5 MINUTES WITH...
Anneka Rice, 64, back with a reboot of classic series Challenge Anneka – almost 30 years after it was last on-screen…
How similar is this to the ’90s original?
ANNEKA: Channel 5 wanted it exactly as it was back then, and apart from the satnav in the buggy and being able to access people online rather than in the Yellow Pages, viewers will find it weirdly similar. At the end of the day, it’s a programme about communities and volunteers – harnessing the power of television as a force of good. And you still have to wait for plaster to dry…
Do you have a stand-out moment from back in the day?
One of the most significant challenges for me was the renovation of the orphanage in Romania in 1990. The whole of the UK seemed to get behind that project [helping
700 children living in appalling conditions], and the legacy of that challenge is immense. Millions of pounds poured in. It’s an extraordinary story and when I go out there it is heart-warming to see those badly malnourished, neglected “children” getting married, learning how to farm…
Do you still rock boiler-suit chic?
Everything is as it should be! I decided to upcycle some of my old outfits as I have a wardrobe full of Lycra, so zips, stripes and flashes went on. The trouble is we ended up filming in the winter, so all hopes of looking glamorous flew out of the window. Most of the time I look like a Teletubby – layer upon layer of thermals… I look as I always used to look, rain swept and dishevelled.
Any heartfelt moments?
Who knew that when we renovated a soup kitchen in the early ’90s, we’d be building a food hub in 2022? Or that in 2022, with the demise of youth clubs and playing fields, kids would have nowhere to go after school – and that we would be helping teenagers with mental health issues?