IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO LIKE RICK’S CELEB SPIN-OFF
Rick Edwards is going prime time as he hosts an all-new, all-star version of his hit quiz show, Impossible. GEMMA DUNN finds out more about it
RICK EDWARDS is recalling the exact moment that he realised his fan demographic had changed.
“I was in the gym the other day when a girl, who was probably in her late teens, came over and said, ‘Ooh can I get a selfie?”’ the TV presenter, 39, explains.
“I said yes, even though I was horribly sweaty,” he says. “But she took it and then said, ‘Oh, my mum is such a fan!’
“I was like, ‘Oh. Oh right’,” he says, with a laugh. “So it’s quite a broad range now...”
The Londoner, who is married to actress Emer
Kenny, had been best known for hosting T4 on Channel 4, which was widely recognised as ‘hangover TV’ for a twentysomething audience.
A springboard for Rick and many of his former co-stars – Miquita Oliver, Steve Jones, Alexa Chung and Nick Grimshaw, to name but a few – the popular show attracted hoards of young viewers before it folded in 2012.
But luckily for Rick, his career didn’t go with it.
The broadcaster – who started out on the stand-up circuit after graduating with a degree in natural sciences from Cambridge University – has since paid his dues on such hits as ITV2’s comedy roast Safeword; BBC3’s live current affairs debate show, Free Speech; E4 reality series Tool Academy, and Channel 4’s Paralympic Breakfast Show.
The gig he holds responsible for his gym encounter, however, is BBC1’s smash daytime quiz Impossible.
He’s about to up the ante further, as he prepares to launch its first prime time reincarnation, Impossible Celebrities.
“I’m thrilled the BBC thinks it deserves a celebrity version,” he says of the star-studded spin-off, which will see 18 famous faces competing to win £10,000 for a charity of their choice.
“Although I’m slightly apprehensive, because our little show has been doing nicely in daytime and then you put it up on Saturday night and you just want people to like it,” he says.
“But there’s no point worrying,” he quickly adds.
In each episode, the celebrities must avoid giving “impossible” answers as they battle it out across three rounds of impossiblestyle multiple choice questions. Every right answer takes them a step closer to a shot at that jackpot – but a single “impossible” answer will knock them out for that episode.
Those taking on the challenge include presenter Gregg Wallace, comedian Russell Kane, Steps singer Ian ‘H’ Watkins and Paralympic champion and crossbench peer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
“It was fun doing it with celebrities,” Rick says of the six-part run. “They’re sort of a nightmare when you’ve got 18 of them – trying to wrangle them all. But it’s worth it.
“Quite a few of them I knew already and I knew they’d be good value,” he adds.
“The two people I was most excited about were Gregg Wallace – whenever I watch him, and I watch him quite a lot, it’s like, ‘What is this man? He’s so odd. He’s a strange man’. And now I get to do a quiz show with him. Good.
“And (the other is) Debbie McGee because I’ve always loved Debbie McGee. I really enjoyed her on Strictly, and then I met her and loved her. And so it was nice to have her on.”
With years of live TV behind him, Rick is used to thinking on his feet.
In fact, over the years, he’s learned that mistakes are fine – even if things don’t go as hoped.
“As long as you don’t panic in that situation, it’s quite endearing,” he elaborates. “Most of the programmes that I do, it’s OK for there to be little fluffs.
“You don’t need to speak like a perfect automaton at all times,” he insists.
“Whereas when I started out, I imagined that you did. It’s just telly!”
Impossible Celebrities starts on BBC1 on Saturday, at 7pm.