely wonderful. I love the way that he doesn’t shy away from telling stories about himself… Gemma Collins was superb too – such a great storyteller with amazing timing.”
What is it that sets this show apart?
“You get to see some comedians that maybe we haven’t seen enough of yet. Some brilliant comics of the future, and I was all for that.”
And there are audience confessions too?
“The public confessions are more left-field, surreal and madder than you could ever make up. I hope the show taps into that in a very celebratory way because I think the show is a celebration; it’s not trying to make anyone actually look really bad. It’s just gleeful rather than condemning anybody.”
It must have been fun working with Lou Sanders?
“I adore her. I love her as a stand-up, and I love that she’s so different from me. Sue [Perkins] calls me The Onion because there are so many layers to get through before I will actually say what I’m properly thinking or feeling. Whereas someone like Lou, it’s all out there. She talks openly about everything. I blooming well admire that.”
● Unforgivable launches on Dave on Tuesday February 2.